Wednesday, August 8th
THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION
The Manafort Trial, Day 7
- Drama grips court as Manafort lawyers accuse Rick Gates of multiple affairs
- IRS agent testifies Manafort failed to report $16.5M in taxable income
- Magionos testifies that Manafort kept $65 million in foreign bank accounts
- Rick Gates spills the beans on the super-rich Ukrainians who paid Paul Manafort millions
- Day 7
Day 7 of the Manafort Tax Evasion trial began with Rick Gates in cross-examination. The defense tried to blow up his credibility even more by alleging that he had multiple affairs and lied about it. During rebuttal questioning, he outlined that if he lied, the Special Counselor’s office would destroy their plea offer and recommend that he serve every charge against him consecutively, not concurrently. In that case, he’s looking at over 100 years in jail.
The next witness was Forensic Accountant Morgan Magionos. He testified about how he was able to trace offshore bank accounts back to Paul Manafort. That included tracing wire transfers from the accounts to high-end luxury vendors.
After that came Michael Welch from the IRS. He testified that Manafort didn’t pay taxes on at least $16.4 million in unreported income.
Remember, this is a tax evasion and money laundering case.
- Trump team rejects Mueller’s interview request but offers sitdown under narrow terms
- Trump’s Lawyers Counter Mueller’s Interview Offer, Seeking Narrower Scope
- Giuliani: Negotiations with Mueller over Trump interview will be over by September 1
Counteroffers? This isn’t a fucking house purchase, this is a goddamned investigation.
The longer this shit drags out, the more I’m convinced that not only will there not be an interview, but that Mueller wouldn’t interview him anyway since Trump is a target, not a subject.
Here’s the thing with the report…
The moment that it hits the House and Senate leadership, it’s up to them whether or not to release it all, release a redacted version, or keep it under wraps. It’s not a consensus choice, but if even one of them wants to release it, they can release it. If all but one of them says keep it up under wraps, but one says “fuck that, fuck you, and fuck anyone who looks like you, I’m posting this shit on Twitter now”, they can do that.
TRAITOR TOTS
Chris Collins
- New York Republican congressman indicted on insider trading charges
- Rep. Christopher Collins (R-N.Y.) charged with insider trading, federal prosecutors announce
- Chris Collins, Republican Congressman, Charged With Insider Trading
- Republican congressman arrested this morning
- New York Rep. Chris Collins arrested on insider trading charges
Chris Collins, a Republican congressman from upstate New York, surrendered to the FBI on Wednesday morning on securities fraud-related charges, prosecutors said.
Collins, 68, faces insider trading charges along with his son, Cameron Collins, and Stephen Zarsky, the father of Cameron Collins’ fiancée, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.
The case is related to Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech company, on which the elder Collins served on the board.
Collins, one of Donald Trump’s early supporters in his bid for president, is expected to appear in federal court later Wednesday in Manhattan.
Wow. Here’s a link to the indictment. Chris Collins is a Republican from New York, and was a leading member of the Trump Transition Team.
This sounds like a pump and dump scheme. The way it works is that a group hypes a company up, selling them as the best thing since the invention of the wheel, puts stock out there, sells a bunch of it to a bunch of marks, then right before bad news hits, all of the principal parties sell their stock at a high price, leaving everyone else with now worthless stock.
AdamParkhomenko: Womp, womp Chris
Here’s Chris Collins at the White House at the time the email was sent. Here’s a tweet to the actual picture from the call mentioned in the indictment.
Yeah, that happened. Part of the indictment indicates that Chris called his son at 7:16 PM on the night in question. The call lasted a little more than 6 minutes. At 7:17 PM, he was seen walking out of the White House while on the phone.
- Ricky Davila: Collins is just the tip of the iceberg
- US Attorney SDNY: These charges are a reminder that this is a nation of laws, and everyone stands equal before the bar of justice, and that no matter what the alleged crime, or who allegedly committed it, we stand committed to the pursuit of justice, without fear or favor
- Chris Collins, the very first congressman to endorse Donald Trump, arrested by FBI on insider-trading charges
- Chris Collins: First congressman to back Trump for president indicted for insider trading
- Other Politicians Held, Recently Sold Stock That Got Chris Collins Arrested
- Rep. Chris Collins arrested by the FBI on insider trading charges and lying to the FBI
- Rep. Christopher Collins (R-N.Y.) charged with insider trading, federal prosecutors announce
- Rick Wilson: Everything Trump Touches Dies, the Chris Collins edition
- U.S. Rep. Chris Collins says he will remain on the ballot for re-election despite insider-trading indictment
- Arrest Of Trump Ally Chris Collins Could Take Down More Than A Half-Dozen Other Republicans
- Four Additional Members of Congress Invested in Innate Immunotherapeutics – CREW
Four other members of Congress, not including the former Secretary or Health and Human Services Tom Price invested in this company at a discounted stock price after talking to Chris Collins. At best, he stole their money and cost them a small fortune. At worst, they’re accomplices.
Rand Paul
- Sen. Rand Paul delivers Trump letter to Russia’s Putin | McClatchy Washington Bureau
- Sen. Rand Paul says he delivered Trump letter to Putin
- Natasha Bertrand: The Eight Senators that visited Russia. None of them are running in 2018
- Rand Paul
- Richard Shelby
- Steve Daines
- John Hoeven
- John Kennedy
- Jerry Moran
- John Thune
- Ron Johnson
All of them are Republicans. ALL OF THEM. Not a single one of those senators was a Democrat.
3336
- Caroline Orr: Senate Bill 3336 about NATO leaked on Russian TV. The Bill is still not available in the United States.
- Julia Davis: Russian Ruble fell to lowest in months after news of Senate Bill 3336 broke…on Russian State TV
Gee, I wonder how it is that the Russians got their hands on a United States Senate bill that hasn’t been made public yet, that only members of the Senate and their staff would have access to.
I mean, it’s not like a certain Senator from Kentucky with a long history of always taking Russia’s side delivered anything to Vladimir Putin. Oh, wait…
Devin
- Secret recording shows GOP’s Nunes saying Rosenstein impeachment would delay Supreme Court pick
- Nunes Admits That Collusion Can Be A Crime In Secret Recordings At Fundraiser For Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
- Nunes on secret tape: Kavanaugh vote, then Rosenstein impeachment
- Nunes suggested at private fundraiser that Republican majority is needed to protect Trump
- Devin Nunes at fundraiser audio clip 1
- Devin Nunes Caught On Tape Warning Donors That Mueller Might Not “Clear” Trump – Rantt
- Recording reveals Nunes saying Rosenstein impeachment would complicate Kavanaugh confirmation
- Spicy Mic on Devin Nunes
Going for the Trifecta of Fuckery today is Devin Fucking Nunes. I’m not surprised that he spoke freely in a room without the press, or that he openly admits to obstructing the Russian Investigation or serving as a firewall for the traitor known as Donald Trump, and not even that even he has his problems with Trump’s tweets and stupid comments. The only thing I’m surprised about is that someone thought bringing him in to help fund raise was a good idea.
Omarosa
- Omarosa Secretly Recorded Trump and Played the Audio for People, Sources Say
- Omarosa Secretly Recorded Trump—And Played the Audio for People While Shopping Her New Book, Sources Say
Oh, FFS. The day when 7th or 8th craziest story of the day is that Omarosa wrote a book is truly a screwed up day. Ok, enough with the joke about her being able to read and write. I’m surprised that half the people working for Trump are not functionally illiterate. What’s really shocking is that she worked at the White House for almost a year, constantly recorded meetings on her phone, and NO ONE CAUGHT HER OR STOPPED HER.
RUSSIAN ATTACK 2018
- Bill Nelson: The Russians have penetrated some Florida voter registration systems
- Hackers Already Attacking Midterm Elections, Raising U.S. Alarms
- Russians Have Penetrated Florida’s Election Systems, Senator Says
- Trump team isn’t doing enough to deter Russian cyberattacks, according to our panel of security experts
I’ve got a bad feeling we’re going to hear more stories like this heading into the election. This isn’t “meddling”, this is an Act of War.
TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET
- Lindsey Graham: Trump brought up ending Russia probe ‘about 20 times’
- Trump team isn’t doing enough to deter Russian cyberattacks, according to our panel of security experts
FIGHTING BACK
- Don Lemon: Trump told me I couldn’t be a fair reporter because I’m black
- Donald Trump’s Approval Rating Among Republicans is Far Less Impressive Than He Suggests, New Poll Indicates
- Everyone in Trump’s Orbit Keeps Getting Indicted
- The Whole Republican Party Seems to Be Going to Jail Now
FCC
- The FCC lied to Congress about an alleged cyberattack and didn’t come clean until now
- House Dems call for new FCC probe into Sinclair
- Is the Sinclair-Tribune deal about to die?
IMMIGRATION
- Qasim Rashid, Esq.: Getting stopped by Customs and Border Patrol
- 99-Year-Old Nuremberg Prosecutor Calls Trump’s Detention of Children a ‘Crime Against Humanity’
- Amid migrants’ complaints of frigid holding cells, a battle for control of border thermostats
- Border arrest data suggest Trump’s push to split migrant families had little deterrent effect
- Avenatti: Where’s the check from Mexico to pay for the wall?
- Court Rules Family of Mexican Teen Killed by Border Patrol Can Sue Agent
- ICE Crashed a Van Full of Separated Mothers, Then Denied It Ever Happened
- Lawsuit Filed To Protect Foreign Students From ICE And USCIS
COLD WAR 2.0
Sanctions over Skripal Poisoning
- U.S. to Issue New Sanctions Against Russia Over Spy Poisoning
- Trump administration to hit Russia with new sanctions for Skripal poisoning
- Trump administration to impose fresh sanctions on Russia over Salisbury attack
- Trump administration to impose new sanctions on Russia for nerve agent attack in England in March
- Trump administration to impose new sanctions on Russia for nerve agent attack in England
I’m not a betting man, but I’d put good money that this was done without Trump’s approval, sign-off, or input, and that he’ll lose his shit and go all “Putin’s a good guy” like the traitorous shit he is.
TRADE WAR
- U.S and China slap tariffs on each other in latest round of escalating trade war
- China announces 25% tariffs on $16 billion worth of US goods including crude oil and cars
- Chinese State Media Says Trump ‘Extortion’ Won’t Work: ‘Governing a Country Is Not Like Doing Business’
- Federal deficit jumps 20 percent after tax cuts, spending bill
- The Last Major TV Factory in the U.S. Is Shutting Down Because of President Trump’s Tariffs
THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE
- Fox News Thinks Trump Shouldn’t Talk to Mueller Because He’s Not Allowed to Even “Tell One Lie”
- GOP lawmaker: Mueller won’t stop until he gets a Trump indictment | TheHill
SCOTUS
- Brett Kavanaugh Is Rigged Justice
- Brett Kavanaugh once predicted ‘one race’ in the eyes of government. Would he end affirmative action?
- Senate Dems make ‘unprecedented’ FOIA request for Kavanaugh documents
WHITE HOUSE CHAOS
- The Shadow Rulers of the VA
- Three civilians from Mar-a-Lago are reportedly making decisions for the VA
- Three Random Mar-a-Lago Members Are Quietly Running the VA
- Democrats Vow Investigation of VA’s Shadow Rulers After ProPublica Story
- Lackluster election results spark debate over Trump’s midterm role
GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD
- ‘Blacks for Trump’? Almost 8 in 10 African-Americans Say He’s Made Race Relations Worse
- Federal deficit jumps 20 percent after tax cuts, spending bill
- When Franklin Graham met Putin
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
- Ricky Davila: White woman arrested for spray painting racist shit
- West Virginia House committee votes to impeach entire state Supreme Court | TheHill
- Delegates vote to impeach all four remaining WV Supreme Court justices
- Man training kids for school shooting, court documents say
- How America stopped prosecuting white-collar crime and public corruption, in charts
ELECTION 2018
- Lackluster election results spark debate over Trump’s midterm role
- An Underdog Reformer Just Unseated the Prosecutor Who Handled the Ferguson Police Shooting
- Enough With the Shit, Green Party. The Coming Midterms Are Too Important for Your Shenanigans
- Georgia defends voting system despite 243-percent turnout in one precinct
- GOP declares victory in a U.S. House race in Ohio that’s still too close to call
- Graham: ‘Real likelihood’ Dems win the House ‘by 10 or 12 more seats than they need’
- Hundreds of uncounted votes turn up in Ohio
- Kobach refuses to recuse himself from recount effort
- Kobach, Colyer in dead heat as Kansas GOP primary for governor hinges on count from suburbs
- Missouri voters defeat GOP-backed ‘right to work’ law, in victory for unions, Associated Press projects
- Missouri voters just blocked the right-to-work law Republicans passed to weaken labor unions
- Missouri Voters Reject Right-To-Work Law Passed by Republicans to Cripple Labor Unions
- Winners and losers from Tuesday’s elections
- Trump-backed Kris Kobach could oversee the recount for his own election in Kansas gov primary
- Unions Just Got the Win They Deserve
- Ohio race just got closer after county finds hundreds of uncounted votes
- Rashida Tlaib Just Won An Election That’ll Likely Make Her The First Muslim Woman In Congress
PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
- Richard Milhouse Nixon resigns as President of the United States of America
- Documenting Hate: Charlottesville one year ago
RUMOR MILL
- Lincoln’s Bible: Mobsters and their “Real Estate Projects”
- Claude Taylor: Saudis and Emiratis made deal with Trump (and some adult children) to get rid of Iran Sanctions/Nuclear Deal
- Tea Pain: Today’s arrest of GOP Rep. Chris Collins illustrates the unprecedented level of corruption in the Trumpublican party. If you think this is the last arrest of its kind, Tea Pain’s got a pair of breedin’ mules he’d like to sell ya.
- Sara Dunner Dukic: Thread on Trump’s Paranoia and Laziness
- Lincoln’s Bible on Tom Barrack
- Countercheckist: tRUmp’s treason and Russia’s attack woke up a sleeping giant via systemic corruption that allowed a foreign intelligence operation to steal the highest office in the land. They tested the rule of law and our willingness to tolerate their behavior. They made a critical error.
- Countercheckist: No deal for Manafort
From Claude’s tweet about the Iran Deal, $20 says that the adult children include Jared Kushner. From yesterday’s post (Daily Check-In 08/07/2018), Kushner’s family sold 666 Fifth Avenue to Brookfield for enough money to get out from underneath their upside down loan. Brookfield is owned by the Emiratis. Half of $3.6 billion is $1.8 billion, which is how much Kushner’s family owed on their loan.
That’s it for Wednesday. The Manafort Tax Trial continues on Thursday, and there’s an update on the Sinclair-Tribune sale. Also, Space Force. I’m trying to not laugh while typing that shit.
Thank you, and have a good one.
“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”
– Katy Tur
None of this is Normal 
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