And it Begins:Special Prosecutor To Investigate Trump And Russia

[Spike]

Collusion!



Top FBI official assigned to Mueller’s Russia probe removed after sending anti-Trump texts

The former top FBI official assigned to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election was taken off that job this past summer after his bosses discovered he and another member of Mueller’s team had exchanged politically charged texts disparaging President Trump and supporting Hillary Clinton

Peter Strzok, as deputy head of counterintelligence at the FBI, was a key player in the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server to do government work as secretary of state, as well as the probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.

During the Clinton investigation, Strzok was involved in a romantic relationship with FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who worked for Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The extramarital affair was problematic, these people said, but of greater concern among senior law enforcement officials were text messages the two exchanged during the Clinton investigation and campaign season, in which they expressed anti-Trump sentiments and other comments that appeared to favor Clinton.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...0a9770d9a3e_story.html?utm_term=.170575a55f6b

 

[Steeltime]

Didn't Obama's admin fire Flynn?

Looks like something is in that nothingburger after all...

Obama fired Flynn because Obama believed that Al Quaeda died when bin Laden died. Flynn strongly and virulently disputed that position, and as director of the DIC, warned that Islamic extremism was going to continue and even expand in the nations which had lost their long-time leaders, such as Libya and Egypt. Early on, Flynn warned that the developing extremist group, ISIS, posed a genuine threat and needed to be addressed, but Obama dismissed that idea. This article - hardly from a right-wing rag - sums up what was going on.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...flynn-became-americas-angriest-general-214362

In 2016, Flynn was publicly scorching Obama and his policies in the Middle East, was vicious in his assessment of Clinton's strategies and handling of classified materials, and virulently outspoken about the foreign policy failures of the Obama administration in the Middle East. It is, I submit, no coincidence that the Obama administration "happened" to spy on Flynn after he became part of the Trump team.

 

[Stryker]

Obama fired Flynn because Obama believed that Al Quaeda died when bin Laden died. Flynn strongly and virulently disputed that position, and as director of the DIC, warned that Islamic extremism was going to continue and even expand in the nations which had lost their long-time leaders, such as Libya and Egypt. Early on, Flynn warned that the developing extremist group, ISIS, posed a genuine threat and needed to be addressed, but Obama dismissed that idea. This article - hardly from a right-wing rag - sums up what was going on.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...flynn-became-americas-angriest-general-214362

In 2016, Flynn was publicly scorching Obama and his policies in the Middle East, was vicious in his assessment of Clinton's strategies and handling of classified materials, and virulently outspoken about the foreign policy failures of the Obama administration in the Middle East. It is, I submit, no coincidence that the Obama administration "happened" to spy on Flynn after he became part of the Trump team.

That's overtly political reasoning given to his firing, which was not for that. I'm staying with my friend from the DOD who personally knows Flynn. Flynn was fired for undermining the 4 star generals (he is a 3 star). Saying he was going to do one thing, then doing something completely different. Gen Dumfries and the Director of the DNI wanted him out, so they went to Obama, and he fired him.

This is why I find it difficult to discuss intelligence to those who are beholden to politics. You will never be given the all of the facts.

 

[hamster]

When you are talking about the higher ups in any of the military branches, 75% of what they do is political.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Steeler Nation mobile app

 

[ark steel]

When you are talking about the higher ups in any of the military branches, 75% of what they do is political.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Steeler Nation mobile app

Yeah, you don't get those stars without it.

 

[hamster]

 

[Spike]

FAKE NEWS ALERT!



ABC News suspends Brian Ross for erroneous Flynn report

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News on Saturday suspended investigative reporter Brian Ross for four weeks without pay for his erroneous report on Michael Flynn, which it called a “serious error.”

Ross, citing an unnamed confidant of Flynn, had reported Friday that during the presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump had directed Flynn to make contact with the Russians.

Hours later, Ross clarified the report on the evening news, saying his source had actually said that Trump asked Flynn to contact the Russians as president-elect — not before the election — about issues including working together to fight ISIS

https://apnews.com/78440c185b7c49b39573257ad3353295

 

[Iron95]

Yes, I saw Spike's shiny, colorful Christmas pic's and immediately realized this was yet another false alarm. Rats, foiled again. I'll crawl back under a rock and cuddle with my framed & signed Hillary posters until the next breaking news story from Mueller. Then I'll come bouncing back with glee that 'Yes! This is the one! The big break we've been waiting for!' Until then, I'll sulk, mope around and hang my head, utterly miserable. Trump is a dark cloud hanging over my head, raining sorrow down on me. Almost too painful to bear, with all this Winning! going on. The shame and self-doubt, that I've swallowed these fake news stories for over a year now, with nothing to show for it. Embarrasing and pathetic. Maybe someday I can be like you guys and get on the Trump train and be popular and respected around here. Maybe, someday....sigh.

Maybe not..............................

 

[hamster]

FAKE NEWS ALERT!

Look at these Libtard Idiots spouting off at the FAKE news.

 

[IndySteel]

Dershowitz but this farce to bed:

Dershowitz: ‘You Cannot Charge a President With Obstruction of Justice for Exercising His Constitutional Power’
.@AlanDersh on @foxandfriends: “You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power.” https://t.co/uA7TqS2DwN pic.twitter.com/V6H7wUfIt3

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 4, 2017
by JEFF POOR4 Dec 20176
Monday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz batted down the merit of obstruction of justice charges aimed at President Donald Trump for what he said was exercising his constitutional power and authority regarding the firing of then-FBI Director James Comey and instructing the Department of Justice what to and not to investigate.

“If Congress were to ever charge him with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional authority under Article 2, we’d have a constitutional crisis,” he explained. “You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate. That’s what Thomas Jefferson did. That’s what Lincoln did. That’s what Roosevelt did. We have precedents that clearly establish that.”

“When George Bush, the first, pardoned Caspar Weinberger in order to end the investigation that would have led to him,” Dershowitz continued. “Nobody suggested obstruction of justice. For obstruction by the president, you need clearly illegal acts. With Nixon — hush money paid, telling people to lie, destroying evidence. Even with Clinton, they said that he tried to influence potential witnesses not to tell the truth. But there’s never been a case in history where a president has been charged with obstruction of justice for merely exercising his constitutional authority. That would cause a constitutional crisis in the United States.”

Ha ha, melt, snoflakes! Melt!

 

[Spike]

BOOM!

President Trump Asks the $64,000 Question: Why Didn’t Hillary Face Charges For Lying To FBI?

President Donald Trump said it was unfair that formal national security adviser Mike Flynn had his "life ruined" for lying to the FBI, the president said when speaking to reporters Monday morning.

Trump blasted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for reportedly lying under oath to the FBI and not suffering any consequences, while Flynn currently faces charges for making false statements to the bureau.

https://thepolitistick.com/presiden...n-didnt-hillary-face-charges-lying-fbi-video/

-----------------------------------



The Odds of Impeachment Are Dropping

Since Robert Mueller became special counsel in May, the chances of the House of Representatives passing articles of impeachment—and the Senate ratifying them—have probably gone down.

That’s because impeachment is less a legal process than a political one. Passing articles of impeachment requires a majority of the House. Were such a vote held today—even if every Democrat voted yes—it would still require 22 Republicans. If Democrats take the House next fall, they could then pass articles of impeachment on their own. But ratifying those articles would require two-thirds of the Senate, which would probably require at least 15 Republican votes.

Trump’s approval rating has held remarkably steady. The week Mueller was named, according to Gallup, Trump’s GOP support stood at 84 percent. In Gallup’s last poll, taken in late November, it was 81 percent. Trump’s approval rating among Republicans has not dipped below 79 percent since he took office.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/trump-impeachment/547358/?utm_source=feed

------------------------------

 

[Spike]

Dershowitz Slams Feinstein Over Obstruction Argument: 'Doesn't Know What She's Talking About'

President Trump was pleased with constitutional law scholar Alan Dershowitz’s defense of him over his firing of former FBI Director James Comey, calling the Harvard Law professor’s analysis on Fox News a “must watch” interview.

Dershowitz, a lifelong Democrat, said Trump has the constitutional right as president to fire his FBI director.

“You cannot charge a president with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional power to fire Comey and his constitutional authority to tell the Justice Department who to investigate, who not to investigate,” Dershowitz said during an interview with Fox News.

“We have precedents that clearly establish that.”

"If Congress were ever to charge him with obstruction of justice for exercising his constitutional authority under Article II, we'd have a constitutional crisis," he said.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahb...-interview-trump-said-is-a-mustwatch-n2417735

-----------------------------

 

[deljzc]

If Michael Flynn's 'crime' is all Robert Mueller has, it is time to move on

Transitions include the president-elect talking to foreign officials. That's not treason. That's the job description.

On Friday, President Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about a perfectly legal conversation he had during the presidential transition with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.....

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opin...ian-ambassador-legal-james-robbins/917714001/

 

[madinsomniac]

At this point the Democratic strategy is to force Trump to fire Mueller and then try to argue that is impeachable.... they don't have the numbers to impeach him and as I said with Clinton Political impeachment without a proven crime shouldn't be a thing... the false news stories around Mueller lately are clearly hoping for a knee jerk firing ... each has touched on things Trump hinted he might feel the need to remove him for in tge past

 

[Ron Burgundy]

At this point the Democratic strategy is to force Trump to fire Mueller and then try to argue that is impeachable.... they don't have the numbers to impeach him and as I said with Clinton Political impeachment without a proven crime shouldn't be a thing... the false news stories around Mueller lately are clearly hoping for a knee jerk firing ... each has touched on things Trump hinted he might feel the need to remove him for in tge past

I think that's why Trump hasn't fired him. Don't give the Dems and media what they want, along with the political fallout. Better to let them spin their wheels and waste time and not find anything.

 

[DBS1970]

I think that's why Trump hasn't fired him. Don't give the Dems and media what they want, along with the political fallout. Better to let them spin their wheels and waste time and not find anything.

I concur. We need to focus on Senate gains, along with getting rid of RINOs in the primaries so we can get actual conservative members of congress in power and move toward small government and the constitution. Maybe that 40% budget cut will be a reality in my lifetime.

 

[deljzc]

I concur. We need to focus on Senate gains, along with getting rid of RINOs in the primaries so we can get actual conservative members of congress in power and move toward small government and the constitution. Maybe that 40% budget cut will be a reality in my lifetime.

I don't know if it's the RINO's because I think if a district/state wants to elect moderate conservatives, go ahead.

What I really think has been the problem all along is the establishment, career politicians on both sides that have become reluctant to change because the current system has benefited themselves so well for so long. It's like once the likes of McCain and Pelosi and Shumer and McConnell get into the role of just being obstructionist to each other (almost for show) but sit in back rooms making supposedly "bipartisan" deals that don't do much other than just keep the dog and pony show going, you have a big problem.

It's like the media and these career hacks have convinced us that bipartisan is better but the reality is bipartisan doesn't mean anything if nothing gets done or what does get done is toothless and self-serving.

The truth really is we need to get back to PARTISAN politics and give the controlling party the ability to do MORE, even if it's wrong (nothing is permanent remember). We've given too much power and ability to obstruct. And this goes both ways. The ability to obstruct has really given the rise to the problems we have today, not the ability to govern or pass laws.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I don't know if it's the RINO's because I think if a district/state wants to elect moderate conservatives, go ahead.

Thing is, a lot of them run as conservatives to get elected then go all wobbly when they get to Washington.

 

[madinsomniac]

Its past due for a constitutional convention to force term limits on congress, make any adjustment to congressional pay and benefits something the general public has to vote on, and make senate and house large ticket items like confirmations and budgets require 60% of the vote... not a simple 51%

 

[deljzc]

We should have term limits and single-subject rules (which 41 states currently use) at the federal level.

Those are the only two things I think would help.

 

[DBS1970]

Thing is, a lot of them run as conservatives to get elected then go all wobbly when they get to Washington.

Or they pull a Jeff Flake. Start conservative and go "moderate" to curry favor with the media that hates them just for having an R after their name.

 

[DBS1970]

We should have term limits and single-subject rules (which 41 states currently use) at the federal level.

Those are the only two things I think would help.

Single subject rules maybe would help.

Term limits would be piss in the wind as long as there is universal suffrage and direct election of Senators. If you are not a net taxpayer you should not be allowed to vote. If you don't pay you should have no say. People that vote for a living outnumber people that work for a living now.

 

[Spike]

POW!


Nunes to issue subpoena for demoted DOJ official connected to anti-Trump Dossier

“The Committee will issue a subpoena to Bruce Ohr for information on this matter,” said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-CA.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said Thursday, the committee is issuing a subpoena to a top ranking DOJ official that had been demoted recently for meeting with the former British spy and the owner of a security firm behind the salacious anti-Trump dossier, this reporter has learned.

On Thursday, Rep. Nunes, a California Republican, said in a statement, “pursuant to the House Intelligence Committee’s prior subpoenas and information requests, the Department of Justice should have provided the committee with information on contacts that DOJ official Bruce Ohr had with Fusion GPS representatives and Christopher Steele.”

House investigators said Ohr met with Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, shortly after President Trump was elected. Simpson’s firm hired Steele to conduct the research and compile the dossier. It was eventually discovered that funds supplied by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign were used to pay for Steele’s part in the dossier.


https://saraacarter.com/2017/12/07/...doj-official-connected-to-anti-trump-dossier/

 

[Spike]

From A Legal Perspective, Mueller’s Investigation is Dead. Here’s Why

Like a headless turkey running around in circles, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s anti-Trump investigation is dead, even if he does not yet realize it. While his investigation stumbles onward, with life support provided by the biased media, from a legal perspective the viability of any criminal case that Mueller could possibly bring has been effectively gutted thanks to the news (suppressed for months by Mueller’s team) that the FBI’s “key agent” in both the Russia investigation and the Clinton email probe was an ardent Hillary supporter with an anti-Trump bias.

Under federal law, a prosecutor is required “to disclose exculpatory and impeachment information to criminal defendants and to seek a just result in every case.” Specifically, pursuant to Giglio v. United States, prosecutors are obligated to provide defendants with impeachment evidence, which includes, according to the DOJ’s guidelines, evidence of a witness’s biases, “[a]nimosity toward defendant,” or “[a]nimosity toward a group of which the defendant is a member or with which the defendant is affiliated.”

As a result, in any prosecution brought by Mueller against a Republican target, defense counsel would be entitled under the Constitution to all evidence in the government’s possession relevant to exploring the apparent biases of FBI agent Peter Strzok and his animosity toward Trump and the Republican Party.

This, in and of itself, could be a case-killer because it is very unlikely that Mueller or the DOJ would want defense counsel poring through all the records and documents, emails, and texts in the DOJ’s and Strzok’s possession revealing the agent’s biases since this could fatally undermine any other cases or investigations the agent has worked on—such as the FBI’s decision to recommend charging General Flynn with lying to federal agents even though Hillary Clinton’s besties, Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin, were given a free pass despite apparently doing the same thing.

Significantly, the fatal damage done to Mueller’s anti-Trump investigation does not only rest in the fact that defense counsel will be able to conduct an unlubricated prostate examination on the FBI’s key agent at trial. Instead, the real reason why Mueller will not risk a criminal trial is the lasting damage that would be done to the FBI’s reputation by having Strzok’s baggage brought into the daylight.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/12/07/from-a-legal-perspective-muellers-investigation-is-dead-heres-why/

 

[katsung47]

Russia Wanted Trump As President And It Got Him. Now What Does America Do?

,HuffPost• November 22, 2017

On Jan. 6, 2017, the U.S. intelligence community released a declassified version of its analysis finding that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not only interfered in the 2016 election, but had actively tried to help Trump. Among the tools Russia used was the theft of emails from the campaign of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and their release through Russia-friendly WikiLeaks.

Trump campaign foreign policy aide George Papadopoulos detailed in filings associated with his guilty plea agreement how Russians in April 2016 were offering the campaign emails damaging to Clinton. Emails between the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and a former business partner show that the younger Trump was eager to see the supposedly incriminating information in advance of a Trump Tower meeting. Trump Jr. later traded messages with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange about his father’s exploitation of emails stolen from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. On Oct. 12, 2016, after Assange suggested that the GOP nominee help publicize the latest batch of stolen emails, Trump himself sent a tweet praising WikiLeaks just 15 minutes later.

On May 9, 2017, after three months of complaining about the FBI’s Russia probe, Trump fired the agency’s director, James Comey. The reason initially stated was that Comey had mishandled an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state. But the very next day, Trump reportedly told Russia’s foreign minister and its U.S. ambassador during an Oval Office visit that he’d fired Comey to block the probe. Trump again cited the Russia investigation as a reason for firing Comey in an interview with NBC News on May 11. That firing led quickly to Mueller’s appointment to take over the investigation.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-wanted-trump-president-got-100030401.html