2018

Friday. that means it’s time for a news dump.

RUSSIA ATTEMPTED TO HACK SENATE EMAIL ACCOUNTS

According to forensics, it was Fancy Bear. They’re the same hacking group that was behind the DNC, Olympic, and Climate Change hacks over the last few years. They also operate under the name APT28, and are state-sponsored Russian hackers.

Russia targeted specific Senators and their staffs, mostly Democrats and Republican critics of Putin and Trump, such as John McCain.

In a crazy ass day, the fact that the Russians attempted to hack several Senators should be the biggest story of the month. This could be interpreted as an Act of War. If a team of Russian Special Ops soldiers were caught breaking into Capitol Hill offices, the bombers would be on standby and ships would be sailing toward Russia right now.

TRUMP LAWYER COHEN PAID PORN STAR STORMY DANIELS $130,000 WEEKS BEFORE 2016 ELECTION

Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, was paid $130,000 a few weeks before the election. Payment was made to her by Michael Cohen, the same Cooley Law School graduate that doesn’t understand how discovery works and recently sued BuzzFeed for defamation of character and libel.

According to the story, Stormy had a sexual encounter with him in 2006, while Melania was pregnant with his son Barron. Stormy was about to go public right before the election, but decided not to at the last minute. Two ABC reporters confirmed with producers on Good Morning America that they were working on validating her story for an on-air interview right before the election when she pulled out at the last minute.

If Trump moving on porn stars sounds familiar, it is. Jessica Drake claimed that Trump kissed her without his permission and offered her $10,000 for sex, while Karen McDougal sold her story to the National Enquirer for $150,000. They never ran the story.

BANNON IN FIRE AND FURY: KASOWITZ MUST HAVE TAKEN CARE OF A HUNDRED WOMEN

In the book Fire and Fury, Steve Bannon made a comment about how Trump’s lawyer Mark Kasowitz joined the campaign and used to “handle” the women. In light of Combover Caligula’s latest escapades, this handling takes on a whole new meaning.

BUZZFEED: SUSPICIOUS TRUMP CONDO SALES TOTAL $1.5 BILLION

This should be a hell of a lot bigger than it is.

Trump condo sales that match Treasury’s characteristics of possible money laundering totaled $1.5 billion, BuzzFeed News calculated. They accounted for 21% of the 6,400 Trump condos sold in the US. Those figures include condos that Trump developed as well as condos that others developed in his name under licensing deals that pay Trump a fee or a percentage of sales.

JFC, $1.5 BILLION!

Oh, it’s gets crazier…

The surge was driven by the opening of 11 Trump condo buildings between 2008 and 2010 as Trump shifted his real-estate business from developing high-rises to licensing them. Nine were Trump-licensed, and they drew hundreds of shell companies that paid an average of $1.2 million in cash for a condo. In six of the licensed buildings, cash-paying shell companies bought at least a third of the condos, records show.

Look at that date. 2008 to 2010, right smack dab in the middle of the bursting housing market crash. Property values were dropping like a rock, people were losing homes left and right, yet 1/3rd of his properties were bought by shell companies for at or above market value.

The investigation identified 1,326 all-cash sales – some involving more than one condo unit – to shell companies.

All pretense of “benefit of the doubt” is gone. 1,326 all-cash sales to shell companies.

Yes, there are legitimate reasons why one would use a shell company to purchase property, like a celebrity trying to avoid stalkers, but these types of sales are rare. The fact that so many of them flocked to his properties, and that they executed such sales, screams of being complicit in large scale money laundering.

ERIC TRUMP CHARITY OVERPAID TRUMP ORGANIZATION MULTIPLE TIMES

Here’s the parts that really stood out:

Donald Trump insisted that Eric pay for services and grounds at Trump resorts, even though they could have used them for free, or at least at a discount. You’d have to be a supreme dick to charge extra to use something for a charity event.

This is not Trump’s charity, but his son Eric’s, Curetivity.

Curetivity paid at or above market prices for using Trump properties. Not a discount or family price, but he was charged MORE than some jerk off the street.

This is eerily reminiscent of similar stories about the Eric Trump Foundation and St. Jude’s, after Donald Sr. got involved with the charity. Before, when Eric. and his friends were running it, their expenses for charities was very low, and they received discounts on the properties. After the Dotard got involved, the fees skyrocketed, and they were taken from the money raised by the charities. These fees were often at or above market price, and the expenses were paid for from the money raised by the charities. Expenses went from about $50,000 to over $250,000. It sounds crazy, but was still just a small amount compared to the $16.3 million they raised for St. Jude’s.

Also, from the article, NYAG Schneiderman is looking into this.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a frequent Trump legal antagonist before and during his presidency, opened a preliminary probe into whether Curetivity was improperly benefitting the Trump family. A Schneiderman spokesperson declined to comment on the foundation’s new tax filing, but said “the investigation is ongoing.”

SENATORS DICK DURBIN, LINDSEY GRAHAM CONFIRM “SHITHOLE COUNTRIES” REMARKS

While it was assumed that Dick Durbin was the one who told the press about Trump’s comments, he removed all doubts after Trump denied that he used the phrase “Shithole Countries.”

Of course, Trump only denied saying it after Fox & Friends said he should “walk it back.”

Other members of the meeting, including Lindsey “Don’t release the pictures of me going down on another man” Graham admitted Trump said it. Repeatedly.

The African Union is demanding an apology for Trump’s comments. Meanwhile, two other Senators pull the “I don’t recall” card.

This is the world we’re in right now. Remember, this too shall pass.

TRUMP CANCELS LONDON EMBASSY VISIT, TRIP TO BRITAIN

Trump said … fuck what he said, he was lying anyway. He was looking at the biggest protests in British history. Hitler is more popular in England than Trump.

According to Louise Mensch, who is far more credible than the Dotard, Trump was offended that he was given an unvitation to Prince Harry’s wedding.

The Royal Family hates Trump for many reasons, including the time Trump claimed he would have banged Diana, but would make her take an AIDS test first since she worked with so many orphans.

I shit you not.

Anyway, because he’s the President, he was invited, but he was told that he would have to sit in the back. The far back. Like, might as well be in the next building over.

President Obama, on the other hand, would be seated up front, in the friends and family section. Barrack missed William’s wedding, he was busy that weekend.

TRUMP MEDICAL EXAM SCHEDULED FOR TODAY, RESULTS EXPECTED TUESDAY JANUARY 16

Let’s see how “healthy” he is. Considering his listed weight of 267 pounds at 6’4″ puts him at a BMI of 32.5, which is technically Class 1 Obese, doesn’t exercise, eats tons of fast food, and has reportedly ballooned to 345, if his report comes back as anything other than “a heart attack waiting to happen”, I would seriously question the doctor and their findings.

That, or they’re hoping he’ll eat himself to death, and telling him the truth might get him to change his ways.

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL IN DC HAS PROPERTY/POSSESSION TAX REDUCED ON APPEAL

This isn’t nearly as nefarious as it sounds, but the Trump Hotel in DC, the old Post Office building, successfully challenged to get their Possessory Tax Bill decreased by claiming that the property wasn’t worth $150 million, but just $110 million due to lower profits in 2016 and a delayed launch. The city agreed that it wasn’t worth the original amount, and agreed to the new value.

What’s interesting is that $110 million isn’t far off from the value of the building when it stood empty for years.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO PANAMA RESIGNS IN PROTEST TO TRUMP

He can longer represent Trump and follow his conscience at the same time. If only some other people could do the same.

That’s it for today. I’m not sure what I want to write about this weekend. I had some ideas on Wednesday, but I forget what I wanted to do already. I might do something a little light hearted, like a collection of nicknames for Trump and the Crew. That, or play “Guess the Mole.” Maybe I’ll make a Casting Guide for the inevitable movies and TV series that will come from this whole shitstorm. The weather is supposed to get crazy in my neck of the woods this weekend, so who knows what will happen.

By the way, if you like Science Fiction books, check out Artemis by Andy Weir. I just finished the Audible version today, and it was one hell of a good book.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

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