What? That can’t be!!

  Britain_70352-45a45

(Steele)

"The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund research that resulted in a now-famous dossier containing allegations about President Trump’s connections to Russia and possible coordination between his campaign and the Kremlin, people familiar with the matter said.

Marc E. Elias, a lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained Fusion GPS, a Washington firm, to conduct the research.

After that, Fusion GPS hired dossier author Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer with ties to the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity."  Washpost

————-

So, the DNC (Wasserman-Shultz?)  and the Clinton campaign funded the Steele dossier, written by a washed up British spook to denigrate Trump.  Got it?  Will this dastardly deed go unpunished?  We will see.

And then, separately, there is the matter of the uranium ore contract that Hillary approved when Secretary of State, a contract that seems to have been fortunately related in time to Bill Clinton's $500k speaking fee in Russia.

And then, there is Ralph Northam.  Those who will vote in Virgina's gubernatorial election should remember that he is a creature of the McCauliffe/Clinton apparat.  This is true in much the same way that BHO was a creation of the Democratic big money people in Chicago.  

Will this be followed up by Mueller and Sessions?  Who knows.  pl  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/clinton-campaign-dnc-paid-for-research-that-led-to-russia-dossier/2017/10/24/226fabf0-b8e4-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_dossier-630pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.9bfaad59ff09

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85 Responses to What? That can’t be!!

  1. TV says:

    Nothing will come of any of this.
    Sorry for my cynicism but the swamp will win.
    Too much money at stake.
    There is no such thing as “public service” – if there ever was.
    It’s self-service with public money.
    And even worse, it seems to be dominated by mediocrities.

  2. Lars says:

    So many conspiracies! Since there is rather compelling evidence that Russia interfered in the last US election, there is a desperation to find anything to distract from it. All this proves that there is more than smoke regarding this. If there wasn’t, it would be ignored.
    I guess Mueller is getting closer and the heat is getting uncomfortable.

  3. turcopolier says:

    lars
    What is the “rather compelling evidence?” Neither mueller not the Congressional committees hve produced any. pl

  4. The Beaver says:

    Colonel,
    The only “news” here is that the Post put a name to the pro-Hillary donor who started paying Fusion GPS after the still unnamed GOP donor who originally commissioned the dossier stopped footing the bill after Trump won the primary.
    It was all in the article written by David Corn for Motherjones a year ago.

  5. Bandolero says:

    pl
    I think that’s another symptom of HRC’s thinking that she was untouchable.
    She did so with her illegal email server, her war on Libya, her arms trafficking from Libya to jihadis in Syria and so many other topics before. Imo HRC never cared for any legal or reputational consequences of her misdeeds because she thought might makes right and she’s untouchable.
    If HRC didn’t think this way she’ld have privately ask a major donor to cover for the expenses of that disgraced British spy to get “pee stories” to defame Trump instead of involving herself and the DNC so direct.

  6. Serge says:

    Can anyone explain to me how this can or will reach the DNC base that still clings onto the “russia-trump” narrative? I took it as a given since I read the pee pee dossier way back then that the DNC establishment was somehow behind it, but then again I am not part of the base. How can this revelation change their views, in the face of 24/7 media and entertainment industry onslaught against our president,the pillars of their New Religion? These(age 30-50)people do not care for facts or close-to-objective analysis, they care for appearance, in the despicable age of social media that we have come upon where any misspoken word makes you a fascist or a russian puppet, your judgement that this is the truth will be nurtured and amplified in an echo chamber of social media drivel bullshit

  7. Nate D. says:

    Come on Colonel Lang, you must have heard of this compelling, if not damning, evidence that Russia interfered with the election? They used Pokémon GO to incite Black Lives Matter riots which shifted political opinion. And if that doesn’t cause outrage at this subversion of the sanctity of our election system then just till they uncover evidence of the use of psychokinesis and remote-viewing by Russia.
    CNN Links ‘Pokémon GO’ Plot To Russian Election Meddlers
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/10/13/cnn-links-pokemon-go-plot-to-russian-election-meddlers/#34d74ca32df4

  8. JohnH says:

    Back when Greece was on the ropes financially, there were reports that Hillary was in Athens encouraging the Greek government to sell rights to the Aegean Sea bed. Meanwhile Bubba was travelling with Noble Oil, which had just developed underwater gas wells for Israel in the not very distant eastern Mediterranean.

  9. JamesT says:

    I second the Colonel’s request for the compelling evidence.

  10. blue peacock says:

    It will be interesting to see what the Mueller witch hunt comes up with and how he will spin his conclusions.
    As more details leak it is getting more apparent that the Trump as Russian agent meme was a concerted plan hatched and executed by the Democrat & GOP political establishment along with key operatives in the MSM.
    Fusion GPS is one of the actors among others that played an instrumental role in fueling the MSM hysteria around the meme of Russian collusion with Trump to “subvert American democracy”. They not only received funding from the Clinton campaign & DNC but also from some in the GOP to have the Steele dossier produced as “oppo research” on Trump. But, what is even more fascinating is that the Steele dossier commissioned by Fusion GPS was also pitched to the FBI and there are reports that the FBI also paid money for it or to Steele directly. This leads to the big question of what role did Comey play in all this? And of course, what game is being played by Mueller who is Borgist to the bone!
    I wonder if the machinations of MI6 in this sordid drama will also get exposed.

  11. Bandit says:

    Sorry to be the one to call you out, Lars, but you sound like a troll. I see your kind of garbage every time there is a discussion of the DNC and the Clinton campaign’s abuse of power. You have discredited yourself on this forum, so find somewhere else that will permit you to muddy the discussions with wholly unsupported disinformation.

  12. MRW says:

    Exactly, Colonel. Not a whit.
    Lars, there is no “compelling evidence.” They’ve tried for nearly a year, every which way to Sunday, and can’t find a damn thing. That self-righteous and servile Adam Schiff (D-CA) has made all sorts of declarations claiming so. The Republican chairman Devin Nunes on the House Intelligence Committee they both serve on says “there’s nothing there.”
    But Schiff and his unctuous self makes all sorts of pronouncements on CNN, MSNBC, and NBC telling tales straight out of Mother Goose about Russian influence and Trump’s alleged involvement with Russia. He sniffs and turns his nose up while he does like Ru Paul on stage; I find him unbearable.
    Nunes, on the other hand, is smart.

  13. MRW says:

    For those who can’t read the WashPo article because you’ve used up your free 10 articles for the month, disable Javascript in your browser before clicking on the WashPo link, and you’ll get the whole thing.
    Just don’t forget to re-enable it after you’ve read it, or you will miss a lot of other articles on the web.

  14. johnf says:

    Why is this news appearing in the Washington Post which, with the NYT, has more than anyone done its best to spread pro-Clinton, anti-Trump The-Russians-Done-It propaganda?
    Since they are incapable of honesty I suspect deeply dishonest reasons for publishing it. But can’t imagine what they are.

  15. Find this story so sad. This first came out just b4 the election last year it was revealed then that the DNC/Clinton mob had payed this shill to dig up dirt on Orangatang man. They R/V it and came to the conclusion that it was not all that verifiable then passed it on to the RNC which continued with the fake dossier and further lined the shills pockets to continue to find dirt on Frump the Trump.Re hashed and old news what is so shocking about it. Is it because that Russia ate my homework has no verifiable evidence behind it is it because the US inquisition on xenophobia is not carrying any water with we the sheeple. Graft and corruption is rife with in all aspects of our society. We r living in a Corporate State which is the definition of Fascism. We have the largest wage and economic gap since the Gilded age and we can do is re hash old BS about the reality show that they call the POTUS election of pre made candidates and gives us no choice what so ever.

  16. LondonBob says:

    Bannon said you won’t get HRC on her emails, but you might on the Foundation…

  17. elev8 says:

    You are in denial.

  18. Richard says:

    Colonel, Lars,
    I think it is a very special kind of “compelling evidence” – only the most sophisticated Democrats can see it. In fact, the evidence is made from the same material as the Emperor’s New Clothes in the eponymous fairytale…

  19. Kutte says:

    Will this be followed up by Mueller and Sessions? Who knows. pl
    It will be followed up by Herr Müller, albeit with gnashing teeth, because Herr Müller is not the almighty criminal supermind you seem to think he is, but rather a shabby opportunist, and the public is no quite as dumb as you seem to think.

  20. Huntly says:

    This is not news, Mother Jones mentioned this in a story back in Oct. of 2016: “This was for an opposition research project originally financed by a Republican client critical of the celebrity mogul. (Before the former spy was retained, the project’s financing switched to a client allied with Democrats.)” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/veteran-spy-gave-fbi-info-alleging-russian-operation-cultivate-donald-trump/

  21. Fred says:

    Lars,
    You mean Donna Brazile was paid by the Russians to rig the Democratic primary? I’m shocked to find that out. Is that why Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been paying her corrupt IT guy for all this time?

  22. Lars says:

    Facebook and Twitter have reported how their platforms were used by Russian entities for the purpose of influencing the election. While there have not been any indictments or official reports yet, I am sure they will eventually be produced.
    A lot more people will have to realize that we now have the most corrupt administration since Harding and that process started even before the campaign.
    There are indications that Mueller is using tried and true methods used against organized crime in the past. That is also significant.

  23. SR Wood says:

    Interesting but the “Will this dastardly deed go unpunished?” comment left me shaking my head. Isn’t this what political opposition research is all about?

  24. turcopolier says:

    SR Wood
    1- you have no sense of humor. 2. Oppo research is not supposed to fabricate “facts.” 3. Politicians are not supposed to conspire to buy fake research. pl

  25. turcopolier says:

    kutte
    Based on performance to date, Mueller seems anti-trump. IMO the “people” are easily deceived by the MSM. pl

  26. turcopolier says:

    falcmartello
    you seem to have gotten the sequence backward. According to Bezos’ blog (washpost) the oppo project began with a GOP rival and then wa spicked up by the democrats. pl

  27. turcopolier says:

    Lars
    you seem detached from reality. There is no evidence in sight. the twitter and FB stuff means nothing. the amount of money involved is trivial and the people who won the election for DJT in the midwest seem unlikely to be social media types. mark Warner, once a seemingly stable man now bleats that “we will never give up investigating.” Gillespie’s near win in the last senatorial race in Virginia clearly frightened Warner and he has moved left to cope with that. pl

  28. LeaNder says:

    DNC/Clinton mob had payed this shill to dig up dirt on Orangatang man. They R/V it and came to the conclusion that it was not all that verifiable
    Leaving out Orangatang man. But is this what happened? Can we more then speculate about the precise chronology of events?
    From my admittedly limited grasp–not only low IQ, bad reading comprehension capabilities, foreign language and all–my more superficial impression was the the dossier was ordered by an undisclosed GOP party, that then–according to general consent–had no further interest in continuing research or more dirt. Here we are left to speculation: ordered it to be passed it on to the DNC, or the firm on their own decided the product they had to sell should find other interested partners.
    There’s the crux for me. Did they get it, then realize it was not worth attention, and hired party looked for a new customer? Or …?

  29. Pat Lang,
    Yes. That’s the logical progression.
    WPFIII

  30. Matthew says:

    Col: Unlike Lars, I read “Russian interference” as “Russian foreign policy.” It would be gross negligence for the Russians not to attempt to shape the world to their needs….
    Isn’t that what nation states do?

  31. LeaNder says:

    And if you got Clinton “locked up” the larger transactionary business between gray-black-and seemingly white market players is returned to lily white?
    Or simply another group playing a somewhat modulated/adjusted game can take over? That’s my assumption, Tell me why I must be wrong.

  32. Cameron says:

    Until I see some compelling evidence, I’m not going to take the allegations of Russian interference in the election seriously. Why in the world would the Russians bother trying to subvert representative government here when actual Americans themselves are doing a bang-up-job of it with gerrymandering and voter suppression? I suspect Mr. Putin alternates between laughing and shaking his head in amazement at how Our Leaders keep falling into rabbit holes they themselves have dug.

  33. Lars says:

    History will eventually decide who is detached from reality. Of course those embedded in the Trump Cult will be the last ones to get it. There are multiple investigations going on and not all of them will come up empty. So the excuses are already being fabricated. Which indicates that there is something to be discovered.

  34. DianaLC says:

    Here’s my perspective as an ex-public-school teacher:
    I can’t wait until Bill and Hillary fade from the American consciousness. Presidents getting sexually serviced in the WH as a subject in the news. A “feminist” blaming the women her POTUS husband attacked. Do we need that in our “current events” reports?
    When these two are gone, along with their brain-dead lackeys: “Stop the Hate” Brazille and Little Debbie, among so many others, I won’t have to feel like showering every time I listen to the news.
    Putin is laughing until his sides hurt about all this. He messed up our political process without having to do anything himself. Please tell Staples to recall all those reset buttons. (Wait! Do we have to blame Romney since he supposedly helped Staples grow? I don’t want to start a different conspiracy theory.)
    The Clintons–We’ll be watching the documentary of their criminal activities along with the documentaries of the all the other crime families someday.

  35. Kutte says:

    I agree that Herr Müller is so anti-Trump that it stinks. But I think, unlike Comey, he is smart enough to realize that the best laid plans of men and mice can go astray. There might a banana peel with his name on it waiting for him. I dont think he wants to overdo it and be to blatant. People are easily deceived, but not quite as easily as before. I think there are encouraging signs of an uprising against “them” (take your favorite).

  36. bks says:

    This is just a reprise of what was known even before the election. Here’s the money quote from the WaPo article, emphasis mine:
    “Elias and his law firm, Perkins Coie, retained the company in April 2016 on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC. **Before that agreement, Fusion GPS’s research into Trump was funded by an unknown Republican client during the GOP primary**.”

  37. pantaraxia says:

    Meanwhile the Uranium One/Clinton Foundation scandal may finally be blown wide open with various Congressional committees set to investigate.
    see: SEAN HANNITY (approx. 19 min)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2NdDPn38g8
    Hannity goes on his usual rant. It is, however, based on solid reporting from The Hill and Circa. The reporting implicates the DoJ and the executive office in covering up a major investigation in a Russian bribery/extortion/money laundering operation related to the Uranium One deal. This includes the muzzling of an FBI informant by the DOJ as well as withholding knowledge of this criminal investigation from Congress while the Uranium One deal was under consideration.
    In yet another twist of the Russian collusion narrative: According to a source who supposedly worked there, Manafort spent years working with none other than the Podesta Group on behalf of Russian oligarchs.
    see: Tucker Carlson (approx 13 min)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c3bWIs4hI0

  38. Here’s the reality of the alleged Facebook and Twitter “Kremlin trolls” story…
    A Brief History of the “Kremlin Trolls”
    http://thesaker.is/a-brief-history-of-the-kremlin-trolls/
    In short, it’s a CIA disinformation operation for which the culprits have been arrested by Russian authorities.
    You fell for another of John Brennan’s disinformation operations. As Sy Hersh said in his notorious audio recording, the entire Russiagate nonsense is run by the CIA.

  39. blue peacock says:

    Lars,
    What if Mueller’s “tried and true methods used against organized crime” ensnares the Democrats – Podesta & Clinton? Would that imply to partisans like you that Mueller is biased?

    Tucker Carlson gave an explosive monologue last night after a former executive of the Podesta Group contacted the Fox host with “direct personal knowledge” of a report that former FBI director Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel is investigating the Washington Lobbying firm founded by John and Tony Podesta.
    The former executive who has been “extensively” interviewed by Mueller’s team, said the FBI probe is now focusing on people in Washington who have worked as de-facto operatives on behalf of Russian government and business. To that end, Carlson’s source made several shocking claims about Paul Manafort and the Podesta Group peddling Russian influence throughout Washington D.C. – focusing primarily on access to the Obama administration, and heavily involved with the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One deal.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-25/former-podesta-group-executive-says-firm-peddled-russian-oligarchs-all-over-dc-paul-

  40. FourthAndLong says:

    I think your recollection is correct. I read in several places that the Jeb Bush organization first ordered up the dirty dossier. And it was subsequently passed around after JB dropped out.

  41. jld says:

    Hey! But Lars is correct at least on one point:

    we now have the most corrupt administration since Harding and that process started even before the campaign

    From your link:
    An American businessman who worked for years undercover as an FBI confidential witness was blocked by the Obama Justice Department from telling Congress about conversations and transactions he witnessed related to the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favor with Bill and Hillary Clinton and influence Obama administration decisions
    …/…
    Toensing [the businessman’s attorney] said she also possesses memos that recount how the Justice Department last year threatened her client when he attempted to file a lawsuit that could have drawn attention to the Russian corruption during the 2016 presidential race as well as helped him recover some of the money Russians stole from him through kickbacks during the FBI probe.
    The undercover client witnessed “a lot of bribery going on around the U.S.” but was asked by the FBI to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) that prevents him from revealing what he knows to Congress.

    Good find…

  42. Eric Newhill says:

    Kutte,
    Mueller is about to be in a position where he either starts taking democrat scalps or he must step down and perhaps be scalped himself. After all, he was FBI dir. when the Uranium deal was approved and he apparently overlooked (putting it nicely) some damning related testimony.
    The Trump admin has pulled off a jiu jitsu move that I would say is remarkable, except that his opponents are such arrogant idiots that they really set themselves up for it. Now that they have been ranting raving and raving for almost a year about evil rooshins how are they going to downplay giving them control of 20% of US uranium? With some pretty compelling evidence of pay for play/bribery nonetheless. This looks really bad to any American that isn’t a total partisan zombie. Really bad.
    We will now see if Mueller is smart or not. Maybe he is over the notion that Trump is a buffoon that can be trifled with; a misconception that has brought disaster upon the progressives and their backers.

  43. Eric Newhill says:

    blue peacock,
    It would be icing on the cake if Mueller’s tried and true organized crime methods were applied to get some justice for Seth Rich as well; as long as he’s at it.

  44. FB Ali says:

    I find this whole US “election drama” of no real interest. Unfortunately, it seems to be dominating the pages of SST, in which I do have a lot of interest.
    I think if people who comment on this topic were to try and, first, sort out in their own minds what was done or alleged to be done by “Russians” from all that can really be attributed to the Russian government, and, secondly, reflect that in their comments – we’d all be much better off!

  45. Kutte says:

    Exactly what I mean. Trump is not a buffoon, but he allows his opponents to think he is one and underestimate him. When his opponents, who are narcissistic to the point of self-destruction are cocky enough, he allows them to self-desctruct. Suddenly they realize they either can hang themselves or there accomplices.

  46. turcopolier says:

    FB Ali
    there is a serious attempt underway to stage a soft coup against DJT. IMO it is underway in both parties. we cannot ignore that. pl

  47. LondonBob says:

    There is a theory that Mueller was hired to get Clinton in the first place. Does seem to fit the facts.
    https://bigleaguepolitics.com/mueller-actually-working-trump/

  48. Fred says:

    Lars,
    Mark Zuckerberg admitted Facebook took paid advertising from the Russians. That’s what you mean, right? Meanwhile who paid Donna Brazile to rig that primary?

  49. Harry says:

    Im unaware of any compelling evidence. Do feel free to link.

  50. Harry says:

    Lol. Forgive but the facebook shakedown suggested russian nationals paid for $100k of peripherally related clickbait. And you call that election interference?

  51. tpcelt says:

    You mentioned in comments to a prior post your thought we were in a Bloody Kansas phase. Where are we now?
    On a different train of thought (but not really), I’ve been watching on my way to work a Halloween display coming together on a prominent intersection in my liberal DC suburb. It started about a month ago with a stage-like representation of an old apartment with a table topped by a bowl with small bones in it. The wall has a painting of the death of Marat. There’s a skeleton around. Since I don’t wear my glasses on my commute, there has now appeared (to my eyes) a guillotine off the side. This week, a large French flag is flying.
    Given our present politics, the display can be ranked a success…the thing creeps me out.

  52. SR Wood says:

    I think we have to wait until the fat lady sings, Mueller’s report, on what is true and what is not.

  53. Larry Kart says:

    Evidence to come or not to come — and that’s the whole ball game right there, no? — it seems to me to amount to this:
    Some Republicans (Jeb?) ordered up a mess of opposition research that revealed a bunch of promising leads about Trump and the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia and that Russia was interfering in the American election. When that opposition research (or if you prefer, snooping) ceased to be politically useful, they abandoned it. The Democrats picked it up. And that’s a scandal?

  54. jsn says:

    That process started even before the election.
    Yes, quite. I’d say about the time Lloyd Benten left the Clinton Treasury. Bentsen certainly wasn’t spotless, but the shamelessness Ruben brought to the policy/money nexus was of a whole new order. GHW Bush was the last President to enforce the law against white collar criminals.

  55. blue peacock says:

    The election is over.
    Post-election however, there is a significant campaign to delegitimize a duly elected POTUS. The reason why some of us are very interested in this topic is because of the evidence of collusion between the key levers of power in this campaign – the political establishment, leadership of the intelligence agencies, foreign interests including the UK intelligence agency and the megaphone of the MSM.

  56. iowa steve says:

    “the people who won the election for DJT in the midwest seem unlikely to be social media types”
    No, in my experience here in the upper Midwest, everyone and their grandma uses social media and walks around with their faces glued to smartphones. Not that anyone who I’m aware of noticed any so-called Russian influenced ads which would have been lost in the bombardment of nonstop media buys on behalf of the two major parties in any case.

  57. iowa steve says:

    If nothing else, the US media narrative has established Putin as an all-powerful wizard capable of controlling anything he wishes.

  58. different clue says:

    Serge,
    It can’t, and it won’t. The Pink Kitty Cap Brigades are all ” Jonestown for Clinton”. That won’t ever change.
    What it can do, if truthfully and factually repeated and extended-upon long enough and loud enough and often enough . . . is to get other people to begin to realize just what a Jonestown Cult the Clinton supporters truly are. That might be a first step towards discrediting their public presence and beginning to break their influence on politics and public thinking.

  59. different clue says:

    johnf,
    Qualified limited hangout? Pre-emptive self-innoculation against worse being reported elsewhere?

  60. different clue says:

    LeaNder,
    If it plays out to Clinton’s legal detriment, perhaps she will decide that ” I ain’t nobody’s grandmother” and that ” If I’m going down, youse is all going down with me.”

  61. David says:

    One possibility is that one of their reporters told the WaPo that he or she would get it published elsewhere if they did not print it. This would then be the paper avoiding embarrassment and or trying to prevent the story from being even more of a bombshell. This is how
    James Risen got his NSA spying story published in the NY times back in 2005. The times didn’t want to publish the story, but relented when
    it became clear that Risen would be coming out with a book which included the story.

  62. Morongobill says:

    It appears that the only investigation with a chance of finding some “red meat” involves HRC and the uranium.

  63. FB Ali says:

    Col Lang,
    I read that the coup has already been successfully carried out. By the Generals. All that remains is for the current occupant of the White House to be switched.

  64. LeaNder says:

    If I’m going down, youse is all going down with me.”
    dc, there is no chance to take Clinton down. Neither is there any chance for some type of domino effect. Reality check. What would it mean?
    At one point during the public campaign debates, it felt to me, without the audience and superficial party difference they could have shaken hands. But he scored a point in the public arena, from my rather limited grasp.
    I doubt Trump can be taken down either. Remind me or awake me from sleep when either of the two things happens.

  65. Larry Kart says:

    I agree about the attempted soft coup. But am I wrong in thinking that there’s a certain division in your thinking?
    On the one hand, you feel that any such soft coup would have dire political and social consequences in general and specifically would lead to a violent uprising on the part of some of DJT’s supporters plus the somewhat divergent Bannon group and those who are good deal more wild and wooly (and well-armed) to boot)? On the other hand, when it comes to the issues of DJT’s foreign policy, his character and emotional stabliity, etc., and the possibility that he will lead us into war or worse in a tweet-storm manner, I seem to recall any number of posts by you that have expressed considerable alarm. If so, and if Mattis, McMaster, et al. cannot restrain DJT if and when that time comes, are we not then between the proverbial rock and hard place?

  66. turcopolier says:

    FB Ali
    Not really true. DJT is ignorant of the larger world but he is as mean as a snake in meetings and they all know that they could be removed at any time. pl

  67. turcopolier says:

    Larry Kart
    Yes, I think a soft coup success among the Dems/some Republicans and media would lead to de-stabilization of the US, something which would be a disaster. Yes, Trump is an ignoramus in international affairs. We each must decide what is most important. pl

  68. blue peacock says:

    Larry
    You ought to carefully read the post by Publius Tacitus on the topic of the Steele dossier. Contrary to your assertion the information in the dossier is primarily a smear masquerading as “oppo research”.
    Note also that the Democrat law firm that hired Fusion GPS to create this dossier of fake information also hired Crowdstrike to investigate the alleged DNC email hack.

  69. Larry Kart says:

    Absent an opportunity to objectively examine a bunch of “oppo research” from campaigns of the recent and not so recent past (and when and how would one get that opportunity?), I would assume that much of that research could be described as a smear That much of it would/could be so characterized doesn’t prove that it’s nothing but smears. Further, to perhaps state the obvious, those who are in the “oppo research” business aim to titillatel/ead on their clients up to a point and are thus not likely to be the most scrupulous customers around.
    BTW, in a perhaps somewhat related vein, I’ve been reading the late Rear Admiral Edwin Layton’s “‘And I was There”: Pearl Harbor and Midway — Breaking the Secrets.” Layton was Adm. Kimmel’s intelligence chief, and later Adm. Nimitiz’s intelligence chief for the rest of the war, most famously and crucially at Midway. Layton makes it clear that Kimmel and Gen. Short were consistently not given abundant “Magic” intelligence info (e.g. intercepted Japanese diplomatic cables) that was in the hands of key Navy and Army figures in Washington, this done so most notably at the orders of Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner, then head of the Navy’s Office of War Plans. That info undoubtedly would have led Kimmel and Short to take steps that would have wholly averted Pearl Harbor or significantly lessened the impact of the Japanese attack (e.g. almost all the ships anchored at Pearl could have been safely well at sea within an hour or two of the order to depart). Instead, Kimmel and Short not only were not given that info but also were specifically told that the defensive steps they were contemplating should not be taken because in the current delicate diplomatic context they would be “provocative.”
    More disturbing perhaps, and what specifically brought this book to mind, was its account of the coverup over the years of what was and was not done about alerting Kimmel and Short and, sad to say, the key role that no less a figure than Gen. Marshall played in agreeing that this crucial intelligence info should not be relayed to the commanders in the field, and, further, denying in the course of investigations that he knew it was not relayed or even claiming that he (Marshall) had never seen it.
    Yes, this was all mixed up in FDR’s attempt to make sure that Japan fired the first shot so that the war would have congressional and public support. Layton stops short of making the usual conspiratorial claims there; no one, including FDR, he says, knew that Pearl was the target, though those in command at Pearl, given the info they should have had but were denied through 1941 for bureaucratic power-play/pissing contest reasons (Kelly Turner the Byzantine chief culprit there, CNO Adm. Stark, Kelly Turner’s weak and lazy ostensible boss. also bears much responsibility), would again have taken quite different measures prior to the attack. Rather the extensive military-political discussions in the White House, in which Marshall was a key participant, along with Stimson, Stark, et al., were about when the hoped-for Japanese “first shot” would be fired. Kelly Turner, for one, was sure that it would be a Japanese assault on Russia, while the consensus was it would be an attack on the Philippines, which is why almost all of Pearl’s B-17s recently had been flown to MacArthur in the Philippines, only to be destroyed on the ground.
    I mention all of this because if significant dereliction of duty and even outright lying could have occurred in matters as consequential as the above (i.e. the run up to Pearl, the subsequent scapegoating of Kimmel and Short, and the coverup that followed) — this involving figures as upright and distinguished as Gen. Marshall — the idea that political campaign oppo research could contain smears and not the unvarnished truth does not surprise me.

  70. Dr.Puck says:

    I don’t understand why the ad hominem is necessary here. Although, I do observe that in the USA we live in coarse, anti-PC times.

  71. Dr.Puck says:

    Was Nixon resigning a soft coup?
    It seems the Constitution provides for a term coming to a premature conclusion. But, I do not see the votes there (in congress or cabinet,) to realize this removal under the current circumstances. I doubt future circumstances will shape up toward this end.
    On the other hand, were the POTUS to be hounded or witch hunted to the point of his resigning, there might be a ‘kinetic’ reaction among the faithful, but they are currently, apparently, a minority. Many Americans would be happy to see the legitimately elected President Trump leave voluntarily.
    (I note that both senses, ‘the Constitution is not a suicide pact,’ and ‘extremism in defense of liberty is no vice,’ can be called to duty in an instant. Where the military stands is unknown to me, except for the oath part.)

  72. turcopolier says:

    Dr. Puck
    It is not a question of constitutionality. It is a question of wisdom much like the question of whether or not religious displays should be allowed to public property. pl

  73. Eric Newhill says:

    Dr. Puck,
    And who would replace the Trump admin? A foreign affairs genius like Hillary Clinton? Another Bush? How is that better?
    I would say that at this point it appears that Trump is among the least corrupt elected people in DC. That is just one problem with your desired coup. You would replace Trump with corrupt war mongers. For another, you would have damaged, probably permanently, our civic structures just so corrupt people can continue to feed at the trough.
    Nixon got caught in a crime and cover-up. The people understood that. What crime has Trump committed? Yes, the people you want in office tried to concoct a crime and that effort is now falling apart – backfiring – they themselves having a committed a crime or two, apparently. How can you be so blind to the differences between Trump and Nixon?
    Many Americans would not be happy to see Trump leave. That crowd laughs at your consternation. Get used to it. It’s going to get a lot worse for the anti-Trumpers. And laughter is better for you than the reaction should the Borg have succeeded in it’s dastardly plans.

  74. turcopolier says:

    mcCohen
    No, the willingness of the Clintons to sell anything not anchored in concrete is quite real. really into the Iranian threat to Israel eh? pl

  75. mike says:

    mcohen –
    The uranium that Breitbart claims Clinton sold is still in Wyoming. And it will stay there. The Russian company ARMZ was never given an export license. The Canadian Company Uranium-One does not have an export license either. So rest easy.
    https://web.archive.org/web/20170129043258/https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2010/10-211.pdf
    But don’t let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

  76. different clue says:

    LeaNder,
    If it actually happens, esPECially if it happens to Clinton; you will hear about it without any reminder or need for awakening from me.
    But I will certainly get your attention so I can gloat to you about it. If it happens.

  77. Mark Logan says:

    FB Ali,
    My mind says the Russian’s motivation was “anybody but Hillary”. I can’t fault them for this, we would do the same if a Russian leader were to actively seek to install a hostile government in Canada, for lack of a better analogy.
    I believe they acted unwisely. They sought better relations with the west, not worse. They say that democracy is a monkey house and a monkey house is a very tricky thing to monkey with. If they thought they could troll the hell out of Facebook and not get found out they are victims of hubris.
    The previous administration OKed Russian ownership of some uranium mining, mining that forbid exportation. This indicates the Clintonesta/Borgists were not infused with fear and hatred for Russia until the Russians kicked back on their plan for what the Ukraine was supposed to be. The template called for Russia to be significantly weaker than the Russians thought they should be, but as integrated with the capitalist world as, say, Texas.
    I suppose to the Borg that is treason.

  78. blue peacock says:

    Larry
    In watching the Ken Burns Vietnam series, it shows the private self-doubt of JFK and Lyndon Johnson in our escalating intervention there in the 60s. Yet they persisted for domestic political reasons among others.

  79. different clue says:

    FB Ali,
    I don’t believe the Generals are/were involved in any rolling coup activity. They didn’t install themselves into their current positions within the Trump Administration. Trump freely installed them there by his own pro-active choice.
    I believe the rolling coup to be from the Intelligence Agencies and from the Forced Free Trade/ Assad-must-go Civilian “Inner Party-of-Power” Establishment. The harder Trump keeps frustrating the soft-coupmakers, the harder they will try and the more visible they will become even to huge numbers of people who would rather not believe that such things can happen.
    The coup-seekers will try to achieve removal and swapout through either Impeachment or through getting all the Cabinet to declare Trump’s crudely immediate and total unfitness to perform the basic eye-hand co-ordination motor skills of being President. Millions of people will object to either course. And Trump will not ” go quietly” .

  80. different clue says:

    Eric Newhill,
    If it played out this way, Pence would be the Replacement President. He is a good servant of the Inner Power-Elite Establishment. He is accepted by all his fellow Senators. He is a member of the club, however junior a member he might be. So if Trump is driven out, Pence is the President we will get.
    Pence has wanted to be President in the worst way for years. And this would be the worst way for Pence to become President.

  81. charly says:

    Or Iran could just buy Iranian uranium. Iran has uranium mines. Commercial maybe not profitable but i doubt the Iranian state cares about that.

  82. different clue says:

    Serge,
    Here is an article by a small-publication journalist who paid to attend the Jonestown Clintist rally at Hill Auditorium here in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
    https://theweek.com/articles/733127/fear-loathing-hillary-clintons-grievance-tour
    The title alone indicates that there will be a measure of gentle mockery in the article. This kind of writing, done over and over and over again, will finally begin to isolate the Jonestown Clintists from the rest of society.

  83. Barbara Ann says:

    You seem to have hit upon the crux of the issue; ‘news’ being made out of realities which simply should not be newsworthy – Russian ‘interference’ and paid political dirt-digging both. I hesitate to provide even the tiniest amount of additional oxygen to the whole non-story.

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