For months, running up to the election I had no doubt that Russia was trying to interfere with our election, and that Putin was trying to put Trump in the White House. It didn’t require rocket science. It was obvious to anyone willing to look at it objectively, but i didn’t have a smoking gun, I didn’t know who had proof, and I didn’t know how long they had it. Now we do, and it’s criminal.
American intelligence agencies have concluded with “high confidence” that Russia acted covertly in the latter stages of the presidential campaign to harm Hillary Clinton’s chances and promote Donald J. Trump, according to senior administration officials.
They based that conclusion, in part, on another finding — which they say was also reached with high confidence — that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee’s computer systems in addition to their attacks on Democratic organizations, but did not release whatever information they gleaned from the Republican networks.
In the months before the election, it was largely documents from Democratic Party systems that were leaked to the public. Intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russians gave the Democrats’ documents to WikiLeaks… [emphasis added]
From <NY Times>
Photo credit: Protect Our Elections
I remember that some Stein supporters were angry when I said that, since the most likely source for Assange’s material, that Stein was parroting on RT, was Putin’s FSB that Assange was not acting as a whistleblower and had gone over to the dark side. Now we know it’s true, but it gets much worse.
Rachel Maddow covered this incident in two segments. In the first she digs out the dirty details with the Post’s Ellen Nakashima.
Now we know why Mrs. Bought Bitch Mitch is to be Transportation Secretary. In the second, Rachel calls for more investigation with former Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.
I agree that there needs to be more investigation, especially into collusion by Trump, Pence and their staffs. That’s part of the coverage from Lawrence O’Donnell with Malcolm Nance and David Corn.
I have no doubt that Trump colluded in this. Giuliani accidentally admitted it. We need a smoking gun so both Trunp and Pence can be criminally charged before they take office. There should be some way to invalidate the election, but I have no idea how. Unless this is ignored, it could result in a Constitutional crisis. The founding fathers never envisioned anything like this, but I think they would consider collusion in a cyber attack on our country by a foreign power treason.\
19 Responses to “From Russia with Trump”
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Ironic how Trump always stresses he is a "businessman." Yes, this is how "business" is conducted. No frickinn' wonder he sees nothing wrong with it. The Washington Post also has this BTW. Sorry, I put that into my Open Thread comment before looking here. What do we make of the CIA ratting out the FBI? And what do we do, as you say? Who has the authority? Could we get 100,000 signatures on a whitehouse.gov petition to President Obama and specifically Loretta Lynch in 2-3 days?
And speaking of the Founding Fathers, haveI shared this yet?
Thanks for the comic relief.
Hmmmm . . . LOL! George, speaking from the future, that didn't work either. Perhaps stipulate that a candidate must win the popular vote and the Electoral College.
Want to bet Drumpf would not be fighting to stop the recounts!
I'm sorry, JD. I had to delete the comic. I went to his site and it clearly states that we may not use his worl without negotiating the fee in advance. As a rule, comics and cartoons are not safe to use in posts and comments.
No problem, Thanks.
WOW! Un.believe.able!!! Very, very disturbing news! We have been cyber-attacked!!
All those who had knowledge of this meddling, involving the Election results needs to be investigated, and charged with treason, imho. And…what to do with Russia now that it's out??
Now what happens?
Heck, Pat, I knew it was being done, and so did TC, and, as he says, most anyone who was paying attention. And I don't think we need to be investigated and charged. But it could have been a long-haul project, the idea being to underrmine faith in the US electoral systems. Now we know it was not that, or not just that. It was specifically to get Trump elected. So is the question, what to do with Russia? Or what to do with Trump? I say it's the Attorney General who needs to take action, and FAST.
WE need some REAL leadership from Pelosi (rather than sucking up to G.W.Bush after 9/11) and Schumer…whomever! Presumably someone in congress!
Rachel Maddow part 1: Sickening to hear that the Republicans did not want us to know this, but were glad for Comey to release the news that they were looking at Hillary's email again. Of course, McConnell profited.
Part 2: I agree with Ambassador McFall, there needs to be an independent investigation.
Lawrence O'Donnell: Mitch McConnell should be tried for treason, along with Trump and Pence for colluding with the Soviet Union in this. I have no doubt that they were all aware and complicit. I wish the Electoral College would use the popular vote and give the office to Clinton, although I am sure they won't.
To paraphrase Shakespeare in Hamlet "He doth protest too much, methinks."
Drumpf denied the involvement of the Russians over and over, and then protested the recounts Why such protest from the winner of the electioon? Is it that there is reason to believe the Russians acquired the election for Drumpf and he knew that? With the CIA report just "released" as far as the public is concerned, the evidence seems to indicate Russian interference. Those that chose not to make the report public prior to the election, McTurtle, Drumpf, Pence etc should be charged with sedition and stand trial, Will that ever happen? It certainly didn't with Baby Bush and Chickenhawk Cheney so I won't hold my breath. Amazing how in both cases Republicans are at the fore.
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Did someone say "rigged"?
First Republicans tried to bully Hillary Clinton in a hearing on Benghazi, but instead of cowering she showed she was presidential material.
Next they targeted her for her unwise, but not uncommon, use of a private email server, but the FBI couldn't find anything to prosecute her on, no matter how hard they tried.
Soon after it became clear that the DNC's emails were hacked, probably by Russian hackers. These emails were released by Wikileaks.
In September the CIA made it known to the Obama administration that not only were these emails hacked by Russia to disturb the election, but with certainty were intended to get Drumpf elected. The Russians had given them to Wikileaks for this specific purpose. A bipartisan committee was briefed on their findings by the CIA, but Mitch McConnell refused to have it made public, calling it an act of partisan, i.e. Democratic, politics if it would be brought out in the open. Two Democratic senators did go public of some sorts, but that was drowned in the Drumpf-crazed media attention.
During his campaign Drumpf called on Putin to hack into Clinton's computer to find her "30.000 missing emails" and release them.
A week before the election, head of the FBI Comey insinuated that the FBI could possibly find new evidence of Clinton's untoward email behavior could be found on a laptop one of her aides had used once or twice. This was, very partisan indeed, blown up to the lie that "the investigation into the emails of HC is reopened", by Republican Chavez.
Clinton then won the popular vote by more than 2 million votes, but Drumpf claimed he's won in one of the biggest Electoral College in the biggest landslide victory in history.
Drumpf has nominated Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnel's wife for secretary of transport in his cabinet, and will be inaugurated in January.
Drumpf may or may not have been in on the Russian hacking right from the start, but by the time he asked his friend Putin to help with hacking into her computer and find those emails he wanted to have her locked up for, Drumpf knew exactly what was going on and even used it in his rallies. And the GOP, lead by McConnel and Paul Ryan are accomplices to the fact too. No words can describe how disgusted I am with America right now and this feeling of nausea and distrust is something that will be widely shared across Europe where tension with Russia is mounting and populism is on the rise. It is time that Americans get past the stage of amazement and bewilderment and take decisive action; resistance is no longer enough. Dig hard, very hard indeed, and find that smoking gun!
The founding fathers never envisioned anything like this
Actually they did — the general problem, if not the methods. In the 68th Federalist Paper, in which Hamilton explained the reasons for the Electoral College, he wrote:
" Nothing was more to be desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to cabal, intrigue, and corruption. These most deadly adversaries of republican government might naturally have been expected to make their approaches from more than one querter, but chiefly from the desire in foreign powers to gain an improper ascendant in our councils. How could they better gratify this, than by raising a creature of their own to the chief magistracy of the Union? But the convention have guarded against all danger of this sort, with the most provident and judicious attention." (emphasis added)
Source: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed68.asp
The present situation with Trump and Russia seems to be exactly what Hamilton was concerned about. The practical question is whether 37 Republican Electors can be made to understand that. Some already do:
http://www.hamiltonelectors.com/
The very same institution (the Electoral College) that robbed the popular-vote winner of the Presidency also has the built-in means to correct the problem.
Very well put.
Excellent point. However, I'd bet a dollar against a donut that most of the Electors are far too busy salivating over a Republican Reich to consider doing their duty.
It's a long shot, to be sure.
We can still hope.
Thanns all! Very pooped hugs!!
Among other things, I am angry that Pres. Obama allowed McConnell to buffalo him, to shut him up, in effect! WTF?? McConnell has shown himself, time and again, to be an underhanded, no holds barred manipulator, and, I'm sorry, but Obama whimped out!