2018

BANNON LAWYERS UP

Steve Bannon has finally hired a lawyer.

Interesting points.

He hired the same lawyer that Don McGahn and Reince Preibus hired.

He’s doing this for an interview with the House Intelligence Committee.

DEMOCRATS SEND LETTER TO PAUL RYAN DEMANDING ACTION IN RUSSIA INVESTIGATION

For the third day in a row, Congressional Democrats have called out Republicans for covering up for Trump and Russia.

This has been a change of messaging for them. They’ve gone from trying to work with the Obstructionist Republicans to calling them out.

Either the Republicans will continue to obstruct the investigations, or they will help. I’ll put my money on the latter.

They are complicit.

TRUMP IS A RACIST, PART 687: CALLS AFRICAN COUNTRIES “SHITHOLE” COUNTRIES, PINES FOR MORE NORWEGIAN IMMIGRANTS

This seems like distraction, but could have a large impact.

Every legal decision involving minorities, from immigration to health care to the tax bill, will be investigated and challenged in court.

By the way, according to Manu Raju, Trump said this while he was recording his MLK Jr message.

I shit you not.

TRUMP ACCUSED FBI AGENT OF TREASON FOR CRITICIZING HIM IN TEXTS

Thanks for bringing the T word into the conversation, Dotard.

I don’t use the T word that often, simply because the Definition of Treason per the United States has a very narrow scope. Providing aid and comfort to a hostile enemy in a time war.

Criticizing an idiot for being an idiot isn’t treason. Conspiring with Russia to steal the election is treason.

SPEED ROUND!

GOP EXODUS EXPANDS TO 31

MALTA SELLS PASSPORTS TO WEALTHY RUSSIANS

RUMOR MILL: LINDSEY GRAHAM UPDATE

Below are some screenshots from Claude about Lindsey Graham. There have been rumors around for a while that he’s secretly gay, and the recent scuttlebutt is that Trump confronted him with Kompromat while they were golfing.

Again, this is just a rumor, take it with a grain of salt.

But Senator, it’s 2018. It’s okay if you like the cock. Out of all the things your mouth can do, giving a blowjob is a hell of a lot less disgusting than supporting Donald Trump.

Sucking a dick is orders of magnitude better than giving lip service to a racist traitor.

Then again, he could be getting blackmailed for his connections to Chris Ferry, who used to work for Paul Manafort, and was on Lindsey’s campaign.

I’m hopeful that we’ve progressed to the point that a secretly gay man can get blackmailed for reasons that don’t involve being gay.

That’s progress.

I’m going to leave it at that. I think the rule is three gay jokes are okay before it gets unacceptable. More than that, it’s offensive and insensitive.

That’s it for today.

Thank you, and have a good one.

Daily Check-In 01/10/2018

CYBERCRIME EXPERT PROSECUTOR RYAN DICKEY ADDED TO TEAM MUELLER

Let’s welcome the newest member of the Justice League.

Ryan K. Dickey is a United States Attorney who specializes in cyber crimes. He was the prosecutor who convicted the original Guccifer, and is the man behind the shutdown of MegaUpload. He is one of the best attorneys in the world for prosecuting computer crimes.

And he joined Team Mueller back in November.

There’s a few takeaways on this story.

First, there were a spate of stories in early November about Cambridge Analytica, the Mercer family, and Wikileaks. Remember how those weird stories about Donnie Jr getting DM’ed by Julian Assange broke around then? They make a lot more sense now, considering that a new lawyer joined the team.

Second, Mueller’s team is tighter than an airlock. It took two months to confirm that this dude even works there.

Finally, this isn’t just about Obstruction of Justice. You don’t need a cybercrime expert to look into a firing memo, or if a press statement lying about a meeting is legal. This man has a particular set of skills. Sure, he can do that job, but he’s an expert in explaining how computers work to a jury. He can tell them how IP addresses work, how data can be traced from one system to another, and how sharing stolen passwords is a bad thing.

You don’t hire seventeen prosecutors with precise specialties just for Obstruction of Justice. This is about a lot more.

SENATOR CARDIN RELEASED REPORT ON RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE FROM OVER TWENTY YEARS

Ben Cardin of Maryland released this report today.

This is a damning report, and his recommendations don’t pull any punches. He’s proposing that NATO expand Article Five mutual protection to include cyber war.

Damn. We’re done fucking around.

FBI ANNOUNCED TASK FORCE TO EXPOSE RUSSIAN SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY

The FBI is taking Russian Activity very seriously.

I’m interested in seeing what happens the first time the FBI identifies Russian propaganda.

GOP REPRESENTATIVE ISSA TO RETIRE

The GOP Exodus continues.

We’re around two dozen GOP incumbents retiring. That is insane. Almost ten percent. What makes it even more interesting is that a two dozen seat margin is how many seats the Democrats would need to win to a majority in the House.

TRUMP ADMIN WAIVES PUNISHMENT ON BANKS INCLUDING DEUTCHE BANK, TO WHOM HE OWES MILLIONS

Trump waived a fine against a bank that he owes over $130 million. If this isn’t a conflict of interest, than I’m not a balding white guy.

TRUMP PROPERTY SALES WITH LLC’S ACCOUNT FOR SEVENTY PERCENT OF SALES SINCE ELECTION

Nothing like a little Quid Pro Quo to lighten the mood.

What makes this disgusting, aside from using property purchases to gain political favors, is the new tax bill includes a tax break on selling real estate to an LLC.

SPEED ROUND!

VOX: The Strong Case of Obstruction

WaPo Opinion: Foreign Spies Likely Targeting Fox News

That’s it for today. When I started this article, I was watching one of my favorite television episodes of all time. “The Drumhead” from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Watch it if possible. It’s about an act of sabotage on the Enterprise which then leads to a special investigation and catching a spy. You’d think that would be the end of it, but then they get whipped up into a jingoistic fervor looking for enemies of the state. They find one, an innocent man whose only crime was having a grandfather that belonged to an enemy state. Captain Picard sees what’s happening and what they are becoming…a paranoid people taking part in a witch hunt. Speaking out against this crusade put the Captain in the crosshairs of the investigation, which could have cost him everything. He survived the interrogation, and tells Worf that vigilance is the price we have to pay for freedom. Not just vigilance against physical and external threats, but also from those claiming to have our best interests at heart.

I love this episode. Sure, it’s as subtle as a kick to the dick, but it tells us that freedom has a price that we must pay, while at the same time reminding us that it’s far too easy to get swept up in the hunt for traitors.

That’s something I have to remind myself of during times like these. It’s easy to see spies and traitors everywhere, but I have to remember that not everyone who’s a dick is committing treason. Some of them are just dicks, some are assholes, and some are just idiots.

But, we must stay vigilant.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Daily Check-In 01/09/2018

SENATOR FEINSTEIN PUBLISHED FUSION GPS TESTIMONY FROM SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

That happened. Holy Shit, she did it. Diane Feinstein gave a giant “Fuck You” to Chuck Grassley and released the transcripts of all 10 hours from Fusion GPS’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

DiFei Released them here on her Senate homepage.

Direct PDF link to the 312 page long transcript.

There is a ton of information in here, so here’s a few bullet points.

Fusion GPS does opposition research during large campaigns, but this isn’t their main business.
They had researched Donald Trump before subcontracting the Russian research to Orbis.
Orbis is Christopher Steele’s company.
He was the head of the Russian desk at MI6.
Fusion GPS had researched Trump’s properties, taxes, and contacts with unions, the Mafia, and several foreign connections that were shady AF.
The basic research into Trump pointed to a ton of financial crimes, including tax fraud and money laundering.
Trump isn’t worth near a billion dollars, let alone the 10, 12, 13, or 15 billion he regularly claims.
Chris Steele and Glenn Simpson debated about taking this to the FBI.
Chris saw some shit that made him think that Trump was being blackmailed by the Russians.
Several subcontractors were hired, each with different areas of focus, like Latin America, China, Africa, etc.
They were originally looking into sweatshops in Nicaragua that were making Trump campaign gear like the Red MAGA hats.
Steele was freaked out by the partisanship and Pro-Trump bias of the FBI New York Office.
When they went to the FBI in the summer, the Feds freaked out. Not because Chris brought them new information, but because he had independently confirmed what they already knew.
The FBI had a mole in the campaign.
No sources were paid for their information.
At least one source was murdered.

STEVE BANNON STEPS DOWN FROM BREITBART, FIRED FROM SIRIUS XM

Steve Bannon is losing his bully pulpit.

Following his fallout with Trump and Rebekah Mercer last week, Steve Bannon is on the outside looking in.

I’m not exactly celebrating this move, but I’m cautiously optimistic that this will lead to Bannon leaking like an old Pontiac.

He is a wounded animal, ready to lash out, and the only thing keeping him under control was his company. Now that he doesn’t have it anymore, if he wants to get a story out, he has to talk to other press, which he’s well versed in.

More importantly, if the rumors of Bannon flipping are true, and Mercer found out, cutting him off would make sense.

ARPAIO RUNNING FOR SENATE IN ARIZONA

Fuck Joe Arpaio.

Aside from the fact that he’s a complete waste of skin, thoroughly unqualified, and a convicted felon, he’s 85 years old. He would be 86 by the time he would serve. That’s older than John McCain, Orrin Hatch, and Diane Feinstein.

VESELNITSKAYA SUPPOSEDLY EXCHANGED PLEASANTRIES WITH IVANKA TRUMP

NBC reported this yesterday, but I didn’t include it.

Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer that met with Donnie Jr and crew in Trump Tower in the June 9th meeting claims that she exchanged pleasantries on her way out of the building with a blond woman who bore a striking resemblance to Ivanka Trump.

While Ivanka wasn’t listed as a participant in the meeting, it’s not crazy to think she was in the building.

The Trump team denies everything about this meeting ever occurred, but their credibility is so low that I have to ask who is lying, the people around the President, or the cutouts for a corrupt Russian regime?

FEDERAL COURT STRIKES DOWN NORTH CAROLINA CONGRESSIONAL MAP AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The most gerrymandered map in the country is unconstitutional. This is the second time this decade that the map has been declared illegal.

That’s it for today. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. There’s a lot of chatter in the Rumor Mill about issues with different media outlets, but it’s a bit complicated. For example, the NYT breaks a ton of stories, but they also run stories that are very complimentary of Trump, or attack his opponents like those talking about Russia.

These are very large companies with multiple departments and managers. One group might run a Pro-Trump story one day and another an Anti-Trump story the next.

I’m not sure why the sudden push, but hopefully I can get to the bottom of this. Or, lose interest and say screw it.

Thank you and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Daily Check-In 01/08/2018

It’s Monday. I wonder what happened today?

MUELLER LOOKING TO INTERVIEW TRUMP

This happened back in December, but was just confirmed over the weekend. Mueller met with Trump’s legal team to discuss how they’re going to interview the President. Trump’s lawyers want the Special Counselor to let him write answers down. Mueller wants a full interview, and may subpoena the President to get that.

Trump is fucked if he has to testify. He is a pathological liar. He can’t help but lie. He lies about stupid shit, like the weather and what time it is.

GRASSLEY WILL NOT RELEASE FUSION GPS TRANSCRIPTS

This isn’t much of a surprise, considering his bullshit tactics on Friday with Christopher Steele.

There is a workaround to get the transcript in the open. A Senator can introduce classified information into the public record by reading it on the floor of the Senate. This happened before with the Pentagon Papers back during the Vietnam War.

WHAT HAPPENED TO LINDSEY GRAHAM?

Something happened to Lindsey Graham back in December. He went from being a harsh critic of Trump to actively carrying his water. This all happened after Lindsey played a round of golf with Trump.

Why?

I’ve got two hypotheses.

First, the carrot. Trump’s Cabinet is falling apart, and there are several rumored positions opening up soon. Secretary of State, Interior, EPA, Attorney General, and possibly a few others. Trump gave Graham the wine and dine, and offered him a position if he’d help with the investigation.

Second, the stick. During the golf trip, Trump told Lindsey about what he knew about the investigation, including that Lindsey was implicated by accepting money from Russia, or some other Kompromat. Remember, Lindsey took $800,000 from Russian Americans connected to Putin for his re-election campaign, even though he wasn’t running for Senate in 2016. If Lindsey doesn’t want to go to prison, he’ll stop the investigation.

I think it’s a mix of these two. Lindsey’s former campaign manager, Chris Ferry, worked for Paul Manafort at the Davis Manafort consulting company, and his name is on some deals with Oleg Deripaska and other oligarchs. There is something that scared Lindsey.

I am honestly saddened by Lindsey’s heel turn. Heel turn is a wrestling term for someone becoming a bad guy. He was one of the few Senators who was putting country over party, only to go full Trump. What’s crazier is the timing. Trump is a cancer to anyone seeking re-election, and his popularity is dragging down everything he touches. Everyone he endorsed in November and December lost. Record numbers of Republicans are not running for re-election in 2018. The rays are fleeing the ship. So why join now?

That’s it for today. Things are heating up. The Rumor Mill is abuzz with activity. Each time something big happens, there’s an influx of troll activity. And things have been heating up recently. Combine this with the news of Mueller wanting to talk to Trump, and we’re in for some crazy shit.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur