Russia

[knapplc]

At least he didn't fall out a window.

 

 

[Scarlet]

Russia, Russia, Russia

 

And to think, there's no way in hell any kompromat is involved. 

[Archy1221]

18 minutes ago, Scarlet said:

 

And to think, there's no way in hell any kompromat is involved.

We’ve been waiting four years for proof of it to come out.   Maybe next year I guess 

[Scarlet]

17 minutes ago, Archy1221 said:

We’ve been waiting four years for proof of it to come out.   Maybe next year I guess 

Could be a reach.  That's why I said there's no way in hell kompromat is involved. 

 

So what's your explanation for why the Republicans are falling all over themselves jamming through voter suppression laws over alleged voter fraud which was never found to a level that would change the election results and yet, not a peep about Russian interference? 

 

Are Republicans more concerned about Americans voting than they are about the Russians attacking the foundation our democracy.  Strange but it almost seems like each has the same goal.

[Archy1221]

53 minutes ago, Scarlet said:

why the Republicans are falling all over themselves jamming through voter suppression laws

They aren’t. 

[Scarlet]

11 hours ago, Archy1221 said:

They aren’t. 

You know and everybody here knows that the 250+ bills to restrict voter access are not to address "voter fraud".  It's a red herring.  Voter fraud has been proven to be a miniscule issue if it all.  So then why introduce these bills?

 

You know the real intention of these bills since they're not to address a non-existent voter fraud.  They're intended to restrict voter access, pure and simple.  How democratic.  Why be afraid of a huge voter turnout?  I thought that was a reflection of a healthy democracy.

 

The fact is there is no legitimate reason why Republicans support laws that restrict the access of Americans to vote and yet are AWOL when Russia attacks the foundation of our democracy.   They realize their platform is bankrupt and they'll get crushed on an even playing field.  The real strategic failure is if they moved to the center, rather than doubling down on the hard right base, they wouldn't need to be seen in the future as the party that tried to usurp democracy.

[knapplc]

4 minutes ago, Scarlet said:

You know and everybody here knows that the 250+ bills to restrict voter access are not to address "voter fraud".  It's a red herring.  Voter fraud has been proven to be a miniscule issue if it all.  So then why introduce these bills?

 

You know the real intention of these bills since they're not to address a non-existent voter fraud.  They're intended to restrict voter access, pure and simple.  How democratic.  Why be afraid of a huge voter turnout?  I thought that was a reflection of a healthy democracy.

 

The fact is there is no legitimate reason why Republicans support laws that restrict the access of Americans to vote and yet are AWOL when Russia attacks the foundation of our democracy.   They realize their platform is bankrupt and they'll get crushed on an even playing field.  The real strategic failure is if they moved to the center, rather than doubling down on the hard right base, they wouldn't need to be seen in the future as the party that tried to usurp democracy.

 

They admit privately that voter suppression is part of their strategy.

 

Quote

 

Justin Clark, a senior political adviser and senior counsel to Trump’s re-election campaign, made the remarks about voter suppression on 21 November as part of a wide-ranging discussion about strategies in the 2020 campaign, including more aggressive use of monitoring of polling places on election day in November 2020.

 

“Traditionally it’s always been Republicans suppressing votes in places,” Clark said at the event. “Let’s start protecting our voters. We know where they are ... Let’s start playing offense a little bit. That’s what you’re going to see in 2020. It’s going to be a much bigger program, a much more aggressive program, a much better-funded program.”

 

 

...and they've been doing it for a long time.

 

Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was reason they pushed new election law

 

Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal.

 

“In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn’t have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn’t the impact that they had this election cycle,” Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.

 

Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.

 

In 2008 Democrats, especially African-Americans, turned out in unprecedented numbers for President Barack Obama, many of them casting ballots during 14 early voting days. In Palm Beach County, 61.2 percent of all early voting ballots were cast by Democrats that year, compared with 18.7 percent by Republicans.

 

 

[TGHusker]

 

14 hours ago, Scarlet said:

Russia, Russia, Russia

 

And to think, there's no way in hell any kompromat is involved. 

 

From the article above.  How in the world Trump and Rudy aren't in jail is beyond me.  Also, how anyone can continue to listen to most of conservative talk radio is beyond me.  They are willing idiots useful for Putin's propaganda machine.
 

Quote

 

During 2020, the Trump administration received intelligence indicating the Russians were once again trying to interfere on Trump’s behalf. But Trump and his aides refused to share this information with the public and did not provide a full accounting to Congress. Now we know why: the thrust of a major Trump attack on Biden was a Russian invention. Trump, Giuliani, and the rest of the gang were in cahoots with the Kremlin in waging this war on Biden. They were enabling and aiding yet another Russian attack on a US election—just as they did in 2016.  This is another Trump scandal of tremendous significance that will probably not get its due.

At least this time, Putin did not win. He is one for two in his attempts to make Trump president. The ODNI report details what was ultimately a failure, but it also provides a warning that a possible collaboration in 2024 between Moscow and Trump—or another Trumpish candidate—remains a clear and present danger.

 

 

Biden's response:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-putin-killer-russia-abc-b1818390.html

 

 

Quote

 

US President Joe Biden said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer” when asked by ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.

His question follows a federal investigation into Russian-linked cyber attacks and an intelligence report linking the Kremlin to election-related online interference that promoted Donald Trump and right-wing conspiracy theories in an attempt to discredit Mr Biden.

 

Asked whether he believes Mr Putin is a “killer” in a pre-taped interview that aired on Wednesday, the president responded: “I do.”

“The price he’s going to pay, you’ll see shortly,” he said.

Mr Biden recalled meeting Mr Putin, during which he reportedly told him that he doesn’t “have a soul”: “I wasn’t being a wise guy.”

“He looked back at me and said, ‘We understand each other’,” Mr Biden said.

 

 

Quote

 

Mr Stephanopoulos’s “killer” question follows comments from Mr Trump in 2017 after then Fox News host Bill O’Reilly asked him about Mr Putin, whom Mr Trump said he respected.

“But he’s a killer,” Mr O’Reilly responded.

“There are a lot of killers,” Mr Trump said. “You think our country’s so innocent?”

The former president has been accused of fostering a deferential relationship with Mr Putin, despite investigations into election interference and allegations of “bounties” paid by Russian intelligence officers to Taliban-linked militants against US and allied forces in Afghanistan.

 

 

 

[knapplc]

 

[TGHusker]

On 3/17/2021 at 9:59 AM, TGHusker said:

They are willing idiots useful for Putin's propaganda machine

Yesterday I mentioned this.  But the linage of 'useful idiots' keeps growing -- Russia>Rudy>Trump>FoxNews & talk radio>conservative listeners>Insurrectionists

or another religious path: Trump>his religion advisory group>Talk Radio/FoxNews/Christian Media>Pastors>people in the pews>Christian Nationalism movement> insurrection

 

Speaking of useful idiots.  Here is where Christian Nationalism comes into play.  Okla Senator Lankford is being challenged in the primary by a 29 year old pastor of what once was a well respected church in Tulsa. Lankford, a very committed Christian and conservative, is being charged with not having strong enough faith because he didn't stand up to support Trump strong enough.  So we now associate strong faith with standing up for Trump.  What was Lankford's 'sin'?  He was at the podium speaking and was visibly shaken when the capital police told the Senators they need to evacuate the Senate Chamber on 1/6.  He was one of those Senators wanting a deeper look into the election 'fraud' issue. However, after the Senate came back into session, he immediately withdrew his opposition to the electoral college vote after seeing the insurrection up close and personal.  The pastor that is opposing him, is accusing Lankford for not standing like a man.   Who did this guy have at his side in support-  non other than Michael Flynn.. A useful idiot at the highest level.  Someone, outside of Trump's pardon, would have been sitting in jail.  The announcement was held at the business of a well known anti-vaccine advocate, Covid-19 denier and a crowd of similar misfits.  The sad thing about it from a personal perspective, my wife and I knew his (the businessman) parents pretty well years ago and I taught a boy scout class that he and my son were in when they were in grade school. 

A couple of quotes from the article are below:

https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/tulsa-pastor-challenges-lankford-for-senate-with-boost-from-trump-loyalist-michael-flynn/article_0c925554-8680-11eb-a69a-bf4b63a23a15.html

 

 

Quote

 

Flanked by a cadre of former President Donald Trump loyalists that included retired Gen. Michael Flynn and local COVID-19 contrarians, Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer formally announced that he is a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat now held by James Lankford in the 2022 Republican primary.

Lankford is expected to seek reelection but has not formally declared.

Lankford, said Lahmeyer, is a “good guy” but “not very strong.” He implied that Lankford, a Baptist minister, is perhaps not as strong in his faith as he could be.

 

Lankford didn’t just support a bill replacing Columbus Day with Juneteenth as a federal holiday; he introduced it.

Most of all, Lankford ultimately refused to go along with a formal objection to the November election results — and apologized to Black Tulsans for not having understood why those challenges offended them.

 

“From November to Jan. 6, I watched our senator flip-flop like a fish out of water. … It was absolutely embarrassing. And I saw fear all over him on Jan. 6. He caved in like an absolute coward, and that let me know he is not the man to represent our state in the fight our country is in right now.”

 

 

Quote

 

Lahmeyer and the people surrounding him adamantly believe that a majority of Oklahomans — or at least a majority of Oklahoma Republican primary voters — agree with him. In their view, the last presidential election was stolen despite a preponderance of evidence otherwise. The dangers of COVID-19 have been blown out of proportion. Vaccines are more dangerous than beneficial.

 

And Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is pulling all the strings, according to material about the “scamdemic” prominently displayed at the Jenks business where Tuesday’s press conference was held.

 

“Everybody in this country feels the way I do right now,” said Flynn.

A former national security advisor pardoned by Trump after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI, Flynn has been a controversial figure in Washington for the better part of a decade.

 

Lahmeyer called Flynn “one of our greatest living heroes,” but others view him far differently. He’s been accused of too-cozy relationships with Russian insiders and of urging Trump to use the military, if necessary, to reverse the November election.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

 

[DevoHusker]

This is crazy. Read up on the original cases...

 

 

 

[Archy1221]

The Russia hoax isn’t turning out too well for those who hoped and wished it true.  
 

 

[nic]

Is monitoring internet traffic of a rival presidential candidate sort of like bugging the watergate hotel?

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/monitoring-of-trump-internet-traffic-sparks-new-dispute-in-durham-probe-11644970503

 

[BigRedBuster]

It still amazes me that there are people who are outraged that our intelligence agencies would investigate/ surveille a government official where there is suspiscion that he/she is connected secretly to a foreign power.

 

I mean.....isn't that kind of their job?

 

So...should we also be outraged over the fact they investigated enough to find the guy who was selling nuclear submarine secrets to China?  How dare they spy on an American.

[knapplc]

2 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

It still amazes me that there are people who are outraged that our intelligence agencies would investigate/ surveille a government official where there is suspiscion that he/she is connected secretly to a foreign power.

 

I mean.....isn't that kind of their job?

 

So...should we also be outraged over the fact they investigated enough to find the guy who was selling nuclear submarine secrets to China?  How dare they spy on an American.

 

 

They're the flip side of the coin from the people who wanted TFG to go down because of the Mueller Probe. TFG's fans are going to latch on to anything that seems like it's going to exonerate him. 

 

It's too early to tell if Durham's probe is going to yield results one way or the other. Here's a decent explainer. 

 

 

 

 

Here's the thread unwrapped:

 

I suppose I need to do a proper thread about this Durham filing folks are losing their minds over. OK, here goes. 

First, virtually none of what appeared in the recent filing from Durham’s office is new information. Here’s a New York Times story from *over four months ago* with basically all of it.

Trump Server Mystery Produces Fresh ConflictA recent indictment suggested that researchers who found strange internet links between a Russian bank and the Trump Organization did not really believe their own work. They are pushing back.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/us/politics/trump-alfa-bank-indictment.html

 

Second, nothing in the filing supports breathless claims technically illiterate cable hosts are making. It does not allege anyone “hacked” Trump computers, or was paid to “infiltrate” networks, or that anyone “intercepted e-mails and text messages." 

 

Here’s a simplified version of what it does say, again, virtually all of which was reported in an obscure little alternative news outlet called The New York Times back in September. 

 

A Virginia-based tech company called Neustar, which provides a variety of Internet registry & security services, had lawful access to databases of government DNS data as part of a contract to monitor for malware & cyberattacks, which was provided to Georgia Tech researchers. 

 

For the non-technical: “DNS” = “Domain Name System.” It’s basically the Internet’s equivalent of a phone directory, translating human-intelligible addresses like “Cato.org” into the numerical IP addresses computers use to send each other information.

 

http://Cato.org

 

DNS lookup data, which is what Neustar & the Georgia Tech researchers had, does not include the contents of Internet traffic. It tells you when a computer was looking for the address of another computer. (“Hey, address book, I need the current IP address of website-dot-com.”) 

 

The GA Tech researchers—whose job was to look for suspicious patterns in the DNS record they’d been provided—found various things they regarded as suspicious. 

 

In particular, they found evidence of unusual volumes of traffic between servers associated with the Trump Organization and a Russian bank, as well as evidence of (rare in the US) Russian-made smartphones near the White House. 

 

The researchers wrote up their suspicions, which then-Neustar executive Rodney Joffe passed on to attorney Michael Sussman, who also did work for the Clinton campaign. Sussman shared their findings with the FBI and later CIA. 

 

Some aspects of this are potentially shady. There’s likely an innoccuous explanation for the data the researchers found suspicious, and both they and Joffe seem to have disliked Trump. 

 

Obviously, I don’t have the data they looked at, and wouldn’t be qualified to evaluate it if I did. Durham seems to think their views of Trump colored their evaluation of how suspicious the data was. I don’t know, but it’s possible. 

 

That said: Neither Joffe nor the GA Tech researchers were being paid by the Clinton campaign. Nobody “hacked” or “intercepted” anything. They were analyzing data they had lawful access to, in order to look for suspicious patterns that might suggest foreign cyberattacks. 

 

Neither Joffe nor the researchers are accused of any crime. Sussman is accused of lying about whether he was working on Clinton’s behalf when he passed their findings on to FBI, which he denies. 

 

So is there anything to this? Well, maybe! But probably not a ton. It’s possible that Joffe & the researchers read the data as more suspicious than it really was, and that their negative view of Trump influenced their interpretation of what they were seeing. 

 

That’s clearly Durham’s view. I don’t know; again, I’m not competent to check their work, but it’s possible. 

 

That said, I haven’t seen anyone who IS competent suggest that this was some crazy fabrication. In other words, it’s not that it wasn’t suspicious, it’s that it WAS suspicious but maybe there turns out be an innocent explanation. 

 

In any event, it’s a little difficult to see what any of these parties are supposed to have done wrong. They found suspicious traffic in data they were lawfully provided to analyze for that purpose, and reported their findings to law enforcement. 

 

Maybe it turns out there was nothing there—it’s frankly still not completely clear what the traffic was—but there’s no evidence suggesting any of this was elaborately masterminded by Hillary Clinton. 

 

The rather tenuous Clinton link is that Joffe passed the researchers’ findings on to FBI & CIA via Sussman, a prominent cybersecurity lawyer who’d also done work for the Clinton campaign. 

 

Durham says Sussman was working on Clinton’s behalf as well as Joffe’s when he met with FBI officials to convey the data, and lied about it. Sussman denies this, and the evidence seems pretty thin, but we’ll see how that plays out in court. 

• • •