***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[gry60]

 

[Belgium]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/04/trump-russia-investigations-congress-242256?cid=apn
A good basic summary of how the Russia probe is looking to proceed, what the House and Senate investigations are planning, ...

Russia probes kick into high gear
Three congressional committees are pursuing investigations, and high-ranking Trump associates are expected to testify soon.
The congressional Russia investigations are entering a new and more serious phase as lawmakers return from the August recess amid fresh revelations about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.

In the coming weeks, both intelligence committees are expected to conduct closed-door interviews with high-ranking members of the Trump campaign, and potential witnesses could include Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr.


The two panels are also looking at possibly holding public hearings this fall.

In addition, Trump Jr. is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is conducting its own parallel investigation into President Donald Trump and his associates’ alleged ties to Moscow.

The return of the congressional Russia probes also means the return of a phenomenon that has reportedly enraged Trump and caused him to lash out at GOP leaders: constant headlines about the latest incremental developments in these sprawling and unwieldy investigations.

There will be the daily, sometimes hourly, leaks about new witnesses, new lines of inquiry. There will be ominous cable news footage of lawmakers and witnesses disappearing into classified briefing rooms. And there will be grandstanding and bickering among members of Congress in both parties, many of them trying to capitalize on the Russia investigations to further their own political ambitions.

There will also be competition between three committees investigating many of the same issues and seeking testimony from the same witnesses — and doing very little to coordinate their efforts.

"They're doing their thing and we're doing our thing," said an aide on one of the Senate committees, speaking of the other congressional panels.

In some cases, lawmakers asked their staffs to hold off on scheduling high-profile interviews while they were gone for the August recess — only to get annoyed when another committee then swooped in and scheduled their own interviews in the interim.

Over the summer, the respective probes bumped up against each other even more often than usual.

House Intelligence Committee investigators traveled to London in July to attempt to find and interview former MI6 operative and Trump dossier author Christopher Steele, either not knowing or not caring that Steele’s lawyers were already engaging with the Senate Intelligence panel.

Officials on the Senate panel were irked when the Senate Judiciary Committee announced its own open hearing with several witnesses — including Trump Jr. and Manafort — that the intelligence committee was also working to arrange interviews with. Neither Trump Jr. nor Manafort ended up testifying at the open hearing, and the committees are now separately seeking to arrange closed-door interviews with them.

Cohen, meanwhile, is set to appear for a closed-door interview with the House panel. The Senate committee is also expected to seek testimony from Cohen, a longtime Trump confidant and lawyer for the Trump Organization who is under scrutiny because of his outreach to Russian officials about a since-abandoned proposal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Of the three congressional panels, the one with the best record for bipartisan cooperation is the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia have forged a close relationship, often holding joint press conferences and issuing joint statements about their efforts. The Senate panel also includes several Republicans who’ve been highly critical of Trump and expressed a willingness to get to the bottom of his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, regardless of the political consequences. They include Marco Rubio of Florida, Susan Collins and Maine and James Lankford of Oklahoma. Arizona Sen. John McCain, one of Trump’s chief GOP critics, is an ex-officio member of the committee.

The House Intelligence Committee has been beset by internal bickering over witnesses and strategy. The panel’s controversial chairman, Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), stepped back from the probe in April after the House Ethics Committee announced it was investigating his handling of classified information. Since then, the investigation has been led by Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who has sought to repair relations with the committee’s Democrats.

Top Democrat Adam Schiff of California has repeatedly said the committee’s goal is to produce a single, bipartisan report detailing Russia’s efforts to sway the presidential election, whether the Trump campaign was involved, and what can be done to stop future efforts by foreign powers to influence U.S. elections. But Schiff earlier this week expressed doubts about whether the committee can accomplish this goal, suggesting that it could end up producing separate Republican and Democratic reports.

If that happened, he told USA Today, “then Americans will have to read both reports and decide which one to believe. And that is far less than ideal."

For its part, the Senate Judiciary Committee got a late start in its Russia investigation but has had a big impact.

In June, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and top Democrat Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) announced a deal to investigate two issues: the circumstances behind the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and whether the Obama administration improperly interfered with the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.

Since then, Grassley and Feinstein have sought testimony from key witnesses, including Manafort and Trump Jr., using the threat of subpoenas to secure interviews. Their panel has also received about 20,000 pages of documents from the Trump campaign.

 

[aepps20]

Obummer did more to HARM THIS COUNTRY THAN ANYONE. IF HE DOES SPEAK OUT AGAINST MY PRESIDENT. Every TRUE AMERICAN will shout him down. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME

 

[Belgium]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/349154-trump-asked-aides-for-a-way-out-on-daca-report

 

[whywesteppin]

 

[elpablo21]

 

[aepps20]

EXCELLENT NEWS.

 

[migu420]

Dude looks like a walking dead extra

 

[boris]

This is really bad for the United States.

 

[Nike Jordan]

What happened to #AllLivesMatter?

 

[whywesteppin]

this is really gonna benefit the middle class, right? right? really, anyone who thinks these corporate tax breaks are going to help out the middle class are a bunch of ****ing idiots.

EXCELLENT NEWS.

aepps20 about to show up at Bannon's room all like, "i think i found a cure. bite down on this."

 

[RustyShackleford]

This is the problem I have with policies with this.

Like I am not against taxing 401K contributions, on both sides, in some way. The best way it should be taxed, I dunno. I am kinda speaking out of ignorance because I have not looked at the stats of the contributions and deductions but I would guess it is in the same lane as other tax deductions.

So maybe taxing it at a lower rate that income tax, or capping the deduction in some way, or progressively taxing the contributions. Something

But don't ****ing use that extra revenue to give corporations a damn giveaway. Use the revenue to help people at the bottom of the income ladder and middle class.

 

[RustyShackleford]

A general comment on taxation since I usually find it is a subject that really splinter the left wing coalition. A lot of folk got a hunger for justice, but they don't want it on their dime.

Liberals need to come to terms with the fact that the tax code is ****ed up. It is a major driver of inequality, and it serves as a welfare system for the rich and upper class. And it you can't fight against inequality, and fight for economic justice if you think the tax code is fine. Not only that, it is not as easy as just taxing the rich more.

Not only does tax code benefit the ultra rich too much, it benefits the upper middle class way too much also. People will complain about folk getting food stamps, housing credits, and a Obamaphone, and label people that use these programs welfare queens (conservatives), or indulge in some means testing talk (liberals, I'm guilty of this too in the past). But then won't bat in eye when they claim deduction after deduction, and brag about all the "retirement vehicles" they can take advantage of. Like when a Health Savings Account becomes a way to finesses the system, we gotta stop and think that **** goes beyond the 1%.

And this is not just about tax people to death to spend on poor people. Middle class and upper class people need better, cheaper government services too. But when you care about justice (all kinds), but dig in and refuse to give an inch when it come to your mortgage deductions, low capital gains taxes, our money above the Social Security limit, etc, you sabotage the fight for justice.

-Many liberals push back Obama's suggestions of reducing the amount of deductions. That is shameful. I know I defend Obama a lot, I relaize. Most of the right wing attacks are nonsense, and many of the far left attacks are Monday morning quarterbacking,playing fast and loose with the details, and feeling betrayed he was not someone he never claimed to me. But the truly sad thing about his presidency is that we didn't get the most left wing version of him, not to be something he never marketed himself ***, but having all the progressive things he wanted passed. Because he and his team really did have many good ideas. Ideas that would have had people thirsty for social democracy

-Another thing since I kinda shaded the upper middle class, I should say something in their defense.I really don't rock with the far left 's shaming of upper middle class liberals. It is weird to me, it seems some on the far left are quicker to give the bigoted factory worker in the rust belt a break, but the upper middle class coastal dweller gets shaded to death. It makes it so easy for centrist, and left of center politicians to coddle them and gain their support.

Like I am frustrated with the upper middle class in America, but upper middle class liberals could easy vote Republican and help oppress the middle-middle and poor even further. And at least these people do something to fight against the system of white supremacy. It is not enough, sure, but they still have selected to do be on the right side of history.

And it is weird to me that the far left has does try to pitch populism to the upper middle class. I realize centrist, the center left, and even the left of center sabotage such efforts. But the attempts to are really piss poor in many ways, if you're asking people to give up something, tell make sure you preach how what they will get in return will improve their life too (granted, I didn't spell that out myself, but that is for another day, and another unnecessary long post).

 

[IATT]

 

[IATT]

 

[leavemeglazzies]

Trouble in paradise?

 

[IATT]

 

[IATT]

 

[aepps20]

this is really gonna benefit the middle class, right? right? really, anyone who thinks these corporate tax breaks are going to help out the middle class are a bunch of ****ing idiots.




aepps20 about to show up at Bannon's room all like, "i think i found a cure. bite down on this."

I've BEEN studying the COAL SCROLLS and the key is cutting the Grayscale with a Knife forged from leftover Popeyes chicken and Coal Soot. Bannon will be looking DAPPER in NO TIME.

 

[whywesteppin]

you cut off the rest of the quote. "he's my side *****."

 

[AEA18]

 

[Mr.Guy]

One thing I can say about Trump is that he's sticking to his campaign promises, no matter how bad they are.

 

[IATT]

 

[leavemeglazzies]

One thing I can say about Trump is that he's sticking to his campaign promises, no matter how bad they are.

 

[RustyShackleford]

One thing I can say about Trump is that he's sticking to his campaign promises, no matter how bad they are.

He really isn't.

He is mainly just proving to be the vile bigot and snake oil salesman Obama, Hillary and the left said he would be.

There are tons of **** he flip flopped on and realized he can't pull off.