U.S. Politics

[StefanAVFC]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ba462d64c12d4692b8381cb7076d34ab/ap-source-trump-aide-frequent-contact-russia-envoy?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP_Politics

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior U.S. official says the Obama administration is aware of frequent contacts between President-elect Donald Trump's top national security adviser and Russia's ambassador to the United States.

The official says the contacts happened on the day President Barack Obama expelled dozens of Russian officials from the U.S. and imposed sanctions as punishment for election-related hacking. The official says the administration is also aware of contacts between Trump adviser Michael Flynn and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at other times as well.

The day after Obama announced sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would not retaliate. Trump praised him for his restraint.

 

Flynn's conversations were first reported by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The official was not authorized to confirm the contacts publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

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Sean Spicer has now acknowledged that the contact on Dec. 28 b/w Flynn and the Russian Ambassador did, in fact, take place. He claims that Flynn was arranging for a call to take place between Trump and Putin soon after the inauguration.

So we're supposed to believe that the incoming NSC Advisor is the person in the Trump transition who is tasked with arranging phone calls and scheduling matters for the President-Elect.

Finally, I'll note that the fact that this information leaked is evidence that the US government may be tracking Flynn's phone calls, most likely pursuant to a FISA warrant. The only other ways for this info to have come out is if somebody close to Flynn was in the room when the contact took place and leaked it, or if the Russian Ambassador is under U.S. surveillance (probably the other feasible scenario).

Just wanted to add the text of the Logan Act for everybody to review and be aware of. In a sane government where representatives cared more about country than party, this situation would, at the very least, trigger a serious Congressional investigation into whether the Logan Act was violated:

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Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/5nrcvo/ap_source_trump_aide_in_frequent_contact_with/dcdo6hq/

Getting interesting.

[StefanAVFC]

This is decent too (some good shit on Reddit aside from the 99.99% crap)

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1. Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager, was one of the operatives working in Ukraine to install a pro-Russian government.

2. Paul Manafort and Roger stone worked close together for years, and ran a "pro-torture" lobby in DC. They own a mutual lobbying firm - one of the most powerful in Washington.

3. Manafort went missing for several weeks in 2010 (as well as 2014) - same year the documents allege that Trump began to be cultivated by Moscow. - Roger Stone openly joked he was kidnapped by the Russians.

4. Trump began to talk about birthirism in 2011.

5. Cory Lewandowski was fired from Trump's campaign and Paul Manafort put in.

6. Immediately, Trump's stance on Russia changed - pledged to remove sanctions on Russia full-stop.

7. Manafort was found to receive an off-the-books 12-million dollar payment in Ukraine.

8. Manafort's ties were discovered and resigned, but CONTINUED TO LIVE IN TRUMP TOWER AND ADVISE DONALD TRUMP.

9. Simultaneously - DNC is hacked by Russia.

10. Mysteriously, Roger Stone tweets that he knows of Podesta leaks before ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THEM IS RELEASED

11. Trump hires Steve Bannon - also known well by Roger Stone.

12. General Flynn and Carter Page - two men with deep ties to Russia - also join the campaign.

13. Russians accused of Podesta and DNC hacks formally in October - Trump denies.

14. Trump wins - continues to be soft on Russia - Intel Community formally declares it was Russia.

15. TalkingPointsMemo reports that General Michael Flynn is giving Trump daily 'intelligence updates.' - thank you /u/AUCfWgHJ9RxnH9ng

16. Russian spies and spy agencies inside US shut down, people kicked the **** out.

17. General Michael Flynn found to be illegally contacting the Russian ambassador before-and-during this time. He contacted the same day as sanctions from Obama for hacking.

18. Trump appoints an extremely pro-Russian SoS Rex Tillerson.

19. Trump is briefed on 35-page dossier.

20. Trump mocks the intelligence agencies in the United States, and then proceeds to praised Wikileaks and Julian Assange

21. Trump admits it was Russia, but promises better relations and that Putin will "not hack the US again with him there."

22. Where we're at today.

 

Edited January 13, 2017 by StefanAVFC

[StefanAVFC]

**** Comey too.

October 28, in a letter to members of Congress:

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“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” Comey wrote. “I am writing to inform you that the investigative team briefed me on this yesterday, and I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”

Comey added: “Although the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant and I cannot predict how long it will take to complete this additional work, I believe it is important to update your Committees about our efforts in light of my previous testimony.”

 

 

Tuesday:

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“I would never comment on investigations – whether we have one or not – in an open forum like this, so I really can’t answer one way or another,” said Comey, at a hearing into the US intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Russia intervened in the election to benefit Trump.

 

Friday:

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Embattled FBI director James Comey has refused to clarify whether his organization is investigating Donald Trump’s ties to Russia in a closed briefing Friday for members of Congress, angering legislators who recall his high-profile interjections about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, the Guardian has learned.

Hypocrite. He's done surely.

[peterms]

Like a form of slow execution.  Mediaeval.  I thought they would have arranged a heart attack or a malfunction of his private plane.

[TheAuthority]

5 hours ago, Awol said:

Start watching at 40:00 thru 46:00. 

I've taken some licence with it but his more nuanced meaning is still pretty clear. 

Thanks for posting. He seems to be getting a little more interested in politics as he gets older. I wouldn't have seem him addressing those sort of ideas even 5 years ago.

[Rodders]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-russia-dossier-file-investigation-hacking-christopher-steele-mi6-a7526901.html

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In the same month  Mr Steele produced a memo, which went to the  FBI, stating that Mr Trump’s campaign team had agreed to a Russian request to dilute attention on Moscow’s intervention in Ukraine. Four days later Mr Trump stated that he would recognise Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. A month later officials involved in his campaign asked the Republican party’s election platform to remove a pledge for military assistance to the Ukrainian government against separatist rebels in the east of the country. 

[/quote]

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/14/donald-trump-not-normal-president-congress-theresa-may

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In the same vein, and in an astonishing development, the Israeli press has reported that its country’s intelligence officials have been advised by their US counterparts not to share intel with the Trump administration, lest that information find its way to Moscow, and from there to Tehran. In effect those US spooks have said that the own incoming president cannot be trusted with secrets, because Vladimir Putin has “leverages of pressure” over him

[/quote]

 

Of course, if buts and what not, but for pity's sake

 

Also - not a bad spoof from Hugo Rifkind here either: ( Times, paywall ) 

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My week: Donald Trump*

Monday
My press chief Kellyanne — and she’s great woman, by the way, really the best, probably hot when she was younger — comes to see me in my gold suite and says we need a line on potential conflicts of interest between the presidency and my business empire.

“Fake news,” I say, promptly. “There is no business empire.”

“Wuh?” says Kellyanne.

No hotels, I tell her. No massive buildings, worldwide, with the word “Trump” on them. No golf courses. We are not, right now, in a huge golden building. Just another media lie.

Kellyanne stares at me for a long time. Like, the longest. Her lips move.

“Nope,” she says eventually. “Won’t fly.”

So I’ll think of another line, I tell her. I have the best lines. People love them. Also, in case she was wondering, I’m not remotely upset about the Meryl Streep thing. So there’s absolutely no truth to that rumour that I bought her waxwork from Madame Tussauds and then watched while a prostitute melted it with a blowtorch.

“I hadn’t heard that rumour,” says Kellyanne, carefully.

“Of course you haven’t!” I say. “It’s fake! But don’t go in the bathroom.”

Tuesday
Emergency conference. Kellyanne is back, and Ivanka, and the boys, and my alt-right guy, Steve Bannon. News has broken about a dossier of disgusting allegations about my relationship with the Russians.

“More fake news!” I’m shouting. “Lies!”

Ivanka says she doesn’t know what a golden shower even is, anyway. Then Donald Jr says there’s one next door, next to the golden bidet. Then Steve says it’s actually a political party in Greece.

“Great guys,” he adds.

“That’s not it,” I say. “I know what it is. Don’t ask how. But it’s a lie. I’m a germaphobe.”

“It’s a smear,” says Kellyanne.

“More a stain,” says Eric.

“Oh God,” says Ivanka, who has just looked it up on her iPhone.

“Total fabrication!” I say. “It’s like something out of Nazi Germany!”

“And not in a good way,” says Steve.

Wednesday
Today is my first press conference in six months. Kellyanne says the timing isn’t great.

“I’m a germaphobe,” I say. “End of.”

Kellyanne says it might be easier to get people to believe that if I didn’t so obviously tweet on the toilet, though.

“My own germs,” I say. “The best germs. I have a certificate.”

“It’s not really about that,” says Reince, who is going to be my Chief of Staff. “It’s about Russia. And the businesses you’ll still be controlling through your sons.”

“They’re not my sons,” I say, quickly. “Fake news!”

“They are your sons, Donald,” says Kellyanne, patiently.

Who cares, I say. Look at all this paperwork! Piles of it. Which we plan to lay out in front of the journalists, to show how clean I am.

“You’ve signed all this?” says Reince, impressed.

“Not personally,” I say. “Because I’m a germaphobe.”

Thursday
I’m meeting with Mike Pence, my future Vice President. And he wants me to know he doesn’t believe a word of any of it.

“The losers and the haters,” I say. “They’re ruining all my friendships. Meryl Streep totally would have dated me once. Not that I’d even have wanted to. But now? Sometimes I think I could just walk away.”

Then Pence says I should have seen it all coming, and it’s not like anybody put a gun to my head and told me I had to run for president.

“Right,” I say.

“Or is it?” says Mike, cautiously.

Friday
Nigel Farage calls.

“Who are you, again?” I say.

Farage says he’s the Brit. The Brexit guy. The one who was going to be ambassador. Then he says he’s just calling to check I’m OK. And to ask if I might come on his late-night local radio talk show one night. Because otherwise it will just be taxi drivers and actual lunatics.

“No,” I say.

Then I remind him I’m going to be president. And that means I’m going to be a star, and people better treat me like one. So if he doesn’t have an Emmy, I’m not interested.

“Crikey,” says Farage, sounding hurt. “Who peed on your cornflakes?”

“Nobody,” I say, firmly. “But is that a thing?”

*according to Hugo Rifkind

 

 

[StefanAVFC]

His strategy is appalling. I've swung back to the 'idiot' side again. 

Attacking a representative who has been a civil rights activist for 50 years, at the very front line, been arrested 28 times, been beaten up as 'all talk talk talk' on MLK weekend 

And who hasn't Trump denounced yet? Putin.

Edited January 14, 2017 by StefanAVFC

[NurembergVillan]

He's an utterly contemptible bell end.

[OutByEaster?]

His immediate reaction to any and all forms of criticism is an immediate attack. It would be laughable if he wasn't president.

Meanwhile, under cover of the shouting monkey, money has re-privatised the US health system and power has ended the hopes of a two state solution in Israel.

 

[mjmooney]

[Brumerican]

36 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

His immediate reaction to any and all forms of criticism is an immediate attack. It would be laughable if he wasn't president.

 

He tweets like he's one of the mean girls from the film Mean Girls.

Which is all about mean girls apparently .

 

[villakram]

6 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

His strategy is appalling. I've swung back to the 'idiot' side again. 

Attacking a representative who has been a civil rights activist for 50 years, at the very front line, been arrested 28 times, been beaten up as 'all talk talk talk' on MLK weekend 

And who hasn't Trump denounced yet? Putin.

MLK weekend, the "holiday" that's not really a holiday because the US simply doesn't care about racism. They really like to talk about caring about it though. 

[maqroll]

So many angles to this circus, it boggles the mind. The Israel story says it all. With Trump, the country is broken.

[LondonLax]

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In the same vein, and in an astonishing development, the Israeli press has reported that its country’s intelligence officials have been advised by their US counterparts not to share intel with the Trump administration, lest that information find its way to Moscow, and from there to Tehran. In effect those US spooks have said that the own incoming president cannot be trusted with secrets, because Vladimir Putin has “leverages of pressure” over him

That is quite incredible if true. That situation cannot go on for very long surely, how could the country operate? 

[snowychap]

9 minutes ago, LondonLax said:

That is quite incredible if true. That situation cannot go on for very long surely, how could the country operate? 

Doesn't it all suggest a huge amount of confusion about foreign policy, too? Russia v Israel v Iran and then there's China thrown in to the mix.

[LondonLax]

It is going to be in interesting ride.

[Xann]

 

[Awol]

2 hours ago, LondonLax said:

That is quite incredible if true. That situation cannot go on for very long surely, how could the country operate? 

Perhaps US intelligence shouldn't be sharing with the Israelis either, if they couldn't even keep quiet about the warning..

CIA, MI6, Mossad...what a mess.

I say again, well played, Putin. 

[StefanAVFC]

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/trump-wants-putin-summit-in-reykjavik-rc909n9t0

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Donald Trump is planning to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin within weeks of becoming president — emulating Ronald Reagan’s Cold War deal-making in Reykjavik with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Trump and his team have told British officials that their first foreign trip will be a meeting with the Russian leader, with the Icelandic capital in pole position to host the superpower talks as it did three decades ago.

Well there's a shock.

[HanoiVillan]

3 hours ago, LondonLax said:

That is quite incredible if true. That situation cannot go on for very long surely, how could the country operate? 

It really is remarkable. He's certainly testing out the theory that there's a 'deep state' who are really in control.