Now that President Trump has greenlighted more Russian cyber-attacks, and as we get new evidence about 2016 congressional campaign interference, the Midterms are vulnerable as ever.
Among the revelations in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s latest indictments are allegations that Russian spies targeted congressional races. And top U.S. intelligence chiefs are warning it’s happening again.
“I’m here to say the warning lights are blinking red again. I believe we are at a critical point. The digital infrastructure of the U.S. is literally under attack.” — Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats.
Ex-Nebraska Democratic congressman Brad Ashford [the only House Democratic incumbent defeated in 2016] says Russian agents hacked into his campaign emails a few months before he narrowly lost to a Republican challenger. https://t.co/lPofZ2sK46
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 14, 2018
Mueller’s latest indictment suggests Russia’s infiltration of U.S. election systems went deeper than we thought—and will likely get worse: https://t.co/0WtBnnlQgN pic.twitter.com/Rg2X6DtnHL
— Slate (@Slate) July 17, 2018
ny times:
‘Reign of Error’
President Trump’s meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, drew withering critiques from across the political spectrum. Not surprisingly, it was virtually the only thing that the late-night hosts could talk about on Monday.
Jimmy Kimmel wondered why Trump had decided to meet with Putin behind closed doors, without any of their aides joining.
Jimmy Fallon joked cynically about the results of the meeting — which did not end in the signing of any formal agreement but which was hailed by both leaders as a positive step.
Playing Catch
Fallon also chose to focus on one awkward moment: when Trump nonchalantly threw a soccer ball that Putin had given him offstage, toward his wife, Melania.
Trump and the Queen
Seth Meyers pointed out that Trump also made a series of etiquette faux pas during his visit to Britain over the weekend. Perhaps most egregiously, he walked directly in front of Queen Elizabeth II on camera. He made a list of Trump’s “royal protocol breaches.”
U.S. Intel Community Reacts with Fury to Trump’s Rebuke
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/us-intel-community-reacts-with-fury-to-trump’s-rebuke/ar-AAAb5ML?ocid=spartanntp
Dan Balz got it just right. The moment called for trump to stand up for America. He chose to bow.
Shame he didn’t do that when he met Queen Elizabeth.
HelFinki
A beautiful morning glory to the trail, trump’s european rampage made sure the sun sets not only on the british empire, but also the former great America. The dark underworld is taking over.
I am sure the spook community has more on jim jordan and other congrussians to pushback against the junta. I say let it constitutionally fly, our commander-in-thief gave our soul to putie, we need to take trump and his lawless supporters down. The freedom caucus should lose their freedom, lock them up!
freedom caucus meadows and jordan target rosenstein and request horowitz investigate doj.
Two leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus want the Justice Department’s internal watchdog to investigate whether Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein threatened congressional aides in a January meeting.
Some of the group’s members have floated the idea of impeaching Rosenstein over what they call a lack of transparency and cooperation with House Republican investigators. Meadows acknowledged in late April that he had been involved in drafting articles of impeachment as a “last resort” if the Justice Department did not cough up relevant documents.
(sleazy jordan, old blind-eye, deaf-ear coach — I would never trust my children with him. Some cracker jack investigator, he missed the shower antics. Maybe he did drop the soap after all!)
It is time for the dems to run Bezos for 2020 prez with Sally Yates as VP. Dems need celebrity and money and bezos is the wealthiest man alive. I am sure wapo would endorse him. I am ready for the government to be run like Amazon, not by the cheap tower trash currently in residence.
bw, from that wapo article you linked, I liked this response to the critters carping
Said Rosenstein, “You should believe me because I’m telling the truth and I’m under oath. And, if you want to put somebody else under oath, and they have something different to say, I’d be happy to respond.”
you’re right that the spooks have stuff on the critters and their aides and their campaign dark money. that should be becoming apparent to them now with butini’s blown cover.
.
“What he did is an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer.“
-Trumpadict Arnold
He’s going to let Russians spies into our investigative and intelligence apparati? Please, exile the bastard.
I have no reason not to trust Rosenstein. I have no reason to trust Trump. I have no idea if our vice president is trustworthy; if he were to assume the presidency, whose interests would he advance? Our country is not safe so long as Trump is in office.
A little something to soothe all the savage breasts out there. On this day in history, the premier of Handel’s “Water Music” on the River Thames.
ain’t this the truth…
according to wiki:
In political jargon, a useful idiot is a derogatory term for a person perceived as a propagandist for a cause of whose goals they are not fully aware and who is used cynically by the leaders of the cause.
[…and as the term has been used recently…]
In the end of 2016, the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the Editorial Board of The New York Times applied the term to President-elect Donald Trump. Michael Morell, former acting CIA director, wrote: “In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation”. Michael Hayden, former director of both the National Security Agency and the CIA, described Trump as a “useful fool, some naif, manipulated by Moscow, secretly held in contempt, but whose blind support is happily accepted and exploited”
most recently the term was just used by steve Schmidt, gop strategist, on MSNBC this morning. but he had also used it back april in according to this from realclearpolitics :
I recall after Winston Churchill passed, he was awarded American citizenship. There’s certainly no reason for Trump to wait in the case of Vladimir Putin—make Putin American now. Undoubtedly he will have the support of the congressional republican leadership in that move.
making the rounds on Russian social media:
bbc: Trump-Putin summit: Russian praise for ‘outmanoeuvring’ Trump
Donald Trump is facing a storm of criticism in America for his performance in Helsinki. His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is faring rather better.
Back home in Russia, political figures have been lining up to praise the results of the Helsinki summit.
[…]
The pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda consulted a body language expert in an effort to portray President Putin as the stronger leader.
“When he shakes hands, Donald Trump normally extends an open palm to trick his opponent into believing he is open for contact. Then he drags his opponent’s hand towards him to put them off balance.
“But in Helsinki he shook Putin’s hand quite normally, without any cunning moves. It reflects the results of the meeting and what has happened over the last year: Trump has failed to dominate Putin.”
The tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets claimed that “a quiet, modest Trump had paled in comparison with Vladimir Putin. It’s clear that Putin outmanoeuvred the US president. That is cause for pride, but also for alarm. Because outmanoeuvring Trump does not mean he outmanoeuvred the US political class. I fear it won’t be long before Washington responds”.
[…continues…]
Yep Flatus, congressional republicans are making some noise today but outrage without action is just a sign of weakness to Trump.
The dirtiest secret that needs to become widespread public knowledge: the GOP needs Putin’s help in the midterms to keep control of Congress. That explains the party’s behavior on many fronts.
also from bbc: Captain America: Donald Trump is ‘Putin’s puppet’
[…]
Arnold Schwarzenegger – a regular critic of President Trump – was more direct still, recording a video of himself comparing Mr Trump’s performance to American leaders of the past.
“You stood there like a little wet noodle,” he said. “Like a little fan boy”.
back to butina in case you want to see the complaint. this excerpt with links from npr:
Butina serves or served as the deputy to someone identified in court papers only as a “Russian official,” who is probably Alexander Torshin, a now-sanctioned Kremlin official who also cultivated relationships with American political leaders and the NRA over several years.
The two “took these steps in order to infiltrate these groups and advance the interests of the Russian Federation,” as FBI special agent Kevin Helson said in an affidavit that accompanied the criminal complaint.
That word, “infiltration,” has been one the least-understood lanes of the active measures waged by the Russians since before 2016 — along with others that included social media agitation, clandestine outreach by intelligence operatives and cyberattacks.
“Infiltration” first entered the lexicon of the Russia story in January, after the House intelligence committee released the transcript of its interview with Glenn Simpson, founder of the political intelligence company that commissioned the infamous Russia dossier.
According to Simpson, Russia’s active measures sought not only to target the NRA but “various conservative organizations, religious and otherwise.”
the stuff in that complaint has to worry the critters and backs up what craig said that “The dirtiest secret that needs to become widespread public knowledge: the GOP needs Putin’s help in the midterms to keep control of Congress. That explains the party’s behavior on many fronts.”
Something not being covered by anybody, just a short AP blurb
Japan and the EU sign a free trade agreement.
The world moves on taking advantage of our stupidity.
Thanks Bernie and Donnie
Jack
Jack…?. It doesn’t take much to take advantage of our stupidity as expressed by the Orange occupant of the WH.
Pffffft. The poseur-in-chief is more like a rent boy than a fan boy.
…
ABC News
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “Pres. Trump cowered in the presence of Putin and the entire world watched…Trump’s eagerness to sell out America proves the Russians must have something personally, politically or financially on Pres. Trump” abcn.ws/2utuT5Zpic.twitter.com/i8qa02alq4
He’s a Fink.
Mitch McConnell to the Russians “better not happen in 2018 –wink wink”
It is pretty obvious that during the two hours alone with putie? putie sucked the rest of trump’s brain out with a straw. I also think melania is a mole. The two need to stay under lock and key in the WH until Mr. Mueller comes for them.
Mitch in the tractor beam……..being pulled in.
Former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt bluntly said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is up to his eyeballs in the Russia scandal and needs to be removed from power. ow.ly/bdSm30kZGCI pic.twitter.com/mcd4MQPGCN
–Sarah Reese Jones
mama bear, baby bear, papa bear
Sturg, correct usage is: He’s a Rat-Fink
Absent other (FBI) information, I believe Melania to be a victim of circumstances. I believe her primary interests are the safety of her kid and her parents.
I’m listening to Trump’s briefing right now; the man is totally delusional. Article 25 immediately. Craig, Pogo please offer the Trail as witnesses to his aberrant behavior.
Donald read something written for him, complete with usual garbled asides. What ever it was it contributed to the idea that the man has lost several points on his at best meager IQ. 25th Amendment has to be in order by now.
Compare and contrast: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Strom Thurmond.
Nancy Pelosi and Hot-Tub Tommy. Or Dennis Hastert or newt Gingrich……
There’s a time to go and a time not to go……older women are better at “time to go” than older men. And know better about when it is. I think.
Men’s will always go to that last ditch…….um, and then there’s Leona Helmsley…….
New hat for Trump’s “Would/Wouldn’t” clarification today …
I think Nancy will leave just as soon as she feels that party, country, and constituents will be safe when she does. I went to a dentist once who taught me how to read body language.
Looks like Greg Van Avermaet is the real deal in the Tour. He definitely did some ass kicking and name taking to the tune of a minute and a half and more in the GC today in the first of the mountain stages.
Sturg. did Strom make significant progress on his familial fence-mending before his departure?
Flate I ain’t exactly sure about all that, so I’ll refer you noted author and History prof at CofC, Jack Bass…….he’s got the whole story and then some, and dearly loves to tell it……Columbia guy who come to Chawson……
I took a course of Jack’s way back and then later so did my daughter.
Two Books of the month this month: STROM, and OL’ STROM, by Jack Bass, and by Jack Bass and Marylyn Johnson.
Title:
Unlikely heroes : the dramatic story of the Southern judges of the Fifth Circuit who translated the Supreme Court’s Brown decision into a revolution for equality
Author:
Bass, Jack.
Personal Author:
Bass, Jack.
Publication Information:
New York : Simon and Schuster, [1981]
©1981
He loses it tomorrow, peauxgeaux.
But, no……to answer your question……I don’t know the first damn thing about Strom Thurmond except he ran for pres as a Dixiecrat the year I was born. God, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me sometimes to reflect that I, having been rather colicky at the time and not at all cognizant, was totally spared the sight of that…..
Oh, and that Clarence Thomas interlude……..
Ah, a day spent out of range of the splatter from the SFB spewing forth his deepest (one milometer deep) attempt to rehabilitate his treason remarks with his BFF Putin. Now that I am catching up on what I missed, it turns out that I missed nothing. The guy is in deep and perhaps it is penetrating his senile and crazy brain that he is walking the plank, not running the ship.
Tom Brenner of NYT photoed trump’s prepared speech from today —
In preparation for a public statement meant to mitigate the damage from Monday’s news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump brought four pages of handwritten notes to a meeting with congressional leaders. In his own distinctive scrawl — using, as always, a black fine-tip marker — Trump added notes to the prepared comments. And in several instances, he struck out things he planned to skip.
You can see the four pages here (above link), upside down and often blurry.
The President wrote in sharpie “THERE WAS NO COLUSION” during a meeting with congressional members.
butina says gov scott walker speaks russian…he knows how to say ‘hello’ and thank you. butina met walker at a NRA event and she was at his presidential campaign rollout in 2015.
BB wrote a post about red sparrows and butina is the real deal.
US adds second charge to butina.
On Tuesday, U.S. officials persuaded the grand jury to add the second offense of acting as the foreign agent, which has its own 10-year-maximum prison sentence.
Mr. Mueller’s request for immunity for five witnesses in manafort trial.
Mueller is keeping the names of the witnesses undisclosed at this time so as not to create “risk of undue harassment” and because the details “could lead to reputational harm,” according to a proposal from the prosecutors.
In theory, the move to grant the witnesses immunity prevents them from invoking their Fifth Amendment rights and staying silent on certain questions when testifying against Manafort.
Kind of like a stone mason building a pyramid.
russian ministry ready to implement security plan trump and putie agreed upon in summit.
The Russian military has announced that it is “ready” to implement “international security” agreements reached by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Helsinki summit on Monday.
“The Russian Defense Ministry is ready for practical implementation of the agreements in the sphere of international security,” ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday, according to Russian news agency Tass. He added that Russia is “ready to enliven contact with the U.S. colleagues, between our General Staffs and via other communication channels.”
Flatus, I shall prepare the witness list forthwith and will list Trailmixers just behind SFB and just before the rest of the US population.
pomp might want to get a copy of that tass article before he goes
politico:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week to discuss a pair of controversial summits held by President Donald Trump, according to Republican aides.
Pompeo will appear before the committee in open session on the afternoon of July 25 to answer questions about Trump’s meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
[…]
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker personally pushed the administration for Pompeo to appear in front of the Senate, according to a person familiar with the talks.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday also called for U.S. ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to testify before lawmakers about Monday’s Trump-Putin meeting.
[…continues…]
remember the 18-½ minute gap in the Nixon tapes? doesn’t hold a candle to the twit&putie 2 hour gap. guess we’ll only know what was said when and if vlad lets his state media tell us.
any chance Coats or Haspel put a bug in the twit’s combover while he wasn’t looking?
“putin’s toy poodle” has a nice ring to it.
He wants a wall to lift his leg against.
He’s not paper trained, as putin’s hotel video will show.
From now on, when he’s in front of the press, he should be muzzled.