Lindsey Graham states unequivocally that Trump firing Robert Mueller would be "the end of his presidency."

Graham: ‘Everybody in the White House knows it’d be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he fires Mr. Mueller.’ (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/ozpKjnZmvG

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 28, 2018

I think this is unarguably a fact, the question is whether Trump understands this as well.

Lindsey Graham has essentially confirmed that Trump did indeed call African nations "shithole" countries.

Courtesy of NBC News: 

Sen. Lindsey Graham did not deny Friday that President Donald Trump called certain nations "s---hole" countries, adding that he "said [his] piece" in response to the president's "comments" at a meeting with lawmakers. 

The South Carolina Republican did not rebut an account from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., of a Thursday meeting on bipartisan immigration legislation that both attended. On Friday, Durbin said that Trump "repeatedly" said "hate-filled things" at the meeting and called African nations "s---hole" countries. 

Durbin added that Graham spoke up in response to Trump's comments and said it took courage to do so. 

"I appreciate Senator Durbin's statements and have enjoyed working with him and many others on this important issue," Graham said in a statement. "I believe it is vitally important to come to a bipartisan solution to the immigration and border challenges we face today. I am committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to find common ground so we can move forward."

So despite Trump's denial earlier today here are two Senators, both present at the meeting, confirming that he did indeed make those disgusting remarks.

In other words they are calling him a liar.

Which makes this next story very troubling.

Courtesy of the Washington Examiner:  

Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and David Perdue, R-Ga., defended President Trump Friday after reports that he referred to Haiti and various African nations as "shithole countries" during a meeting at the White House. 

In a statement, the pair of GOP immigration hawks said they "do not recall" the president making those remarks and hit Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., for not "negotiating in good faith" by making what they call an "accusation." 

“President Trump brought everyone to the table this week and listened to both sides. But regrettably, it seems that not everyone is committed to negotiating in good faith," Cotton and Perdue said. 

"In regards to Senator Durbin’s accusation, we do not recall the President saying these comments specifically but what he did call out was the imbalance in our current immigration system, which does not protect American workers and our national interest," they said. "We, along with the President, are committed to solving an issue many in Congress have failed to deliver on for decades.”

So not only did Donald Trump lie about what he said in that meeting, but these two Republican Senators also lied in order to cover for him.

And on Fox News they suggested that Trump was just talking like everyday Americans talk to each other.

"This is how the forgotten men and women of America talk at the bar" — @JesseBWatters on Trump's 's---hole' remark pic.twitter.com/pFwBHVIMY7

— TV News HQ (@TVNewsHQ) January 11, 2018

Courtesy of HuffPo:

After The Washington Post on Thursday afternoon first reported Trump’s remarks at a White House meeting with lawmakers, “The Five” co-host Jesse Watters shrugged off the slur as the way ordinary Americans talk about “Haiti people.” 

“If it’s true, this is how the forgotten men and women in America talk at the bar,” Watters said. “This is how Trump relates to people. If you’re at a bar, and you’re from Wisconsin, and you’re thinking, ‘They’re bringing in a bunch of Haiti people, or El Salvadorians, or people from Niger.’ This is how some people talk.” 

No, that's the way people at Fox News talk.

I am not typically a big Lindsey Graham fan, but at least he had enough integrity to not only confront Trump over those remarks, but also to refuse to lie for him in order to cover them up.

Look at that, the bar is now so low in the Republican party that we are now congratulating them for not lying about racist comments made by their president.

So what the fuckity fuck is going on with Senator Lindsey Graham?

Was there collusion between DOJ and Fusion GPS to use Democratic funded dossier for political and legal purposes?

We need to know the answer to those questions. https://t.co/z8wKjcvxiT

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 8, 2017

So now Graham, a former never Trumper, is joining Sean Hannity, and Alex Jones, on the "DOJ conspired with the DNC to sabotage the Trump campaign" bandwagon?

It’s long past time for a Special Counsel to investigate Clinton email scandal, Uranium One, role of Fusion GPS, and FBI and DOJ bias during 2016 campaign.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 8, 2017

I will be challenging Rs and Ds on Senate Judiciary Committee to support a Special Counsel to investigate ALL THINGS 2016 -- not just Trump and Russia.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 8, 2017

WTF?

And then just yesterday there was this.

Trump International Golf Club is a spectacular golf course.

Great day of fun playing with @POTUS @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/92Xjk8d8B2

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 10, 2017

I swear that somewhere in Graham's house is a pod lying next to a web covered body which looks suspiciously like a decomposing Lindsey Graham.

GOP finally recognizes that health care bill is dead.

BREAKING: Republicans on Graham-Cassidy health care bill: "We don't have the votes." https://t.co/LHqq2AujL8

— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) September 26, 2017

Courtesy of NBC News:  

Short on votes and time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving on from health care for now. 

Republican senators decided during their weekly conference lunch to not take a vote on a measure that was sure to go down in defeat with three senators explicitly against it and others wavering. 

“The decision was a joint one between Lindsey and Bill and the other two sponsors and also the leader that if the votes are not there, not to have the vote, but not to give up,” said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., after leaving the lunch referring to the latest health care bill’s co-sponsors, Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La. 

With no Democrats supporting the repeal of Obamacare, Senate Republicans could only lose the support of two of its 52-member caucus and still pass the bill. On Monday evening, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, became the third GOP senator to publicly oppose the measure, delivering a fatal blow to what was already a last-ditch effort. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and John McCain, R-Ariz., had previously said that they were against the measure as well. 

The Graham-Cassidy legislation was the latest version of a series of efforts to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but none were able to find the 50 votes it needed for passage.

You know it just breaks the GOP's heart that they have failed once again to take healthcare away from millions of their fellow Americans.

Maybe they will get lucky on their way home from work today and run over a squirrel.

You know just so the day is not a total loss for them.

Donald Trump directs today's Twitter tirade at John McCain.

John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

Arizona had a 116% increase in ObamaCare premiums last year, with deductibles very high. Chuck Schumer sold John McCain a bill of goods. Sad

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

Large Block Grants to States is a good thing to do. Better control & management. Great for Arizona. McCain let his best friend L.G. down!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017

Okay that last one is a low blow.

Graham by the way did not seem to take it personally.

My friendship with @SenJohnMcCain is not based on how he votes but respect for how he’s lived his life and the person he is.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 22, 2017

Trump also sent out a tweet suggesting that Rand Paul might have a change of heart "for the good of the party," and another one suggesting that Lisa Murkowski "comes through." However I can find no evidence that either of those two things are true so I think this is just some early morning wishful thinking on Trump's part.

Like Jimmy Kimmel said there is no evidence that Trump has ever read this Graham-Cassidy bill, or has any idea what is in it.

He just wants to win, and he does not care if by doing so the American people lose.

John McCain has killed another Trumpcare bill.

Courtesy of the New York Times:

Senator John McCain of Arizona announced on Friday that he would oppose the latest proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act, leaving Republican leaders with little hope of succeeding in their last-ditch attempt to dismantle the health law.

Mr. McCain, who killed the previous repeal effort with his dramatic “no” vote in July, released a statement saying he would not support the latest proposal, by Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is Mr. McCain’s closest friend in the Senate. 

“I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal,” Mr. McCain said. “I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will affect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it.”

With McCain out this deal is dead, because I am convinced that both Senator Murkowski and Collins will also likely vote no on this bill. And right now the Republicans cannot afford to lose even one of them.

I imagine this was hard for McCain since his bestest buddy in the whole world, Lindsey Graham, put his name on this, but the man has brain cancer so how COULD he in good conscience have voted any other way?

Somebody in another thread asked if this meant we had to forgive John McCain for Sarah Palin, and the answer to that is no, no we do not.

What John McCain has done may seem admirable, but seriously it is the bare minimum that people should expect from their representatives.

Sarah Palin is a plague on this nation which keeps on giving, and there is NO undoing that.

Jimmy Kimmel goes on a one man crusade against the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill.

Courtesy of Yahoo News:

Jimmy Kimmel slammed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on his show Tuesday night for proposing new health care legislation that Kimmel said fails the "Jimmy Kimmel test" that Cassidy himself had proposed in an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in May. 

Cassidy appeared on the program earlier this year after Kimmel made an emotional plea for health care legislation that would insure affordable health coverage for all, including people with pre-existing conditions and with no lifetime caps, in the wake of Kimmel's newborn son needing life-saving heart surgery. 

But Kimmel said Wednesday night the new legislation Cassidy and co-sponsor Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have proposed in the Senate did not meet those requirements. 

"Not only did Bill Cassidy fail the Jimmy Kimmel test, he failed the Bill Cassidy test," Kimmel said. "He failed his own test."

Jimmy Kimmel reaches over two million viewers each night, so his advocacy to protect Obamacare should not be taken lightly.

The conservatives like to mock celebrities getting involved with politics, but they do that because they know it is effective.

Right now Jimmy Kimmel is risking his career to protect our access to health care, let's not let him fight that all by himself.

By the way Bill Cassidy responded to Jimmy Kimmel's allegations this morning.

.@BillCassidy responds to Kimmel: "I'm sorry he does not understand." With new bill "more people will have coverage" https://t.co/1wWZe843vC

— New Day (@NewDay) September 20, 2017

Yeah, that guy should never play poker, because the fact that he is lying is written all over his face. 

The push to repeal Obamacare intensifies.

Courtesy of Think Progress: 

Senate Republicans are on the cusp of passing a bill that will eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of health funding, destabilize insurance markets, and eventually phase out Medicaid in its entirety. Less than two months after three Republican senators stopped an earlier effort to strip away much of America’s health care safety net, millions of Americans’ health care is now in very serious peril. 

The new Trumpcare legislation — often referred to as “Graham-Cassidy” after Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), its leading proponents — contains several provisions undercutting the Affordable Care Act. It eliminates subsidies helping many millions of Americans purchase health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges and Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, replacing this funding with a less generous block grant to states.

Then, this block grant abruptly disappears in 2027, leaving many millions of Americans with nothing.

The Trump Administration is pushing hard to get this one passed.

Courtesy of Axios:   

Vice President Mike Pence is throwing the Trump administration’s weight behind the latest Affordable Care Act repeal bill — and against a bipartisan effort to stabilize the marketplaces. In an interview on Air Force Two, Pence told me he’ll call on all Senate Republicans to support the bill by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy at a lunch meeting this afternoon, saying, "this is the moment. Now is the time.” 

The bottom line: It’s likely coming down to the votes of Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski, two of the Republican holdouts (the others are Susan Collins and Rand Paul). Graham, who was on the flight with Pence, told me McCain will speak for himself — but added with a knowing smile that he feels good about McCain’s vote.

I have already made my phone call to Lisa Murkowski and I encourage others to contact their Senators as well.

It might provide some solace to know that there are heroes out there fighting the good fight.

Courtesy of The Hill: 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says Democrats are willing to jam up the Senate to stop the GOP's latest ObamaCare repeal bill. 

“We’re going to look at every possible way to slow this bill down," Schumer said during a Monday press conference. 

Mostly powerless to set the legislative agenda in the minority, Democrats have some delaying tactics at their disposal.

These Democrats deserve words of encouragement as well, so if you have a Democrat for a Senator they might also enjoy hearing from you.

Ultimately I hope that we are working our way toward single payer, but until then we need to fight tooth and nail to hang on to Obamacare for as long as we can.

Yes Lindsey Graham's latest attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare is just as bad as you feared.

JUST OUT: Here's a summary of the Graham-Cassidy repeal. Yes, it's that bad.

Spread far and wide if useful. pic.twitter.com/Z0bbj0qaPd

— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) September 13, 2017

Courtesy of The Week: 

On Wednesday, Republican senators introduced the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson health-care bill, the party's latest attempt at repealing and replacing ObamaCare. The legislation, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Dean Heller (Nev.), and Ron Johnson (Wis.), proposes "a block grant given annually to states to help individuals pay for health care." "This proposal removes the decision from Washington and gives states significant latitude over how the dollars are used to best take care of the unique health-care needs of the patients in each state," a statement said. 

Graham goaded his Republican colleagues to not "let the health-care debate die," as he warned that a single-payer system would be "inevitable" if Republicans fail to undo ObamaCare. He declared this bill Republicans' "best and only chance" at dodging that. 

"If you want a single-payer health-care system, this is your worst nightmare. Bernie, this ends your dream of a single-payer health-care system for America," Graham said in a shout-out to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). On Wednesday afternoon, Sanders is expected to introduce the Medicare for All Act of 2017, a bill backed by at least 15 Democratic senators that would replace the current health-care system with a public system paid for by higher taxes.

The good news is that there is only fifteen days left before the Republicans lose the fast-track procedural powers that they need in order to bypass a filibuster by the Democrats.

The bad news is that the guy who helped stop the LAST repeal Obamacare bill, John McCain, has already signaled his support for this one.

I personally do not think this will make it through either, but that does not mean we can sit back and simply hope things work out.

Time to start sending those emails and making those phone calls again.

Here is the contact information to help you get started.

John McCain has flipped! He now supports the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.

No seriously, do you see that spot on it? That look like cancer to you?

Courtesy of The Hill:  

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that he supports a newer version of an ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill, throwing some support behind the last-ditch effort. 

McCain said he backs a bill from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) that would convert ObamaCare spending into block grants for states. 

Asked if he supported it, McCain told reporters, "Yes. You think I wouldn't be?" 

Graham is one of McCain's closest friends. 

Fucker!

This is why I was not among those blowing kisses at McCain after he cast his deciding vote to stop the GOP repeal and replace runaway train the last time.

I KNEW he could never be counted on to stand his ground for long.

Even though Trump has already said that he would sign this newer version, all is not yet lost.

The measure faces long odds, despite the boost from McCain. The White House is pushing for it, but Senate GOP leadership has so far not expressed interest publicly. 

Republicans face a tight deadline of Sept. 30, when the fast-track process known as reconciliation needed to pass a repeal bill without Democratic votes expires. 

So it is still somewhat unlikely that this thing will make it to a vote by the deadline.

But let's not forget that there is still a long way to 2018.

I fucking KNEW that McCain could not be counted on to hold the line for long.

I swear he shifts positions every time the wind blows.

Hopefully at least Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins will remain more steadfast in their opposition.

The build up to war with North Korea has begun.

Courtesy of Vox: 

“There is a military option: to destroy North Korea’s nuclear program and North Korea itself,” Graham told the Today show’s Matt Lauer. “He’s not going to allow — President Trump — the ability of this madman [Kim Jong Un] to have a missile that could hit America. “If there’s going to be a war to stop him, it will be over there,” Graham continued. 

“If thousands die, they’re going to die over there. They’re not going to die over here — and he’s told me that to my face.” 

Graham’s press office confirmed that the senator was, in fact, reciting the details of a conversation he had with the president. According to Graham, the president “doesn’t want a war” — but would be willing to start one that would kill millions of people in the region if it came down to it. 

Graham went even further later in the interview, saying war between the United States and North Korea was “inevitable” under this president unless North Korea stops testing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These missiles, Graham says, are an unacceptable threat to the American homeland — so Trump would go to war to stop them.

I actually believe that the talk of North Korea's ability to send a missile far enough to hit any city or state in America is overblown.

In a very short amount of time we have gone from mocking North Korea's efforts to build a working missile, to fear mongering about potentially being blown up in our sleep.

All of this feels far too similar to the selling of the Iraq War to me, and I am not buying it.

And the cost of this war could be catastrophic:

While all war game scenarios show the US winning a military confrontation, that victory could come at the cost of hundreds of thousands of deaths, mostly in South Korea where millions of innocent people -- and nearly 30,000 US troops -- are already in range of North Korea's current missile capabilities. 

And that is not even considering the possibility that China may come to the aid of their longtime friend and ally. 

But none of that will matter to Trump, because keep in mind that this presidency is coming apart at the seams, and the ONLY thing that will distract the public from talk of investigations into Russian collusion, is the start of a new war.

This is what Republicans do, this is what they ALWAYS do, and yet people keep voting for them.

Lindsey Graham is glad they have appointed a special counsel to investigate that Russia thing, so that he can get back to investigating those pesky Clinton emails.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Fox News on Thursday that now that special counsel has been appointed to investigate alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Congress should abandon their own investigations and go back to focusing on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails. 

“I don’t know what caused the appointment. I haven’t seen any evidence of a crime yet. The bottom line is I respect the decision, but this pretty much shuts Congress down,” Graham said. “Democrats, you got what you wanted. You got a special counsel. Now we’ll just move on. We’re not prosecutors.”

“There’s a new front opening here. I have reason to believe that there are emails between Clinton campaign officials, democratic operatives to the Department of Justice regarding the Clinton email investigation that happened on Obama’s watch. I have reason to believe those emails exist,” Graham said. “I’m on the Judiciary Committee. And I think it’s important that the Judiciary Committee be given any emails that were directed to the Department of Justice by Clinton campaign officials or operatives because we have jurisdiction over the Department of Justice.”

You know every time I start to think that maybe Lindsey Graham is not such a douchenozzle after all he does something like this to remind me that of course he is.

How many tax payer dollars have been wasted investigating Clinton emails so far now?

Somebody should alert Donald Trump to the fact that THIS is what an actual witch hunt looks like. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham wants to take a little peek at Donald Trump's business ties with Russia. In response Trump lawyers up.

Courtesy of Reuters:  

U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Tuesday he wants to know more about President Donald Trump's business dealings in relation to Russia, but that congressional investigations may have to avoid the matter if they conflict with an FBI probe. 

Graham asked former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Monday whether he had concerns about Russian ties to Trump's business interests. Clapper said he could not comment because the issue could be a subject of an ongoing investigation. 

CNN reported on Tuesday that Graham intended to look into Trump's business ties to see if any connections exist between Russia and the Trump campaign or the president's associates.

After this news broke yesterday MSNBC's Katy Tur tweeted this:

President Trump has hired a private lawyer to respond Lindsey Graham's questions about his Russia biz dealings. pic.twitter.com/6fJ0zH3PGN

— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) May 9, 2017

"He has no business in Russia. He has no connections to Russia."

Okay that right there is demonstrably untrue.

Has anybody else noticed that many of Trump's most recent responses to the Russia probe, such as the firing of James Comey, the attempt to play down his associations with Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and Michael Flynn, and this most recent hiring of this new lawyer, seem almost like subconscious admissions of guilt? 

Or is that just me?

House Committee Chairman, a Republican, says that there is no evidence that Obama wiretapped Donald Trump. James Comey called to testify next week. Update!

Courtesy of CNN: 

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said Wednesday that neither he nor the ranking Democrat on the committee have seen any evidence that then-President Barack Obama wiretapped Donald Trump last year, and want the Justice Department to respond to their requests for information by March 20. 

"We don't have any evidence that that took place and in fact I don't believe -- just in the last week of time, the people we've talked to -- I don't think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower," Nunes said at a news conference, in reference to the baseless claim originally made by Trump several weeks ago.

Rep. Nunes: If you’re going to take Trump’s tweets literally on wiretapping, then “clearly the President was wrong” https://t.co/aVdo8qR3vS

— CNN (@CNN) March 15, 2017

"Clearly the president was wrong." Yeah, no shit Sherlock!

Just like we all knew, Donald Trump accused President Obama of illegally tapping his phones with no supporting evidence whatsoever.

He fucking lied, and now everybody is going to know it.

James Comey for his part was supposed to spill the beans today, but apparently didn't.

Sheldon Whitehouse says COMEY failed to meet agreed upon deadline to confirm existence of FBI inquiry into Russia/Trump by this afternoon

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 15, 2017

That lack of cooperation frustrated Senator Lindsey Graham who said this:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Wednesday that he'll move to subpoena any documents tied to President Trump's claim that he was wiretapped during the campaign if he doesn't hear back from FBI Director James Comey later in the day. 

"He hasn't answered that letter. If he doesn't answer it today, I'm going to go to the chairman of the [Judiciary] Committee, Sen. [Chuck] Grassley [R-Iowa], and seek his support to subpoena," Graham said during a Fox News radio interview. 

This was also included in that CNN report at the top:

FBI Director James Comey will testify at their March 20 hearing and that there will be a second hearing in the committee March 28.

THAT will put Comey in the hot seat and he will not be able to avoid answering questions under oath about any FBI investigations into Donald Trump or his associates.

Yeah I think THIS might be part of the reason why Trump leaked those tax returns yesterday.

This and the fact that the new GOP bill is taking healthcare away from 24 million Americans.

Oh and did I mention that the investigation into his ties with Russia is still ongoing?

Yep, the noose is just getting tighter.

Update: Unbelievably Donald Trump just doubled down again:


President Trump on Wednesday defended his unsubstantiated claim that former president Barack Obama ordered surveillance on his phones at Trump Tower in New York during last fall's campaign. 

Trump again offered no evidence to support his wiretapping accusation, but he maintained in an interview with Fox News Channel that information would soon be revealed that could prove him right. 

“Wiretap covers a lot of different things,” Trump said. “I think you're going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks.” 

I swear this guy is completely incapable of every admitting that he made a mistake.

Shovelful after shovelful she just keeps digging himself in deeper.  

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism announces the launch of an investigation into the Russian hacking of our election. Oooh, I like this.

Courtesy of TPM: 

U.S. scrutiny of Russian meddling in the 2016 election gained momentum this week when the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism announced it would launch its own investigation of alleged election hacking.

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) said in a joint statement Thursday that the investigation would focus on Russian efforts to influence elections “both here at home and abroad.” 

“Our goal is simple – to the fullest extent possible we want to shine a light on Russian activities to undermine democracy,” their statement read. “While some of our efforts will have to be held behind closed doors due to security concerns, we also hope to have an open discussion before the American people about Russia’s strategies to undermine democracy.”

Well what do you, perhaps some of the Republicans really ARE interested in finding out the truth about how the Russians helped to get this orange tinted moron into the White House.

And let's face it Lindsey Graham simply fucking does not like Donald Trump.

What if this is the GOP's plan?

What if they have every intention of charging Trump with treason and then putting Mike Pence into the White House in his place?

Personally I think that if they charged Trump with treason that would invalidate the election and that would mean they needed to hold it again so that the right person could win this time.

Of course that's just me.

During Senate hearing, intelligence community says they are more convinced than ever that the Russians hacked our election. Update!

(I am including Claire McCaskill's questioning of CIA Director Clapper because I found it to be one of the more entertaining exchanges. Though to be fair Lindsey Graham was a hoot to watch as well.)

Courtesy of CNN: 

In his opening questions to Clapper, Committee Chairman John McCain noted the Intelligence Community's conclusion that the cyberthefts and disclosures were intended to interfere with the US election process and could only have been authorized by Russia's most senior levels. 

"We stand actually more resolutely on the strength of that statement that we made on the seventh of October," Clapper said. After the election, the Intelligence Community concluded that at least one Russian motive had been to help Trump win. 

Clapper said that the hacking did not succeed in changing any vote tallies, but that it was impossible for intelligence to assess how the information released from the breaches affected voters' attitudes. 

McCain emphasized the Russian role and delivered an implicit rebuke to Trump, who has urged people to "move on" from the issue of Moscow-directed hacking.

I actually disagree that there is no evidence that the Russian hacks impacted the vote tallies.

In fact if you go through this timeline presented by ABC News you can see for yourself how the leaked information, carefully disseminated by Wikileaks over a period of four months, slowly eroded the trust for the DNC and later for Clinton herself.

I think without that, and the help of FBI Director Comey, Donald Trump would have had no way in hell of winning this election.

Wikileaks, which I now consider to be a propaganda outlet for Russia, also fed into conspiracy theories about a Clinton earpiece, and even diagnosed her with a fake disease. 

You do not get to hold yourself out as a paragon of truth and justice once you engage in that kind of conspiratorial nonsense.

Clapper and McCain also have little use for Julian Assange:  

McCain asked Clapper whether Assange had endangered men and women serving the US with his earlier release of State Department cables. 

"Yes, he has," Clapper said. 

McCain then asked whether Assange should be accorded any credibility -- another implicit rebuke of Trump. Clapper responded, "No, he should not."

And yet this is the guy that Donald Trump thinks the American people should listen to and consider as reputable as our own intelligence agencies.

I have to admit that I was really fascinated by the hearing, and watched the entire thing from start to finish.

At one point Director Clapper was asked by Lindsey Graham if he was prepared to be challenged by Donald Trump tomorrow when he provides a briefing, and he smiled and said yes and that he welcomes the exchange.

In other words Clapper, and the other intelligence professionals, are confident that the information that they have to share will be more than enough to convince even someone as dimwitted as Donald Trump.

It will be interesting to see if tomorrow's Trump tweets don't have a completely different tenor than the ones before the briefing.

For example:

How did NBC get "an exclusive look into the top secret report he (Obama) was presented?" Who gave them this report and why? Politics!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

The Democratic National Committee would not allow the FBI to study or see its computer info after it was supposedly hacked by Russia......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

So how and why are they so sure about hacking if they never even requested an examination of the computer servers? What is going on?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2017

By the way considering what James Comey did to sabotage Hillary's chances of winning the election, I do not blame the DNC for keeping the FBI away from their hard drives.

If in fact that's what happened. 

Update: Former CIA Director, James Wolsey, has just quit as a Trump advisor. 

I am not sure what that means, but I bet it means something.

Mitch McConnell rejects bipartisan calls for a special committee to investigate the Russian hacking of our election.

My new favorite Trump/Putin picture.

Courtesy of the AP:  

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is rejecting bipartisan calls for a special committee to investigate Russian interference in the U.S. election, which American intelligence says was aimed in part at helping Republican Donald Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. 

The likely meddling by Russia "is a serious issue, but it doesn't require a select committee," said McConnell, R-Ky. The Senate intelligence committee is able to investigate the matter, he added. 

CIA Director John Brennan has said the intelligence community is in agreement that Russia tried to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, although there's no evidence Moscow succeeded in helping Trump win. 

"There's no question that the Russians were messing around in our election," McConnell told Kentucky Educational Television on Monday night. "It is a matter of genuine concern and it needs to be investigated." 

Still, McConnell said the issue should be investigated in "regular order" by the Senate intelligence panel, which is "fully capable of handling this."

John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Chuck Schumer, among others, disagree with McConnell because they know full well that leaving it to Senate intelligence will quickly turn this partisan (Remember Benghazi?) and that many Republicans have little interest in finding out that their new president was chosen for them by the Kremlin.

Then of course there is the matter of Mitch McConnell's wife serving with the Trump administration.

Can you say "conflict of interest?"

I knew that you could.

John McCain and other Senators issue bipartisan press release confirming that Russia hacked our election process.

Courtesy of the United States Committee on Armed Services: 

U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader-elect, and Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services released the following joint statement today in response to news reports on the CIA’s analysis of Russian interference with the 2016 election: 

“For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America’s physical, economic, and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property. Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our election should alarm every American. 

“Congress’s national security committees have worked diligently to address the complex challenge of cybersecurity, but recent events show that more must be done. While protecting classified material, we have an obligation to inform the public about recent cyberattacks that have cut to the heart of our free society. Democrats and Republicans must work together, and across the jurisdictional lines of the Congress, to examine these recent incidents thoroughly and devise comprehensive solutions to deter and defend against further cyberattacks. 

“This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country. We are committed to working in this bipartisan manner, and we will seek to unify our colleagues around the goal of investigating and stopping the grave threats that cyberattacks conducted by foreign governments pose to our national security.”

You know there are very few times these days that I wish I could be a bug on the wall in Sarah Palin's house.

But I would LOVE to have seen her face when she read this.

Remember these are the Senators that first received that CIA briefing way back in September. And they are very likely the ones who argued against keeping it under wraps until after the election.

Apparently even Mitch McConnell recognizes that he cannot just sit back and do nothing: 

McConnell said he wanted a “bipartisan” congressional investigation into Russian interference, ruling out a special committee and instead saying the Senate Intelligence Committee could proceed with the probe. 

“The Russians are not our friends,” McConnell said at a news conference, embracing a probe. “I hope those in responsibility in the new administration share my view.”

I think that this is likely only politically pandering on the part of McConnell, but if it results in some investigations that will have to be good enough. 

For now. 

Leading Senate Republicans are preparing a wide ranging probe into Russia's interference with our election. Oh Comrade Trump will NOT like this!

Courtesy of the Washington Post: 

Leading Senate Republicans are preparing to launch a coordinated and wide-ranging probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. elections and its potential cyberthreats to the military, digging deep into what they view as corrosive interference in the nation’s institutions. 

Such an aggressive approach puts them on a direct collision course with President-elect Donald Trump, who downplays the possibility Russia had any role in the November elections — arguing that a hack of the Democratic National Committee emails may have been perpetrated by “some guy in his home in New Jersey.” The fracture could become more prominent after Trump is inaugurated and begins setting foreign policy. He has already indicated that the country should “get along” with Russia since the two nations have many common strategic goals. 

But some of Trump’s would-be Republican allies on Capitol Hill disagree. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (Ariz.) is readying a probe of possible Russian cyber-incursions into U.S. weapons systems, and he said he has been discussing the issue with Senate Select Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (N.C.), with whom he will be “working closely” to investigate Russia’s suspected interference in the U.S. elections and cyberthreats to the military and other institutions. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been apprised of the discussions. Burr did not respond to requests for comment. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) also said he intends to hold hearings next year into alleged Russian hacking. Corker is on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, according to the Trump transition team.

If, and I have some doubts about this, but IF these Republicans are serious about investigating this meddling by Russia, that may signify that they are growing a backbone and will not roll over for all of Trump's lunatic policy ideas.

However I am also quite aware that these guys are almost solely motivated by the possibility of winning or losing reelection, so unless they get a significant amount of support from the American people, and more importantly their constituents, I am not very confident that they will pursue this as aggressively as it deserves.

But I am willing to maintain an open mind.

Because let's face it, SOMEBODY needs to do something about this and make sure it never happens again.

Donald Trump does "not believe" that Russia interfered in election. Also does not believe water is wet.

Courtesy of Politico: 

President-elect Donald Trump is freshly casting doubt on the idea that Russia was behind the election-related hacks into Democratic entities, and said the conclusion by U.S. agencies that the Kremlin played a role was politically driven. 

“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe they interfered,” Trump said in an interview with Time magazine, which named him person of the year.

Trump has steadfastly refused to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin or his agencies played any role in the hack of the Democratic National Committee and the private email account of John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. 

When asked by Time if the conclusion reached by U.S. officials was motivated by politics, Trump responded, “I think so.”

It should be noted that this is the same man who claimed that the election was rigged right up until he "won" it.

Trump has also expressed his belief that global warming is a Chinese hoax and that vaccinations cause Autism, and yet THIS one he simply cannot wrap his mind around.

Do you know who CAN wrap their mind around it?

Lindsey freaking Graham, that's who.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says he plans to lead an investigation into the alleged Russian hacking in US elections https://t.co/6wPebEksQy

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 7, 2016

As if we needed anymore evidence that reality has changed irreparably, here I am on the same side of an issue with Senator Lindsey Graham.

Up is down, black is white, and the Republican president is clearly the puppet of a Russian dictator.

If this were a script for a James Bond movie, it would be discarded for being too far fetched and unbelievable.