Thursday, March 02, 2017

The NY Times Could Not Stand Trump's Successful Address to Congress: Bring Out The Russians, Again

Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking

"Obama means to follow through on the principle he articulated repeatedly in the 2008 election campaign: that diplomacy is not some kind of reward for good behaviour, but rather an essential component in any nation's toolkit."- Oboma 2009





President Obama in December. Some in his administration feared that intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election could be covered up or destroyed. Al Drago/The New York Times 

WASHINGTON — In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government. Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections, and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.

American allies, including the British and the Dutch, had provided information describing meetings in European cities between Russian officials — and others close to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin — and associates of President-elect Trump, according to three former American officials who requested anonymity in discussing classified intelligence.

Separately, American intelligence agencies had intercepted communications of Russian officials, some of them within the Kremlin, discussing contacts with Trump associates.

The disclosures about the contacts came as new questions were raised about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s ties to the Russians. According to a former senior American official, he met with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak, twice in the past year. The details of the meetings were not clear, but the contact appeared to contradict testimony Mr. Sessions provided Congress during his confirmation hearing in January when he said he “did not have communications with the Russians.”

Mr. Sessions said in a statement late Wednesday that he “never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign.”

“I have no idea what this allegation is about,” he said. “It is false.”
Mr. Trump has denied that his campaign had any contact with Russian officials, and at one point he openly suggested that American spy agencies had cooked up intelligence suggesting that the Russian government had tried to meddle in the presidential election. Mr. Trump has accused the Obama administration of hyping the Russia story line as a way to discredit his new administration.



In this footage from his confirmation hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he “did not have communications with the Russians.” A Justice Department official more recently said Mr. Sessions had two conversations with Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES on  March 2, 2017. Photo by Al Drago/The New York Times. Watch in Times Video »

At the Obama White House, Mr. Trump’s statements stoked fears among some that intelligence could be covered up or destroyed — or its sources exposed — once power changed hands. What followed was a push to preserve the intelligence that underscored the deep anxiety with which the White House and American intelligence agencies had come to view the threat from Moscow.

It also reflected the suspicion among many in the Obama White House that the Trump campaign might have colluded with Russia on election email hacks — a suspicion that American officials say has not been confirmed. Former senior Obama administration officials said that none of the efforts were directed by Mr. Obama.

Sean Spicer, the Trump White House spokesman, said, “The only new piece of information that has come to light is that political appointees in the Obama administration have sought to create a false narrative to make an excuse for their own defeat in the election.” He added, “There continues to be no there, there.”
As Inauguration Day approached, Obama White House officials grew convinced that the intelligence was damning and that they needed to ensure that as many people as possible inside government could see it, even if people without security clearances could not. Some officials began asking specific questions at intelligence briefings, knowing the answers would be archived and could be easily unearthed by investigators — including the Senate Intelligence Committee, which in early January announced an inquiry into Russian efforts to influence the election.
At intelligence agencies, there was a push to process as much raw intelligence as possible into analyses, and to keep the reports at a relatively low classification level to ensure as wide a readership as possible across the government — and, in some cases, among European allies. This allowed the upload of as much intelligence as possible to Intellipedia, a secret wiki used by American analysts to share information.

There was also an effort to pass reports and other sensitive materials to Congress. In one instance, the State Department sent a cache of documents marked “secret” to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland days before the Jan. 20 inauguration. The documents, detailing Russian efforts to intervene in elections worldwide, were sent in response to a request from Mr. Cardin, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and were shared with Republicans on the panel.




President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik 

“This situation was serious, as is evident by President Obama’s call for a review — and as is evident by the United States response,” said Eric Schultz, a spokesman for Mr. Obama. “When the intelligence community does that type of comprehensive review, it is standard practice that a significant amount of information would be compiled and documented.”

The opposite happened with the most sensitive intelligence, including the names of sources and the identities of foreigners who were regularly monitored. Officials tightened the already small number of people who could access that information. They knew the information could not be kept from the new president or his top advisers, but wanted to narrow the number of people who might see the information, officials said.

More than a half-dozen current and former officials described various aspects of the effort to preserve and distribute the intelligence, and some said they were speaking to draw attention to the material and ensure proper investigation by Congress. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified information, nearly all of which remains secret, making an independent public assessment of the competing Obama and Trump administration claims impossible.

The F.B.I. is conducting a wide-ranging counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election, and is examining alleged links between Mr. Trump’s associates and the Russian government. Separately, the House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting their own investigations, though they must rely on information collected by the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies.
On Wednesday, a Justice Department official confirmed that Mr. Sessions had two conversations with Ambassador Kislyak last year, when he was still a senator, despite testifying at his Jan. 10 confirmation hearing that he had no contact with the Russians. At that hearing, Mr. Sessions was asked what he would do if it turned out to be true that anyone affiliated with the Trump team had communicated with the Russian government in the course of the campaign. He said he was “not aware of any of those activities.”

“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,” Mr. Sessions said at the time.

However, Justice officials acknowledged that Mr. Sessions had spoken with Mr. Kislyak twice: once, among a group of ambassadors who approached him at a Heritage Foundation event during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July and, separately, in an office meeting on Sept. 8. The contacts were first reported by The Washington Post.

Sarah Isgur Flores, Mr. Sessions’s spokeswoman, said “there was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer” because he did not communicate with the ambassador in his capacity as a Trump campaign surrogate. She said Mr. Sessions had at least 25 conversations in 2016 with ambassadors from a range of nations — including Britain, Japan, China, Germany and Russia — while on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The revelation prompted congressional Democrats to issue a torrent of statements reiterating their demands that Mr. Sessions recuse himself from overseeing any investigation into Russia’s contacts with the Trump campaign. So far, Mr. Sessions has demurred.

Representative Adam B. Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday that if the reports about Mr. Sessions were accurate, “it is essential that he recuse himself from any role in the investigation of Trump campaign ties to the Russians.” Mr. Schiff added, “This is not even a close call; it is a must.”

Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader of the House, called on Mr. Sessions to resign, saying on Twitter that “he is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country.”

A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, backed up Mr. Sessions late Wednesday, calling the accusations “the latest attack against the Trump administration by partisan Democrats.”




Dan Coats, President Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, has pledged cooperation in investigating the Russia allegations. Al Drago/The New York Times 

At a CNN town hall on Wednesday, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said he did not know if there was anything between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But he added that if there was, “it is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump.”
At his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, former Senator Dan Coats, Mr. Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that “I think it’s our responsibility to provide you access to all that you need.”

Some Obama White House officials had little faith that a Trump administration would make good on such pledges, and the efforts to preserve the intelligence continued until the administration’s final hours. This was partly because intelligence was still being collected and analyzed, but it also reflected the sentiment among many administration officials that they had not recognized the scale of the Russian campaign until it was too late.

The warning signs had been building throughout the summer, but were far from clear. As WikiLeaks was pushing out emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee through online publication, American intelligence began picking up conversations in which Russian officials were discussing contacts with Trump associates, and European allies were starting to pass along information about people close to Mr. Trump meeting with Russians in the Netherlands, Britain and other countries.

But what was going on in the meetings was unclear to the officials, and the intercepted communications did little to clarify matters — the Russians, it appeared, were arguing about how far to go in interfering in the presidential election. What intensified the alarm at the Obama White House was a campaign of cyberattacks on state electoral systems in September, which led the administration to deliver a public accusation against the Russians in October.
But it wasn’t until after the election, and after more intelligence had come in, that the administration began to grasp the scope of the suspected tampering and concluded that one goal of the campaign was to help tip the election in Mr. Trump’s favor. In early December, Mr. Obama ordered the intelligence community to conduct a full assessment of the Russian campaign.




Got a confidential news tip? 

The New York Times would like to hear from readers who want to share messages and materials with our journalists. 

In the weeks before the assessment was released in January, the intelligence community combed through databases for an array of communications and other information — some of which was months old by then — and began producing reports that showed there were contacts during the campaign between Trump associates and Russian officials.

The nature of the contacts remains unknown. Several of Mr. Trump’s associates have done business in Russia, and it is unclear if any of the contacts were related to business dealings.

The New York Times, citing four current and former officials, reported last month that the American authorities had obtained information of repeated contacts between Mr. Trump’s associates and senior Russian intelligence officials. The White House has dismissed the story as false.

Since the Feb. 14 article appeared, more than a half-dozen officials have confirmed contacts of various kinds between Russians and Trump associates. The label “intelligence official” is not always cleanly applied in Russia, where ex-spies, oligarchs and government officials often report back to the intelligence services and elsewhere in the Kremlin.

Steven L. Hall, the former head of Russia operations at the C.I.A., said that Mr. Putin was surrounded by a cast of characters, and that it was “fair to say that a good number of them come from an intelligence or security background. Once an intel guy, always an intel guy in Russia.”

The concerns about the contacts were cemented by a series of phone calls between Mr. Kislyak and Michael T. Flynn, who had been poised to become Mr. Trump’s national security adviser. The calls began on Dec. 29, shortly after Mr. Kislyak was summoned to the State Department and informed that, in retaliation for Russian election meddling, the United States was expelling 35 suspected Russian intelligence operatives and imposing other sanctions. Mr. Kislyak was irate and threatened a forceful Russia response, according to people familiar with the exchange.

But a day later, Mr. Putin said his government would not retaliate, prompting a Twitter post from Mr. Trump praising the Russian president — and puzzling Obama White House officials.

On Jan. 2, administration officials learned that Mr. Kislyak — after leaving the State Department meeting — called Mr. Flynn, and that the two talked multiple times in the 36 hours that followed. American intelligence agencies routinely wiretap the phones of Russian diplomats, and transcripts of the calls showed that Mr. Flynn urged the Russians not to respond, saying relations would improve once Mr. Trump was in office, according to multiple current and former officials.
Beyond leaving a trail for investigators, the Obama administration also wanted to help European allies combat a threat that had caught the United States off guard. American intelligence agencies made it clear in the declassified version of the intelligence assessment released in January that they believed Russia intended to use its attacks on the United States as a template for more meddling. “We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned,” the report said, “to future influence efforts worldwide, including against U.S. allies.”

FINAL WORD TO OBAMA

143 comments:

  1. Sure, Obama in a late resurgence of patriotic fervor discovered he was related to Paul Revere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. THE FACTS BEHIND THE DISTORTIONS

    Sessions’s spokesperson at the Department of Justice, Sarah Isgur Flores, says his answer in January was truthful because he was asked about “the Trump campaign — not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee.”

    The Post does not provide the full transcript of the question, from Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), and Sessions’s answer. Instead it summarizes the exchange in a way that makes it seem that Sessions was asked if there was any contact at all between the campaign and representatives of the Russian government.

    In fact, what Sessions was asked about was sustained, ongoing communications — a core accusation in the dubious “dossier.”

    Here, via C-SPAN, is the transcript:

    Franken: CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week, that included information that “Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.” These documents also allegedly say “there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.” Again, I’m telling you this as it’s coming out, so you know. But if it’s true, it’s obviously extremely serious, and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?

    Sessions: Senator Franken, I’m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.

    Franken: Very well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Note that Sessions was not actually asked whether he or anyone affiliated with the campaign had any kind of communication with the Russians, ever. He was asked, first, about “a continuing exchange of information” — repeated contacts between the campaign and representatives of the Russian government.

      In the full context of Franken’s remarks, it is clear that Sessions was asked about the allegations in the dossier, and he denied such “communications” to the extent of his ability to do so.

      In another, written question, the Post notes that Sessions was asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) whether he had “been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day” (emphasis added). Sessions answered, simply, “no.” And there is no evidence in the Post nor elsewhere to cast doubt on that claim.

      The New York Times covers the story and adds an interesting wrinkle — namely, that Obama administration officials did whatever they could to distribute information within the government about alleged contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian intermediaries. (The Times calls this an attempt to “preserve” evidence, which would have been a departure from the Obama administration’s more typical practice of hiding evidence on personal email accounts and hidden email servers.)

      That suggests a coordinated hit job, including espionage against the Russian ambassador, and possibly against members of the Trump campaign, even in their unrelated activities.

      Delete
    2. Regardless, as Flores noted to the Post, Sessions had meetings with “more than 25” ambassadors. The Post lists several of those, but leaves out one crucial country: Ukraine, whose emissary Sessions met the day before meeting with Kislyak. If Sessions was trying to back the Russians, that was an odd way to do it.

      House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is calling on Sessions to resign, and the Democratic National Committee is already out with a list-building email, sent Wednesday evening: “BREAKING: Jeff Sessions may have perjured himself.”

      But it is all just more “fake news.” A chance greeting at a public event, and a Senate meeting in the course of his official duties, do not add up to anything, and the full transcript — also omitted by the Times — makes it clear Sessions told the truth.

      Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

      Delete
  3. The Fart of Democrats won a round with Flynn. Trump should just say, Nyet!

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  4. I wish I could say what I really think.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the idea that Senate Arms Services Committee Members talk to Russian Officials

    ReplyDelete
  6. They're all a bunch of turds these days.

    Here they are:

    SOROS’S SMEAR SCRIPTS
    Welcome to the vast, mega-financed leftist astroturf campaign against President Trump.
    March 2, 2017 Matthew Vadum

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/265980/soross-smear-scripts-matthew-vadum

    Valerie Jarrett is reported to be moving in with the Obamas to advise on the counter attack.

    They're all a bunch of swine.

    ReplyDelete
  7. TIME MACHINE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TALKING AND DIALOG

    Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington

    Thursday 8 January 2009 22.18 EST First published on Thursday 8 January 2009 22.18 EST GUARDIAN

    The incoming Obama administration is prepared to abandon George Bush's ­doctrine of isolating Hamas by establishing a channel to the Islamist organisation, sources close to the transition team say.

    The move to open contacts with Hamas, which could be initiated through the US intelligence services, would represent a definitive break with the Bush ­presidency's ostracising of the group. The state department has designated Hamas a terrorist organisation, and in 2006 ­Congress passed a law banning US financial aid to the group.

    The Guardian has spoken to three ­people with knowledge of the discussions in the Obama camp. There is no talk of Obama approving direct diplomatic negotiations with Hamas early on, but he is being urged by advisers to initiate low-level or clandestine approaches, and there is growing recognition in Washington that the policy of ostracising Hamas is counter-productive.


    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas

    ReplyDelete
  8. I suppose that if it is a good idea to talk to Hamas, it must be an ever better idea to be talking with nuked up Russia that borders all of Eastern Europe and NATO, an alliance where an attack on one is an attack on all.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hamas talk good
    Russia talk no good

    ReplyDelete
  10. Talking to Hamas is a step toward peace

    The first response to word that Barack Obama is prepared to make contact – albeit low-level and clandestine – with Hamas should be caution.

    For one thing, the very act of revealing such a move can make it less likely. If the Obama camp comes under heavy criticism from those opposed to engagement with Hamas, it may be forced to deny it countenanced the idea at all. Obama has been super-careful to say next to nothing during the Gaza crisis – and certainly nothing at odds with the Bush administration. He would clearly not have chosen to make this policy shift public. (That said, it's bound to be welcomed by those in the Muslim world who have been angered by his virtual silence this last fortnight.)

    Second, even the limited opening to Hamas apparently under discussion in the Obama circle is pretty conditional. It seems to be premised either on Hamas taking a "decisive drubbing" in Gaza or on a reconciliation with Fatah. Neither of those outcomes is guaranteed.

    Nevertheless, those of us who have long believed that peace depends on engaging with all parties to a conflict – and that peace is made with your enemies rather than with your friends – have reason to be cheered by this news, tentative as it is.

    It suggests that Obama means to follow through on the principle he articulated repeatedly in the 2008 election campaign: that diplomacy is not some kind of reward for good behaviour, but rather an essential component in any nation's toolkit. The US would never foreswear the use of force to advance its vital interests, yet the Bush administration did precisely that with diplomacy – denying itself that essential tool when it came to the nations it consigned to outer darkness: the axis of evil trio of Iraq, Iran and North Korea, along with Syria and, of course, Hamas.

    Obama promised to do things differently, saying he would even speak to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if it would help. The one group he seemed least keen to meet was Hamas, placing clear and steep conditions on any dialogue. Indeed in April 2008 he slapped down former president Jimmy Carter for meeting the Islamist movement. "We must not negotiate with a terrorist group intent on Israel's destruction," Obama said. "We should only sit down with Hamas if they renounce terrorism, recognise Israel's right to exist and abide by past agreements."

    Thursday 8 January 2009 16.23 EST First published on Thursday 8 January 2009 16.23 EST

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jan/08/barack-obama-gaza-hamas

    ReplyDelete
  11. Obama often had visitors from The Muslim Brotherhood in The White House.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thankfully those days are over, at least for a while.

      Delete
    2. PAPER: Valerie Jarrett moves into Obama's new DC home...

      Nerve center for insurgency....DRUDGE

      Delete
    3. He ought to take up painting and keep his pie hole shut.

      Delete
  12. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. .

    Stop it, you're killing me.

    The cover up is usually worse than the crime. If Flynn hadn't lied to the VP who then passed on that lie to the country, he could have weathered the storm and would now still be NSA. The fact that he is not, Trump blames on the media.

    Of course, Sessions should not be heading up the investigation. These guys are too clever by half and now it's catching up to them.

    And Trump, he has blamed the judiciary, Congress , the Dems, left wing agitators, the generals for that young guy's death in Yemen, 'the media' (mostly for pointing out that many of his claims are bullshit), Hollywood, Obama, the intelligence agencies, it's Trump's Chaos Theory government.

    Does anyone notice the one person that is never at fault?

    It is so obvious it would be funny as hell if it weren't for the fact that he is president.

    Well, that and that he is whipping the fringe part of his base into a frenzy, the Sovereign Nation guys, the nativists, the bigots, the white supremacists, all the alt-right wing nuts, the usual suspects.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's too bad you didn't put IMO in front of that rant, because that's all it is.

      Delete
    2. Actually it's a recitation of the programming he exposes himself to daily.

      True Believer

      Delete
  14. Any good lawyer will tell you in a deposition, answer the question asked, as it is asked.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sessions was asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for answers to written questions, including if he had

      been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day?”

      Delete
  15. Trump had a great day and the Washington Post was holding this crap for such a day because they want to destroy Trump.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I would concede nothing, get in the game and investigate Clinton.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Obama, Franken, Pelosi good, Sessions bad, my MSM Savant "Quirk" tells me so.

    Which is more full of shit, the NY Times article, Obama, or Quirk?

    Obama and the Times: Major League, Pelosi senile, Quirk, well everybody here knows...

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm a Jewish American who worked with Steve Bannon. He is not a racist or an anti-Semite

    Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) called White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon “a stone cold racist and a white supremacist sympathizer” in an interview on MSNBC. Steven Goldstein, executive director for the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect wants the president to fire Bannon because he is a “notorious anti-Semite.”

    As a Jewish American who worked with Bannon at Breitbart News, I am certain these characterizations are false. They are the leading edge of a distortion campaign that mislabels Bannon as virulently prejudiced, anti-immigrant and a cultural fascist.

    In the six years I have known Bannon, I have never heard him make a single racist or anti-Semitic comment.

    Since the election, the far left has engaged in a vicious crusade against Bannon in an effort to discredit President Trump. Banners adorn Manhattan buildings, demanding that Congress “Impeach Bannon.” The Chicago Tribune recently opined the president should banish his advisor...

    http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-shapiro-steve-bannon-is-not-racist-or-antisemitic-20170302-story.html

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'd investigate Quirk.

    It's obvious to me he lurks behind all this nonsense someway or other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have a 'rule of thumb'.

      If it's nonsense, Quirk lurks near.

      Delete
    2. He can't draw himself away from the tube.

      Blames the wife.

      Sad

      Delete
    3. Yeah I've noticed that....always blaming the wife....or the mutt.

      Really sad.

      Delete
    4. Wish I could think of something to do for the poor fellow, but I really can't think of a thing.

      Delete


  20. Sessions Under Fire: GOP Rushes to Eat Their Own Again

    Some Republicans quick to pile on as Trump attorney general targeted by media, leaks

    In January, Sessions was asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for answers to written questions, including if he had “been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day?”

    The attorney general was not asked if he had been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government for any reason during the entire course of the year.

    http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/gop-rushes-eat/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. During a CNN town hall on Wednesday night, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sessions couldn't be trusted to investigate the Trump administration.

      "If there is something there and it goes up the chain of investigation, it is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make that decision about Trump," said Graham.

      ===

      Graham and Quirk deserve the Khadafy treatment.

      Delete
    2. Democratic Senator Defends Sessions
      Manchin tells CNN that meetings between senators and ambassadors are routine

      "What we are seeing is a lot of political theater," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on "Morning Joe."

      "This morning, everyone is in high dudgeon about the meeting," Cruz continued. "The underlying meeting is a nothing burger. It's what senators do every day. Meeting with foreign ambassadors, that's part of the job," he said.

      "I think everyone is getting all worked up because it's a chance to beat up the attorney general and to beat up the president," said Cruz.

      Delete
  21. You’re just going to love Rachel Dolezal’s new name
    POSTED AT 9:21 AM ON MARCH 2, 2017 BY JAZZ SHAW


    Rachel Dolezal, the former head of Spokane, Washington’s NAACP chapter who claimed to be black before her parents ‘outed’ her as white, officially changed her name to Nkechi Amare Diallo in a Washington court in October, legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com show.

    Nkechi, short for Nkechinyere, is a name that originates from the Igbo language of Nigeria and means ‘what god has given’ or ‘gift of god.’

    Diallo, meaning ‘bold,’ is a last name of Fula origin. The Fula people are a Muslim ethnic group thought to have roots in the Middle East and North Africa, who are now widely dispersed across West Africa.


    http://hotair.com/archives/2017/03/02/youre-just-going-to-love-rachel-dolezals-new-name/


    She's crazy as hell but harmless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just changed my name too, back to Bob, since there are no other Bobs around here now.

      Besides I didn't want to be thought of as a hick any longer....

      Delete
  22. Quirk:

    "The cover up is usually worse than the crime."

    Sessions should be tossed for covering up...

    Nothing


    Moron

    ReplyDelete
  23. Quirk needs a Type C USB Connector Implant.

    Then the Daily MSM Programming package could be transferred in one convenient download.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now there's a great idea.

      One early morning zap and the boy would be set for the day.

      Delete
  24. "Cover Up"

    Official MSM Meme of the Day.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Pelosi: Sessions committed perjury.

    Pelosi and Schumer: Sessions should resign.

    It would be hilarious were it not so pathetically sad.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Did you know Dr. Seuss was in the advertising bidness before he became Dr. Seuss ?

    'Tis true, o so true.

    Did you know Dr. Quirk was in the advertising bidness before he became Dr. Quirk ?

    This too is true.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What does this tell you about the nature of things ?

      Delete
    2. He will read and report on this:

      https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/jeff-sessions-russia-trump-investigation-democrats.html?_r=0

      ...I read 4 paragraphs and became nauseous.

      NY Slimes

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. hey, doug, here are the first 4 paragraphs from the article again for you - what, in those 4 paragraphs, make you nauseous?

      "NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — President Trump said on Thursday that he had “total” confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions despite the revelations that he had conversations with Russia’s ambassador during the presidential campaign.

      Touring the Gerald R. Ford, the newest American aircraft carrier, Mr. Trump said that he “wasn’t aware” that Mr. Sessions had spoken to the ambassador, but that he believed the attorney general had testified truthfully to the Senate during his confirmation hearing.
      “I think he probably did,” Mr. Trump told reporters.

      Asked whether Mr. Sessions should recuse himself in the Russia investigations, the president said, “I don’t think so.”

      Congressional Republicans began breaking ranks to join Democrats in demanding that Mr. Sessions recuse himself from overseeing an investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Those calls came after the disclosure that Mr. Sessions himself spoke with the Russian ambassador last year, in seeming contradiction to his testimony at his confirmation hearing."



      Could the nausea be a caused be the gradual realization that Trump and team really did collude with the Russians while running the campaign?

      Delete
  27. When Sammy Davis was given the wrong envelope, which should have been for Irma la douche, his response was:

    "Wait 'til the NAACP hears about this!"

    ...the good old days.

    ReplyDelete
  28. .

    Lordy, while the cat's away them mice do play.

    I see a lot criticism of the old Quirkster but very little rebutting from you boys, well other than from Deuce who suggests that any lawyer will tell you 'to answer the question asked, as it is asked'.

    Rather than hyperventilating, why don't you boys address the propositions as they were laid down.

    Do you deny what I said about Flynn was correct. If so, where did I go wrong?

    The cover up is usually worse than the crime. If Flynn hadn't lied to the VP who then passed on that lie to the country, he could have weathered the storm and would now still be NSA. The fact that he is not, Trump blames on the media.

    On the investigation into Russian interference in the last election...

    Of course, Sessions should not be heading up the investigation. These guys are too clever by half and now it's catching up to them.

    Deuce refers to lawyers. His experience with them is probably much more extensive than mine. I've used a lawyer twice in my life. I am not among the 75% in the US who view lawyers unfavorably. However, I don't really see the morality in advising a defendant to use reservation of thought, a form of lie of omission, to deceive an interrogator.

    Sessions, a lawyer himself, knew what Franken was asking him. He chose to dissemble. The oath says, 'I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' Sessions decided to ignore the middle part.

    Like Flynn, none of this rises to a disqualification of Sessions, but he too decided to be too clever by half. But none of this gets to the real point of the matter. Just as we expect a judge to recuse himself when he has any kind of connection, positive or negative, to one side or the other in a case, we have to expect that Sessions who is a party to the investigation to recuse himself. It's only common sense. You can't have someone who is party to an investigation investigating himself.

    There's a growing chorus asking him to recuse himself. Key Republicans, Chaffetz, Issa, Graham, Portman, and Majority Leader McCarthy have all called for it. Sessions himself says he is willing to do it if necessary. Of course, it's necessary if only for appearance sake.

    {...}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. {...}

      And Trump, he has blamed the judiciary, Congress , the Dems, left wing agitators, the generals for that young guy's death in Yemen, 'the media' (mostly for pointing out that many of his claims are bullshit), Hollywood, Obama, the intelligence agencies, it's Trump's Chaos Theory government.

      Does anyone notice the one person that is never at fault?


      I should have been more specific. In this case, Trump is saying there is no there there, that this is just another case of 'fake news' generated by the media and his political opponents. However, we have seen this act before. It is routine. It follows the same pattern we have witnessed throughout the campaign and now into the presidency. I would love to have you cite me a couple examples, in his campaign or presidency where he has ever taken the blame or admitted that he made a mistake. I can't think of one.

      It is so obvious it would be funny as hell if it weren't for the fact that he is president.

      Well, that and that he is whipping the fringe part of his base into a frenzy, the Sovereign Nation guys, the nativists, the bigots, the white supremacists, all the alt-right wing nuts, the usual suspects.


      That, of course, is my opinion. I see Trump's base made up of three separate groups:

      1. Life long Republicans who would never even consider voting for a Dem.

      2. The second group consists of those I mentioned above. Though not specifically related on the basis of a specific grievance they are a force in the country and they have been there since the beginning. These people aren't necessarily the enders or the militias. They can be from any class or race fed up with what they see as wrong with this country, willing to take what the government gives them but complaining when others do it, complaining about the judiciary when things don't go their way, complaining about the Constitution when it doesn't fit their views, even going as far as to propose armed resistance as with the Sovereigns movement.

      IMO, Trump by the things he says helps justify these guys in their ignorance.

      3. The third group consists of those people who put Trump over the top in the election, the people in Manchester, OH or Beattysville, KY who have been left behind over the past decades and are now barely hanging on. Or, the Reagan Democrats in Macomb County, MI who came back to Trump for the same reasons they voted for Reagan, they thought the Dems made a lot of promises, promises that they never kept.

      All these groups liked Trump's blunt manner and his calling out of the bete noires, the media, the Clintons, Wall Street, the Banks. However, they can turn just as fast if Trump punks out on his promises.

      Where am I wrong, boys?

      Try to be specific.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      Clarification...


      When I said ...they can turn just as fast if Trump punks out on his promises, I was speaking of group 3 above.

      .

      Delete
    3. "There's a growing chorus asking him to recuse himself. Key Republicans, Chaffetz, Issa, Graham, Portman, and Majority Leader McCarthy have all called for it. Sessions himself says he is willing to do it if necessary. Of course, it's necessary if only for appearance sake."
      ===
      Brilliant, the chorus must be followed.

      btw, McCarthy has already corrected himself.

      Republicans acting like Republicans, therefore we should give the Democrats whatever they want, no matter the reason.

      ...or in this instance for no reason at all.

      You really should try a few days away from the Tube and the Slimes, et al.

      Delete


    4. "if only for appearance sake."

      Appearance Trumps Truth

      ...in QuirkWorld

      Delete
    5. .

      What truth?

      Please explain for this poor country boy.


      .

      Delete
    6. .

      btw, McCarthy has already corrected himself.

      Corrected himself? Or, just changed his story?

      House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shared conflicting views on Sessions during back-to-back television interviews Thursday. Asked whether Sessions should recuse himself, he told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “I think the trust of the American people — you recuse yourself in these situations, yes.”

      But McCarthy later told Fox News: “I’m not calling on him to recuse himself. I was asked on ‘Morning Joe’ if he needs to recuse himself as going forward. As you just heard, Attorney General Sessions said he would recuse himself going forward — appropriate, and that’s all my answer was.” [Editorial comment: Please translate that comment out of Trumpette and into intelligible English.]

      Sessions has focused his response to the allegations on the substance of his conversations with Kislyak, which he said did not include talk about the campaign.

      Many Democrats considered that a direct contradiction of Sessions’s testimony in January, when he told Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) that he had not spoken to Russian officials...


      .

      Delete
  29. It's all a bunch of bullshit by the duplicitous Democrats.

    O'bozo sent people and money directly to Israel to try and influence their elections.

    Krauthammer thinks it's all bullshit.

    "If they weren't talking to the Russians they should have been"

    We - some of us - recall O'bozo caught on the hot microphone telling - what's his name, Medvedev ? the second banana - "Tell Vladimir I will have more freedom after the election" - "I will tell Vladimir" comes the reply.

    The Dems got their tits twisted and their balls roasted by The Donald and need something, anything.

    So throw it all up there and see if anything sticks.

    It's all bullshit by very poor losers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Weeping and whining, pissing and moaning. Is that all you got? Here's a clue for you pal, Obama is no longer president. I complained about him when he was but can give a shit about him now.

      I asked for arguments not a hissy fit.

      Give me something.

      "It's all their fault" don't get it.

      .

      Delete
  30. Hired a lawyer twice, huh ?

    I can image the circumstances, and it wasn't a civil matter.

    It was when your usual pro se song and dance craparoo didn't work out for you, and you were convicted, and needed someone to write a cogent appeal.....

    :O)

    heh heh heh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. How did it turn out ?

      Was your hired mouth piece able to get you probation again ?

      Delete
  31. I dunno, it doesn't look good for Trump et al. Trump has consistently spoken 'nice' of Vlad and now we've got a 2nd cabinet casualty due to their meeting with Russians during the election campaign and then getting caught denying that they had. Nope, it doesn't look good at all - it looks like, at the very least, they were talking 'what if's' and there is a good probability they were negotiating. Plenty of incentives for a 'quid pro quo' with the Russians and Trump folk to work together to defeat Hillary.

    Deuce, Mome, Bob and Doug, the 4 Trumpettes, scream 'it's the Dems fault'. riiiiight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      No one has ever been prosecuted under the Logan Act. It's unlikely anyone ever will. However, trying to cover up, lying to Congress, lying to the VP who then goes public with, all will get your teat in a wringer real quick.

      Perhaps legally advisable. Politically? Questionable.

      .

      Delete
    2. You might be right, Ash. I will admit and come clean, I had a tall Russian woman with a fur hat come to the house and thru favors convinced me to pull the lever for Hillary. Sorry, I had a weak moment. She told there were thousand of Russian women like her all over the US on election day doing the same thing. So maybe the Russians did influence the election.

      Delete
    3. ummm, dude, the accusation is that Russia hacked the DNC and released the emails in a timely fashion to help Trump's campaign. It appears that the Russians were in fact behind the email releases. That's one thing but it is entirely a different matter if Trump and his surrogates (read Sessions and Flynn here as self described Trump surrogates) made policy promises in exchange for the help.

      Delete
    4. but you continue on with your Russian women fantasy - it'll be more gratifying for you.

      Delete
    5. the accusation is that Russia hacked the DNC and released the emails

      SMIRK

      Well good on the Rooskie.

      We can't get any truth out of the MSM.

      I like to know what's up.

      Delete
    6. you got me MOME, you got me.


      touché

      now, tell me, Trump and his surrogates negotiating with the Russian's for help defeating Hillary - cool, or not cool?

      Delete
    7. .

      I like to know what's up.


      Right, that's why you visit jihadwatch and American Thinker and World Net Daily and Weekly World News.

      Say did you notice that...

      EARTH TO COLLIDE WITH NIBIRU ON OCTOBER 17, 2017!
      By Frank Lake on January 2, 2017

      UPDATE: NASA scientists have reportedly confirmed that the planet Nibiru will collide with Earth in November of this year...



      Say how did that Big Foot trap Wayne set up work out?

      .

      Delete
    8. let's make a deal baby - Trump's an artist, no?

      Delete
    9. Ok, Ash, I'll bite back. Let's assume what you are alleging is true. Do you think there has ever been any outside interference in previous elections? Do you think the US has ever interfered in another country's election? Do you think the US has ever broke in to another county's data bank and manipuled information? I think we both know the answer. Schumer et al are waving shiny objects for you to stare at so you will ignore their dismal failures. IMO.

      Delete
    10. Aside from that, and maybe I'm just too dense to hang with you gents, I just don't see how hacking into the DNC and releasing emails would alter the election. Trump new had had to win the electoral vote and he masterfully, Masterfully! went after it and got it. They still cannot believe a buffoon like Trump (their name not mine) could out smart them. But he did.

      Delete
    11. That ain't an IMO, that's a fact, Jack.

      Delete
    12. The news and discussions about Hillary and her emails and email servers were a big part of the election discussion. If it is in fact true that the Russians hacked the DNC and released the emails then that is one thing and, I agree, that the US has interfered in other folks elections, and I wouldn't be too concerned about it. Sure, it would be nice to keep them from trying to tilt the field to their advantage, but hey, loads of folks try to influence the election (lobbyists, PAC's ect.).

      It is a different kettle of fish if the Trump team worked with, and co-ordinated with, the Russians in hacking and leaking of those emails. I think that would be unlawful actions in the US.

      It is even more of a big deal if the Trump team negotiated with the Russians for the release. Trump likes to make deals and if he did offer the Russians favourable policies in exchange for their cooperation in bringing down Hillary then Americans should be concerned. They should be even more concerned if Trump, as was alleged, was being threatened with release of compromising information on him.

      Those are serious allegations and, if true, should be prosecuted. If nothing else they should be investigated by folk who aren't involved. Sessions has now recused himself, as he should, from these investigations.

      Delete
  32. Now I'm listening to Chuckie Schumer saying how there can't be a hint of impropriety surrounding the AG.

    Heh

    We all recall a meeting between O'bozo's AG and Billy Goat on the tarmac when Hillary the Criminal was being 'investigated'....which ended up in a whitewash of course.

    It's all a farce.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't recall Chuckie howling about that....the scumbag....

      Delete
    2. I'm glad you brought that up B00B as it highlights you and your fellow Trumpette's hypocrisy. You four howled about that meeting for days on end.

      Delete
    3. I can't recall anyone here howling about it at all, SMIRKY.

      I remember some laughing about it.

      The planes just happened to park next to one another, and why not have a chat ?

      Hardeharhar

      They only talked about family all that time.

      Hardeharharharhar

      You gotta admit, it makes the belly move.



      Delete
  33. What in hell is wrong with a Senator talking to the Russian Ambassador ?

    And if the Russians some how helped defeat The Clinton Crime Family, the USA owes them a great debt of gratitude.

    It's all total horse shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      It's too bad you didn't put IMO in front of that rant, because that's all it is.

      :o)

      .

      Delete
    2. I don't think I said that.

      I might have said:

      It's too bad you didn't put IN MY HALLUCINATIONS in front of that rant, because that's all it is.

      But Doug's expression is fully acceptable, too.

      Delete

  34. Fox News: Jeff Sessions to hold press conference at 4 p.m. ET

    We'll wait and see what Jeff says....

    ReplyDelete
  35. The Jeff Sessions Attack Is a Nothingburger
    By Erick Erickson | March 2, 2017, 10:01am | @ewerickson
    Donald TrumpJeff SessionsRussians

    First, let’s get this out of the way. It is not a coincidence that within twenty four hours of Donald Trump giving a well received speech to congress that the New York Times runs a hit job on Jeff Sessions to distract from it, particularly after admitting the Obama Administration has been behind much of this disruption.

    Let’s review what happened....

    http://theresurgent.com/the-jeff-sessions-attack-is-a-nothingburger/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is true that Jeff Sessions did have interaction with the Russian ambassador during his time in the Senate. He met with the Russian Ambassador as part of Sessions’ role on the Armed Services Committee. He also spoke at the Heritage Foundation to a group of more than fifty ambassadors and the Russian ambassador was one of those attending.

      The very same Democrats upset with Jeff Sessions and accusing him of lying were perfectly fine with Attorney General Loretta Lynch meeting with Bill Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

      ****Consider just how partisan this is by Claire McCaskill, a Democrat Senator from Missouri, taking to Twitter to lie about the situation. McCaskill served with Sessions on the Armed Services Committee and tweeted that she had never met the Russian ambassador as part of her ten years on the committee. But a quick search of her twitter feed proved otherwise.****

      The Democrats are grasping at straws to distract from the President’s speech. They have Obama campaign operatives and the New York Times helping them do it.

      There is no there, there.

      I still maintain, however, that there should be an independent investigation of the Russian involvement in the 2016 election, but this attack on Sessions is ridiculous.

      Delete
    2. .

      There is no there, there.

      Gee, where have I heard that before?

      .

      Delete
    3. As you don't read great literature I'd have no idea.

      Claire McCaskill accused of lying in attack on Jeff Sessions
      Deirdre Shesgreen , USATODAY Published 11:57 a.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 4 hours ago

      Claire McCaskill
      (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

      WASHINGTON — Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who fired off one of the harshest criticisms of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his meetings with a Russian ambassador, faced blowback herself Thursday when the senator's own tweets contradicted her claim that she never had met the ambassador....

      http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/02/mccaskill-accused-lying-attack-sessions/98630572/

      Bwabwabwabwahahahahaha

      Tripped up by her own truthful tweets....

      hahahahahaha

      Delete
  36. The hearings on Session and the other Trump appointees has nothing to do with facts and truth, It is about politics of destruction. Everyone in that room knew what irt was about.

    Franken was not up to his game. He certainly is no Trey Gowdy

    ReplyDelete
  37. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Everyone should be happy now.

    Jeff has recused himself.


    The overwhelming question now is whether or not THE SMIRK'n'QUIRK TWINS are satisfied.

    The entire Nation is awaiting their reply.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      More chatter from Bob, the former hick.

      Sessions merely did what was obviously required. There is no mystery here. If you listed to him you heard it in his own words.

      Am I satisfied? Well, yes, as far as Sessions goes. Will this stop the investigation? Obviously, not the FBI investigation and likely not the Congressional investigation. The Dems will want to keep it going as long as possible. The GOP may slow walk it but they will want to have a public forum to try to rebut any FBI conclusions they don't like.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      ...If you listened to him...

      .

      Delete
    3. And with that, I am going to recuse myself and go to Wal-Mart.

      Ciao

      Delete
  39. .

    You guys seem to get your nut off putting up articles from alt-reality sites. Looks like fun.

    The next time ex-hick Bob puts up his silly topics lines from Drudge I am going to try countering with headlines from World Net Daily Report - News you can trust

    Morgue employee cremated by mistake while taking a nap

    Australia: 600-Pound Woman Gives Birth to 40-Pound Baby

    India: Sacred Cow Savagely Raped by 27 Men in Mumbai Subway

    ‘Little old lady’ Arrested for Making Fur Coats with Neighbor’s Cats

    Man kicked out of all-you-can-eat buffet after eating more than 50 lbs of food, sues for $2-million

    Man kicked out of all-you-can-eat buffet after eating more than 50 lbs of food, sues for $2-million


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Sorry, those headlines were not from World Net Daily. They were from another alt-reality site, Weekly World News.

      .

      Delete
    2. You dumbfucker, you don't even know what you are reading.

      And why put up TWO identical headlines ?

      Ans: So dumbfuckers like you have a second chance.

      Bwabwabwabwahahahahaha

      Delete
    3. Quirk reads, weakly, World News.

      Hahahahahahahaha

      Delete
    4. .

      It really makes no difference, they are all the same, jihadwatch, pamgeller, breitbart, WND, or Weekly World News. The only possible difference is that Weekly World News knows they are a faux news organizations. The others just don't get it. They actually take themselves seriously.

      .

      Delete
    5. Stick with your old favorite The New York Times then.

      No one cares what you read weakly.

      Delete
    6. Cabron

      Hoot hoot hoot hoot hoooooooot !

      Delete
    7. .

      You out to have that checked out, son.


      .

      Delete
  40. .

    Aside from that, and maybe I'm just too dense to hang with you gents, I just don't see how hacking into the DNC and releasing emails would alter the election.

    According to Reuters, the FBI has 3 separate investigations going right now involving the Russians.

    1. The DNC hacks.

    2. The Podesta hacks.

    3. An investigation into all financial connections between Russian officials and Trump or any of his associates.

    It's about more than the DNC hacks now. That's why the GOP will never agree to a special prosecutor. We've seen how those investigations in the past have grow'd like Topsy.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The FBI is still working for Crooked Hillary.

      Delete


  41. In January, Sessions was asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) for answers to written questions, including if he had “been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after Election Day?”


    http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/gop-rushes-eat/


    Since Fake News MSM says leave out that minor detail, Quirk says we all must act like mindless followers because he does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Details, context get in the way?

      Leave them out!

      Delete

    2. ABOUT THE 2016 ELECTION !

      Not exactly rocket science.

      Delete
    3. .

      I saw the testimony when Franken asked the question in the hearing and I saw Sessions' response. Today, I saw Sessions response when at the end of the presser he was asked about his response to Franken's question. That's all the context and detail as I need.

      If Sessions can't keep his stories straight that is another problem.

      .

      .

      Delete
    4. .


      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BpgHcanjCQ


      .

      Delete
    5. That's Quirk's case!

      NOTHING !

      Delete
  42. Shiny objects, boys. Shiny objects. Watch it as it swings back and forth, back and forth (while We pick your pocket). IMO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If your pocket is picked suspect Quirk first.

      I always do.

      Delete
    2. I remember that time in Reno when my gambling winnings went missing from the inside pocket of my suit coat...and back at the Hotel I saw the exact same amount of money on Quirk's dresser.

      Delete
    3. I suppose it could have been coincidence.


      Naw....

      Delete
    4. .

      I haven't a clue as to what Mome was trying to say. Hopefully, it didn't apply to Doug's comments starting at DougThu Mar 02, 06:23:00 PM EST.

      .

      Delete
  43. That's pretty rich coming from you. Have you scratched that Jill Stein bumper sticker off your Subaru yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      I can understand the gig on Jill Stein. The rest of it, I still don't get what you were trying to say.


      .

      Delete
  44. That was a unnecessary shot at you. I apologize. I misread your note. I have no idea what Doug said. I was referring to my shiny object reference upstream to Ash. Off to the aero port.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hee hee her

    "Mike Pence used private email account while Indiana governor"


    Haw haw haw !!!


    Good for the goose...

    LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FLASHBACK: Schumer Meets with Putin in NYC....DRUDGE

      Tee hee him

      !!! Wah wah wah

      Bad for the gander...

      OLO

      Delete
    2. SMIRK is Quirk's alt-Q source.

      Delete
  46. Look we are in a political civil war. Get it on.

    ReplyDelete
  47. By the way, a governor of a state does not have a federal security access status unless he is given one on a special basis.

    There is no, repeat no equivalence of a state governor and a US SOS. Not even close.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Come on, Smirk, you and I in some dark alley....

    So what if I have to give you 30 years ?

    I'm in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Dark alley? Heck, Bob, you know your wife won't even let you have the car keys after dark due to your night blindness.

      .

      Delete
    2. I'll sniff sniff sniff my way to victory !

      Delete
  49. The Republicans and Trump have the power. They better use it or they will lose it.

    When they find the leakers, they will have security clearances, and they need to be prosecuted.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Obama will also have to be dealt with, investigated and exposed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obama should be investigated for seditious conspiracy.

      Delete
  51. Vote Si !

    Why Californians Should Vote To Secede From The Union

    Given the current political culture of California, separating it from the rest of the United States would be in the best interests of both parties.
    Edward Forde
    By Edward Forde
    MARCH 2, 2017

    In the spring of 2019, Californians will go to the polls in a historic vote to decide by referendum if California should exit the United States. Yes, California #Calexit Campaign is leading this initiative. Given the current political culture of California, separating it from the rest of the United States would be in the best interests of both parties.

    I am a fourth-generation Californian. My family settled there in the nineteenth century, and all of my relatives still reside in the state. For 32 years, I worked in the California State University system as a professor and administrator. In this capacity I had to manage state budgets and enforce state rules and policies. I also managed a small family farm subjecting me to increasing agricultural quarantines, laws, and policies such as water restrictions. So I left for a better quality of life.

    You Want Liberal Nirvana? Go For It

    For many decades California has been a one-party state, run by the most liberal Democrats in the country. They are financially controlled by the public employee labor unions, including the powerful teachers unions.

    In almost 40 percent of all state congressional elections there are only Democrat candidates, and in 12 congressional districts the incumbent Democrat ran unopposed. In 2016, both candidates for U. S. Senate were Democrats. When schools or groups try to schedule moderate or conservative speakers, they are physically attacked, riots are choreographed, and they are chased out of the state.

    An independent California could finally realize their politically liberal nirvana unhindered by federal laws and policies. Freed of the U.S. Constitution, they wouldn’t be constrained by the First or Second Amendments. So they could officially ban any speech, candidate, party, or group that mentions or questions the sacred myths of immigration, diversity, climate change, criminal justice, etc. California already has the most restrictive guns laws in the country, where now you must be fingerprinted to buy ammunition. Without the Second Amendment, they could now simply outlaw private gun ownership, and then there would be no crime!

    The new country could establish its totally open immigration system. California already has more sanctuary cities than the rest of the United States does. They oppose all current national immigration policies. As an independent country, they could have completely open borders: no immigration police, no borders, no walls, and everyone from the world welcome. I could foresee maybe 50 million new immigrants from Asia, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East; and lots of progressive refugees from U.S. states.


    Think of all the new social welfare entitlements an independent California could mandate for its residents. There would be free health care, free education including college, free child care, free family leave, unlimited welfare payments, and state-funded retirement for all. The already-existing racial quotas for hiring, promotions, college admissions, etc. could be codified into the new country’s constitution. The American Civil Liberties Union has forced release of thousands of convicted felons, so the next logical step would be to close all state prisons and provide miscreants with therapy and understanding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trade Them Land for Paying Their Own Bills
      Currently, the U.S. federal government owns almost 50 percent of the land in the state. These include super-valuable real estate and facilities such as Camp Pendleton, Yosemite Park, the San Diego Naval Station, extensive national forests, etc., probably worth trillions of dollars at current value. So in exchange for gaining all this valuable property, the new country of California could agree to assume all current federal obligations for Social Security, Veterans benefits, Medicare, and other federal costs. Of course, since California opposes U.S. military policies, as a new country they would not need any military or military expenses.

      California has the highest income taxes, sales taxes, and gas taxes in the country. Unconstrained by federal laws, they could really jack these up to European heights. All the European countries impose national sales taxes, sometimes called value-added taxes, of up to 24 percent at every level of sales: production, wholesale, and retail. In some European countries, income taxes start above 40 percent and go even higher. And with California’s apocalyptic environmental policies, they could increase gasoline taxes up to $5 more per gallon, ban all oil and gas production, and eliminate livestock production, because animals produce methane.

      Just like some countries, the new country of California could eliminate paper and coin money. Sweden is currently banning all physical money, so every transaction must be digital. India has withdrawn most larger-denomination bills. The intention in these cases is to eliminate black markets, drug deals, and unreported income. California could have new monetary denominations worth $3, $15, and $30, because everything would be more expensive. If they had to issue physical money, I suggest the denominations depict Harvey Milk, Rodney King, and Caitlyn Jenner.


      Leadership of the new country of California would be no problem. As a one-party state, the Democratic Party simply dictates who the next leader will be. The state already knows that Gavin Newsom, the current lieutenant governor, will be the next governor. They don’t even need an election. The new country might opt for a new leader, more symbolic of their newfound progressive identity—maybe Bono, Lady Gaga, or Meryl Streep. The possibilities are intriguing.

      The new country of California is a win-win, for the both sides. California can fully implement its new liberal idealism. And the other 49 states will be free from the incessant whining of the left coast.

      Ed Forde is professor emeritus of California State University Los Angeles.

      http://thefederalist.com/2017/03/02/californians-vote-secede-union/

      Delete

  52. What the World needs is more death recorded on SnapChat.

    A teen from Singapore died on Friday while trying to perform a risky stunt for a Snapchat video.

    Johnathan Chow, 17, jumped over the railing at a Singapore mall, hoping to land safely on a ledge just beneath him.

    But the ledge couldn’t support Chow’s weight and he fell through the plasterboard to his death four floors below, according to local news outlet TODAY.

    His friend Ruth, who declined to be identified by her full name, told TODAY she watched the tragedy unfold.

    “We both thought the ledge was made of concrete, but when he jumped, he fell straight through,” Ruth said. “I knew it was dangerous, but before I could stop him, he already jumped over.”

    She said the 17-year-old came up with the idea for the stunt while they were clothes shopping at the mall. “Help me take a Snapchat video and I’ll jump,” she said Chow told her.

    Surveillance video appears to show the two talking near the railing, and then Ruth reacting in horror as Chow leaps to his death.

    “I swear I wanted to jump over too but I knew it was too late,” she said.

    Earlier this month, another dangerous social media stunt claimed a young woman’s life in New Zealand when she and friends tried to take a selfie near a dam as floodgates opened.

    http://nypost.com/2017/02/28/teen-jumps-to-death-in-snapchat-stunt-gone-wrong/

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