The Goat Pen

Here's the back and forth: Alt-right webguy Mark Levine(?) makes the wiretapping allegation Fri am, Breitbart publishes his story Fri pm, and after a few late night cocktails Trump tweets about illegal phone tapp[sic], McCarthyism, oprama as a bad (sick) guy, and crowing about Arnold leaving The Apprentice. That was the 'back.'

The forth: Clapper, head of National Intelligence, said no way. Comey, Dir. of the FBI, said it didn't happen (and is hellbent on getting that verified by the DOJ).

So there's your back and forth.

CNN is preparing an documentary on Trump drinking stolichnaya, a RUSSIAN vodka. It gets worse: Mike Pence admitted to reading a book by Tolstoi - a RUSSIAN! - back in college. And it is being reported that Jeff Sessions likes "The Nutcracker," written by - a RUSSIAN! - Tchaikovsky.

All must resign immediately.

Tick, was this the same Clapper that assured the American public that the NSA was not spying on Americans?

One thing's for sure - one prez accusing the outgoing prez of high crimes and misdemeanors, whether in a drunken tweet or not, means there's now going to be a major congressional investigation.

Trillions of dollars spent on defense yet the thing that may ultimately save America is Twitter. Amazing! Not Sad!

I'm also surprised to hear that you are quoting Comey in a positive light. Last week he was right below - the RUSSIANS! - on the list of reasons Hillary lost.

If he asked the DOJ to say they didn't do the wiretaps, then I'm sure that statement will be forthcoming. But everyone should pay attention to the wording. In a FISA case, the DOJ doesn't "order" the wiretaps. It's the FISA court that orders the wiretaps, not the DOJ. Remember that distinction when the DOJ makes any statement.

A non-moron would find it troubling that a FISA court found probable cause for a wiretap. But, you go ahead and keep acting like this Russia stuff is a non-issue.

Professor Tiger wrote:I'm also surprised to hear that you are quoting Comey in a positive light. Last week he was right below - the RUSSIANS! - on the list of reasons Hillary lost.

I'm surprised by how somebody can talk out of both sides of their mouth and wonder why their credibility is shot to hell.

Professor Tiger wrote:No. I still think he is a lunatic. I'm just waiting for him to do something really lunatic before I put his ear on a string. It won't take long. And when he does, I'll mind your pikes and torches for you.

Cletus wrote:A non-moron would find it troubling that a FISA court found probable cause for a wiretap. But, you go ahead and keep acting like this Russia stuff is a non-issue.

Cletus, did you watch Maher become almost unglued when Jeffery Lord told him Friday night that not one of the November 8th voting machines (anywhere in the United States) were hacked? Maher is so delusional as to think that there are some other ways a POTUS can be elected other than the ballots cast in the actual machines! The only Russian "evidence" that exists is...

Russia tried (and succeeded) in hacking the DNC webservers

That is it. That is all that there is. The DNC needs to fire all their IT people. There is NO evidence of the following...

• That Russia DIDN'T try to hack the RNC webservers
• That Trump was in anyway linked to Russia hacking the DNC webservers
• That any voting machines anywhere in the United States were hacked
• That Russia has anything on Trump in which to blackmail our POTUS

I have a former boss who is a Russian national. I worked for him for 4 years. We used to go out for lunch and drinks all the time. I probably have more connections to Russia than Donald Trump has. Does that make me a security risk if I came into a position of power in government?

Tick, the proposition that Trump is a lunatic and the proposition that the Dem's are grasping at straws to take down the lunatic are not mutually exclusive. Some day you will cry wolf, and there will actually be a wolf, and I will say "go get him." But we aren't there yet.

And Cletus, FISA courts have the reputation of being deferential to the requesting intel or law enforcement community. But if they found probable cause for a wiretap of Trump's people being Secret agents of the Russians, I'd like to see that evidence. That's because the current definition of treason includes talking to the Russian ambassador, but only if you are a Republican.

Professor Tiger wrote:That's because the current definition of treason includes talking to the Russian ambassador, but only if you are a Republican.

(applauds tiger)

AlabamAlum wrote:I disagree.

This is, at best, deceptive and obfuscatory on Sessions part. It's not something false or made-up. He said, in front of Congress, in a hearing, "I did not have communications with the Russians." Now can he invoke deniability by saying, "Oh, sure, I talked to Russians, but I meant we didn't discuss the campaign when we talked."? I guess he can. It's what he's doing now, but asking him these questions is not a 'boy crying wolf' scenario and it needs to be asked. Directly and pointedly.

Questions about the Russians is very relevent now because our own intelligence agencies believe the Russians worked to influence the results of a presidential election. That in mind, we should have no tolerance of obfuscatory or deceptive half answers in regard to a question about dealings with the Russians in a hearing in front of Congress. And when we get those deceptive half answers, appropriate follow-up should be granted.

Sessions was asked if he knew of any contacts by members of the Trump campaign. Sessions was not a member of the campaign and his meeting with ambassador was in clear view of everybody and in his Senate office as member of armed services committee. How was it a lie?

Franken: "what would you do if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign?"

Sessions: "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn't have.. did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it."

note: Sen. Sessions was introduced on March 3rd, 2016 by Donald Trump as the campaign's chairman of the National Security Advisory committee

There again - Hillary's tit has already been in the ringer.

Somebody else's turn now. ::smileyfuckingface::

I blame Bush...
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Learn your newspeak. The Ministry of Truth says Bush was great.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-left-l ... 1488499163

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... the-media/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ome-return

https://thinkprogress.org/president-geo ... .xju80s9be

lol Certainly nobody's blaming Blush for this shitshow.

I've really liked the guy in his retirement. He treated oprama fairly for the most part - stayed true to the President's Boys Club rule about not knocking another member. He's showing the same restraint with Dumbass J. Trump but you get the sense he can't stand him. Dubya plays golf, paints inside the lines, does the occasional charity gig and all the while carries himself with dignity. I bet his poll numbers are the best they've ever been (at least since the 9/11 bullhorn).

Glad you brought up the Dub, toe. We could use some of his counsel about now.

It's my understanding that BHO asked for a FISA probe on Trump and was turned down so they came back with a request for a probe on his staff and that was granted. Essentially wire tapping Trump.

10ac wrote:It's my understanding that BHO asked for a FISA probe on Trump and was turned down so they came back with a request for a probe on his staff and that was granted. Essentially wire tapping Trump.

Who is your source?

Despite Comey's pleas to the DOJ to dismiss the wiretap story, they haven't so far:

Over the weekend, senior-level officials within the FBI reached out to career personnel at the Justice Department to try to clear up reports that Obama wire-tapped Trump's phone, a US official told CNN. Part of the discussion was the FBI asking for DOJ to publicly knock down the allegations, which so far DOJ has not done.
Comey was aware of those discussions, the US official said, but Comey himself did not reach out to DOJ over the weekend.
Comey was frustrated that his request for DOJ to knock down the story went unanswered over the weekend, according to the source familiar with the matter, and the FBI director is still trying to figure an appropriate channel for the FBI and DOJ to formally come out and say the allegations are not true.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/06/politics/ ... index.html.