The Trump Investigation(s) Thread
Moderators: LawBeefaroni, $iljanus
- Captain Caveman
- Posts: 11687
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:57 am
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
So the White House says Comey was fired to improve diplomacy with Russia. That means that the official line from the administration is now that Comey was fired because of the Russia investigation, not because of a recommendation from DOJ, not because Comey was mean to Hillary, not because of FBI morale, but because we need to clear the air with Russia and make them happy so we can begin diplomacy that will heal the world's problems or something. But the bottom line is that they are just flat out confirming here that Comey was canned because of Russia.
Are these people stupid?
Are these people stupid?
Last edited by Captain Caveman on Fri May 19, 2017 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Chaz
- Posts: 7381
- Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 7:37 am
- Location: Southern NH
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Captain Caveman wrote:
Are these people stupid?
I can't imagine, even at my most inebriated, hearing a bouncer offering me an hour with a stripper for only $1,400 and thinking That sounds like a reasonable idea.-Two Sheds
- Max Peck
- Posts: 13785
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
- Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Trump ain't wrong. Things do indeed appear to have "taken off" since he fired Comey.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- Smoove_B
- Posts: 54803
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 am
- Location: Kaer Morhen
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
It can't be a coincidence that the NYT and Washington Post stories broke as Trump is leaving the country.
Also, check the date on this memo, courtesy of the Daily Kos regarding Mike Pence's story from yesterday that he really, really, really had no idea. Read receipt for memo is here. I mean, it's not a certified letter, but it'll do.
Also, check the date on this memo, courtesy of the Daily Kos regarding Mike Pence's story from yesterday that he really, really, really had no idea. Read receipt for memo is here. I mean, it's not a certified letter, but it'll do.
Maybe next year, maybe no go
- Holman
- Posts: 29076
- Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 8:00 pm
- Location: Between the Schuylkill and the Wissahickon
- Skinypupy
- Posts: 20429
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:12 am
- Location: Utah
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
I'm guessing the first denial will be that the "read receipt" is a generic template response that is automatically generated whenever an e-mail is received, and that it doesn't actually indicate anything was read by the transition team.Smoove_B wrote:It can't be a coincidence that the NYT and Washington Post stories broke as Trump is leaving the country.
Also, check the date on this memo, courtesy of the Daily Kos regarding Mike Pence's story from yesterday that he really, really, really had no idea. Read receipt for memo is here. I mean, it's not a certified letter, but it'll do.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
- Jag
- Posts: 14435
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:24 pm
- Location: SoFla
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Defiant wrote:To be fair, that worked great in Home Alonehepcat wrote:Half the time I think he's just quoting old gangster movies.
Speaking of which
- Enough
- Posts: 14688
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:05 pm
- Location: Serendipity
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
RE Louise Mensch and Claude Taylor et al, there has been some pushback against them in the press. See this Guardian article and this Vox one for e.g.
My blog (mostly photos): Fort Ephemera - My Flickr Photostream
“You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either.” ―Galen Rowell
“You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn’t waste either.” ―Galen Rowell
-
- Posts: 24795
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Push back on Mensch is appropriate. HoweverTaylor has broken things that have gone on to be confirmed over and over again. It is mostly because he'll run with entirely anonymous stuff. And he says that so he is upfront about the risk there.
Comparatively Mensch is mostly just a kook who occasionally is in the know. She does clearly have good sources but she goes down rabbit holes too often.
Comparatively Mensch is mostly just a kook who occasionally is in the know. She does clearly have good sources but she goes down rabbit holes too often.
- gilraen
- Posts: 4341
- Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:45 pm
- Location: Broomfield, CO
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
James Comey is now set to testify next month in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in an open hearing.
- msteelers
- Posts: 7177
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:30 pm
- Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Next month? At first that sounds too far away, but then I remembered that the CBO score for WealthCare is due out early next week. That'll be enough scandal to carry us into June.gilraen wrote:James Comey is now set to testify next month in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in an open hearing.
- Max Peck
- Posts: 13785
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
- Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Ooh, hey, this would be convenient...Max Peck wrote:Because none of this is yet sufficiently complicated...
Justice Dept. to review possible ethics conflicts involving Mueller’s former law firmNewly appointed special counsel Robert S. Mueller III will undergo a Justice Department ethics review that will examine possible conflicts of interest regarding his former law firm, which represents several figures who could be caught up in the probe into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.
Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Thursday that the agency will conduct a background investigation and detailed review of conflict-of-interest issues, a process outlined in the regulation governing special counsels under which he was appointed.
For the past three years, Mueller has been a partner in the Washington office of WilmerHale, whose attorneys represent former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Trump’s daughter Ivanka and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
Federal regulations prohibit officials from participating in matters involving their former employers for two years after joining the government unless they receive a waiver to do so.I'm sure that the anti-Trumpers will be just fine with that outcome.Still, Green noted, granting such a waiver could later prove politically risky.
“At the end of the day, if he says, ‘I didn’t find anything here,’ are members of the public going to say, ‘We don’t trust that because we think you favored these individuals because they are your former firm’s clients?’ ”
White House looking at ethics rule to weaken special investigation: sources
The Trump administration is exploring whether it can use an obscure ethics rule to undermine the special counsel investigation into ties between President Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia, two people familiar with White House thinking said on Friday.
Trump has said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's hiring of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation "hurts our country terribly."
Within hours of Mueller's appointment on Wednesday, the White House began reviewing the Code of Federal Regulations, which restricts newly hired government lawyers from investigating their prior law firm’s clients for one year after their hiring, the sources said.
An executive order signed by Trump in January extended that period to two years.
Mueller's former law firm, WilmerHale, represents Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who met with a Russian bank executive in December, and the president's former campaign manager Paul Manafort, who is a subject of a federal investigation.
Legal experts said the ethics rule can be waived by the Justice Department, which appointed Mueller. He did not represent Kushner or Manafort directly at his former law firm.
If the department did not grant a waiver, Mueller would be barred from investigating Kushner or Manafort, and this could greatly diminish the scope of the probe, experts said.
The Justice Department is already reviewing Mueller's background as well as any potential conflicts of interest, said department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores.
Even if the Justice Department granted a waiver, the White House would consider using the ethics rule to create doubt about Mueller's ability to do his job fairly, the sources said. Administration legal advisers have been asked to determine if there is a basis for this.
Under this strategy, the sources said the administration would raise the issue in press conferences and public statements.
Moreover, the White House has not ruled out the possibility of using the rule to challenge Mueller’s findings in court, should the investigation lead to prosecution.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- YellowKing
- Posts: 30237
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
More power to them. The more they try to hush this whole thing up, the guiltier they look.
- Azza
- Posts: 122
- Joined: Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:50 pm
- Location: Albuquerque
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Smoove_B wrote:It can't be a coincidence that the NYT and Washington Post stories broke as Trump is leaving the country.
I have no sig!
- YellowKing
- Posts: 30237
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:02 pm
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
There once was a man named Comey
Donald thought was his number one homie
Trump's advances Jim spurned,
And was fired in turn,
But he said "I've got memos, so blow me."
Donald thought was his number one homie
Trump's advances Jim spurned,
And was fired in turn,
But he said "I've got memos, so blow me."
- Pyperkub
- Posts: 23719
- Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 5:07 pm
- Location: NC- that's Northern California
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Lol! Nice!YellowKing wrote:There once was a man named Comey
Donald thought was his number one homie
Trump's advances Jim spurned,
And was fired in turn,
But he said "I've got memos, so blow me."
Black Lives definitely Matter Lorini!
Also: There are three ways to not tell the truth: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Also: There are three ways to not tell the truth: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
- tgb
- Posts: 30690
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:33 pm
- Location: Tucson, AZ
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
YellowKing wrote:There once was a man named Comey
Donald thought was his number one homie
Trump's advances Jim spurned,
And was fired in turn,
But he said "I've got memos, so blow me."
I spent 90% of the money I made on women, booze, and drugs. The other 10% I just pissed away.
- El Guapo
- Posts: 41407
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:01 pm
- Location: Boston
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
It doesn't matter all that much who Trump picks for FBI Director. He fired Comey because he wouldn't swear loyalty or shut down the Russia investigation. So by definition anyone Trump picks is someone who will have satisfied both conditions for Trump.
Black Lives Matter.
- pr0ner
- Posts: 17434
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:00 pm
- Location: Northern Virginia, VA
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
L-O-FUCKING-L
Taylor and Mensch are quickly becoming the left's Alex Jones.
I mean, OMGWTFBBQSAUCE is this? The SUPREME COURT told Trump that the formal process of impeachment against him was begun?Sources further say that the Supreme Court notified Mr. Trump that the formal process of a case of impeachment against him was begun, before he departed the country on Air Force One. The notification was given, as part of the formal process of the matter, in order that Mr. Trump knew he was not able to use his powers of pardon against other suspects in Trump-Russia cases. Sources have confirmed that the Marshal of the Supreme Court spoke to Mr. Trump.
Taylor and Mensch are quickly becoming the left's Alex Jones.
Hodor.
- RunningMn9
- Posts: 24472
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:55 pm
- Location: The Sword Coast
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
That seems preposterous.
And in banks across the world
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
Christians, Moslems, Hindus, Jews
And every other race, creed, colour, tint or hue
Get down on their knees and pray
The raccoon and the groundhog neatly
Make up bags of change
But the monkey in the corner
Well he's slowly drifting out of range
-
- Posts: 24795
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
So much for Claude Taylor looking more reasonable. He clearly is in the know on some things but talk about stretching credulity.
- Max Peck
- Posts: 13785
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
- Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Welp, the word on the street is that McFeely has withdrawn his name from consideration. At this point, I'm wondering if it will be possible to get a legitimately qualified person to take the job.El Guapo wrote:It doesn't matter all that much who Trump picks for FBI Director. He fired Comey because he wouldn't swear loyalty or shut down the Russia investigation. So by definition anyone Trump picks is someone who will have satisfied both conditions for Trump.
Of those three, only one should actually be under consideration.Former FBI official Richard McFeely has withdrawn his name from consideration to become FBI director, sources close to the decision-making process have confirmed to ABC7 News.
McFeely was among four on the shortlist of candidates who met with President Donald Trump earlier this week.
According to our sources, McFeely informed the White House of his decision Saturday, citing family considerations.
The remaining three potential candidates include Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.; former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a Republican; and Andrew McCabe, currently the bureau's acting director.
Also, it appears that "family considerations" is the code phrase for "I don't want that Trump stank on me!" It's the same reason given by James Donovan (yet another Goldman Sachs executive) for withdrawing as Trump's pick for Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
- Rip
- Posts: 26891
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:34 pm
- Location: Cajun Country!
- Contact:
- pr0ner
- Posts: 17434
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:00 pm
- Location: Northern Virginia, VA
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Mensch is now trying hard to spin that the story is true because a) apparently SCOTUS DID talk to Trump about impeachment (again, why?) and b) the Marshal DID talk to Trump, but it really happened because she didn't specify what the Marshal talked to Trump about (even though it was in a paragraph about SCOTUS telling Trump the impeachment process had begun).RunningMn9 wrote:That seems preposterous.
WTF.
I so need to stay away from Mensch and Taylor's twitter feeds.
Hodor.
-
- Posts: 24795
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:58 pm
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
I don't know if she deleted a tweet or if I can't find it any longer to link. In it she literally said the Marshal stuff was rumored *and* heavily also implied she was trolling Trumpaloos. The upshot is I'm beginning to really wonder if she is trolling liberals at this point.
- pr0ner
- Posts: 17434
- Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 3:00 pm
- Location: Northern Virginia, VA
- Contact:
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
She's doubled down about the Marshal talking to Trump in the last hour:
Hodor.
- Moliere
- Posts: 12380
- Joined: Sun Sep 03, 2006 10:57 am
- Location: Walking through a desert land
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Ben Carson. I hear he's quite the neurosurgeon, which makes him qualified for any government job.Max Peck wrote:At this point, I'm wondering if it will be possible to get a legitimately qualified person to take the job.
"The world is suffering more today from the good people who want to mind other men's business than it is from the bad people who are willing to let everybody look after their own individual affairs." - Clarence Darrow
- Alefroth
- Posts: 8603
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:56 pm
- Location: Bellingham WA
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Fucking idiot doesn't even realize the Marshal of the Supreme Court is a woman.Rip wrote:
- Default
- Posts: 6429
- Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2004 9:01 pm
- Location: Handling bombs.
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
You are right! After all, it's not like it's brain surgery...Moliere wrote:Ben Carson. I hear he's quite the neurosurgeon, which makes him qualified for any government job.Max Peck wrote:At this point, I'm wondering if it will be possible to get a legitimately qualified person to take the job.
"pcp, lsd, thc, tgb...it's all good." ~ Kraken
- gilraen
- Posts: 4341
- Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 7:45 pm
- Location: Broomfield, CO
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Flynn pleading the 5th, refusing to honor Senate subpoena
The Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Flynn's personal documents on May 10 after the former national security adviser declined to cooperate with their original April 28 request in relation to the panel's investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and its possible ties to Trump associates.
Prior to the April request, Flynn said through a statement from his lawyer that he wouldn't submit himself to questioning from the committee "without assurances against unfair prosecution."
- tgb
- Posts: 30690
- Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:33 pm
- Location: Tucson, AZ
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Now the FBI says they are looking directly at a "person of interest" at a high level inside the WH.
Time for Barron to lawyer up.
Time for Barron to lawyer up.
I spent 90% of the money I made on women, booze, and drugs. The other 10% I just pissed away.
- Skinypupy
- Posts: 20429
- Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:12 am
- Location: Utah
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
As always, there's a completely hypocritical Trump tweet/comment that directly applies here:gilraen wrote:Flynn pleading the 5th, refusing to honor Senate subpoenaThe Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Flynn's personal documents on May 10 after the former national security adviser declined to cooperate with their original April 28 request in relation to the panel's investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election and its possible ties to Trump associates.
Prior to the April request, Flynn said through a statement from his lawyer that he wouldn't submit himself to questioning from the committee "without assurances against unfair prosecution."
Trump 6 months ago: “If you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?”
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
- Ralph-Wiggum
- Posts: 17449
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
So the Senate can't compel Flynn to turn over those documents, but the special prosecutor can, right?
Black Lives Matter
- Paingod
- Posts: 13144
- Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
I've wondered if it's cushier to serve a life sentence for contempt or a treason conviction. I mean, if handing over a stack of documents guarantees you a life of shitty treatment, I'd take anything else.
Black Lives Matter
2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
- Zarathud
- Posts: 16577
- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 10:29 pm
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Is it still a witch hunt if you're caught in the act of sacrificing a goat to the devil?
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
- El Guapo
- Posts: 41407
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:01 pm
- Location: Boston
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
The Fifth Amendment applies to the entire government, so it should restrict the Special Prosecutor as much as it does the Senate.Ralph-Wiggum wrote:So the Senate can't compel Flynn to turn over those documents, but the special prosecutor can, right?
Of course, Flynn has to have a reasonable fear of criminal prosecution (which it seems like he does) and the documents that he's refusing to turn over have to have some reasonable connection to that matter. If the Senate committee doesn't believe that both of those are the case, they could still go ahead with a contempt proceeding (which might then become the subject of a lawsuit). If the documents are important enough the Senate committee and/or the special prosecutor could also still cut an immunity / plea deal with Flynn. And the special prosecutor could also decide to plow ahead with a prosecution of Flynn.
Black Lives Matter.
- Ralph-Wiggum
- Posts: 17449
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Ah - I didn't realize that by pleading the 5th you could also refuse to hand over relevant documents. The law degree I got from watching TV courtroom dramas (LA Law for life!) only focused on people pleading the 5th when actively testifying in court.
Black Lives Matter
- El Guapo
- Posts: 41407
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 4:01 pm
- Location: Boston
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
Yeah, so for example the government can't send you a mandatory request that you turn over all documents indicating your guilt.Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Ah - I didn't realize that by pleading the 5th you could also refuse to hand over relevant documents. The law degree I got from watching TV courtroom dramas (LA Law for life!) only focused on people pleading the 5th when actively testifying in court.
Black Lives Matter.
- Defiant
- Posts: 21045
- Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 11:09 pm
- Location: Tongue in cheek
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
United States v. HubbellThe Supreme Court has, since 1976, applied the so-called “act-of-production doctrine.” Under this doctrine, a person can invoke his Fifth Amendment rights against the production of documents only where the very act of producing the documents is incriminating in itself.
- Ralph-Wiggum
- Posts: 17449
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:51 am
Re: The Trump Investigation Thread
So if that's the law, why then is Congress able (though probably not willing) to cite Flynn for contempt of court? How is it contempt to do something within your legal rights?
Black Lives Matter