The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:08 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:34 pm Not all of them enjoy the camaraderie of their fellow pedophiles in a national organization. One has to expect some offshoot organizations and dedicated loners with any interest group.

Of course, those dedicated loners have to stick together.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:23 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:56 pm The fringe right conspiracy theorists have always been pro Branch Davidian and considered Clinton/Reno as an attack on...

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:31 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouwtdH2zt9s

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:34 pm

Welp, I got a new signature line.

edit: the best part of this is that a google search to find the source of that line urges me to correct it as "wank stain launched blitzkrieg on squirrels"

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:54 pm

Where's Hell's Taco when you really, really need him?

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:13 pm

Wanking squirrels. Or something.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:24 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:34 pm edit: the best part of this is that a google search to find the source of that line urges me to correct it as "wank stain launched blitzkrieg on squirrels"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6urQbzYNFcs

Does he dare click on the link?

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:40 pm

Knowing you, it will take me to an episode of a Turkestan version of Top Chef or something.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:32 am

Some info on Trump's new lead attorney, Andrew J. Ekonomou.

tl;dr:

--His law firm specializes in bringing civil and criminal forfeiture proceedings against convenience store owners accused of running video poker machines.
--He's got a history of service to fundraising grifters.
--He has apparently never worked as a defense lawyer.
--Nothing in his career background at all can possibly have prepared him for the Mueller probe.

The. Best. People.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:59 am

In this case, I welcome and applaud the lack of credentials.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 3:30 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:32 amHe's got a history of service to fundraising grifters.

Probably exactly what Trump needs to help escape Mueller when it comes to his charities and how he manages the funds.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 5:21 pm

The scam Nunes memo has been used as justification to look into a variety of "surveillance abuses at the FBI". This is pretty transparently an effort to undermine the Russia investigation in my opinion. Well that is if Huber is a plant. We'll see I guess. Trump apparently is also pressuring Session to name his own Special Counsel to root out malfeasance at the FBI. This is pretty dark stuff potentially. Especially after the Comey firing and then the McCabe IG report and his subsequent firing. Also noteworthy is they still haven't released that report.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:41 pm

The first step in the Trump People's Glorious Revolution is the Purge of the unfairhful, Comrade.

It's like Trump knows a little about Russian history.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Mar 30, 2018 9:25 pm

Trump/Stone associate detained and questioned by FBI.

An American academic with links to President Trump said Friday he was detained and questioned by FBI agents at Logan airport in Boston this week.

Ted Malloch, a regular contributor to the conspiracy theory outlet Infowars, told The Guardian that he was detained by the FBI after flying to Boston from London.

Malloch said the FBI asked him about his involvement in the Trump campaign, his relationship with former campaign adviser Roger Stone and if he had ever visited the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lives.

Malloch once claimed to be Trump’s top pick for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, but The Wall Street Journal reported that he was never being considered. Malloch has been accused in the past of embellishing his biography and accused of making false statements to banks.

Malloch, a vocal critic of the EU, also has a close relationship with former leader of the U.K. Independence Party Nigel Farage, who frequently praises Trump and appeared with him on the campaign trail.

On the one hand, the guy has an AlexJones-level reputation for lying. On the other, I don't think the Guardian would be treating this as news if it were based only on InfoWars ranting.

The WikiLeaks connection goes hand in hand with other recent reporting that Mueller is roping in witnesses and information connected to the DNC email hacks and campaign-period contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia, including around the push to soften sanctions and language on Russia in the GOP platform.

The Farage connection is also interesting, as he is suspected of working with Assange on WikiLeaks (i.e. Russian) interference in the Brexit campaign. And of course he was an active supporter of Trump during the campaign as well, visiting him several times.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Mar 30, 2018 10:31 pm

So it looks like Mueller is going after collusion, and not just obstruction. Will he be allowed to keep going? Can he prove it? And even if he does, will it matter, or are we already too far down the path to autocracy?

I suppose there's also a scenario where he exonerates Trump. Seems far fetched, but I believe that Mueller will go wherever the facts lead. However it plays out, the runup to November's elections is going to be like nothing we've ever seen before.

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:20 am

He has to get collusion or some other crime beyond obstruction. There is no way the Senate convicts on obstruction without an overlaying crime.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:43 am

It may or may not be too late to stop Trump's regime, but the tarnish it will leave on the GOP will last a long time to come.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:25 pm

Fitzy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:20 am He has to get collusion or some other crime beyond obstruction. There is no way the Senate convicts on obstruction without an overlaying crime.

Money laundering should be a slam-dunk, but that's not going to be enough, particularly if it was before the campaign.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 1:41 pm

Kraken wrote:
Fitzy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:20 am He has to get collusion or some other crime beyond obstruction. There is no way the Senate convicts on obstruction without an overlaying crime.
Money laundering should be a slam-dunk, but that's not going to be enough, particularly if it was before the campaign.

Depends on whether it can be shown to have influenced decisions later.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 1:16 pm

Moliere wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:37 pm Mueller charges lawyer with lying in Russia probe

A man who communicated with former Trump campaign adviser Richard Gates has pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election interference.

Attorney Alex Van Der Zwaan was charged with making “materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations” to the special counsel’s office and FBI agents, according to a court filing released Tuesday morning.

He entered a guilty plea on Tuesday afternoon.

Van Der Zwaan allegedly lied about his last communications with Gates and then deleted emails requested by the special counsel’s office, according to the indictment.

He allegedly did so as part of his work for a firm hired by the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to prepare a report on the trial of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister of Ukraine.

30 days

Dutch lawyer Alex van der Zwaan, 33, was sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying to investigators about contacts with ex-Trump aide Rick Gates.

He struck a plea deal in February.

Van der Zwaan is the son-in-law of one of Russia's richest men and was the 19th person to be charged by special counsel Robert Mueller.
...
In court on Tuesday, Van der Zwaan was also fined $20,000 and sentenced to two months of supervised release.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:19 pm

30 days? That seems low...should some folks be looking over their shoulders?

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:18 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:19 pm 30 days? That seems low...should some folks be looking over their shoulders?

Popehat has a twitter thread on this. If I understand it, he finds it unusual in that there is jail time at all.

Somewhat unusual for a conviction for lying to feds (18 USC 1001) with a Sentencing Guideline range of 0-6 months. Probation or at least home detention would be more typical for a first-time offender. Will be interested to hear judge's rationale.

Some complications here include that he is a Dutch national, so long-term probation is not really enforceable.

He has been fired from his UK lawyer job, and this kind of stain probably ends his career for good.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:10 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:18 pm
Some complications here include that he is a Dutch national, so long-term probation is not really enforceable.

It's not like we won't know where he is 24/7. Those friggin' wooden shoes make a horrible racket.

msteelers · Post by **msteelers** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:01 pm

I don’t know what to make of the latest from the Washington Post.

Mueller reportedly told Trumps lawyers that he is a subject, not a target.

I’m not smart enough to know exactly what that means. But I fear we’re going to see Mueller release a report saying “the president did some shady stuff, but we can’t prove he broke the law”. Maybe worse yet, he delivers a blistering report on Trump but determines he can’t bring charges against a sitting president, so he leaves it up to congress to impeach him. I don’t see any way Republicans on capital hill go along with that. Even if Democrats take the House, I don’t see 60 votes in the senate.

**Im posting from my phone, so formatting might be off.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:10 pm

I was subjected to some Fox News at the gym tonight, and Hannity flat out said Rosenstein needs to go at one point. Seems like the Fox News pundits are in full fledged attack mode on the Muller investigation and can't wait for it to end.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:20 pm

IDK what that means, either -- maybe just a diplomatic way of saying that the investigation does not specifically intend to take down the president. As I've said all along, I believe Mueller's investigation is thorough and fair, and I will accept his conclusions as factual, even if they exonerate Trump himself. That would be both surprising and disappointing, but Mueller's facts are as close to objective truth as we are going to get.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:35 pm

msteelers wrote: ↑Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:01 pm I don’t know what to make of the latest from the Washington Post.

Mueller reportedly told Trumps lawyers that he is a subject, not a target.

I’m not smart enough to know exactly what that means. But I fear we’re going to see Mueller release a report saying “the president did some shady stuff, but we can’t prove he broke the law”. Maybe worse yet, he delivers a blistering report on Trump but determines he can’t bring charges against a sitting president, so he leaves it up to congress to impeach him. I don’t see any way Republicans on capital hill go along with that. Even if Democrats take the House, I don’t see 60 votes in the senate.

**Im posting from my phone, so formatting might be off.

Maybe it will say they were unable to prove he intended to break the law.

That would be hillaryious.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:24 am

Mr. Fed reminds:

Calling Trump a "subject" by no means says that he is not suspected of criminal wrongdoing. It also fits with Mueller's belief (or so it is said) that a sitting president cannot be indicted but must be impeached. Mueller's role would be to repair a report for Congress, which is what he is doing.

PLW · Post by **PLW** » Wed Apr 04, 2018 8:06 am

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:24 am Mueller's role would be to repair a report for Congress, which is what he is doing.

Well... the House Intel Committee report needs a lot of work. He should start there.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:47 pm

Just had a great lunch with Julian Assange.....

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Apr 04, 2018 10:36 pm

...and boy are my arms tired?

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Thu Apr 05, 2018 1:03 pm

Probably his nose. Reports are Assange is not familiar with hygiene.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu Apr 05, 2018 7:38 pm

CNN

Corey Lewandowski had a blunt message for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee: He wasn't going to answer their "fucking" questions.
...
But Lewandowski, who agreed to come back to the committee a second time in March after initially refusing to answer questions about topics occurring once he left the campaign in June 2016, was in no mood to give Democrats anything they wanted, saying he would only answer "relevant" questions.

And, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the Trump confidante repeatedly swore at Democratic lawmakers to make the point he wasn't going to talk further.

I'm not answering your "fucking" question, Lewandowski shouted at one point.

Democrats, including Rep. Jackie Speier, fired back at Lewandowski, who was not moved, multiple sources said.

Democrats said that Lewandowski wouldn't discuss the firing of FBI Director James Comey, the White House response to revelations that Donald Trump Jr. met with Russians in Trump Tower in June 2016 and his conversations with the President, among other topics.

Republicans sided with Lewandowski, saying he had spent hours before the panel answering questions pertinent to the inquiry.

And in an interview this week, Lewandowski did not dispute using those words.

"I had to repeat on multiple occasions that there was no collusion, cooperation or coordination because the Democrats couldn't understand my plain English way of speaking," Lewandowski told CNN.

After this story published, Lewandowski told CNN that Democrats on the committee were the first to use foul language during his testimony, saying, "I felt the need to respond in kind." He said he did not shout at the members.

"The language they used in the committee was appalling," Lewandowski said. "I've never heard such language used before."

Lewandowski said he did "not recall" precisely what was said, and declined to name the Democratic members of the committee he was referring to.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Apr 06, 2018 5:11 pm

I think this is a good place to mention that south Korea gave former president Park 24 years after convicting her of corruption charges.

*Hint, hint*

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 2:32 pm

Politico

A judge handling one of the criminal cases against Paul Manafort has again denied bail to the former Trump campaign chairman, but this time the court gave Manafort what could amount to a financial road map to securing his release.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in an order Monday that Manafort had again fallen short in the latest of several attempts to assemble money, property and pledges to meet the $10 million bail amount she set in the money-laundering and unregistered foreign lobbying case brought against him in Washington by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The new order is the latest development in an unusually prolonged bail saga for the longtime political consultant, who has been under house arrest since his first court appearance in the case last October.
...
However, Jackson said other properties could make up a bail package for Manafort, including his Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, home and his condo in Trump Tower in New York. The judge cautioned that Manafort would have to show that he "is current on his mortgage obligation" for the Trump Tower apartment. Manafort at one point fell behind on payments, something his attorneys blamed on a change in a bill-paying vendor.

The Virginia indictment has complicated the bail situation further, since Manafort is now subject to the rulings of two judges. The judge in Alexandria, T.S. Ellis III, initially ordered what he called "home incarceration" for Manafort at his Alexandria condo under conditions similar to the ones Jackson imposed.

However, Ellis has indicated he'd considering lifting some of those conditions if Manafort were to post enough money or assets to ensure that he would appear for future court dates.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 4:05 pm

The FBI raided the offices of Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, today, after a referral by Mueller.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 4:24 pm

Well that's blowing up all over the news now. Must of just happened. Nothing to see here. Totally normal... Except on Fox News. Weird.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 4:28 pm

pr0ner wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 4:05 pm The FBI raided the offices of Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, today, after a referral by Mueller.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 5:07 pm

What I'm seeing in the coverage:

--This is the real deal, as warrants have been served on office, home, and hotel room.

--Stormy Daniels is obviously the sexy topic, but reporters are claiming to have been told it is just one of several.

--It's being done under the auspices of the Southern District of New York, which is at least thought to be investigating Trump money laundering (incl. to oligarchs).

--That this isn't Mueller's team suggests that at least a second, separate criminal investigation has been opened into the Trump circle.

--Right-wing punditry is claiming that this is the end of Mueller because it violates attorney-client privilege, presumably because the DOJ doesn't know about attorney-client privilege.

--Popehat first impressions: this is a BFD, and it could only have happened after much high-level multiple review and strong belief that the search is the only way to get access to evidence of a federal crime, Kochise.

--Expect Trump to announce that Michael Cohen was a Trump Org volunteer many years ago and that they have actually probably never met.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Mon Apr 09, 2018 5:13 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Apr 09, 2018 5:07 pm --Expect Trump to announce that Michael Cohen was a Trump Org volunteer many years ago and that they have actually probably never met.

Or "No cOLUSION!1!!"