Сделаем Америку снова великой! Trump - Russia megathread

[BDKJMU]

And remember Flynn is a donk who 1st served in the Obama admin.

[Skjellyfetti]

And Trump was a Democrat.

So, yeah, you're right. This is a Democrat scandal.

[BDKJMU]

And Trump was a Democrat.

So, yeah, you're right. This is a Democrat scandal.

I didn't say it was.

[Skjellyfetti]

Comey has never been a bad guy in my eyes. I believe he testifies to what he knows honestly. And I have not suggested that any wrongdoing lies with him (except that the leaks may have happened through the FBI but I doubt it)

What about him using "intent" instead of "gross negligence" re: the Espionage Act?

[CID1990]

Comey has never been a bad guy in my eyes. I believe he testifies to what he knows honestly. And I have not suggested that any wrongdoing lies with him (except that the leaks may have happened through the FBI but I doubt it)

What about him using "intent" instead of "gross negligence" re: the Espionage Act?

I believed he was incorrect on that issue, as I have certainly said before. I think he was placing too much weight on keeping the FBI out of the mud.

What's your point? Other than desperately seeking a gotcha?


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[Skjellyfetti]

Just reminded me of the other thread where you asked if my opinion of the Senate Committee would be wholly based on whether they say there was collusion.

[CID1990]

Just reminded me of the other thread where you asked if my opinion of the Senate Committee would be wholly based on whether they say there was collusion.

You seem to be highly invested in the possibility of collusion






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[CID1990]

Well well

Just call me NostraCIDmus


https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles ... s-in-intel

It's a leak, and will need to be confirmed, but ..... I'll accept credit cards or cash in exchange for predicting your future

Specifically sought names of Trump officials incidentally collected. That's not a targeted investigation. That's a fishing expedition.

To PBS Newshour: "I know nothing about this," adding, "I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that account today."

[Chizzang]

Well well

Just call me NostraCIDmus


https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles ... s-in-intel

It's a leak, and will need to be confirmed, but ..... I'll accept credit cards or cash in exchange for predicting your future

Specifically sought names of Trump officials incidentally collected. That's not a targeted investigation. That's a fishing expedition.

To PBS Newshour: "I know nothing about this," adding, "I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that account today."

Well thank goodness we got to the bottom of that...

[CID1990]

Well well

Just call me NostraCIDmus


https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles ... s-in-intel

It's a leak, and will need to be confirmed, but ..... I'll accept credit cards or cash in exchange for predicting your future

Specifically sought names of Trump officials incidentally collected. That's not a targeted investigation. That's a fishing expedition.

To PBS Newshour: "I know nothing about this," adding, "I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that account today."

Well thank goodness we got to the bottom of that...

We aren't to the bottom of anything yet

But if you go back and read through the last couple pages of this thread you'll see where it was claimed I was making yuuuge leaps of logic to point the probable finger at Susan Rice.

It's going to get VERY interesting.

The twofer of a potential takedown of Trump as well as a crook or two in the last administration is just too heartwarming to contemplate.

[Chizzang]

Well thank goodness we got to the bottom of that...

We aren't to the bottom of anything yet

But if you go back and read through the last couple pages of this thread you'll see where it was claimed I was making yuuuge leaps of logic to point the probable finger at Susan Rice.

It's going to get VERY interesting.

The twofer of a potential takedown of Trump as well as a crook or two in the last administration is just too heartwarming to contemplate.

Trump isn't going anywhere...

[BDKJMU]

So now Rice has shown herself to be a liar and a crook.

[CID1990]

We aren't to the bottom of anything yet

But if you go back and read through the last couple pages of this thread you'll see where it was claimed I was making yuuuge leaps of logic to point the probable finger at Susan Rice.

It's going to get VERY interesting.

The twofer of a potential takedown of Trump as well as a crook or two in the last administration is just too heartwarming to contemplate.

Trump isn't going anywhere...

Personally I don't think theyre going to uncover evidence of collusion between Trump himself and the Russians. As leaky as the gov is these days, if there was a hint of evidence of it, it would already be out

But there could be collateral damage, like people like Flynn accepting payments for services without declaring as a foreign agent

Another potential outcome is that as these investigations hone it on people on both sides, they will conveniently go away (in a "I'm not locking myself in a closet with my enemy and setting off this grenade" kind of way")


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[Skjellyfetti]

Well, there's certainly smoke to the Susan Rice angle.

Don't think it's criminal, though. But, you were right.

[CID1990]

Well, there's certainly smoke to the Susan Rice angle.

Don't think it's criminal, though. But, you were right.

It can be criminal but not in a way that can be proven. I doubt she would have been stupid enough to write an email....

I'm not right yet but my hunch that it had to be her before anyone else is based in what i know about how this works in reality, vs how its "supposed" to work


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[Skjellyfetti]

The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.

The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said. Though the full agenda remains unclear, the UAE agreed to broker the meeting in part to explore whether Russia could be persuaded to curtail its relationship with Iran, including in Syria, a Trump administration objective that would be likely to require major concessions to Moscow on U.S. sanctions.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

Prince was an avid supporter of Trump. After the Republican convention, he contributed $250,000 to Trump’s campaign, the national party and a pro-Trump super PAC led by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, records show. He has ties to people in Trump’s circle, including Stephen K. Bannon, now serving as the president’s chief strategist and senior counselor. Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos serves as education secretary in the Trump administration. And Prince was seen in the Trump transition offices in New York in December.

U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychelles meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and Trump. The FBI declined to comment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... 99e0c001c1

[Grizalltheway]

The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.

The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said. Though the full agenda remains unclear, the UAE agreed to broker the meeting in part to explore whether Russia could be persuaded to curtail its relationship with Iran, including in Syria, a Trump administration objective that would be likely to require major concessions to Moscow on U.S. sanctions.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

Prince was an avid supporter of Trump. After the Republican convention, he contributed $250,000 to Trump’s campaign, the national party and a pro-Trump super PAC led by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, records show. He has ties to people in Trump’s circle, including Stephen K. Bannon, now serving as the president’s chief strategist and senior counselor. Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos serves as education secretary in the Trump administration. And Prince was seen in the Trump transition offices in New York in December.

U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychelles meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and Trump. The FBI declined to comment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... 99e0c001c1

[CAA Flagship]

phpBB [video]

[Skjellyfetti]

Some more smoke regarding Kushner

Senate investigators plan to question Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and a close adviser, as part of their broad inquiry into ties between Trump associates and Russian officials or others linked to the Kremlin, according to administration and congressional officials.

The White House Counsel’s Office was informed this month that the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, wanted to question Mr. Kushner about meetings he arranged with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, according to the government officials. The meetings, which took place during the transition, included a previously unreported sit-down with the head of Russia’s state-owned development bank.

Until now, the White House had acknowledged only an early December meeting between Mr. Kislyak and Mr. Kushner, which occurred at Trump Tower and was also attended by Michael T. Flynn, who would briefly serve as the national security adviser.

Later that month, though, Mr. Kislyak requested a second meeting, which Mr. Kushner asked a deputy to attend in his stead, officials said. At Mr. Kislyak’s request, Mr. Kushner later met with Sergey N. Gorkov, the chief of Vnesheconombank, which the United States placed on its sanctions list after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia annexed Crimea and began meddling in Ukraine.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/u ... l?referer=

Regarding the bolded part:

Vnesheconombank was busted in 2015 for running a spy ring out of their New York office.

Preet Bharara, who Trump just fired as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, prosecuted Evgeny Buryakov of VEB for being SVR.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ru ... iring-work


So, could just be another in a long line of perfectly innocent "coincidences"...

But, why would Kushner meet with an entity that is currently under sanctions and has been proven to be a SVR Rezidentura?

And Carter Page.

A former campaign adviser for Donald Trump met with and passed documents to a Russian intelligence operative in New York City in 2013.

The adviser, Carter Page, met with a Russian intelligence operative named Victor Podobnyy, who was later charged by the US government alongside two others for acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government. The charges, filed in January 2015, came after federal investigators busted a Russian spy ring that was seeking information on US sanctions as well as efforts to develop alternative energy. Page is an energy consultant.

A court filing by the US government contains a transcript of a recorded conversation in which Podobnyy speaks with one of the other men busted in the spy ring, Igor Sporyshev, about trying to recruit someone identified as “Male-1.” BuzzFeed News has confirmed that “Male-1” is Page.

The revelation of Page’s connection to Russian intelligence — which occurred more than three years before his association with Trump — is the most clearly documented contact to date between Russian intelligence and someone in Trump’s orbit. It comes as federal investigators probe whether Trump’s campaign-era associates — including Page — had any inappropriate contact with Russian officials or intelligence operatives during the court of the election. Page has volunteered to help Senate investigators in their inquiry.

It remains unclear how connected Page was to the Trump campaign. He rose to prominence seemingly out of nowhere last summer, touted by then-candidate Trump as one of his foreign policy advisers. Page was quickly cut from the Trump team following reports that federal investigators were probing his ties to Russian officials. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said last month that the campaign had sent Page cease and desist letters last year, demanding he stop associating himself with it.

A US intelligence official said investigators intend to question Page eventually, but that he was not considered a high priority. “There’s so many people that are more relevant,” the official said.

The court filing includes a colorful transcript of Podobnyy speaking with Sporyshev about trying to recruit Page.

“[Male-1] wrote that he is sorry, he went to Moscow and forgot to check his inbox, but he wants to meet when he gets back. I think he is an idiot and forgot who I am...He got hooked on Gazprom thinking that if they have a project, he could rise up,” Podobnyy said. “I also promised him a lot...this is intelligence method to cheat, how else to work with foreigners? You promise a favor for a favor. You get the documents from him and tell him to go fuck himself.”

Page confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Monday that he is “Male-1” in the court filing, and said he had been in contact with Podobnyy, who was working at the time at Moscow’s UN office in New York City under diplomatic cover, although he was really an SVR agent. Pressed on details of his contact with Podobnyy, Page said their interactions did not include anything sensitive.

According to the complaint, Page met Podobnyy in January 2013 at an energy conference in New York. It says that from January to June of that year, Page met with, emailed with and “provided documents to [Podobnyy] about the energy business.”

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alimwatkins/a- ... .hdoAKLDXa

[CID1990]

The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.

The meeting took place around Jan. 11 — nine days before Trump’s inauguration — in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, officials said. Though the full agenda remains unclear, the UAE agreed to broker the meeting in part to explore whether Russia could be persuaded to curtail its relationship with Iran, including in Syria, a Trump administration objective that would be likely to require major concessions to Moscow on U.S. sanctions.

Though Prince had no formal role with the Trump campaign or transition team, he presented himself as an unofficial envoy for Trump to high-ranking Emiratis involved in setting up his meeting with the Putin confidant, according to the officials, who did not identify the Russian.

Prince was an avid supporter of Trump. After the Republican convention, he contributed $250,000 to Trump’s campaign, the national party and a pro-Trump super PAC led by GOP mega-donor Rebekah Mercer, records show. He has ties to people in Trump’s circle, including Stephen K. Bannon, now serving as the president’s chief strategist and senior counselor. Prince’s sister Betsy DeVos serves as education secretary in the Trump administration. And Prince was seen in the Trump transition offices in New York in December.

U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychelles meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and Trump. The FBI declined to comment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... 99e0c001c1

This will be a bright shiny object for a couple days for WaPo but it's probably a nothingburger

9 days before the inauguration .... Eric Prince tries to play surrogate

But why would a campaign that colluded with the Russians over the election need to open a new back channel with the Russians just a week before Trump was sworn in?

Sounds like Trump was trying to arrange a foreign policy win early on, and doing it this way is neither unheard of nor is it illegal unless someone wants to go with the Logan Act

Good luck

[Skjellyfetti]

Just getting started.

The FBI is planning to create a special section based at its Washington headquarters to co-ordinate its investigation of Russian activities designed to influence the 2016 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the plan. 

The move, a sign of how seriously the bureau is taking allegations of Russian meddling in American politics, is also aimed at giving FBI director James Comey greater visibility into the investigation’s granular details. “It’s meant to surge resources,” said one FBI agent. 

Creation of the temporary unit mirrors the bureau’s approach to other sensitive investigations, including the WikiLeaks disclosure of classified US government documents and Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state. 

The FBI generally prefers to run investigations from one of its 56 field offices, but the high-profile nature of the sprawling Russia inquiry is seen as requiring a central manager, according to current and former officials. 

“It’s getting unwieldy,” said one person briefed on the plan. “It’s too big and it’s on the front page of the newspaper every day.” 

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment. 

The bureau is expected to recall from the field an FBI counter-intelligence specialist to oversee the squad, which is to begin work next month. If the new team — with about 20 dedicated agents drawn from across the country — operates as similar units have in the past, its chief would brief Mr Comey on a weekly basis while providing daily updates for deputy director Andrew McCabe.

“We did it quite regularly,” said Robert Anderson of Navigant, a business consulting group, who was a former executive assistant director of the FBI. “Any time there’s a big case, a giant case, it becomes a huge resource drain across the organisation.”

Russian activities under investigation include alleged hacking into Democratic computer networks and reported contacts between Russians and representatives of the Trump campaign. Michael Flynn, the president’s national security adviser, was fired in February after allegedly lying to vice-president Mike Pence about conversations he had last year with Sergei Kislyak, Russian ambassador to the US. 

https://www.ft.com/content/40498d94-155 ... e067d5072c

[Skjellyfetti]

Nunes steps aside from Russian investigation.

https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/ ... obe-236951

[CID1990]

Nunes stepping aside means they have something damning.

[Skjellyfetti]

“Devin Nunes has earned my trust over many years for his integrity and dedication to the critical work that the intelligence community does to keep America safe. He continues to have that trust, and I know he is eager to demonstrate to the Ethics Committee that he has followed all proper guidelines and laws. In the meantime, it is clear that this process would be a distraction for the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in our election. Chairman Nunes has offered to step aside as the lead Republican on this probe, and I fully support this decision. Chairman Mike Conaway, a senior member of the Committee, will now lead this investigation in the House. I am confident that he will oversee a professional investigation into Russia’s actions and follow the facts wherever they lead.”

http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/sp ... rman-nunes

[Skjellyfetti]

C.I.A. Had Evidence of Russian Effort to Help Trump Earlier Than Believed

The C.I.A. told senior lawmakers in classified briefings last summer that it had information indicating that Russia was working to help elect Donald J. Trump president, a finding that did not emerge publicly until after Mr. Trump’s victory months later, former government officials say.

The briefings indicate that intelligence officials had evidence of Russia’s intentions to help Mr. Trump much earlier in the presidential campaign than previously thought. The briefings also reveal a critical split last summer between the C.I.A. and counterparts at the F.B.I., where a number of senior officials continued to believe through last fall that Russia’s cyberattacks were aimed only at disrupting America’s political system, and not at getting Mr. Trump elected, according to interviews.

The former officials said that in late August — 10 weeks before the election — John O. Brennan, then the C.I.A. director, was so concerned about increasing evidence of Russia’s election meddling that he began a series of urgent, individual briefings for eight top members of Congress, some of them on secure phone lines while they were on their summer break.

It is unclear what new intelligence might have prompted the classified briefings. But with concerns growing both internally and publicly at the time about a significant Russian breach of the Democratic National Committee, the C.I.A. began seeing signs of possible connections to the Trump campaign, the officials said. By the final weeks of the campaign, Congress and the intelligence agencies were racing to understand the scope of the Russia threat.

In an Aug. 25 briefing for Harry Reid, then the top Democrat in the Senate, Mr. Brennan indicated that Russia’s hackings appeared aimed at helping Mr. Trump win the November election, according to two former officials with knowledge of the briefing.

The officials said Mr. Brennan also indicated that unnamed advisers to Mr. Trump might be working with the Russians to interfere in the election. The F.B.I. and two congressional committees are now investigating that claim, focusing on possible communications and financial dealings between Russian affiliates and a handful of former advisers to Mr. Trump. So far, no proof of collusion has emerged publicly.

In the briefings, the C.I.A. said there was intelligence indicating not only that the Russians were trying to get Mr. Trump elected but that they had gained computer access to multiple state and local election boards in the United States since 2014, officials said.

Although the breached systems were not involved in actual vote-tallying operations, Obama administration officials proposed that the eight senior lawmakers write a letter to state election officials warning them of the possible threat posed by Russian hacking, officials said.

But Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, resisted questioning the underpinnings of the intelligence, according to officials with knowledge of the discussions. Mr. McConnell ultimately agreed to a softer version of the letter, which did not mention the Russians but warned of unnamed “malefactors” who might seek to disrupt the elections through online intrusion. The letter, dated Sept. 28, was signed by Mr. McConnell, Mr. Reid, Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Representative Nancy Pelosi, the ranking Democrat.

https://nyti.ms/2oODv2Q