Sunday, February 26, 2017

UK officials want an investigation to determine if Russian interference helped bring about Brexit.

New British Prime Minister Theresa may with Vladimir Putin last year.
Courtesy of Business Insider: 

Labour MPs are ratcheting up pressure on the government to reveal whether Russia interfered in the EU referendum. 

Former culture secretary Ben Bradshaw told Business Insider that the "public has a right to know" if the Kremlin attempted to influence the outcome of the Brexit vote in June last year. 

He is concerned that Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is not being transparent enough about the issue — particularly now there is acceptance in the US and other European nations that Russia has attempted to meddle in democratic decisions, he said. 

Bradshaw pressed the government on the matter in two separate House of Commons debates in December last year, during the second of which he asked the prime minister what is being done to investigate Kremlin interference.

It is a more than reasonable request since we certainly know that Putin wants to break up the EU because he fears their combined power.

And it is not as if there is not any evidence to support this.

Courtesy of Newsweek: 

Reports suggested that Russia used its vast intelligence apparatus during the run up to the U.K.’s June referendum on EU membership in favor of the winning “leave” vote. Both RT and Sputnik, English-language news outlets which receive funding from the Kremlin, produced often misleading news coverage that tallied with the campaign urging voters to leave the EU. 

Russia is also believed to have leveraged its “troll army”—individuals paid by the Kremlin to produce and promote fake social media content—to focus on messaging around the referendum campaign.

The Russian disinformation campaign may have influenced the vote outcome. Polling in the lead up to the referendum had showed a majority of UK nationals wishing to remain. But as election day neared it became apparent that the race had grown close, and the final vote count resulted in a narrow victory for the leave camp, which won 51.9 percent of the votes compared to 48.1 percent for the remain side. 

The Brexit leave vote fits with Russia’s goal of weakening the EU, which it has eyed warily as former Eastern Bloc countries have flocked to join. The U.K.’s withdrawal will leave the EU without one of the three largest economic and military powers in Europe.

Please, if Russian interference could convince the voters in America to elect the worst president since the founding of the country, how hard would it have been for them to convince British voters to throw away their future?

30 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:53 AM

    ‘I want an investigation’: Father of slain SEAL blames Trump’s carelessness and ego for son’s death

    The father of a Navy SEAL killed during a mission that Donald Trump approved just a week into his administration blames the president for his son’s death.

    William Owens told The Miami Herald that he refused to meet with Trump when the remains of son, William “Ryan” Owens, were returned to Dover Air Force Base.

    “I’m sorry, I don’t want to see him,” Owens recalled explaining to the chaplain. “I told them I don’t want to meet the president.”

    “I told them I didn’t want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn’t let me talk to him.”

    Owens questioned Trump’s motivation for signing off on a mission just six days into his presidency.

    “Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn’t even barely a week into his administration? Why?” he asked. “For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen — everything was missiles and drones — because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?”

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/i-want-an-investigation-father-of-slain-seal-blames-trumps-carelessness-and-ego-for-sons-death/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder how the Trump asskissers and babysitters spun that "The Father doesn't want to meet you" into something complimentary that Trump would luuuuuuuv.

      I'm sure they put all the blame on the Dad. "He's overwrought and can't see anyone at this time" probably.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:14 AM

    Connecting the dots...

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/robert-mercer-breitbart-war-on-media-steve-bannon-donald-trump-nigel-farage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:05 AM

      How they did it...
      https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/how-our-likes-helped-trump-win

      Delete
  3. Anonymous9:20 AM

    France is also a big target, as is Germany. These countries both are trying (in vain?) to contain the REAL fake news propaganda from Putin...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're targeting Germany next. They want Merkel out. It will be delicate since Germany has such strong anti-Nazi laws.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9:53 AM

    --The Q to ask here is "How many leaks occur via text msg?" They weren't actually looking for evidence of media leaks.

    'Press Secretary Sean Spicer is cracking down on leaks coming out of the West Wing, with increased security measures including phone checks for White House staffers overseen by White House attorneys.

    The push to snuff out leaks to the press comes after a week in which President Donald Trump expressed growing frustration with the media and the unauthorized sharing of information by individuals in his administration.'

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/sean-spicer-targets-own-staff-in-leak-crackdown-235413

    --Irony is the phone check plan was itself leaked, became known to select few, including us, and some who were in that interro--er, meeting.

    --Also, the Fed Records Act applies to official comms, not personal comms from personal devices. And it doesn't cover leaking, either. Go fish.

    https://twitter.com/RoguePOTUSStaff

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:36 PM

      But no one is questioning why donnie is still using an unsecured phone and twitter feed.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous9:56 AM

    There’s Was A Dance Protest At The White House To Celebrate Trans Youth

    The dance protest took place from 5:30 - 8 p.m. on the North Side of the White House, beginning with a rally featuring trans youth and POC speakers and followed by the dance-based celebratory protest.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dance-protest-trans-youth_us_58b083fbe4b0780bac29232e?section=us_good-news

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous10:03 AM

    Unless Sessions pulls some draconian shit...

    Medical marijuana could be legal in even more states soon

    Check out the list of other states considering medical marijuana measures below:

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/medical-marijuana-could-be-legal-in-even-more-states-soon/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:41 AM

      Better push for federal declassification of this plant and law because these crazies are using card holders to claim fed law says no card carrier can buy or possess a firearm. But heck it is ok to use pharma drugs and wave them around.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous10:09 AM

    He is clearly squirming.

    Trump: 'Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media'

    http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321249-trump-russia-talk-is-fake-news-put-out-by-the-dems-and-played-up-by

    Spicer cracking down on White House staff to prevent leaks: report

    http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321248-spicer-boosting-security-measures-for-white-house-staff-to-prevent

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous10:11 AM

    Here's the New York Times ad that's making Donald Trump furious

    Naturally, President Donald Trump—who said Saturday he would not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner—doesn't like the idea, and he took to Twitter early Sunday morning to complain about it.

    http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/new-york-times-oscars-ad-donald-trump/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yeah. He isn't going to like that at all.

      And his stupid tweet is only going to draw more people to watch it. Like "don't think of an elephant" immediately brings up a mental picture.

      This guy is such a doofus. His politically astute handlers must be tearing their hair out in frustration because he is so untrainable.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous10:12 AM

    New York Times executive editor: Trump is the best thing to happen to our subscriptions

    The executive editor of the New York Times said in an interview Sunday that President Trump’s attempts to smear the publication have instead encouraged more people to read it.

    “Trump is the best thing to happen to the Times’ subscription strategy,” Dean Baquet said in an interview with CNN’s "Reliable Sources." “Every time he tweets it drives subscriptions wildly.”

    Baquet said Trump has revitalized reporters who may have been pessimistic about the future of the industry.

    "There was a long time when the press wondered about its place in society, the last several years as newspaper subscriptions dwindled, as particularly local newspapers worried about their future," he said. "What’s happened in the last couple of months I have to say has been tremendous for news organizations."

    "Our mission is clearer than it's ever been — we’re covering a dramatic revolution in government and how the country is governed, and it feels like all of the things that sort of bothered us and made us lose a little bit of confidence in the last few months have sort of gone away."

    Baquet's remarks follow the president's latest tweet slamming the publication on Sunday.

    http://thehill.com/homenews/media/321242-nyt-executive-editor-trump-is-the-best-thing-to-happen-to-our-subscriptions

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:28 AM

      Trump Lashes Out at New York Times Ad Set to Air on the Oscars Tonight

      http://www.adweek.com/creativity/trump-lashes-out-at-new-york-times-ad-set-to-air-on-the-oscars-tonight/

      Delete
    2. I think people got lazy about online news and that invited the Fake News dross-rush.

      But I also think people have an innate trust in print newspapers. Not rags like the National Enquirer but local and national papers like the New York Times.

      It takes a lot of money, effort and strength of will to put out a print newspaper. Any asshole with a laptop can make a Fake News website. But they can't print and distribute an actual newspaper. While local papers may have a left or right bias, they are still legitimate news. They still take their profession very seriously.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous10:19 AM

    White House dodging questions of Sessions’ role in FBI probe

    The White House is dodging questions about whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions should consider withdrawing from the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

    A prominent Republican, California Rep. Darrell Issa, has called for a special prosecutor and said it would be improper for Sessions to lead the investigation as the nation’s chief law enforcement official. Sessions was an early supporter of President Donald Trump’s candidacy.

    Deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is steering clear of directly answering whether the former Alabama senator should step aside from overseeing the bureau’s investigation.

    She tells ABC’s “This Week” that congressional committees need to complete their own investigations, and then it would be appropriate to discuss Sessions’ role.

    But those are separate reviews, independent of the FBI’s work.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-congressman-special-prosecutor-needed-for-russia-probe/2017/02/26/25695df4-fbef-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html?utm_term=.25862dc2778c

    Top Democratic senator on Russia investigation: 'This may very well be the most important thing I do in my public life'

    http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-warner-trump-russia-investigation-most-important-thing-2017-2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sessions won't step aside.

      But in the end, I don't think it will matter.

      Between the CIA, FBI and whatever Congress comes up with, I don't think Sessions can stop Trump being impeached. And whatever he does will just expose the extent of the corruption of the Trump administration.

      It says a lot when even Darrell Issa goes this far in defying Trump. Then again, Darrell has a LOT Of angry constituents and he only squeaked by his re-election. His opponent is coming after him again in 2018. He sees the writing on the wall. If he doesn't actually DO something he'll lose his next bid. He'll tread a fine line but in the end, he knows his party will understand that he has to do what he has to do to retain his seat. And that will mean more to the RNC than defending Donald Trump. After all, they have Mike Pence waiting in the wings.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous10:26 AM

    Trump Tweets Out National Debt Drivel He Saw On Fox and Friends

    Donald Trump once said, “All I know is what I see on the Internet.” He also tweets out what he sees on television (as long as it benefits him) so it’s rather amusing to see him always complaining about “fake news.”

    Earlier today, Herman Cain was on Fox and Friends and spoke of a “fact” that was pushed out by Gateway Pundit. David Bernstein tweeted it out:

    TWEET

    ...First, to deal with the national debt issue. While the national debt has decreased, the idea that Donald Trump can take credit for it is absurd. He hasn’t signed a single piece of legislation, and his executive orders have no effect on the national debt because it is all related to appropriations made by Congress.

    For Gateway Pundit, it’s par for the course for Trumpy-love garbage they “report.” What’s more disappointing is how often mainstream figures like Sean Hannity and Herman Cain site Gateway Pundit as a legitimate news source.

    Bernstein went on to say:

    http://www.redstate.com/jaycaruso/2017/02/25/trump-tweets-national-debt-drivel-saw-fox-friends/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:43 AM

    Muslim member of national security staff resigned after 8 days in Donald Trump's White House

    ...“I got both of those looks of ‘oh my God, like, are you OK... I’m surprised you’re still here,’” Ms Ahmed told CBS News. “But then you also had others who were just very cold and just kind of ignored the fact that I was even there.”

    Ms Ahmed said that she and other experienced members of staff were left out of key discussions of matters within their purview.

    Decisions became centralised to a few officials in the West Wing, in a "chaotic attempt at authoritarianism" that bred discontent among many White House staff, Ms Ahmed claimed.

    She added: “Walking into that building was becoming more and more difficult every single day because everything that administration was doing stood against what I stood for as both an American and a Muslim."

    However, it was Mr Trump's executive order banning travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries that ultimately persuaded her to resign.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/muslim-donald-trump-national-security-staff-resigned-eight-days-travel-ban-white-house-rumana-ahmed-a7600006.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:45 AM

    Republicans work to thwart investigation of Donald Trump's Russia ties and conflicts of interest

    Preventing Democrats from holding vote on House floor would effectively kill attempts to look into the President's alleged corruption

    Republicans are planning to prevent an investigation into President Donald Trump’s alleged conflicts of interest and his ties to Russia.

    Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler will send a proposal to investigate the President to the House Judiciary Committee, which has 14 days to act before Mr Nadler can bypass them and take the proposal for a vote in the full House.

    The resolution will most likely be killed by the Republican-led committee, preventing the bill from moving forwards.

    By avoiding a full House vote, it spares many Republicans from having to defend their vote not to investigate the President. Many Republicans have been urged by town hall attendees to vote in favour of such an investigation.

    "Unless the resolution is reported by the committee within 14 legislative days, either favorably, unfavorably or without recommendation, then it can be brought up on the House floor immediately thereafter, so the committee plans to address this resolution next week," said one House Judiciary Committee aide in a statement to Politico.

    The panel vote on Tuesday has been planned for a busy news day, just hours before President Trump will give his first address to Congress, effectively burying the vote among a sea of headlines.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/republicans-thwart-donald-trump-investigation-russia-ties-conflicts-interests-congress-senate-a7595981.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not going to get buried. That's what they're HOPING for. But there are too many eyes watching exactly this and they are not going to allow it to be buried under Trump's State of the Campaign speech in front of his asskissers.

      Oh, I so hope some liberal Congressperson has the guts to shout "YOU LIE!" to Trump's face. Repeatedly.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:49 AM

    Has there ever been a growlier president than Donald Trump? He is the new scary clown, lacing slander and bile with quips about the athleticism of his own brain. He laps up the love while brandishing a rhetorical buzzsaw at his enemies. That’s the media, mostly, but also America’s trading partners. Even its purported allies. He is still hitting out at Hillary, for heaven’s sake.

    ...His jibes at the press revealed fresh undertones of authoritarianism. Reporters, he averred, should no longer be able to quote unnamed sources in their stories. And then he had this warning for the media, us striving to shed light on the the spasms of his White House: “It doesn't represent the people, it never will represent the people and we’re going to do something about it.” What is he proposing here, if not some kind of gagging?

    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-cpac-2017-speech-biggest-lie-unify-america-a7598566.html

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous10:57 AM

    The evidence has already been collected. The last 5yrs leading up to today has a treasure chest by hackers, by internet search, by witnesses, by agencies, by records held by those involved. It is a global crime created for dictators to advance and control massive amounts of land, people, money, nukes and weapons. It is clear. It is real. And those involved will go down and be prisoned.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous11:19 AM

    Know who else wants to eliminate these programs? The Koch Brothers.

    As the Center for Media and Democracy has reported, Koch family foundations and Freedom Partners, the “Koch brothers’ secret bank,” bankrolled practically every “grassroots” group opposing the ACA in order to manufacture a phony “uprising” against expanded health care coverage. Many of these groups including, Heritage Action and the 60 Plus Association, cheered Sen. Ted Cruz when he brought the U.S. government to the brink of default in October 2013 in a stunt to repeal the ACA. The Kochs’ astroturf group Americans for Prosperity also spent millions of dollars in the 2012 and 2014 elections trashing “Obamacare” and Democratic candidates who had the temerity to support extending insurance coverage to more Americans.

    Why? As the New York Times explained in 2012, the Kochs and their minions “are trying to present the law as a case study in government ineptitude to change the way voters think about the role of government for years to come.”

    http://crooksandliars.com/2017/02/ryan-s-fundraising-health-care-and-trying

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oh-where-did-your-balls-go-paul-ryan_us_58b07e5be4b0a8a9b781eeb5

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Kochs are long time Facists. They don't object to Trump on philosophical grounds. They just think he's an incompetent dick that doesn't have the savvy or the brains to really mold this country into the Fourth Reich they dream of.

      Yeah, I wish both Kochs would die also. I don't think the kids would squander their inheritance on dear old dad's political hobbies.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:50 AM

      HERE is where the Reichwing paid old white protesters and paid for the busses they rode on and the signs they held up, to shout and disrupt town halls when the ACA was proposed.

      Am I the only one who remembers this?

      Delete
  17. Anonymous11:16 PM

    The entire republican party must dissolve. That bunch of crooks, liars and rapist must never hold a public office again. It is truly evil and disgusting that they continue to lie to our face. They look right at you and lie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:50 AM

      Honey, that's what we call a "politician".

      Delete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.