Yesterday, Devin Nunes and the slapstick co-conspirators who hoped to bring down the FBI and Justice Department with a 4-page memo were foiled by their own incompetence. Nunes and company hinged the entirety of their hopes on stating that the FBI failed to disclose the political origins of the Trump-Russia dossier, used to secure the initial FISA warrant on a … Read More
The Nunes Memo: It’s Here — Is It “Worse Than Watergate”?
10:30 am – Trump is expected to approved the release of the memo reports said last night, but he’s not going to have the White House release it. That will be left to the House Intel Committee. Reports say that Trump was warned last night by Chief of Staff Jon Kelly that the memo isn’t the huge thing that Trump thinks it … Read More
The Nunes Memo: Will It Be Released Today?
JUST IN: President Trump has read the FISA memo, as delivered to the White House, multiple White House officials tell @NBCNews — NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) February 1, 2018 Trump told people he would release it (it was heard on an open mic as he was leaving the State of the Union speech. The memo supposedly implicates the FBI in its … Read More
Two Developments In Trump Russia Scandal
CNN was on a roll last night, breaking two stories — first, the smaller one: (1) The right wing and Fox News have been making much of emails between two FBI agents, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The two were having an illicit affair, but more importantly, their emails to each other show a strong anti-Trump bias. When Mueller found out … Read More
Obstruction Related To Trump Tower Meeting
And the hits keep on coming for the Trump team. Let’s go back to July 2017, only 7 months ago, but 7 years in Trump scandal time. I wrote on July 11: With a few days off for breathless recovery, the Trump-Russia collusion scandal has been a steady stream of bombshells. A big one dropped yesterday: Donald Trump Jr (a … Read More
Breaking: More Trump Insisting On Loyalty From DOJ/FBI
CNN: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein visited the White House in December seeking President Donald Trump’s help. The top Justice Department official in the Russia investigation wanted Trump’s support in fighting off document demands from House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes. But the President had other priorities ahead of a key appearance by Rosenstein on the Hill, according to sources familiar … Read More
The Nunes Memo Likely To Be Released Soon – Massive Fail Expected
In an incredibly transparent display of partisanship, the House Intelligence Committee voted on Monday to: (1) Release the Nunes memo (2) Ignore requests from the FBI and the DOJ to vet the Nunes memo before any release; and (3) NOT release the Democratic memo explaining why the Nunes memo is bullshit Although the White House has five days to review … Read More
The Chess Pieces Are Moving
New York Times: A secret, highly contentious Republican memo reveals that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein approved an application to extend surveillance of a former Trump campaign associate shortly after taking office last spring, according to three people familiar with it. The renewal shows that the Justice Department under President Trump saw reason to believe that the associate, Carter … Read More
Trump Tried To Fire Mueller In June 2017
First the New York Times, then the Washington Post and then NBC News reported this big bombshell Thursday night: President Trump wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller back in June 2017 — but then backed off. Trump, in Switzerland, responded to last night’s news: “Fake news folks, fake news. Typical New York Times fake stories.” The story is simple: President Trump ordered the firing … Read More
Fox News And Many In The GOP Go Full-on Tin Foil Hat
Work and other life things has prevented me from posting for eight days, which is equivalent to eight months in these manic-news-cycling days of the Trump era. What did I not even comment on? Well, the government shutdown over the weekend, and arguments about DACA. Oh, and Stormy Weather. But that was ages ago it seems. Let’s start with this week, … Read More
Investigators Scrutinizing Newly Uncovered Payments By The Russian Embassy
Officials investigating the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election are scrutinizing newly uncovered financial transactions between the Russian government and people or businesses inside the United States. This could reveal good stuff. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, charged with investigating Russian election interference and possible collusion by the Trump campaign, is examining these transactions and others by Russian diplomatic personnel, … Read More
Bannon Subpoenaed By Mueller
Steve Bannon is testifying right now behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election and ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. I don’t think that is big news — it is the House and their credibility is liimited. But this is an interesting development, even if it was expected: … Read More
Document Dump: Trump’s Lawyer Files Defamation Suit Re: Steele Dossier
Michael Cohen, Trump’s (not very good) Roy Cohn, has filed two lawsuits in Manhattan relating to the allegations about him in the Steele Dossier. Both lawsuits assert defamation. Cohen seems quite adamant that the allegations of his Russian ties and contacts are false. Perhaps they are. But as the lawsuits go, he probably doesn’t have much of a case. Buzzfeed, … Read More
Cyber Crime Expert Joins Mueller’s Staff
WaPo: Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has added a veteran cyber prosecutor to his team, filling what has long been a gap in expertise and potentially signaling a recent focus on computer crimes. Ryan K. Dickey was assigned to Mueller’s team in early November from the Justice Department’s computer crime and intellectual-property section, said a spokesman for the special … Read More
Trump To Meet Mueller — Maybe
WaPo: Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has raised the likelihood with President Trump’s legal team that his office will seek an interview with the president, triggering a discussion among his attorneys about how to avoid a sit-down encounter or set limits on such a session, according to two people familiar with the talks. Mueller brought up the issue of … Read More