Daily Check-In 12/14/2018

Daily Check-In

Friday, December 14, 2018 and the weekend.

 

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Manafort

From the Vox article:

Last Friday, special counsel Robert Mueller alleged in court filings that Manafort told“multiple discernible lies” to FBI agents and prosecutors, in violation of the cooperation agreement between Manafort and the special counsel’s office. Among those, Mueller charged, were lies by Manafort to investigators that he had not been in contact with anyone in the White House.

“After signing the plea agreement, Manafort stated he had no direct or indirect communications with anyone in the administration while they were in the administration,” the special counsel said in a court pleading, “and that he never asked anyone to try and communicate a message to anyone in the administration on any subject.” Citing text messages, Manafort’s electronic records, and witness interviews, the special counsel wrote: “The evidence demonstrates that Manafort lied about his contacts.”

Manafort advised Trump to attack the Russian Investigation in three different ways:

  1. Attack the FBI.
  2. Attack the DNC.
  3. Attack Clinton and the Steele Dossier.

Trump followed this playbook to a T.

 

Senate Report on Disinformation

There will be more on this in Monday’s post.

 

Cohen

 

Flynn

 

Butina

THREAD: Some thoughts on Butina from a CI perspective and the bad choices she has made:

Mueller’s investigation is clearly not typical but in a normal situation, I would expect that the FBI would have offered Butina a chance to work for the U.S. government (I.e., be a double agent), and have a chance for leniency, maybe even live in the States.

Not sure if this was offered in this case and she declined, or if they just decided to prosecute, but either way, the decision to prosecute would have not been taken lightly, since it puts the FBI’s cards on the table. I wrote about that here

The decision to go this route shows that Mueller’s team believes the public interest in outing Butina and/or stopping her activities were much more important than continuing to keep tabs on Butina’s — and thus the Russians’ — activities

Note that in 2010, the spies were charged, but swapped for our spies in Russia before they could cooperate/provide more info. Not here. I’m curious whether this was offered to Russia, and they disowned her/left her out to dry, or it was not even an option

The part that puzzles me is how she expects this to work out for her. She is going to burn Russia’s operation, and then after she serves time is going to be deported. Pooty won’t be happy…not sure what kind of life she’ll have there, or how long it will last

Unless her “tasking” was that if she got caught, she was free to rat out whomever she needed to…but that would be weird for a spy. Curious for thoughts from @john_sipher, @StevenLHall1, @CIAspygirland others

In any case, as I noted before, I am 99% certain that she would have been under FISA surveillance for some period of time, which means that anyone she was in communication with is now captured in FBI intel. Sucks to be them.

That’s it — I’ll just end by saying she is charged with Conspiracy Against the United States so anyone who was working with her is a part of the conspiracy. May the odds be ever in their favor.

 

Someone vs. Mueller

 

Papadopoulos

 

Abandonment

 

Giuliani

 

Congressional Questions

 

 

 

 

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

Cohen,  AMI, All That, Then Some, and a Bag of Chips

Why?  According to Tom Arnold:

 

Inauguration

 

On a scale of 1-10, how screwed is Trump?

 

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A. INDIVIDUAL-1

 

TRAITOR TOTS

Zinke Quits

 

Acosta

 

 

FIGHTING BACK

 

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

 

KHASHOGGI & SAUDI ARABIA

 

SCOTUS & COURTS

Reed O’Connor, the judge who just ruled against the ACA, has a long history of ruling against anything with the words Obama attached to it He ruled against the interpretation of Title IX that allowed transgender students to use the bathroom of the sex they identified as (Thread)

(2) In 2016 he issued an injunction against Obamacare because he said gender inclusion guidance within the law violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Just 2 months ago, O’Connor ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act was unconstitutional.

(3) When the right moans about activist judges, just remember there is definitely a “both sides” to this issue. Conservative judges like O’Connor ignore the law of the land and legislate from the bench. And their decision create chaos and undermine equality in this country.

 

 

#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS

 

IMMIGRATION

 

COLD WAR 2.0

 

#NEVERAGAIN

Every year, I reject this cynical, hopeless, inaccurate tweet. So much has happened since .

.@MomsDemandwas formed the day after and we’ve helped pass background checks in eight states, bringing the total to 20. Over 50% of Americans now live in states requiring a background check on every gun sale.

We’ve also worked hard to pass laws in 28 states – red and blue – that keep guns away from domestic abusers. Just a couple of months ago, we passed one in Pennsylvania. We won’t rest until every state protects women and children – the main victims – from domestic gun violence.

We’ve passed bills to strengthen our background check system, gun owner training requirements, Red Flag Laws, bump stock prohibitions, safe gun storage requirements, and on and on.

In fact, 2018 was our strongest year yet: we helped pass stronger gun laws in 20 states – nine of which were signed into law by Republican governors.

And don’t forget defense. We’ve killed killed thousands of @NRA-supported bills to force guns on campus and in K-12 schools, to expand Stand Your Ground, and to dismantle permitting systems. @MomsDemandhas a 90% track record each year of beating back bad bills across the US.

Not to mention the fact that we’ve prevented the @NRAfrom passing their two priority pieces of federal legislation since 2016: concealed carry reciprocity and deregulating silencers. Despite the fact that there was a Republican President and Congress.

And we’re changing our culture by working with companies like Trader Joes, Target, Starbucks, Dicks, Walmart and Chipotle to have reasonable gun policies. This year, @TOMSjoined the movement and is already helping to grow support for gun safety.

We’re also teaching Americans about responsible gun storage to help protect children from unintentional shootings and gun suicide through http://besmartforkids.org . We’ve given thousands of presentations and partnered with the PTA and other organizations. #BeSmart

Six years ago, after the horrific, senseless, preventable shooting at #SandyHook, @MomsDemandbegan fiercely and fearlessly taking on the most powerful lobby this nation has ever seen – and we are winning. We have become the David to the @NRA’s Goliath.

That work is paying off. In the midterms, 3,000 Democrat and Republican candidates wanted our gun sense distinction. Of the 196 candidates @everytownendorsed, 150 won. And we didn’t just outspend the @NRA, our hundreds of thousands of volunteers outmaneuvered them on the ground.

Nearly 100 Americans are shot and killed every day, and hundreds more are injured. This is a crisis no other developed nation faces. Stopping gun violence in our urban centers and in rural outposts, and everywhere in between, has become @MomsDemand‘s mission.

From suicides to domestic gun violence to police shootings to shootings motivated by hate – it is all gun violence and we can make it stop. Mothers won’t allow the senseless deaths of Americans – including the 26 educators and elementary students at #SandyHook– to be in vain.

@MomsDemand, the grassroots arms of @Everytown, is fiercely and fearlessly taking on the most powerful lobby this nation has ever seen – and we are winning. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s not true. Be angry, but stay hopeful.#SandyHook

 

FIXING THE INTERNET

 

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

 

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

 

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

 

STUDENT ISSUES

 

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

 

PRIESTS & RELIGION

 

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

 

CONGRESS

 

ELECTIONS

 

Wisconsin

 

Florida

 

THINKING AHEAD

 

RUMOR MILL

 

That’s it for the last few days.  This weekend was busy, and will be so throughout the holidays.  I might take a couple days off as we approach the New Year.

Monday will bring some more indictments on the eve of Flynn’s sentencing, as well as the list of the 17 known investigations into TrumpWorld.  17.

 

Thank you, and have a good one.

 

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Published by noneofthisisnormal

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