The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Douglas Caddy]

 

Emails Reveal Deep Ties Between Jeffrey Epstein, Former Barclays CEO Jes Staley - WSJ

[Matthew Koch]

1 hour ago, Steve Thomas said:

[Marjoram Taylor] Greene says people are calling the alarms about how wind turbines are killing whales and unknown thousands of bird species

“I don’t know why AOC isn’t dressed in white crying for the dead whales.”

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1625702261694365698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

thousands of bird species...

People are calling, you know.

Steve Thomas

 

Funny how people who watch Tucker Carlson are more informed, even on the JFKA!

 

[Matthew Koch]

Kirk, Thanks for sharing this Kyle Kulinsky guy!

 

[Benjamin Cole]

8 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Yes, and, presumably, it's all NATO's fault... 🤓

As for your selective reading of the Prokop article, Ben, you left out the key part of Prokop's takedown of Gerth (bold italics mine.)

As David Corn pointed out, Gerth's bogus revisionist history of Russiagate focused mainly on the Steele Dossier and Alfa Bank.

And let's not forget about Paul Manafort and Roger Stone committing perjury and stonewalling Mueller's investigation-- after Trump floated pardons and later pardoned them.

"A fuller recap of what the (Russiagate) scandal was all about would go something like this: What became the FBI’s investigation into Trump-Russia was opened in the summer of 2016 for reasons having nothing to do with Steele, Fusion, or Alfa Bank.

That year, leading Democrats had seen their emails and documents stolen in hacks, later to surface on mysterious websites or to be published by WikiLeaks. Initial assessments blamed the Russian government for the hack (and Mueller’s team later confirmed those assessments, fleshing them out with much more detail).

Trump viewed these leaks as highly beneficial to him, touting them constantly on the campaign trail, and even publicly calling on “Russia, if you’re listening” to find more Clinton emails. (He then claimed this was a joke, but in private, he urged his campaign advisers to try and get ahold of more Clinton emails.)

While this was unfolding, the FBI received a tip that a little-known Trump foreign policy aide, George Papadopoulos, had been saying he knew Russia had damaging emails related to Clinton before any hack news was public. So the bureau opened a counterintelligence investigation originally focused on a discrete question: Had the Russian government conveyed information about their plans to interfere in the 2016 election to someone on Trump’s team?

This was, I would argue, an entirely reasonable question. And with hindsight, due to this investigation and reporting, we know that many shenanigans were indeed afoot.

• Trump’s longtime adviser Roger Stone was trying to get hacked Democratic emails from WikiLeaks in advance, while apparently informing Trump about his efforts.
• Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort was sharing the campaign’s polling data and strategy with an associate the FBI claims is tied to Russian intelligence.
• Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, had reached out to the Russian government to try to get a Trump Tower Moscow project going, though it didn’t end up happening.
• Donald Trump Jr. even welcomed an emailed offer of dirt on Hillary Clinton that was said to be “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” setting up a meeting with Manafort and Jared Kushner to discuss it. (They didn’t find the information useful.)

Again, weak, weak, weak vaporous conjectures. 

This is Russiagate? These are essentially snivels!

1. Stone "was trying" (it is alleged) to get hacked DNC e-mails from Wikileaks. This is a crime?

If I was in the Trump campaign I would do the same thing. Once Wikileaks has any info, it will (we can hope) become public record soon. I regarded Wikileaks as a legitimate news organization. 

2. Manafort shared Trump campaign private-sector polling data with a someone, it is alleged, who was "tied" to Russian intelligence. This is weaker than Popeye without spinach. This is a crime? Did Manafort know the someone was "tied" to Russian intel? Manafort says he shared a single number, but it hardly matters. Private campaign polling data is not a national secret. 

3. Cohen tried to set up a property deal in Moscow. Well, Trump was a real-estate developer, no? No deal was made. Again, there is no crime here. There is the appearance of a possible conflict of interest---and I think part of a general concern that foreign money flows into DC like the Potomac. But, again, no deal was done. 

4. Of course, Trump publicly joked about welcoming the Russian-hacked e-mails. But note the language used in the article you cite: "that was said." In other words, some people said it was the Russians who hacked the DNC e-mails. And...again, where is the crime?

Who hacked the DNC? No one really knows. US intel says it has human intel that said it was the Russians. Technical proof is lacking. US intel also dissembles was easily as telling the truth. 

Russiagate...is vapors. A hoax. 

Whitewater was largely a hoax too. But, Clinton did get blow jobs from an intern, right in the White House, though perhaps that was once considered an office perk and Clinton just got caught in changing morals. Trump never pissed on hookers in Moscow. 

I thought Clinton was a good president---avoided foreign entanglements. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Benjamin Cole

[W. Niederhut]

Ben,

   Let's hear your explanations for the following Russiagate facts.

1) Paul Manafort's 2016 contacts and sharing of polling data with Russian GRU agent Konstantin Kilimnik.

2)  Paul Manafort's perjury about his 2016 contacts with Kilimnik, even after he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.

3) Paul Manafort floating a Trump pardon to Rick Gates during Gates' interrogations by Mueller-- witness tampering that resulted in Manafort's placement in solitary confinement.

4)  Michael Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his December 2016 phone contacts with Kisylak.

5) Trump firing Comey (and McCabe) in order to obstruct the Flynn investigation.

6) Trump publicly denying in Helsinki the fact that Putin had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.

7) Trump lying about the fact that he was negotiating a Moscow Trump Tower deal in 2016 .

Edited February 17, 2023 by W. Niederhut

[Ron Bulman]

I know it's a Texas thing, like the JFKA because it could only happen here.  I can only hope enough legislators will reject paying for this to screw him, probably a pipe dream.  Otherwise I'm left helping pay for his deal.  If so, this is the epitome of sweeping it under the rug.

Who will pay $3.3M settlement in whistleblower suit against Texas AG Ken Paxton’s office? (msn.com)

Edited February 17, 2023 by Ron Bulman

[Benjamin Cole]

1 hour ago, W. Niederhut said:

Ben,

   Let's hear your explanations for the following Russiagate facts.

1) Paul Manafort's 2016 contacts and sharing of polling data with Russian GRU agent Konstantin Kilimnik.

2)  Paul Manafort's perjury about his 2016 contacts with Kilimnik, even after he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation.

3) Paul Manafort floating a Trump pardon to Rick Gates during Gates' interrogations by Mueller-- witness tampering that resulted in Manafort's placement in solitary confinement.

4)  Michael Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his December 2016 phone contacts with Kisylak.

5) Trump firing Comey (and McCabe) in order to obstruct the Flynn investigation.

6) Trump publicly denying in Helsinki the fact that Putin had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.

7) Trump lying about the fact that he was negotiating a Moscow Trump Tower deal in 2016 .

W-

I won't have time to address all of these "crimes."

I will address your No. 1.

Paul Manafort shared private-sector Trump campaign polling data with Kilimnik, who was possibly a Russian intel asset. In one way, all prominent Russians (and Chinese) are state assets, as they have to answer to the state if questioned. 

Did Manafort know Kilimnik was a Russian state asset, or just a Deripaska minion? Kilimnik did not flash a GRU badge, after all. Was Manafort trying to ingratiate himself with Deripaska, from whom he bilked $13 million? Very possibly. 

But...private-sector campaign polling data...is a big so what. And Putin was going to rule Washington with that info? (BTW, polls in 2016 were off by 20%). 

BTW, your own Vox article says the "Russian bots and trolls and social median influence" tale was vapors. So, Kilimnik had polling data (Manafort says only one number)...and then what? Since Moscow had no propaganda program worth snot going on anyway....

This molehill polling data story is the Russiagate hoax in a nutshell: Even when there was an actual event (not a fabrication, such as the Steele Dossier fabrications)...it amounts to Billy Barty fart. 

As FBI lead investigator Peter Strzok said, "There is no there, there." 

 

 

 

[Ron Bulman]

Proud Boys leaders facing Jan. 6 charges say they intend to subpoena Trump (msn.com)

[W. Niederhut]

1 hour ago, Benjamin Cole said:

W-

I won't have time to address all of these "crimes."

I will address your No. 1.

Paul Manafort shared private-sector Trump campaign polling data with Kilimnik, who was possibly a Russian intel asset. In one way, all prominent Russians (and Chinese) are state assets, as they have to answer to the state if questioned. 

Did Manafort know Kilimnik was a Russian state asset, or just a Deripaska minion? Kilimnik did not flash a GRU badge, after all. Was Manafort trying to ingratiate himself with Deripaska, from whom he bilked $13 million? Very possibly. 

But...private-sector campaign polling data...is a big so what. And Putin was going to rule Washington with that info? (BTW, polls in 2016 were off by 20%). 

BTW, your own Vox article says the "Russian bots and trolls and social median influence" tale was vapors. So, Kilimnik had polling data (Manafort says only one number)...and then what? Since Moscow had no propaganda program worth snot going on anyway....

This molehill polling data story is the Russiagate hoax in a nutshell: Even when there was an actual event (not a fabrication, such as the Steele Dossier fabrications)...it amounts to Billy Barty fart. 

As FBI lead investigator Peter Strzok said, "There is no there, there." 

 

 

 

Ben,

    You flunked Russiagate 101.  You ducked all but one of the key questions.

    As for Manafort, I'm trying to help you connect the dots.

    It's, obviously, not working... 🥺

    Why was Paul Manafort so desperately invested in lying to Mueller's investigators about his 2016 contacts with Russian GRU agent Konstantin Kilimnik-- even committing perjury after striking a plea bargain deal?  (And Manafort had worked with Kilimnik for years.  He knew he was GRU.)

    What was Manafort so desperate to  hide from Mueller?

    Are you aware that Manafort worked for the Kremlin prior to 2016 to manipulate Ukrainian elections for Putin?

    Next question.  Did the Russian GRU hack any voter registration databases in U.S. states in 2016?

    Which states would GRU hackers have most likely targeted if they wanted to alter the outcome of the 2016 U.S. election?  And how would GRU hackers have known where to concentrate their hacking efforts?  Wouldn't they have needed expert intelligence from someone familiar with U.S. elections?

     Were there any anomalous vote counts in U.S. swing states in 2016--i.e., results that were markedly inconsistent with pre-election and exit-polling results?

     What were the unexpected vote differentials in the three states that gave Trump an improbable Electoral College victory in 2016-- Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania-- despite losing the popular vote by 2%?

     (Answer: Trump's unexpected EC victory hinged on a mere 80,000 votes in three states-- out of 150 million votes!)

     Were any legitimate ballots disqualified in swing states like Wisconsin in 2016-- based on post-election analyses?

     Why did Julian Assange Email Donald Trump, Jr. on election night in 2016, to advise Trump not to concede the election, based on preliminary results and exit polls from states that Trump was expected to lose-- e.g., Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania?

[Benjamin Cole]

"(And Manafort had worked with Kilimnik for years.  He knew he was GRU.)"--W

What is your evidence for this? Is this conjecture on your part? Do have proof of this assertion? 

Kilimnik appears to have been working for Manafort, Ukrainians and then Deripaska.  IMHO, Manafort was on the "wrong side" in Ukraine. 

I would not doubt Kilimnik was a Russian intel asset, as most prominent or business-connected Russians are expected to provide information to Russian intel (same with China citizens).

If Kilimnik were a sleeper agent for GRU, do you think he would blab that around? The whole idea of secret agents is that they are...secret. 

Russiagate always turns into vapors.

There appears to have been no meaningful Russian interference in the 2016 campaign (see your Vox article), and US intel says actual voting machines were not hacked.

So what is left? 

You have conjectured that there was collusion between Trumpers and Putin, based on "links", "ties" and "connections."

You say Manafort "knew" Kilimnik was a Russian intel asset...but did he? How? 

As FBI lead investigator Peter Strzok said, "There is no there there."

.....

Conjecture is fun. The fun thing about conjectures is that they are not even accusations, which are a level below actual charges filed in court, which are a level below a guilty ruling by a jury. 

Investigations and conjectures.

So what did a jury find Trump guilty of? 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Benjamin Cole

[Benjamin Cole]

Dec. 15, 2022. Tucker Carlson: The CIA was involved in the JFKA. 

Feb. 2023. President Biden: The JFK Records are secret forever. 

[Steve Thomas]

Fox News got election fraud info from woman who claims she got it through 'time travel' lawsuit

https://www.rawstory.com/fox-news-lawsuit-2659431124/
"This detail of the Dominion lawsuit was first flagged by NBC News' Ben Collins on Thursday, as part of a segment Dominion highlighted between pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, who was communicating with her and amplifying her message on her program.

Powell's source ... explained that she gets her information from experiencing something 'like time-travel in a semi-conscious state,' allowing her to 'see what others don't see, and hear what others don't hear,' and she received messages from 'the wind,'" stated the lawsuit.
"Bartiromo read this email at the time: she responded to Powell saying she had shared this 'very imp[ortant] info' with Eric Trump," the complaint continued."Fox News got election fraud info from woman who claims she got it through 'time 

"This detail of the Dominion lawsuit was first flagged by NBC News' Ben Collins on Thursday, as part of a segment Dominion highlighted between pro-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, who was communicating with her and amplifying her message on her program.
"Powell's source ... explained that she gets her information from experiencing something 'like time-travel in a semi-conscious state,' allowing her to 'see what others don't see, and hear what others don't hear,' and she received messages from 'the wind,'" stated the lawsuit.
"Bartiromo read this email at the time: she responded to Powell saying she had shared this 'very imp[ortant] info' with Eric Trump," the complaint continued."

Oh, well, in that case...

Steve Thomas

Edited February 17, 2023 by Steve Thomas

[David Andrews]

Re: Russiagate and election fraud:

The unspoken-of mastodon in the room, and the one Trump dared to prod, was the Bush election fraud against Gore and Kerry in 2000 and 2004.  One of Greg Palast's books demonstrates that this happened, and (in part) how it happened,  Some of it involved voting machine irregularities. 

When Trump cried fraud, was it with knowledge that a GOP that didn't effectively support him might suffer from an exhuming of the Bush affairs?  Was that a built-in suicide switch for him?

The power of the Bush family and allied interests is such that, in all the bluster and hate of 2021, the Bush frauds were never cited as precedents.  Apparently no one wanted to end up in a media industry dungeon, like Dan Rather or Ashleigh Banfield over the Air National Guard scandal.  Are there any books on the fall of Trump that even mention 2000 and 2004?

The minute Trump, Sidney Powell, and their House supporters blamed altered voting machine procedures, I waited for Bush's two old, cordovan leather shoes to drop.  They never did.  It would have thrown shade on acquiescent DEMs as well.

Edited February 17, 2023 by David Andrews

[Kirk Gallaway]

The Fox News commentators took issue with the reporter's rejection of Trump's 2020 election lies.

 

Now with the dominion voting scandal, we know through e mails that Tucker Carlson, Hannity, Ingraham and Pirro and all the Fox News personalities knew they were peddling the Big Election lie, and continued to do it , even as their viewer base suffered.

 

We now know

Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity discussed trying to have a Fox reporter fired for a Trump email fact-checking tweet.

From one of Ben's most quoted CIA sources! below

 

We know now Rupert Murdoch  on 1/5/21 asked his on air personalities to finally come out and say Trump lost the election, but they refused.

And Fox News and the Wall Street Journal (Murdoch properties!) are today acting like the Dominion News didn't happen.

 

Still we'll see Fox video clips here.Which forever begs the question:

When will Fox viewers admit they' were stupid!

 

This said as we're heading now into the third month after the Tucker Carlson/Roger Stone, JFKA/CIA "Shot heard round the world" revelations!!

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/tucker-carlson-sean-hannity-fox-news-reporter-fact-checking-trump-2023-2

 

 

Where is thy Deep State? All you guys whining about a deep state would never be ready for me. I'd have clear lines that would take the gloves off and make it easier for these clowns who violated the public trust to get thrown in jail!

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by Kirk Gallaway

[W. Niederhut]

9 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

Russiagate always turns into vapors.

 

Ben,

    The vapors appear to be mostly in your head.

     You need to do some remedial reading about Manafort, Kilimnik, the GRU, and Russian hacking of the 2016 U.S. election.  Here's another interesting reference for you. (Bold italics mine.)

TOP-SECRET NSA REPORT DETAILS RUSSIAN HACKING EFFORT DAYS BEFORE 2016 ELECTION

A top-secret National Security Agency report details a months-long Russian hacking effort against the U.S. election infrastructure.

NSA Report on Russian Hacking of U.S. Election (theintercept.com)

June 5, 2017

Excerpt

    The NSA analysis does not draw conclusions about whether the interference had any effect on the election’s outcome and concedes that much remains unknown about the extent of the hackers’ accomplishments. However, the report raises the possibility that Russian hacking may have breached at least some elements of the voting system, with disconcertingly uncertain results.