homersapien 11,393 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/after-a-congressional-briefing-on-election-threats-trump-soured-on-acting-spy-chief/2020/02/20/1ed2b4ec-53f1-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html A senior U.S. intelligence official told lawmakers last week that Russia wants to see President Trump reelected, viewing his administration as more favorable to the Kremlin’s interests, according to people who were briefed on the comments. After learning of that analysis, which was provided to House lawmakers in a classified hearing, Trump grew angry at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office, seeing Maguire and his staff as disloyal for speaking to Congress about Russia’s perceived preference. The intelligence official’s analysis and Trump’s furious response ruined Maguire’s chances of becoming the permanent intelligence chief, according to people familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. It was not clear what specific steps, if any, U.S. intelligence officials think Russia may have taken to help Trump, according to the individuals. In Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, dismissed the U.S. intelligence analysis. “These are new paranoid reports, which, to our deep regret, will continue to grow in number as the election day approaches,” Peskov said Friday. “Naturally, they have nothing to do with the truth.” Trump announced Wednesday that he was replacing Maguire with a vocal loyalist, Richard Grenell, who is the U.S. ambassador to Germany. The shake-up at the top of the intelligence community is the latest move in a post-impeachment purge. Trump has instructed aides to identify and remove officials across the government who aren’t defending his interests, and he wants them replaced with loyalists. Maguire, a career official who is respected by the intelligence rank and file, was considered a leading candidate to be nominated to the post of DNI, White House aides had said. But Trump’s opinion shifted last week when he heard from a Republican ally about the official’s remarks. The official, Shelby Pierson, said several times during the briefing that Russia had “developed a preference” for Trump, according to a U.S. official familiar with her comments. That conclusion was part of a broader discussion of election security that also touched on when the U.S. government should warn Democratic candidates if they are being targeted by foreign governments. Trump meets Russia’s top diplomat amid scrap over election interference The New York Times first reported on the intelligence conclusion that Russia wants to help the president in 2020. Trump erroneously believed that Pierson had given the assessment exclusively to Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, people familiar with the matter said. Trump also believed that the information would be helpful to Democrats if it were released publicly, the people said. Schiff was the lead impeachment manager, or prosecutor, during Trump’s Senate trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Trump learned about Pierson’s remarks from Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.), the committee’s ranking Republican and a staunch Trump ally, said one person familiar with the matter. Trump’s suspicions of the intelligence community have often been fueled by Nunes, who was with the president in California on Wednesday when he announced on Twitter that Grenell would become the acting director, officials said. A spokesman for Nunes did not respond to requests for comment. “Members on both sides participated, including ranking member Nunes, and heard the exact same briefing from experts across the intelligence community,” a committee official said. “No special or separate briefing was provided to one side or to any single member, including the chairman.” The briefing, which was offered to all members of the committee, covered “election security and foreign interference in the run-up to the 2020 election,” the committee official said. Other people familiar with the briefing described it as a contentious re-litigating of a previous intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in 2016 to help Trump. Republican members asked why the Russians would want to help Trump when he has levied punishing sanctions on their country, and they challenged Pierson to back up her claim with evidence. It is unclear how she responded. Republicans on the committee also accused some of the briefers from other agencies of being part of an effort to sabotage Trump’s reelection, these people said. Schiff, for his part, said in a tweet Thursday evening: “We count on the intelligence community to inform Congress of any threat of foreign interference in our elections. If reports are true, and the president is interfering with that, he is again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling.” Trump became angry with Maguire and blamed him for Pierson’s remarks when the two met the next day during a special briefing for Trump on election security attended by officials from other agencies, but not Pierson. At that briefing, Trump angrily asked Maguire why he had to learn of what Pierson had said from Nunes and not from his own aides, according to administration officials with knowledge of the meeting. He said that Maguire should not have let the Capitol Hill briefing happen — particularly before he received the briefing — and that he should not have learned about it from a congressman, said one administration official. Trump told Maguire and other aides in the Oval Office that he did not believe Russia was interfering to help him or planning to do so, and that the intelligence community was getting “played,” according to an administration official with knowledge of the meeting. He said that the information would be used against him unfairly and that he could not believe that people were believing such a story again, reflecting his opinion that Russian interference in 2016 was a “hoax” made up by officials with a political agenda. Maguire struck an apologetic tone and said he was looking into it, this official said. Trump gave Maguire “a dressing-down,” said another individual, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. “That was the catalyst” that led to the sidelining of Maguire in favor of Grenell, the person said. Maguire came away “despondent,” said another individual. A spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. The White House did not comment on Trump’s Oval Office comments to Maguire. Trump’s removal of Maguire exacerbated long-standing tensions between intelligence officials and the president. Intelligence leaders have long been some of Trump’s favorite targets on Twitter and at campaign rallies, where he portrays them as members of a “deep state” bent on sabotaging his reelection. But officials at the agencies insist they have carried on the tradition of providing the president and his top aides with unvarnished information not infected by politics or policy agendas. Grenell has no lengthy intelligence experience. His history of pro-Trump tweets and his personal relationships with Trump’s children have caused current and former officials to doubt whether he could credibly serve as the country’s top intelligence official, which they said Maguire did, despite having spent his career in the military. White House officials said Trump’s decision to make Grenell the acting director rather than nominate him for the permanent position reflected concerns that he might not win confirmation in the Senate, given his polarizing reputation. “The president likes acting [officials] better,” one White House official said. On Thursday, Grenell said in a tweet that the president would nominate a permanent DNI “soon” and that it would not be him. A senior White House official said a nominee would be announced before March 11. Late Thursday, Trump thanked Grenell “for stepping in to serve as acting DNI” in a message on Twitter. “I will be nominating a terrific candidate for the job very soon. Stay tuned!” The president told reporters aboard Air Force One that Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump supporter who also is running for U.S. Senate, is under consideration for the permanent post. The president has been focused lately on officials who are allegedly disloyal to him, particularly at the Justice Department, the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department, aides said, and has heard from outside advisers that “real MAGA people can’t get jobs in the administration,” in the words of an administration official, referring to Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Trump has centralized his efforts to purge the ranks of his perceived opponents. In recent weeks he pushed out Sean Doocey, the head of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, over the fierce objections of some White House aides, replacing him with Johnny McEntee, Trump’s former personal assistant. Trump has instructed McEntee, who lost his job in 2018 over concerns about his online gambling, to install more loyalists in government positions. Some of those removed from their jobs testified about the president’s actions toward Ukraine during his impeachment hearings. Trump removed Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, as well as Vindman’s twin brother, who did not testify, from their positions at the National Security Council. Alexander Vindman witnessed a phone call Trump had with Ukraine’s president in which Trump pressured the leader to conduct investigations of Trump’s Democratic rivals. Trump asked for the resignation of Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, who told House lawmakers the president had engineered a quid pro quo with Ukraine, conditioning a White House meeting with the country’s president on investigations of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. This week, Trump also asked for the resignation of John C. Rood, the official in charge of Defense Department policy, who had certified that Ukraine had met anti-corruption obligations required by law to receive U.S. aid that Trump froze. The deputy national security adviser, Victoria Coates, has also been removed from her post after some colleagues, including trade adviser Peter Navarro, accused her of being the author of “Anonymous,” a scathing account of dysfunction in the White House, according to people familiar with the matter. Coates has strenuously denied the accusation. She was moved to an advisory position in the Energy Department. By contrast, Grenell appears to be an ideal Trump appointee. The president appreciates that he publicly bashes Germany over policy disagreements. Grenell also defends the president on Fox News and on Twitter, and when he visits the White House for meetings, Trump usually wants to see him, current and former administration officials say. As acting DNI, Grenell will oversee the intelligence community’s efforts to combat election interference and disinformation, but he has been skeptical of Russia’s role in 2016. “Russian or Russian-approved tactics like cyber warfare and campaigns of misinformation have been happening for decades,” he wrote in a 2016 opinion article for Fox News, playing down the severity of the threat. That view is at odds with the conclusions of senior U.S. intelligence officials, who have said Russia’s operation in 2016 was sweeping and systematic, and unlike previous Russian or Soviet efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/02/21/dont-mince-words-trump-is-abetting-an-attack-our-country/ Don’t mince words. Trump is abetting an attack on our country. When the Senate acquitted President Trump of the high crimes he committed against our country, Republicans and Democrats alike fell back on a convenient fiction: No, Trump has not really placed himself beyond the law and accountability entirely — for he can always be held accountable in the next election. Republicans adopted this fiction to obscure Trump’s crimes — that his Ukraine shakedown was all about corrupting that same election. Democrats adopted it to diffuse pressure to sustain the investigative war footing that protecting the country demands. The news that intelligence officials warned House lawmakers that Russia is again trying to sabotage our election for Trump, and that this disclosure angered him, shatters that fiction entirely. These revelations are already getting shrouded in euphemism. One CNN analysis insists “America” is “blundering” into another crisis of electoral legitimacy, and that the “partisan divide” is hampering the U.S. response to it. This notion that the country writ large is stumbling helplessly into this crisis, when in fact one party is inviting it in a manner the other simply is not, and its companion idea that “partisanship” will paralyze our response to it, will be ubiquitous. So let’s not mince words: Trump and his GOP defenders appear to be actively abetting an attack on our country. By contrast, Democrats can be accused only of passivity — a serious abdication, but not remotely comparable to what Trump and his defenders are orchestrating. The details of this story — outlined by The Post and the New York Times — again suggest that Trump will stop at nothing to escape accountability at the hands of voters in a free and fair election, regardless of the damage done to our country along the way. Trump is angry because our intelligence officials followed the law and informed members of both parties about what the intel indicated about new Russian efforts. Trump “berated” his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, for allowing this heresy. Trump was particularly angered by the presence at the briefing of Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif), who led the impeachment. Trump says Schiff and Democrats will “weaponize” these revelations. In short: Our intelligence officials have concluded that another effort to subvert our election is underway. And Trump’s leading worry is that this could be used against him, not that our election is in grave danger of being compromised. Reject euphemisms In the haze of euphemism that will inevitably enshroud this story, this ugly fact will be blurred with suggestions that maybe Trump doesn’t really believe this is happening, since he just can’t accept that Russia attacked our election in 2016, because he feels it delegitimizes his victory. It’s pathological! But we must reject this interpretation. Because this conclusion was reached by intelligence officials in Trump’s own administration, by multiple agencies. It’s theoretically possible that Trump defenders have a legitimate difference of opinion about what the intelligence shows. House Republicans, we’re told, objected by arguing that there’s no evidence Russia wants to help Trump. Some reporting indicates possible internal dissent on this point. This strains credulity, since intelligence services concluded precisely this intention last time. But even if this is reasonably possible, it is still not exonerating in the least, and the media should not be permitted to euphemize what’s happening here. Here’s why: Because whatever Russia’s real intentions toward Trump, this is still an attack on our democracy. The Times reports that intelligence discerns numerous concrete threats: new efforts to spread disinformation to divide the country; and possibly efforts to interfere in state voting systems. That’s not far-fetched. A bipartisan Senate investigation concluded that such efforts got much further in 2016 than we thought. And the Times reports: One of Moscow’s main goals is to undermine confidence in American election systems, intelligence officials have told lawmakers, seeking to sow doubts over close elections and recounts. There is zero doubt that Trump sees sowing such doubts as being good for him. He has already spent literally years trying to undermine public faith in our elections, and is likely laying the groundwork for declaring a tight loss illegitimate, a scenario election scholars such as Richard L. Hasen take seriously. Let’s also note that there are potential practical consequences to Trump denying Congress (especially Democrats) information about outside electoral sabotage. It could mean less oversight on administration failures to protect the country, and less discussion with the public about these failures. Trump and the ‘regime party’ The larger context here, spelled out by Adam Serwer, is the entrenchment of Trump’s GOP as a “regime party” committed to holding power through maximal manipulation of government. Trump’s Ukraine shakedown and his subsequent coverup are the most recent conspicuous examples — and his acquittal is hastening this process. Then there’s Trump’s success at getting the Justice Department to dial back the sentencing recommendation for confidant Roger Stone. The judge noted that Stone was prosecuted for “covering up" for Trump, i.e., for covering up Trump’s efforts to benefit from outside corruption of our election last time. If and when Trump pardons Stone, this will be why: He does not view that as a bad thing, but as a positive for him. In a sense, Trump appears to want his intelligence agencies to function as Stone did: Not to alert Congress about outside interference that might benefit him, but instead to keep it under wraps. So now the media scrutiny must fall heavily on what the administration is doing to mitigate the threat that its own intelligence has identified. Is Trump facilitating or hindering those efforts? And if House Democrats thought there was an opening to “stand down,” as Brian Beutler puts it, this news shatters that illusion. There is no longer any excuse for failing to ramp up the oversight immediately. Protecting the country demands it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 The main problem with the status quo in DC, is fear that the curtain is coming down on all their money laundering schemes, going to politicians friends and family. Which explains how elected officials all become multi millionaires by selling us out..some people may be fine with it, however the deplorable crowd, sees it as it is, THEFT.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 10 minutes ago, keoson7 said: The main problem with the status quo in DC, is fear that the curtain is coming down on all their money laundering schemes, going to politicians friends and family. Which explains how elected officials all become multi millionaires by selling us out..some people may be fine with it, however the deplorable crowd, sees it as it is, THEFT.. Sorry, you lost me. Can you be more explicit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 “Let the Voters Decide” Doesn’t Work if Trump Fires His National Security Staff So Russia Can Help Him Again Last week, the word on Capitol Hill was that Democrats were dialing back oversight of Donald Trump’s administration because they felt they needed to emphasize other issues in order to win important elections, especially the presidential election, in November. A week before that, some of the Republicans who helped acquit Trump at his impeachment trial endorsed his defense team’s argument that voters, not their representatives, should be the ones to decide whether the president remains in office. This week, Trump fired acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire after reportedly becoming angry that one of Maguire’s deputies told members of Congress that Russia’s intelligence operation is working to support Trump’s reelection. According to the New York Times, the briefing in question conveyed that “rather than impersonating Americans as they did in 2016, Russian operatives are working to get Americans to repeat disinformation” and that they are “working from servers in the United States, rather than abroad, knowing that American intelligence agencies are prohibited from operating inside the country.” Per the Washington Post, meanwhile, Trump became angry at the deputy who gave the briefing because he “erroneously believed that she had given information exclusively to Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee” and because “the information would be helpful to Democrats if it were released publicly.” The individual who will be taking over for Maguire as acting DNI, Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, is a frequent Fox News guest who has no experience in intelligence and who has previously only worked in government as a spokesman. Well, that really puts a button on it, doesn’t it? The voters are going to get their chance to decide who the president is, but only after they’re subject to a Russian-authored propaganda campaign being covered up by the incumbent administration. (On Thursday, Trump referred to reports of renewed Russian support for his campaign as a “hoax” that is “being launched by Democrats in Congress.”) Will the cover-up be successful? In 2016, the Obama administration decided not to share what it knew about Russian “interference” because Mitch McConnell privately objected to the possibility of doing so and Obama thought overruling him would come across as too partisan. On the other hand, a group of otherwise cautious first-term House Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds provided crucial support for impeachment, despite similar ambient concerns about partisanship, on the grounds that corruption that threatens national security is a more urgent problem than other kinds. But then, thanks to the discipline of every Senate Republican but Mitt Romney, the argument about national security and election integrity got dismissed on the purported grounds that it was … yes, too partisan. Which is what led to the current freeze on oversight. And now the president is denouncing an intelligence briefing delivered by his own administration as a Democratic hoax. If the Democrats don’t ultimately get boxed in by this tactic, it’ll be the first time they’ve avoided doing so. So yes, the cover-up will probably work. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/02/let-the-voters-decide-doesnt-work-if-trump-fires-his-national-security-staff-so-russia-can-help-him-again.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 the cover up is Obama's crooked administration getting an illegal Fisa Warrant, based on a bogus decade old dossier, paid for by Hillary. . And because the bulk of the tax leaches(govt employees) in DC, love the demoncrat party, and have no qualms bending the law/ rules to get the objective. and they all pissed because Don keeps winning and they are typical sore losers.. In short, The swamp is very deep and does not want their billion dollar foreign family deals, fraught with corruption, being published, thus the fake network news with their continual lies and cover up..your op ed pieces here are nice fiction... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 1 minute ago, keoson7 said: the cover up is Obama's crooked administration getting an illegal Fisa Warrant, based on a bogus decade old dossier, paid for by Hillary. . And because the bulk of the tax leaches(govt employees) in DC, love the demoncrat party, and have no qualms bending the law/ rules to get the objective. and they all pissed because Don keeps winning and they are typical sore losers.. In short, The swamp is very deep and does not want their billion dollar foreign family deals, fraught with corruption, being published, thus the fake network news with their continual lies and cover up..your op ed pieces here are nice fiction... The original article isn't op-ed. It's straight reporting and has been reported similarly by every major news outlet. And it just came out, which Bernie confirmed from meetings with intelligence officials, that Russia is also trying to help his campaign in the Dem primary. At some point, this is about more than winning. It's about keeping our elections free from meddling. If you think otherwise, I feel very bad for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 keeping elections fair? like voter ID?? asking for a friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 it is obviously not about winning for the dems, have you seen the field?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 12 minutes ago, keoson7 said: keeping elections fair? like voter ID?? asking for a friend Voter ID is an issue within the U.S. to be debated by the U.S. population and it's elected officials. Has nothing to do with foreign influence trying to interrupt our process. Keep your arguments straight. 10 minutes ago, keoson7 said: it is obviously not about winning for the dems, have you seen the field?? I would have said the same thing about Trump in 2016. For God's sake, the Republican primary devolved into a debate about penis size, yet they won. Far too early declare any winners or losers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 illegals voting in an election is foreign interference but thanks for playing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 2 minutes ago, keoson7 said: illegals voting in an election is foreign interference but thanks for playing.. You really don't understand the issue, do you? Voter ID laws aren't about illegal immigrants voting or not. They are largely meant to suppress the African-American and poor vote that would typically be Democratic. Jim Crow era had many of the same issues. Also, illegal immigrants are not state sponsored. They are here of their own volition. A foreign country condoning interference from the top is a vastly different monster. We can have the illegal immigrant and voter ID debate all day, but if you can't separate individuals who live here (illegally or not) and actually do contribute to our tax funds (sales taxes, gas taxes, etc) vs a state sponsored attack on our system, then Lord help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,431 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 39 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said: The original article isn't op-ed. It's straight reporting and has been reported similarly by every major news outlet. And it just came out, which Bernie confirmed from meetings with intelligence officials, that Russia is also trying to help his campaign in the Dem primary. At some point, this is about more than winning. It's about keeping our elections free from meddling. If you think otherwise, I feel very bad for you. So the Russians want Trump and Bernie Elected... Everybody's talking and no one says a word Everybody's making love and no one really cares There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs Always something happening and nothing going on There's always something happening cooking and nothing in the pot They're starving back in China so finish what you got They're starving back in China so finish what you got Nobody told me there'd be days like these Nobody told me there'd be days like these Nobody told me there'd be days like these Strange days indeed strange days indeed Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move Everyone's a winner and no one seems to lose There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 17 minutes ago, DKW 86 said: So the Russians want Trump and Bernie Elected... Everybody's talking and no one says a word Everybody's making love and no one really cares There's Nazis in the bathroom just below the stairs Always something happening and nothing going on There's always something happening cooking and nothing in the pot They're starving back in China so finish what you got They're starving back in China so finish what you got Nobody told me there'd be days like these Nobody told me there'd be days like these Nobody told me there'd be days like these Strange days indeed strange days indeed Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a move Everyone's a winner and no one seems to lose There's a little yellow idol to the north of Katmandu Everybody's flying and no one leaves the ground Everybody's crying and no one makes a sound… Nothing about having Bernie elected. Having Bernie win the primary. Important distinction to make there. Russians likely believe that Trump would beat Bernie in a general election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKW 86 7,431 Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 3 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said: Nothing about having Bernie elected. Having Bernie win the primary. Important disti ction to make there. Russians likely believe that Trump would beat Bernie in a general election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
augolf1716 21,221 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 9 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said: Nothing about having Bernie elected. Having Bernie win the primary. Important disti ction to make there. Russians likely believe that Trump would beat Bernie in a general election. Not a big Lennon fan but I do love that song. Great lyrics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 7 minutes ago, DKW 86 said: I appreciate your intelligent and extremely thoughtful response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 38 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said: You really don't understand the issue, do you? Voter ID laws aren't about illegal immigrants voting or not. They are largely meant to suppress the African-American and poor vote that would typically be Democratic. Jim Crow era had many of the same issues. Also, illegal immigrants are not state sponsored. They are here of their own volition. A foreign country condoning interference from the top is a vastly different monster. We can have the illegal immigrant and voter ID debate all day, but if you can't separate individuals who live here (illegally or not) and actually do contribute to our tax funds (sales taxes, gas taxes, etc) vs a state sponsored attack on our system, then Lord help you. voter ID is to stop illegals, dead and serial voters that plague urban democratic controlled districts. You need a photo Id to cash checks, buy cig and alcohol, and you think needing ID is suppresion?? gmab what is Texas putting in that water you drink?? it seems to create delusion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 4 minutes ago, keoson7 said: voter ID is to stop illegals, dead and serial voters that plague urban democratic controlled districts. You need a photo Id to cash checks, buy cig and alcohol, and you think needing ID is suppresion?? gmab what is Texas putting in that water you drink?? it seems to create delusion... So this problem you are making up doesn't exist. And I live in a world fueled by actual information, not hyperbole. Try it sometime. Education and research really helps make a more informed opinion. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/nov/18/blog-posting/no-3-million-undocumented-immigrants-did-not-vote-/ https://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/trumps-bogus-voter-fraud-claims/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hillary-clinton-800000-votes-non-citizens/ https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fact-checking-trumps-repeated-unsubstantiated-claim-widespread-voter/story?id=45021067 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keoson7 28 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 agree to disagree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ATX 13,654 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 5 hours ago, keoson7 said: agree to disagree I'm sorry, but this is a cop out. If you can find one shred of factual information to back up your claims, then yes, we can "agree to disagree" as reasonable people do. At that point its all about how one views the world and that's fine. But you haven't offered anything of value except wildly held theories that have been thoroughly debunked for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 14 hours ago, keoson7 said: illegals voting in an election is foreign interference but thanks for playing.. Got any evidence for the claim that illegals are voting? Have you personally ever voted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 William McRaven: If good men like Joe Maguire can’t speak the truth, we should be deeply afraid By William H. McRaven Feb. 21, 2020 at 8:04 p.m. EST William H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, was commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. He oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden. Edmund Burke, the Irish statesman and philosopher, once said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Over the course of the past three years, I have watched good men and women, friends of mine, come and go in the Trump administration — all trying to do something — all trying to do their best. Jim Mattis, John Kelly, H.R. McMaster, Sue Gordon, Dan Coats and, now, Joe Maguire, who until this week was the acting director of national intelligence. I have known Joe for more than 40 years. There is no better officer, no better man and no greater patriot. He served for 36 years as a Navy SEAL. In 2004, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and was chosen to command all of Naval Special Warfare, including the SEALs. Those were dark days for the SEALs. Our combat losses from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were the highest in our history, and Joe and his wife, Kathy, attended every SEAL funeral, providing comfort and solace to the families of the fallen. But it didn’t stop there. Not a day went by that the Maguires didn’t reach out to some Gold Star family, some wounded SEAL, some struggling warrior. Every loss was personal, every family precious. When Joe retired in 2010, he tried the corporate world. But his passion for the Special Operations soldiers was so deep that he left a lucrative job and took the position as the president of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a charity that pays for educating the children of fallen warriors. In 2018, Joe was asked to be the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, a job he knew well from his last assignment as a vice admiral. He accepted, but within months of his arrival came the announcement of Coats’s departure as director of national intelligence. Maguire didn’t seek to fill the job; he was asked to do it by the president. At first he declined, suggesting that Sue Gordon, Coats’s deputy, would be better suited for the job. But the president chose Maguire. And, like most of these good men and women, he came in with the intent to do his very best, to follow the rules, to follow the law and to follow what was morally right. Within a few weeks of taking the assignment, he found himself embroiled in the Ukraine whistleblower case. Joe told the White House that, if asked, he would testify, and he would tell the truth. He did. In short order, he earned the respect of the entire intelligence community. They knew a good man was at the helm. A man they could count on, a man who would back them, a man whose integrity was more important than his future employment. But, of course, in this administration, good men and women don’t last long. Joe was dismissed for doing his job: overseeing the dissemination of intelligence to elected officials who needed that information to do their jobs. As Americans, we should be frightened — deeply afraid for the future of the nation. When good men and women can’t speak the truth, when facts are inconvenient, when integrity and character no longer matter, when presidential ego and self-preservation are more important than national security — then there is nothing left to stop the triumph of evil. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/william-mcraven-if-good-men-like-joe-maguire-cant-speak-the-truth-we-should-be-deeply-afraid/2020/02/21/2068874c-5503-11ea-b119-4faabac6674f_story.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,393 Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 https://www.salon.com/2020/02/21/trump-names-right-wing-troll-richard-grenell-to-run-national-intelligence-what-could-go-wrong/ Trump names right-wing troll Richard Grenell to run national intelligence: What could go wrong? Angered by more Russia revelations, Trump appoints unqualified hack to lead purge of intelligence agencies Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has had a long career in politics, and I'm sure she has many accomplishments that she's proud of. But I'm afraid she's going to be remembered for one thing and one thing only: Her declaration that President Trump had "learned his lesson" after his impeachment trial in the Senate. That would have been a ridiculous rationale for voting to acquit any president on the evidence in that case, but saying it about Trump was downright laughable. He has proved that every single day since the trial ended. Right out of the box he vowed revenge. He attacked Sen. Mitt Romney, the one Republican who voted to convict him in the Senate trial, and then immediately set about firing witnesses who had testified against him, including the twin brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, for no apparent reason. Trump has pushed the Senate Republican majority and the Department of Justice to help him exact his vengeance by investigating professionals who were involved in the Russia and Ukraine investigation. His apparent collusion with Attorney General Bill Barr to interfere in criminal cases has caused a near-insurrection within the Department of Justice. This week Trump went on a pardon spree, freeing a list of people who had been convicted of corruption, sending yet another obvious message to those inside and outside the justice system that he is unencumbered by the rule of law. It remains to be seen if he will pardon his old pal Roger Stone, now that he's been sentenced to 40 months in prison. But if he has any fear that Stone has information to trade, you can be sure he'll do it. That's just a partial list of "lessons" Trump has learned since the Senate failed to do its duty, and I'm sure I'm leaving some out. But the announcement on Thursday that Trump will name his ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as the new acting director of national security may be the most shocking action of recent weeks. Grenell is one of the most odious Trump toadies in the administration, and that's really saying something. Like so many others, he came to Trump's attention as a sharp-tongued Fox News personality. It's likely that Trump didn't know much about him other than the fact he was a big fan. That's all it takes. Truthfully, if he'd known Grenell's whole story he would like him even more. Grenell held a few PR flak jobs in the government, working for the likes of John Bolton at the UN, where he was universally reviled. But he is best known as a Twitter troll, just like the president. He quit Romney's presidential campaign in 2012, where he'd been hired as a foreign policy spokesman, after his Twitter feed was revealed to be full of nasty comments. During the 2016 campaign, he got back in the game and really made a name for himself as a crude and vicious Trump supporter. Needless to say, Trump loved it and gave him the plum job of U.S. ambassador to Berlin, where he immediately alienated everyone in sight. On his very first day on the job, referencing the fact that Trump had withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, Grenell tweeted that "Germans doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately." Obviously he had no authority to dictate any such thing, and people in Germany were not amused, to say the least. Leaders of two German political parties have called him a "brat" and a "failure" and requested that he be withdrawn. No such luck. Grenell has gone on to cultivate the far right in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, particularly Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the "boyish face" of his country's far-right government. Grenell told Breitbart that he wanted to "empower" Kurz and others like him in Europe, which exceeds the job description of ambassador just a wee bit. Most recently, he was implicated in the baroque Ukraine scandal, and particularly in the side plot involving Lev Parnas and Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Parnas was reportedly instructed (perhaps by Rudy Giuliani) to ask Grenell for a heads-up if the Department of Justice decided to seek Firtash's extradition to the U.S. Grenell apparently agreed to do it, which was probably illegal. Grenell's name has been floating all over the Trump administration for a while, mentioned as a possible national security adviser after Bolton's departure or a potential secretary of state if Mike Pompeo quits. He has no qualifications for any such posts, other than his personal fealty to Donald Trump. The professionals in the intelligence community are reportedly very alarmed by Grenell's appointment, as they should be. The DNI oversees all the U.S. intelligence services and has access to all the most important capabilities and secrets. It is unclear whether Grenell even has a top-level security clearance or could qualify for one. This appointment was announced as yet another "acting" assignment, which seems odd since an acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, was already in place. (He has filled the job since last August, when Dan Coats departed.) Administration sources have said that Grenell will only serve until Trump nominates someone for the permanent position, which would require Senate confirmation, and won't resign his position in Germany. So why put in another placeholder? Late on Thursday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported the answer: Trump wanted Maguire out immediately because his department had briefed the House Intelligence Committee last week and told members that the Russian government is once again interfering in the presidential campaign on Trump's behalf. As usual, Trump is livid that members of his administration actually performed their legal and constitutional duties, and is determined to punish those who did. He was especially angry that Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a major villain in Trump World, was given this information. Aside from Maguire, the second-ranking official in the DNI's office, longtime intelligence professional Andrew Hallman, also announced his departure, leaving the top echelon without experienced leadership. But never fear, another Trumpian hack is on the way. According to Politico, hyper-partisan henchman Kash Patel, the former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who played an important role in House Republicans' attempts to discredit the Russia investigation, will come on board as "senior adviser" to Grenell. It's clear that Trump has moved his most dedicated disciples into the DNI's office in order to prevent any more briefings on Russian interference on his behalf and to ensure that the intelligence community is brought to heel. Between this and Bill Barr's unlimited mandate to investigate the intelligence on election interference from 2016, one can assume that the purge of anyone Trump considers a threat within the intelligence agencies or the Justice Department is now in full effect. So in a sense Susan Collins was right. Trump has learned his lesson: Only proven Trump loyalists will run national security and federal law enforcement from now on. What could possibly go wrong? https://www.salon.com/2020/02/21/trump-names-right-wing-troll-richard-grenell-to-run-national-intelligence-what-could-go-wrong/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has had a long career in politics, and I'm sure she has many accomplishments that she's proud of. But I'm afraid she's going to be remembered for one thing and one thing only: Her declaration that President Trump had "learned his lesson" after his impeachment trial in the Senate. That would have been a ridiculous rationale for voting to acquit any president on the evidence in that case, but saying it about Trump was downright laughable. He has proved that every single day since the trial ended. Right out of the box he vowed revenge. He attacked Sen. Mitt Romney, the one Republican who voted to convict him in the Senate trial, and then immediately set about firing witnesses who had testified against him, including the twin brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, for no apparent reason. Trump has pushed the Senate Republican majority and the Department of Justice to help him exact his vengeance by investigating professionals who were involved in the Russia and Ukraine investigation. His apparent collusion with Attorney General Bill Barr to interfere in criminal cases has caused a near-insurrection within the Department of Justice. This week Trump went on a pardon spree, freeing a list of people who had been convicted of corruption, sending yet another obvious message to those inside and outside the justice system that he is unencumbered by the rule of law. It remains to be seen if he will pardon his old pal Roger Stone, now that he's been sentenced to 40 months in prison. But if he has any fear that Stone has information to trade, you can be sure he'll do it. That's just a partial list of "lessons" Trump has learned since the Senate failed to do its duty, and I'm sure I'm leaving some out. But the announcement on Thursday that Trump will name his ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as the new acting director of national security may be the most shocking action of recent weeks. Grenell is one of the most odious Trump toadies in the administration, and that's really saying something. Like so many others, he came to Trump's attention as a sharp-tongued Fox News personality. It's likely that Trump didn't know much about him other than the fact he was a big fan. That's all it takes. Truthfully, if he'd known Grenell's whole story he would like him even more. Grenell held a few PR flak jobs in the government, working for the likes of John Bolton at the UN, where he was universally reviled. But he is best known as a Twitter troll, just like the president. He quit Romney's presidential campaign in 2012, where he'd been hired as a foreign policy spokesman, after his Twitter feed was revealed to be full of nasty comments. During the 2016 campaign, he got back in the game and really made a name for himself as a crude and vicious Trump supporter. Needless to say, Trump loved it and gave him the plum job of U.S. ambassador to Berlin, where he immediately alienated everyone in sight. On his very first day on the job, referencing the fact that Trump had withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, Grenell tweeted that "Germans doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately." Obviously he had no authority to dictate any such thing, and people in Germany were not amused, to say the least. Leaders of two German political parties have called him a "brat" and a "failure" and requested that he be withdrawn. No such luck. Grenell has gone on to cultivate the far right in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, particularly Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the "boyish face" of his country's far-right government. Grenell told Breitbart that he wanted to "empower" Kurz and others like him in Europe, which exceeds the job description of ambassador just a wee bit. Most recently, he was implicated in the baroque Ukraine scandal, and particularly in the side plot involving Lev Parnas and Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash. Parnas was reportedly instructed (perhaps by Rudy Giuliani) to ask Grenell for a heads-up if the Department of Justice decided to seek Firtash's extradition to the U.S. Grenell apparently agreed to do it, which was probably illegal. Grenell's name has been floating all over the Trump administration for a while, mentioned as a possible national security adviser after Bolton's departure or a potential secretary of state if Mike Pompeo quits. He has no qualifications for any such posts, other than his personal fealty to Donald Trump. The professionals in the intelligence community are reportedly very alarmed by Grenell's appointment, as they should be. The DNI oversees all the U.S. intelligence services and has access to all the most important capabilities and secrets. It is unclear whether Grenell even has a top-level security clearance or could qualify for one. This appointment was announced as yet another "acting" assignment, which seems odd since an acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, was already in place. (He has filled the job since last August, when Dan Coats departed.) Administration sources have said that Grenell will only serve until Trump nominates someone for the permanent position, which would require Senate confirmation, and won't resign his position in Germany. So why put in another placeholder? Late on Thursday, the Washington Post and the New York Times reported the answer: Trump wanted Maguire out immediately because his department had briefed the House Intelligence Committee last week and told members that the Russian government is once again interfering in the presidential campaign on Trump's behalf. As usual, Trump is livid that members of his administration actually performed their legal and constitutional duties, and is determined to punish those who did. He was especially angry that Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a major villain in Trump World, was given this information. Aside from Maguire, the second-ranking official in the DNI's office, longtime intelligence professional Andrew Hallman, also announced his departure, leaving the top echelon without experienced leadership. But never fear, another Trumpian hack is on the way. According to Politico, hyper-partisan henchman Kash Patel, the former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who played an important role in House Republicans' attempts to discredit the Russia investigation, will come on board as "senior adviser" to Grenell. It's clear that Trump has moved his most dedicated disciples into the DNI's office in order to prevent any more briefings on Russian interference on his behalf and to ensure that the intelligence community is brought to heel. Between this and Bill Barr's unlimited mandate to investigate the intelligence on election interference from 2016, one can assume that the purge of anyone Trump considers a threat within the intelligence agencies or the Justice Department is now in full effect. So in a sense Susan Collins was right. Trump has learned his lesson: Only proven Trump loyalists will run national security and federal law enforcement from now on. What could possibly go wrong? https://www.salon.com/2020/02/21/trump-names-right-wing-troll-richard-grenell-to-run-national-intelligence-what-could-go-wrong/
DKW 86 7,431 Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 14 hours ago, Brad_ATX said: I appreciate your intelligent and extremely thoughtful response. Brad, there no one as blind as those that will not see. In poll after poll, Bernie is the Top Candidate. He has momentum, enthusiastic supporters. He is widely seen as the only candidate that consistently beats DJT. He is the only Senator in the US viewed favorably by most of the electorate, THE ONLY ONE. Most of his ideas poll well over 50%. The only ones that seem to be worried about Bernie Sanders facing a DNC Controlled HOR AND a RNC Controlled Senate are those running against him. Reality Check: Bernie Sanders is not sweeping Socialists into power in even one house of the legislature. He will be COMPROMISING with the PTB. But at least the average Americans, you know, like you and I, will have a voice. It wont be just the DNC Elites and the RNC Elites dividing up the spoils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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