Tuesday, December 19, 2017

The FBI warned Donald Trump in the summer of 2016 that the Russians would try to infiltrate his campaign.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

In the weeks after he became the Republican nominee on July 19, 2016, Donald Trump was warned that foreign adversaries, including Russia, would probably try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign, according to multiple government officials familiar with the matter. 

The warning came in the form of a high-level counterintelligence briefing by senior FBI officials, the officials said. A similar briefing was given to Hillary Clinton, they added. They said the briefings, which are commonly provided to presidential nominees, were designed to educate the candidates and their top aides about potential threats from foreign spies. 

The candidates were urged to alert the FBI about any suspicious overtures to their campaigns, the officials said.

Seems pretty cut and dried don't you think?

If you see something, say something.

So did the Trump campaign do that ?

What do you think?

Trump would have been told, "If you see these kinds of contacts please let us know about them so we can keep you updated on the threat picture," said Frank Montoya, a former FBI counterintelligence agent and supervisor who retired in 2016. 

The situation was complicated by the fact that the FBI had already become aware of contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russia, and was beginning to investigate further. Former CIA Director John Brennan has said he told the FBI about a pattern of contacts the CIA observed between members of the Trump team and Russians, and former FBI Director James Comey said the bureau then began investigating in July 2016. 

Montoya and other former FBI officials told NBC News the FBI would not have wanted to compromise that investigation by saying too much in the counterintelligence briefing of Trump. 

By the time of the warning in late July or August, at least seven Trump campaign officials had been in contact with Russians or people linked to Russia, according to public reports. There is no public evidence that the campaign reported any of that to the FBI.

This kind of puts all of the numerous meetings between the members of the Trump campaign and the Russians into an entirely new light.

They KNEW they were being targeted by the Russians, and instead of being cautious about any contacts with Russians connected to the Kremlin, they seemed to have been eager to meet with them multiple times.  

And now it appears that Trump is pushing to close the investigations down as soon as possible so that he can go back to being Putin's number one asset.

Courtesy of WaPo:

White House lawyers are expected to meet with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s office late this week seeking good news: that his sprawling investigation’s focus on President Trump will soon end and their client will be cleared. 

But people familiar with the probe say that such assurances are unlikely and that the meeting could trigger a new, more contentious phase between the special counsel and a frustrated president, according to administration officials and advisers close to Trump. 

People with knowledge of the investigation said it could last at least another year — pointing to ongoing cooperation from witnesses such as former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as well as a possible trial of two former Trump campaign officials. The special counsel’s office has continued to request new documents related to the campaign, and members of Mueller’s team have told others they expect to be working through much of 2018, at a minimum. 

Yeah that meeting's definitely not going to go over well.

And I think Trump suspects as much which is why he has now shifted his focus away from Mueller and toward Mueller's boss.

Courtesy of The Hill:

President Trump has referred to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Robert Mueller as the special counsel for the Russia probe, as “a threat to his presidency,” according to a report in The Washington Post. 

The report, published Sunday, said Trump has referred to Rosenstein as “weak” and made fun of the deputy attorney general’s testimony last week in front of the House Judiciary Committee. 

The president has also complained about Rosenstein being “a Democrat," although the Justice Department official is actually a Republican, the Post said. 

So since Trump cannot fire Mueller directly, he will fire that guy who appointed him Special Counsel, and make that guy fire Mueller instead.

So I'm guessing that Trump has NOT watched "All the President's Men?"

Clearly Trump and his Kremlin handler want this thing to go away quickly so that they can continue dismantling America so that Russia can take its place as the new lone superpower in the world.

I mean let's face it, THAT is what is really happening here.

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:39 AM

    "“He’s become more famous than me,” Trump said as he called to Comey and shook his hand. Trump also gave the embattled FBI director a couple of pats on the back."

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-james-comey-air-kiss_us_58857527e4b096b4a232b942

    ki$$

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8:47 AM

    If he’s so frustrated, perhaps Mr. Mueller can just haul him in now and start questioning him. Can’t have the faux POTUS worried over the holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9:14 AM

    The govt is important, so why are every congress persons, executive branch, wh, judicial heads not on eyedetect or some form of AI lie detector. Omg, get sessions, trump,...out by lying constantly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:19 AM

    My hope is when gop and specifically ryan and mitch return home, whatever public office they need to utilize services of, get a "bankruptcy expert" and let that expert crap everything for them as they don't know what to do.
    Tax vote, omg, most did not read it and have no idea what is in there.
    This just needs to stop dead in its tracks like the derailment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous9:32 AM

    https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/sally-yates-calls-for-uprising-of-americans-to-stand-up-speak-out-and-relocate-core-values/

    '“’We the people of the United States’ (we are a democratic republic, not a dictatorship),” Yates wrote. “‘In order to form a more perfect union’ (we are a work in progress dedicated to a noble pursuit) ‘establish justice’ (we revere justice as the cornerstone of our democracy) ‘insure domestic tranquility’ (we prize unity and peace, not divisiveness and discord), ‘provide for the common defense’ (we should never give any foreign adversary reason to question our solidarity) ‘promote the general welfare’ (we care about one another; compassion and decency matter) ‘and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity’ (we have a responsibility to protect not just our own generation, but future ones as well).”'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sally Yates better be careful or she will be Trump’s first “political prisoner.”

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:33 PM

      Third,Hillary is first on his list,then Obama.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:28 AM

    OT?
    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/on-the-lam-with-andrew-anglin-americas-most-notorious-neo-nazi_us_5a33fb5ae4b01d429cc86842

    " Through December 2016 and January 2017, he’d pulled off the troll job of his life, bullyragging the town of Whitefish, Montana, into a panic during a harassment campaign that the town’s police chief likened to “domestic terrorism.” Anglin had targeted the Jews in Whitefish."
    " his “Stormer Troll Army” ― and it was these unquestioning minions whom he sent after Gersh, her family and other Jews in Whitefish"
    " Anglin had spent considerable time living abroad. He’d been in the Philippines for years, morphing into a full Nazi on his father’s dime. According to a woman who knew Anglin then, he told her Ohio was a bad place to live because he’d been abused there. He’d bounced around a lot after the Philippines, eventually ending up in Russia, where he was living in 2015 and 2016, according to several sources. His absentee ballot last year arrived from Krasnodar, a city near the Black Sea."
    "Trolls, particularly of the Nazi variety, often behave in a similar manner when exposed. They deny their own existence. They flee. And this is what the paranoid little man who looked exactly like Andrew Anglin did."
    "Greg Anglin started registering trade names in Ohio for The Daily Stormer and filed paperwork for his son’s limited-liability corporation."
    "Do you have information on the whereabouts of Anglin?"

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/on-the-lam-with-andrew-anglin-americas-most-notorious-neo-nazi_us_5a33fb5ae4b01d429cc86842

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daily-stormer-nazi-style-guide_us_5a2ece19e4b0ce3b344492f2

    ReplyDelete
  7. They’re voting on the Tax Scam TONIGHT. Or I should say this afternoon.

    Meanwhile we are all being distracted by Russia Russia Russia.

    Corker is under attack for the semblance of taking a bribe and flipping his vote because he stands to personally benefit. Collins has protesters arrested in her office trying to get her to flip (which she should as she won’t get anything she bargained for.)

    And the White House has shut down their petition website after failing to respond to a single petition that topped the 100,000 signature requirement. Oh, *sure* I beleive it’s only temporary.

    Coincedence? Hardly.

    With Net Neutrality gone you better hurry up and register for that Mueller firing protest or you may not be able to access the information if or when it happens.

    George Zimmer, the ex-owner of The Mens Warehouse (who was forced out of his position as CEO) has an excellent essay on why he doesn’t deserve a tax cut and why the tax bill is nothing but a SCAM.

    Surprisingly, two Republicans crossed the aisle and voted against Trump’s nominee to run the Export-Import Bank. Not surprisingly, Trump’s nominee had been in favor of shutting it down and was on record as voting against it. He couldn’t convince the committee he had a “change of heart” and now wanted to run it. Yeah, sure. Like Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke.

    While it’s nice some Republicans are finally developing a conscience, that isn’t going to save us from the Tax Scam vote.

    Russia can wait.

    Why no information on the Tax Scam, which Republican senators are the most vulnerable we can put pressure on or any of the other miriad Deplorable things Trump is doing to undermine this country?

    BTW his judicial nominee that was publicly shamed has withdrawn his nomination. He’ll go back to the, wait for it, .....FEC.

    2018.

    Census.

    2020.

    And we are obsessed with Russia Russia Russia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:37 PM

      https://www.thedailybeast.com/seth-meyers-exposes-how-gop-tax-bill-will-personally-enrich-trump

      Delete
    2. It has to go back to the House for another vote but essentially it's a done deal.

      You telling me no one could get Flake to do the right thing or shame Corker and Collins to turn and vote no?

      We are ALL TOTALLY FUCKED!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3:57 PM

      https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/here-are-the-12-republicans-who-voted-against-tax-plan/

      Dan Donovan, New York
      John Faso, New York
      Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey
      Darrell Issa, California
      Walter B. Jones Jr., North Carolina
      Peter T. King, New York
      Leonard Lance, New Jersey
      Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey
      Dana Rohrabacher, California
      Chris Smith, New Jersey
      Elise Stefanik, New York
      Lee Zeldin, New York

      Delete
  8. Anonymous10:43 AM

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/a-groundbreaking-case-may-force-controversial-data-firm-cambridge-analytica-to-reveal-trump-secrets/

    " “behavioral research and strategic communication” firm SCL, the parent company to Cambridge Analytica, with a file of his personal data, including a set of political predictions about Carroll made by the firm. It rated Carroll a “very unlikely Republican” (this is true; Carroll voted for Democrats in the 2016 general and primary elections) and assigned him scores on various political issues: He scored a 3/10 on “gun importance,” a 7/10 on “national security importance,” and a 9/10 on “traditional social and moral values.” He tweeted, “I’d rank this somewhat differently but feels roughly accurate. Could be worse.”"he result of this case could blow the lid off how private data was used to shape votes and the outcome of 2016 election—and how it might be used in the future. As University of Maryland law professor and big data expert Frank Pasquale told the Guardian, “I think [this case] will be the model for other citizens’ actions against other big corporations. I think we will look back and see it as a really significant case in terms of the future of algorithmic accountability and data protection.”“People don’t realize that all of their consumer behavior—every time they swipe their credit card, what websites they visit, the TV shows they watch—is being re-connected to your voter file and processed internationally,” Carroll says. “And we can’t opt out of it.”
    " “Why does some company incorporated in the United Kingdom have [our data]? What the hell is that for? If it were just about selling shoes, or getting you to buy vitamins or whatever crap—ok, fine. But that’s not what it’s being used for, and they specifically say that. [SCL] is a company that’s marketing themselves as a military-grade psychological WARFARE and psychological operations company. That is a problem for all of us.”“Any claims that voter data from any other source played a key role in the victory are false.” (Though of course there could be a certain amount of self-preservation in this statement, which came a few hours after the Daily Beast reported Nix’s offer to help Assange in the release of Clinton’s stolen emails.)"their data are possibly being used to “manipulate our democracy, without our knowledge or consent,” according to their CrowdJustice fundraising campaign. A favorable ruling for the group would not just mean access to their own data and a chance to opt-out of the company’s monitoring, but it would also provide information on how the company is targeting voters—and could target voters in future elections. Armed with this knowledge, voters would in theory be less persuadable, and could even choose to pull their data from the hands of Cambridge Analytica and its peers." aka KochBro$

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous10:56 AM

    200 BILLION That is KNOWN, Unknown? CRIMEa!

    http://fortune.com/2017/07/29/vladimir-putin-russia-jeff-bezos-bill-gates-worlds-richest-man/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:41 AM

    'rump's new strategy: Russia is an actual threat' t Rex

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:55 AM

    "It's deeply disturbing that when Americans download @POTUS' full National Security Strategy, it links to a tweet "

    https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/trumps-national-security-report-linked-to-second-ladys-christmas-video-in-bizarre-white-house-blunder/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous12:02 PM

    HUSTLER Feb 2018 ~ Freedom of the Press is essential to American Democracy & while many American Presidents have been hostile to the press, Trump takes that hostility to a whole new level—every day his panties are in a bunch about something, it makes my blood boil ~ Larry

    https://twitter.com/ImLarryFlynt/status/943196768841351168

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:58 PM

      Flashed her bra...
      https://www.rawstory.com/2017/12/protester-flashes-the-house-of-representatives-while-screaming-in-opposition-to-the-tax-bill-report/

      Delete
  13. Randall1:40 PM

    I HOPE that there is a camera in the room when the hammer finally falls and the president loses his mind. 'Cause you know that it will - and he will lose his shit in a big way.
    It could be THE most historic, epic melt-down in, well, in history.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous3:01 PM

    The amazing thing to me is that Trump is dismantling America piece by piece in plain sight of Americans who are too dumb to see it, or worst, are Russian assets themselves.
    He has never hidden himself or intentions from American. Maya Angelou said: when someone shows you who they, are believe them the first time.

    ReplyDelete

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