Thursday, April 12th
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION: PAYOFFS, COHEN HAS TAPES, FBI WANTS ALL THE THINGS, COMEY MAKES A TAPE, MUELLER/TRUMP INTERVIEW LIKELY OFF, THE BATTLE BEGINS
- A Former Trump Tower Doorman Was Allegedly Paid $30,000 To Keep Quiet About Trump’s Sex Life
- $30,000 Rumor? Tabloid Paid for, Spiked, Salacious Trump Tip
- $30,000 rumor? Tabloid paid for, spiked, salacious Trump tip
- National Enquirer paid doorman $30,000 to keep quiet about Trump affair rumor
- Tabloid bought Trump love-child rumor for $30G, then spiked story
- The National Enquirer, a Trump Rumor, and Another Secret Payment to Buy Silence
Ronan Farrow broke a story this morning about the National Enquirer spiking another story. If the story sounds familiar, it is, but it isn’t. One of the doormen at Trump Tower heard a rumor that Trump knocked up one of his housekeepers back in the 80’s, and she kept the baby. The doorman met with The National Enquirer, and paid him $30,000 in November 2015 to buy the story from the doorman, then buried it.
Notice the timing. November 2015. During the Presidential Campaign.
The story ain’t that Trump knocked up his maid. The story’s that a tabloid newspaper with VERY close ties to Trump (Daily Check-in 02/16/2018) has paid for multiple story spikes during the Presidential campaign, and they weren’t claimed as contributions to the campaign.
- Trump’s attorney was known for taping conversations. Now the president’s allies worry the FBI has the recordings.
- FBI sought lawyer’s communications with bank that loaned him money against his taxi business
Yeah, Michael Cohen recorded a lot of his conversations. Hell, he’d brag about it, then play the conversations back to people to piss them off. He recorded EVERYONE. All the people he worked with, all of the reporters who called him, and his client Donald Trump.
Remember the scene in Casino where the guy was bitching about all of the crimes while being wiretapped, and the guy getting admonished by his mom for swearing? Besides it having Martin Scorsese’s mom as the mother in the scene, what’s scaring Trump and his team is what Cohen was talking about and recorded aside from what the FBI already knew.
- James Comey: John Kelly Called Trump ‘Dishonorable’ For Firing Me
- In memoir, Comey says Trump fixated on disproving lewd dossier allegations
- Ex-FBI Director Comey in new book says Trump is ‘unethical and untethered to truth,’ demanded loyalty like a mafia boss.
- James Comey Has a Story to Tell. It’s Very Persuasive.
- Comey sat down with Stephanopoulos for 5-hour interview
- The Washington Post: James Comey’s memoir: Trump fixates on proving lewd dossier allegations false
James Comey is starting his press tour. I look forward to listening to this next week.
- GOP senators break ranks to protect Mueller from Trump
- Schumer: Mueller protection bill would pass by ‘very large majority’
The move to protect Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein is reaching a crescendo.
- Donald Trump Relied on Michael Cohen to Weather the Storm. Now He’s On His Own
- Trump warned not to fire Mueller by former US ethics chief: ‘Our forefathers were smarter than you and they planned for you’
- Robert Mueller Is Not The Problem: It’s Trump’s Constant Attacks On The Rule Of Law
- Trump seeks legal advice ‘from virtually any attorney who calls him’
Trump is worried, and acting stupid. How stupid?
- GOP campaign seeks to brand Comey a liar as he touts book
- White House is prepping an effort to undermine Rosenstein
- White House Preparing To Publicly Tar Rod Rosenstein: Get ready for heads to roll next week.
- Seven Takeaways From Trump’s Threats Against Rod Rosenstein – Lawfare
- Exclusive: Inside the GOP plan to discredit Comey
Trump is using the Republican National Committee to openly attack law enforcement officers.
Think about that for a moment…
The President of the United States of America is ordering the party leadership he represents to attack the former FBI Director and the Deputy Attorney General.
Why pardon a former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff that was convicted of Lying to the FBI by a Special Counselor appointed by the then Deputy Attorney General James Comey? He’s testing the waters of his pardon power.
But why is he freaking out so much?
Now, according to two sources, Mueller’s team may be able to close the obstruction probe more quickly as they will not need to prepare for the interview or follow up on what the president says.
…
Three sources familiar with the investigation said the findings Mueller has collected on Trump’s attempts to obstruct justice include: His intent for firing former FBI Director James Comey; his role in the crafting of a misleading public statement on the nature of a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son and Russians; Trump’s dangling of pardons before grand jury witnesses who might testify against him; and pressuring Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
Not only does it look like the Mueller/Trump interview won’t happen, but Mueller is moving ahead without it.
Why is this big?
Daily Check-In 01/24/2018, Daily Check-In 04/03/2018, and Daily Check-In 01/23/2018 all talk about Trump and Mueller’s team negotiating the terms of meeting, 1/23/2018 described that Mueller wanted to meet with Trump by the end of February, and that the next wave of indictments wouldn’t happen until either after the interview, or until the interview was off the table.
Guess what? The interview is off the table, which means the next round of indictments is coming in hot. Especially if The Dotard tries anything stupid.
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- Florida Rep. Ross follows Ryan’s announcement to retire from Congress
- Extreme anti-abortion rhetoric and “grab ’em by the p***y”: The right’s ugly fantasies about women
- GOP Led PA Assembly moves to remove Governor and Supreme Court from redistricting process.
- The Republican Party Has Drowned Itself in Trumpism. LyinComey.com Proves It.
- Paul Ryan’s GOP swept away by a Trumpian revolution he could neither contain nor control
- Former Texas congressman Steve Stockman found guilty of 23 felonies | The Texas Tribune
- Unnamed Republican congressman goes off in profane rant: ‘We might as well impeach the *******’
BLUE WAVE
- About half of Americans support single-payer health care
- Randy Bryce says he ‘repealed Paul Ryan’. Now he wants to replace him
- NBC News poll: The South, once a conservative bastion, is changing
- Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb sworn into Congress
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Trump Promotes Conspiratorial Hannity Episode Calling Mueller Part of ‘Deep State Crime Families’ – The Daily Beast
- Graham uses Fox News appearance to ask Trump not to fire Mueller
- FCC chairman rejects senators’ request to investigate Sinclair
- Twelve U.S. senators seek FCC probe of Sinclair news scripts, pause in Tribune review
- Will the US regulate Facebook? Europe is about to do just that
COLD WAR 2.0
- Poison used on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury attack was novichok nerve agent, confirms chemical weapons watchdog
- Russia takes dig at Trump over Syria missile threat: ‘We do not participate in Twitter diplomacy’
- Trump chooses impulse over strategy as crises mount
- Russian Trolls Denied Syrian Gas Attack—Before It Happened
- Trump will reportedly warn Russia in advance where in Syria the US will strike
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS: Pompeo has problems in his confirmation hearing, Pruitt is corrupt AF
- CIA Director Mike Pompeo did not disclose ties to Chinese state oil company in disclosure form
- A New Bombshell Letter Alleges “Unethical And Potentially Illegal” Acts By EPA Head Scott Pruitt
- Time cover shows Trump in storm after FBI raids lawyer’s office
- Trump Loudly Insists That He Is Incompetent
- Trump judicial nominee refuses to say if landmark civil rights opinion was correctly decided
- Scott Pruitt told staffers ‘find me something to do’ when he wanted to vacation on the taxpayer’s dime
- Lawmakers’ Letter Claims Further Spending Abuses by the E.P.A. Head, Scott Pruitt – The New York Times
- EPA’s Scott Pruitt knew about raises, former aide tells Senate Dems
MISSOURI GOVERNOR SEX ABUSE SCANDAL
- Woman Testifies Affair With Missouri Governor Was Not Always Consensual
- Missouri governor accused of sexually abusing woman – BBC News
- Missouri House To Consider Impeaching Gov. Eric Greitens : The Two-Way : NPR
#NEVERAGAIN
- NRA got more money from Russia-linked sources than earlier reported
- Parkland teacher arrested for leaving loaded gun in a public bathroom: report
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas teacher leaves gun in bathroom on pier | Miami Herald
- More Big Name Advertisers Abandon Laura Ingraham, Leaving Red Lobster | pluralist
- Red Lobster Puts Pinch on Laura Ingraham, Pulls Out as Advertiser
- Assault Weapon Laws in Maryland: What you Need to Know
SAY GOODBYE TO THE ECONOMY
- Trump’s push to redo $1.3T spending bill he signed sparks GOP revolt
- Trump’s Tax Cuts Didn’t Benefit U.S. Workers, Made Rich Companies Richer, Analysis Finds
- Trump tells top officials to look at rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major shift as trade dispute with China escalates
- Trump Tower condos value dropping faster than comparable properties: report
STORMYWATCH/RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION CROSSOVER EVENT
- Stormy Daniels’s Lawyer Michael Avenatti Claims More Trump-Related Raids On Horizon
- Avenatti: Trump picked the wrong ‘fixer’ – CNN Video
- Cohen cites ‘ongoing criminal investigation’ in bid to delay Stormy Daniels suit
- Stormy Daniels’ lawyer says Michael Cohen is planning to plead the Fifth Michael Avenatti told MSNBC Thursday that Cohen will not be answering any of their questions. thinkprogress.org
CAN WE GET BACK TO POLITICS?
- Calk meet Barrel…Updated with County Tax & Mortgage – Mad Dog PAC
- Remember The Holocaust – Or It Will Happen Here
- Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds – The New York Times
RUMOR MILL: BACKPAGE AND CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING, AND HOW IT RELATES TO EVERYTHING ELSE
Spicy and Louise Neu(@ninaandtito) have been on this like white on rice, but I haven’t been following the tale. Short version, Backpage.com’s owners were indicted for and convicted of human trafficking, running a prostitution ring, and benefiting and profiting from the child sex trade.
How does this relate to Team Treason? To be honest, I’m not completely sure, I got lost a few layers in, but there is a lot of intermingling between the Backpage people and European and Russian organized crime.
Check their stuff out for more details.
That’s it for today. I’ve got a bad feeling that Friday’s gonna be nuttier than my nut roll recipe. Each nut roll has about 5-6 ounces of chopped walnuts. I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we might be on the precipice of history. If shit does get weird, remember to keep your head on straight; freaking out in the middle of a clusterfuck just makes it a bigger clusterfuck. Stay calm, and stay frosty.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
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