Thursday, November 7, 2019

Russiagate: I Got Those Old Ukrainian Blues

Politico whines Republicans on Sondland impeachment bombshell: Who cares? GOP senators dismissed new evidence of Trump's quid pro quo on Ukraine., but as Matt Margolis at PJ Media explains, No, Sondland's Revised Testimony Doesn't Prove There Was a Quid Pro Quo
First of all, why did Sondland change his original testimony?

Sondland, who refused to acknowledge the purported quid pro quo in his initial testimony, said he had “refreshed [his] recollection” after reading testimony by top diplomat William Taylor and Timothy Morrison, the senior director for Europe and Russia at the National Security Council. The ambassador then went on to revise parts of his own testimony to reflect his delivery of the quid pro quo message.

Sondland agreed with investigators that a Trump-Zelensky meet would be conditioned on a commitment to investigations into the Bidens and 2016 election interference.

“If you mean that those conditions would have to be complied with prior to getting a meeting, that was my understanding,” Sondland said.

Nothing bizarre about that, right? But I digress. The media and Democrats see this as proof of a quid pro quo. But is it? What about Sondland’s testimony? According to his testimony, when he asked Trump what he wanted from Ukraine, Trump said, “I want nothing. I want no quid pro quo. I want Zelensky to do the right thing... to do what he ran on.”
. . .
Also released today were transcripts of the testimony of Ambassador Kurt Volker, special envoy to Ukraine. According to his testimony, there was “no linkage” between a White House meeting with Trump and Zelenksy and any promises to hold any investigations.

Volker's testimony corroborates Sondland's testimony that Trump didn't want any quid pro quo. . .
. . .
Volker also testified that Trump didn't pressure Ukraine to investigate the Biden's or Burisma:

Now let's go back to Sondland. Despite media reports, it's clear from Sondland's revised testimony that he didn't know why the military aid was being held up and that the link between the aid and the investigations is an assumption.

The narrative being pushed by the media and the Democrats that Sondland said there was a quid pro quo is not based on evidence but on an assumption by Sondland.
Hot Air, Lindsey Graham after Sondland reversal on quid pro quo: 'I've written the whole process off'  and Yovanovitch "not aware" of any quid pro quo policy

Axios, Top diplomat (Bill Taylor) testifies Ukraine quid pro quo was his "clear understanding", but, from Da Fed, Testimony Transcript Shows William Taylor Never Talked To Trump, Wasn’t Even On July 25 Phone Call. So where did he get his "clear understanding"? Why, the New York Times, of course! Breitbart, Bill Taylor Cites NYT as Sole Source for His Claim Trump Wanted Ukraine to Launch Probe to Get Dirt on Biden
Zeldin: What was the goal of requesting investigations into 2016 election and [Ukrainian company that employed Hunter] Burisma?

Taylor: As I understand it from one of the maybe the article in the New York Times about [Trump’s private lawyer] Mr. [Rudy] Giuliani’s interest in Burisma, in that article, he describes, and I think he quotes Giuliani at some length, that article indicates that Giuliani was interested in getting some information on Vice President Biden that would be useful to Mr.Giuliani’s client. I think that’s what he says. He says he’s got one client, and he’s useful to the client.

Zeldin: And then it’s your inference that Mr. Giuliani’s goal would be the President’s goal?
Taylor: Yes.

Zeldin: And your source is the New York Times?

Taylor: Yes.

Zeldin: So do you have any other source that the President’s goal in making this request was anything other than the New York Times?

Taylor: I have not talked to the president. I have no other information from what the President was thinking.
So now the self licking ice cream called the  NYT will cite Taylor as a source for the President's thinking. Capt. Ed, Trump To Volker: Hey, Thanks For The Quid-Pro-Quo-Less Testimony!
Rushbo, What Democrats Are Trying to Do with Ukraine Testimony Releases They are attempting to criminalize Trump carrying out a foreign policy they don't like.
I want to tell you upfront: There’s nothing in these transcripts, and, if you read them carefully — which most people are not gonna do — they’re gonna read Schiff’s summary more than anything. But what’s gonna happen is, you’re gonna find out that the only thing wrong here… You’re gonna see a word that is used commonly by all the people that testified who are anti-Trump. You’re gonna see the word “interagency,” and it will be used in such fashion as this: “The interagency group was highly alarmed at the way this was done and at the way it took place outside the interagency group.”

What that means is that Trump decided to conduct his own foreign policy without involving these elites at the State Department or at the National Security Council. He decided to do it on his own, ’cause he doesn’t know who he can trust in there, as this is demonstrating. But they’re trying to present it as a crime, that Trump did not go through the interagency group. The interagency group would be the National Security Council, the intelligence communities, maybe some military people. Everybody involved in the, quote-unquote, “national security complex.” That’s the interagency group.

That would be the NSC, the CIA, the DIA, the NSA, all these abbreviations. And he’s president. Like they’re trying to say Rudy Giuliani was dispatched as a rogue ambassador for Trump. He’s not rogue. Donald Trump can have anybody he wants go out and do foreign policy. In fact, Donald Trump’s doing exactly what you elected him to do. He’s avoiding the swamp. The swamp is filled with saboteurs, as this is demonstrating.
At Breitbart,  Republicans Debating Whether to Call the Bidens as Witnesses in Impeachment Trial. Hey, if they have nothing to hide, why not, right?



Random Impeachment Garbage

Theo Spark: Cartoon Round Up....

Former Lawmaker Who Helped Conduct Clinton Impeachment Trial Explains How It Works

CHECKMATE: Newt Gingrich calls on Adam Schiff to put up or shut up under OATH during impeachment investigation – twitchy.com

Rep. Devin Nunes: GOP Will Call Adam Schiff as First Witness in Impeachment Inquiry | Trending

Ace of Spades HQ Devin Nunes: The GOP Will Call Adam Schiff as Its First Witness at "Impeachment" Hearings

Adam Schiff Was Operating at His Usual Level of Veracity in New Op-ed: A Strong Rebuttal

‘Schiff’s basement hasn’t been transparent’: Sen. Marsha Blackburn takes ‘proven liar Adam Schiff’ to the shed and DAMN – twitchy.com

Mark Meadows Interrupts MSNBC Broadcast on Impeachment Inquiry

Trump is being threatened with impeachment for Joe Biden’s crimes | Flopping Aces
Adam Announces Cast Members for Next Week’s Public Schiff-Show… | The Last Refuge

FACEPALM: Rep. Eric Swalwell adds to the list of Trump’s impeachable offenses (Hint: It’s even dumber than usual) – twitchy.com

Trump To Hire A Foreign Agent, From Firm Linked To Previous Case Of Alleged Giuliani Meddling, To Advise On Impeachment | The Daily Caller

Democrats, Tyranny, and Sophistry | Frontpagemag

UPDATE: The Wombat is back in business, with Rule Five Sunday: Black Widow and FMJRA 2.0: The Things That We’ve Learnt Are No Longer Enough

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Russiagate: Whistleblowers Anonymous

or not. Whistleblower #1's (thought to be Eric Ciaramella) lawyer admitted on Twitter, to trying to foment a coup, Fox News Greg Re, 'Coup has started,' whistleblower's attorney said in 2017 posts calling for impeachment
Mark Zaid, one of the attorneys representing the intelligence community whistleblower at the center of the Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry, tweeted conspicuously in January 2017 that a "coup has started" and that "impeachment will follow ultimately."

Then, in July 2017, Zaid remarked, "I predict @CNN will play a key role in @realDonaldTrump not finishing out his full term as president." Also that month, Zaid tweeted, "We will get rid of him, and this country is strong enough to survive even him and his supporters."

Amid a slew of impeachment-related posts, Zaid assured his Twitter followers that "as one falls, two more will take their place," apparently referring to Trump administration employees who defy the White House. Zaid promised that the "coup" would occur in "many steps."

The tweets, which came shortly after President Trump fired then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates for failing to defend federal laws in court, are likely to fuel Republican concerns that the anonymous whistleblower's complaint is tainted with partisanship. Trump's call with Ukraine's leader, which is the subject of the complaint, occurred in July 2019.

“The whistleblower’s lawyer gave away the game," the Trump campaign's communications director, Tim Murtaugh, told Fox News. "It was always the Democrats’ plan to stage a coup and impeach President Trump and all they ever needed was the right scheme. They whiffed on Mueller so now they’ve settled on the perfectly fine Ukraine phone call. This proves this was orchestrated from the beginning.”
Sundance at CTH, Eric Ciaramella Attorney, January 2017: “Coup Has Started” – July 2017: “We Will Remove Him”…
A few people have started looking at the connections behind Mark Zaid, the attorney for CIA “whistleblower” Eric Ciaramella. What is starting to emerge is evidence of what CTH outlined yesterday; the current impeachment process is part of a coup continuum, and everything around the whistleblower is part of a long-ago planned and pre-constructed operation. . . .
Nice Deb at AmGreat, ‘The Coup Has Started’: Whistleblower Attorney Was Already Tweeting About Impeaching Trump in Jan. of 2017
“Johnson (1868), Nixon (1973), Clinton (1998) impeachment hearings. Next up @realDonaldTrump (2017),” Zaid tweeted in May of 2017. Then, in June of 2017, Zaid wrote: “45 years from now we might be recalling stories regarding the impeachment of @realDonaldTrump. I’ll be old, but will be worth the wait.”
. . .
Zaid is a frequent Trump critic on Twitter who has a history of playing hardball with those he perceives to be enemies of the deep state. In May of 2018, for instance, he threatened to sic his intelligence community friends on a random Twitter user who irritated him.
Ace, Fake Whistleblower's Lawyer in 2017: "The coup has started," Brags That Deep State Will Impeach Trump and His Friends at CNN Will Play a Key Role "Hmm, I wonder if this guy was talking to Tapper, Clapper, and Brennan."

Amid calls by the president himself to expose the whistleblower, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the name of a CIA analyst which has circulated online for weeks, and linked to a Breitbart news article implying the person was pro-Democrat and anti-Trump. AFP could not independently verify the whistleblower's identity and is not publishing the name.
NPR, Can Trump Legally Out The Whistleblower? Experts Say It Would Not Violate Any Laws. But it would sure piss off the media.  CNN, Fox News brass to network hosts and personalities: Do not identify the whistleblower. Ace, Media Flip-Flops On Whether Whistleblowers are Sacred and Deserve Anonymity as ABC News Launches Dragnet to Find Who Leaked the Robach Tape
The Robach tape, unlike Trump's phone calls to foreign leaders, are not classified national secrets.
Nothing in it is sensitive. It is merely embarrassing to ABC News, given that George Stephanopolous is a leading figure there, and he used to work for Clinton, and ABC News spiked an important story that would damage Clinton.
The rule is protecting whistleblowers is important only when it helps liberals and Democrats.

Rick Moran at PJ Media, Rand Paul Wants Media to Name Ukraine Whistleblower (Psssst! His Name is Eric Ciaramella). Brandon Morris at Red State, Rand Paul Explains Why He Can Legally Out The Whistleblower, And Says He Just Might. Rand Paul can say just about anything on the floor of Congress and be legal.
“But I can do [reveal the identity of the whistleblower] right now, if I want. Nothing stops me. There is no law that stops me from doing it, other than that I don’t want to make it about the one individual,” Paul said. “But I would say this: I do think that this individual is a material witness to the potential Biden corruption. He was there under Joe Biden. He was there when Joe Biden was trying to fire the prosecutor that was in — that was investigating Hunter Biden. So, this person was a Ukrainian expert on the desk, at that time. I think he should be interviewed, not as the whistleblower, but as a material witness to the Biden corruption in Ukraine.”
Sam Brody at Da Beast, Rand Paul Used to Be a Whistleblower’s Hero. Now He Wants to Out Them. It's hard to call Eric Ciaramella a "whistleblower" when he seems to be a CIA spy. Vanity Fair,  “There’s a Real Concern for This Guy’s Safety”: News Outlets Grapple With Unmasking the Whistle-Blower. They never showed similar interest in protecting Nicholas Sandmann's safety.

Rep. Jim Jordan at USA Today, 'Whistleblower' must testify under oath and in person. The Peacock whines Intel officials want CIA Director Gina Haspel to protect Ukraine whistleblower from Trump. I'll bet this is hard for Gina, but it depends on how deep into it she is; she was Brennan's girl, and chances are she's at least touched the plot. How dirty is she?

Mickey Kaus, The Relevant in the Room
Mark Zaid, lawyer for the whistleblower (WB) who set off the whole Trump-Zelensky investigation, tells us “the identity of the whistleblower is irrelevant.”

The WB’s central allegation about the Zelensky call has been corroborated by the “transcript” of what was said on the call, after all. No need to learn anymore about the whisteblower! His job is done and he should be allowed to remain anonymous, says Zaid.

But the WB’s ID seems highly relevant. We may now know what was said on the phone call, but we still need to decide what to make of it. Was it just unsavory or — at the other end of the scale— bad enough to justify removing a president? In part, that involves asking: Why was it such a big deal to so many foreign policy professionals filling the Trump administration? In answering that question, it matters if the fuss was initiated by, say, an official who was supportive of Trump, and shared his Ukraine skepticism, but was nevertheless horrified by Trump's "ask.” That’d be powerful evidence that Trump might have really screwed up.

But what if the WB is a vehement Ukraine hawk, with strong ties to Joe Biden and Democrats? Let's just say -- hypothetically! -- it's the latter. The point wouldn’t be that the whole thing then smells like a long-hatched anti-Trump conspiracy (though it does). The Lewinsky scandal was a long-hatched anti-Clinton conspiracy. Didn't bother me then. Sometimes conspiracies catch guilty people.

The point is that seemingly everyone in the WB’s network of outrage,, from the person who told the WB about the call to Col. Vindman (the National Security Council Ukraine expert who’s testified before Rep. Schiff’s impeachment panel) to Ambassador William Taylor (who’d written a text calling it “crazy” to hold-up aid to Ukraine “for help in a political campaign”) to the aide in Schiff’s office consulted by the WB may be sincerely, passionately inflating the importance of Trump's sin--and deflating Biden's-- because to them aiding Ukraine is wildly important and Joe Biden is a compatriot, mentor or hero.

Voters and the senators— who will have to determine whether Trump's tactics were a "high crime”— may have a less fraught perspective and discount the offense accordingly. That would be harder to do if the prime accusers weren't all vehement anti-Russia Ukrainiacs.
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Russiagate, Just the Russiagate

A lot of interesting stuff today, and in the interests of getting most of it out promptly, I'm going to break a potentially gargantuan post in related chunks. This one is "Russiagate" proper, or as some people call it, "Spygate"

Promises, promises! From Sundance at CTH, diGenova and Toensing on Upcoming IG Report: “it’s going to be worse than you can imagine”…



From Doug Ross, A REMINDER OF THE REAL SCANDAL: Here are the FISA Court Documents Revealing How the Obama-Comey FBI abused surveillance powers
In a little-publicized opinion issued on April 26, 2017, FISC Judge Rosemary Collyer scalded Obama-era intelligence agencies for rampant abuse of NSA databases.

These agencies, including the FBI, routinely accessed the communications (emails, texts, etc.) of American citizens. Nearly 90 percent of all such queries were deemed violations of various laws, starting with the Fourth Amendment prohibiting illegal searches. And no one, to my knowledge, has ever been held accountable.
 Sundance, Curiouser and Curiouser…
According to recent reports U.S. Attorney John Durham and U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr are spending time on a narrowed focus looking carefully at CIA activity in the 2016 presidential election. One recent quote from a media-voice increasingly sympathetic to a political deep-state notes:
“One British official with knowledge of Barr’s wish list presented to London commented that “it is like nothing we have come across before, they are basically asking, in quite robust terms, for help in doing a hatchet job on their own intelligence services””. (Link)
It is interesting that quote comes from a British intelligence official, as there appears to be mounting evidence of an extensive CIA operation that likely involved U.K. intelligence services.
Jon Solomon reports, After Russia collusion controversy, FBI faces ‘red flag’ concerns over vetting informants. They need to face a lot more than "concerns." Also, a reminder from Dan Sobieski at AmThink, that there's good reason to suspect the Michael Flynn prosecution satisfied more than the "small groups" desire to get Trump; Andrew McCabe had a personal (or should that be personnel) beef with Flynn. The Flynn Investigation: McCabe's Personal Retaliation? Ace, Sydney Powell: We Were Just Informed That Our Infallible Government Workers Supposedly Marked All of Strzok's Notes as From Plietka and Vice Versa aside from mispelling Pientka
Why does this matter?

Well, among many complaints Powell lodged on General Flynn's behalf was the fact -- or so it seemed -- that Strzok and Plietka had lied to the court in claiming that it was Plietka who wrote up the form 302 (interview memo) based on his own notes, not Strzok's.

The problem with that is that if you look at the report, and the two sets of notes from the two FBI agents (one of them a disgraced former agent), it is clear that Strzok's notes mention a whole bunch of things Plietka's do not mention, and that Strzok, not Plietka, was the main mover in this report.

Twitter researcher John W. Huber demonstrated that, as compiled here by Twitchy.

Huber points out that based on these documents, it seems that Strzok lied to the government, breaking the same law that Flynn was pressured into pleading guilty to.
Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Smoking Gun? DoJ Misidentified Agent Authors For Flynn 302s

Bring out yer dead! Prosecutors in Roger Stone trial will call Steve Bannon to testify. Two names we haven't heard much lately.

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Tanlines and Tattoos Thursday




UPDATE: The Wombat is back in business, with Rule Five Sunday: Black Widow.

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Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Monkey County Rethinks Sanctuary Policy

From Teach at Pirate's Cove, Montgomery County, Maryland, Reverses Anti-ICE Policy In Wake Of Rapes By Illegals
Who would have thought that Bad Things could happen when Open Borders advocates release illegal alien criminals in order to thwart ICE?

Montgomery County Reverses Sanctuary Policy After String of Illegal Immigrants Charged With Rape
A county in Maryland has partially reversed a sanctuary policy just three months after it was passed. The move comes after a string of illegal immigrants have been charged with rape in Montgomery County.
The policy banned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials from accessing secure portions of Montgomery County jail. It’s reversal, which was effectively immediately, means ICE can now access “identified areas” of the jail to “ensure that transfers are conducted in a safe environment.”
The policy says ICE must submit an immigration detainer and arrive at the jail an hour before the inmate is set to be released, reported WJLA. If ICE fails to comply for whatever reason, the county will release the illegal immigrant into the community, just as the county was doing before, regardless of the crime the person has been charged with.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s rolled back jail ban still prohibits ICE officials from accessing secure parts of the jail unless there is a pre-authorized custody transfer that meet the stated requirements. The ban also prohibits ICE agents from entering “non-public areas of all county-owned facilities” including libraries, police stations, and recreation centers.
So, what they’re trying to do is partially have it both ways. They still want to release the illegals, but, they want to blame ICE if they don’t arrive under those conditions and insulate themselves from condemnation when the illegals do get released and go on to commit crimes. Like continuous rape of an 11 year old girl over a month by illegals ordered deported by a federal judge after already being deported once and were then released by Montgomery County. And many other rapes
Not to mention a few MS-13 murders. Well, you get what you vote for.
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Blue Catfish Range Extended to Most of Bay

You would think with all the concern over the expansion of Blue Cats into the Bay, somebody would have looked at this before: VIMS Study shows invasive blue catfish can tolerate high salinities
. . . The lab experiments show that blue cats can survive up to 3 days when exposed to waters up to 17 psu, suggesting they can survive in most downstream areas of the Bay’s Virginia tributaries, and use the mainstem of the upper Bay to move into other tributaries in Maryland and into Delaware Bay. The researchers continue to study the chronic effects of salinity on blue catfish health, with some evidence of negative impacts on growth and metabolism below lethal levels.



The survey data, collected in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers between 1975-2017, reveal a gradual downstream expansion in the range of blue catfish, from tidal freshwaters to habitats exceeding 10 psu. The species has been collected at salinity as high as 21.8 psu in the James River.
For reference, 35 psu is full strength salinity of Atlantic Coast seawater, and we rarely see salinities much higher than 15 in our mid-Bay location.
Both survey and lab data show that bigger fish are more tolerant of saltier waters. “We found that larger blue cats—those longer than 200 millimeters [about 8 inches]—are more tolerant of salinities above 10 psu than smaller, immature fish, and thus have a greater ability to use these saltier habitats to invade additional areas throughout the Chesapeake Bay,” says Nepal.
Stocking locations (green triangles) and 
current distribution (brown) of non-native 
blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. 
Blue dots show where blue catfish were 
collected from the Bay mainstem in 2018 and
2019. Blue catfish have not yet been recorded
from the Delaware Bay.

The threat of range expansion is thus greatest among big fish during wet spells. This combination can lead to “jump dispersal,” wherein just a few adult blue cats or a single egg-bearing female move into a new, relatively distant area. For context, blue catfish, which have been clocked swimming at 0.67 mph, could traverse the Bay’s widest point (30 miles) in less than two days. If rain had lowered salinity in the mainstem below 17 psu, those fish could arrive on a new shore ready and kicking to establish a new population.
Last winter, after heavy rains lowered the salinity in our region into single digits, there were many Blue Cats caught nearby. They appear to be gone now that the salinity is back at more normal levels (and the Sea Nettle are back).

The good news is that the catfish are tasty, especially when found in relatively clean waters of the downstream sections of the tributaries and the mainstem.

UPDATE: The Wombat is back in business, with Rule Five Sunday: Black Widow.


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Russiagate - FBI, "Sorry About That, Chief!"

I don't know how big this is, but it seems kind of hinky. In the Flynn sentencing matter, the FBI has justadmitted to confusing the authorship of the statements of the two agents who interviewed Flynn, Strzok, and presumably Pientka, the results of the which interview were used to charge Flynn with perjury. Rather embarrassing at minimum. If I were the judge, I'd just toss the whole thing. Sundance at CTH, DOJ Makes Jaw-Dropping Admission in Flynn Case – Prosecution “Mistakenly” Attributed Wrong Notes to Wrong FBI Agents….
Prosecutor Brandon Van Grack sends a letter to Flynn’s defense team today containing a stunning, almost impossible to comprehend, admission of a mistake central to the claims of the prosecution. In March 2018 the FBI presented notes taken by agents Pientka and Strzok, now they say they made a ‘mistake’.

For almost two years the DOJ misidentified, misattributed, and never corrected that the authors of the Flynn interview notes were actually reversed. All of the notes attributed to FBI Agent Peter Strzok actually were taken by FBI Agent Joseph Pientka, and vice-versa:
. . .
The entire FBI case against Flynn; meaning the central element that he lied to FBI investigators (he didn’t); is predicated on the FD-302 interview reports generated by the two FBI agents; later discovered to have been edited, shaped and approved by Andrew McCabe…. And for almost two years the entire outline of their documented evidence has been misattributed?

C’mon man. This is sketchy as heck.

Obviously what triggered this re-review of the notes was a smart sur-surreply from the defense that highlighted how Peter Strzoks notes were far too neat, organized and well constructed to have been written during an actual interview. [SEE HERE]
Also from Flynn's Lawyer Sidney Powell Responds to Prosecution “Mistake”…



At WaEx, former FBI guy James Gagliano is appalled at the FBI's handling of the case. The Michael Flynn smoking gun: FBI headquarters altered interview summary
Here’s me, acknowledging my mistake. I was dead wrong. It now seems there was a concerted effort, though isolated, within the upper-echelons of the FBI to influence the outcome of the Flynn investigation. By “dirtying up” Flynn, Comey’s FBI headquarters team of callow sycophants shortcut the investigative process. Arm-twisting Flynn through the “tweaked” version of his interview afforded him criminal exposure. The cocksure Comey team felt supremely confident that would inspire him “flipping” and give them the desperately sought-after evidence of Trump-Russia collusion that the wholly unverified Steele dossier was never remotely capable of providing.

I am physically nauseous as I type these words. I have long maintained that innocent mistakes were made and that the investigators at the center of this maelstrom were entitled to the benefit of the doubt. No more.

They have tarnished the badge and forever stained an agency that deserved so much better from them. I am ashamed. The irreparable damage Comey’s team has done to the FBI will take a generation to reverse.
Sundance catches the old crowd working together again to shape the narrative against IG Horowitz's investigation, FBI’s Three Favorite Narrative Engineers Update Background Status of IG Report…
Texts, emails, and documents released over the past three years showed that whenever the small group wanted to leak they preferred: Devlin Barrett, Robert Costa and Matt Zapotosky at the Washington Post. [Example – source, pg 5]

So when we see Barrett, Costa and Zapotosky getting the gang back together to write about the upcoming IG report, it is worth reviewing their carefully engineered narrative. [All emphasis mine]
(Via Washington Post) Justice Department officials are trying to release in the coming weeks a potentially explosive inspector general report about the FBI’s investigation into President Trump’s 2016 campaign, according to multiple people familiar with the effort. . . .
This is specifically Comey, McCabe, Baker, Strzok, Page, Yates, Rosenstein and McCord speaking to the Washington Post. Those officials would likely be recipients of the report specific to their conduct. Apparently the principal review has not taken place.
A couple more from sundance, Jim Jordan Discusses Possibility of Interim Move To Intelligence Committee… , and Lengthy Interview – Lee Smith: From Spygate to Impeachment “The Plot Against The President”… (videos). A great interview; I was expecting something more inflammatory.



And a book review from Jeffrey Lord at AmSpec, Witch Hunt: Gregg Jarrett Scores Again

And onto the "whistleblowers." From RCP, Sen. Rand Paul Corrects Reporter: It Is Not Illegal For Media To Name The Whistleblower, of course not, but to do so would hurt their preferred narrative. From Fox, Rand Paul doubles down on call for whistleblower to come forward, slams Hunter Biden.
"The statute says the inspector general can't reveal the name. There's nothing that prevents me from saying it now. Other than that, I want it to be more about the process and less about the person," Paul said. "But there is no law that prevents me from mentioning the name of who's been said to be the whistleblower."

At Monday's rally, Paul also slammed Hunter Biden for obtaining lucrative roles with companies despite having no relevant expertise while his father, as senator and vice president, pushed legislation affecting those companies. The senator continued to focus on Biden Tuesday, saying that that it was unfair President Trump was being investigated and the Bidens were not.

Paul also put forth that he believed the whistleblower was "a material witness to the potential Biden corruption."

"He was there under Joe Biden. He was there when Joe Biden was trying to fire the prosecutor... that was investigating Hunter Biden," Paul claimed. "So this person was a Ukrainian expert on the desk at that time. I think he should be interviewed not as the whistleblower, but as a material witness to the Biden corruption in Ukraine."
Breitbart, Rand Paul Says He Will Probably Disclose Whistleblower’s Name, Calls Him a ‘Material Witness’. Teach at Pirate's Cove, Rand Paul Invokes Constitution On Revealing “Whistleblower’s” Name. Alhouse,"But what if the WB is a vehement Ukraine hawk, with strong ties to Joe Biden and Democrats?"
Writes Mickey Kaus, explaining why the identity of whistleblower is important even though we have the transcript:
The point wouldn’t be that the whole thing then smells like a long-hatched anti-Trump conspiracy (though it does)....
The point is that seemingly everyone in the WB’s network of outrage, from the person who told the WB about the call to Col. Vindman (the National Security Council Ukraine expert who’s testified before Rep. Schiff’s impeachment panel) to Ambassador William Taylor (who’d written a text calling it “crazy” to hold-up aid to Ukraine “for help in a political campaign”) to the aide in Schiff’s office consulted by the WB may be sincerely, passionately inflating the importance of Trump's sin--and deflating Biden's-- because to them aiding Ukraine is wildly important and Joe Biden is a compatriot, mentor or hero.
 DaWire, Trump Rejects Whistleblower’s Written Answer Offer, Nearly Reveals Alleged Identity,
“The Whistleblower gave false information and dealt with corrupt politician [Adam] Schiff,” Trump tweeted Monday (formatting adjusted). “He must be brought forward to testify. Written answers not acceptable!”
MOTUS, You’re Gonna Need a Better Whistleblower. But as you might expect, the never-Trumpers at Da Bulwark side with the Democrats, The Real Witch Hunt: Going After the Whistleblower.

So good, it carried over from yesterday, back in Ukraine, Via the Wombat's  In The Mailbox: 11.05.19 (Evening Edition) Power Line: Emails Reveal Biden/Burisma Influence At State Department,  Capt. Ed at Hot Air, Uh Oh: Hunter Biden’s Name Pops Up In 2016 State Dept E-Mails Discussing Pressure To End Burisma Corruption Probe. Ace, Jon Solomon: Hunter Biden Lobbied Obama's State Department to Lay Off Pressure for Political and Economic Reforms In Ukraine "Nothing to see here, folks. Move on."
Vodka Pundit at PJ Media, FIREWORKS: Fox News Host Accuses Marie Harf of Ukraine Cover-Up

From sundance, Volker and Sondland Testimony Released – And Elise Stefanik, Once Again, On the Right Trail…
The transcripts of the closed-door deposition of Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland were released today by the Lawfare impeachment organizers and Adam Schiff. Both pdf’s are below; however, first it is worth reestablishing a bigger, more important, context.
. . .
….And the most interesting aspect to all of this is the only person (besides us) who appears to recognize the bigger, much bigger, big picture; is the same person who questioned FBI Director James Comey on March 20th 2017 when no-one had a clue about the scale and scope of their operations. WATCH:



The Volker and Sondland testimony appears to be a Rorschach test. Everyone seems to hear in it what they expected to. Breitbart, Volker Denies Quid Pro Quo in Testimony Transcripts: ‘No Leverage Implied’ “I didn’t think” a quid pro quo “was actually there,” Volker, the first impeachment inquiry witness, testified, referring to the call. Chuck Ross at Da Caller, House Democrats Release Transcripts Of Kurt Volker And Gordon Sondland Depositions
Sonland, a major GOP donor who was appointed ambassador in 2018, testified that he was uncertain about whether Trump sought a quid pro quo from Zelensky. He said that during a Sept. 8 phone call, Trump told him he wanted “nothing” — “I want no quid pro quo” — from Zelensky.
“I want Zelensky to do the right thing,” Sondland recalled Trump saying.

Sondland submitted supplemental testimony Monday in which he said he came to suspect by early September that the Trump administration was withholding military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Zelensky. That was largely because he could not get answers about why the nearly $400 million aid package was being withheld, he said.

“By the beginning of September 2019, and in the absence of any credible explanation for the suspension of aid, I presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statements,” said Sondland.

And in a major correction to his initial testimony, Sondland said in his supplemental filing that he told one of Zelensky’s advisers during a meeting in Warsaw that the “resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks.”
He presumed, but he didn't know. Which, in the words of the AP becomes Impeachment reversal: Diplomat now acknowledges quid pro quo. Roll Call, ‘The Giuliani problem’ and other takeaways from diplomats’ impeachment testimony

And more random impeachment follies:

Rep. Gaetz: Impeachment ‘Is the Cop-Out for the Lack of an Agenda’ | CNSNews

Trump: 'No reason to call witnesses' in impeachment probe | TheHill

Impeachment Lawyer: Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi are On 'Path to Disaster' With Current Impeachment Process

Doug Ross @ Journal: Handy "Impeachment" Cheat Sheet


The Democrats Next Phase Of Impeachment Will Maybe Possibly Begin At Some Point » Pirate's Cove

Trump’s latest legal strategy on impeachment: Run out the clock - POLITICO

Poll: Trump impeachment inquiry seen as more partisan than Clinton’s and Nixon’s - Hot Air

Most Republicans on impeachment committees aren’t showing up, transcripts reveal

How Chief Justice John Roberts would lead the Senate impeachment trial

McConnell says Senate would acquit Trump if trial held today - POLITICO

Trump could get whacked by legal losses in coming months - POLITICO

Four ways Trump’s tax returns could come to light - Reuters
Real Talk: Impeachment Is Going Poorly For Democrats And The Media

Dem Rep: Backing Impeachment ‘Absolutely' a 'Disaster' for Democrats

Who Can Stop Trump Now?

Graham: If Trump's Offense Is Impeachable, 'You Won't Have Any Presidents Left' | CNSNews

A Corrupt Resolution's Damning Consequences

Theo Spark: Cartoon Round Up....
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ASMFC Sets Striper Goals

We have been eagerly awaiting, or perhaps dreading, the roll out of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission orders regarding the Striped Bass fishing for the Atlantic Coast. Well, they're out, and they are asking for a pretty big reduction in Striped Bass  take; Bay Journal: East Coast fishery managers order 18% cut in striped bass harvest
Acting to stem serious declines in the striped bass population, East Coast fishery managers have ordered an 18% harvest reduction for the coming year. How that will be done in the Chesapeake Bay remains to be seen.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s striped bass management board on Wednesday agreed to the reduction after an extended debate over how to respond to a scientific assessment earlier this year that found the commercially and recreationally valuable species has been overfished for some time.

The board ordered an 18% cut in commercial harvest quotas in all East Coast states. It also called for comparable recreational catch restrictions. In coastal waters, anglers would be limited to just one fish per day between 28 and 35 inches in length, while in the Bay it would be just one fish per day at least 18 inches long. Anglers are allowed to keep two fish a day now in Maryland; Virginia has already reduced its limit from two to one.


Because the assessment found that many fish were dying after being caught and released, the board also ordered states to require that recreational anglers use circle hooks, which are less likely to injure the fish, beginning in 2021.

Striped bass, also known as rockfish, are one of the most popular sport and commercial fish in the Bay and along the mid-Atlantic coast, and that popularity has led to problems.

Overharvesting drove the population precariously low in the early 1980s, which prompted Maryland to impose a five-year fishing moratorium and other states to enact shorter bans. The fish rebounded, reaching a high abundance in the early 2000s.

But now striped bass have been declining for at least a decade, attributed in part to less successful reproduction. The assessment also found that millions of fish were dying after being released by recreational anglers, usually because they were too small to keep. The review estimated that more fish died after being discarded than were actually kept in 2017.


Commission members representing Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission argued unsuccessfully for a smaller commercial harvest reduction. The majority of all East Coast commercial striped bass landings come from the Chesapeake.

The board voted instead to require equal percentage reductions from both commercial and recreational fisheries, noting that public comments overwhelmingly favored that approach. Virginia sided with the majority.

But state fisheries managers also were given latitude to vary from the board’s prescribed measures as long as they achieve “conservation equivalency,” meaning that they achieve comparable reductions.

Maryland fishery managers are weighing that approach, with plans to propose changes that will result in a 20% reduction in mortality from the recreational fishery. . . .
The actual draft of the plan for Maryland has been released to fight over:
STRIPED BASS — Recreational Fishery
COMAR 08.02.05.02 and COMAR 08.02.15.03, .08, .09 and .10

The department is considering:
  1. Putting the rules (hook requirements, sizes, and seasons) for the recreational fishery that were in place only for 2018 and 2019 into place for future years.
  2. Changing the start of the recreational and charter boat spring season (trophy season) to May 1. The current start date is the third Saturday in April.
  3. Prohibiting catch and release or targeting striped bass from March 1 through April 30.

The third provision, "Prohibiting catch and release or targeting striped bass from March 1 through April 30" is fairly controversial. It would prohibit catch and release Striped Bass fishing throughout Maryland's portion of the Bay during that time, which would affect a few hard core recreational anglers in the Bay, a small number compared to the number of anglers in the warmer months, and a few hard core guides, like Walleye Pete, who take anglers out and fish for the giants that hang around warm water discharges. Critics say that this kills big spawners and inhibits others from spawning. Proponents say studies show that the kill from catch and release in cold water is negligible, and no studies have ever been done to support the idea that it is inhibiting the spawners. I doubt the fish saving is significant, because overall annual estimate of 9% C&R mortality is being projectd onto the cold water fishery is a gross overestimate, though no doubt, some fish die. My reading is that this is a term demanded by commercial fisherman as "revenge" for previous cuts in the commercial quota.

Personally, I don't think an 18% cut is sufficient. Historically, the ASMFC is at least a couple of years behind the curve, and with the report of a very poor YOY index for MD this year, I think stronger action is warranted, even if my hobby is significantly impacted.

Pete is prepared and planning to go to Florida to guide for March and April if this provision is implemented.

UPDATE: The Wombat is back in business, with Rule Five Sunday: Black Widow.

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Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Russiagate Rally

Whew, boy, did the stuff ever build up while I was out fishing! OK, let's start with what I now categorize as "Russiagate" proper, the original conspiracy to block Trump's election and subsequently to take out President Trump using the hoked up charge of collusion with the Ruskies. First, we go to The Last Tradition, who posts Judical Watch's latest findings, Judicial Watch Obtains Records Showing Contact Between Peter Strzok, Bruce Ohr That DOJ Claimed It Couldn't Find



And Michael Flynn's lawyer, Sidney Powell files a reply to DOJ's attempt to pooh pooh her recent filing regarding how Flynn was railroaded with invented crimes. Adam Mill at AmGreat, New Filing in Flynn Prosecution Casts Further Doubt on the Government’s Case. Much more, as usual by sundance at CTH, Reconstructing Justice – Flynn Defense Submits Outstanding Sur-Surreply to Counter Prosecution….
Flynn’s defense calls out the ridiculous. The prosecution argues it had no obligation to tell the target about any material favorable to the defense while the prosecution was piling-on pressure to generate a plea agreement. Then, once the plea was coerced, the prosecution claims they have no obligation to provide Brady material because the target signed a plea.
Apparently, according to DOJ,there was a nanosecond between the govt charging Flynn, and his guilty plea during which his previous defense was entitled to file for any exonerating material.Also from sundance,  Why John Brennan, Peter Strzok and DOJ Needed Julian Assange Arrested – And Why UK Officials Obliged…
The predicate for Robert Mueller’s investigation was specifically due to Russian interference in the 2016 election. The fulcrum for this Russia interference claim is the intelligence community assessment; and the only factual evidence claimed within the ICA is that Russia hacked the DNC servers; a claim only made possible by relying on forensic computer analysis from Crowdstrike, a DNC contractor.

The CIA holds a massive conflict of self-interest in upholding the Russian hacking claim. The FBI holds a massive interest in maintaining that claim. All of those foreign countries whose intelligence apparatus participated with Brennan and Strzok also have a vested self-interest in maintaining that Russia hacking and interference narrative.

Julian Assange is the only person with direct knowledge of how Wikileaks gained custody of the DNC emails; and Assange has claimed he has evidence it was not from a hack.
Margot Cleveland at Da Fed, SCOOP: CIA, FBI Informant Was Washington Post Source For Russiagate Smears
The Federalist has learned that the now-outed CIA and FBI informant Stefan Halper served as a source for Washington Post reporter David Ignatius, providing more evidence that the intelligence community has co-opted the press to push anti-Trump conspiracy theories. In addition, an email recently obtained by The Federalist from the MI5-connected Christopher Andrew bragging that his long-time friend Ignatius has the “‘inside track’ on Flynn” adds further confirmation of this conclusion.

Svetlana Lokhova, the Russian-born English citizen and Soviet-era scholar, told The Federalist that she only realized the significance of her communications with and about Ignatius following the filing of attorney Sidney Powell’s reply brief in the Michael Flynn case.
Jim Geraghty at NR gives John Durham glowing reviews in The Last Trusted Prosecutor in Washington, and a book review from AmThink, Lee Smith's Book Will Make Patriots' Blood Boil. At NyPo, Maria Butina blames ‘racism against Russians’ for her legal problems. I think she got a bad deal, but that's not why.

Onto the various misnamed "whistleblowers". From Nice Deb at AmGreat, Retired Army Officer Remembers Lt. Col. Vindman as Partisan Democrat Who Ridiculed America, Ace, Officer Who Served with Vindman Says Vindman Is a Partisan Globalist Democrat Who Would Casually Ridicule Americans as "Rednecks" to His Russian Counterparts. But guess which officer the MSM will choose to honor, and which to ridicule?
In an eye-opening thread on Twitter last week, retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Jim Hickman said that he “verbally reprimanded” Vindman after he heard some of his derisive remarks for himself. “Do not let the uniform fool you,” Hickman wrote. “He is a political activist in uniform.”

Hickman’s former boss at the Joint Multinational Simulation Center in Grafenwoehr has since gone on the record to corroborate his story. Hickman, 52, says he’s a disabled wounded warrior who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who received numerous medals, including the Purple Heart.

The retired officer said that Vindman, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Ukraine, made fun of the United States to the point that it made other soldiers “uncomfortable.” For example, Hickman told American Greatness that he heard Vindman call Americans “rednecks”—a word that needed to be translated for the Russians. He said they all had a big laugh at America’s expense.
Via Town Hall, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Has These Questions For Shifty Schiff About The Ukrainian Whistleblower. How much did you coordinate with Adam Schiff and his staff? Referring, of course, to the original, still nominally anonymous whistleblower, widely believed to be CIA "analyst" Eric Ciaramella. Gateway Pundit claims knowledge of Why Corrupt FBI Actors Strzok and Page Referred to Schiff’s Suspected ‘Whistleblower’ Eric Ciaramella as ‘Charlie’. Has he been in the conspiracy from the beginning? Looks like it. From Chuck Ross at Da Caller, Whistleblower Is Willing To Submit Written Answers To House Republicans, Lawyer Says. That's mighty white of him. Althouse, "Well, I’ll tell you what. There have been stories written about a certain individual, a male, and they say he’s the whistleblower."
"If he’s the whistleblower, he has no credibility because he’s a Brennan guy, he’s a Susan Rice guy, he’s an Obama guy. And he hates Trump. And he’s a radical. Now, maybe it’s not him. But if it’s him, you guys ought to release the information."

And switching gears to an even earlier whistle blower, Chuck Ross reports DOJ Requests Information That Could Identify Trump Official Behind ‘Anonymous’ Op-Ed, and Roger L Simon (PJ Media) thinks The Cowardly 'Whistleblower' and 'Anonymous' Must Go Public.

And how could we go a day without more goodies from Joe Biden and Ukraine? A big one as John Solomon reports Hunter Biden’s Ukraine gas firm pressed Obama administration to end corruption allegations, memos show, and then, of course, Hunter's dad threatened to withhold billions in aid to Ukraine. Just a coinkydink, I'm sure. Sundance is all over it with Biden Lied – Emails Show Burisma Executives Leveraging Hunter Biden Membership as Pressure on U.S. State Dept. For Assistance in Removing Ukraine Corruption Probe…. Althouse goes to Scott Adams, "How would it be possible for a Ukraine investigation into Biden to be good for Trump politically unless it was also the kind of thing that voters in the United States would care about?"
"There were two potential outcomes of the requested Ukraine investigation on Biden. Either they would find nothing, or they would find behavior that voters in the United States need to know. Which of those two outcomes is the impeachable one?"
The WaPoo continues to whine about the treatment of their deep state allies in Former ambassador testifies she felt threatened by Trump’s comments about her, while sundance counters The Bloom is Off The Ruse – Marie Yovanovitch Transcript a Case Study in Narrative Construction…. More from sundance, Ukraine, Kerry and Quid-Pro-Joe: Steve Hilton -vs- Marie Harf



Chuck Ross, Da Caller, Giuliani Associate Will Cooperate With Democrats’ Impeachment Inquiry, and through Hot Air, NYT whines that Republicans Try New Response To Ukraine Call: Quid Pro Quo Isn’t Impeachable. Assuming the worst, that Trump thought Biden was guilty of corruption in Ukraine, and demanded an investigation as a price for aid (not in evidence yet), is this worse than Obama seeking to damage and oust Trump using the CIA, FBI, DoJ and State Dept?

A bunch of unsorted impeachment follies:

Poll: 59% Say Trump's Interactions with Ukraine Neither Illegal Nor Wrong
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#Free the Nipple, MLB Edition

Shagmag founder Julia Rose
From NYPo, Julia Rose, Lauren Summer banned indefinitely after flashing Gerrit Cole at World Series
Shagmag founder Julia Rose and brand executive Lauren Summer have been banned indefinitely by Major League Baseball after flashing Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole during Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night.

Taking to social media early Monday, Rose and Summer shared the letter they had received, which noted a violation of rules of fan conduct.

“During the game, you violated the fan code of conduct by exposing yourself during the 7th inning, in order to promote a business,” the letter read.

It appears the women were promoting breast cancer awareness.
"Brand Executive" Lauren Summer
I'm not so sure they were promoting breast cancer awareness so much as just their personal breast awareness... But if so, mission accomplished!
League spokesperson Michael Teevan confirmed to USA Today that the women had been banned, noting MLB “distributed a letter to the individuals in question, and the letter set for an indefinite ban for each.”

Fellow attendee Kayla Lauren, who also sported a yellow Shagmag T-shirt at the game, later posted a bathroom selfie seemingly following the incident.

“Just got kicked out of the World Series. In police HQ bathroom still gotta get that birthday selfie,” she shared on her Instagram story.

The interruption didn’t appear to deter the Astros, who went on to defeat the Nationals 7-1. Houston now leads the series 3-2.
But maybe the lingering damage to his psyche caused the Astros ultimate defeat in the series.

There are cities in the US, including New York and Fort Collins (and don't even mention what goes in San Francisco), where women are free to display nipples after court cases found that banning female but not male nipples violated the equal protection cause. Can that principal be extended to nominally private, but large public accommodations like ball parks?

UPDATE: The Wombat is back in business, with Rule Five Sunday: Black Widow.

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Monday, November 4, 2019

I'm Back!

From fishing. Another day on the other side of the Bay, or at least mostly. Did an island hopping trip with Pete and three other guys, Jerry, Ed and Craig.

Jerry hooked a good one in the skinny water in "Magic Cove"

A few scars but a good fish. We easily ended up with a boat limit of stripers,

Buzzed by an F-18 Super Hornet while passing Cedar Point on the way home.
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