Saturday, February 22, 2020

Russiagate: Russians Pushing Sanders

You have to admit, it makes more sense than them helping Trump. WaPoo, cited by MSN, Bernie Sanders briefed by U.S. officials that Russia is trying to help his presidential campaign.
U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest, according to people familiar with the matter.

“I don’t care, frankly, who [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to be president,” Sanders said in a statement. “My message to Putin is clear: Stay out of American elections, and as president I will make sure that you do.
That's what you say now. Well, at least they briefed him, instead of setting up a counterintelligence investigation into his campaign, and trying to get various members of his campaign indicted. So far.

Althouse, "U.S. officials have told Sen. Bernie Sanders that Russia is attempting to help his presidential campaign as part of an effort to interfere with the Democratic contest..."
What do you think is really going on? Would Russia help both Bernie and Trump? Why? Is it a preference for chaos? I can see the theory that getting Bernie the nomination works in the long run to help Trump, but that requires you to think that Russia prefers Trump to Bernie. Why wouldn't Russia just help Bernie?
Stacy McCain writes Russian Bots Get Results!
Look, I’m not saying that help from Russian military intelligence is the reason Bernie Sanders is going to win the Nevada primary Saturday, I’m just saying, draw your own conclusions:
The Wombat's In The Mailbox: 02.21.20 shares Twitchy: Mollie Hemingway Shares “Silliest Part of Latest Russia Nonsense”
Insty too, WELL, BERNIE’S TOO COMMUNIST TO RUN TODAY’S RUSSIA:
And we'll give the final word to sundance at CTH Washington Post (CIA) Starts: “Bernie is a Russian Asset” Narrative…
The CIA leaks narrative spin to the Washington Post. The FBI leaks their narrative spin to the New York Times; and the State Dept. primarily uses CNN for the same purposes. This media distribution model is the one constant in an ever changing universe.

Today’s Club narrative was too predictable. Everyone who does not support the DC intel apparatchik immediately becomes a Russian asset. Now, “according to people familiar with the matter”, the Russians are trying to help Bernie Sanders:

It really has become silly at this point.

Hillary Clinton accuses Tulsi Gabbard of being a Russian spy. The Club is desperate to stop Bernie Sanders and cloud his campaign…. Bernie is winning despite their efforts; and now Bernie is sideways labeled a Russian asset by the takeaway from the intel apparatus.
Remember, it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you. Which brings us back to yesterday's (and the day before's news) that the Russians stand accused of helping Trump again, with Joe Cunningham at Red State reporting on how CNN’s Jake Tapper Challenges Media Narrative on Russian Interference. Does Jake Tapper have a level he will not sink to? Follow the thread:

AllahPundit at Hot Air, CNN Sources: Intel Deputy Overstated Claim At Briefing That Russia Is Planning To Help Trump In The Election and Matt Vespa at Town Hal suspects Deep State: Classified Intelligence Briefing Leaked to NYT to Get The Trump-Russia Hysterics Going Again. And again, we'll bring it on home with sundance, Fake News Constructs Russia Narrative 2.0 via Democrat Intel Briefing Spin…
The New York Times and a host of allied political narrative engineers attempted to spin up another Russia narrative yesterday. The claim surrounds a briefing by DNI Joseph Maguire (pictured below) to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Adam Schiff and house Democrats in the briefing claim DNI Maguire stated Russians favored President Trump and would work to assist his re-election.

The Democrat spin was to claim President Trump replaced Maguire as an outcome of this briefing; and Trump wants to ignore Russia interference assistance. etc. etc. The media ran with the framework of the Democrat narrative; and the political operatives piled-on.However, in a surprise move Jake Tapper actually undercuts the narrative engineering through his own sources with information on the reality of the briefing:
(1) DNI Joseph Maguire never said Russia was, would, or is working to interfere in the election to help President Trump. Rather the briefing nuance was that Russia has an understanding of Trump and would likely view him as a deal-maker they could work with and Sanders, Buttigieg et al were unknowns.
(2) President Trump wasn’t angered at the Maguire briefing; however, he was angered that he had to find out about the briefing from GOP members of the HPSCI instead of Maguire briefing the President on the material prior to briefing congress. The executive office was blindsided by committee members asking questions of the White House, when Maguire never informed the President of his briefing material in advance.
Those two points were spun wildly by the left-wing media. Kudos to Jake Tapper for setting the record straight.
Which, in turn, brings us to the appointment of Richard Grenell to the acting DNI post vacated by Maguire, who was due to leave anyway soon, but was pushed out after he told Congress before he briefed the President.  Vicky Taft, PJ Media, 'Woke' Media Fail to Notice Historic Cabinet Appointment by Trump. Of Course They Did. because they're too busy worrying that Richard Grenell Begins Overhauling Intelligence Office, Prompting Fears of Partisanship (NYT at MSN) and the WaPoo whines that Trump embarks on expansive search for disloyalty as administration-wide purge escalates. Clearly afraid their favorite leakers are a risk. Sundance, White House Personnel Office Begins Reevaluation of Administration Staff…. Again, sundance to finish it off, Key Intelligence Aide Joins Acting DNI Richard Grenell – Mandate: “Clean House, Top to Bottom”…
Kash Patel previously worked as Devin Nunes’ senior staffer on the House Intelligence Committee (HPSCI).  It was Patel who was the lead author of the Nunes memo exposing corrupt conduct of the FBI and DOJ officials during Crossfire Hurricane.

Ace, Oh My: Kash Patel, The Man Who Demolished Schiff's Conspiracy Theories, Moves to Senior Post in the Office of National Intelligence. "He actually read the intelligence about Russia Collusion correctly, which, in ClownWorld, disqualifies him from serving a high position in National Intelligence." And DNI is an important post, Sundance Wolfe 2.0 With Different Ending – Defense Intel Agency Employee Pleads Guilty: Leaking to Journalist Girlfriend…. Let the purge commence.

and Devin Nunes files another suit, Devin Nunes Shreds Washington Post Fake Russia News: “I Have to Sue To Get Their Lies to Stop”…



Well, that was fast, Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Collins Balks At Trump Offer: Take This ODNI Job And … Update: “Four Great Candidates”? Update: Sandbagged?, Fox, Trump says he's considering Doug Collins for DNI post; GOP rep says not interested and sundance, President Trump Considered Doug Collins for DNI – Collins Response: “Thanks but No Thanks”…
The dynamic for the Georgia senate seat is another example of Mitch McConnell and the Club -vs- grassroots MAGA voters. Georgia doesn’t have a Senate primary vote, so the November senate election will be a jungle ballot.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp appointed mega-donor Kelly Loeffler to the Senate seat in December. Kemp’s political explanation was that he views a suburban womens’ vote as more necessary to retain the seat in November. Democrats are running Reverend Raphael Warnock for the seat and if Collins and Loeffler split the republican vote, the Democrat could come out on top.

It was strongly speculated that President Trump offering the DNI job to Collins was/is a way to avoid the contentious GOP fight in Georgia, and without a primary the seat is at risk.

Collins has more republican support in Georgia than Loeffler, but the GOP machine, including Mitch McConnell, is supporting Loeffler. President Trump is being leveraged by the machine to support their nominee and turn his back on Collins. However, President Trump knows Collins is an ally for his agenda…
Move on, nothing to see here.
Matt Palumbo at the Bongino Show, Obama Pardoned 60X as Many People as Trump – Where Was the Media Outrage?. Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Democrats Didn’t Care When Obama Granted Clemency to a Terrorist, But Want to Investigate Trump’s Pardons and Why Obama May Be Terrified by Trump Commuting Blagojevich’s Sentence. There are a lot of bodies buried in Illinois, and some may be getting close to the surface. But Jeffery Crouch at the Atlantic grouches Our Founders Didn't Intend for Pardons to Work Like This , but they were OK with Obama pardoning terrorists and traitors.

CNS News reports RNC Credits Impeachment for Surge in Donations, Volunteers: ‘The More Democrats Smear Pres. Trump’…

And the saga of Bill Barr continues. NYT whimpers  Trump Renews Attack on Justice System, Again Disregarding Barr’s Pleas. Bloomberg at Yahoo, Trump Stews Over McCabe But Is Wary of Driving Barr to Resign, Hugo Gurdon at WaEx, Bill Barr, black sheep, doesn't suffer fools. Which is kind of a problem, because there are a lot of them. Rich Lowry at NR, Bill Barr Derangement Syndrome, really more of a symptom of Trump derangement syndrome:
Some 2,000 former Justice Department employees have signed a letter calling on Barr to resign. An anti-Barr piece in The Atlantic opined that “it is not too strong to say that Bill Barr is un-American” and warned that his America is “a banana republic where all are subject to the whims of a dictatorial president and his henchmen.”

This is impressive heavy breathing over an AG whose alleged offense doesn’t hold a candle to the greatest hits of his predecessors:

Woodrow Wilson’s attorney general A. Mitchell Palmer carried out raids to arrest suspected leftists in the wake of World War I.

Bobby Kennedy, serving as his brother’s attorney general, authorized the wiretapping of Martin Luther King.

William Barr changed the sentencing recommendation of Roger Stone from its original, excessive call for a sentence of seven to nine years.

It’s not clear why the country would collapse into dictatorship if Stone is sentenced to less than seven years in prison, especially given that the judge has complete discretion to impose whatever sentence she sees fit.
As does the Roger Stone sentencing, The Morning Rant at Ace's,
So, what can we learn from former Trump advisor Roger Stone sentencing yesterday to 40 months in prison for witness tampering and lying to investigators, i.e. process crimes?

Well, we learned that it's perfectly acceptable to send nearly 30 FBI agents (with a CNN video crew tagging along) to the house of a 67-year old man at 4 in the morning, like he's some kind of dangerous, violent criminal, and haul him off to the hoosegow.

And then the judge can slap on a gag order so he can't talk about it with anybody. This is also perfectly acceptable.

It's also perfectly acceptable to have an outrageously biased jury foreman who somehow slipped through the pre-trial screening process. Mistrial? Are you kidding? There's nothing wrong with that.

And it's perfectly fine when the judge tells the whole world she hates Trump. Not grounds for a mistrial, either.

This whole thing kind of reminds me of what happened to Dinesh D'Souza. Campaign finance violations of the kind he was found guilty of usually result in the defendant having to pay a fine. But in his case? 8 months in the slammer. Hard time.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is our two-track justice system at its finest.
Da Caller, Tucker Carlson Calls For Roger Stone Judge’s Impeachment: ‘Democratic Activist Wearing Robes’ Seems fair to me. and Rep. Adam Schiff Warns Trump After Roger Stone Sentencing: Pardoning Would Be ‘Breathtaking Act Of Corruption’  Julie Kelly at AmGreat writes Lady Justice Spurns Her Blinders For Trump Associates. On Da Hill, Kevin Brock calls it A tale of two lies: Stone, McCabe and the danger of a double standard for justice
As John Leonard at AmGreat reminds us Donald Trump Is America's Chief Law Enforcement Officer and JB Shurk tells how How Trump Made the Federal Courts Blink

And from Da Blaze, 'Shut the hell up': Eric Holder triggered by reporter exposing Andrew McCabe prosecutor's Democratic bona fides
Investor's Business Daily alum and RealClearPolitics contributor Paul Sperry tweeted Tuesday, "BREAKING: Molly Gaston, the asst US Attorney who signed letter to McCabe's lawyer informing McCabe she was closing criminal case against him, is Democrat who's given thousands to Dems including Obama & who once worked for Dem side of House Oversight & whose mother worked for WaPo."

On Thursday night, Holder replied to Sperry, "Why don't you shut the hell up. Your bias is showing. I bet you've never been a prosecutor or have any idea how DOJ works. People like you-who want to use the justice system for political reasons-are both dangerous and ignorant. The case was-like you-an obvious loser."

The Twittersphere pointed out that Mr. Holder is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP, the same law firm where Gaston's father, Eugene Gulland, is senior counsel.

According to Fox News, Sperry "has often been critical of Holder, the Justice Department, and current Attorney General William Barr."

Sperry tweeted Thursday night, "Eric Holder completely politicized DOJ so he has a lot of gall weighing in on this issue."

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