***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[aepps20]

Word salad to own the libs.

Amazing rebuttal to Lib conjecture and innuendo.

 

[whywesteppin]

Don Jr. slowly steps away with Mueller eying him...Donnie makes his mad dash through the crowd and terminal knocking over carry-ons and newspaper stands with Rob Mull giving chase

Then a well-dressed black man reading the Sun Times and wearing a tan suit and fedora calmly sticks out his gators and trips Don Jr., giving Mueller time to catch up and apprehend him. The stranger turns to board his plane but, before walking away, he gives Robert a head nod, revealing himself to be former president Barack H. Obama.

cue Oceans 11 fountain music.

 

[whywesteppin]

Amazing rebuttal to Lib conjecture and innuendo.

Comparing tariffs to fighting Nazis to own the libs.

 

[frenchbreadbuilds]

Word salad to own the libs.

 

[aepps20]

That cartoon once again proves that Libs are just shook ones when faced with REAL AMERICA. Cue da shook ones gif for Mueller when he saw Jr because he knew #SmashMouthPolitics were waiting for him.

 

[Belgium]

Presumably about all of them are financial industry employees etc. and Manafort business associates.
Tad Devine, a former campaign strategist for Bernie Sanders, is also on the witness list. Rick Gates is on there as well, as expected.
5 of the witnesses have been granted immunity to testify.
https://www.axios.com/special-couns...ial-00fea585-3272-4720-9c08-b9c622087bed.html
Special counsel releases witness list for Manafort trial
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed his witness list, which includes 35 individuals who could testify against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort in his upcoming trial.

Flashback: Earlier this week, a federal judge approved Mueller’s request that five witnesses be granted immunity in exchange for testifying against Manafort. The five witnesses — Donna Duggan, James Brennan, Conor O’Brien, Cindy Laporta, and Dennis Raico — all have been linked with Manafort’s finances, according to NBC News.

Spoiler: Witness list

https://www.politico.com/story/2018...ultant-assisting-mueller-investigation-745124
Former Bernie Sanders consultant assisting Mueller investigation
Tad Devine was one of a number of American consultants who assisted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on his work in Ukraine.

Tad Devine, a veteran Democratic operative who worked as a senior adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, is assisting special counsel Robert Mueller in his prosecution of Paul Manafort, according to Devine's consulting firm.

Long before Manafort became chairman of President Donald Trump’s campaign, Devine was one of a number of American consultants who worked with Manafort in 2010 to help elect Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine. Mueller has examined Manafort’s work in Ukraine as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.


Julian Mulvey, a partner at Devine’s firm, Devine Mulvey Longabaugh, said in a statement that Mueller had assured the firm that it has “no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully.”

Devine stopped working for Yanukovych after his government’s arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister and his political rival. Tymoshenko was later imprisoned by Yanukovych’s government on what were widely condemned at the time as politically-motivated charges.

“After the administration of the presidential candidate we had worked for arrested his political opponent, we quit,” Mulvey said in his statement. “We then declined additional offers to work on his later campaigns.”

Documents filed in court by Manafort’s lawyers on Thursday confirm that Devine declined to work with Manafort on the 2012 Ukrainian elections.

However, less than three months before the elections, Devine sent Manafort a memo with advice on how Yanukovych’s party could get on “more favorable message terrain.” The memo also indicates that Devine and Manafort had spoken recently.

“It was great to talk to you, and I hope we catch up in person soon,” Devine wrote in the memo.

And after Yanukovych was forced from power and fled to Russia in 2014, Manafort again recruited Devine to help him build a new Ukrainian political party.

“My rate for something like this would be $10,000/day, including travel days,” Devine wrote in a 2014 email to Manafort’s deputy, Rick Gates. “So if you want me to leave the US on Monday 6/16 and return on Friday 6/20 that would be 5 days at $10G/day for $50,000.00. You would need to make the travel arrangements, and transfer the $50G before the trip.”

Devine ended up making the trip, emails included in the documents filed by Manafort’s lawyers show. Less than five months later, Devine signed on to work on Sanders’ presidential campaign.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/27/manafort-lobbying-documents-ukraine-evidence-745127
New Manafort docs appear to contradict own lobbying claims
New court documents offer potential evidence that Paul Manafort's team lobbied on behalf of the Ukrainian government in the U.S.
New documents filed in court by Paul Manafort’s lawyers appear to contradict his legal team's own claims that the former Trump campaign chairman’s team only lobbied on behalf of the Ukrainian government in Europe.

The revelation could be important as Manafort is trying to fend off charges from special counsel Robert Mueller that Manafort failed to register as a foreign agent in connection with his lobbying work for the Ukrainian government. Earlier this year, Mueller accused Manafort and his former deputy, Rick Gates, of secretly organizing a group of former European politicians known as the “Hapsburg group” to lobby in the U.S. for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his party.


But, according to prosecutors, Manafort and his longtime associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, pressed those involved in the lobbying campaign to stress that the effort was focused exclusively on the European Union. A federal judge later ruled that Manafort was attempting to tamper with the testimony of potential witnesses and ordered him jailed over the incident.

Thursday’s documents — filed as part of a motion in court seeking to withhold more than 50 pieces of evidence from the jury in the upcoming trial — could complicate the EU-focused narrative. Several exhibits included in the court filing seem to contradict Kilimnik’s assertion that the Hapsburg group never lobbied in Washington.

“The Hapsburg team will also do a series of events between March and May in Washington DC designed to change the public rhetoric directed at Ukraine, but to also influence key members of the US Government through private meetings held at the highest levels,” Manafort wrote to Yanukvych in a memo dated Feb. 21, 2013. “This will include major speeches, participation in key events, and private meetings with senior US officials including Secretary of State John Kerry, and other members of the Administration.”

The memo isn’t the first evidence that the Hapsburg group — which included a former Austrian chancellor and a former Italian prime minister — lobbied in the U.S. Manafort wrote in another memo made public by Mueller’s team last month that he had “organized and leveraged” the visits of two Hapsburg group members to Washington. And disclosure reports retroactively filed by two Washington lobbying firms show that members of the Hapsburg group met with lawmakers in Washington around the same time.

Manafort is not set to face trial on his lobbying-related charges until September. However, he will face trial next week on separate Mueller charges of tax evasion, bank fraud and failing to report foreign bank accounts.

The documents filed by Manafort’s lawyers on Thursday comprise hundreds of pages and offer the most detailed look yet into the lobbying campaign he orchestrated in Europe and Washington.

In a memo to Yanukovych dated Feb. 4, 2013, Manafort wrote that John Kerry’s confirmation as secretary of state “is a positive development for us and will be a dramatic change from former Secretary Clinton.”

The Feb. 4 memo isn’t the only one in which Manafort appeared wary of Hillary Clinton, who had stepped down as secretary of state days earlier.

“It is important to understand that holdovers from the Clinton days and the US Embassy in Kyiv are not objective and are conspiring to identify options to get sanctions as a tool to pressure the Yanukovich Government,” Manafort wrote in another memo to Yanukovych.

Manafort also described Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the Europe, Eurasia and emerging threats subcommittee, as good for Ukraine.

Manafort was more pessimistic about Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), the new chairman of another subcommittee, suggesting that he’d use his position to raise the issue of Yulia Tymoshenko, the former Ukrainian prime minister and Yanukovych’s political rival. Yanukovych’s government imprisoned Tymoshenko on what were widely condemned at the time as politically-motivated charges.

“It is highly likely that Smith uses this subcommittee as a vehicle to hold hearings on [Tymoshenko’s] situation and possibly promote legislation,” the memo reads.

Smith had previously introduced a bill to encourage free and fair Ukrainian elections. Lobbyists hired by Manafort and Gates had lobbied against bills in 2012 condemning Yanukovych’s imprisonment of Tymoshenko.

Some of the documents are more cryptic.

One document, dated Jan. 15, 2013, lists four consultants in the U.S.: “Podesta/Devine/Weber/ Barry Jackson.”

The lobbyists Tony Podesta of the Podesta Group and Vin Weber of Mercury and the consultant Tad Devine have all confirmed that they worked with Manafort and Gates. But Jackson, a former chief of staff to one-time House Speaker John Boehner, has not been tied to Manafort.

Jackson said he had no idea why his name was there.

“I have done no work with or for Paul Manafort nor on behalf of the Yanukovych regime and know of no reason why my name shows up in a document,” Jackson wrote in an email to POLITICO on Thursday evening.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Even a few seconds of deep thought on the issue should make someone realize that this "radical left" talk will not suppress left-leaning voters.

In fact, candidates like Ocasio-Cortez will do the opposite. She excites a subset of voters that a regular generic liberal would not, no matter how well-meaning.

Democrats come in all sorts of flavors, and if you signal to our voters that if you getting the numbers and show up that their variety of Democrat can get on the ballot then it engages more voters.

Plus, if the Democratic leadership tells progressives to accept the Joe Manchin of the world, who is more out of step with the party's stated platform than any social democrat, then be willing to tell the moderates to accept the democratic socialist in Congress.

So what if she gets some of the details wrong, she grasps the big picture.

 

[rexanglorum]

Word salad to own the libs.

read it my best southern accent. what a cu<k

Amazing rebuttal to Lib conjecture and innuendo.

Comparing tariffs to fighting Nazis to own the libs.

Chapo Trap House once called Trump, "the Sun King for boat shop owners."

Welp, his vassals are indeed loyal.

I would not be surprised if that CFO either made or at least liked the following video



aepps20 Happy Friday

 

[RustyShackleford]

aepps20 right now...

 

[whywesteppin]

Friday night coaldown is insane right now!

@aepps just did an exhaust-stand on da hemi, to own the libs.

Rex, funny story -- we were playing that very song when I saw your post. we miss you guys here but I know it's double date night for you and Rusty. saw hi to Tomi and Loesch for me!

 

[whywesteppin]

kind of cool to see the lowly Italian take on the Harvard elite. I'm sure trump is on Avenatti's side:

 

[milestailsprowe]

Chapo Trap House once called Trump, "the Sun King for boat shop owners."

Welp, his vassals are indeed loyal.

I would not be surprised if that CFO either made or at least liked the following video



aepps20 Happy Friday

Love how in the Thumbnail they draw Trump as this guy who is in GREAT shape with combat skills and more. Why push that lie when He is a Overweight old man who dodged the draft several times.

 

[Nawzlew]

Homie behind Don is just waiting for something to pop off

yo is that j kidd?

 

[rexanglorum]

Friday night coaldown is insane right now!

@aepps just did an exhaust-stand on da hemi, to own the libs.

Rex, funny story -- we were playing that very song when I saw your post. we miss you guys here but I know it's double date night for you and Rusty. saw hi to Tomi and Loesch for me!

Ya know what, Fridays are for girlfriends. Sure I took Dana out for some drinks while my dutiful wife was at home breast feeding my infant twins, Alexander and Alexandria (not named for that wicked Socialist from NYC, I can assure you). I'll take my wife down to Nobu tomorrow night and Dana will be free from Saturday to Thursday to sleep with and demonize whomever she wishes.

 

[whywesteppin]

free from Saturday to Thursday to sleep with and demonize whomever she wishes.

she must fulfill the endtime prophecy of birthing the Satan twins who will grow up to become Cthulhu and Zuul, and then you're going to feel really sorry you let the government take all our guns away!

 

[gry60]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-happened-to-the-truth-under-president-trump

In just the last few weeks, President Trump has made a number of misleading or inaccurate statements on subjects ranging from Russian interference, to farmers and trade, to NATO defense. Judy Woodruff takes a closer look with Peter Wehner, who served in the last three Republican administrations, Lara Brown of George Washington University and Domenico Montanaro of NPR.

 

[MalcolmNewton]

 

[Nike Jordan]

@deuce king

 

[plansb]

 

[gry60]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/b...es-he-actually-understand-business-2018-07-11

Opinion: Brett Kavanaugh has saved almost nothing — so does he actually understand business?

 

[Belgium]

All Macron had to do was publicly fire the bodyguard immediately after the administration was informed of Macron's chief bodyguard wearing a police helmet and assaulting protesters on camera.
Instead the bodyguard got a 2 week suspension and the incident was kept under wraps until videos of the incident surfaced. Macron's administration now has a parliamentary probe on its hands.

It seems blown way out of proportion to me but France does have a bit of a history with presidents running their own police force outside of the normal chain of command, though there is no evidence of such a system or parallel police force in Macron's administration.
At least 2 former French presidents have employed such systems, from Charles de Gaulle's "SAC" force that conducted all sorts of shady activities to François Mitterand's team of highly trained police officers to spy on journalists. The Mitterand spying matter and subsequent investigations and trials ended up taking until 2005 to conclude despite the incidents happening during the early to mid 80s.
Sarkozy has also been accused of running similarly shady activities through aides.
https://www.politico.eu/article/alexandre-benalla-former-macron-bodyguard-lending-a-hand-to-police/
The bodyguard, a French political drama starring Emmanuel Macron
Rippling and bizarre scandal knocks French president off balance.

Emmanuel Macron’s former top bodyguard said through his lawyers Monday he was “lending a hand” to police when he was caught on film assaulting protesters during May 1 demonstrations.
The statement is the latest ripple in a scandal that has knocked Macron off balance for the first time since he swept to power in 2017, forcing allies to face questions from lawmakers and prompting allegations of a “cover-up” by the Elysée presidential palace.

The lawyers for ex-security aide Alexandre Benalla, who now faces charges of assault, also claimed his actions were being exploited for “media and political ends,” according to AFP.

“This personal initiative … is obviously being used to tarnish the president in circumstances that defy comprehension,” the lawyers said in a statement.

Footage emerged last week of Benalla wearing street clothes and a police helmet while assaulting a protester during pro-labor demonstrations.

Benalla, who was Macron’s security chief during his presidential campaign and later became an assistant chief of staff at the Elysée, was at first suspended for 15 days over the incident. But on Friday the Elysée said it had taken steps to dismiss him as public outrage grew over what critics said was an attempt to cover up the incident.

Normally hyper-communicative, the French president had nothing to say in public during the five days after videos surfaced of Benalla’s actions. The silence left aides and MPs from Macron’s centrist party scrambling to defend the president, arguing that since “all investigative levers” had been activated, there was nothing left for him to add.

Macron’s silence also intensified scrutiny of the president’s ties to a 26-year-old who appeared to enjoy privileges surpassing his official role.

French media reported that Benalla not only earned a monthly wage of €10,000, but also had a government vehicle and lodgings paid for by the state. Hinting at previously unknown proximity with the presidential couple, he was also reported to possess keys to their home in Le Touquet, in northern France, where Macron and his wife, Brigitte, often retreat.

Interior Minister Gérard Collomb admitted to French lawmakers on Monday that he knew of Benalla’s actions a day after the May 1 protests, but argued his staff did their part by informing Macron’s office as well as police.

“It was up to them to respond,” Collomb said.

“Since Mr. Benalla was not part of the personnel under my direct authority, and knowing that the government Cabinet and the police authorities had all the necessary information in order to act, I considered the events in question to have been taken into consideration at the appropriate level,” he added, saying his staff had also received notification that Macron’s office saw Benalla’s actions as “unacceptable,” and were told appropriate actions would be taken.

Collomb also said Benalla was meant to be present alongside police as an observer during the protests, but was unable to explain how Benalla came into possession of a police armband and radio.

 

[Rootin4EverybodyBlack]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/b...es-he-actually-understand-business-2018-07-11

Opinion: Brett Kavanaugh has saved almost nothing — so does he actually understand business?

Million dollar house and less than 50k in the bank at 50!? Good lord

 

[Nike Jordan]

Which is it, *****, Mrs. Briggs or Ms. Mathers?

 

[Nike Jordan]

 

[grnd7]

kind of cool to see the lowly Italian take on the Harvard elite. I'm sure trump is on Avenatti's side:

I think the reason he's doing all of this is he's going to run for president. He'd kill Trump in a debate.

I don't know how I missed this.