Monday, January 29, 2018

It appears that the Republicans may be using the "secret memo" as an excuse to attack Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it. 

The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter Page, was acting as a Russian agent. But the reference to Mr. Rosenstein’s actions in the memo — a much-disputed document that paints the investigation into Russian election meddling as tainted from the start — indicates that Republicans may be moving to seize on his role as they seek to undermine the inquiry. 

The memo’s primary contention is that F.B.I. and Justice Department officials failed to adequately explain to an intelligence court judge in initially seeking a warrant for surveillance of Mr. Page that they were relying in part on research by an investigator, Christopher Steele, that had been financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. 

Democrats who have read the document say Republicans have cherry-picked facts to create a misleading and dangerous narrative. But in their efforts to discredit the inquiry, Republicans could potentially use Mr. Rosenstein’s decision to approve the renewal to suggest that he failed to properly vet a highly sensitive application for a warrant to spy on Mr. Page, who served as a Trump foreign policy adviser until September 2016.

Of course if the Republicans manage to undermine Rosenstein's reasoning behind his Carter Page warrant, they can then move on to attacking his judgement in appointing Robert Mueller and can start working to further undermine the investigation.

Obviously this is an attempt to accomplish what Trump wanted when he tried and failed to fire Robert Mueller, and do it in a way that the Republicans feel offers some protection from accusations of obstructionism.

But of course it does no such thing, because it is only the most recent in a long line of attempts to obstruct this investigation. 

Which we saw more of today with the firing of Andrew McCabe. 

37 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:08 PM

    Aren't these guys like Rosenstein and McCabe amazing? What heroes they are, staying to fight for their country against the forces of Russian Communism and American greed and lust for power.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:40 PM

    Over the years, current FBI Director Christopher Wray, appointed by Donnie Dotard, contributed over $47,000 to political campaigns, all republican. Funny how you don't hear republicans and the conservative press complain about how this results in a conflict. Apparently, only democratic money is ever suspect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:37 AM

      The other part of this completely left out is Steele's info provided bolstered information they already had. Falsehoods and cherry picking.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous4:51 PM

    "The memo allegedly concludes that FBI and Department of Justice officials misled the FISA judge who approved the warrant by not revealing that the information in the Steele dossier was opposition research paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

    According to the Times, critics familiar with the memo say it is misleading because it hones in on the Steele dossier, even though other evidence was presented to obtain the FISA warrant. Officials corroborated or supplemented intelligence from other sources to make a case to surveil Carter Page, but much of that information can’t be made public because it’s highly sensitive."

    https://www.vox.com/2018/1/29/16948382/house-vote-trump-russia-release-the-memo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous5:14 PM

    I have a dream...the FBI arrives in the middle of the SOU and arrests typhoid trump for crimes against the state and the citizens of the US!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:32 PM

      MY dream...he shows up to a SOTU that is only half full so he can claim it was the biggest crowd EVER.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6:11 PM

      How about strokes out on live tv for the world to see. Fingers crossed

      Delete
  5. Anonymous5:29 PM

    Bread and circuses. What are the American people going to do when the PTBs try to steal their gov't from them? Go the f*ck back to sleep John Q. Public. Here is some more reality TV to gorge yourself on. Sick Sick Sick

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing. His supporters will tweet and troll up a storm. HIs opponent will organize another march.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:25 AM

      March, yep 9:41
      We have to work, have to have that income.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous5:57 PM

    Putin did all these things that Trump is doing now.
    Putin counted on that the US was divided, and that the greenback was our God.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:08 PM

      Putin always knows his enemy.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:35 PM

      Kremlin needs the us to doubt democracy.

      Delete
  7. Trump and House Republicans planned well and they are winning.

    EVERY SINGLE FBI OR DOJ OFFICIAL WHO TRUMP HAS CRITICIZED HAS BEEN FIRED OR TRANSFERRED, except Rosenstein and Mueller. Guess who is next?

    Here's a list of the people Trump has fired after massive attacks aimed at them:
    -- Sally Yates
    -- Jim Comey
    -- JIm Rybicki
    -- James Baker
    -- now, Andrew McCabe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's beyond alarming what is going on.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous7:00 PM

    Drumpf will be working closely with the Russian government and elite operatives from the Italian mafia to protect the American people from the sinister and profoundly corrupt FBI. Then the courageous House Investigations Committee will seek to determine how the evil FBI got a foothold in this country - Obama may have played a decisive role here in establishing the FBI as the core of the treasonous Deep State - how they accumulated the power they did. Dont worry, Sheeple, Drumpf will make America great again! #covfefe!!!!

    (see? if you read it without audible derisive laughter, it almost sounds plausible)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:18 PM

      I could swear that you've been hanging out at the pee puddle!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:07 PM

      I heard hollow bitter laughter by the end of the first sentence. I hope it was me I was hearing...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:02 PM

      On youtube the christians believe that Donald is being protected by God. Scary.
      I mean I was raised to believe that God was kind and just. And now he supports a racist. lying, cheating, treasonous human? Mama mia! What does that make God?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:19 PM

      What does that make God? The sky fairy.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:23 AM

      oh that fake news again, and again.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous7:07 PM

    So depressing. Had to turn Rachel off. For the first time, I've come to believe he's going to get away with it, and more. The Republicans have truly sold their souls. Do none of them worry about how history will remember what they've done here? No honor, no shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:06 PM

      He's not getting away with anything. This shit takes time.

      Republicans are pulling a lot of stunts and doing a lot of filthy things but the wheels of justice are grinding on.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous7:45 PM

    Rosenstein is no hero in my book. He was the DOJ political lackey who did Trump's bidding by writing a memo on why James Comey should be fired.

    And now Trump has turned on him because Rosenstein assigned the special prosecutor, Mueller. And Trump wants this whole Russian thing to go away, without a second thought on who may getsin his way.

    It's called karma, Rosenstein.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous8:01 PM

    Soooooo, if Trump wins, Putin wins?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:35 AM

      Nope. The wild toad ride will end. Nobody wins. And the resignation immediate. It is shameful that America is without a real president for now.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous8:15 PM

    I JUST WISH MUELLER WOULD ALREADY FIRE AWAY AND COME OUT WITH WHAT HE HAS.
    There seems to be very little time for him to finish his job!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous8:18 PM

    Well at least we can rest comfortably knowing that our Alaska senators will do everything in their power to see that the Mueller investigation continues unhindered and with all necessary resources available. Right?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous8:19 PM

    Americans are United. Republicans are divided. When Mueller begins the obstruction charges the current cabinet will all be gone. Trump will have his only day tomorrow. There is nothing he can say or do to stop the criminal charges. They are coming regardless. Trump is finished along with the tea bags and republicans.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous9:11 PM

    New from me: Julian Assange privately told Sean Hannity's secret Twitter account to use "other channels" so he could tell him "news about (Mark) Warner," the Dem leading the Senate's Russia investigation.
    It wasn't Sean Hannity. It was a woman in Texas.

    https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/958147884553302016

    ReplyDelete
  16. OT:

    LOL.

    Trump’s uneducated White House Staff misspelled State of the “Uniom” on the tickets.

    Man, you just can’t make this stuff up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:20 PM

      Actually, this one is on the House someone or other. The WH had nothing to do with the tickets.

      Delete
    2. Correct.

      "The House Sergeant at Arms is responsible for printing and distributing the tickets. "

      But since the House is in such collusion with Trump, as are all Republicans, I just lump them all together. Deplorables, the lot of them. Some just more uneducated than others.

      This isn't the first typo either. Just sloppy and careless. It's like they want to be held up to ridicule.

      http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/running-list-typos-president-trump-white-house-article-1.3186396

      Covfefe didn't make the list. And of course, this doesn't include the verbal gaffes like Uniyeh Shayz.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous11:17 PM

    Dismantling the Justice System, excoriating and breeding mistrust of the media and dismantling the legal system are classic fascist tactics.

    Folks, we are headed that way, and fast, unless Trump is neutralized.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A bunch of Republican Governors are trying to convince the Supreme Court there's no hurry to correct Pennysylvania's gerrymandered voting maps. Voters can just use unconstitutional maps grossly favoring Republicans for 2018 and 2020 until the new census.

      Do I even have to talk about the census and how they are "gerrymandering" that too?

      Delete
  18. Anonymous12:43 AM

    Crooks always have a false sense of security. Bring on the trump tax returns, the dossier, the memo, the charges with evidence. Busted, afraid and lying to the world is not a good place to be.

    ReplyDelete

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