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

Daily Check-In 01/05/2018

It’s Friday. Looks like the holiday break is over, and we’re back to the “Jesus Christ on a Cracker, what now?” mentality.

NEW YORK TIMES DROPS BOMBSHELL ABOUT MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO OBSTRUCT JUSTICE AND INTERFERE IN RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

There’s a crap ton in here. Let me list a couple bullet points.

Trump had Don McGahn lobby Jeff Sessions to keep from recusing himself from Russia.
A staffer for Sessions approached a member of Congress looking for dirt on James Comey
Sessions asked for a friendly media source to release one negative news story a day to discredit Comey
Trump lost his shit when Sessions recused himself
Reince Preibus took notes on this
A White House Staff Attorney told Trump he couldn’t fire the FBI Director without reason, in an effort to keep Trump from doing something monumentally stupid
Rod Rosenstein made a copy of the original Comey firing letter
He gave that letter to Robert Mueller
James Comey gave his memos to Mueller
Mueller likely has Reince’s notes, and has had this information for a long time.

REPUBLICANS BLOCKING INVESTIGATIONS FOR TRUMP

Senators Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham recommended to the DOJ to investigate Christopher Steele.

Paul Ryan backs Devin Nunes in his attempts to impede the investigation.

These are not the actions of innocent men, but complicit parties in a crime.

“FIRE AND FURY” BOOK BLOWS UP

The book was released today, 4 days early. After Trump’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the author and publisher. It is selling out across the country.

When I convert this blog to a book, I want Trump to attack me. It’s like the Oprah book club stamp, but relevant.

MASS EXODUS IN WASHINGTON BEGINS

Several people announced that they’re leaving their government positions.

Traditionally, there are a few departures after the first year. Some people get in to politics, see it isn’t for them, and cash out with a high paying job.

But not like this. This is a flood of people noping the fuck out and running out the door.

Expect more of them to run after the one year mark.

The one that makes me raise my eyebrow like Spock is Mike Pence’s Chief Counselor. It’s pretty unusual for a lawyer to quit on the eve of the biggest case of his life.

PARSCALE: NO ONE DID ANYTHING WITH JARED KUSHNER OR ERIC TRUMP’S APPROVAL

Natasha Bertrand from Business Insider reports that Brad Parscale, the head of the Trump Campaign’s digital operations, threw Kushner and the Trump son that looks like he sniffed too much glue approved all of the decisions made in the election.

I haven’t seen someone thrown under the bus like this since the Mad Max movies.

KUSHNER DIRECTED FLYNN TO LOBBY FOREIGN OFFICIALS ABOUT U.N. VOTE

Speaking of the son-in-law…

I noticed a pattern with a lot of today’s news. They continue to bury Kushner, Trump, and Preibus, but not Bannon.

I wonder why that is?

FROM THE RUMOR MILL: BANNON FLIP?

Here’s a weird one from the Rumor Mill. According to multiple members, including Louise and Countercheckist, Steve Bannon has flipped on Trump.

This is a recent development, as it was reported a few months back that Steve was looking at espionage charges. In the United States, espionage carries a default punishment of the death penalty.

To be honest, I’m torn at this news.

On one hand, I was looking forward to Steve Bannon getting the fate that a traitor to the Republic deserves. He engaged in spreading Russian propaganda, inciting racists and fascists, and actively tried to harm the country and its people.

On the other hand, he was a witness to countless crimes committed by Trump, Sessions, Kushner, Pence, Preibus, and others. He puts Trump in the room with the Comey firing, and connects the Mercer family, Cambridge Analytica, and the Transition Team.

Speaking of the Mercer family, supposedly Rebekah Mercer cut off Steve Bannon. They were rumored to be dating, but that is over.

Now that I’ve scarred everyone with the image of someone voluntarily wanting to fuck Steve Bannon, here’s a picture of a cat staring at another cat.

Special Prosecutor Oscar Torretto keeps an eye on Osi.

Steve is saving his own ass, and likely handed information over to Mueller a long time back. He’s been leaking like a prostate cancer survivor to the press since Trump took office, so it makes sense that someone who thinks they’re the smartest person in the room with a chip on their shoulder would go after his new enemies.

That’s why it strikes me that Trump going after Bannon is the stupidest thing he’s done in at least 20 minutes.

Look at the stories released today and yesterday. Large scoops, all hurting Trump but not Steve.

I’m not saying he was the source on all of it. I’m implying that he was A source, but not THE source.

That’s it for today. At least, that’s what I’m going to write about. I’m still getting back into the swing of things. I want to cover what I missed while sick this weekend.

I’m wrapping this up, battery is low.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur