Jump to content

The Robert Mueller Investigation


Hugo Stiglitz

Recommended Posts

1 minute ago, Mojo Hand said:

I have said that a trial is required under Senate rules.  Your link says the same.  I have also said that if McConnell wanted to change the rules to avoid a trial, he'd need a majority vote to do it, which puts GOP Senators on the record anyway.  Your link says the same. 

Impeachment will require GOP Senators to take a stand one way or another.  I don't see any way they can avoid it. 

And that is all good and fine but unless something changes, Mitch isn’t going to allow trial. Any vote that occurs in the senate will tie the GOP to trump but who doesn’t already know that? The GOP have at +85% favorability towards trump. There isn’t a segment of the population who’s brain explodes from finding out the gop supports trump

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don Jr was never questioned by Mueller, he has never publicly testified to Congress, he lied countless times to the American people when questioned by journalists, and he lied under questioning in a closed congressional hearing.

Exceptional police work by our institutions.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

They'd much rather vote on a rule change if it means there is no recorded vote on removal.

I don't think so.  A reasonable argument can be made that Trump's actions, which are bad, are not high crimes and misdemeanors.   There is no reasonable defense for refusing to try an impeached president, and I'd love to see them have to defend that vote in 2020.   Plus they'd be setting a precedent that could hurt them in the future.  There's little upside.   Both options aren't great, which is why the Dems should force them into it, but voting not to remove Trump is the better option. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Mojo Hand said:

I don't think so.  A reasonable argument can be made that Trump's actions, which are bad, are not high crimes and misdemeanors.   There is no reasonable defense for refusing to try an impeached president, and I'd love to see them have to defend that vote in 2020.   Plus they'd be setting a precedent that could hurt them in the future.  There's little upside.   Both options aren't great, which is why the Dems should force them into it, but voting not to remove Trump is the better option. 

Well, as long as only 34% of the public favors impeachment, they aren't going to call what they are currently doing impeachment, even though that's what it is. Whether articles are drawn up depends on public sentiment. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, American Swindle said:

Does anyone agree with Woodward that the origins of the Steele Dossier need to be investigated?

 

 

Jeb Bush campaign started it. Clinton finished it. It wasn't used to start the FBI counterintelligence probe or to appoint a special council. A lot of it was corroborated by Mueller, some of it wasn't. What exactly is there to "investigate"? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Jeb Bush campaign started it. Clinton finished it. It wasn't used to start the FBI counterintelligence probe or to appoint a special council. A lot of it was corroborated by Mueller, some of it wasn't. What exactly is there to "investigate"? 

Guessing you could corroborate more of it in the redacted sections as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe I'm off the deep end, but I believe viewing the GOP behavior in traditional political terms isn't apt. If you glue yourself to a criminal or a villain, you are likely a villain yourself.

The GOP shows every sign of being a band of shameless crooks doing anything they can to.stay out of prison. Trump is their Stacks Edwards, the driver in Goodfellas who blows the robbery. The difference is that they can't kill Donald.

The NRA money. The Paul Ryan tape. Manafort, Flynn, kushner. Mitch's remarkable increase in wealth. Kavanaugh's. Saudi money.

It's a criminal Enterprise likely rationalized as being actually good for the USA. No ebil libs polluting our precious capitalist fluids. Greed is good.

These guy are criminals. They protect Trump as criminals. They have nothing to lose.

They're probably surprised that they just might survive. I sure as hell am.

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Jeb Bush campaign started it. Clinton finished it. It wasn't used to start the FBI counterintelligence probe or to appoint a special council. A lot of it was corroborated by Mueller, some of it wasn't. What exactly is there to "investigate"? 

I don't have a problem with them investigating it.  Let the chips fall where they may.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Mojo Hand said:

A reasonable argument can be made that Trump's actions, which are bad, are not high crimes and misdemeanors. 

An argument can be made but it isn’t reasonable.  This isn’t just your average criminal obstructing justice by coercing his buddy to give him a false alibi.  

This is the President of the United States overtly abusing his power to conscript his subordinates, inside and outside of the government, into a conspiracy to obstruct justice and then ordering them to lie about his efforts to obstruct the investigation of arguably the international crime of the century (the Russian government’s attack on American democracy in the 2016 election). 

Assuming the above is a factual accounting, good luck trying to convince a jury that isn’t a high crime or misdemeanor. 

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

No GOP Senator wants to vote on convicting or acquitting Trump because that vote will forever define their legacy.  Sure, it might help them in the short term to protect Trump but 10 years from now it’s more likely to be a liability than an asset.

ellll

 

oh 

 

ellll

 

 

this is the new thing, huh? After literally being abjectly inaccurate for more that 2 and a half years on EVERY THING that you have advanced as fact, on more than one University of Texas Sports' board and God knows where else, you are going to go ahead and let us all know "what is really up, now?" 

 

I am going to go out on a limb and guess that whatever happens with this "impeachment" process will both be exactly what you did NOT predict and exactly what you did NOT want to happen 

thanks again for ruining the Country. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

And that’s the problem. They continually let the republicans shape the media narrative. Put his malfeasance on display for the world. If that somehow results in a positive for Trump (it won’t, it never has) then so be it. Stop being reactive to what pubs do and shape the fucking narrative

You don't get reelected unless you have a boogeyman man to run against. They WANT Trump on that wall. They NEED Trump on that wall.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

It's a criminal Enterprise likely rationalized as being actually good for the USA. No ebil libs polluting our precious capitalist fluids. Greed is good.

These guy are criminals. They protect Trump as criminals. They have nothing to lose.

They're probably surprised that they just might survive. I sure as hell am.

Yep. Maybe better for another thread, but how is it that all of these guys communicate w each without being surveilled/caught? Do they have middle men who deliver hand written notes that they burn on receipt? Do they use Signal/WhatsApp?

Edited by retread
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Jeb Bush campaign started it. Clinton finished it. It wasn't used to start the FBI counterintelligence probe or to appoint a special council. A lot of it was corroborated by Mueller, some of it wasn't. What exactly is there to "investigate"? 

Washington Free Beacon, Rubio, Steele Russia focus started after DNC took over.  It served as a significant input into the investigation,  inserted into the IC via conduits into the FBI with conflicts of interest and State Department officials, and substantive portions were used in FISA applications without verification.  Apparently Brennan tried to have portions inserted in the assessment of Russian interference (first I heard that one, in video linked above). Not surprising since Brennan was also leaking it to journalists and coordinating with Comey to have it publicly released around the same time, coinciding with the FBI's assessment that the quality of the sources were seriously flawed.  Reports are that the FBI IG is zeroing in on Steele for his report, and that Steele has refused to cooperate.  None of that is conspiracy theory, all statements can be cited. But nothing to investigate here.  

Edited by Anastasis
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Anastasis said:

Washington Free Beacon, Rubio, Steele Russia focus started after DNC took over.  It served as a significant input into the investigation,  inserted into the IC via conduits into the FBI with conflicts of interest and State Department officials, and substantive portions were used in FISA applications without verification.  Apparently Brennan tried to have portions inserted in the assessment of Russian interference (first I heard that one, in video linked above). Not surprising since Brennan was also leaking it to journalists and coordinating with Comey to have it publicly released around the same time, coinciding with the FBI's assessment that the quality of the sources were seriously flawed.  Reports are that the FBI IG is zeroing in on Steele for his report, and that Steele has refused to cooperate.  None of that is conspiracy theory, all statements can be cited. But nothing to investigate here.  

Good thing Horowitz is currently investigating all of that. I'm sure his conclusions will be as earth shattering as his Clinton Investigation Investigation's were.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, American Swindle said:

Does anyone agree with Woodward that the origins of the Steele Dossier need to be investigated?

 

 

Go for it. I don't give a fuck. Investigate to your heart's content. It still doesn't change the major findings in the Mueller Report:

1) Trump and his campaign knew about, actively welcomed, and encouraged Kremlin assistance and - in some cases - appeared to actually try to cooperate but were too fucking stupid to pull it off.

2) Trump actively undermined both the investigation into the Kremlin's activities as well as the one looking into whether he and his campaign conspired with the Kremlin. The question about whether this activity rose to the level of "obstruction of justice" remains an open one. It appears, however, that his saving grace might be that his advisors and staff - at the time - disobeyed his orders.

We also know that there are 14 active investigations (12 of which remain secret) in other matters related to the report.

If laws are broken, then uncover and punish it. That's how a nation of "law and order" is supposed to work.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Lagunamadre said:

Good thing Horowitz is currently investigating all of that. I'm sure his conclusions will be as earth shattering as his Clinton Investigation Investigation's were.  

Technically, his scope covers the Page application. While he has the ability to scope creep, I doubt he actually tackles the full background. For example I doubt that he tackles Brennan's activities. 

https://oig.justice.gov/ongoing/fbi.htm

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Anastasis said:

Washington Free Beacon, Rubio, Steele Russia focus started after DNC took over.  It served as a significant input into the investigation,  inserted into the IC via conduits into the FBI with conflicts of interest and State Department officials, and substantive portions were used in FISA applications without verification.  Apparently Brennan tried to have portions inserted in the assessment of Russian interference (first I heard that one, in video linked above). Not surprising since Brennan was also leaking it to journalists and coordinating with Comey to have it publicly released around the same time, coinciding with the FBI's assessment that the quality of the sources were seriously flawed.  Reports are that the FBI IG is zeroing in on Steele for his report, and that Steele has refused to cooperate.  None of that is conspiracy theory, all statements can be cited. But nothing to investigate here.  

I tried to tell everyone the Dossier was irrelevant two years ago.  

You:  “But Hugo, you’re the one that keeps going back to the Dossier saying it’s legit?”

Me:  “It’s a legit rumor Intelligence work product but that’s irrelevant because the only thing that matters is what can be proven and corroborated.”

Two years later:  “Dossier, Dossier, Dossier, FISA abuse, Steele, enough fake outrage to stroke out Alex Jones.”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Technically, his scope covers the Page application. While he has the ability to scope creep, I doubt he actually tackles the full background. For example I doubt that he tackles Brennan's activities. 

https://oig.justice.gov/ongoing/fbi.htm

 

Seems pretty open ended. I think there is plenty of room to creep, especially with FWFWFWFW: Grandpa Barr calling the shots. 

"The OIG, in response to requests from the Attorney General and Members of Congress, is examining the Department’s and the FBI’s compliance with legal requirements, and with applicable DOJ and FBI policies and procedures, in applications filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) relating to a certain U.S. person. As part of this examination, the OIG is also reviewing information that was known to the DOJ and the FBI at the time the applications were filed from or about an alleged FBI confidential source. Additionally, the OIG is reviewing the DOJ’s and FBI’s relationship and communications with the alleged source as they relate to the FISC applications. If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/19/2019 at 7:14 AM, retread said:

Just what you want to see in an American president

 

 

34 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Well, as long as only 34% of the public favors impeachment, they aren't going to call what they are currently doing impeachment, even though that's what it is. Whether articles are drawn up depends on public sentiment. 

HCOM are irrelevant. Impeachment is just a question of political power for these politicians. Only the wisdom of the Founders prevents it from being as common as a "shutdown."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

I tried to tell everyone the Dossier was irrelevant two years ago.  

You are full of shit. From 18 months ago. 

http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/182577-Indictments-Pending-in-the-Robert-Mueller-Investigation?p=11488837&viewfull=1#post11488837

 

10-29-2017, 01:27 PM

I get no respect and never will from the Trumpkins. 

I started investigating Russia after being told repeatedly with certitude by the trumpers there was no Russia interference or coordination with Trump.

I took the Dossier seriously from the beginning and said it demands a thorough investigation. It was blown off immediately as a fake news nothingburger from the MAGA crowd.

Months ago, I started talking about Active Measures and cyber subversion and was called a loon by the kool-aid kids.

Perhaps chickennuggets is right, I am wasting my time with my observations and research because to them I’m just a libcuck troll.

Edited by Anastasis
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Seems pretty open ended. I think there is plenty of room to creep, especially with FWFWFWFW: Grandpa Barr calling the shots. 

"The OIG, in response to requests from the Attorney General and Members of Congress, is examining the Department’s and the FBI’s compliance with legal requirements, and with applicable DOJ and FBI policies and procedures, in applications filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) relating to a certain U.S. person. As part of this examination, the OIG is also reviewing information that was known to the DOJ and the FBI at the time the applications were filed from or about an alleged FBI confidential source. Additionally, the OIG is reviewing the DOJ’s and FBI’s relationship and communications with the alleged source as they relate to the FISC applications. If circumstances warrant, the OIG will consider including other issues that may arise during the course of the review."

Agree, I doubt he expands to CIA activities though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Oh, and it is quite likely that the Dossier represents Russian disinformation fed into the intelligence apparatus as work product funded by the DNC through Steele.   But muh collusion!

That is unlikely because the Steele dossier has had significant number of it's most salacious claims verified either by info now in the public domain, or court filings. And that article was written before the Mueller report was released and further analysis/dot-connecting had been done. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

You are full of shit. From 18 months ago. 

http://www.shaggytexas.com/board/showthread.php/182577-Indictments-Pending-in-the-Robert-Mueller-Investigation?p=11488837&viewfull=1#post11488837

 

10-29-2017, 01:27 PM

I get no respect and never will from the Trumpkins. 

I started investigating Russia after being told repeatedly with certitude by the trumpers there was no Russia interference or coordination with Trump.

I took the Dossier seriously from the beginning and said it demands a thorough investigation. It was blown off immediately as a fake news nothingburger from the MAGA crowd.

Months ago, I started talking about Active Measures and cyber subversion and was called a loon by the kool-aid kids.

Perhaps chickennuggets is right, I am wasting my time with my observations and research because to them I’m just a libcuck troll.

I later went on to say the Dossier was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things but I should have been more specific as to it’s foundation for criminal charges.  

Thanks though for proving  my point in that 18 month old post.  The Mueller report certainly proved the Dossier demanded a full investigation didn’t it?  Have you even read the Dossier?  Have you compared it to the Mueller report and the indictments?  Because more stuff checks out than doesn’t.

Ponder this Anastasis:  if not for Christopher Steele, there would be no Dossier, if there was no Dossier does Trump freak out and fire Comey over the Russia investigation?  Does Mueller even get appointed?  Do we even get a Mueller report?  Would we have ever found out about the Don Jr Trump Tower meeting, Trump Tower Moscow, or the other 100+ contacts between the Trump Campaign and the Russians? 

In that sense the Dossier isn’t irrelevant. 

For a guy that loves exposing malfeasance in government you should probably send Christopher Steele a nice fruit basket.  

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Only one branch of government can remove a criminal president from office. 

Not what you said, dude.

You said "constitutional check".

There are three, not two, branches of govt.

You might want to review the whole "checks and balances" thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

I later went on to say the Dossier was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things but I should have been more specific as to it’s foundation for criminal charges.  

Thanks though for proving  my point in that 18 month old post.  The Mueller report certainly proved the Dossier demanded a full investigation didn’t it?  Have you even read the Dossier?  Have you compared it to the Mueller report and the indictments?  Because more stuff checks out than doesn’t.

Ponder this Anastasis:  if not for Christopher Steele, there would be no Dossier, if there was no Dossier does Trump freak out and fire Comey over the Russia investigation?  Does Mueller even get appointed?  Do we even get a Mueller report?  Would we have ever found out about the Don Jr Trump Tower meeting, Trump Tower Moscow, or the other 100+ contacts between the Trump Campaign and the Russians? 

In that sense the Dossier isn’t irrelevant. 

For a guy that loves exposing malfeasance in government you should probably send Christopher Steele a nice fruit basket.  

Hey hey, let's worry about the conspiracy theory there might have been malfeasance in the genesis of the investigation before we start worrying about the 400+ pages of malfeasance laid out in meticulous detail right before our very eyes. First things first. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

It's all in the game right.  An 'insurance policy', if you will...

 

1 hour ago, hobbes2702 said:

Keep fucking that chicken

 

DimpledBreakableBandicoot-max-1mb.gif

 

1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

Washington Free Beacon, Rubio, Steele Russia focus started after DNC took over.  It served as a significant input into the investigation,  inserted into the IC via conduits into the FBI with conflicts of interest and State Department officials, and substantive portions were used in FISA applications without verification.  Apparently Brennan tried to have portions inserted in the assessment of Russian interference (first I heard that one, in video linked above). Not surprising since Brennan was also leaking it to journalists and coordinating with Comey to have it publicly released around the same time, coinciding with the FBI's assessment that the quality of the sources were seriously flawed.  Reports are that the FBI IG is zeroing in on Steele for his report, and that Steele has refused to cooperate.  None of that is conspiracy theory, all statements can be cited. But nothing to investigate here.  

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

Hey hey, let's worry about the conspiracy theory there might have been malfeasance in the genesis of the investigation before we start worrying about the 400+ pages of malfeasance laid out in meticulous detail right before our very eyes. First things first. 

The irony here is the Republican talking points during the 2016 election about Hillary’s hacked emails versus their talking points with the Dossier/Mueller investigation.

October 2016: “It doesn’t matter where the emails came from or who hacked them, it’s what is in the emails that is important.”

April 2019:  “It doesn’t matter how accurate the information is or what crimes are exposed in the Dossier/Mueller investigation, what is important is who funded it and where it originated.”

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

The irony here is the Republican talking points during the 2016 election about Hillary’s hacked emails versus their talking points with the Dossier/Mueller investigation.

October 2016: “It doesn’t matter where the emails came from or who hacked them, it’s what is in the emails that is important.”

April 2019:  “It doesn’t matter how accurate the information is or what crimes are exposed in the Dossier/Mueller investigation, what is important is who funded it and where it originated.”

But that would mean there is hypocrisy in American politics. I don't buy it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Captainant said:

That is unlikely because the Steele dossier has had significant number of it's most salacious claims verified either by info now in the public domain, or court filings. And that article was written before the Mueller report was released and further analysis/dot-connecting had been done. 

Not sure that confirmation of certain contents in a document that attempts to incorporate multiple information streams makes it unlikely that other contents are not disinformation. One of the most directly damaging pieces of information in the dossier related to the coordination of the Russian interference campaign by Michael Cohen, structuring and financing of operations and acting as the key go between.  What does your article say about that?  Or about the portions of the Dossier related to Page, the portions that are directly relevant to the FISA process? The most effective disinformation blends itself in among a cloak of supporting documentation.  This exchange is case in point.  We know that the elaborate Cohen scheme is most likely disinformation from one of Steele's Russian sources, and yes here were are questioning that conclusion because it is embedded in a framework of other observations that can be verified, either in full or partial.

Recent article on the IG investigation and focus on Steele dossier:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/us/politics/steele-dossier-mueller-report.html 

Another possibility — one that Mr. Steele has not ruled out — could be Russian disinformation. That would mean that in addition to carrying out an effective attack on the Clinton campaign, Russian spymasters hedged their bets and placed a few land mines under Mr. Trump’s presidency as well.

Oleg D. Kalugin, a former K.G.B. general who now lives outside Washington, saw that as plausible. “Russia has huge experience in spreading false information,” he said.

...

But that is an issue to which multiple inquiries are likely to return. There has been much chatter among intelligence experts that Mr. Steele’s Russian informants could have been pressured to feed him disinformation.

Daniel Hoffman, a former C.I.A. officer who served in Moscow, said he had long suspected the dossier was contaminated by Russian fabrications. The goal, he said, would be to deepen American divisions and blur the line between truth and falsehood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Ponder this Anastasis:  if not for Christopher Steele, there would be no Dossier, if there was no Dossier does Trump freak out and fire Comey over the Russia investigation?  Does Mueller even get appointed?  Do we even get a Mueller report?  Would we have ever found out about the Don Jr Trump Tower meeting, Trump Tower Moscow, or the other 100+ contacts between the Trump Campaign and the Russians? 

 In that sense the Dossier isn’t irrelevant. 

For a guy that loves exposing malfeasance in government you should probably send Christopher Steele a nice fruit basket.  

I am not ok with conceding that the ends justify the means when we are talking about the US intelligence apparatus be used in this way.  I know that you have a fundamentally different perspective on the intelligence community.  We know all about how you hate Snowden and Greenwald and anybody who tries to pull the curtain back on their abuses. It's OK. Let's see how things work on on this front.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



×
×
  • Create New...