I previously wrote that President Donald Trump has the curious skill of bringing out the worst in his critics. In the last two weeks, two of Trump’s greatest critics have not only faced their own investigations into leaks by the Inspector General (and McCabe is now the subject of a criminal referral for prosecution), they are increasingly at odds with one another. It is clear that either Comey or McCabe is offering a false account of leaks from the Justice Department. With McCabe now promising defamation lawsuits and the possibility of a prosecution, this could get much worse before it gets better.
In the meantime, after raising over $500,000 on GoFundMe (a campaign that I criticized as being premature), Bromwich has announced that he is going back for more donations. The last campaign ended just before the IG disclosed that McCabe lied not once but four times — and before Comey himself effectively called McCabe a liar. Indeed, C0mey is invested in showing McCabe is a liar since he previously testified under oath that he never leaked or approved a leak as director.
Bromwich has morphed into Michael Cohen in throwing around threats, including President Trump, for “continuing slander.” His client is a former public official and now a public figure under New York Times v. Sullivan. In that case, Justice William Brennan explained how the First Amendment was meant to give the free press “breathing space” to play its critical role in our democratic society. The result was not to bar lawsuits by politicians like Trump against the media but rather to require a higher showing of proof. He must prove that the media had “actual malice” where it had actual knowledge of the falsity of a statement or showed reckless disregard whether it was true or false.
That is a high standard for McCabe to shoulder. Moreover, a politician’s opinion of your service (like Trump’s) is generally not actionable unless it can be shown to be a false assertion of fact.
McCabe may be able to tap the thoroughly gullible for more money but he may find that discovery in litigation is the last place he wants to be with both Trump and Comey asserting opposing views of his conduct.
Comey’s Quandary
“Hillary couldn’t be proven guilty without proving the president guilty as well.”
– National Review
All roads lead to Obama.
Professor Turley has devoted considerable attention this past week to Comey and McCabe; making an effort to portray them unreliable parties to the Russia Probe. But as the week drew to a close, McCabe had faded from the news cycle.
James Comey, however, was still a topic in Friday’s developments. Under pressure from Republicans, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein released 15 pages of Comey memos regarding meetings with Trump. Those memos suggest that Trump was obsessed with the so-called ‘Pee Party’; broaching the topic with Comey on three different dates. Apparently Trump wanted Comey to release a statement assuring the public that Trump never hosted said party. But Comey could not have honestly given such assurances. Comey’s reluctance to weigh in on the issue irritated Trump.
On Friday afternoon The New York Times published a story entitled “Michael Cohen Has Said He Would Take A Bullet For Trump. Maybe Not Anymore”. The article, by Maggie Haberman, was a largely speculative piece hinting that Cohen could turn witness against Trump regarding various matters Cohen has attended to during his years of service for Trump. The story annoyed Trump so much that he singled-out Maggie Haberman amid his Saturday tweet storm. Trump dismissed Haberman as a Clinton partisan and claimed he never spoke to her. It’s been reported, however, that Trump has known Haberman for at least 20 years. They were seemingly friends for much of that time.
Today’s Washington Post features a story that has already garnered more than 5,000 comments: “Michael Cohen, Once At Peak Of Trump’s World, Now Poses Threat To It”. This story contains several revelations that I was not aware of. Although Cohen grew up in a wealthy Long Island suburb, he fell in love with a Ukranian emigre whom he later married. Said emigre was largely connected to the Russian-Ukranian community based in Brooklyn’s Sheepshead Bay. As a young man Cohen spent a great deal of time hanging out in that community. There Cohen began a long friendship with Felix Sater, an alleged Russian-American mobster who later served the Trump Organization in a still vague capacity.
Cohen went on to manage a taxi fleet with a Ukrainian immigrant. Cohen also invested (unsuccessfully) in a Florida casino boat with 2 Ukrainian immigrants. And interestingly, Cohen’s Ukrainian father-in-law pled guilty to fraud at one point. It’s fascinating that Trump, a president accused of ties with Russia, should employ an attorney so connected to Ukrainians. Is that just an odd coincidence? Or do birds of feather flock together?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-cohen-once-at-pinnacle-of-trumps-world-now-poses-threat-to-it/2018/04/21/efb1c9c6-3cd4-11e8-974f-aacd97698cef_story.html?utm_term=.aa45fa4fd670
what do the Ukrainians have to do with Russia post USSR? Only Ukes I know of who identify with the Russians are the Crimeans. Wash Compost.
” But as the week drew to a close, McCabe had faded from the news cycle.”
Of course, McCabe has faded, he now faces criminal charges. That doesn’t suit the newsmedia’s biases.
The Force of Geography is NOT strong in you. Nor, The Force of History. Frankly, you are also lacking in the Force of Intelligence.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Bottom line folks nothing happens to both of them, Strozck, Paige, Hier Mueller and the Witch on the broom. They are playing the nation like a fine tuned violin and framing a duly elected President. Stop copying, pasting long winded BS and submitting our personal biases. You’ll read after all is said and done some toilet attendant named Russky was arrested for for drinking Stoly,s at the Russian Tea Room.
You are correct, sir.
Comey lied by omission when he briefed president-elect Trump on salacious part of dossier by not disclosing competitor HRC’s funding role. In any organization big or small, public, private,non-profit – expectation that chief of security/PR etc would alert leader/CEO etc of role played by competitor as part of disinformation campaign. To choose to exclude this detail is insubordination/fire-able offense for any organization.
Excerpted from Arthur Snell, “How To Read The Trump Dossier”:
“So, three sources with differing perspectives claim to have specific knowledge of the incident. Two of them appear to be connected with the hotel; one is Trump’s ‘close associate’ . . . It is entirely possible that the authorities pressured the hotel employees into confirming the allegations, but again, that doesn’t explain why Trump’s ‘close associate’ made the same allegations.”
Perhaps Comey should also have disclosed to Trump that the “hooker allegation” in the dossier came from “a close associate of Trump” who had accompanied him and who had made the arrangements for Trump’s 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe Pageant.
No. Wait. That would have compromised a confidential informant. Comey would have violated the law by telling Trump that one of his own “close associates” had informed the FBI about the “hooker allegation.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/us/politics/feinstein-fusion-gps-glenn-simpson-transcript.html
Mr. Schnell and you and the FBI/DOJ make the same stupid error.
An actual source is the person who witnessed something.
Steele is not a source.
The people who provided these claims to him – were not sources.
The Steele Dossier talks about sources, but no ACTUAL sources have been produced.
Actual Sources BTW are not sufficient for a warrant.
You must have credible sources.
Given that we do not have actual sources, you can not have credible sources.
In the FISA Warrants the FBI/DOJ elided this problem by referencing Steele’s credibility.
That is not even close to the 4th amendment standard.
If a person with a reputation for truthfulnes tells you that someone told them that someone told them that something happened. The reputation of the person you are talking to does not matter. The reputation of the person he is talking to does nto matter. The credibility of the actual witnesses is what matters.
We do not even know who they are today.
Excerpted from the article linked above:
“According to Mr. Simpson, it was not until late September, nearly two months after the F.B.I. investigation had begun, that the F.B.I. reached out to Mr. Steele. He then met with agents in Rome to brief them on his work.
At that meeting, Mr. Steele learned that his information was considered credible by the F.B.I. “because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from inside the Trump organization,” Mr. Simpson testified.
Mr. Simpson did not disclose the identity of the human source in his August testimony. But people familiar with the matter said that Mr. Steele, after being questioned by the F.B.I., came to believe that the bureau’s human source was George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign adviser.”
So the Trump-Russia dossier had a source who is a close associate of Trump and the FBI already had Papadopoulos as a source. That makes two sources from amongst Trump’s own people. Why would Comey compromise two FBI sources in the act of disclosing to Trump the sourcing of the dossier and the origin of the Russia probe? He wouldn’t. And, therefore, he didn’t.
L4D: According to Mr. Simpson
You do understand that ANYTHING that starts with Simpson is garbage ?
Todate there are only TWO known sources associated with the FBI investigation.
Downer’s reports on Papadoulis, and the Steele Dossier
BOTH came through the clinton campaign (and Simpson, and Blumenthal).
It does not matter which corrupt source you say started the FBI.
Absent a credible source you have Worse than Watergate.
Absent verification – you have WTW.
How is it you can jump so effortlessly from “Simpson said”
To what Simpson said is true ?
There is ZERO confirmation of anything that Simpson actually said.
BTW it has already been established that the FBI’s sources confirming the Steele Dossier were stories in the media, that were ultimately found to be because of Steele’s contacts with the media.
This is why FBI terminated its relationship with Steele.
Worse still the FBI represented to the FISA court that the Dossier was corroborated by independent news sources, when those sources really we jut Steele talking to the media.
There has been leftist speculation matching your claims.
But there has never been confirmation of this.
Diane – read Comey’s memos and it is clear that Trump thinks he didn’t/couldn’t do it. So, where are these people coming from? Trump says he did not stay overnight in Moscow. He flew in and out. He asks Comey to check on that. Comey seems to have not had. Or, if he did, not returned that info to the President.
Comey was there to blackmail the President.
I have read Comey’s memos. This may come as a shock to you, Paul, but I don’t necessarily believe anything Trump says to anybody else about anything else. Trump told Comey that Trump is a germaphobe. Okay. Fine. Does that settle the issue? I doubt it.
The salacious hooker allegation in the dossier came from a close associate of Trump. My best guess (and it is a guess) is that the Russians tipped off Trump that Steele was compiling a dossier on Trump and that Trump then used one of his close associates to plant the salacious hooker allegation in the dossier as disinformation to discredit the whole of the dossier and anyone else who got ahold of it.
IOW, Trump is a germaphobe. There were no hookers. And the salacious hooker allegation is just another instance of “fake news” cooked up by Team Trump to discredit their adversaries with so much more mere red herring.
Diane – since Trump didn’t stay overnight in Moscow, just who was this close associate of Trump’s?
L4D: “The salacious hooker allegation in the dossier came from a close associate of Trump.”
No there is a triple hearsay claim that the allegation came from an associate.
There is no actual identified “close associate” that can be asked about this.
I beleive there is an actual story – not from the dossier, but from the media, where one of Trump’s identified security people, confirmed that some prominent private Russian offered Female companionship.
But that offer was turned down and never relayed to Trump.
Given that until after the election there exists no actual evidence of any actual contact between Trump and “russia”.
Natalia almost certainly worked for Glenn Simpson, regardless, she did not officially represent Russia.
She brought nothing of value, late to the party, and does little more than prove that there was no back channel to Putin – otherwise Trump Jr. would have never needed to meet Natalia.
Your “best guess” lacks any factual foundation at all.
Calling it your “best guess” demonstrates effectively that you lack the ability to think critically.
This is what is wrong with the entire left narative.
It requires the beleif of MANY things that never were likely and with time prove increasingly improbable.
The left is increasingly betting on being dealt 5 aces
It is just not happening.
There is plenty of evidence that Trump is a germ-0-phobe.
There is no evidence he is into Urolagnia
Trump’s doorman claims he fathered a child by his maid, a claim that almost no one takes as credible.
BTW you are actually incorrect regarding the Steele Dossier – and this is one of its more serious problems.
The Steele Dossier SAYS that sources confirm some of its claims.
That is NOT the same as sources confirm some of its claims.
It is called hearsay.
When the FBI offered the Steele Dossier to the FISA Courts, the FBI claimed Steele was a source with a reliable past history.
But that is false. Steele was NOT the source. In fact his sources were not the source.
People his sources purportedly talked to were the sources.
If your claims are true – there should be no problem getting these hotel employees on the record.
You can not – we do not even know they exist.
BTW Trump’s security people – that is real people, with names that you can question say this never happened.
The Steele Dossier was published by the Media.
Comey testified in May 2017 that it was unverified and salacious.
The only way Comey could have compromised a source unethically was if he told Trump something that was not public information.
The FBI has talked to no source. Steele is NOT a source. The agents in Russia he paid – are not sources.
Sidney Blumenthal is not a source.
People who are mentioned in the Steel dossier are not confidential protected sources – after the media has published the steele dossier.
There is nothing in the Steele Dossier that Comey could not have ethically told Trump.
Molly Hemmingway clears a few things up with her latest.
http://thefederalist.com/2018/04/20/comeys-memos-indicate-dossier-briefing-of-trump-was-a-setup/
Yes, he could have told them that the investigation was funded by both Rs and Ds, which it was. Steele took over the investigation in mid-stream and certainly would have had access to what had been gathered already. But Trump wouldn’t have ended up any more paranoid, delusional and terrified than he already is.
Yes, he could have told them that the investigation was funded by both Rs and Ds,
Actually, no. It was funded by Democrats. Simpson recycled some material he’d collected for a previous inquiry commissioned by the Washington Examiner.
After Trump was nominated the R who was funding the oppo research against him dropped it and the Ds picked it up.
Nice try with the fake news, though.
You can’t stop lying.
You’re missing the part about Clapper’s involvement.
The Clapper is also The Leaker and he does not even deny this, but not pressed on this by CNN “journalists” because they protect CNN “contributors” – best characterized collectively as CNN propagandists (CNN “journalists” protect CNN “contributors” and vice versa.
Bill Martin, hold on to your armchair–STAT. There’s a distinct possibility that Trump leaked the fact that Comey had briefed him on the dossier because Comey had told Trump that Comey wanted to keep it secret that the FBI had the dossier and how the FBI had come by the dossier.
P. S. Trump wanted Comey to investigate the “hooker allegation” for the express purpose of exonerating Trump of the “hooker allegation.” Comey refused to do as Trump had asked him to do. Trump may have leaked his briefing on the dossier to force Comey to investigate the “hooker allegation” in order to clear Trump on that count.
BTW, Technically speaking, Trump only denied to Comey that there were any hookers. Trump did not specifically deny to Comey the other salacious aspect of the allegation at issue.
And another thing, Bill Martin, given that the source for the hooker allegation in the dossier was “a close associate of Trump,” it is entirely possible that Trump already knew about “the salacious hooker allegation” before Comey briefed Trump on the dossier.
Have you fallen out of your armchair yet, Bill???
Yes! The great guessing game continues apace like a roller-coaster ride through the Labrynth of the Minotaur (guess who?).
The Russians know who Steele is and what Steele does for a living. The Russians may have tipped off Trump to the fact that Steele was compiling a dossier on Trump. Trump may have used one of his close associates to plant disinformation (the salacious hooker allegation) in the dossier in just such a way as to discredit both Steele and the whole of the remaining allegations in the dossier as well as anyone else who might get ahold of the dossier. Or not. What do you think, Bill Martin???
Before you answer the previous question, consider this question: Why was Trump so very keen on having Comey investigate the salacious hooker allegation in the Trump-Russia dossier???
Because people who are innocent tend to beleive that thorough investigations will remove any doubts about their innocense.
Guilty people are highly unlikely to demand thorough FBI investigations.
Been listening to Louis Mensch I see.
Regardless, you do an excellent job of demonstrating the problem with the entire Trump/Russia nonsense.
It is pure speculation. Much of it is not even possible,
Regardless, just because you can make something up that can not instantly be proven false does not make it true or even credible.
We can speculate that Hillary is the “spawn of satan”. There are probably some on the right who would instantly accept that.
But there is no evidence to support it.
You do not seem to grasp that the Steele Dossier is words on paper – nothing more.
There are no actual people who we can identify as the purported sources in the dossier that have confirmed anything in it.
L4D: given that the source for the hooker allegation in the dossier was “a close associate of Trump,
Wrong – the CLAIMED source is that. There is no know actual sources for any of this.
Steele got some of his information from Russian agents, who got their information form others, who we know nothing about – except that the Steele Dossier presumes to vaguely identify them.
Steele got other information From Blumenthal and Simpson. Further Simpson and Blumenthal made their own additions independent of Steele.
Even the existance of these sources has not been confirmed.
In many cases we can Guess who the people are, but those people have not confirmed that they are the people in the Dossier or said what they purportedly said or witnessed what the purportedly witnessed.
Diane – I think Comey only briefed him on the hookers. He never gave him the full dossier, or he doesn’t mention it. If this is a dead cert, why is Buzzfeed suing the DNC for back up on the info in the dossier to cover their butt in their lawsuits.
Guilty people tend to not demand the FBI investigate their misdeeds in the expectation of being exhonerated.
It is not within the FBI directors authority to “refuse” the president.
Your claim is extremely dubious. But whatever, if true it would not matter.
The FBI was actually obligated to investigate the “hooker claim” – because they used the Steele Dossier as the basis for several FISA warrants.
If the FBI used unverified information as the basis for a warrant, that is a very serious – probably criminal mistake.
You do not seem to grasp that the Steele Dossier is not and never was verified.
That is a very very serious problem. It means that there is no credible allegation to support the investigation – in otherwords the investigation is illegitimate.
The constitution requires warrants based on SWORN probable cause to conduct a search of seizure.
That is to preclude government from “investigating” whoever it wants for whatever it wants.
The FBI/DOJ had sufficient basis for a counter intelligence investigation – but that is NOT the same as a criminal investigation.
The Special Counsel law only authorizes the appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate a CRIME, that may have been committed by a person that creates a conflict with a DOJ/FBI investigation.
Republicans as an example keep calling for a Special Counsel to investigate Clinton – that is illegitimate.
Clinton Never was in the chain of command for DOJ/FBI there never was a conflict.
However an investigation of the Clinton Email investigation could warrant an SC – as that is an investigation of the FBI and DOJ.
I would also note for those who missed it that the 5 eyes(FVEY) committee has aparently denied to Nunes that they were the source of the information on Papadoulis.
This is actually a big deal. AU, CA, US, NZ, UK have an agreement that none will investigate the citizens of the other without permission.
FVEY is the ONLY legitimate means by which foreign intelligence on US citizens can reach the US government.
This matters – because the australian diplomat who is the source of the Papadoulis story, did not provide the information through his government. That diplomat is a Clinton associate involved in the Clinton Foundation scandal. The apparent flow of information is Downer to the Clintons and then to Blumenthal and the State Department to the FBI.
There is no source for the FISA warrants or the FBI investigation that does not run through the Clinton campaign. There is no source that is actually rooted in the legitimate activities of the intelligence community.
This is quite litterally what Nixon wanted the FBI to do for him, but was unable to get – investigate political opponents.
This also speaks to the credibility of the information.
Anything is possible. But this is highly unlikely as Clinton being the source of the dossier was not revealed until LONG after. There is no evidence that Trump knew the Steele Dossier came from Clinton.
To the extent most of us knew – the FBI had been given the Dossier by McCain.
Where were Comey and McCabe when the Awan scandal began to unfold?
Fifteen Things To Know About Trump’s “Pakistani Mystery Man” Imran Awan
“The “Pakistani Mystery Man” is Imran Awan, who worked as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s email server administrator in the House of Representatives. Nearly his entire family then joined the payroll of other Democrats, until they worked for 1 in 5 House Democrats and had – as the House inspector general called it – the ‘keys to the kingdom‘ and ability to access any file.” NONE of them were subjected to a background check.
“During the 2016 election, the House’s Office of Inspector General warned that Imran and his family were making “unauthorized access” to data
A September 30, 2016, presentation alleged Imran Awan and his family members were logging into the servers of members who had previously fired him, funneling data off the network, and that evidence “suggests steps are being taken to conceal their activity.”
The Awan group’s behavior mirrored a “classic method for insiders to exfiltrate data from an organization,” the briefing materials allege. The presentation especially found problems on one server: that of the House Democratic Caucus, an entity similar to the DNC that was chaired at the time by then-Rep. Xavier Becerra.”
Entire article:
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-21/fifteen-things-know-about-trumps-pakistani-mystery-man-imran-awan
https://politics.myajc.com/blog/jay-bookman/opinion-right-there-the-middle-5th-avenue/9FjZnFT2c5Yv5qoGJzwlXP/
Terrific satire.
I read the IG report by Horowitz, and it looks to me like McCabe is the one in serious trouble, not Comey.
No way will McCabe go down without singing like a canary and taking down Comey with him. His $500k+ legal team will not miss that opportunity.
Trump has been effective in surfacing the slime to be found in the ‘swamp’. Being the yugest slime ball of all, Trump dove in, has been stirring the pot, and surfacing the slime through comparison and contrast. Comey, McCabe, Cohen, Mueller, and the others involved in this investigation to drain, have as a backdrop the total slime of Trump. Lies against lies, compared and contrasted, truths against truths, compared and contrasted, truths against lies, compared and contrasted; in the swamp, of the swamp, with Trump now a fully functioning swamp himself, are, on the surface almost impossible to identify.
Even if Mueller produces a clear, organized, chronological, and pertinent explanation of whatever it is he is doing, the lies, the swamp, Trump’s art of the deal, will ultimately obscure the facts, as they surface. For, we now have facts and fake news from which to pick. The truth has been equalled by the Presidential tweeting accusing it of being fake news. The authority and disconnect of the office of the President, as it has evolved with this openly disgusting liar, is creating a level of ‘can’t touch me’ that is unprecedented. Trump lies, fabricates subject matter, and openly laughs about doing it. The response to anyone with whom he disagrees is that the person is, well pick a ‘mot du jour’. The response to anything that he disagrees with is knee jerk, imbecilic, and not fit for the office; for that matter, any government office.
Trump has enhanced the swamp. The fox elected by the chickens to guard them is feasting on its dupes. Trump is too clever to be successfully impeached and removed from office. His first move, that which he brought with him, is the chaos and confusion that inhibits any accusations from being factual. America has suffered immeasurably with this lying buffoon as President. However, America is great enough to survive this tragedy. The question Americans must ask themselves is, do we have to test America’s strength by adding four more years to this stink. Trump must be attacked as often as possible and compared and contrasted with the words he used to dupe those Americans into voting him in. He was going to drain the swamp but has only succeeded in making it stink more. The proof of this is evident every time he opens his mouth, but graphically as well to be found in his choice of comrades: Bolton, Cohen, Cohn, Bannon, Kushner, Ivanka, and on and on.
Thank you Hillary for your perspective but you continually play the same tune.
“America has suffered immeasurably with this lying buffoon as President.”: Tax reform; individual mandate gone; increased consumer/business confidence; illegal border crossings down; Neil Gorsuch; thawing of cold war with North Korea; Isis diminished; replaced Jim Comey; common-man sense of humor in White House; strategic Syria strikes (and yes tough on Russia). I’ll take that. Isaac, your long-winded professorial rant above lacks substance – just regurgitated vagaries spewed by disrupt-at-all-costs leftist media.
Tax reform=lower taxes for the mega rich + no reform concerning the corporate loopholes + a trillion + + + added to the debt + unnecessary increase in defense spending + no return of jobs to America + threat of increased tariffs diminishing manufacturing potential + flip flop on trade=has next to no idea what he’s doing.
Illegal border crossings during the last year off the Obama administration the lowest since 1970 and dropping/absolutely nothing to do with Trump but an increase in border security + Bush sent 6,000 national guard to the border, Obama sent 3,000 national guard to the border + deportations of undesirable illegal immigrants at highest levels during Obama administration + shotgun approach deporting anybody with Trump.
Obama went to Congress (GOP) to bomb Syria for chemical attacks-GOP declined + Obama secured Russia’s involvement in getting rid of chemicals=worked for a while. Trump phoned Russia to warn of bombing and then Syria did it again. We’ll see. One thing is for sure both Obama and Trump have allowed the Russians and the Syrians to bomb to death hundreds of thousands. Dead is dead whether by bombing or chemicals. Ya got nothing.
Trump has done nothing but ride momentum and disgrace America. Reagan did the same thing and a recession followed. GNP rose but the middle class shrunk and lost earning power. The divide between the few mega rich and the rest of America widened. This is the same with Trump. If you want substance read a paper other than Fox News or the Washington Times. Read both sides.
Dear Isaac: Brown paper bag, deep breaths. It will be OK.
Isaac is only in TDS Stage 3 at this point. He’s pacing himself nicely and seems to have a ways to go before he enters TDS Stage 4.
Great comment, Isaac, Thanks.
Issac your perspective seems much too benign. We have prescient calls of Presidential treason, impeachment and maybe FISA spying on innocent US citizens. That seems like something very complex and dangerous.
When spooks like Clapper and Brennan become media spokesmen something is wrong? Fortunately the texts of Strzok (FBI), Page(FBI) and Ohr (DOJ) actions provided a clue for Horowitz to follow. Three major DOJ IG investigations in one year is not normal. Criminal referral of an assistant FBI director is even more unusual if this were a small dirty politics problem.
Swamp is a kind word. Think? How does a political dossier become a mainstream document in the US intelligence apparatus? That action is like an MD taking patient treatments from a twelve year old. Do you think soft coups are possible in the USA? Those 16 US intelligence agencies have a budget north of 50 billion dollars. Why would a DNC/Clinton dossier ever be used in requesting FISA warrants? That action defies most basic parts of professional behavior. Intelligence people take pride in being professional (Admiral Mike Rodgers).
When will DOJ IG Horowitz, Admiral Mike Rogers of the NSA and E.W. Priestap, FBI Counterintelligence director give testimony?
would I be wrong in saying that mc cabe is looking at 20 years in prison and comey being prosecuted for leaking and treason ?
You would be wrong if we remain a democracy. You will be right if Trump succeeds in establishing a dictatorship.
BTW, Comey didn’t leak classified information. It was reclassified after he was fired.
Describe the dictatorship. What should we expect to see if it occurred?
By attacking the justice system, by attacking the media, by attacking and trying to prosecute political foes. By attacking how the political system works…. Shall I go on? Or does it sound like someone you know.
So using the power of the government to attack anyone that threatens him and his agenda. Yeah, that’s never been done before.
So what do we have to measure this abuse of power? How do you know when it has happened? Is it rhetoric alone, or actual policy that bypasses Congress, or both?
He was an authoritarian business man in a small family business. He had lawyers for the business end and a fixer, Cohen, to handle the messes he made. He has no understanding of what it means to govern in a democracy. He wants a justice system whose loyalty is to him, not to the constitution. He wants a media that is loyal to him [which means only fawning coverage a la Fox news], he wants a congress that does no oversight of him and his administration, but does oversight of his opponents [he has that at the moment].
He behaves like a mob boss. He was well trained by his mentor Cohn.
No. He contends with entrenched establishments. Those establishments are bad. Partisan Democrats are advocates for those establishments. George McGovern is dead, Nat Hentoff is dead, Alan Dershowitz is an octogenarian, and the rest of the left simply never advocates one decent policy. The Democratic Party is a collecting pool of sewage.
He was an authoritarian business man in a small family business.
He has 22,000 employees. He owns the business. There isn’t some army of the disgruntled claiming he’s a bad employer.
They sign NDAs.
‘Sez who?
While we’re at it, we’re getting a lesson from Stormy Daniels as to just how effective those are.
The media consists of a collection of frauds. Anyone of sense attacks them. The ‘justice system’ is of very uneven quality, and properly attacked as well. Most of the appellate judiciary (and their shallow, smart-assed clerks) don’t belong in positions of responsibility. Also, a non-zero portion of federal prosecutors are people without scruple who abuse their power, often with the connivance of federal judges.
“By attacking the justice system, by attacking the media, by attacking and trying to prosecute political foes. By attacking how the political system works….”. Free speech Dude. It also applies to the president. He has right to share his opinion just like any citizen. He can respond to media if he so desires. Firing inept Comey was within his constitutional rights as President. Please give specific actual examples of dictatorship you so fear.
FishWings – isn’t that called free speech?
Adding onto Fish Wings:
corruption in his administration, his private business profiting off his public office, nepotism, fawning adoration of authoritarian rulers, sadistic/malicious character, his L’etat c’est moi confusion.
No one is interested in the issue of your imagination.
Amyd, what corruption? The whole point of Comey, McCabe is there is nothing there. No collusion! His business, which is vast, is being handled by his sons. Where is the nepotism? What authoritarian ruler is he fawning over? Sadistic/malicious character? I don’t read French so I can’t challenge you.
The economy is doing very well, unemployment is lowest in 40 years, Tax Reform will let America keep more of what they’ve earned. Every President back to Reagan have not gotten NK’s rulers to a negotiating meeting, but President Trump has. And he gives his salary to charity or a government program he supports.
We find out that members of Justice are anything but. And somehow this gets twisted into Trump wants a dictatorship! As to Classified. If a document contains Classified Information but isn’t marked as Classified it should still be handled as Classified. Comey leaked Classified info not marked Classified but containing Classified information, which he should known and reclassified it himself.
Trump wants to be a dictator? No, he wants to run the government as any businessman would run a corporation. Our government plods along at minimum speed. And Congress is slower! Bogged down by archaic rules and procedures doesn’t serve the country well. 500 bills, passed by the House are sitting in the Senate waiting to be taken up. That is crazy! Either 500 individual bills could be consolidated into smaller bills or whatever the 500 are are nonsense.
Those of us who spent their careers in corporate America find how DC functions astounding. Any company run this way would fold. And what about Democracy would allow leaking and treason without punishment? I don’t know what punishment will be, but it had better be punishment! They all act like this is their personal sandbox and they can play as long as they want at our expense.
Sandi
You say that Trump wants to run America like he ran/runs his corporation(s). Trump was born to privilege, wealth, and connections. He is the most entrenched of all in the disconnected system that every one complains about. He proceeded to use the system to his advantage at the expense of the banks he stiffed, contractors he stiffed, and six bankruptcies. Trump has rarely if ever told the truth. The truth can be a cornerstone of some businesses but not Trump’s. Trump’s business experience has been based on speculation, narcissism, pandering to the mega wealthy, using taxpayer money to develop condos for the mega wealthy, and generally running roughshod over the structures meant to keep the balance. Of course he has been successful to a point, what point is difficult to ascertain as he won’t reveal the truth.
Trump is part of the business world that includes gambling. Trump is a speculator and made his money selling a bill of goods to those with the money to lose. Yes, Trump has qualities, however, not the qualities that are necessary to run a country. Thus far, he has paid off the mega wealthy-80% of the tax reform benefits the mega rich, with 20% going to the upper middle class-by saddling America with an increase of debt of well over a trillion dollars. Trump pandered to the conservatives in the house by adding to an already over blown military budget. Trump rolled back decades of environmental controls that stood to benefit all Americans for now and the future to reward the mega rich. Trump pandered to the ‘going the way of the Dodo’ coal industry to glean some blue collar support and reward the mega rich. American coal is now shipped to countries like Poland that have the worst air pollution in the world. I could go on but it has been clear from the moment he opened his mouth that he is a liar of the first order and beholding to the mega rich, the most disconnected from the people. He was born into sales and speculation and has sold America a bill of goods that it will be paying off for decades to come. But hey, he talks tough and just like one of the people. Trump is a charlatan, a buffoon, and a disgrace. Hopefully his ego will not allow him to seek a second term.
I’m just curious what necessary ‘qualities’ or ‘qualifications’ you thought Barack Obama (aka Barry from Honolulu) had to run a country?
Qualifications? Of what does that remind me….
You speak as though you actually believe politicians and the cesspool of DC politics is some kind of respectful, honest, dignified, highly honorable profession chock full of honest, hard-working, morally righteous people? Last I checked politics is a dirty business and not for the feint of heart. Last I checked politicians were held in only slightly higher esteem than used car salemen. And I’m curious how you think a complete “buffoon” manages to come out of nowhere to beat both the Clinton and Bush political dynasties to become President of the United States? Sheer luck? The stupidity of the American people? Think again, my friend.
Obama ran one of the most opaque administrations we’ve seen and prosecuted more journalists and leakers under the Espionage Act than all past administrations combined. And Obama told his share of whoppers to the American people that the press routinely let him get away with.
Please review your post and edit it for grammar. The numerous grammatical mistakes distract from the content.
Who should edit?
Let discovery begin.
Here we go with the team sport alliances.
McCabe, Comey, Brennan, Clapper, et al, can be guilty of misfeasance and malfeasance and Trump can be everything his critics claim. It is not an either or proposition.
Regardless of any other accomplishments, Trump has done this nation a service by exposing the corruption in our institutions that needs to be eliminated root and branch. Sometimes an iconoclast is just what the doctor ordered.
Amen, ti317. As Prof. Turley noted, Pres. Trump has the ability to get people to show their true colors. Look at Hillary disgusted why she wasn’t up 50 points. Mr. Comey acknowledging his lying. Mr. McCabe starting a GoFundMe account for legal fees when he hasn’t yet been charged. Mr. Brennan tweeting nonsensical verses of dribble. The lovers being stupid enough to document their communications. And now the DNC risking discovery in filing a most ridiculous lawsuit.
Here, here to the Americans learning the Deep State is real and invasive and all too hungry for power.
and Amen to your Amen, well said
Our Birther President being reckless with the truth?
I think the question could be better framed as is Trump so delusional as to not know the difference between real and unreal or is he a pathological liar?
He does not know the difference, and either does his followers.
I was a psychiatric nurse and I think he has a delusional disorder as well as being a pathological liar. For ex, his obsession with crowd size at inauguration and other rallies comes across as delusional. No amount of evidence will convince him that he is wrong. Same with birtherism [delusions mixed in with resentment and racism].
But there are clearly times when he just flat-out lies and he knows he’s lying. For ex, his loony tweet about Maggie Haberman yesterday. He loves his access to the NYT and she’s been a reporter whose coverage he has coveted for years.
I was a psychiatric nurse and I think he has a delusional disorder as well as being a pathological liar.
And you’re dedicated to persuading the rest of us it was a good thing you got fired.
You are a silly little nit. And like Trump, you may be delusional or just be lying. Or both.
Hard to take you seriously that you were a psychiatric nurse. Any legitimate medical professional in that field would never attempt to diagnose anyone else without actually authoring their own profile.
No, either you weren’t in that trade or you had a history of unprofessional conduct. No serious practitioner offers distance diagnoses and you’re not even claiming to be a senior grade practitioner. Go away.
Best comment of the day Nutchacha!!!!
amyd – Maggie Haberman has pressituded herself to Politico, CNN, and the New York Daily News before presstituting herself to the NYT. Not sure that Trump really wants her coverage. She was always on a political beat not real estate or business.
“…so delusional as to not know the difference between real and unreal…” Does this apply to Adam Schiff, HRC, Maxine Waters, Rachel “Mad Cow” Maddow, et al?
I strongly doubt that any of the above were Birthers, but Trump was the King of the Birthers.
I may disagree on politics with most or all of them, but I can’t recall that they pushed a ridiculous and racist theory such as birtherism. That was Trump.
Wildbill, The origin of the bitherism case directed against Obama was due to Obama. It was his book that started the issue. The Hillary campaign promoted the issue and Trump asked for a birth certificate which was not at all unreasonable.
When you leave a grocery store carrying a salami that wasn’t paid for the grocer will ask for a receipt as a bit of proof. Same for a birth certificate.
It wasn’t the book which started the issue, but promotional material assembled by the publisher. It’s not clear what BO’s role in that was. He may have lied to the publisher, or the dippy PR agent just assumed he was born abroad, or the PR dingbat concocted a lie to sell the book. He may not have seen the circulars the publisher distributed, or he may have just let it slide, or he may have connived in the PR agent’s lying. We really do not know.
DSS – the publisher fell on his/her sword for Obama over the dust jacket, but there is no reason to believe it is incorrect. Everything is sent to the author for approval, including the dust jacket. Obama signed off on it.
I forgot the role the book played.
The details are unimportant – there is even a credible claim that the book was ghost written by Bill Ayres.
While that is tangential – what is not is that the book had numerous errors, and that the source of the original born in Kenya claim was Obama’s own publishers.
I also forgot that Clinton – I actually Beleive Blumenthal – the same guy heavily involved in concocting parts of the Steele Dossier and selling it to the State department. The same guy who Clinton was emailing Classified information, the same got who profitted from selling what he got from access to Clinton, the Same guy that Obama absolutely refused to allow to work for Clinton – that person was the source of the Birther stuff in the Clinton Campaign.
After that it bled over to some guys who challenged BOTH McCain and Obama in court.
Things blew up again about a year AFTER the election when Obama produced a PDF of the long form birth certificate that we almost certainly altered.
I beleive there are a few people who have seen the actual long form certificate, and have asserted it appears valid.
Regardless the point is that Obama made most of his own problems with regard to Birther’s.
NII, I thought it was written on the cover of the book and that provoked further interest as I mentioned.
Of interest that you probably already know is that one of the serious journalists I know wasn’t looking into his birth certificate based on foreign birth. He clearly believed he was born in Hawaii, rather he felt the birth certificate had been altered to change paternity. He thought the certificate, due to certain irregularities, was false and attempted to view the original certificate in Hawaii which was kept unavailable.I don’t know if things changed since I last saw him.
It was nonsense and I suspect you know that. Nonsense that Trump pushed for a decade.
“It was nonsense and I suspect you know that. Nonsense that Trump pushed for a decade.”
What you are pushing is nonsense. Trump didn’t push this for a decade. He pushed it until Obama released a copy of his birth certificate. Afterward, most of his involvement in such discussion came as a result of questions asked of him that he had to answer.
The Clinton campaign broached the issue and almost immediately rolled it back.
Bad show on their part.
Trump took this racist lie and ran with it for a decade.
Again, wildbill, you are either lying or you are unaware of the facts and what a lie is. Those talking point memo’s you get in your periodicals aren’t helping to improve your ability in debate. They make you appear foolish. You could do a much better job on your own.
Uh, no, Trump publicly challenged Obama to produce his long-form certificate. Trump was not part of any collection of people agitating on the subject. There was no ‘King of the Birthers’. There was a Queen: Orly Taitz. Dr. Taitz is a dentist and her birther agitation was avocational. IIRC, she was more-or-less satisfied with the production of the long-form certificate. As Ann Coulter predicted, the die-hard birthers moved on to another set of contrived objections. You also had Cruz birthers, Rubio birthers, Jindal birthers, and Santorum birthers. Some of the Cruz birthers were high-class Democratic operatives with faculty positions.
One should be careful about broad statements.
There are and remain questions about Obama’s birth certificate.
But anyone who raises such questions is a “racist birther”.
I do not know the specific’s of Trump’s claims.
I do know that the same people who challenged Obama’s birth certificate also challenged McCain’s.
I have little doubt that Obama was born in Hawaii.
But I would be surprised if the long form birth certificate we have seen is not altered.
I do not think that matters.
I do not think that 1 day old Obama plotted from Kenya to fake being a citizen and eventually become president.
So am I some racist ?
My children are asian and were not born in the US. They can not be President without an amendment to the constitution – so this is an issue that matters to me.
“There are and remain questions about Obama’s birth certificate.”
Only in the fever swamps of the loony ultra right, places like Infowars.
Apparently, there may be discrepancies in the birth certificate shown. That is claimed by those that believe Obama was born in Hawaii. I wouldn’t call them looney rather investigators that are not convinced. The one I know didn’t believe it had any relevance to the ability of Obama to run for President.
Painting people with too broad a brush is what your talking points advocate but you would appear more knowledgeable if you skipped the broad brush.
No, Allen, the people who invest their time in this at this point are onanists, and there’s no persuading them (a phenomenon Ann Coulter predicted). I have a suspicion that Obama let the matter fester for four years to amuse himself but also to absorb effort which might have gone into discovering something truly embarrassing.
My guess that what he wants buried is in his school records and that officials at Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard signed the microtext out and locked it in a safe in the dean’s office so it would be immune to checkbook journalists looking to suborn work-study students and other subaltern employees. They wouldn’t do that for John Kerry or Al Gore (or didin’t realize they had to), but they’ll do that for him.
And what’s the dirt? Lousy grades, perhaps. Another possibility is that he applied for and perhaps received financial aid by making false claims. (E.g. presenting himself as an ‘international’ student. By some accounts, the good friends he had as an undergraduate were Pakistani).
The other factors you mention are also things he may very well wish to hide. Some of the people are organists as you say, but perhaps some are not. Some are brain dead and others will in a number of years (should Trump do well) say they voted for Trump just like those that lie and say they voted for Reagan.
At this time the questions I am aware of are NOT where Obama was born.
It is highly unlikely the provided long form birth certificate is a phony.
But it is possible that it is altered.
Some time ago I was sufficiently current that I could tell you the information that appeared most likely to have been changed.
I beleive it is the name of the father.
The technical argument is based on the layers in the PDF, the internal date and time stamps,
the fonts used throughout the document and localized discrepancies in the watermark and background images within the document. None of which would be present in a simple scan of the document.
Personally I do not care if Obama was born in Kenya. I would support amending the constitution.
Nor do I care – in any sense beyond curiosity who Obama’s father is.
The newborn child did not make these choices.
If people wish to vote for a Kenyan or a muslim or …. as president – that is up to them.
Just as they had a choice between Clinton and Trump and picked Trump.
“At this time the questions I am aware of are NOT where Obama was born.”
At this time IMO the only reasonable open question is the question of paternity and I don’t think it is necessarily our business.
The botched handling of the matter by Obama is an area of legitimate inquiry.
As I noted in a prior post – lots of things that are none of our business are things we can demand in return for our vote.
Of course that demand is meaningless coming from someone who is never going to vote for you.
Each candidate gets to decide what they will provide or not.
They are entitled to their privacy – but they are not entitled to our votes.
No among the document experts that have examined the Whitehouse supplied PDF.
There is a high probability it was altered. Many experts say that it is certain it was altered.
What ezperts? Some nutsack on Infowars?
I do not beleive that infowars existed at the time.
Google is your friend you can find the experts on forensic analysis of computer documents who assessed the PDF.
“Bromwich has morphed into Michael Cohen in throwing around threats, including President Trump, for ‘continuing slander’.”
Would’a been nice to specify and itemize precisely what orally-expressed defamation (aka slander) Bromwich is relying upon for this sweeping accusation. NYT v Sullivan or no, the basic elements are a false statement, made with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for truth or falsity, and with intent to inflict injury or damages.
And a common step in the process of recognizing a false and injurious statement is to request corrective action before the issue escalates. I’m not aware of Bromwich citing specific oral statements of Trump or asking for any correction regarding any falsity.
I do recall Bromwich claiming that McCabe possessed emails that would prove Comey knew about ongoing communications with the Wall Street Journal. I’m aware of no further information on the subject — either whether such emails exist and/or are in McCabe’s possession, or what conceivable legal basis McCabe would have for possessing such federal records after leaving his position in the federal government.
If McCabe has used a government-issued device and government email account and server for his work-related communications with then-FBI Director Comey, he would not and should not be in possession of the federal records McCabe’s lawyer has claimed he possesses.
But anyway, there’s that characteristic Turley swipe — “morphed into Michael Cohen” — a cheap shot having nothing to do with the subject at issue. Turley just can’t help himself, apparently.
Sorry, these stories aren’t going away. FISA abuse, Iwan, DNC election rigging, unmasking, weaponizing intelligence, Brennan going to Moscow, the State Dept and the Dossier, more Texts, Seth Rich, Wikileaks…
if the Dems weren’t stupid, they would shut down the Independent Counsel and start working on issues for the American people which they completely dropped in 2016. The top two FBI employees were spending more time playing politics with the WSJ, Washington Post and NYT’s then managing the FBI. It also looks like Brennan and Clapper were doing the same thing. No wonder nothing was getting done.
John, spot on! Establishment Dims are not stupid though – they simply don’t care about the hoi polloi. So long as they keep their positions and money flowing by voting according to lobbyists wishes they are happy Look at Obama – the community organizer who was gonna put on his boots and march for workers. Now he’s retired and not been seen alongside the teachers in WVA, etc. I guess making $$ giving speeches and gentrifying the South Side takes all his time.
Only Dem on the Hill I have any respect for is Tulsi Gabbard
Seth Rich, John?
That just destroyed any credibility you might have had.
Next you’ll be bringing up Pizzagate and Vince Foster I suppose.
That just destroyed any credibility you might have had.
With whom?
You’re inconsequential.
With any sensible person. Include yourself in or out as you prefer.
There was an absolute mess going on at the DNC – as well as the House Democrats,
We do not know what is up with Seth Rich.
The robbery claim is incredibly weak – he was not robbed.
There is evidence he intended to blow the whistle to someone on something.
Assange has strongly hinted that Rich was his source. He has outright said the source was a leak not a hack.
WE have the entire pakistani crime family stuff – which was occurring at exactly the same time.
There is much we do not know. There is speculation that Rich was murdered by one of the pakistanis.
No matter what there are a huge number of coincidences.
Maybe that is all they are.
But pretending that allegations in relation to Seth Rich are tinfoil hat, is presuming that because we do not know, we can assume false.
Do you just automatically believe every half assed conspiracy theory you dredged up on Youtube?
“Do you just automatically believe every half assed conspiracy theory you dredged up on Youtube?”
Those half assed conspiracy theories you are ranting about are hundreds of times more credible than anything the left is selling regarding Trump.
We KNOW the DNC and house were being ripped off by the Awan’s
We KNOW they were stealing, lying cheating and a range of other things.
We KNOW that all of this was happening at very nearly the same time as the DNC Email leak.
We KNOW that Seth Rich was killed at very nearly the same time.
We KNOW that Assange has repeatedly asserted this was a leak not a Hack.
We KNOW that the only basis for the hack claim is the Crowdstrike report.
We KNOW that crowdstrike has a long history of false attribution, and that virtually no other cyber security business beelives that it is possible today to attribute a hack of this type – because most hackers are sufficiently skilled and have tools to frame any group they want for any hack.
There are several other things I could add to that list.
What do we know about Trump/Russia ?
That Papadoulis was being Catfished by some english professor.
That In July – after the DNC leak that Trump Jr. was STILL looking to connect to the Russians – pretty much guaranteeing that there was no existing back channel at that time.
That the meeting was a flop and probably a setup as Natalia met with Simpson immediately before and after the meeting.
That is pretty much all that we actually know.
Everything else is “conspiracy theories”
So who is it that has the big problem with half assed conspiracy theories ?
Sounds like two men whose skills were to be found in social maneuver within public bureaucracies are now free-forming and making themselves look foolish in the process. Since neither one was a sterling public servant, their embarrassment seems condign punishment. Let’s add Rosenstein and Mueller to this mudwrestle.
Turley wrote, “He must prove that the media had “actual malice” where it had actual knowledge of the falsity of a statement or showed reckless disregard whether it was true or false.
That is a high standard for McCabe to shoulder. Moreover, a politician’s opinion of your service (like Trump’s) is generally not actionable unless it can be shown to be a false assertion of fact.”
McCabe is not suing the media. Trump’s opinion of McCabe was repeatedly expressed on Twitter.
When is T urley going to join the rest of the Fox and Friends crew at da White House. Heard there is big move going on to join the crime mob over there.
Just another story by JT to deflect and defuse any thing about Trump. Besides when JT gave a speech at the Heritage Foundation last week, he got his marching orders from the big boys on how to frame.
And the games begin. 🙂