It is revealed now that there is a tape of the meeting with that Russian attorney. So, I am pretty sure there will be more than one bird singing. The WH operatives are trying to discredit the messengers (journalists). The hardcore Trump supporters will continue to make excuses and deflect but we have always had a measure of insanity in this country. My biggest issue is the Republicans in power-- the Congress and Senate (Ryan and McConnell).
There's a recording of the meeting with the Russian lawyer? I hadn't heard that. Wow!
Hello all,
Last night before falling asleep I had the clearest thought – “they all knew.” I was thinking about how politics plays out, in that the GOP are protecting their own, regardless of reality.
So later today I looked up what I could, and found out that the “big congressional eight” were briefed back in 2015 about Russian hacking efforts to infiltrate our election processes. They are: GOP – McConnell, Boehner, Burr, & Nunes / DEM – Reid, Pelosi, Schiff, & Feinstein. Boehner was replaced by Ryan – he was also eventually briefed about all this (and even more info was available at the time of Ryan’s briefing).
In other words, the GOP knew back then, and knew now, exactly what was happening. According to the AP, the gang of eight were told, both because of their congressional oversight (and standing) of the many issues the hacking touched, and Obama wanted to publicly release the info as a warning and wanted their input.
Obama wanted to contact all 50-state election heads to inform them of possible systemic weaknesses, along with the concrete programming info they’d need to protect their state voting systems. McConnell, and eventually the other three GOP members, blocked that effort and instead a very weak statement was issued – this was because McConnell threatened that he would spin any info released into a nefarious Dem attempt to influence the election. We all know the result….
The Dems are now hamstrung for two reasons – (a) they don’t have the votes to move forward as a minority in either the House or Senate, and (b) classified info requirements (if only Schiff could release everything he knows!).
The GOP also have those classified info requirements in place, but they certainly have the votes. Yet they will protect their own party over country.
I intuit that come Sept-Oct of this year, those GOP members will be in a heap of trouble because it will come to light “what they knew, and when they knew it.” My intuition is so strong on this one!
Oh yeah. Kushner can't avoid jail time. His business dealings for the last 5-7 years are now under the FBI microscope and he'll be convicted of racketeering (among other things). That word, racketeering, was also REALLY ringing in my head last night. Dang. Wow. This is intensifying for sure....
Jeanne,
There is an audio tape of Paul Ryan accepting money from the Russians for his PAC. No further details yet.
The videotape Kathy wrote about is from a 2013 event in which all the names mentioned in the DTJ email were essentially dining and celebrating together (Trump was bringing his beauty pageant to Russia) - it's not a tape of the meeting that the scandalous email exchange refers to. But it certainly dispels all the stuff about Trump not having any preexisting relationship with the contacts from the email chain.
Doc, Jeanne, and LB: Is there any point in praying that the truth come out regarding Trump, and the GOP leaders? It is maddening to think that all of this evidence is out there somewhere, hidden in the shadows. The notion that Ryan could get away with accepting Russian money and still potentially run for the presidency someday is so frustrating.
Not surprised either, but can someone post a link to a news article either here or on the News page? Thanks!
Doc,
Right on!! THEY ALL KNEW AND ARE COMPLICIT.
Hi Vida.
As enlightened beings, we are responsible to help raise the consciousness of the planet. I believe daily meditation and/or prayer helps to do that. Future events are evolving and changing in part, due to what we are doing in the here and now. Hope that answers your question.
Yes Vida, pray everyday for the truth to come out. Like LB said we can affect change with our daily thoughts. The future is not written in stone, it is ever-changing and we can change it for the better. Right now we have the possibility of things happening, but our thoughts create our reality so keep them positive!
Claude Taylor's Twitter indicates that the meetings with the lawyer were taped by IC ("had ears on" the attorney). I don't believe for a second she is not an agent of the Russian gov. intelligence/Kremlin. There is also conjecture the meeting w/Putin was likely taped (by the Belgians), or transcripts made by a person present int he room- just like the meeting he had with Kisylak and Lavrov in the WH. First, the NYT must have had a copy of the email chain or DTJr would not have released it the way he did. Second, the IC and Congressional investigative committee has way more information on this per Rep Schiff. There are others who conjecture that the Trumps taped this meeting for Trump's use as hours later he announced that there was much that would be revealed soon irt Clinton's emails. Then today: Peter Smith, GOP operative who sought Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, committed suicide.
"However, the Chicago Tribune obtained a Minnesota state death record filed in Olmsted County saying Smith committed suicide in a hotel near the Mayo Clinic at 1:17 p.m. on Sunday, May 14. He was found with a bag over his head with a source of helium attached. A medical examiner's report gives the same account, without specifying the time, and a report from Rochester police further details his suicide.
In the note recovered by police, Smith apologized to authorities and said that "NO FOUL PLAY WHATSOEVER" was involved in his death. He wrote that he was taking his own life because of a "RECENT BAD TURN IN HEALTH SINCE JANUARY, 2017" and timing related "TO LIFE INSURANCE OF $5 MILLION EXPIRING."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-peter-smith-death-met-0713-20170713-story.html I find this suspect as life insurance would not be payable on a suicide.
Oh and this from yesterday on AF1 with the reporters on the flight to France:
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he may have previously heard about his son and top campaign staff meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016, a stunning contradiction of his earlier statements on the matter.
A second, private, G20 meeting between Trump and Putin has now been reported. Story says that the only people in the room were Putin, his Russian interpreter, and Trump.