#key players in trump's coup attempt

[contemplatingoutlander]

This is an excellent NY Times interactive article, so the above link is a gift 🎁 link so anyone can read the entire article, even if they don't subscribe to the NY Times. Here are some excerpts.

Upending the outcome of a free and fair presidential election is no minor endeavor. It requires time, energy, money and, especially, an awful lot of people willing to do the wrong thing — or at least go along with it. The network of people who allegedly helped Donald Trump try, without success, to stay in power more than two and a half years ago may seem hopelessly chaotic, but there was a method to the madness. American elections are, by design, entrusted to the states and therefore decentralized. To meddle in them requires national masterminds working hand in glove with plotters at the state and local levels — a tangle of conspirators, enablers and indulgent bystanders as messy and sprawling as our democracy itself. And while it can be tempting to downplay or dismiss the entire nightmare as the pathetic machinations of crackpots and fringe figures or even to wave it off as ancient history, that would be a mistake. Those who worked to overturn the 2020 election are the same kinds of people and groups Mr. Trump would surely surround himself with if elected to a second term: unscrupulous or timid federal and state officials, ethically flexible lawyers and Republican yes men and women. Except that in 2025 those figures would have a better sense of how to dismantle the guardrails that once stood in their way and how to exploit the fault lines and weaknesses in our electoral process. [emphasis added]

Below is the final graphic in the article that shows all the people connected with Trump's coup attempt, including some who refused to go along with it:

This interactive article is well worth reading, and I invite you to use the above gift link to do so.

______________ The text of this article is by Michelle Cottle; the graphics are by Taylor Maggiacomo and Norman Eisen.

[reality-detective]

FISA: Unraveling the Military Coup – Trump’s Treason Call

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is no longer just a tool for foreign surveillance. It’s the key to exposing the darkest coup in American history. President Trump’s bold declaration: “It’s TREASON,” has sparked a firestorm, pointing to forces within the government using FISA for their agenda—against you, the American people. They never expected this to come to light, but now it’s all unraveling.

3.4 million warrantless searches. That’s what the FBI did to Americans in 2021. No oversight, no transparency—just raw power. They hijacked FISA, originally intended to spy on foreign entities, and turned it on innocent citizens. It’s a massive invasion of privacy, but it doesn’t end there. This is about control, about silencing dissent, and yes, about installing their puppets in place of real patriots. Think back—who ordered these searches? Who benefits from this totalitarian abuse?

The Flynn factor. They tried to destroy him, but why? What did General Flynn know that made him a target of FISA? Trump’s inner circle was never just about politics; it was a battle for control over America’s soul. The FISA warrants weren’t just about Flynn. They were about dismantling Trump’s influence and crushing anyone who dared to resist.

QAnon warned us. The signs were always there. Every cryptic message, every drop hinted at FISA’s role in this covert war. FISA is the hidden thread connecting corrupt global maneuvers—from the Middle East to Washington, D.C. The attempt to overthrow leaders like Bin Salman and the engineered revolutions point to FISA’s global reach. What the elite don’t want you to know is that FISA is a weapon in their game to reshape the world—and the U.S. is just one of their targets.

Military Coup in Motion? The whispers are growing louder—U.S. generals, split and at war within the ranks, may be gearing up for an internal coup. The deep state’s stranglehold on military leadership is being challenged, and the outcome could shift the balance of power forever. But don’t forget—there are white hats in the military, patriots ready to blow the whistle and reveal the plot. These patriots are gathering evidence, working behind the scenes, and preparing to expose the deep state’s crimes at the 11.3 moment.

Blinken’s tangled web. White hats have him in their sights. His ties to Obama and secret dealings with Iran paint him as a key player in the shadow government’s plans. Did you know? Blinken was at the center of the fake Osama Bin Laden operation. The revelations to come will rock the establishment, implicating him in high treason.

It all leads back to the Biden Crime Family. Hunter’s dirty deals, the Biden’s criminal empire—it's all coming out. But it’s not just about corruption; it’s about national security. Hunter’s laptop holds classified military secrets. The elites thought they could bury this, but the truth is about to explode.

Stay tuned. The storm is brewing. 🤔

[justinspoliticalcorner]

S.V. Dáte at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON ― When Donald Trump was told by a White House aide that his own vice president, Mike Pence, had to be evacuated from the Senate on Jan. 6, 2021, for his own safety following an inflammatory tweet from Trump, the former president had but a two-word response: “So what?” The anecdote was among hundreds of pieces of evidence gathered by federal prosecutors into a 165-page court filing, unsealed Wednesday, in their four-count felony prosecution against Trump for his actions leading up to and during his coup attempt.

“This motion provides a comprehensive account of the defendant’s private criminal conduct; sets forth the legal framework created by Trump for resolving immunity claims; applies that framework to establish that none of the defendant’s charged conduct is immunized because it either was unofficial or any presumptive immunity is rebutted; and requests the relief the government seeks, which is, at bottom, this: that the court determine that the defendant must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen,” special counsel Jack Smith wrote. The question of immunity became critical thanks to a July Supreme Court ruling stating that all official acts done by a president are immune from prosecution, but left it to the trial court to determine whether Trump’s attempt to remain in power were “official.” “The answer to that question is no,” Smith argued. The filing was unsealed by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge in the case. It can be read here. Trump’s lawyers had argued that everything their client did leading up to Jan. 6 was covered by the Supreme Court ruling, and requested that Chutkan not allow the public to see any of the evidence Smith has collected against Trump.

Chutkan rejected that and, in a order also filed Wednesday, ruled that Smith would be permitted to file a version of his brief with some names and details redacted. Wednesday’s brief by Smith is riddled with blacked-out words and phrases in the section providing the narrative of the indictment. Much of the information in the filing was known previously, thanks largely to the work of the House Jan. 6 Committee, albeit in broader strokes. But key players in Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and remain in office did not cooperate with that committee. They did, however, honor prosecutors subpoenas. Pence — a crucial witness, as Smith’s brief makes clear almost from the start — had repeatedly told Trump he had lost and to look ahead to 2024 instead. On Nov. 12, during a private lunch with Trump, Pence “reiterated a face-saving option for the defendant: ‘don’t concede but recognize the process is over.’” In another private lunch on Dec. 21, Pence ”‘encouraged’ the defendant ‘not to look at the election “as a loss ― just as an intermission.”’”

[...] “If Pence would not do as he asked, the defendant needed to find another way to prevent the certification of Biden as president. So on January 6, the defendant sent to the Capitol a crowd of angry supporters, whom the defendant had called to the city, and inundated with false claims of outcome determinative election fraud, to induce Pence not to certify the legitimate electoral votes and to obstruct the certification.”

Trump sent out a tweet telling his followers that Pence had lacked “the courage” to do as he was told at 2:24 p.m., which was followed by a surge of his supporters into the Capitol. A minute later, Pence had to be moved by his Secret Service detail to a secure location. As Pence came within yards of Trump’s angry mob, the president demonstrated his unconcern for his running mate’s life. As Smith’s brief details, Trump was just as unbothered by safety concerns in the run-up to Jan. 6. When a campaign aide warned a Trump operative ― both of whose names have been blacked out ― that attempts to block vote counting in Detroit could lead to unrest, the operative responded “Make them riot” and “Do it!!!”

A 165-page brief in United States v. Trump was unsealed yesterday, and it revealed that Donald Trump dismissed the danger to Mike Pence’s livelihood for refusing to go along with Trump’s plan to overturn the election with a “so what?” response.

The filing revealed that a Trump operative yelled “make them riot” and “do it” when reminded of the fact that blocking the certification would lead to unrest.

These filings are yet more proof that domestic terrorist insurrection-inciter Trump is NOT fit to hold the Presidency.

See Also:

The Guardian: Special counsel reveals new details of Trump bid to overturn 2020 election

[catgirl-kaiju]

y'all realize trump's probably gonna call for a coup again if he loses, right? like, it's looking a lot like he's gonna lose this one too (good). and we know the last time he lost, he called for a coup, and he has managed to escape consequences for it. the only question is: will there be anyone to answer?

probably, yeah. and a lot more than you'd think. while the far-right has been slowly turning sour on trump, they still hold him in very high regard, and many in the conspiracy right still believe he is the rightful president from the 2020 election. while prosecutions and arrests have successfully brought down a few key players in the jan. 6th coup attempt, there has been a marked failure to address many of the root causes of right-wing radicalization.

there has been no attempt to intervene in the stochastic terrorism pipeline, with larger organizations like fox news still going and nazi spaces allowed to exist online, with twitter becoming a large forum for far-right extremists of all stripes. recruitment and agitation are still just as easy as it has been for decades, if not easier.

and we can see that, beyond stochastic terrorism, key factors that increase people's likelihood of entering these pipelines include things like medical bills, debt, poor public infrastructure, limited access to higher education, expensive housing, low wages, and economic inflation. these things have also gone mostly unaddressed. the biden admin could have done so much to improve people's lives in ways that would have steered them away from being filtered into the far-right, and it hasn't done anything of great effect in this regard. instead it's spent so much of its time building the power of the police and the military in a misguided belief that these groups would help prevent another coup, when mostly likely DC police would just let militants into the capital again, and some might even join them. and the shoveling of money into violent imperialist causes that are near universally unpopular also means that we are seeing increased disillusion in the federal government and the electoral process. and, with how effectively the biden and trump adimins have been at suppressing meaningful leftist intervention and recruitment, people are far more likely to become a neonazi than anarchists or communists.

it will almost definitely happen again. the only question is: will they succeed this time?

[veale2006-blog]

FISA: Unraveling the Military Coup – Trump’s Treason Call

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is no longer just a tool for foreign surveillance. It’s the key to exposing the darkest coup in American history. President Trump’s bold declaration: “It’s TREASON,” has sparked a firestorm, pointing to forces within the government using FISA for their agenda—against you, the American people. They never expected this to come to light, but now it’s all unraveling.

3.4 million warrantless searches. That’s what the FBI did to Americans in 2021. No oversight, no transparency—just raw power. They hijacked FISA, originally intended to spy on foreign entities, and turned it on innocent citizens. It’s a massive invasion of privacy, but it doesn’t end there. This is about control, about silencing dissent, and yes, about installing their puppets in place of real patriots. Think back—who ordered these searches? Who benefits from this totalitarian abuse?

The Flynn factor. They tried to destroy him, but why? What did General Flynn know that made him a target of FISA? Trump’s inner circle was never just about politics; it was a battle for control over America’s soul. The FISA warrants weren’t just about Flynn. They were about dismantling Trump’s influence and crushing anyone who dared to resist.

QAnon warned us. The signs were always there. Every cryptic message, every drop hinted at FISA’s role in this covert war. FISA is the hidden thread connecting corrupt global maneuvers—from the Middle East to Washington, D.C. The attempt to overthrow leaders like Bin Salman and the engineered revolutions point to FISA’s global reach. What the elite don’t want you to know is that FISA is a weapon in their game to reshape the world—and the U.S. is just one of their targets.

Military Coup in Motion? The whispers are growing louder—U.S. generals, split and at war within the ranks, may be gearing up for an internal coup. The deep state’s stranglehold on military leadership is being challenged, and the outcome could shift the balance of power forever. But don’t forget—there are white hats in the military, patriots ready to blow the whistle and reveal the plot. These patriots are gathering evidence, working behind the scenes, and preparing to expose the deep state’s crimes at the 11.3 moment.

Blinken’s tangled web. White hats have him in their sights. His ties to Obama and secret dealings with Iran paint him as a key player in the shadow government’s plans. Did you know? Blinken was at the center of the fake Osama Bin Laden operation. The revelations to come will rock the establishment, implicating him in high treason.

It all leads back to the Biden Crime Family. Hunter’s dirty deals, the Biden’s criminal empire—it's all coming out. But it’s not just about corruption; it’s about national security. Hunter’s laptop holds classified military secrets. The elites thought they could bury this, but the truth is about to explode.

Stay tuned. The storm is brewing.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Mary Harris: We should go back in time to December 2020. Joe Biden had won the election. Donald Trump refused to concede. There were active court cases all around the country looking to invalidate ballots. And while the individual details of each case varied, many rested on the same basic principle: that state legislators could flip the outcome of an election, if they chose to.

Mark Joseph Stern: At the same time, you’ve got Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani claiming there’s mass voter fraud. You’ve got state attorneys general in 18 different states, as well as a lot of conservative intellectuals and Republican politicians, claiming that the election was conducted in an unconstitutional way.

What does that mean?

So these folks talked about voter fraud, but they focused on this idea that only state legislatures get to decide the rules for a presidential election. And here, you had a lot of other players—governors, state courts, election boards—tweaking these rules in part because legislatures can’t foresee every possible election regulation, and sometimes state courts or secretaries of state or governors will have to step in and clarify things. But also, because of the COVID-19 crisis, you had a lot of states trying new things for the first time. And you also had a lot of states that refused to try new things, whose restrictive voting laws were going to force people to potentially wait in line indoors for a very long time and expose themselves to COVID. But all the modifications certain states made were modest.

The neatness of making this argument that somehow the election was unconstitutional is that it potentially allows state legislatures to step in and override the vote, right?

That’s exactly right. That’s the endgame here. It’s not as if these folks were flailing and screaming and accusing the election results of being illegitimate. They had a purpose, which was to throw the procedure of the election into sufficient legal doubt so state legislatures would have an excuse to reconvene, step in, essentially ignore the results of the actual vote, and appoint their states’ electors in the Electoral College to Donald Trump.

That last part is key. That's what they did in 2020 and will continue to do for the '22 midterms, the '24 election, and beyond. The GOP is willing to do anything to subvert the will of the people at this point. This isn't democracy, it's the opposite.

[arcticdementor]

In our previous report on Never Trump State Department official George Kent, Revolver News drew attention to the ominous similarities between the strategies and tactics the United States government employs in so-called “Color Revolutions” and the coordinated efforts of government bureaucrats, NGOs, and the media to oust President Trump.

This follow-up report will focus specifically on how the “contested election scenario” we are hearing so much about plays into the Color Revolution framework — indeed, sowing doubt about the democratic legitimacy of the target and coupling it with calls for massive “mostly peaceful” demonstrations comes straight out of the Color Revolution playbook. And this is precisely the messaging we’ve seen from by those same key players in media, government, and the Democrat Party machine, most prominently from a shadowy George Soros-linked group known as the Transition Integrity Project — more about them soon.

First, a quick note on Color Revolutions. A “Color Revolution” in this context refers to a specific type of coordinated attack that the United States government has been known to deploy against foreign regimes, particularly in Eastern Europe deemed to be “authoritarian” and hostile to American interests. Rather than using a direct military intervention to effect regime change as in Iraq, Color Revolutions attack a foreign regime by contesting its electoral legitimacy, organizing mass protests and acts of civil disobedience, and leveraging media contacts to ensure favorable coverage to their agenda in the Western press.

It would be disturbing enough to note a coordinated effort to use these exact same strategies and tactics domestically to undermine or overthrow President Trump. The ominous nature of what we see unfolding before us only truly hits home when one realizes that the people who specialize in these Color Revolution regime change operations overseas are, literally, the very same people attempting to overthrow Trump by using the very same playbook. Given that the most famous Color Revolution was the “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine, and that Black Lives Matter is being used as a key component of the domestic Color Revolution against Trump, we can encapsulate our thesis at Revolver with the simple remark that “Black is the New Orange.”

…

Pifer’s interlocutor here, McFaul, just happens to have been the Senior Ambassador to Russia under Obama during the period of the Maidan protests. McFaul is yet another Color Revolution specialist who played an active role promoting the impeachment of President Trump. In fact, after Revolver’s story exposing State Department official George Kent, McFaul took to Twitter to denounce the term “color revolution” in favor of the more palatable “democratic breakthrough.”

…

Here is a passage from one of the key books on Color Revolutions, literally called “The Playbook.” The reader may find some of the highlighted passages relevant to the domestic situation unfolding before our eyes.

…

The author of this book, conveniently titled “The Democracy Playbook” just happens to have also participated in the Transition Integrity Project.

Now that we are armed with the Color Revolution framework, and the specific role that electoral legitimacy plays in that model, we are in a strong position to evaluate the true agenda behind the Transition Integrity Project’s “War Game” scenario suggesting that Trump won’t concede the election. The title of Rosa Brooks’s Washington Post piece is suggestive, prompting us to wonder whether it is a prediction or a threat: “What’s the Worst that Could Happen: The Election Will Likely Spark Violence and a Constitutional Crisis:”

…

One does not “vote out” an authoritarian regime, or they are not authoritarian. Dictatorships are only overthrown, and Bouie’s statement is an explicit call to do exactly that.  The actually-peaceful process of voting must be supplemented–or supplanted–with “mostly peaceful protests” if the result isn’t correct.

…

So they are setting things up in such a way as to almost ensure that a clear winner will not exist on Election Day, and framing any refusal of President Trump to concede as grounds for military removal. This final stage of the Color Revolution is something that Rosa Brooks of the Transition Integrity Project has entertained for quite some time. The following excerpt is from a piece Rosa Brooks wrote shortly after the 2016 election, suggesting a fourth way to remove Trump from office before 2020.

…

And this is how the Color Revolution operation against Trump and by extension against all of his supporters evidently concludes—with the possibility of a military coup.

After 2016, a critical mass of ruling class factions in the national security apparatus, state bureaucracies, Big Tech, and media decided that they would never allow the American people to meddle in their own elections again. And as a result of this contempt for the will of the people, our country is closer to an existential crisis than it has been at any period since the Civil War.

[stone-man-warrior]

April 16, 2019: 7:51 pm:

Two more terror soldiers cam into my home and were killed in defense today.

About one two hours ago. I defended with my own equipment today. Usually I use the swords the terrorists bring, today I was able to use my own defense equipment.

Orders to bring terrorists to my home came from Donald Trump yesterday, when he visited a truck and equipment dealership in Minnesota. The orders were made on Twitter, in English and i graphic form.

The assailants were from the Pilot Gas Station & Truck Stop terror cell in Central Point Oregon.

There were others here to attack from different cells also. All of the Screen Actor Guild want me dead and this Tumblr account deleted. Google terror soldiers have been making attempts to kill me all week. One of the local Google terror cells is located on the corner of Three Pines Road, and Russel Road in North Valley, Josephine County area of Grants Pass Oregon. That local terror cell is known as “Bad-Guy Automotive”. That is the truth, and the truth is not easily believable. Terror cells with names such as “Green Jello”, “Green Gelatin”, “Bad Guy Auto”, “Furniture & Fly Shop”, “The Music Store”, “Cash Connection” and a thousand other names like that, are real. The names of the cells make it that much more difficult to get help simply because the name does not include the word “Hussain”.

The terror soldiers came through the wooded areas wearing ridiculous disguises as usual, and from the usual locations. 434 “MyStreet”, 560 “MyStreet”, 445 “MyStreet”, and 3701 Russel Road, and 3747 Russel Road, as well as the NBC/KOBI Sunflower terror cell at the house just North of 3747 Russel Road.

I encountered the terrorists in my home today after a short walk. I left my home for less than 5 minutes, when I returned, two terror soldiers were talking onto communication devices, arguing about who among them is going to get to have the particular items that I own.

One terror soldier was removed of his or her head today in my home.

One terror soldier suffered a head wound and lost the use of his or her arms.

Others are presumed to have launched or burst of Nitrous Oxide gas ignition.

Sandy Monroe from 434 was a key player as usual, and was wearing a fake beard today to try an fool someone that she is me. Sandy wears a fake beard, her hair is about the same length and color as mine, however, Sandy Monroe is a woman, I am a man, she weighs about 120 pounds, I weigh about 190 pounds. The people she is fooling are nit very bright, should be replaced. They need to go home, and bring US Military.

I am going to continue to defend myself and my home from terror soldiers that same way I have done for the past 20 years. There are no police to call, and dead terrorists are normal here. Dead terrorists are happening everyday now, and have been happening nearly every day for about five years. No one will help.

I kill terrorists at my home in Oregon nearly everyday in defense, I say so online, on a publicly available web page, begging for help, and while doing so, the entire population of Josephine County Oregon has been killed, and replaced with terror soldiers.

I am the last remaining American in Josephine County, and have been the last remaining American in the county for more than five years.

Please send US Military to Josephine County.

Be advised that the entire Oregon Government has been hijacked for mire than 20 years. Ron Wyden, Greg Walden, Kate Brown, Jeff Merkely, Suzy Bonamici, Art Robinson, and all of the other Senators, and State Representatives are all terror operatives of the coup and have been for a long time.

Be advised that the State Police are all impostors and the real police officers  and may be held captive someplace and need your help.

Be advised that the US National Guard soldiers have all been killed or are held captive someplace and need your help.

Please send help.

[thepattersonpost-blog]

Washington - The sound of silence is driving Washington to distraction.

The clearest signs yet that the monastic special counsel Robert Mueller may be about to file his final report with Attorney General William Barr have sent Beltway insiders to a state of nervous alert.But there is no report yet.So White House lawyers, Trump campaign flacks, key congressional offices and newsrooms are left counting the hours, poised to shape the end game of the most important investigation into a President's behavior in at least 20 years.

For everyone involved, it's like waiting for a jury in a big trial to reach its verdict: long stretches of edgy idleness are laced with the prospect of frenetic action and hugely consequential outcomes that could unfold at a moment's notice.

Mueller wait-and-see mode hangs over White House, too

This moment of political purgatory comes after a turbulent two years packed with revelations about covert contacts between associates of President Donald Trump and Russia, the sight of Trump acolytes being sent to jail after sensational court dramas and a ferocious campaign by the President to discredit Mueller.When he finally files his report, the special counsel will open a new chapter in the Russia story -- even though it could take weeks for most Americans to learn what he learned during his investigation.Depending on his conclusions, he could either lift the cloud of suspicion over alleged links to Russia that has darkened every day of the Trump administration.Or if he finds serious wrongdoing, Mueller could trigger a constitutional showdown that puts a presidency in peril.Trump, in an interview with Fox Business Network that was released Friday morning, spoke ominously about the aftermath of Mueller's report, saying "people will not stand for it" if the report casts him in a bad light.Rising tensions

Play VideoWhite House braces for release of Mueller report 02:08Just after sunrise Thursday, Mueller was met by camera flashes as he steered his car into the underground garage of the building where he has based his nearly two-year investigation into Russia's election meddling scheme.A suddenly swelled media pack, huddling with their cameras under umbrellas in a chilly late March deluge, waited outside all day, vainly on guard for activity that could give some indication Mueller's time was up.Tension simmered at the White House as the President's lawyers tested different scenarios that could ensue after Mueller files his report.Like everyone else in Washington, Trump's team was in the dark, thanks to the leak-proof cone of silence that has enveloped Mueller, who has barely uttered a public word since he took his commission two years ago."We're tea leaf reading like everyone else," one White House official said.Time hung heavy at the Justice Department. Reporters set up text chains to ensure that they didn't miss any breaking news on lunch or bathroom breaks.ABC reporter Mike Levine

wrote on Twitter

that he encountered Barr in the building and got a "death stare" when he asked him, "Is today the day?"In an information blackout, every anecdote is a potential clue.When Mueller's soon to depart right hand man Andrew Weissmann sported a tan suit Wednesday, reporters and legal insiders wondered whether his ensemble hinted at an end of term mood in the special counsel's office.The starchy Mueller, a former FBI director and decorated Marine, is famous for selecting a crisp white shirt, sober suit and neutral tie every morning, and encouraging subordinates to do the same.Signs of an imminent twist in the tale of the Russia story drew several key players back on stage.Former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing by Trump led to Mueller's appointment,

wrote in a New York Times op-ed

that even though he thought the President was morally unfit to serve, he wasn't hoping for him to be exposed as a criminal."I'm not rooting for anything at all, except that the special counsel be permitted to finish his work, charge whatever cases warrant charging and report on his work," Comey wrote.House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff

said in a pre-emptive shot in USA Today

that any attempt by Barr to cover up Mueller's findings would "stain the (Justice Department's) reputation for years to come."A fundraising committee affiliated with Trump's re-election campaign sought to fire up the President's base -- his best shield against a political death blow if the Mueller report contains damaging revelations."This Witch Hunt has been orchestrated by loser Democrats and their friends in the Fake News Media," the email read. "They claim they plan to release the report 'soon' but they've been saying that for OVER 2 YEARS."Closure is a long way off

Play VideoWH official: We're reading Mueller tea leaves like everyone else 02:53Despite the explosion of anticipation, there is every chance that when, Mueller's report is finally filed, there will be a sense of anti-climax.The first question will be a simple one."Is he in fact done?" said CNN legal analyst Michael Zeldin, a former colleague of Mueller."Is he telling the attorney general 'my investigation is over,' " Zeldin added.It may be days, weeks or even months before most of America learns what is in the report.According to Justice Department regulations, Mueller is required to file a confidential report with Barr. Then it will be up to Barr to decide how much of it can be disclosed to Congress and the public in his own report.Barr said in his recent confirmation hearing that favored transparency but only within the scope of department rules and the law. That led some Democrats to warn the administration could try to suppress Mueller's findings."The attorney general, as I understand the rules, would report to Congress about the conclusion of the investigation," Barr said in his hearing."I believe there may be discretion there about what the attorney general can put in that report," he said.Barr will also have to decide whether information in Mueller's assessment is likely to raise White House executive privilege assertions -- to protect consultations between the President and his closest advisers, or given that part of the probe is a counter-intelligence investigation should remain classified.Trump on Wednesday

muddied the waters

on the question of transparency, telling reporters that he would be happy for the report to be released.Yet his sincerity is questionable given a weekend tweet in which he appeared to advise Republicans in Congress to go ahead with the "game" around the report's disclosure.Only Mueller knows how he will file

Play VideoWhy Mueller cares about Donald Trump 01:44Mystery also clouds the kind of report that Mueller will file.One model would be for the special counsel to adopt a traditional, sparse prosecutorial approach to explain the cases he initiated and decisions he made not to charge other people linked to the case.Still, a pared-down approach would ignore the significant public interest in his investigation -- given that it involved a question of whether an elected President conspired with a foreign power to win election.Given the prevailing Justice Department opinion that a sitting President cannot be charged in a criminal case, it's possible that Mueller could put details of any incriminating conduct by Trump in his report.If Barr felt compelled to pass the information onto Congress, it would be up to lawmakers to decide whether to institute the constitutional duty of impeachment proceedings to judge presidential wrongdoing.The political storm

Play VideoNadler: Cannot use executive privilege to hide misconduct 02:10As soon as Mueller files his report, the game of expectations setting and vying for political advantage will begin.If Barr does not release something in short order, Democrats in Congress are likely to demand disclosure, armed with their subpoena power.And Washington being Washington, leaks can't be ruled out.Anything short of a finding that Trump aides openly colluded with Russia in 2016 and obstructed justice multiple times to cover it up -- for instance in the sacking of Comey -- is likely to be portrayed by the White House as a victory."This clears the decks for us," a Trump campaign adviser told CNN's Jim Acosta, reflecting a perceptible optimism in the President's camp in recent days that the report will not damage the commander in chief.Though the President still faces multiple criminal and civil investigations into his inauguration, transition, and personal and business affairs, exoneration by Mueller would be hugely significant.After repeatedly branding Mueller as an out of control prosecutor bent on a "witch hunt", Trump would seek to play up his sterling character. The Trump adviser even described the special counsel as a "boy scout" on Thursday.But the President has also taken care to road test an argument he could use in the opposite scenario, arguing that Mueller should never have been appointed, and that the investigation itself represents a de-facto political coup."I had the greatest electoral victory -- one of them -- in the history of our country. Tremendous success. Tens of millions of voters. And now somebody's going to write a report who never got a vote," Trump said Wednesday.Democrats are also gaming out how to respond to their report.

Critical findings by Mueller would immediately boost demands in the liberal grass roots for impeachment.But if Trump escapes censure, Democrats must consider whether their own vast investigation into Trump's life and political career could come across to voters in 2020 as overkill, and offer an opening to the President.

CNN's Em Steck, Laura Jarrett, Marshall Cohen and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

[keywestlou]

TWO THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT KYRIE IRVING.....HE'S WILLING TO BLOW $385,000 A GAME AND HE SUSPECTS THE WORLD IS FLAT

An outstanding American professional basketball player is Kyrie Irving. Plays guard for the Brooklyn Nets.

Irving was drafted in 2011. He was a first round pick. He was the #1 pick overall.

Irving has refused to be vaccinated.

Based on his refusal, the Nets have banned him from all games.

A significant hit for Irving. He earns $380,000 each game he plays. He will not be paid for home games. However, he will be paid for road games though he will not play in them. Some technicality involved that creates the situation.

Highly admirable Irving is willing to lose big time money for something he believes in. Is he all there in doing so? Recognize Irving believes the world is flat.

A significant number of U.S. citizens are overweight. Obesity affects American pets. The reason therefore is they are over fed and under exercised.

Same problem as with many pet owners.

A recent study reported an unusual quirk re pet obesity. The study found overweight pets had thin owners. Overweight owners had thin pets.

A silent Trump coup moves on. The ground work being laid for Republicans to win in 2022 and 2024. Republicans are fighting the battle in the trenches. Not at the ballot box. Their plan to win elections at the lowest level by having people in place who will do Trump’s bidding when the time comes again to challenge every ballot.

Sort of the way Hitler did it in the Germany in the late 1930’s.

Michigan recently announced some low life elected official has demanded an “investigation” of the 2020 Presidential election. Note not termed an “audit.”

Two reasons an ‘audit” would look foolish. Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes,  The other, feather have already been two audits. Biden won both. No fraud discovered.

What an “investigation” involves I am not quite sure. At this point I have to believe Trump and his henchmen will be standing around, looking at each other, and asking what do we do now?

The silent creeping coup attempt can only be defeated one way. Democrats have to get down and dirty with Republicans. Fight as Republicans do. Go for the jugular at all times. Make the opposition slowly bleed to death.

Democrats must stop being “statesmen.” They must become gutter fighters for a time.

The first place the Democrats must stand and wage a quick bloody war is with the 1/6 Committee subpoena issue. Go for it! Push the Justice Department to move swiftly. Get the courts to to do likewise. There are ways to get to a “fast docket.” Democrats must refuse to be bogged down by Republicans who play by procedural rules to slow down every investigation, etc.

This is a war. They must recognize it as such.

In addition to the 1/6 investigation, other agencies of government must get involved in other happenings. They must move before Republicans do. Democrats must learn to anticipate.

The Federal Criminal Code is full of all type crimes. Accuse everyone who commits a wrong and prosecute them.

The American people must see the Democrats playing not as hard as the Republicans. Rather as vicious and dirty. Within the confines of he law, of course.

Again the 1/6 investigation must be recognized the first place Democrats become “new fighters.” The Democrats must go after Trump and his followers with the force and speed of Hitler’s blitzkrieg when he invaded Poland.

Fun time last night. I did my Tuesday Talk show. Hit hard on timely issues. Much as in today’s blog.

Enjoy your day!

  TWO THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT KYRIE IRVING…..HE’S WILLING TO BLOW $385,000 A GAME AND HE SUSPECTS THE WORLD IS FLAT was originally published on Key West Lou

[mideastsoccer]

US intelligence report leaves Saudi Arabia with no good geopolitical choices

The Biden administration’s publication of a US intelligence report that holds Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi creates a fundamental challenge to the kingdom’s geopolitical ambitions.

The challenge lies in whether and how Saudi Arabia will seek to further diversify its alliances with other world powers in response to the report and US human rights pressure.

Saudi and United Arab Emirates options are limited by that fact that they cannot fully replace the United States as a mainstay of their defence as well as their quest for regional hegemony, even if the report revives perceptions of the US as unreliable and at odds with their policies.

As Saudi King Salman and Prince Mohammed contemplate their options, including strengthening relations with external players such as China and Russia, they may find that reliance on these forces could prove riskier than the pitfalls of the kingdom’s ties with the United States.

Core to Saudi as well as UAE considerations is likely to be the shaping of the ultimate balance of power between the kingdom and Iran in a swath of land stretching from the Atlantic coast of Africa to Central Asia’s border with China.

US officials privately suggest that regional jockeying in an environment in which world power is being rebalanced to create a new world order was the key driver of Saudi and UAE as well as Israeli opposition from day one to the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran that the United States together with Europe, China, and Russia negotiated. That remains the driver of criticism of US President Joe Biden’s efforts to revive the agreement.

“If forced to choose, Riyadh preferred an isolated Iran with a nuclear bomb to an internationally accepted Iran unarmed with the weapons of doom,” said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and founder of the National Iranian American Council. Mr. Parsi was summing up Saudi and Emirati attitudes based on interviews with officials involved in the negotiations at a time that Mr. Biden was vice-president.

As a result, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel appear to remain determined to either foil a return of the United States to the accord, from which Mr. Biden’s predecessor, Donald J. Trump, withdrew, or ensure that it imposes conditions on Iran that would severely undermine its claim to regional hegemony.

In the ultimate analysis, the Gulf states and Israel share US objectives that include not only restricting Iran’s nuclear capabilities but also limiting its ballistic missiles program and ending support for non-state actors like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, and Yemen’s Houthis. The Middle Eastern states differ with the Biden administration on how to achieve those objectives and the sequencing of their pursuit.

Even so, the Gulf states are likely to realize as Saudi Arabia contemplates its next steps what Israel already knows: China and Russia’s commitment to the defence of Saudi Arabia or Israel are unlikely to match that of the United States given that they view an Iran unfettered by sanctions and international isolation as strategic in ways that only Turkey rather than other Middle Eastern states can match.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE will also have to recognize that they can attempt to influence US policies with the help of Israel’s powerful Washington lobby and influential US lobbying and public relations companies in ways that they are not able to do in autocratic China or authoritarian Russia.

No doubt, China and Russia will seek to exploit opportunities created by the United States’ recalibration of its relations with Saudi Arabia with arms sales as well as increased trade and investment.

But that will not alter the two countries’ long-term view of Iran as a country, albeit problematic, with attributes that the Gulf states cannot match even if it is momentarily in economic and political disrepair.

Those attributes include Iran’s geography as a gateway at the crossroads of Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe; ethnic, cultural, and religious ties with Central Asia and the Middle East as a result of history and empire; a deep-seated identity rooted in empire; some of the world’s foremost oil and gas reserves; a large, highly educated population of 83 million that constitutes a huge domestic market; a fundamentally diversified economy; and a battle-hardened military.

Iran also shares Chinese and Russian ambitions to contain US influence even if its aspirations at times clash with those of China and Russia.

“China’s BRI will on paper finance additional transit options for the transfer of goods from ports in southern to northern Iran and beyond to Turkey, Russia, or Europe. China has a number of transit options available to it, but Iranian territory is difficult to avoid for any south-north or east-west links,” said Iran scholar Alex Vatanka referring to Beijing’s infrastructure, transportation and energy-driven Belt and Road Initiative.

Compared to an unfettered Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE primarily offer geography related to some of the most strategic waterways through which much of the world’s oil and gas flows as well their positioning opposite the Horn of Africa and their energy reserves.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s position as a religious leader in the Muslim world built on its custodianship of Islam’s two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, potentially could be challenged as the kingdom competes for leadership with other Middle Eastern and Asian Muslim-majority states.

On the principle of better the enemy that you know than the devil that you don’t, Saudi leaders may find that they are, in the best of scenarios, in response to changing US policies able to rattle cages by reaching out to China and Russia in ways that they have not until now, but that at the end of the day they are deprived of good choices.

That conclusion may be reinforced by the realization that the United States has signalled by not sanctioning Prince Mohammed that it does not wish to cut its umbilical cord with the kingdom. That message was also contained in the Biden administration’s earlier decision to halt the sale of weapons that Saudi Arabia could you for offensive operations in Yemen but not arms that it needs to defend its territory from external attack.

At the bottom line, Saudi Arabia’s best option to counter an Iran that poses a threat to the kingdom’s ambitions irrespective of whatever regime is in power would be to work with its allies to develop the kind of economic and social policies as well as governance that would enable it to capitalize on its assets to effectively compete. Containment of Iran is a short-term tactic that eventually will run its course.

Warned former British diplomat and Royal Dutch Shell executive Ian McCredie: “When the Ottoman Empire was dismantled in 1922, it created a vacuum which a series of powers have attempted to fill ever since. None has succeeded, and the result has been a century of wars, coups, and instability. Iran ruled all these lands before the Arab and Ottoman conquests. It could do so again.”

A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts, Tumblr, Podbean, Audecibel, Patreon and Castbox.

Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist and a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore and the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute.

[arlingtonpark]

The Story of L’Affaire Russe Part 6

Part VI. The Indictment of Paul Manfort to the Present/It’s a Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb World.

Thus continues my now six part epic saga to document what is currently the biggest political scandal since Iran-Contra over 30 years ago: L’Affaire Russe, Russia’s attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s attempted complicity in it.

After a weekend of suspense, the announcement was made that, to no one’s surprise, Paul Manafort was the one who was indicted, along with his right hand man Rick Gates.

The charges allege that Manafort and Gates collectively laundered over $75,000,000 over the course of several years through undisclosed foreign and domestic entities, including bank accounts. It is further alleged that they failed to disclose their work as agents of the Ukrainian government and its then-President, Victor Yanukovych. Finally, it is alleged that they made various false statements related to the above two allegations. Manafort and Gates surrendered themselves to FBI custody.

Mueller’s plan, it seems, is to put pressure on Manafort to flip on Trump and cooperate. Bringing these charges against him accomplishes this because now Manafort can enter in to a plea deal where he offers information in exchange for leniency. Whether or not he does so remains to be seen.

To some extent, this was all expected, which is why it was so shocking when Mueller somehow managed to work in a plot twist: he revealed that he managed to secure the cooperation of George Papadopoulos.

George Papadopoulos had previously played a bit part in the story of the 2016 election, so much so that I did not mention him since he seemed like one of those characters in a sitcom who are prominent for an episode because they interact with the main characters in a funny way, and then they go away never to be seen again. Turns out, he was one of those characters who interact with the main characters in a funny way, and then go away, but come back later because they’re actually very important. This is why people liken the larger Trump presidency to a badly written sitcom.

Papadopoulos’ prior role: during the Summer of 2016, it became obvious that the Trump campaign did not have anyone advising them on foreign policy. Desperate to save face, the campaign half-assedly threw together a list of people who would advise them on FP issues; Papadopoulos was one of the people whose name appeared on that list. Papadopoulos in particular received attention, but for all the wrong reasons. He had listed his participation in the model UN on his LinkedIn resume, a laughable thing to include when you’re supposedly as distinguished in the realm of FP as to be advising a serious contender for the American Presidency.

But it turns out to be even more laughable than that. He actually lied about attending the model UN! So not only did he think that model UN was a high enough distinction for a Presidential foreign policy advisor to put on his resume, he thought it was such a coveted position that he saw fit to lie about it!

Everyone laughed this joker off as a clown, except he turned out to actually be important. That’s right. Model UN guy (model UN guy!) is a key player in the Trump-Russia imbroglio! What the hell!

What happened was that Papadopoulos met Joseph Mifsud, a university professor who was also a spy for the Russian Government. Papadopoulos’s confession can be read here. It details how he came to learn of the existence of the hacked Clinton emails and his attempts to obtain them.

This is another example of the Trump campaign trying to collude with Russia, but never actually succeeding, the first example being the Veselnitskaya meeting at Trump Tower. It’s at this point that I should say that it is entirely possible that Trump and his campaign are not guilty of anything. Incredible as this may sound, it’s conceivable that the Trump campaign merely tried to coordinate with Russia, but ultimately failed to do so.

The various investigations by the House and Senate continued apace. Throughout the Autumn of 2017, Carter Page, Michael Cohn, Rinat Akhmetshin, Jeff Sessions, and various leading figures in Fusion GPS, the firm that contracted Steele, all testified before the House Intel Committee.

Trump’s long time bodyguard, Keith Schiller, was called to testify before the House Intel Committee as well, and during this testimony Schiller dropped a very telling revelation: recall that the Steele Dossier alleges that Trump had a group of Russian hookers piss over the bed in his Moscow hotel room, the same hotel room that Obama had stayed at years earlier. In his testimony, Schiller CONFIRMS that a group of hookers were offered to Trump, but maintains that they were turned down.

So as far as I’m concerned, the pee tape is real, Putin’s got it, and he’s probably using it to blackmail the Leader of the Free World right now. Great.

Information regarding contact between the Trump campaign and Wikileaks, one of the groups involved in disseminating the hacked Clinton emails, came to light in November. Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that worked for the Trump campaign, apparently tried to make contact with Wikileaks after they began working for the Trump campaign.

Not only that, but Wikileaks also sent various Twitter DMs to Trump, Jr. Wikileaks asked for various things. They floated the idea of Wikileaks head Julian Assange being appointed Ambassador to Australia. They encouraged the Trump campaign to contest the outcome of the election if they lost. They even asked for Trump’s tax returns. Jr. did not always respond to these messages, but he did at times. Most notably, Wikileaks sent Jr. a link with the recommendation that they publicize it since using the link would take you to a compendium of Wikileaks emails. Trump himself gave the link a shout out just 15 minutes later. Jr. also gave the link a shout out on his Twitter page two days later.

Tangentially, we were also treated to something of a side show courtesy of Michael Flynn and his dealings with the Turkish government. Recall that Robert Mueller’s mandate is to investigate Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 election and any crimes uncovered over the course of that investigation. Flynn could be sitting on useful information involving possible Trump collusion with Russia, so Mueller is trying to nail Flynn on unrelated crimes in order to flip him. Not only that, but Mueller is apparently also targeting Flynn’s son too, since he was apparently also involved in the same shady activities as his father. Mueller’s calculation is that Flynn loves his son enough that he’d be willing to surrender to the investigation in return for leniency for his son. (He was right)

With that said, oooh boy, has Flynn and co. been up to some nefarious, and quite frankly incredible, s!@t.

In 2016, a coup was launched against the rule of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan is a dictator; for years now, he has worked to undermine democracy in Turkey and consolidate his own power. The coup was led by Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who apparently masterminded the coup from his mountain top fortress in the Poconos. (Yes, that Poconos) The coup not only failed, it backfired. Erdogan survived and used it as an excuse to accelerate his consolidation of power.

This is where Flynn comes in. Flynn had previously worked as a lobbyist for the Turkish government, and it has been reported that he and his son were offered $15 million by the government of Turkey to use his power as the then-National Security Advisor to facilitate Gulen’s extradition to Turkey. Either that, or the offer was $15 million to flat out kidnap him!

Unfortunately for Flynn, that’s not the end of the problems for him. Remember what I said earlier about Flynn doing lobbying work for the Turkish government? Well, it turns out he didn’t notify the US government of his lobbying work, which he is legally required to do. He’s also been found to have made various false statements to the FBI.

It should come as no surprise then that Flynn entered in to a plea deal with Mueller, both for his own sake and for the sake of his son. Flynn is now cooperating with the investigation.

Recall that after the Obama administration announced sanctions against Russia for interfering in the election, Russia did not escalate the situation by retaliating. Flynn admits to having been the one who told Ambassador Kislyak to tell Putin to not retaliate. This confirms the reporting of the Washington Post, which reported, based on leaks from the Intelligence Community, that Flynn had done just that. Flynn also admits to having discussed the issue of what to tell Kislyak with other senior officials in Trump’s orbit, but it is not known if Trump himself knew of this.

In other words, Flynn, on behalf of the Trump team, worked to undermine US foreign policy towards Russia.

The next item on the agenda here is a raft of revelations regarding the Steele Dossier, AKA the Pee Tape Dossier.

During this time, important details about how the dossier was compiled came to light. It was already known that the dossier was compiled by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele, who was hired by Fusion GPS, an opposition research company. Fusion GPS, in turn, was hired by an anonymous GOP donor to perform oppo research during the 2016 GOP primary.

That last part about Fusion GPS being paid by a GOP donor, which turned out to be the libertarian leaning online news website the Washington Free Beacon, is actually irrelevant. Steele was only brought on board to create the dossier after the Free Beacon stopped funding Fusion GPS. But someone did pay Fusion GPS to do their oppo research on Trump, so who was it?

It was none other than Hillary Clinton!

DUN DUN DUU-

(Indirectly)

…

This is what actually happened: after being dumped by the Free Beacon, Fusion was hired by Perkins Coie, the law firm of Marc Elias, a very well connected Democratic Party-aligned campaign lawyer. Fusion, in turn, subcontracted the research work out to Steele, who has many contacts and sources in Russia and so was considered to be well positioned to do this sort of work.

Perkins Coie was acting on behalf of the Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, which ultimately paid for the dossier’s creation. Note, though, that Clinton herself was unaware of the details of Fusion or Steele’s work.

The fact that the dossier’s creation was paid for by Clinton led to many conservative commentators to raise a stink about the validity of Bob Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Everyone in the propaganda-sphere from Sean Hannity to even members of Congress was attempting to spin this yarn about how the dossier’s being paid for by Clinton money made the entire Russia investigation illegitimate because, in their telling, the dossier was the reason the investigation was started in the first place.

This is all nonsense.

The Dossier was not the investigation’s catalyst. The investigation actually got started when, and I swear I’m not making this up, George Papadopoulos got drunk at a bar in London and spilled to Australia’s ambassador to the UK that the Trump campaign was seeking to obtain the emails the Russian government pilfered from Clinton.

But in spite of the admittedly too-stupid-to-believe reason for the investigation was out there and public, Trump-aligned forces still pushed the narrative that the Dossier was politically biased and that this somehow made the investigation illegitimate, even though it had resulted in multiple indictments and even a couple guilty pleas by that point.

Chief among them was Devin Nunes, a Republican representative from Fresno, California.

You may remember Nunes from part 3, in which he obtained intel in a secret midnight rendezvous with a contact from within the federal government like a character in a f!@#ing spy movie (and on the White House lawn no less!) and potentially spilled classified information live on national tv, all in the hopes of clearing Trump’s name, which he failed to do because he had no idea what he was doing.

Well, in early 2018, the prodigal son returned.

In that time period, Nunes began talking up a memo he had his staff prepare. He claimed that this memo would prove that there was a deep state conspiracy to undermine President Trump.

The FBI had been spying on Carter page for months, Carter Page being a Trump campaign advisor who, according to Trump himself, was not a Trump campaign advisor. Devin Nunes claimed his memo (which, he kept telling everyone, would be a Big Deal upon release) would show that the FBI started its Trump-Russia investigation with their surveillance of Page. This surveillance was done on authority granted by a warrant issued by the FISA Court. To obtain the warrant, the FBI had to submit an application to the Court detailing the evidence that there was criminal wrongdoing.

Nunes claimed his Big Deal Memo would show that the evidence the FBI relied on to get the warrant was from the Steele Dossier and that the FBI did not disclose to the FISA Court that the Dossier was created by politically biased people. Thus, the FBI withheld pertinent information in the name of getting their warrant and this proves they have it in for Trump.

Nunes said, flat out, that his Big Deal Memo (which apparently turned anything it rested upon into gold) would single-handedly expose the biggest government conspiracy since Watergate.

Even before the memo was released to the public, Trump defenders the world over latched on to this to attack the credibility of the Mueller investigation. (The Mueller investigation is just a continuation of the FBI’s investigation.)

They were outraged (outraged, I tells ya!) that the FBI would act so underhandedly and spy on a high-ranking Trump advisor. (Who was somehow simultaneously not a Trump advisor)

Fact check: even if the Dossier was the basis for the investigation’s start, the bias of its creators wouldn’t have mattered. The FBI relies on biased sources for evidence all the time in its applications to the FISA Court. This is well known and the judges know to account for this.

But wait! It gets even dumber then that! Nunes finally pulled his Big Deal Memo out of his ass and presented it to the public.

It literally refutes itself. I’m not even kidding. The memo lays out the case Nunes was arguing for this whole time, (the investigation is biased because it has its roots in a biased document) and then in literally the last paragraph it says that the biased document (the Dossier) was not the root of the investigation!

Big Deal!

And to top it off, Nunes claimed throughout this whole mess that the FBI didn’t disclose the Dossier’s biases. But as Nunes himself would later be forced to admit, they did! The disclosure was made in a footnote to the main body of the application, which Nunes argued was still an obvious attempt at deceitfulness.

Because footnotes apparently don’t exist to be read. Or something.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 

[rapture-forums]

The DOJ (Sessions, Rosenstein), FBI (Comey, Strzok), and CIA (Brennan) were all key players in the attempted coup against President Trump.

[americanmysticom]

Ep.1366 I Got A Crazy Call From The NY Times by Team Bongino Posted: October 9, 2020

In this episode, I discuss an insane call I received from a N.Y. Times “reporter” about the Democrat’s calls for a “coup” and a “street fight.” They’re clearly worried that we’re exposing their nonsense. I also address explosive connections that nail these key FBI players to the wall.

https://bongino.com/ep-1366-i-got-a-crazy-call-from-the-ny-times

News Picks:

This is a base election now.

The hack media struggles to connect Trump to the Whitmer kidnapping plot.

Another liberal media BS narrative collapses.

The Democrats hate it when you expose their coup attempts.

Has the second debate moderator already disqualified himself?

Twitter locks the account of Ric Grenell after voter fraud warning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M1rZ1GxdsU&ab_channel=DanBongino

[surejaya]

American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump

Download : American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump More Book at: Zaqist Book

American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump by Tim Alberta

Politico Magazine’s chief political correspondent provides a rollicking insider’s look at the making of the modern Republican Party—how a decade of cultural upheaval, populist outrage, and ideological warfare made the GOP vulnerable to a hostile takeover from the unlikeliest of insurgents: Donald J. Trump. The 2016 election was a watershed for the United States. But, as Tim Alberta explains in American Carnage, to understand Trump’s victory is to view him not as the creator of this era of polarization and bruising partisanship, but rather as its most manifest consequence. American Carnage is the story of a president’s rise based on a country’s evolution and a party’s collapse. As George W. Bush left office with record-low approval ratings and Barack Obama led a Democratic takeover of Washington, Republicans faced a moment of reckoning: They had no vision, no generation of new leaders, and no energy in the party’s base. Yet Obama’s forceful pursuit of his progressive agenda, coupled with the nation’s rapidly changing societal and demographic identity, lit a fire under the right, returning Republicans to power and inviting a bloody struggle for the party’s identity in the post-Bush era. The factions that emerged—one led by absolutists like Jim Jordan and Ted Cruz, the other led by pragmatists like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell—engaged in a series of devastating internecine clashes and attempted coups for control. With the GOP’s internal fissures rendering it legislatively impotent, and that impotence fueling a growing resentment toward the political class and its institutions, the stage was set for an outsider to crash the party. When Trump descended a gilded escalator to announce his run in the summer of 2015, the candidate had met the moment. Only by viewing Trump as the culmination of a decade-long civil war inside the GOP—and of the parallel sense of cultural, socioeconomic, and technological disruption during that period—can we appreciate how he won the White House and consider the fundamental questions at the center of America’s current turmoil. How did a party once obsessed with national insolvency come to champion trillion-dollar deficits? How did the party of compassionate conservatism become the party of Muslim bans and family separation? How did the party of family values elect a thrice-married philanderer? And, most important, how long can such a party survive? Loaded with explosive original reporting and based off hundreds of exclusive interviews—including with key players such as President Trump, Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Jim DeMint, and Reince Priebus, among many others—American Carnage takes us behind the scenes of this tumultuous period as we’ve never seen it before and establishes Tim Alberta as the premier chronicler of this political era.

Download : American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump More Book at: Zaqist Book

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.politico.com/amp/story/2019/07/03/nra-guns-trump-campaign-1395970?__twitter_impression=true

Republicans worry that the NRA and two other groups that have long formed the core of their electoral infrastructure will be effectively on the sidelines.(Has anyone else noticed that everything Trump TOUCHES turns to SHIT 💩? It's like he has a Midas touch but for FAILURE)

NRA meltdown has Trump campaign sweating

Republicans worry that the NRA and two other groups that have long formed the core of their electoral infrastructure will be effectively on the sidelines.

By ALEX ISENSTADT | Published 07/03/2019 05:00 AM EDT, Updated  07/03/2019 10:12 AM EDT | Politico | Posted July 4, 2019 |

The National Rifle Association aired an avalanche of TV ads and pushed its 5 million-plus members to the polls for Donald Trump in 2016, propelling him in the Rust Belt states that delivered him the presidency.

Now, the gun rights group is in total meltdown — and senior Republicans and Trump 2020 officials are alarmed.

In recent weeks, the NRA has seen everything from a failed coup attempt to the departure of its longtime political architect to embarrassing tales of self-dealing by top leaders. The turmoil is fueling fears that the organization will be profoundly diminished heading into the election, leaving the Republican Party with a gaping hole in its political machinery.

With the Chamber of Commerce and Koch political network withdrawing from their once-dominant roles in electing conservatives, Republicans worry that three organizations that have long formed the core of their electoral infrastructure will be effectively on the sidelines.

The predicament has so troubled some Republicans that they are calling on the famously secretive NRA to address its 2020 plans. Within the past week, senators have privately expressed concerns about the group to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Todd Young.

“No organization has been more important to conservative voter education and engagement than the NRA. We all hope they’re able to mount the kind of effort in the 2020 cycle they have in the past,” said Gregg Keller, a former American Conservative Union executive director. “But in case they can’t, given their current situation, I hope they’re being forthright about that within the movement so others can pick up the slack.”

“The situation,” he added, “has folks nervous.”

What makes the NRA such a potent force for Republicans, party officials said, are its reach into battlegrounds — such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ohio — and the sway it holds with its members. The NRA’s appeals play a critical role in turning out sportsmen, many of whom have paid dues to the organization for years and regard it as an important part of their lives.

Chris LaCivita, a national GOP strategist who’s waged congressional and statewide campaigns in North Carolina, said he remains confident gun advocates will turn out to vote in 2020. But he said the NRA’s problems could hobble its mobilization efforts.

“Infighting and accusations playing out almost daily in the national media regarding the NRA have not been helpful. Clearly it will have an impact in the NRA's ability to raise money, which would be used in elections to turn out its membership,” LaCivita said.

With the organization mired in palace intrigue and confronting a daily barrage of negative publicity, some NRA officials are skeptical a 2020 plan will emerge. Many Republicans are convinced the job of turning out Second Amendment supporters will fall to the cash-flush Republican National Committee, which is constructing a massive get-out-the-vote and data machine devoted to turning out conservatives.

Jane Timken, chairwoman of the Ohio GOP, said her organization would work closely with the RNC to microtarget firearm owners. The national party, Timken noted, has compiled extensive voter data through sources ranging from gun licenses to gun magazine subscriptions.

Concerns over the NRA intensified last week after the resignation of Chris Cox, who had been the head of its lobbying arm since 2002. Cox was well-liked by NRA staff and board members and had deep relationships with major donors and many of the party’s top strategists. He recently participated in 2020 planning meetings with the pro-Trump America First Action super PAC and the anti-tax Club for Growth. The groups discussed polling and opposition research, voter registration efforts, and ensuring smooth coordination.

With Cox gone, it's an open question who will oversee the NRA’s 2020 strategy.

“Chris Cox is the guy everybody dealt with,” said Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Jason Ouimet, a director of federal affairs at the organization, is expected to assume Cox’s role on an interim basis, a person familiar with the move confirmed. Ouimet’s appointment, NRA officials said, is designed to temporarily stave off a mass staff exodus and calm both the organization's members and the broader conservative world.

"Anyone who chooses to discount us does so at their peril," Ouimet said in a statement after this story was published. "The NRA is poised to mobilize the tens of millions of Second Amendment supporters in the upcoming elections.”

The organization's troubles are hard to overstate. The most serious threat is an investigation by New York state attorney general's office into its tax-exempt status. In April, NRA President Oliver North was ousted in an ugly public spectacle in which he declared the group was in a "clear crisis." News organizations have also reported that NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre used $275,000 of the group's money to buy luxury clothes at Zegna in Beverly Hills, Calif., and that the organization logged tens of thousands of dollars in other expenses that benefited its officials.

Trump weighed in on the NRA's problems Tuesday morning, tweeting that the group is a "victim" of "political harassment by New York State and Governor Cuomo."

Ken Blackwell, an NRA board member who is active with an array of conservative groups, disputed the idea that Cox’s departure and the subsequent turmoil would sideline the group in 2020. The NRA’s turnout efforts, he said, were largely orchestrated at the state and local levels.

“Chris was good at what he did, but he was not the reservoir of ground action,” Blackwell said. “This notion that there was someone sitting behind the green curtain in Washington driving the base turnout, it was a misnomer.”

Others argued that with Democratic presidential candidates vowing to enact stricter gun control laws, firearm owners will be sufficiently motivated to keep Trump in office.

Issues surrounding the Republican Party's outside infrastructure go beyond the NRA. The Chamber of Commerce, a key player in Republican politics over the past decade, spent just $10 million during the 2018 cycle, about a third of what it spent during the previous election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The scale back has led many to believe the organization, a staple of the business community, is preparing to play a diminished role in 2020.

Other clues have emerged. In April, Chamber leaders told The Washington Post they were seeking to rebrand the organization as a bipartisan outfit. And in January, Rob Engstrom stepped down as national political director, a role the Chamber is in the process of filling. People familiar with the arrangement said Engstrom remains a consultant with the organization.

Scott Reed, the group’s chief political strategist, denied the group is retrenching. This fall, he said, the Chamber would launch a multimillion-dollar effort to defend the Republican Senate majority.

“We will be spending money earlier this cycle on the Senate than we’ve ever spent in the 100-year history of the Chamber,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Koch network is gradually shifting away from partisanship and toward policy issues like addressing poverty and drug addiction. The network, which like the Chamber has at times found itself at odds with the president, plans to sit out the 2020 presidential race and is recasting itself in a nonpartisan fashion.

Emily Seidel, chief executive of the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, penned a memo last month in which she announced the outfit is open to backing candidates from either party.

The new approach has rankled some longtime Koch donors, who complain the powerful network — which played a pivotal role in helping Republicans capture the Senate majority — is abandoning the GOP.

Koch officials dispute that they are pulling back, noting they’ve endorsed a handful of GOP senators who align with the network’s goals. When the network gathered in Colorado Springs, Colo., over the weekend, its members were joined by a small group of Republicans facing reelection, including Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Georgia Sen. David Perdue.

The uncertainty surrounding all three groups is likely to increase pressure on America First Action, a super PAC devoted to backing Trump.

"If a void needs to be filled in 2020, we will fill it and continue to work with those allies that are willing to step into the breach to help reelect Donald Trump," America first spokeswoman Kelly Sadler said..

To others, though, the developments are a potential sign of danger ahead. David McIntosh, the president of the Club for Growth and a former Republican congressman, said he was particularly troubled by the Koch network's decision to refocus its efforts. After Barack Obama's 2008 election, he noted, the network filled a vacuum by providing the devastated party with much-needed infrastructure.

“Right now, the party is functioning," McIntosh said. "But if you see another collapse or if we lose the White House, I think you’re going to see Republicans frankly in a world of hurt without a major funding group like that.”