Trump's Russian Collusion

[dislaxxic]

There is reporting that the Trump DOJ (Barr)

"... revealed that the inspector general for the intelligence community referred the matter to the Justice Department for a possible criminal campaign violation, but DOJ judged it was not a campaign finance violation and took no action.

In a particularly interesting twist, DOJ also put out a statement in which Attorney General Bill Barr denied any involvement in the Ukraine smear campaign. The statement was clearly prepared for release coincident with the call record being released by the White House, since Trump name-checks Barr multiple times in the call, suggesting Barr will have a role to play in the smear campaign."

..

[ggait]

Trump could murder someone on the Capital steps in front of hundreds of people. And if Mitch McConnell is cool with that, Trump wouldn't be impeached.

The better analogy is that Trump continuously asks people to perform the hit. Like any mob boss, Trump would never do it himself. Soliciting a murder is obviously a crime. But since Trump's folks just ignore him, there's never a bloody body (i.e. a "smoking gun"). Since there's no dead body, Mitch is cool with it.

Bottom line -- we can all be thankful that Trump is so lazy and ineffective. It takes too much work to be an effective criminal like Nixon.

[Typical Lax Dad]

That summary/transcript is pretty horrendous. I can only imagine how much worse the tape would sound (if one exists).

Trump is obviously leveraging Zelensky. Out of the blue he inexplicably puts a hold on $400 million shortly before the call. Then on the call Trump says: we do a lot for Ukraine; we do more for you than Europe (false); but Ukraine is not good back to us; Ukraine is not reciprocal; I would like you to do us a favor.

And so what are the favors that Trump wants for the furtherance of important U.S. foreign policy interests?

1. Investigate Crowdstrike (i.e. Hillary, Comey, and the "incompetent performance" of the Mueller investigation). [Conspiracy theory]

2. Investigate Joe Biden's son. [Conspiracy theory]

3. And I want you to work with Barr and Rudy to do that dirty work.

That's it. Those are the ONLY things that Trump asks for. What the heck do those have to do with legit U.S. foreign policy issues? 100% impeachable.

The only good thing for Trump is that, as always, he's too forking lazy and tied up with TV and Twitter to follow through. Which may save his bacon again. We've seen that movie before.

Trump routinely asks his people to go out and shoot someone on 5th Avenue. "Crazy shirt" as Don McGahn put it. But McGahn, Lewandowski and others routinely ignore and disobey Drunk Uncle's orders because they don't want to go to jail. Here, the WH staffers were furiously trying to prevent this call from happening. And then when the call happens, there's no follow up/through.

Barr doesn't go near the two investigations. But he does his standard job by squashing the criminal referral (campaign finance violations again) that the DNI IG made to justice.

Pathetic. Andrew Johnson cheers because there's a new worst president ever to replace him.

Solazzo is running the United States of America.

[ggait]

I'd say an incompetent pretend Don Corleone:

"Someday, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me."

[ggait]

Dead on:

Adam Schiff
‏Verified account @RepAdamSchiff

The transcript of the call reads like a classic mob shakedown:

– We do a lot for Ukraine
– There’s not much reciprocity
– I have a favor to ask
– Investigate my opponent
– My people will be in touch

Nice country you got there.

It would be a shame if something happened to her.

8:03 AM - 25 Sep 2019

[seacoaster]

Frank Bruni of the Times in his Wednesday newsletter:

President Trump deserves to be impeached. But the prospect terrifies me, and it should terrify you, too.

That’s not to say that it’s the wrong move. Arguably, it’s the only move, at least in terms of fidelity to the Constitution and to basic decency. From the moment that Trump stepped into the office of the presidency, he has degraded it — with words that a president has no business speaking (or tweeting); with ceaseless lies; with raging conflicts of interest; with managerial ineptitude; with foreign dealings that compromise America’s values and independence. How can principled lawmakers not tell him, in the most emphatic manner available, that enough is enough?

But there’s no way to say what happens now that a formal impeachment inquiry is being opened. None. You’re going to hear a lot in coming days and weeks about Bill Clinton, but using the example of his impeachment in late 1998 is a bit ridiculous: He was a very different president accused of very different offenses at a very different time. Besides which, political analysts who do cite it don’t agree on the lessons.

Any scenario is possible, including one in which impeachment redounds to Trump’s benefit and increases the chances of his re-election, because he paints himself a martyr, eludes conviction in the Senate, frames that as exoneration and watches his fans mobilize and turn out as never before. And a second Trump term would be disastrous. Morally as well as practically, limiting this unfit, amoral, unsteady man’s time in the presidency takes precedence over any small cluster of sentences written centuries ago.

But while impeachment’s impact on November 2020 would be unknowable, its effect between now and then would be almost certain. A dangerously polarized and often viciously partisan country would grow more so, with people on opposing sides hunkering down deeper in their camps and clinging harder to their chosen narratives as the president — concerned only with himself — ratcheted up his insistence that truth itself was subjective and up for grabs.

That’s not a reason to blink, but it’s a reality to brace for. At a juncture when we so desperately need to rediscover common ground, we’d be widening the fault lines.

Impeachment should terrify you because it would mean a continued, relentless, overwhelming focus on Trump’s lawlessness, antics, fictions and inane tweets. Most of the oxygen in Washington would consumed by the ghastly carnival of this barker, with too little left for the nation’s very real problems and for scrutiny of his substantive inadequacy in addressing them.

Where’s the infrastructure plan that we’re — oh — a quarter-century late in implementing? Where are the fixes to a health care system whose problems go far beyond the tens of millions of Americans still uninsured? What about education? Impeachment would shove all of those issues even further to the margins than they already are. And many Americans’ estrangement from Washington — their cynicism about its ability to improve their lives even a whit — would intensify.

And would impeachment proceedings really force Americans to focus on sins of Trump’s that are being ignored? That’s long been one of Democrats’ arguments for impeachment, but I wonder. There has been such saturation coverage of Trump that many voters may not be able to stomach it any more, and today’s political tribalism doesn’t allow for all that much in the way of epiphanies and transformations. Trump’s true colors were conspicuous from the start. You either saw a perverse rainbow or you stared into darkness.

Meanwhile, Trump. How rattled would he be by drawn-out impeachment proceedings and what would he do? He’s capable of anything. Maybe it’s not just a culture war that he’d whip up. Maybe it’s the real thing.

Certainly he’d toil to persuade Americans of the nefariousness of Democrats, and absolutely his strategy would be to smear the people, the procedures and the institutions arrayed against him as utterly unworthy of trust. If holding on to power meant ruling over rubble, so be it. Trump is beholden only to Trump, and he’d simply declare the rubble gold dust."

[seacoaster]

Just read the transcript released by the WH. Got a question for those of you who read it:

Is this OK? Just yes or no. Then explain.

[a fan]

That's been my favorite part about Trumpland. NO ONE is answering that question. They attack the press, Maddow, and anyone else they can, and never once bother to ask if this is ok?

And they won't. They'll dodge, deflect, say "be patient", or "I need more information" or anything they can come up with to keep from saying anything bad about their Trumpy, or to put anything-----country, ethics, morals----before party affiliation.

And we wonder why our politicians don't work for the people's interest anymore.

The list of political behavior that's been condoned by Trumpland grows by the day. And every two-bit politician hears them loud and clear.

[lagerhead]

Sea - Have not had time to read the whole transcript. That being said what i have read i am not comfortable with the communication. I am not a legal or constitutional scholar so not sure of those implications.

Afan - that was not an answer to the question and frustrates me more because you lump all of us who may support some of the current admins policies in one basket.

[ggait]

Lindsey Graham
‏Verified account @LindseyGrahamSC

Wow. Impeachment over this?

What a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger.

Democrats have lost their minds when it comes to President @realDonaldTrump.
7:37 AM - 25 Sep 2019

Sure. I mean there's nobody getting a blowie or something like that. So it's all good!

[CU88]

Lindsey Graham
‏Verified account @LindseyGrahamSC

Wow. Impeachment over this?

What a nothing (non-quid pro quo) burger.

Democrats have lost their minds when it comes to President @realDonaldTrump.
7:37 AM - 25 Sep 2019

Sure. I mean there's nobody getting a blowie or something like that. So it's all good!

Lindsey Graham on Pres. Clinton:

"He doesn't have to say, "Go lie for me," to be a crime. You don't have to say, "Let's obstruct justice" for it to be a crime. You judge people on their conduct, not magic phrases."

[a fan]

Afan - that was not an answer to the question

Please clarify this clause. Is this is question to me? A statement? What is this?

and frustrates me more because you lump all of us who may support some of the current admins policies in one basket.

I'm not lumping everyone into one basket. I'm putting those who wave all of Trump's nonsense through...and instead, attack the messengers.... into one basket.

I support some of the Trump administration polices, too. For example? I need more details, but I'm optimistic about what I heard of the trade tweaks with Japan. Sounds like you don't live in Trumpland. Neither do I.

[ggait]

Rudy's name comes up six times in a 30 minute call. Barr comes up five times. Biden comes up three times. And likely, the actual verbatim (rather than the summary) would have more of those.

Is there any legitimate/innocent explanation for why any of those three names would even come up once?

[cradleandshoot]

That's been my favorite part about Trumpland. NO ONE is answering that question. They attack the press, Maddow, and anyone else they can, and never once bother to ask if this is ok?

And they won't. They'll dodge, deflect, say "be patient", or "I need more information" or anything they can come up with to keep from saying anything bad about their Trumpy, or to put anything-----country, ethics, morals----before party affiliation.

And we wonder why our politicians don't work for the people's interest anymore.

The list of political behavior that's been condoned by Trumpland grows by the day. And every two-bit politician hears them loud and clear.

There are many defects of character that Trump posesses... up until this I did not think being being stupid was one of them. What an idiotic thing to ask of any foreign leader on a phone call. I didn't think the dems would be able to tackle this greased pig. Looks like the old porker stood still long enough to drag him to the ground. There were probably a 1000 of his advisers that told him repeatedly to keep his mouth shut. He just could not accept the advice. I wonder if Pence is warming up in the bullpen?

[RedFromMI]

That's been my favorite part about Trumpland. NO ONE is answering that question. They attack the press, Maddow, and anyone else they can, and never once bother to ask if this is ok?

And they won't. They'll dodge, deflect, say "be patient", or "I need more information" or anything they can come up with to keep from saying anything bad about their Trumpy, or to put anything-----country, ethics, morals----before party affiliation.

And we wonder why our politicians don't work for the people's interest anymore.

The list of political behavior that's been condoned by Trumpland grows by the day. And every two-bit politician hears them loud and clear.

There are many defects of character that Trump posesses... up until this I did not think being being stupid was one of them. What an idiotic thing to ask of any foreign leader on a phone call. I didn't think the dems would be able to tackle this greased pig. Looks like the old porker stood still long enough to drag him to the ground. There were probably a 1000 of his advisers that told him repeatedly to keep his mouth shut. He just could not accept the advice. I wonder if Pence is warming up in the bullpen?

Actually being stupid is quite part of Trump's wheelhouse. His biggest problem is his sense of how smart he is (pretty much smarter than everyone else). A sure sign of the lack of smarts.

Trump basically learned at the hand of his father, and Roy Cohn. From Cohn in particular, he learned to always punch back, no matter what. Never back down - and when he thought he had complete exoneration from the Mueller testimony, he just could not stop...

He is basically the failson his own sons are often labeled (think Fredo from The Godfather).

[cradleandshoot]

That's been my favorite part about Trumpland. NO ONE is answering that question. They attack the press, Maddow, and anyone else they can, and never once bother to ask if this is ok?

And they won't. They'll dodge, deflect, say "be patient", or "I need more information" or anything they can come up with to keep from saying anything bad about their Trumpy, or to put anything-----country, ethics, morals----before party affiliation.

And we wonder why our politicians don't work for the people's interest anymore.

The list of political behavior that's been condoned by Trumpland grows by the day. And every two-bit politician hears them loud and clear.

There are many defects of character that Trump posesses... up until this I did not think being being stupid was one of them. What an idiotic thing to ask of any foreign leader on a phone call. I didn't think the dems would be able to tackle this greased pig. Looks like the old porker stood still long enough to drag him to the ground. There were probably a 1000 of his advisers that told him repeatedly to keep his mouth shut. He just could not accept the advice. I wonder if Pence is warming up in the bullpen?

Actually being stupid is quite part of Trump's wheelhouse. His biggest problem is his sense of how smart he is (pretty much smarter than everyone else). A sure sign of the lack of smarts.

Trump basically learned at the hand of his father, and Roy Cohn. From Cohn in particular, he learned to always punch back, no matter what. Never back down - and when he thought he had complete exoneration from the Mueller testimony, he just could not stop...

He is basically the failson his own sons are often labeled (think Fredo from The Godfather).

I think it took a whole lot of smarts for Trump to understand the game of politics and beat a well oiled democratic machine in 2016. Granted the not so bright Democrats decided to put forth her royal majesty as their candidate. It was the perfect storm for Trump. Imagine how much easier it made for him running against someone even more nauseating than him. That being said he knew exactly which states he had to flip and he went out and made it happen.

Any semi decent person... even Nixon new when the game was over... would walk away. That will never be Trump. He will have to be dragged kicking and screaming. It could almost be reminiscent of the scene at the end of the Shawshank Redemption when the warden is fiddling with the bullets to his revolver... I wonder what was going through his head... before the bullet as to how all this happened?

[ggait]

Actually being stupid is quite part of Trump's wheelhouse. His biggest problem is his sense of how smart he is (pretty much smarter than everyone else). A sure sign of the lack of smarts.

Psychologists call it the Dunning–Kruger effect. Which is the cognitive bias in which people mistakenly assess their cognitive ability as greater than it is. It comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability.

Dumb/inept people think they are much smarter/better than they really are. Actual smart people typically are plagued with imposter syndrome.

[a fan]

It's all up to McConnell, Cradle. And his decision will have NOTHING to do with law.

It's all a political calculation. The R's got in bed with this guy. Frankly, I don't think they can get out of bed with him, no matter the circumstances.

Trump fans will say whatever Trump did is fine. Doesn't matter what it is.

I would, if I were McConnell. But that's just me.


And if I were Pelosi, and Trump doesn't get impeached? I'd call every single leader in the world----Germany in particular, to get dirt on Trump, or imply that aid/arms/something will be cut off if they don't get it.

After all, that's cool now, right?

[old salt]

It's all up to McConnell, Cradle. And his decision will have NOTHING to do with law.

It's all a political calculation. The R's got in bed with this guy. Frankly, I don't think they can get out of bed with him, no matter the circumstances.

Trump fans will say whatever Trump did is fine. Doesn't matter what it is.

I would, if I were McConnell. But that's just me.


And if I were Pelosi, and Trump doesn't get impeached? I'd call every single leader in the world----Germany in particular, to get dirt on Trump, or imply that aid/arms/something will be cut off if they don't get it.

After all, that's cool now, right?

No need for Pelosi to call. The DNC's law firm has Fusion GPS on speed dial.
They're a proven provider of top notch oppo.

[Trinity]

Why is Trump attacking the cyber security firm CrowdStrike? Let’s see...who else hates them?