The system of “classifying” information as “Unclassified. Confidential, Secret and Top Secret” does not exist by law. It exists solely by presidential executive order and each succeeding president must renew the executive order with any changes that POTUS wishes to make. This includes all SCI and SAPed materials. Thus, the authority to classify information is solely that of POTUS and the authority of all those below POTUS who can do this is delegated by POTUS. POTUS’ authority over this system is unlimited. The only exception to this is a few items concerning nuclear weapons. So, if Trump did not have those excepted nuclear documents stored at Mar-A-Lago he is properly “home free.” because he was free to de-classify anything he wished to and there is no “established procedure” that binds POTUS as to how he or she does that.
All that being the case the FBI assault on Trump’s home can only be seen as a political act designed to prevent him running again for president.
In this context the expressed intention of a federal judge to appoint a “special master” to judge the nature of the materials seized is hard to understand unless Trump or his staff were idiotic enough to improperly store nuclear materials.
AND. where would this judge find a truly neutral master? pl
Justice Department tells judge it already reviewed Trump documents | Fox News
Thanks. The high lizards of the news reporting infestency would see their income plummet by 90% if their readership knew and understood the laws.
Col. Lang,
The simplicity of your exposition on classification breaks through all the intentional media driven obfuscation and confusion.
Even Trumpster Sundance, whose excuses for Trump’s inaction in executing the MAGA agenda beyond sloganeering and tweeting is breathtaking. Drain the Swamp was just a campaign slogan just like other campaign slogans from GOPe & the Dems. Not worth the paper it is written on. When questioned about Trump hiring of Rosenstein, Wray, Bolton, Pompeo, Coats, Mattis, etc there’s the ready excuse of he wouldn’t get his candidate through Senate confirmation? Of course there’s no explanation why he didn’t get MAGA folks in the layers below a department head. But what is truly hilarious is the contortions of excuses for not declassifying and releasing to the public the attempted coup on a POTUS by the intelligence and law enforcement apparatus in cahoots with the political and media establishment especially the Hillary campaign.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/08/27/president-trump-tried-to-work-within-the-system
I suppose it is easy to forget the high school reading of the Constitution. And in this instance Article 2 Section 1.
Note the constitution doesn’t give FBI/DOJ/DNI/CIA the ability to free-lance as an unaccountable 4th branch. The only remedy against a POTUS is impeachment and while Trump was impeached twice, never convicted.
The bottom line from my perspective is that when push came to shove to hold the Swamp accountable, Mr. Drain the Swamp Trump folded like a cheap suit. All hat and no cattle!
Col. None of the three statutes (Title 18 of the United States Code, Sections 793, 1519 and 2071) hinge on whether the documents in question were classified.
Trump’s ability to declassify anything does not give him a free hand to taking and holding Presidential records after he is no longer President, especially after being asked to return those documents repeatedly. Nor does Trump’s previously held declassification powers preclude the current POTUS or anyone to whom he delegates those powers from reclassifying those documents.
If this was just a case of keeping a few souvenirs, the raid would appear petty. But the idea that he may have been keeping HCS material that may put agents and covered personnel at risk pretty well chaps my ass.
Still, the search/seizure/raid has no legal effect on Trump’s ability to run in 2024. Even if he’s indicted and convicted, he can still run. He may not be able to vote, but he can still run.
TTG, Even Trump’s attorneys have ceased the argument on whether or not document classification is an issue.
The Espionage Act does not mention “classification” at all. Rather, refers generally to “Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information” The Act further specifically states that people legally granted access to national defense documents (like the former president) are subject to punishment should they improperly retain that information.
The Act mentions “relating to the national defense,” and who proceeded willfully to retain the same and fail to deliver it on demand to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it.
This from Lawfare addresses the issue well:
“… The statutory language is sparse. Over the years, courts have narrowed it through construction, although even the judicially construed terms remain quite capacious. The most important judicial refinement concerns the term “relating to the national defense.” Although acknowledging that “national defense” is an extremely far-ranging concept, courts have tacked on two additional components. First, the materials must be “‘closely held’ in that [they] … have not been made public and are not available to the general public.’” Second, the disclosure must be “potentially damaging to the United States or [potentially] useful to an enemy of the United States.” Although the Espionage Act does not mention the classification system—which predates the act’s passage—courts have used classification status to inform their assessment as to whether materials were “closely held.” They have also relied on it to determine who was “entitled to receive” information. Additionally, courts have interpreted the willfulness requirement to mean that the offending conveyance or retention must have been done knowingly.
… even if Trump did and could declassify the documents via little-known oral, written, or telepathic order, the change in status would not necessarily matter under § 793(d). Recall that the provision does not mention classification. Rather, courts have interpreted its term “relating to the national defense” to include a requirement that the relevant information be closely held by the government. If Trump himself deemed documents unclassified but never changed their classification markings, told few if any people that he had changed the information’s status, and failed to make the information subject to otherwise applicable public records laws, then the information remains fairly characterized as closely held. …”
After Russia Collusion anything from the DOJ/FBI should be suspect, in light of the fact that Hillary’s private unsecured email server did hold classified information. The same FBI personnel who “investigated” Hillary ran the Russia, Russia hoax that included false affidavits to the FISA court.
Trump should run despite the all out efforts by the national security state to prevent him from running and letting voters in the 50 states decide.
TTG,
“Trump’s ability to declassify anything does not give him a free hand to taking and holding Presidential records …”
Wow, he’s not able to do like Barack, Bush, and Clinton?
“asked to return those documents repeatedly.” Asked by whom, that archivist? By what law?
“he may have been keeping..”
He many also be keeping rolls of toilet paper with Biden’s image on it. Naw, just kidding.
“may put agents and covered personnel at risk …” Sure, and in month 1 Biden did what? Apparently got told “no” on returing documents Trump declassified, as well as other items identified by Trump as being personal and therefor not subject to the archivists decisions. But, danger! Agents and covered personal may be at risk!
Would that be the same risk as that phone call to Ukraine? Naw, couldn’t be. And in month 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Biden did what? Delegated the security of ‘agents and covered personel’ to the Archivist of the United States? What damn clearance did Biden give her and her staff? It’s just another political hit job.
“has no legal effect on Trump’s ability to run”
It sure has a political one. Just like the Russia collusion hit job and the frame up that caused the Mueler investigation. Now it’s another hit job that has you all riled up, or pretending to be, because DJT said no to the archivist and her political masters.
Breaking Gnooze: The Trumpupaloser Uncrime family of nouveau riche social climbers and former Senators who became Potus now beached on Martha’s Vineyard Club, in a recently overheard conversation monitored by Rocky J Squirrel the cheek stuffing champion of last winter’s acorn pelting uprising rehearsal, swore he heard “yes, the president did in fact interrogate Bradley personally before ordering his year long interment in solitary.” But could not be resucitated after vigorous questioning concerning whether he thought he also heard them say “did trump walk off with those tapes?”
https://twitter.com/deadlinewh/status/1563288284066787329?s=21
Yup. The same guys like Weissmann who gave it his best shot to nail Trump while at the Mueller investigation now egging on their buddies at DOJ to give it another shot. What would discovery look like? National security – sources & methods, human intelligence assets…we can’t produce any of our fraudulent documents and memos.
“Chaps my ass” those very same “foreign” agents you are trying to protect TTG, plotted to take Trump down. I thought it was scout’s honor they to fall on their swords, after getting caught trying to take down the king.
Deap,
That’s silly talk. Do you really think our clandestine agents and operatives are all consumed with taking Trump down? Do you think any of my sources or my team’s sources gave a rat’s ass about Trump? Get a grip.
What is your objection to Trump releasing those declassified documents, that might show cooperation of the Five Eyes setting up Trump in Russiagate?
They better give a flip, if they they cooperated to stage a coup against a sitting US president.
Deap,
Where are these mythical documents? Are they supposed to absolve Russia of any attempt to influence the 2016 election in favor of Trump? Those attempts are fairly well laid out in various IC reports, bipartisan Senate reports along with Mueller’s report and indictments. The Five Eyes and other ICs definitely contributed to those findings. Did Trump collude with Russia? I doubt it. It’s not in his nature to collude with anyone. He took advantage of Russia’s effort, but that’s no crime. Half a dozen of his former campaign associates ended up being indicted for financial crimes, lying to the FBI and/or working with pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs and Wikileaks. After the fact, we now know Manafort passed election info to Russian intelligence. Still, none of that can be laid at Trump’s feet.
TTG
Where do you place the Steele Dossier which the FBI knew was made up stuff organized and paid for by Perkins Coie (Hillary’s campaign lawyers) and Fusion GPS as the basis for getting FISA warrants repeatedly? And Comey, et al saying under oath that the FISA warrants and the basis of Crossfire Hurricane investigation were based on real evidence which actually turned out to be the Steele Dossier when the FISA affidavits were released? What about all the leaks of this dossier and the FBI “investigation” by the FBI and the political establishment which was then dutifully hyped by the media including Pravda on the Hudson and Potomac, not to mention Rachel Maddow on all her shows for months? This constant Trump the Manchurian Candidate drum beat? What about Rosenstein & Comey who signed the FISA affidavits under penalty of perjury? Is this all par for the course because Orange Man Bad? How come none of these guys have been indicted?
This is why half the country believe this Mar-A-Lago raid is just a continuation of the previous witch-hunt. Then there is Biden saying “What we’re seeing now, is either the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy,’ Biden told about 100 wealthy donors. ‘It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the – I’m going to say something – it’s like semi-fascism.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11158271/Biden-primetime-speech-Thursday-night-battle-soul-nation.html
blue peacock,
Everyone focuses on the peepee tape for which there is no proof of its existence. Beyond that, Steele was right in that Russian spy agencies interfered in the 2016 election; Putin approved the operation; and the goal was to help Trump and hurt Clinton. He was also right in that Trump was pursuing business deals with Moscow and several of Trump’s aides had contacts with Russian officials. The whole dossier was still political muck raking paid for by the DNC. Those contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials is what was used in FBI FISA warrants. However, the dossier was not the sole source for that info.
Trump’s own dealings with Russia over the years along with his son’s admission that Russian money was instrumental in keeping the Trump organization afloat added credence to the dossier’s wider, unproven insinuations that Trump colluded with Russia. That’s what fueled the witch hunt atmosphere. It looked like there might be a witch there. As i said from the beginning, I assess Trump to be unsuitable as a controlled asset and incapable of being a reliable partner in any kind of collusion.
TTG
Maybe you don’t recall but every aspect of the Steele Dossier paid for by the Hillary campaign was discredited. The source was Igor Danchenko who had no intelligence contacts in Russia and was nicely ensconced right here in the US.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/11/igor-danchenko-and-the-crippling-blow-for-the-steele-dossier.html
The FBI knew that this was completely made-up. Yet Comey & Rosenstein signed affidavits using this false document as the basis for a FISA warrant under penalty of perjury. Please review Rosenstein’s testimony to Congress when he says he didn’t know nuttin but signed the affidavit as a rubber stamp.
blue peacock,
“Every aspect of the Steele Dossier paid for by the Hillary campaign was discredited?”
I don’t see that at all. As I said before, “Steele was right in that Russian spy agencies interfered in the 2016 election; Putin approved the operation; and the goal was to help Trump and hurt Clinton. He was also right in that Trump was pursuing business deals with Moscow and several of Trump’s aides had contacts with Russian officials.” That has all been corroborated by multiple sources.Some of that was used in renewal affidavits for FISA warrants.
One of the main claims by Steele was more a leap of faith that a raw intelligence report. He claimed a “well-developed conspiracy of co-operation between [Trump and his associates] and the Russian leadership,” including an “intelligence exchange [that] had been running between them for at least 8 years.” That’s a collector’s comment, not a reporting of intelligence information. While I surmise Russian intelligence services would have liked a well developed conspiracy with Trump as a controlled source, I doubt Trump or his associates every went beyond transactional exchanges. They never gave a damn what Russia wanted and never sought to collude in a ““well-developed conspiracy of co-operation.”
TTG
I don’t see that at all. That’s your prerogative.
The facts however are clear. Steele’s source was Danchenko who admitted to the FBI he made-up whatever he told Steele. The Steele Dossier was the “evidence” for the FISA warrant and the official reason for the investigation. The Bottom line: There was no predicate to launch the investigation against Trump. Even Rosenstein weaseled with “knowing what I know now” he would not have signed the affidavit.
Let’s call it what it is. And it doesn’t matter if one has TDS or not. This was a setup by the Hillary campaign (Perkins Coie/Fusion GPS) along with FBI/DOJ (Strzok, Lisa, McCabe, Bruce & Nellie Ohr, Comey,…). The whole thing unraveled when Grenell & Ratcliffe got to DNI and declassified and released the FISA affidavit and other documents. This was the use of the national security & law enforcement agencies to execute a political hit-job against a duly elected POTUS, just because, for whatever reason, DC hated him. This is exactly how a republic dies!
There’s a reason why half the country will never trust the intelligence and law enforcement agencies and the public health authorities; while the other half is quite ok with the use of extra-constitutional authority against their perceived enemies, until they start squealing when the other side does it to them. Which will happen.
TTG
I appreciate your even-handed and grounded analysis of current events dating back to 2016. Please keep it up.
Mishkilji….
“No Problem”..Are Things any better in Pakistan…Or India…??
I sometingtimes find It “Difficult” To READ
TTG..as “Even Handed”..
JT
What is even handed about distorting what Trump Jr said about Russian money supporting the Trump operation (not his exact words) when in fact many new post-Soviet Russians were suddenly awash with money and became primary buyers in Trump’s residential towers. When the US economy at the same was not competing with the Russians same cash rich status, nor the Russians need to buy a safe harbor on US soil, they way the Russians were happy to do. There was no law against selling real estate to Russians, and no reason to turn down their money either.
Can’t remember the exact years, but probably about the same time Russians were buying big in NYC, the world travel world was also inundated with Russian tourists – loud, flashy logo clothing, extravagant spenders, and yes very rude in the worst Ugly American ways from the last century.
Then no more, that first wave of post Soviet oligarch money flash was no longer showing up in the tourism world. Where did it go?
Did this Russian real estate investment money in Trump properties make Trump a Russian agent? Heck no, no more than it made Crystal Cruise Line operators Moscow on the Mediterranean.
TTG, your comment: “… If this was just a case of keeping a few souvenirs, the raid would appear petty. But the idea that he may have been keeping HCS material that may put agents and covered personnel at risk pretty well chaps my ass…” It is this that should be hitting patriots like a nerve in an infected molar.
Let’s call it…Trump was reckless, self absorbed, and stupid. It is a patriotic duty of anyone in public service, or those that leave office, to assure protection of sensitive govt intelligence. Leaving intelligence documents in basically an unsecured location (reportedly even some laying on the floor in Trump’s office closet) certainly did not assure protections.
But by and large the Republicans, once THE self-styled party of national security, have decided that defending Donald Trump and his narcissistic demands is more important than the safety of the United States and valued associates
Alspafford
Just because something is classified does not mean that it is an intelligence related document. Many policy documents and regulations are classified reflexively.
Col, I was replying to TTG’s comment regarding “putting agents and covered persons at risk”.
Al, you know nothing about this raid. Stop making thing up to seed your own Hate-Trump agenda. Sharing intelligence experience is a value of this website. Planting political hate agenda is a waste of everyones time.
Deep, lol, lol, lol!
Since COMINT is a separate provision from general intelligence, can they get Trump for unlawful COMINT retention or storage? Maybe the FGI stuff.
Jimmy w
COMINT is no different w/regard to his authority.
can the current POTUS classify the contents of a certain laptop?
Bork
Depends on who it belongs to and what the contents are.
No bills of attainder, no ex post facto laws (USC).
If it was legal when Trump declassified and obtained the documents, Biden can’t turn that later into a crime. Certainly not an ex post facto crime that allowed the criminal raid by government agents of his house and home, in violation of his search and seizure constitutional rights.
The courts were the proper venue to settle this. Not an early morning moving van, with armed guards with no lawyers present.
Deap,
Biden can certainly reclassify those documents. Then Trump’s retention of them would be a crime. This search/seizure/raid didn’t come out of the blue. The affidavit lays out the months of steps that preceded the raid.
Take it to court and get a ruling. You don’t raid private property and property currently in lawful discussion on a whim and the fly. How far does presidential authority extend over ones private property?
You are making up new rules as you go along on this one. What did the FBI want to hide that was in these declassified documents, is the sole question that needs to be asked as a consequence of their own bungled raid.
This is a ham-handed Keystone cops betrayal of the rule of law which still remains a foundation of this country.
Deap,
Presidential records are not Trump’s private property. Classified documents, even if Trump declassified them, are still part of those presidential records and are not his private property. One doesn’t get to keep stolen property and, if it that property is not returned, the cops take it back.
TTG,
“The affidavit lays out the months of steps that preceded the raid.”
LOL. “months of steps”. Right. Danger(!) to agents for month after month after month because,
drum roll:
Waiting, like that ketchup song?
Biden “reclassified” some documents (for example all the ones that prove the FBI spied on him? Boy are some ‘agents at risk’ if that ever gets out!)? But, Biden then didn’t bother to ORDER Trump to give Just the Reclassified documents back the same damn day? But waited for how many months? You know, the months it took to get the same FBI agent team together that was in on the Russia Collusion investigation, and then get an appointed magistrate who had previously recused himself in a case involving Trump to sign off. That took months, all the while “agents at risk”, ‘espionage’ and ‘national security’!
What a crock.
Did you read the un-redacted affidavit? ’cause the redacted one is the “oath or affirmation” by which the rest of the subpeona was issued, the one that allows the government to take every document created during the entire time Trump was in office. It is thus a ‘general’ search warrant, the kind of thing we fought a seven year war with the British over.
“This search/seizure/raid didn’t come out of the blue.”
It sure didn’t.
Fred,
The HCS document(s) in question were recovered in January 2022. We don’t know if any more were recovered this month.
NARA worked through Trump lawyers from May through December 2021 to retrieve presidential records. Those efforts resulted in 15 boxes being returned in January 2022. Documents marked classified were discovered in those returned boxes in February. FBI reviewed those boxes in May 2022 and it then became a criminal matter. A visit to Mar a Lago by FBI agents was made sometime after that and a subpoena was issued for return of any classified documents along with any remaining presidential records. Trump and his lawyers continued to stonewall the FBI. All that happened before the August raid.
If Trump had his minions go through those boxes and he struck through the classification markings and initialed them, that would have gave credence to his claims of having declassified every classified document he’s ever seen. He should have at least done that from January through August. For the most part, I don’t think he knew what he took to Mar a Lago.
TTG,
“The HCS document(s) in question were recovered in January 2022. ” I say again: The search warrant authorizes siezure of every document created during Trump’s time in office. It’s right there in the warrant, no redactions.
“Those efforts resulted in 15 boxes being returned in January 2022. Documents “marked classified” were discovered in those returned boxes in February. FBI reviewed those boxes in May 2022 and it then became a criminal matter.”
Fifteen boxes, not the same 15 siezed in August? OK, if you say so. 15 just being a coincidence.
You would have all of us believe that these were returned in January but the FBI DID NOTHING with them in February, March, and April and only in May did it ‘become criminal’? Right.
Trump while president declassified them and a “marking” doesn’t make it classified. Biden, we are told to believe, now, ‘reclassified’ them. But he couldn’t condescend to tell us that himself nor provide any document so stating that the FBI could condecend to tell us he did so. Then the FBI sat on their asses for only 90 days not 540 (18 months). Right. Because ‘criminal conduct’. Like what, Espionage as is called out in the search warrant that authorizes siezeure of all documents created in his four years of office as is expressly stated in the search warrant the magistrate signed off on? Would the FBI have us believe he planning on passing them off to Steele, Misfud, or someone nefarious, like Putin?
On a completely unrelated note Mr. Thibault was removed from FBI HQ under escort. Nothing to see there and of course “we can’t comment on ongoing investigations”. That ought to do to rally the left’s loyalists through the midterms where a “shocking” retention of power will occur. It’s all getting tiresome. At least Hunter (and his drug dealer) is safe and the FBI has not leaked a single item about the clients of Epstein and Maxwell. I wonder why.
Fred,
“Every document created during Trump’s time in office” is part of presidential records and is the property of the USG, not Trump. They don’t belong in Mar a Lago. Some documents, like Trump’s passports don’t fall in that category. If the FBI finds some McDonalds cheeseburger wrappers in those boxes, I’m sure Trump can have them back if he wants them. He can wave them over his head at his next rally screaming “WITCH HUNT.”
If Biden can reclassify these documents now in Trump’s possession, he has to know their exact identity and put those identity specifics in the search warrant. Then there would be no mistaking personal papers, menus and passports in any later raid in Trump’s home in order to repossess those very specific newly reclassified instruments.
But that is not what happened. Pretty much like the CDC labeled “covid”. Just take it all, and we will sort this out later. Or not.
Deap,
If Trump doesn’t have to specify what he declassifies, why would Biden have to do so? This entire declassify/reclassify line may be totally legal, but it’s sounding more and more like freaking voodoo magic.
TTG
Very simple really. The president, any president, has no limits on his power in regard to classification and the records act is not a criminal statute.
TTG,
““Every document created during Trump’s time in office” is part of presidential records and is the property of the USG”
Unlike Obama, Clinton, Bush, Carter, etc. Because, reasons.
You left out “national security” and “agents at risk” this time.
Fred,
That’s the second time you claimed other presidents kept presidential records. Not true. Their presidential libraries are repositories for those records and are considered NARA facilities. When Trump has his presidential library, his records will be kept there, too.
What I don’t know is if all those classified documents viewed or handled by other presidents and their staffs are also under NARA control. If so, NARA is the motherlode of state secrets.
TTG,
Allow me to summarize:
No longer “National Security”
No longer possession of “HCS”.
No longer “agents in danger”.
No longer “espionage”.
Not national security at all. It was never national security.
Now it is “government documents” stored in a place that the USG, after a year and a half, says they can’t be stored; and only the Archivist of the United States can keep them – until Trump builds a building called a libary. Right. Because a residence guarded by the US Secret Service doesn’t count. And all those other presidential libraries are actually under the Archivist’s control.
Executive summary: Dear Judge Reinhart, the former president has removed documents that we claim belong to the USG. What documents? Why every single thing he produced during his four years in office. Nationals security? Well that’s in the warrant but it’s really just records retention under NARA. We waited 18 months that’s why its urgent now, just weeks before the midterms where it looks like the incumbent party will take a massive loss, but that’s got nothing to do with it, it’s urgent and we need this today, Friday, so we can show up on Monday really early, but not to drive the news coverage, not at all. It’s NARA. Which isn’t a criminal statute but sign here anyway.
Did I get that part right, it’s all about document retention by the Archivist and she, it’s currently a woman, is the sole person to decide? And the magistrate signed off on that and then redacted almost the entire affidavit to support covering up the reasons the first in history raid on a former president’s residence had to happen, just weeks before an election but 18 months after the documents were moved? Sure, I believe you. Please tell me another.
Fred,
That’s a poor summary. My series of posts in this thread are cumulative. One doesn’t supersede the previous one.
Trump’s possession of HCS material potentially puts agents in danger. His possession of that and other defense information, including other classified documents, is a matter of national security. Espionage itself is a bit of a reach, even though 18 USC 793 (Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information) is under the espionage and censorship chapter.
18 USC 2071 (Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally) under the records and reports chapter covers Trump’s taking and concealing government documents that, by the Presidential Records Act, belonged under NARA control immediately after Trump left office.
I’m not sure how 18 USC 1519 (Destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy) under the obstruction of justice chapter fits into this other than through Trump’s refusal to return presidential records and defense information to government control.
TTG,
Please spare me the national security line. This is all about the elections, both mid-term and presidential, and covering the FBI’s and other 3 letter agencies asses for their conduct over the past half decade. It has absolutely nothing to do with a former president of the United States having boxes of papers or being a rube for the Russians or anyone else. If, or when, he is re-elected he’s going to take a flame-thrower through the senior ranks of every agency and they know it. That’s why this con-job and the ‘shocking’ Thibault resignation to allow the same media smear by leak and inuendo and cover it all by the charade of an ‘ongoing investigation’ and they can’t talk about it. Just like the the Russia collusion crap they pulled for half a decade.
A raid on a FPOTUS, an affidavit redacted to the point of innuendo, the appointment of a “special master” and much else is hard to understand from within the paradigm where real justice is conducted. But it seems likely that what we are instead being forced to watch is a kind of reality show of the kind popular these days on the TeeVee. The plot of this legal reality show features a well known villain – we know this from the previous, albeit inconclusive series – and a cast of upright citizens who are determined to throw the book at him. A little formulaic admittedly, but then this is a sequel. There will be no real justice, it’s just a show. Real justice would require a real trial, with things like probable cause and admissible evidence. “MAL Raid” was a gripping first installment, but as with all such dramas we need to suspend a certain degree of disbelief in order to interpret this as the exercise of actual justice. So instead we seem destined to suffer through interminable episodes of mock justice with important sounding developments and reveals (redactions are a masterful plot device) until the producers either run out of ideas, or the ratings tank. I expect ever more damning mock evidence will appear as the series progresses, but I wouldn’t bet on a conclusive denouement or smoking gun ever materializing.
Judge Judy ran for over 20 seasons, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait that long, thank goodness. The final episode airing right around November 2024 would be my guess.
We waited a long time after the initial burglary and only in response to an offhand Watergate hearing question – is there anything else you can share about notes or recordings in the WhiteHouse, Mr Technician?
Then finally out came the Nixon tapes and the smoking gun. But this was years after the initial crime and not from one of the principals. In very short order we went from “I am not a crook” to well, “yeah I did know about this and agreed to buy them off.”
Why did Obama spy on Trump in 2016 – the loose thread that has yet to unravel.
Deep, like you admitted. there certainly are those “loose threads”, many very loose, in your comments.
BA; as usual your comments are interesting and informative. Mine are boorish and clumsy, but in my best effort …yup, the MARLAG raid is another installment in the get Trump series. It is lawless demonstration of a FIB/DOIJ cabal that says stop us if you can. I think the word is bullshit.
https://twitter.com/jonathanturley/status/1564372876148543488?s=21
This is how the system works! It’s not left/right and other social issues which are designed to divide and agitate, keeping the people from focusing on who wields actual power irrespective of which side of the duopoly coin is on the inside.
Remember the $2 trillion TARP and the trillions in Fed balance sheet expansion after Wall St gambled and lost…socialism, but not for the working class but the oligarchs.
https://twitter.com/rudyhavenstein/status/1246159728935342080?s=21
Remember who Trump hired for Treasury – Steve Mnuchin. Marxism for the oligarchs. A-ok! Say the rugged, bootstrap capitalists.
Sam,
TARP, the bailing out of the banks and all those other measures aimed to benefit oligarchs and the financial/business elites is certainly not socialism. If anything it’s crony capitalism. Socialism would involve the the heavy regulation and breaking up of those massive banks and other businesses.
TTG
You’re correct semantically. I was poking fun at the left vs right, Dems vs GOP partisanship, the socialism vs fascism ideological blinders, the woke vs non-woke flame wars. Meanwhile not much attention to who actually wields power and how governmental power is primarily used to benefit the oligarchy and squelch dissent from the groupthink the oligarchy imposes.
The middle class is shrinking. The working class getting more impoverished. The Top 0.1% getting unimaginably wealthier. Borrowing from future generations on an infinite slope curve. The national security apparatus unaccountable and an instrument for the powerful. And covidianism demonstrating how quickly and easily authoritarianism comes in with the majority in compliance and strong advocates for the abrogation of liberty. Of course it is all for our safety and good 😌
Yes, crony capitalism is one way to describe where we are but IMO fascism- the melding of corporate power and government power is more appropriate. But that word has lost its meaning as that is the epithet that the “left” uses on the “right”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/little-by-little-the-truth-of-lockdown-is-being-admitted-it-was-a-disaster-5b5lrlgwk
The promotion of fear and the government claims to trade liberty for safety and the impoverishment of the middle class typically through inflation mostly driven by excessive money printing have nearly always led to increased authoritarianism.
Covidian authoritarianism proved without a shadow of doubt that we’re not the people our fathers were. How easily we succumbed and vilified the dissenters and the Cassandra’s. All we need is to go back to the many threads right on this blog from a couple years back.
We are a society ripe for the “strongman”. Jefferson is in the rearview mirror. In a way it is amazing a constitutional republic lasted this long.
The Covid Fear Hysteria has separate roots from Covid the influenza virus season story.
The Covid Fear Hysteria saga starts with key and overlapping players: Yahoo News, Sky News, Imperial College of Medicine, Zuckerberg, Fauci et al, and AVAAZ. All of whom can still be researched online during the early days of “covid” 2020, for new wisdom now gained only in retrospect.
These names and parties are still worthy of further investigation, since collectively their early pronouncements led to the flashpoint moment in the US – Nancy Pelosi tearing up Trump’s SOTU address. And then letting Covid Hysteria rip this nation apart.
From that moment forward, the SOTU address became Pelosi’s checklist to destroy every single Trump accomplishment, riding in on this previously ginned-up Covid Fear Hysteria.
Meanwhile, Covid the Virus continued with its its own 99% recovery rate sequelae, while doctors finally learned to stop shoving ventilators down suspected covid patient’s throats, vastly improving the early alleged “covid” mortality numbers. And remarkably led to a o% flu season during that exact same period of time.
NB: 100% of the Bergamo Italy Hospital lurid early “covid” documentary, used to sell the Democrat covid hysteria agenda in the US, had been put on ventilators.
(Opinions above are absolutely my own.)
The middle class is shrinking because public employees are moving into the upper classes. See Transparent California website for government employee compensation packages and lifetime months pension payouts. The middle class is shrinking due to taxpayer wealth redistribution to the government deep state.
Sasm, You were quite a bit off here:
“… Remember the $2 trillion TARP and the trillions in Fed balance sheet expansion after Wall St gambled and lost…socialism, but not for the working class but the oligarchs…”
No way was that “socialism”, but instead “rip off capitalism. They are all big time capitalism preachers in there!
Al,
That was Obama, who did not jail a single banker. The same people are advising Biden now.
The Ground Zero Movement still Runs Full Page Ads in The Newspaper…showing a
Deployed Trident Sub…Then It encourages The Sumbarines Blue and Gold Crews
To Mutiny…And Refuse to Obey Orders…I have wathced Ground Zero Run Zodiac Boats up on The Decks of Trident Subs…Right Over The Missle Silos..
I call it Treason..
JT
TTG, your utterly erroneous , scurrilous and unfounded conclusion about the so called “business relationship” between Trump and what passes for his associates and Russians of one sort or another demonstrates your complete lack of understanding about business.
Based on your understandings of Trump, as applied to me, then I am a variously a tool of the Rothschilds, Israel, international arms dealers, communist governments, dictators, Wall street, and international drug companies because at one time or another I or an associate has had discussions leading up to and including written and signed heads of agreements that lead precisely nowhere.
For example the American “businessman” who, in high sounding language about freedom and democracy, invited me to manufacture and supply him with embargoed military stuff out of the good old FSCM. Then there was the one who wanted us to write software for the Indonesian government and the one who wanted us to set up a foreign cloning operation, and, and,……..
That someone who had once shaken Trumps hand got as far as a pro forma heads of agreement for a Russian property deal involving the Trump name is trivial, as is the rest of the Steele crap.
walrus,
I don’t come to any conclusions about Trump’s business ties to and his organization’s contacts with the Russians. Steele’s dossier claimed Trump was still actively seeking real estate deals in Moscow at least into late 2015. That was later proven to be true. He also had such ties with China. Being in international real estate development, I would think that’s a natural occurrence. Being in NYC real estate, I’m sure he had contact with organized crime elements. None of those contacts mean Trump is beholding to Russia, China or the Mob, but the contacts still exist and they carry their own weight in the public eye.
TTG, the Republican Chaired US Senate Intelligence Comm issued report that the 2016 Trump campaign had contacts with Russians. Manafort also supplied Russians with voter data.
Manafort shared some political data trendings with a prior business acquaintance ,who happened to be Russian. Not much different that what the “Russian” could glean from reading American media.
TTG,
Steele is British Intelligence. The British are THE mortal enemies of Russia since before Ivan the Terrible wanted to marry Elizabeth I Tudor. They wanted to nuke Russia (previously a vital ally against a German power that terror bombed their Island country and for all they knew at the time might have nuked the British if the Nazi nuclear project succeeded) immediately postwar when the were flat on their backs and famines raged till late 1947. They led the coalition into the Black Sea with France & Turkey which ravaged the Crimean peninsula under Victoria just before Disraeli became PM. The Iron Curtain speech in Missouri was Churchill’s. They were so jealous and furious that Emperor Alexander I led his battalions into Paris after trekking the breadth of Europe, graciously giving the tyrant Napoleon safe exile on an island and leaving the ladies and damsels of Paris unmolested (confounding all stereotypes of uncivilized Asian hordes) that (after the horror of Sevastopol decades later) Leo Tolstoy dared not or chose not to even mention, much less include the conquest of Paris and ousting of Napoleon in his novel War and Peace.
The United States has been manipulated into being Great Britain’s attack dog against their long term blood feud arch rival. They are doing this with China too. Let the huge collossi duke it out, we the cagey, perfidious, world conquering Brits of the Universal language, Oxbridge, Masterpiece Theatre, BBC, the off shoring City of London, GCHQ and the 5 Eyes, we still rule the world, and those American bozos who learned everything from us, will never realize how we lead them by the nose – AND – if they did it wouldn’t matter anyway. It would be far too embarrassing to admit, and they’d need to crawl back to us on their hands and knees anyway for our insights on running a world empire, English lessons, and our actors and actresses with fancy accents – and the lowly Americans know it. They are crude slobs. We are kings, queens, princesses and princes, dukes and earls, duchesses and baronettes – aristocrats! Plus they wanted repayment for lend lease, the utter cheek, and they shot John Lennon as he got out of his car at the Dakota on Central Park West in Manhattan. And they can’t speak our language, we put up with them but they butcher it like the ignorant rubes and hillbillies that we know them to be.
Sorry, TTG, you know all that and much more, and this mess we are in with these Plymouth Rock charlatans is not your fault. Did I forget to mention their benevolent treatment of the Irish, or the Native Americans who they infected with smallpox before naming a “prestigious Ivy league University” after the General Geoffrey Amherst creature who ordered that?
They are long in the tooth grandmasters of these plundering, pillaging, genocidal warfare and financial games for many centuries. They screwed the United States of America royally with the Steele dossier and are carrying on and on till they own and control us lock, stock and barrel.
TTG, my friend, you are just digging your hole deeper. Once you have sufficient assets, be it a brand like Trump property or a name like Elon Musk, or a billion dollar bank account there is an endless stream of people bringing you potential business deals for your consideration.
All that happened for Trump was that a leach called Cohen was trying to get him to commit to a deal to be called “Trump Tower Moscow”. All Trump did was lay out the general conditions under which he might do a deal – that’s what a heads of agreement is.
On any given day there is a queue a hundred deep around every billionaire in the world offering them new ways to get rich by taking a deal that some clown has put together and the skill in remaining a billionaire is finding the one in a thousand of these business ideas being pitched that are actually genuine, legal and potentially profitable.
Billionaires employ multiple layers of gatekeepers to try to keep these folk out of their hair and maintain some form of privacy and personal life. That’s also why they stay on luxury yachts, use private aircraft and live in gated communities. A lot of them are scared fearful creatures because they are sick and tired of people asking them for their money.
Cohen never got past the first layer of Trumps gatekeepers.
True. And Trump was known to the ptb for years as future presidential candidate material. The fbi stock in trade under Hoover was collecting on such people in hopes of future leverage (which the cross dresser used fiercely to advantage). Trump would have likely been one of the most covertly taped and spied on people in American history. Look at how paltry the case against him was. (I say this as someone who dislikes him more than TTG, I’d wager). And he was THE protege of Roy Cohn. Need more be said? Trump who ran hotel and casino empires where the hallways, entrances and rooms overflow with call girls of every rank, prediction and shoesize and came through it safely – learning at the feet of the most devious shyster and blackmail artist ever to walk the earth since Sodom and Gomorrah (with the exception of Alan Dershowitz)?
Trump didn’t even want to be President, he was as shocked as anyone else that he won.
I understand people’s desire to nail him. To me Jan 6 was a horror but it was such a complete clown planet by then that I wasn’t losing sleep over it. The republic was lost much earlier. Trump and the brouhaha are part of the window dressing like in Rome after Augustus. It was bread and circuses then and this is similar. President Carter said so himself years ago publicly in an interview with Thom Hartmann that the experiment failed and might not reconstitute itself ever but at best only after 50 years. It is a sorry fact that this is much ado about nothing. Not entirely entirely, but darn close.
You’ve got a point. Trump has been under surveillance and investigation for a good long time. Considering all that snooping into his drawers he’s not been directly implicated on anything major. Ok. Maybe like Capone he finally gets nailed for tax evasion.
All, let us recall Colonel Lang’s really important question,
“Where would this judge find a truly neutral master?” that is the question for these perilous times.
For my money – and I’m betting Al is gonna be right alongside me – likely TTG too;
ANY of these featured individuals obviously fit that “neutral” requirement!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppGj5FOFckM
Plus – in this case each’d likely agree to a ‘non-remunerative’ role too – tho’ I suspect the IRS probably has a rule such persons must accept at least a buck. If only for propriety’s sake. Federal agencies are like that doncha know …
I venture a guess that the Trump appointee judge will accept DOJ’s “taint teams” review of docs and not appoint a “master”. Also, the judge will be alarmed at the magnitude of national security issues found in the “12 boxes” carelessly kept in low secured areas of the “Trump Palace”. Thus, giving DOJ more room to proceed.
Only guesses from the tea leaves floating in my cup.
“12 boxes”?!!
I thought it was 15 boxes – at least that’s the number the archives reported.
And Melania’s panty drawer is a “low secured area”?
Christ. Back when I was 15 … well “a friend” asked me if I’d ever done so I assured him of course ‘I would never consider such a thing!’ – Anyway the friend told me he’d asked HIS girlfriend if HE might be ‘gifted’ a pair of hers as she was going on an extended vacation. Longish story short – the panty drawer in question went to parts unknown.
(My theory at the time, Fort Knox.)
“Thus, giving DOJ more room to proceed”?!!
I think Al either you might want to ask the FDA if there’s been any recalls issued for the brand of tea you drink or possibly you might want to review your security videos to see whether there’s an unidentified medical marijuana card holder lurking around your pantry.
In looking at Other News Events..Special Prosecutor John Durham is still
Active…and has Issued 30 Subpoenas for Witnesses In The Trial of Russian
Igor Danchenko ..The Trial begans on October 11th…Danchenko is charged with
5 Counts of making false statements to the FBI…while He was Investigated
as The Sub Source For Christoper Steele in The Russian Collusion Investigation’
JT
JT, as TTG has repeatedly pointed out, and the REPUBLICAN majority in the Senate Intell Comm, also confirmed, Trump’s 2016 sought assistance and was assisted by Russian interference.
Al,
Remind us all again of who was convicted for ‘seeking assistance’ of the government of the Russian Federation? I don’t recall any convictions for that, nor anyone pleading guilty to seeking to have a foreign government interfer in our election.
Obviously Biden has little concern as to where Durham might go or find. That Spec Pros shop could easily and appropriately be shut down tomorrow with very little blowback on Biden. I’m surprised Durham has not already been told to pack up and move his show to Fox.
The only bitching would be by the 20-30 % of extreme right wingers.
Yup. Biden has no worries about Durham as Barr set him up as the undertaker. Bury all the malfeasance.
What’s interesting is why Thibault got fired now and is now busy lawyering up for successfully shoving the Hunter investigation in the basement and investigating folks with wrongthink as domestic terrorists.
“Obviously Biden has little concern as to where Durham might go or find.”
I think Al most everybody, agrees that’s “obvious.”
Now where concerns your asserting – comment of August 30, 2022 at 2:17 pm – Where’s that publicly documented as Confirmed?
As I recall, both the Mueller and Horowitz reports indicated “There was no coordination between Russian and US citizens.”
Now I will admit to maybe missing a footnote or two maybe even not done the diligence such a thing as … oh allow me to review precisely as you’ve entered it Al;
“Trump’s 2016 sought assistance and was assisted by Russian interference”
As is often called upon for Al, got a link to a pdf – showing source of course, in this instance ending in a dot gov preferably
(You’ll allow me a small digression Al?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91LRPk8x14s
I’m supposing Al there’s a direct to government source to which we can all readily link to – preferably pdf – where your asserting “and was assisted” is plainly revealed?
My recall of all the reports was that, the conclusion[s] were the Rooskies were ‘helpful & unhelpful’ to both campaigns – I seem to recall an IC analysis I think I can look up but anyway if memory serves ‘that’ stated something like ” … Both campaigns were equally affected. … ”
Now of course Al I’d readily admit that it depends on what the definition of “equally affected” means to the equally affected parties.
I remember as Jill Stein’s and Hillary’s courts case proceeded one party to that “seemed to” lose enthusiasm. Perhaps you can remind me which Al?
I seem to recall that suit having to do with “contesting the vote” but that surely can not be correct because of ‘muh democracy!’ right – only Deplorables would ever engage the Courts in that sort of thing Al, right?
Anyway Al. Yeah I’m perfectly willing to accept a direct dot gov sourced link to that.
Read the 2020 Repub majority Senate Intell Comm report that confirms CIA and NIA findings about Russian interference in 2016 in favor of Trump. That report also debunks the conspiracy BS of Obama admin efforts to hit Trump with cooked up intell.
Jk/Ar : You will find such as this in the Senate Report:
The Senate Intelligence Committee report found that Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s presence “created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump Campaign.”
Manafort worked for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and other Kremlin-affiliated Russians to mount influence campaigns in Ukraine, and in the process also hired and worked with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former Russian intelligence officer, the report said.
“The Committee obtained some information suggesting Kilimnik may have been connected to the GRU’s hack and leak operation targeting the 2016 U.S. election,” the report said, referring to the Russian military intelligence service by its initials.
U.S. intelligence agencies have said hackers working for GRU were directly involved in breaking into the Democratic National Committee’s servers as well as breaching the email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager.
Manafort shared Trump campaign’s internal polling data with Kilimnik prior to the 2016 election. And in the months after November 2016, Manafort continued to work with Kilimnik and other Russians “to undermine evidence that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election,” the report said.
You can read “Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities” here.
Rubio Statement on Senate Intel Release of Volume 5 of Bipartisan Russia Report
Key Findings:
The Committee found that the Russian government engaged in an aggressive, multi-faceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
WikiLeaks actively sought, and played, a key role in the Russian influence campaign and very likely knew it was assisting a Russian intelligence influence effort.
The FBI gave the Steele Dossier unjustified credence, based on an incomplete understanding of Steele’s past reporting record. The FBI used the dossier in a FISA application and renewals, and advocated for it to be included in the Intelligence Community Assessment before taking the necessary steps to validate assumptions about Steele’s credibility.
The FBI lacked a formal or considered process for escalating their warnings about the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hack within the organization of the DNC.
The Committee assesses that at least two participants in a June 9, 2016, meeting with Trump Campaign officials, Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin, have significant connections to the Russian government, including the Russian intelligence services. The Committee, however, found no reliable evidence that information of benefit to the Campaign was transmitted at the meeting, or that then-candidate Trump had foreknowledge of the meeting.
The Committee found no evidence that anyone associated with the Trump Campaign had any substantive private conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the April 27, 2016, Trump speech held at the Mayflower Hotel.
Paul Manafort’s presence on the Trump Campaign and proximity to then-Candidate Trump created opportunities for Russian intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump Campaign.
George Papadopoulos was not a witting cooptee of the Russian intelligence services, but nonetheless presented a prime intelligence target and potential vector for malign Russian influence.
Russia took advantage of members of the Transition Team’s relative inexperience in government, opposition to Obama Administration policies, and Trump’s desire to deepen ties with Russia to pursue unofficial channels through which Russia could conduct diplomacy.
You happen to notice Al how I pasted that brief excursion to the
“A horse is a horse of course of course
Unless of course it’s a talking horse”?
No?
Well then allow me to give ‘er another go …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkksL5KYC_c&t=19s
The step-by-step Al is, you search and find the source of what you purport. Second step is you highlight the url – even a bit will do so long as you then click ‘Select All’ & then just a mere ‘nother click to ‘Copy’
The last itty bitty you must needs do after that is, return to your reply to me, place your cursor within the box and then ‘Paste’
Easy peasy Al I promise.
It’s not as if I’m asking you hit SIPRNET or even JWICS – Heck Al, all I’m asking for is a plain ol’ open-source (pdf) dot gov domain link.
Yes of course I realize Al how you might have the idea (JK is a self-admitted HILLBILLY for goodness sakes – the likes of him ought really just accept [Al] being all superior-like what I, Al, says it says).
– Incidentally Al, Mr. Ed wasn’t simply picked by me because as you may’ve surmised : Oh I see, ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ as it were. Oh no siree no Al.
A ‘talking horse’? Not even hillbillys are susceptible to those sorts of horse biscuits as those things come from the other end of the horse. –
Al?
Link please – Page# & Paragraph would be mightily appreciated too.
However – Should you insist to persist I just “accept” what you purport – don’t bother.
I reckon I can draw a conclusion from whatever reply you may be offering my way as well as the next fellow.
It’ll either be a pdf-sourced quote or … horse biscuits.
Al,
Mantefort was not convicted of seeking Russian assistance in the 2016 election. Neither was anyone else.
https://twitter.com/claytravis/status/1564795203441102848?s=21
Interesting piece on Fox. One thing that Trump’s got going for him is that the entire establishment on both sides of the aisle are gunning for him.
Trust donated… who is in charge of trust?
OT Once again watched the Starlink Launch from our back deck -nighttime launch at 10:40 pm PST – WOW! What a fireball streak at first, as we watched it until it separated xoand on to its recovery vessel – did I hear right – called “I still love you”. xo Starlink.
https://twitter.com/thejcoop/status/1565055591634112515?s=21
White House press secretary saying POTUS believes MAGA Republicans are a threat to our democracy and freedom. I was under the understanding that democracy and freedom meant each voter is free to choose whoever they want.
https://twitter.com/thelastrefuge2/status/1565088137675685889?s=21
I agree with Sundance on this. I disagree with him that Trump is the white knight. IMO, Trump got the brass ring but folded like a cheap suit when it came to Drain the Swamp and stacked his administration with the same swamp creatures. The oligarchy continued to do well under Trump too, just as they have under Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama and now Biden. There’s no change in who actually wields power. This core factor can’t change until the American voter changes from always voting Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.
The animus towards Trump by GOPe, Dems, media & the DC machine just doesn’t make any sense, unless their real focus are the Deplorables, who have currently latched on to Trump for the lack of a better alternative??
Conservative Treehouse, often a reasonably credible commentary resource, offers a long dense exploration of why the deep state needs so badly to take down Donald Trump, and has been at it with cooperation from both parties even before 2016.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/08/31/why-is-washington-dc-so-intensely-focused-on-targeting-donald-trump-and-labeling-his-supporters-as-threats-to-democracy/
Valid analysis or not, it makes for very interesting background reading for lay persons as to the current names and structure of intelligence community operations, that has been touching nearly everyone after it opened its public-private partnership with Big Tech.
Always reminded of the early saying – trying to track information on the internet is like trying to drink from a fire hose. What value can really be gained drilling down into all our lives? A case of TMI.
But the way digital war was so quickly declared on their version of “covid disinformation” — 99% of which is now established as fact, and not disinformation at all— indicates how deep this new world of public-private surveillance can wreak havoc on us all.