The Russian Connection 2

[onekidanddone]

9 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

It's the eyeshadow. She really needs to give her eyelids a break.

I see DarkIvanka must now go to talk to Mr. Mueller. What will she do? I'm betting she will lie, lie, lie. She must know just about everything. My suspicions about her have grown dark, just like her.

She can lie lie lie times eleventy billionty infinity, but Mueller is not stupid and has had decades of dealing with little twits like DarkIvanka. Muller and his team aren't Trump of Trumps base. They know bullshit when they smell it. So god luck Hopey Dopey.

[GrumpyGran]

6 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

She can lie lie lie times eleventy billionty infinity, but Mueller is not stupid and has had decades of dealing with little twits like DarkIvanka. Muller and his team aren't Trump of Trumps base. They know bullshit when they smell it. So god luck Hopey Dopey.

I think this will put her between a rock and a hard place. They are talking to so many people, some will certainly contradict others. Then the hammer comes down. Roll on Dump or go to the big house. DarkIvanka probably knows more than anyone but I think she might also be guilty of some very bad things. She might be a big fish.

[Rachel333]

Seeing the court drawing of Manafort in handcuffs is fairly satisfying.

Spoiler

 

[onekidanddone]

21 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

I think this will put her between a rock and a hard place. They are talking to so many people, some will certainly contradict others. Then the hammer comes down. Roll on Dump or go to the big house. DarkIvanka probably knows more than anyone but I think she might also be guilty of some very bad things. She might be a big fish.

Maybe I've watched too much L&O, but isn't it common practice to separate suspects when questioning so they can't rehearse the same narrative?

I'm sure all of the players have been coached by TT's team and I bet they all have lawyers of their own. It is my feeling however, that  no matter how much they rehearse the same answers, somebody is going to slip, or flip, or give a different answer to the same question.

Look for a tweet from TT on how he didn't even know Hicks or Conway or any of them.  I wouldn't put it past him to deny Pence had anything to do with his campaign.

[fraurosena]

19 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Maybe I've watched too much L&O, but isn't it common practice to separate suspects when questioning so they can't rehearse the same narrative?

I'm sure all of the players have been coached by TT's team and I bet they all have lawyers of their own. It is my feeling however, that  no matter how much they rehearse the same answers, somebody is going to slip, or flip, or give a different answer to the same question.

Look for a tweet from TT on how he didn't even know Hicks or Conway or any of them.  I wouldn't put it past him to deny Pence had anything to do with his campaign.

I think you're giving the TT's team wayyyy to much credit. Up until now they've shown themselves to be complete assholes and not very clever. All they can do is bluster and bluff. So I don't believe that they can coordinate their responses with other lawyer's clients.

Plus, all of the targets of the investigation have their own set of lawyers, who each are only and exclusively thinking of the interests of their own clients. If they don't see any advantages to coordinating with the TT's team lawyers, they won't go for it.

As for those denials by the presidunce, well... of course that will be his first response! Hicks and Conjob were only coffee ladies after all. 

[GrumpyGran]

If nothing else, Dumpy's comments would indication that there has been no interest in giving out pardons so far.

[fraurosena]

Nope. He's not angry with anybody. And did you know, he's not under investigation. And there's no mention of him in the indictment. It has nothing to do with him. At all. So there! 

In Call With Times Reporter, Trump Projects Air of Calm Over Charges

Quote

President Trump projected an air of calm on Wednesday after charges against his former campaign chief and a foreign policy aide roiled Washington, insisting to The New York Times that he was not “angry at anybody” and that investigations into his campaign’s links to Russia had not come near him personally.

“I’m not under investigation, as you know,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone call to The Times late Wednesday afternoon. Pointing to the indictment of his former campaign chief, Paul Manafort, the president said, “And even if you look at that, there’s not even a mention of Trump in there.”

“It has nothing to do with us,” Mr. Trump said.

He also pushed back against a report published Monday night by The Washington Post, which the president said described him as “angry at everybody.”

“I’m actually not angry at anybody,” Mr. Trump told The Times.

Mr. Manafort and his longtime deputy, Rick Gates, were both indicted on a string of charges including money laundering, tax evasion and failing to properly disclose lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. The charges are unrelated to Mr. Trump’s campaign.

But another former aide, George Papadopoulos, who was on the president’s hastily assembled foreign policy team, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators.

Mr. Trump added that he was buoyed by fresh polling he said he had seen from swing states, supplied to him by the Republican National Committee chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel, earlier on Wednesday.

“I just got fantastic poll numbers,” the president said, listing what he saw as his biggest accomplishments, including a focus on deregulation and low unemployment rates.

“I’m in the office early and leave late; it’s very smooth,” Mr. Trump said. “Honestly,” the president added, “I’m really enjoying it.”

Additionally, the president said he was looking forward to his lengthy trip to Asia, for which he departs on Friday.

 

Having read that shite, now read Seth Abramson's new thread on Manafort, explaining why the presidunce is lying.

 

 

[fraurosena]

Whoops! It seems Papadapolous's involvement in the campaign/administration goes much farther than we previously knew. 

 

 

[fraurosena]

Al Franken is taking no nonsense!

 

[GreyhoundFan]

@fraurosena -- just one more reason I don't have a facebook account. I understand the attorney's implication that just focusing on the currency wouldn't stop Russia from placing political ads, but it should have been a giant flashing light in the 2016 election.

[AmazonGrace]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/02/politics/sam-clovis-department-of-agriculture/index.html

Spoiler

 

(CNN)Sam Clovis, President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist, withdrew himself from consideration Thursday, the White House announced.

"We respect Mr. Clovis' decision to withdraw his nomination," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement to pool reporters.

Trump had picked Clovis for the position despite him not having a background in science, and that lack of experience, alongside a history of racially charged and homophobic comments, made his nomination particularly controversial.

But sources told CNN earlier Thursday that Clovis' nomination was imperiled over his connections to the ongoing Russia probe. The development is the latest sign that Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into the Trump campaign and Russian collusion is impacting the day-to-day of Trump's administration, despite top White House aides -- including Trump himself -- claiming that the indictments of former top Trump campaign advisers Paul Manafort and Rick Gates had nothing to do with the administration or the campaign.

"The political climate inside Washington has made it impossible for me to receive balanced and fair consideration for this position," Clovis wrote in a letter addressed to Trump that was dated Wednesday. "The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases in intensity each day. As I am focused on your success and the success of this administration, I do not want to be a distraction or negative influence, particularly with so much important work left to do for the American people."

Clovis, who was already serving as the senior White House adviser on the Agriculture Department, added that he will "continue to serve at the pleasure of you and the secretary of agriculture." A USDA spokesperson confirmed Clovis will stay on in that capacity.

Questions are swirling over Clovis' relationship with George Papadopoulos -- the Trump campaign foreign policy adviser who has admitted to making a false statement to the FBI regarding his interactions with foreign officials close to the Russian government -- and a trip Papadopoulos took during the election where he met with a Russian figure.

The White House did not comment Wednesday night, and messages to Clovis' attorney regarding the latest developments in the Russia investigation were not returned.

Asked Monday if Trump was "still comfortable" with Clovis serving in the administration, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded, "I'm not aware of any change that would be necessary."

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that Clovis was one of the campaign officials referred to in court documents who Papadopoulos was emailing with. The FBI did not identify Clovis.

In the wake of the Post's report, Clovis' attorney said that inside the campaign, Clovis always "vigorously" opposed any Russian trip for Trump or staff. The attorney, Victoria Toensing, said in a statement that if a volunteer made a foreign policy suggestion, as a "polite gentleman from Iowa (he) would have expressed courtesy and appreciation."

She also said that Clovis would have had no authority to prohibit personal travel.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the ranking Democrat on the Senate agriculture committee, said court records released this week raised more questions over Clovis' nomination.

"From early on, I have strongly opposed the nomination of Sam Clovis to be the chief scientist at USDA," she said in a statement. "The emerging information about his role in the Trump campaign's interactions with Russia raises serious concerns. As we consider his nomination, I will be looking into these facts, along with his questionable qualifications and long history of divisive and outrageous statements."

Clovis, a former conservative radio talk show host in Iowa who was a frequent guest on CNN during the election, became an early supporter of Trump's two years ago. He quickly rose through the ranks of the campaign after Trump's strong finish in the Iowa caucuses, taking a national role in the organization as officials scrambled to build a campaign team.

Clovis, a novice to national presidential campaigns, was supervising Papadopoulos and became a visible spokesman for Trump on CNN and other networks.

A Republican official close to Clovis told CNN earlier Thursday that he remained loyal to Trump, adding that Clovis would not have fought the White House in backing away from his USDA nomination if asked.

"There's no way he would fight this or cause trouble for the White House," a Republican official and longtime associate of Clovis said.

Clovis' decision to step aside followed weeks of reports about incendiary comments he had previously made that had not disqualified him from the administration post.

Clovis previously argued that protections for LGBT people would lead to protections for pedophilia, and as a radio host and political activist, he promoted the hoax that former President Barack Obama was not born in the US. Likewise, he called Obama a "Maoist" and said Attorney General Eric Holder is a "racist black."

 

Trump nominee for top Agriculture post withdraws amid Russia probe

 

[fraurosena]

More from Seth Abramson. According to him, Sessions is one of the main targets of the investigation. 

 

[AmazonGrace]

I think Sessions just admitted to lying under oath. 

 

[onekidanddone]

Huh? He just remembers it now for fucks sake? How many times does this old white guy need to lie under oath? So happy we have such high up standing moral law and order white men to show us the way.  Planning and then rejecting a trip to Russia is not something you forget.  

How did he get a pass the first time he lied forgot to include during his testimony? 

[fraurosena]

Sessions is attempting to cover his ass. Only he's so dumb, that he's flailing around and failing miserably.

He probably realizes that he said something that might have been taped, or maybe an email or text of his might have been found. Who knows, he could well have been in contact with the covfefe boy in the last three months. So now he is terrified about what Mueller could possibly have on him already. 

I have to admit the thought of the evil Keebler elf being scared shitless is making me snicker a little. 

[AmazonGrace]

Somehow you expect the attorney general of the United States to be a halfway competent lawyer but I gotta say that Sessions looks pretty amateur right now. 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Rachel333]

This woman does a great job of responding to someone pushing the Clinton/uranium talking points:

Spoiler

 

 

[fraurosena]

Just now, Rachel333 said:

This woman does a great job of responding to someone pushing the Clinton/uranium talking points:

  Hide contents

 

 

Joy Reid absolutely owned that twatwaddle spouting 'but Hillary' nonsense. 

26 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Somehow you expect the attorney general of the United States to be a halfway competent lawyer but I gotta say that Sessions looks pretty amateur right now. 

Welllll... he fits right in with all the others in this administration that have absolutely no credentials whatsoever for the positions they have been placed in. So I'm not suprised at all. In fact, I've come to expect it from them...

[AmazonGrace]

Al Franken is on it: 

 

[Rachel333]

Some Kushner news: Jared Kushner's team turned over documents to special counsel in Russia investigation

[Howl]

2 hours ago, AmazonGrace said:

Trump nominee for top Agriculture post withdraws amid Russia probe

This would be great news, EXCEPT to Texans, who know that one of the original contenders to head US Dept of Agriculture was Texas' own Sid Miller, who is the current State of Texas Agricultural Commissioner, and has maybe stronger qualifications for the chief scientist position than Clovis, because Sid used to teach agriculture to high school students and is a professional cowboy who still rodeos and is a farmer/rancher.  And he adores, just absolutely adores Trump.  Yeah, Sid has already gotten cross ways with normal state ethics guidelines when he 

1. pretended to be on state bidness in Oklahoma but was actually getting a Jesus shot, because "some" old rodeo cowboys get stove up and rump sprung and believe a $300 injection will make all that go away. All about the 'Jesus Shot,' the mysterious $300 pain drug that has a Texas official in hot water
2. pretended to be on state bidness in the Southeast US, when in reality he was there to rodeo

then there is the "sloppy accounting"  with his campaign funds.  And almost exactly one year ago, Top Trump Supporter In Texas Calls Hillary Clinton A ‘C**t’ On Twitter

All these things mean that Miller has a good shot at replacing Clovis, because he's so qualified in the new post-Obama era! 

40 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Joy Reid absolutely owned that twatwaddle spouting 'but Hillary' nonsense. 

Yes, and it was AWESOME. 

[fraurosena]

Oh, I love me some Al Franken!

That letter is awesome... 

 

29 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

Al Franken is on it: 

 

ok, I should have read the new posts before I submitted mine...  

[CTRLZero]

21 minutes ago, Howl said:

All these things mean that Miller has a good shot at replacing Clovis, because he's so qualified in the new post-Obama era!

Sigh...where's my Picard facepalm emoji when I need it...

[fraurosena]

4 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

Sigh...where's my Picard facepalm emoji when I need it...

Why, here it is... 

It's also applicable to this news: