[Townhall] It’s a circus. House Democrats are charging headlong into this impeachment business against President Donald Trump, a shamelessly naked political spectacle in which they’re trying to overturn the results of the 2016 election. They tried to get him on Russian collusion. They couldn’t. Now, they’re using this whistleblower report that alleged in a July phone call that Trump threatened to withhold military aid from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unless he opened a corruption probe into Hunter Biden. The son of the former vice president was on the board of an energy company making $50,000/month while his father, Joe Biden, was in office. Hunter has zero experience in the energy sector. It was a gross conflict of interest issue, and the allegation that he was just there to sell access to the higher echelons of America’s political class hasn’t really been dispelled.
The whistleblower is a registered Democrat, a reported CIA agent, and someone who had worked with a 2020 Democratic candidate. They were also on the National Security Council staff for the Obama White House. This person does not have first-hand knowledge of wrongdoing. It’s all second-hand sourced, which explains the numerous errors. Adam Schiff’s staff was in contact with this person, and Schiff knew of the contents of the report before it was formally filed. Yeah, this isn’t a biased political hit job in the slightest, right? The Trump White House released a transcript of the Trump-Zelensky phone call, which petty much torpedoed the juicy allegations lobbed by Democrats, but that’s not going to stop this impeachment push. This whole effort is mostly being done behind closed doors. The impeachment of a president is very much a public affair. That’s precisely what the Democrats don’t want.
The Wall Street Journal’s Kimberley Strassel has a new book about the anti-Trump Deep State, but her Potomac Watch column this week detailed the absurd rule High Chancellor of Impeachment Adam Schiff has instituted that made Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-NY) jaw drop; Stefanik sits on the House Intelligence Committee.
It’s pretty simple. Democrats will summarize all of the interviews conducted relating to this unofficial Trump impeachment into one page‐which can only be read with a Democratic staffer present. Schiff, whom Strassel calls "Lord High Impeacher," is withholding documents as well. It’s all part of the larger scheme: controlling the narrative. Strassel notes how Democrats learned from their lessons regarding Trump-Russia collusion, and how the various open hearings embarrassed them and tore huge holes into the narrative because it was trash to begin with. They’re not making the same mistake twice; optics be damned (via WSJ):
#1
I wonder if the Brits would let us borrow the Tower of London for this.
Posted by: Matt ||
10/26/2019 10:15 Comments ||
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#2
Total Shitshow.
Never underestimate our political class. I didn't think they could go lower than "Orangeman = Boris Badenov" -- and then they outdid themselves with the Kavanaugh Shitshow.
I thought Kavanaugh was the ne plus ultra -- and then they staged their outlandish Covington Kids = Hitlerjugend Shitshow.
And now we have a bad parody of a Star Chamber, a Kangaroo Court and a Don Adams/Get Smart Lafftrack Yukkfest. The Mother of All Shitshows.
#3
The thing that amazes me is all these suits and pants suits get these high levels of salaries for producing absolutely nothing and being total parasites.
If they were all gone to the four winds tomorrow, the world would be a better place.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/26/2019 13:30 Comments ||
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#4
Oh yeah? What about all those five-star restaurants and bespoke tailors in DC? What happens to them?
Posted by: Matt ||
10/26/2019 14:03 Comments ||
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Both are part of the same plot to hobble President Trump by taking out his national security advisor, General Michael Flynn, by a variety of in-house and external means, Bright Pebbles. Power Line blog discusses these revelations in more detail here.
#10
I'm not sure of the meaning of this any contextual links?
It matters because of the timeline. The 302 was deceptively "edited" 2 weeks after its submission.
Sidney Powell Drops Bombshell Showing How The FBI Trapped Michael Flynn A sealed statement from Strzok confirmed that the “agents did three briefings the day of the interview,” and that Strzok had reported that Flynn “had a sure demeanor, and he was telling the truth or believed he was—even though he did not remember it all.” This led the FBI and DOJ to then write “an internal memo dated January 30, 2017, exonerating Mr. Flynn of acting as an ‘agent of Russia’” and expressing no concern of a possible Logan Act violation.
Then the Switch on the 302
But then things change.
“On February 10, 2017, the news broke—attributed to ‘senior intelligence officials’—that Mr. Flynn had discussed sanctions with Ambassador Kislyak, contrary to what Vice President Pence had said on television previously.” Following this leak, “overnight,” Flynn’s 302 was changed—and substantively so. “Those changes added an unequivocal statement that ‘FLYNN stated he did not’—in response to whether Mr. Flynn had asked Kislyak to vote in a certain manner or slow down the UN vote.”
“This is a deceptive manipulation” Powell highlighted, “because, as the notes of the agents show, Mr. Flynn was not even sure he had spoken to Russia/Kislyak on this issue. He had talked to dozens of countries.” The overnight changes to the 302 also included the addition of a line, indicating Flynn had been question on whether “KISLYAK described any Russian response to a request by FLYNN.”
But the agent’s notes do not include that question or answer, Powell stressed, yet it was later made into the criminal offense charges against Flynn. And “the draft also shows that the agents moved a sentence to make it seem to be an answer to a question it was not,” Powell added.
#12
Maybe deserves its own thread, with the excerpts pasted in the article?
It’s not really something I’m following, Lex, more something I happened across that fit this conversation while looking at other things. But I’m sure there will be more articles posted as the story develops.
[THE AMERICAN REPORT} Ten days after Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah A. Curtis abruptly stepped down from her position as the lead attorney prosecuting former Trump national security adviser Lieutenant General Michael Flynn (Ret) and left the Department of Justice on September 27, 2019, The Wall Street Journal reported today that “some of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s electronic surveillance activities violated the constitutional privacy rights of Americans swept up in a controversial foreign intelligence program,” citing a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court finding made last year.
CIA contractor-turned whistleblower Dennis Montgomery asserts that “THE HAMMER,” a super surveillance system he designed and built as a foreign surveillance tool to spy on terrorists and other foreign adversaries, was commandeered by John Brennan and James Clapper to unlawfully wiretap Michael Flynn and Donald Trump.
Brennan and Clapper also used “THE HAMMER” to unlawfully spy on Supreme Court justices, FISA court judges, other government officials, Montgomery contends.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Curtis, assisted by FBI Special Agents William Barnett and Walter Giardina, debriefed Montgomery inside of a Secure Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) at the FBI Washington DC Field Office on December 3, 2015 for three and a half hours, according to CIA/FBI contractor-turned-whistleblower Montgomery.
Montgomery asserts that during that debriefing he testified under oath before Curtis and FBI agents Barnett and Giardina, while being videotaped, that Brennan and Clapper had turned the foreign surveillance tool “THE HAMMER” against the Obama administration’s political enemies, including Michael Flynn and Donald Trump.
If Curtis was in receipt of the information that Montgomery asserts he provided to Curtis about illegal wiretaps on Flynn and Trump, that would be considered exculpatory evidence in the Flynn case. If Curtis did not turn over any and all information she received from Montgomery about wiretaps on Flynn, that would be considered a Brady violation.
As lead attorney for the prosecution, Curtis would be legally and ethically obligated to provide that information to Flynn’s defense team, led by attorney Sidney Powell.
It remains unclear whether the surveillance system referenced by The Wall Street Journal is the onetime foreign surveillance tool “THE HAMMER” that Montgomery says Brennan and Clapper had commandeered, or another surveillance program.
Montgomery asserts that Robert Mueller’s FBI provided computers for “THE HAMMER” and that surveillance data collected by “THE HAMMER” was transmitted to the FBI.
Former FBI General Counsel James Baker amended his own testimony before Members of Congress during a closed-door session last year, and admitted that the FBI received evidence from Montgomery that proves, according to Montgomery, that U.S. government officials unlawfully spied on Americans, including other government officials.
HAMR can “throw” browser exploits at iOS, Android, OSX and Linux hacking targets, according to the CIA Information Operations Center document. HAMR sends specified plugins from a collection of iOS plugins called “Wild Turkey” to targeted devices and installs (implants) them for surveillance operations.
#2
In 2015, DOJ Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Curtis, FBI Director Comey, and FBI General Counsel Baker took receipt of 47 hard drives from Dennis Montgomery and buried the evidence Montgomery had handed over under two immunity agreements which proved that Brennan and Clapper ran “THE HAMMER”. They used it to wiretap General Michael Flynn, Donald Trump, Judges Roberts and Scalia, among many other Americans.
[Daily Caller] Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton likened former Democratic Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings to the Old Testament prophet Elijah during the late congressman’s Friday funeral service in Baltimore.
Clinton noted that it "is no coincidence" that Cummings and the prophet’s name means "the lord is my God," in Hebrew.
He "used the power and the wisdom that God gave him to uphold the moral law that all people are subject to because of all people are equal," she continued. He was a partisan hack that abused power for greed (see: "Wife"), corruption, and didn't do jack shit for his shithole district.
"Like the prophet, our Elijah could call down fire from Heaven, but he also prayed and worked for healing. He weathered storms and earthquakes but never lost his faith. Like that Old Testament prophet, he stood against corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel." (RELATED: President Trump Honors Elijah Cummings)
"He looked out for the vulnerable among us. He lifted up the next generation of leaders. He even worked a few miracles," Clinton added. "He kept reminding us, life is no dress rehearsal. The American people want to live their lives without fear of their leaders, and as leaders, we have a responsibility to keep the promises made when running for office to make the lives of Americans better."
#5
He was a partisan hack that abused power for greed (see: "Wife"), corruption, and didn't do jack shit for his shithole district.
Pastor: All rise. "But it's not a shithole."
Congregation [mumbling]: But it's not a shithole.
Pastor: "But it's not a shithole."
Congregation [mumbling]: But it's not a shithole.
Pastor: "But it's not a shithole--have mercy on us
Congregation [mumbling]: But it's not a shithole--have mercy on us.
Pastor: Amen.
Congregation [with relief, forcefully]: Amen.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/26/2019 9:39 Comments ||
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#9
M. Murcek, with Arkenside and all her attributes she's going to reside in the 7th circle or lower. Dante doesn't see a place for her with a bible or saints on call.
[Legal Insurrection] Acting US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor told Congress that US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland knew President Donald Trump threatened to cutoff aid to Ukraine if the government did not investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
Taylor also claimed Sondland passed the threat to the Ukrainian government.
However, Sondland’s attorney Robert Luskin said his client does not recall any conversation about cutting off Ukraine.
Sondland told Congress he did not know of the quid pro quo the Democrats have used as their main point to impeach Trump. He admitted he knew Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani secured a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House. He "did not know whether the White House had also made security assistance contingent on Zelensky’s committing to launch the probes."
Once Sondland heard "that security assistance may be tied to the investigations, he paused and called Trump on Sept. 9."
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Maria Butina, the Russian gun advocate who built a network of high-level Republican contacts before being arrested for spying, was freed from US prison Friday after serving nine months, the Bureau of Prisons said.
Butina was handed over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau and was expected to be deported back to Russia, where she has been held up by the government as unjustly charged and imprisoned by the United States.
[BREITBART] House Democrats believe there is sufficient evidence to advance their closed-door impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... without seeking testimony from the so-called "whistleblower," whose complaint initially prompted the probe, according to a Thursday evening report.
The Washington Post, citing several House Democrats, reports that the so-called "whistleblower’s" testimony is no longer a priority in the wake of testimonies delivered by Ukraine’s top diplomat, William Taylor, and former National Security Council senior director Fiona Hill, before congressional Sherlocks.
Taylor told politicians that Gordon Sondland, U.S. Ambassador to the Europe ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... an Union, notified Andriy Yermak, an aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that military assistance would only be provided when Zelensky agreed to look into allegations of corruption against former Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant... and his son, Hunter Biden. Robert Luskin, an attorney for Sondland, said his client has no recollection of the alleged discussion.
"I think it’s quite clear we have a surfeit of evidence that corroborates in full every aspect of what happened and the policy they were pursuing," Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), a member of the House Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees, said in a statement to the Post.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told the Post: "This is the role that whistleblowers play: Whistleblowers are the people who set off a process by telling the truth. The whistleblower will go down in history as a hero for kicking off this process. But the whistleblower is no longer integral to the investigation in any way." This is the role anonymus tipsters play. Once the investigation is underway they can be disposed of, if they ever existed.
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden ...The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... privately contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice when he was a senior and influential U.S. senator to discuss issues that his son Hunter’s firm was being paid to lobby on, according to government records.
On at least two occasions, Biden contacted federal departments to discuss issues related to Hunter’s firm’s lobbying clients, according to records reviewed by the Washington Examiner.
Biden’s behind-the-scenes outreach illustrates how his Senate work overlapped with his son’s business interests. Biden has faced scrutiny for taking actions that were perceived to benefit his son’s work, including calling for the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor and backing policies that helped the Delaware-based credit card industry while Hunter was working for MBNA, which is headquartered in the state.
[American Thinker] Bad things tend to happen to people who find themselves on Hillary Clinton's enemies list. Just days after being attacked by Hillary Clinton for being a favorite of the Russians and for allegedly being "groomed" (by Republicans, her spokesman later claimed she meant) to run as a third-party candidate, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard announced late last night that she will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives, where she has served since winning election there in 2012.
It is an odd coincidence that becoming an official enemy of Hillary Clinton preceded this surprise announcement that offered no new reason for the decision announced on Twitter beyond her desire to serve as president.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/26/2019 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
No longer left enough for Hawaii.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/26/2019 0:27 Comments ||
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#2
Tulsi's going to pull an Ann Wilson and weigh 275 pounds this time next year.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/26/2019 0:53 Comments ||
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#3
Perhaps the Orange Man has offered her an alternative position elsewhere.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum...
...The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body...
