Friday Trump Dump

[thelurkylulu]

I feel so dumb sometimes when I read these threads. I try to stay up to date and check daily, but I feel like I have no idea what they're actually in trouble for. Is there an article that does a good job of dumbing down all the crimes these people possibly committed? Also, I am asking for an article to dumb down Trump crimes which makes me feel like even more of a moron. lol

[pitta12]

Dec 8, 2017 11:51:14 GMT -5 thelurkylulu said:

I feel so dumb sometimes when I read these threads. I try to stay up to date and check daily, but I feel like I have no idea what they're actually in trouble for. Is there an article that does a good job of dumbing down all the crimes these people possibly committed? Also, I am asking for an article to dumb down Trump crimes which makes me feel like even more of a moron. lol

I posted this in yesterday's thread but Eric Swalwell put out some video explainers.  I have only watched the first one but it was really good.

swalwell.house.gov/russia

[hocus2]

Dec 8, 2017 11:51:14 GMT -5 thelurkylulu said:

I feel so dumb sometimes when I read these threads. I try to stay up to date and check daily, but I feel like I have no idea what they're actually in trouble for. Is there an article that does a good job of dumbing down all the crimes these people possibly committed? Also, I am asking for an article to dumb down Trump crimes which makes me feel like even more of a moron. lol

   
   You have to separate out the campaign, Trump and Trump associates/friends. 


  1. Campaign: There appears to have been an improper relationship with Russia. For example they may have violated campaign finance  law by accepting something of value from a foreign government. Even if they didn't break laws it is highly problematic for one politically party to use a foreign government to help sway an election.  

 2. Trump: So far the only thing that seems to plausibly illegal that I've seen tied to him is his obstruction of justice. Even if there wasn't a crime committed by Flynn or the Campaign Trump has done a lot to stop or hinder investigations regarding Flynn and/or the campaign. Trump doesn't really use email which is probably why there isn't much else connecting the dots to him. ETA: this is specific to this campaign and presidencies. He is believed to have possibly committed financial crimes related to this businesses prior to this political turn.

3. Trump associates: Several people who worked for the campaign, the WH or are close to Trump have either lied to the FBI which is illegal even if the act you lied about is legal. You have other bureaucratic issues like failure to disclose Russian contacts on security clearances (this impacts Sessions, Kushner). You had Manfort who was engaging in criminal acts before and possibly during the time he work for Trump that aren't specifically related to Trump and Trump may have been unaware of. Flynn is just generally a problematic person -- he seems to have several stupid things like being on the payroll of the Turkish government while being on the transition team. 

You just have regular corruption shady stuff that isn't specific to Russian stuff. Things like cabinet members taking military jets when they shouldn't. Hatch act violations. Possible quid pro quo from Trump to help Trump business abroad. 

[thelurkylulu]

Dec 8, 2017 12:36:51 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Dec 8, 2017 11:51:14 GMT -5 thelurkylulu said:

I feel so dumb sometimes when I read these threads. I try to stay up to date and check daily, but I feel like I have no idea what they're actually in trouble for. Is there an article that does a good job of dumbing down all the crimes these people possibly committed? Also, I am asking for an article to dumb down Trump crimes which makes me feel like even more of a moron. lol

   
   You have to separate out the campaign, Trump and Trump associates/friends. 


  1. Campaign: There appears to have been an improper relationship with Russia. For example they may have violated campaign finance  law by accepting something of value from a foreign government. Even if they didn't break laws it is highly problematic for one politically party to use a foreign government to help sway an election.  

 2. Trump: So far the only thing that seems to plausibly illegal that I've seen tied to him is his obstruction of justice. Even if there wasn't a crime committed by Flynn or the Campaign Trump has done a lot to stop or hinder investigations regarding Flynn and/or the campaign. Trump doesn't really use email which is probably why there isn't much else connecting the dots to him. ETA: this is specific to this campaign and presidencies. He is believed to have possibly committed financial crimes related to this businesses prior to this political turn.

3. Trump associates: Several people who worked for the campaign, the WH or are close to Trump have either lied to the FBI which is illegal even if the act you lied about is legal. You have other bureaucratic issues like failure to disclose Russian contacts on security clearances (this impacts Sessions, Kushner). You had Manfort who was engaging in criminal acts before and possibly during the time he work for Trump that aren't specifically related to Trump and Trump may have been unaware of. Flynn is just generally a problematic person -- he seems to have several stupid things like being on the payroll of the Turkish government while being on the transition team. 

You just have regular corruption shady stuff that isn't specific to Russian stuff. Things like cabinet members taking military jets when they shouldn't. Hatch act violations. Possible quid pro quo from Trump to help Trump business abroad. 

Thank you.

[iamlaila]

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

[WanderingWinoZ]

Dec 8, 2017 12:42:54 GMT -5 iamlaila said:

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

Maybe Mueller will go after him.

He was just cleared by the house yesterday www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/nunes-cleared-accusations-he-disclosed-secrets-related-russia-investigation-n827646 

[mbcdefg]

Dec 8, 2017 12:42:54 GMT -5 iamlaila said:

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

I'm seriously waiting for Sarah H. Sanders to come out and say, "No no no, he just thought it was a breakfast that was serving turkey sausages."

[WanderingWinoZ]

Dec 8, 2017 12:36:51 GMT -5 hocus2 said:

Dec 8, 2017 11:51:14 GMT -5 thelurkylulu said:

I feel so dumb sometimes when I read these threads. I try to stay up to date and check daily, but I feel like I have no idea what they're actually in trouble for. Is there an article that does a good job of dumbing down all the crimes these people possibly committed? Also, I am asking for an article to dumb down Trump crimes which makes me feel like even more of a moron. lol

   
   You have to separate out the campaign, Trump and Trump associates/friends. 


  1. Campaign: There appears to have been an improper relationship with Russia. For example they may have violated campaign finance  law by accepting something of value from a foreign government. Even if they didn't break laws it is highly problematic for one politically party to use a foreign government to help sway an election.  

 2. Trump: So far the only thing that seems to plausibly illegal that I've seen tied to him is his obstruction of justice. Even if there wasn't a crime committed by Flynn or the Campaign Trump has done a lot to stop or hinder investigations regarding Flynn and/or the campaign. Trump doesn't really use email which is probably why there isn't much else connecting the dots to him. ETA: this is specific to this campaign and presidencies. He is believed to have possibly committed financial crimes related to this businesses prior to this political turn.

3. Trump associates: Several people who worked for the campaign, the WH or are close to Trump have either lied to the FBI which is illegal even if the act you lied about is legal. You have other bureaucratic issues like failure to disclose Russian contacts on security clearances (this impacts Sessions, Kushner). You had Manfort who was engaging in criminal acts before and possibly during the time he work for Trump that aren't specifically related to Trump and Trump may have been unaware of. Flynn is just generally a problematic person -- he seems to have several stupid things like being on the payroll of the Turkish government while being on the transition team. 

You just have regular corruption shady stuff that isn't specific to Russian stuff. Things like cabinet members taking military jets when they shouldn't. Hatch act violations. Possible quid pro quo from Trump to help Trump business abroad. 

that's a good summary, but I'm also wiling to bet there is some really shady $$ stuff going on with trump, his family, his associates, his businesses. They are probably laundering money. He won't release his tax returns, the Rosneft sale (russian oil/gas entity), the $285M kushner loan from Deutsche bank right before election day, the Cypress bank connections, etc.


www.washingtonpost.com/national/kushner-firms-285-million-deutsche-bank-loan-came-just-before-election-day/2017/06/25/984f3acc-4f88-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html

[picksthemusic]

Dec 8, 2017 10:10:29 GMT -5 miniroller said:

A friend just sent this to bring a Friday smile; it only kinda worked:

There are not enough barf/gag gifs for this. Not. Enough.

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Dec 8, 2017 12:53:48 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I'm seriously waiting for Sarah H. Sanders to come out and say, "No no no, he just thought it was a breakfast that was serving turkey sausages."

Someone on my Facebook shared a Gin and Tacos post that said "Sarah Huckabee Sanders is like if the Chocolate Wonderfall at Golden Corral and a pair of slacks from the Kohl's clearance rack became a person," and I'm still giggling about it a full day later. 

[ESF]

Dec 8, 2017 12:42:54 GMT -5 iamlaila said:

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

This tweet is a month old. 

I have no doubt Nunes is dirty AF though.

[iamlaila]

Dec 8, 2017 13:04:47 GMT -5 ESF said:

Dec 8, 2017 12:42:54 GMT -5 iamlaila said:

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

This tweet is a month old. 

I have no doubt Nunes is dirty AF though.

Right, but I think in light of the recent news about Flynn and what he did at the inauguration, it merits reconsidering why Nunes was having breakfast with Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

[WanderingWinoZ]

Dec 8, 2017 8:25:33 GMT -5 pitta12 said:

CNN says someone tried to email 45 and Jr with a way to unlock the Wikileaks emails with an encryption key. This whole thing is going to come down to their stupidity in email handling and my head is going to explode, isn’t it?

www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/email-effort-give-trump-campaign-wikileaks-documents/index.html

Here is some analysis/commentary, and help me tie into bigger picture .

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/this-sounds-very-big-to-me

[bowies]

This Nunes story is only a day or two old.

Nunes discussed Erik Prince’s Intel Committee testimony with him despite recusal.

[pitta12]

Dec 8, 2017 13:11:56 GMT -5 WanderingWinoZ said:

Dec 8, 2017 8:25:33 GMT -5 pitta12 said:

CNN says someone tried to email 45 and Jr with a way to unlock the Wikileaks emails with an encryption key. This whole thing is going to come down to their stupidity in email handling and my head is going to explode, isn’t it?

www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/email-effort-give-trump-campaign-wikileaks-documents/index.html

Here is some analysis/commentary, and help me tie into bigger picture .

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/this-sounds-very-big-to-me

WaPo is saying that the email just pointed to documents that were already released by Wikileaks, so perhaps NBD.  I still don't get why they would need a decryption key for info that was public, though.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/email-offering-trump-campaign-wikileaks-documents-referred-to-information-already-public/2017/12/08/61dc2356-dc37-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.af7b19ed06d8

[mbcdefg]

Dina Powell, deputy national security adviser, to depart Trump White House

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dina-powell-deputy-national-security-adviser-to-depart-trump-white-house/2017/12/08/85d8c9ea-dc31-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html?utm_term=.05ac2fa74ade

Deputy national security adviser Dina Powell, a driving force behind the Trump administration’s Middle East policy, plans to leave the White House as part of an anticipated wave of departures following President Trump’s first year in office, according to four senior administration officials.

Unlike some top White House officials who were fired or resigned amid controversy earlier this year, Powell is exiting on good terms with the president, the officials said. She and Trump have discussed her departure and are working on an arrangement for Powell to continue advising the administration on Middle East policy from outside the government, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Powell’s departure has not yet been publicly announced.

Powell committed to serving in her national security job for a full year and her decision to leave is her own, the officials said. She plans to move home early next year to New York, where her family lives.

[iamlaila]

In thinking about some of the above posts re the Trump team, I believe they knew their actions are/were illegal (since they did take some effort to conceal their behavior). I don't think they are stupid; I actually think they are used to breaking the law and facing no--or little--consequences. Some examples include Ivanka/Jr. buying their way out of fraud charges through an attorney contributing $$ to the Manhattan DA, Trump not facing charges for scamming people with Trump University (by contributing $$ to Bondi in FL and Abbott in TX, e.g.), Trump assaulting many women, etc.

I think they thought if they organized the government in such a way to put key actors in key positions (like Sessions as AG, Nunes as chair of House panel in charge of investigating, Flynn as NSA director, etc.), then they could obstruct justice (i.e., keep their crimes from coming out into the open). Of course, that is why Trump was so angry with Session when he recused himself and tried to make his life miserable. It also is why he tried to make Comey agree to take a loyalty pledge and fired him when he refused to agree to loyalty to him and not to drop investigation into Flynn. Oh, and also why Sally Yates had to go....

[mbcdefg]

So CNN misreported the date of the Wikileaks email that @donaldjtrumpjr received, meaning that the entire point of the story -- that the campaign might have gotten advance warning of the leaks -- is wrong. Wow.

Email pointed Trump campaign to WikiLeaks documents that were already public


www.washingtonpost.com/politics/email-offering-trump-campaign-wikileaks-documents-referred-to-information-already-public/2017/12/08/61dc2356-dc37-11e7-a841-2066faf731ef_story.html?utm_term=.44fdff8158e4

[smock]

That makes me think the encryption key was actually a backdoor hack into their emails. Someone ask Barron, he's good at cyber!

[nannerl]

Dec 8, 2017 10:18:50 GMT -5 bernsteincat said:

Dec 8, 2017 8:04:57 GMT -5 pitta12 said:

George Papadopoulos’s fiancée did an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos to let us all know how he was very important and not a coffee boy, he had a lot of contact with high level campaign folks like Bannon and Flynn, he is on the right side of history now, and will be recognized as “the first domino to fall.”

abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-papadopoulos-fiancee-patriot-trump-campaign-coffee-boy/story?id=51654250

I know this is in the Trump dump thread, too, but I enjoy seeing George Papadopoulos and George Stephanopoulos written that close together. That’s fun to say.

George Stephandopopopoulos?

[elleblue]

😂

Nah. No slurring there. We are proud citizens of the Unannah Shoosh, the greatest nation on the planet.

[WanderingWinoZ]

"Sheriff Joe Arpaio Not Interested in Trent Franks' Seat-but 'Seriously, Seriously, Seriously' Considering the U.S. Senate," thebea.st/2j9V538

[ESF]

Dec 8, 2017 14:36:16 GMT -5 @stilljustash said:

i refuse to continue the narrative that these rich, white men are just too gee golly dumb to have any idea that their actions were illegal. no.

i think they are privileged little shits who truly think they can get away with anything because, up until this point, they always have. but this dumbing down of white male criminals has to stop.

they knew.

I think they knew and I also think they are dumb AF. It's like that twitter observation that we've seen tossed around here, the one about how you've got 17 of the best prosecutors versus the guys who tried to collude with Russia on Facebook.  They absolutely knew that it was wrong to be creeping around Wikileaks and the Russians. If they thought it was OK, they would have bragged about it. They definitely were doing that because they had a sense of invincibility and a feeling of being above the law that comes with privilege.   

But they were too stupid to see they were getting played by the Russians. Real criminal masterminds who see you as a partner in their scheme and not a pawn are not sending you Facebook IMs.

[pitta12]

NBC news tweet -- aka Manafort is screwed bigly:

JUST IN: Fed prosecutors say that by Monday they expect to have shared with attorneys for Manafort and Gates the following items, per court filing:

• 400,000 e-mails, financial/corporate records
• 2,000 "hot" documents
• 36 electronic devices collected
• 15 search warrants

[carmenere]

Dec 8, 2017 12:53:48 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Dec 8, 2017 12:42:54 GMT -5 iamlaila said:

Tweet: BI: House Intel Chair Devin Nunes attended a breakfast with Michael Flynn and Turkey's foreign minister just before the inauguration.

www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey-russia-2017-11

I bet Nunes is connected to the Middle East/nuclear stuff.  I wonder if he's next to go down.

I'm seriously waiting for Sarah H. Sanders to come out and say, "No no no, he just thought it was a breakfast that was serving turkey sausages."

Kellyanne would be the one to say that

[bowies]

Of course they knew. The FEC told them to cut it out sometime in the spring of 2016. See my post on page 1.

[ESF]

Dec 8, 2017 15:57:00 GMT -5 pitta12 said:

NBC news tweet -- aka Manafort is screwed bigly:

JUST IN: Fed prosecutors say that by Monday they expect to have shared with attorneys for Manafort and Gates the following items, per court filing:

• 400,000 e-mails, financial/corporate records
• 2,000 "hot" documents
• 36 electronic devices collected
• 15 search warrants

Holy shit.

I don't do white collar crime, but 2,000 hot docs seems to me to be an insane amount. Smart criminals ordinarily just don't put that much stuff in writing or leave that much of a paper trail behind them.  Mueller must be sitting on a gold mine.

[aurora]

So... what is a "hot doc"?

[mbcdefg]

Hope Hicks has been interviews by the FBI for the last two days

[sparrowsong]

Dec 8, 2017 16:46:00 GMT -5 aurora said:

So... what is a "hot doc"?

Clooney on ER.

Hehheh😜