Trump's Russian Collusion

[Trinity]

Rudy says Trump won’t voluntarily answer questions in person or writing about Obstruction. Not because he’ll lie, but because his answers will incriminate him.

[Trinity]

The Papadop sentencing left so much unsaid. His trips to Greece for the campaign and links to Israelis remain shrouded in secrecy. He says he doesn’t remember telling the Aussie about the Russian emails but he told the Greek Pime Minister.

[Brooklyn]

No surprise given that he only hires the "best".

[Trinity]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... obe-by-u-s

Trump Inc execs face US probe.

[MDlaxfan76]

I dont believe in calling Trumpnistas or other groups with whom I disagree racists. When you make broad sweeping remarks about people, in an attempt to start a fight or light someone up, it was our job as moderators to edit or delete it.

I get this and - largely - agree with the approach. UNTIL i "got it", i had plenty of posts deleted and edited, more the latter as i progressed into making an effort to clean up my unhappiness with certain posters positions...

That said, i ALSO think that Trump specifically, and Trump supporters generally, are not bashful about playing the race card whenever they see partisan advantage to doing so. Reagan's Southern Strategy - a Lee Atwater brainchild - was/is a real thing. Bandito's screeds notwithstanding, while southern Democrats in the first half of the 20th century undoubtedly DID participate in the rise of the KKK, the Dem "departure" from that attitude, perhaps in an effort to diversify and bring in folks of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, no doubt led many southern Democrats to jump to the Republican Party, which was eager to accept them as a solid voting block. That's a part of our national history that is complex and nuanced, to be sure...and i'm clearly no expert.

Trump being a racist is just ONE of his faults...and as long as we can be civil in our discussion of it...i see no reason to sweep that fact under the rug or ignore it. It very well may end up being what finally kicks him out of office when push comes to shove in 2020.

Personally, i think he resigns long before that, or finds some other excuse not to run...as the walls grow ever tighter around his history of lying and his penchant for making pacts/"deals" with unscrupulous, downright criminal elements...the further the law delves into his personal business affairs.

..

+1

Totally agree about sweeping, generalized statements about large groups of people. Which is not, however, pulling back from commenting clearly on an individual's actions and comments. In this case Trump's long history of bigotry.

Of course not all "Trumpists" or "Trumpnistas" endorse that ugly element of Trump's predilections. However, some revel in them, indeed it is their primary motivator of support for Trump. That's pretty awful to have to say, but it's true. And he does not reject that support other than in highly scripted moments, betrayed almost immediately by his own less scripted utterances moments later as if he simply can't abide the content of the bigotry rejection script.

More broadly I think it is also fair to say that too few Trumpists outright reject Trump's bigotry, indeed nearly all are willing to excuse or accept it as part and parcel of Trumpism, which in aggregate they support.

Fortunately, the full throated supporters of Trumpism are shrinking in number as more and more is revealed as to what Trumpism requires them to excuse, from rampant corruption to racism to autocratic authoritarianism.

I've been watching that happen in my own family as those who were full-on Trump supporters in the context of their contempt for Hillary Clinton, have slowly and begrudgingly turned to critique and rejection of the very worst of Trumpism. Which isn't to say that they can't or don't become inflamed by whatever Fox News et al spews about the boogeymen of the left, but their patience with Trump has run thin, to the point of calling him an a--hole multiple times a week.

Of course, we live in very blue Maryland (albeit with a highly popular R Governor), so, despite the fact that my Trump voting family members mostly socialize with those who also voted for Trump, they are probably considerably more exposed to alternative viewpoints than perhaps would be true if they lived in deep red areas of the country.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I dont believe in calling Trumpnistas or other groups with whom I disagree racists. When you make broad sweeping remarks about people, in an attempt to start a fight or light someone up, it was our job as moderators to edit or delete it.

I get this and - largely - agree with the approach. UNTIL i "got it", i had plenty of posts deleted and edited, more the latter as i progressed into making an effort to clean up my unhappiness with certain posters positions...

That said, i ALSO think that Trump specifically, and Trump supporters generally, are not bashful about playing the race card whenever they see partisan advantage to doing so. Reagan's Southern Strategy - a Lee Atwater brainchild - was/is a real thing. Bandito's screeds notwithstanding, while southern Democrats in the first half of the 20th century undoubtedly DID participate in the rise of the KKK, the Dem "departure" from that attitude, perhaps in an effort to diversify and bring in folks of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, no doubt led many southern Democrats to jump to the Republican Party, which was eager to accept them as a solid voting block. That's a part of our national history that is complex and nuanced, to be sure...and i'm clearly no expert.

Trump being a racist is just ONE of his faults...and as long as we can be civil in our discussion of it...i see no reason to sweep that fact under the rug or ignore it. It very well may end up being what finally kicks him out of office when push comes to shove in 2020.

Personally, i think he resigns long before that, or finds some other excuse not to run...as the walls grow ever tighter around his history of lying and his penchant for making pacts/"deals" with unscrupulous, downright criminal elements...the further the law delves into his personal business affairs.

..

+1

Totally agree about sweeping, generalized statements about large groups of people. Which is not, however, pulling back from commenting clearly on an individual's actions and comments. In this case Trump's long history of bigotry.

Of course not all "Trumpists" or "Trumpnistas" endorse that ugly element of Trump's predilections. However, some revel in them, indeed it is their primary motivator of support for Trump. That's pretty awful to have to say, but it's true. And he does not reject that support other than in highly scripted moments, betrayed almost immediately by his own less scripted utterances moments later as if he simply can't abide the content of the bigotry rejection script.

More broadly I think it is also fair to say that too few Trumpists outright reject Trump's bigotry, indeed nearly all are willing to excuse or accept it as part and parcel of Trumpism, which in aggregate they support.

Fortunately, the full throated supporters of Trumpism are shrinking in number as more and more is revealed as to what Trumpism requires them to excuse, from rampant corruption to racism to autocratic authoritarianism.

I've been watching that happen in my own family as those who were full-on Trump supporters in the context of their contempt for Hillary Clinton, have slowly and begrudgingly turned to critique and rejection of the very worst of Trumpism. Which isn't to say that they can't or don't become inflamed by whatever Fox News et al spews about the boogeymen of the left, but their patience with Trump has run thin, to the point of calling him an a--hole multiple times a week.

Of course, we live in very blue Maryland (albeit with a highly popular R Governor), so, despite the fact that my Trump voting family members mostly socialize with those who also voted for Trump, they are probably considerably more exposed to alternative viewpoints than perhaps would be true if they lived in deep red areas of the country.

FoxNews has been a staple of the old man gym that I go to....over the last few months there has been less and less FoxNews. Guys have changed the channel...... the propaganda (which is not the same thing as bias) has become too much for most. A dislike for HRC is not enough to sustain support.

[runrussellrun]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... obe-by-u-s

Trump Inc execs face US probe.

What about his foreign bundlers? Can't he just pay a fine like the previous administration did?

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... obe-by-u-s

Trump Inc execs face US probe.

What about his foreign bundlers? Can't he just pay a fine like the previous administration did?

My guess is no.

Election Law Violations Compared: Obama 2008 vs. Trump 2016

[runrussellrun]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... obe-by-u-s

Trump Inc execs face US probe.

What about his foreign bundlers? Can't he just pay a fine like the previous administration did?

My guess is no.

Election Law Violations Compared: Obama 2008 vs. Trump 2016

or, maybe this is why

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... en/282404/

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... obe-by-u-s

Trump Inc execs face US probe.

What about his foreign bundlers? Can't he just pay a fine like the previous administration did?

My guess is no.

Election Law Violations Compared: Obama 2008 vs. Trump 2016

or, maybe this is why

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... en/282404/

Don't hate the player hate the game.

[Trinity]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latin-amer ... na-n908141

Based on signals intelligence US suspects Trump’s Russian pals are behind the sonic attacks on US Embassy personnel in Cuba and China. Brain injuries, loss of hearing and balance etc.

[frmanfan]

The Cuba-Russia connection makes sense, but China-Russia on Chinese soil not so much.

[Trinity]

We’ve basically withdrawn from Cuba so it worked.

[MDlaxfan76]

The Cuba-Russia connection makes sense, but China-Russia on Chinese soil not so much.

Supposedly clandestine, without approval of Cuba or China.

That said, I'd think you would be correct that the Chinese would most likely be quite peeved if the Russians pulled that off under their noses. They watch/monitor both their own citizens and expats very carefully. In a city like Shanghai or Beijing, police on all 4 corners of every intersection, cameras everywhere with facial recognition.

My son is currently working in Shanghai and was surprised one night at 10PM by two policemen at his door demanding his papers and then his passport. (One spoke English well, which was good, as my son doesn't speak more than a few words of Chinese). Apparently he'd been supposed to check-in and re-register with the police station on his block each time he went in and out of the country for any reason (he'd been to Vietnam and South Korea on business, but was quite unaware that he needed to do anything more than the regular customs process). They took his passport overnight, gave it back to him the next morning at the police station. Obviously that was a heck of scare, not much sleep that night! No fine, but he's sure as heck being careful to check-in each time with the police ever since. Bottomline, he knows they know who he is, why he's there, where he lives, when he comes and goes in and out of the country, and if they thought necessary can track his every movement through facial recognition.

So, assuming the Chinese didn't approve in advance of the sonic action (and no reason to believe they'd have approved), if the Russians pulled this off, the Chinese will probably be able to track it back to exactly who, when, where was involved.

Though the Cubans are also an oppressive authoritarian society, I don't think they have the sophisticated surveillance technology. More reliant on human intelligence if I understand correctly.

[Typical Lax Dad]

The Cuba-Russia connection makes sense, but China-Russia on Chinese soil not so much.

Supposedly clandestine, without approval of Cuba or China.

That said, I'd think you would be correct that the Chinese would most likely be quite peeved if the Russians pulled that off under their noses. They watch/monitor both their own citizens and expats very carefully. In a city like Shanghai or Beijing, police on all 4 corners of every intersection, cameras everywhere with facial recognition.

My son is currently working in Shanghai and was surprised one night at 10PM by two policemen at his door demanding his papers and then his passport. (One spoke English well, which was good, as my son doesn't speak more than a few words of Chinese). Apparently he'd been supposed to check-in and re-register with the police station on his block each time he went in and out of the country for any reason (he'd been to Vietnam and South Korea on business, but was quite unaware that he needed to do anything more than the regular customs process). They took his passport overnight, gave it back to him the next morning at the police station. Obviously that was a heck of scare, not much sleep that night! No fine, but he's sure as heck being careful to check-in each time with the police ever since. Bottomline, he knows they know who he is, why he's there, where he lives, when he comes and goes in and out of the country, and if they thought necessary can track his every movement through facial recognition.

So, assuming the Chinese didn't approve in advance of the sonic action (and no reason to believe they'd have approved), if the Russians pulled this off, the Chinese will probably be able to track it back to exactly who, when, where was involved.

Though the Cubans are also an oppressive authoritarian society, I don't think they have the sophisticated surveillance technology. More reliant on human intelligence if I understand correctly.

Yes on Cuba. My wife went three times over a four year period with students and university board members. One member was detained and interrogated at the airport. He had some US Propaganda matter that he had thrown out at his hotel. Cleaning people (cough spy) found it and turned him in. He said it was a nightmare. The Cuban people are good people.

[dislaxxic]

Mueller Filing Hints At How Manafort ‘Directed’ Major Law Firm’s Production Of Ukraine Report

Only the best pipple...

..

[Trinity]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... onnecticut

Down goes another Russian hacker. Pleads guilty, will be sentenced in a year.

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... onnecticut

Down goes another Russian hacker. Pleads guilty, will be sentenced in a year.

Anybody seen Ray Ray?

[runrussellrun]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... onnecticut

Down goes another Russian hacker. Pleads guilty, will be sentenced in a year.

You mean US prosecutors under the direction of the TRUMP administration No mention of Mueller, trump, cohen, manafort, etc. SO why did you put it here? Belongs in the TAATS thread.

[Trinity]

He’s gonna sit in jail and cooperate for a year before his sentencing.