[Zagadka]

Now we know why Trump panicked about Russia probe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ri ... sia-probe/

You know things are looking grim for President Trump when he starts tweeting about Hillary Clinton again. Monday evening he sounded trapped and wounded: “Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech.” Well, perhaps it is because she is not president, did not hold back her tax returns, did not constantly cheer for Vladimir Putin, did not hire a host of pro-Putin flunkies and did not have aides who lied about contact with Russian officials.

Trump’s tweet certainly appears to be an attempt to deflect attention and to shift discussion away from the newest revelation about the Trump Russia scandal. The Post reports:

The Trump administration sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, The Washington Post has learned, a position that is likely to further anger Democrats who have accused Republicans of trying to damage the inquiry.

According to letters The Post reviewed, the Justice Department notified Yates earlier this month that the administration considers a great deal of her possible testimony to be barred from discussion in a congressional hearing because the topics are covered by the presidential communication privilege.

That will strike many as a ham-handed attempt to interfere with the investigation. Moreover, it makes the decision House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) (who remains under fire for his bizarre secret trip to the White House to view alleged information from some unidentified source, which he still has not revealed to other members of the committee) made to cancel an open hearing look once again like water-carrying for the White House.

Nunes’s fondness for the cameras and determination to throw up dust on behalf of the president has already sparked calls from Democrats, including Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), for Nunes to recuse himself. “We’ve reached the point, after the events of this week, where it would be very difficult to maintain the credibility of the investigation if the chairman did not recuse himself from matters involving either the Trump campaign or the Trump transition team of which he was a member,” Schiff said.

Appearing on CBS this morning Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) joined the chorus of voices lambasting Nunes:

NORAH O’DONNELL: Let me ask you about what Chairman Nunes has done. Do you think it was appropriate that he went to go view these so-called intelligence reports on White House grounds?

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Well, I think there needs to be a lot of explaining to do. I’ve been around for quite a while and I’ve never heard of any such thing. And– obviously– in a committee like an intelligence committee, you’ve got to have bipartisanship, otherwise the committee loses– credibility.

And so– l– there’s so much out there that needs to be explained by the chairman. And– look– if– this is a very serious issue. It all started with Russian interference– attempt to change the outcome of our election. And so, it’s turning into a centipede like these things have a tendency of doing. And another shoe seems to drop every few days.

NORAH O’DONNELL: And I know that’s why you have called for a select committee, an independent committee, because of the seriousness of these allegations. Should Chairman Nunes reveal his source?

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Well, absolutely. I can’t imagine why not. And I also believe that the entire committee should be engaged. The reason why the armed services committee– honestly does, is successful is we work in a bipartisan fashion. Senator Burr and Senator Warner on our intelligence committee are in the Senate, work closely together. They may have differences, but– you’ve got to have a bipartisan approach to an issue such as this if you want to be credible. . . .

There is more engagement– with– with false information. There is– a lot more associated with Russian attempts to affect America. Our election, but there’s also a lot of other Russian activities going on. For example, right now, they’re attempting to affect the outcome in France.

Stopping just short of demanding Nunes recuse himself, McCain’s open criticism of Nunes nevertheless opens the door for more pressure on Nunes from the GOP. Republicans may be reading polling showing Trump’s approval dropping and support for an independent commission rising. (In the latest Quinnipiac poll voters favor an independent inquest by a 66 to 29 percent margin.) Frankly, if Republicans in Congress want to demonstrate independence from a failing president and avoid constant questions about the issue they’d be smart to offload the entire matter to an independent commission or select committee. Nunes has made his own position — and Republicans’ support for him — increasingly difficult to maintain.

UPDATE: As he often does, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) gets off the best line regarding Nunes: “The problem that he’s created is he’s gone off on a lark by himself, sort of an Inspector Clouseau investigation here.” Indeed.

[MistyTiger]

Oh yeah.

And when I read that the hearing that Yates was supposed to show up for was suddenly cancelled...BAM! They got something to be nervous about.

[Stormsmith]

Oh yeah. And when I read that the hearing that Yates was supposed to show up for was suddenly cancelled...BAM! They got something to be nervous about.

And Nunes.

Wanna bet Jared Kush er doesn't talk, either.

[MistyTiger]

And Nunes.

Wanna bet Jared Kush er doesn't talk, either.

Yep. Kushner looks sketchy.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using PoFo mobile app

[MB.]

Pretty damning testimony, and this is on top of the recent confirmation of the MI6 Steele dossier which basically implicates Trump as susceptible to Russian blackmail.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39435786


Even Gowdy is saddling up to get Trump now. How the tables have turned!
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarko ... e-n2305645

I suspect the media will need to start profiling Pence in preparation for his inauguration as the 46th POTUS. Keep an eye on the Trump rats fleeing the sinking ship:

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/t ... ups-236706
Katie Walsh vanished this week...


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... dae95a7e5e

Here’s what we learned from the Senate hearing on Russia
By Peter W. Stevenson March 30 at 2:52 PM
Burr: 'We are all targets' of Russian intelligence efforts Embed Share Play Video2:49
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, outlined the committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, on March 30 at the Capitol. (Reuters)
This post has been updated.

The Senate Intelligence Committee held a rare public hearing on Thursday, a first look at its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The hearing, broken up into several sessions, began Thursday morning with a panel of academics brought in to explain Russia's history of trying to influence politics in other countries. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the committee chairman, and Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the vice chairman, made it clear that they want to be thorough, starting with an understanding of how Russia interferes in other countries' affairs and why.

On Thursday afternoon, the committee brought in a panel of cybersecurity experts, including Gen. Keith Alexander, who was head of the National Security Agency from 2005 to 2014. The experts are expected to discuss the techniques Russia uses to influence other countries and their politics over the Internet.

Here's what we have learned from the hearing so far:

1. Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign was the target of hacks – as recently as yesterday

Sen. Rubio talks about attempted hacking on his campaign aides Embed Share Play Video0:53
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told the Senate Intelligence Committee on March 30, that former members of his presidential campaign faced unsuccessful hacking attempts at least twice in the past year. (Photo: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
Rubio revealed on Thursday afternoon that hackers from an “unknown location within Russia” targeted his campaign staffers just after he announced his bid for reelection to the Senate in July, 2016. He went on to say that another hacking attempt was made just yesterday.

2. The Senate Intelligence Committee wants to avoid the partisanship we have seen from the House Intelligence Committee.

Burr and Warner both made it clear that they're working together and that they want to avoid letting politics creep in.

“We're all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary,” Burr said in his opening statement, “and we must engage in a whole-of-government approach to combat Russian active measures.”

It's notable that that statement is coming from Burr, a Republican, given that the Trump administration has spent months arguing that although Russia may have tried to interfere in the election, that interference didn't have much of an effect on the results.

[Who is ‘Source D’? The man said to be behind the Trump-Russia dossier’s most salacious claim.]

“We simply must — and we will — get this right,” Warner said. “The chairman and I agree it is vitally important that we do this as a credible, bipartisan and transparent manner as possible. As was said yesterday at our press conference, Chairman Burr and I trust each other.”

That's markedly different from the scene on the House side. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, asked Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) to recuse himself from the investigation earlier this week.

The Senate committee leaders also pointed out that, although Russia appears to have favored President Trump as a candidate, its overall strategy is more about destabilization than promoting one political party over another.

“Candidly, while it helped one candidate this time, they are not favoring one party over another,” Warner said, “and, consequently, should be a concern for all of us.”

Warner: Russia 'is not fake news' Embed Share Play Video1:27
Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election is important, regardless of political party, at a hearing on March 30 at the Capitol. (Reuters)
3. Russia has a history of meddling in other countries' affairs.

Roy Godson, an emeritus Georgetown University professor and an expert on American intelligence, was the first witness at Thursday's hearing. He discussed Russia's “long history” of meddling in other countries' affairs.

“They actually believe, whatever we think about it, that this gives them the possibility of achieving influence well beyond their economic and social status and conditions in their country,” Godson asserted. “For many, many decades, we did not take this subject seriously, and they were able to take enormous advantage.”

Godson explained that Russia is reusing old techniques to influence the American media and voters. “The Soviets and their Russian successors take the view that they can fight above their weight” and influence countries in the “20th and 21st centuries,” he said.

4. Some Russian interference techniques are easier to spot than others.

Each of the academic experts at Thursday’s hearing stressed that Russia uses a combination of covert and overt techniques to influence other countries. And Eugene Rumer, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment, said the overt techniques are the ones to which we should really be paying attention.

“It is the totality of Russian efforts in plain sight — to mislead, to misinform, to exaggerate — that is more convincing than any cyber evidence. RT, Internet trolls, fake news and so on, are an integral part of Russian foreign policy today,” Rumer said.

It’s hard to compare those overt techniques to the covert ones, since we don’t know exactly what they are. But we can take a guess, given what we do know about how the 2016 election played out.

Burr and Warner cited several instances of hacking into political email servers. That makes it likely that those same hackers also looked to steal other information — documents and data — from other servers within the U.S. government and at political organizations.

Godson did say, though, that there’s little evidence that Russia employs systematic efforts to change vote tallies at voting machines.

5. This isn’t just about the United States and Russia.

Rumer pointed out that Russia gets a lot of payoff from its efforts to interfere with the United States. First, it’s a distraction from our own politics: American lawmakers are spending a lot of time discussing, investigating and taking positions on this issue. Second, it damages U.S. leadership around the world. And third, he said, is what’s called the “demonstration effect.”

“The Kremlin can do this to the world’s sole remaining global superpower,” he said. “Imagine how other countries see it.”

Rumer added that he expects to see Russia turn its attention to the upcoming French and German elections.

6. Russia has a lot of resources devoted to cyberespionage.

Russia doesn't just have a lot of resources devoted to cyberespionage; it follows pretty consistent patterns, too.

Kevin Mandia, chief executive of cyber-intrusion experts FireEye, detailed how a group of suspected Russian hackers, designated “APT28,” follows a formula.

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“All of the breaches that we attribute to APT28 in the last two years involve the theft of internal data, as well as the leaking of this data — potentially APT28 or some other arm of the organization — into the public,” he said. Mandia went on to describe how this particular group of hackers has created more than 500 pieces of “malware,” or covert software that's used to break into computer networks and steal data.

7. The hackers know they're being watched.

Mandia described how, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, suspected Russian hackers would cease their activities as soon as they knew they had been detected — but now, and for the last few years, similar groups have simply continued their activities, even if they know they're being watched.

“For some reason, in August of 2014, we were responding to a breach of a government organization,” Mandia said, “and during our response, our front-line responders said, 'They know we're there. They know we're observing them, and they're still doing their activities.' ”

Perhaps, Mandia said, the hackers weren't worried about being caught because their activities, and the scope of their activities, were easily noticeable by foreign governments anyway.

[Stormsmith]

General Flynn will testify, if he gets immunity, he said.

[MB.]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ex-tru ... 2017-03-30

Ex-Trump adviser Flynn offers testimony if he gets immunity
Published: Mar 30, 2017 6:41 p.m. ET

Former national security adviser could provide details of Russia ties
Reuters
Michael Flynn resigned from the Trump administration in early February.

WASHINGTON — Mike Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, has told the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional officials investigating the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia that he is willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from prosecution, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

As an adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign, and later one of Trump’s top aides in the White House, Flynn was privy to some of the most sensitive foreign-policy deliberations of the new administration and was directly involved in discussions about the possible lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed by the Obama administration.

He has made the offer to the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees though his lawyer but has so far found no takers, the officials said. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mike-flynn ... 9?mod=e2tw

Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity
Former national security adviser tells FBI, the House and Senate intelligence committees he’s willing to be interviewed in exchange for deal, officials say

WASHINGTON—Mike Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, has told the Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional officials investigating the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia that he is willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from prosecution, according to officials with knowledge of the matter.

As an adviser to Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign, and later one of Mr. Trump’s top aides in the White House, Mr. Flynn was privy to some of the most sensitive foreign-policy deliberations of the new administration and was directly involved in discussions about the possible lifting of sanctions on Russia imposed by the Obama administration.

He has made the offer to the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees though his lawyer but has so far found no takers, the officials said.

Mr. Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, declined to comment.

It wasn’t clear if Mr. Flynn had offered to talk about specific aspects of his time working for Mr. Trump, but the fact that he was seeking immunity suggested Mr. Flynn feels he may be in legal jeopardy following his brief stint as the national security adviser, one official said.

Mr. Flynn was forced to resign after acknowledging that he misled White House officials about the nature of his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition.

Mr. Flynn’s communications with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, have been scrutinized by the FBI, which is examining whether Trump campaign personnel colluded with Russian officials who are alleged to have interfered with the presidential election, according to current and former U.S. officials. Russia has denied the allegations.

Mr. Flynn also was paid tens of thousands of dollars by three Russian companies, including the state-sponsored media network RT, for speeches he made shortly before he became a formal adviser to Mr. Trump’s campaign, according to documents obtained by a congressional oversight committee.

Democratic lawmakers have requested a copy of the security-clearance form that Mr. Flynn was required to file before joining Mr. Trump in the White House, to see if he disclosed sources of foreign income.


And they have asked the Defense Department to investigate whether Mr. Flynn, a retired Army general, violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting money from RT, which U.S. intelligence officials say is part of a state-funded media apparatus.

Holy smokes! Mike Flynn's revenge?

[JohnRawls]

I do not understand the willingness of Americans to kick their presidents/presidential candidates out. The Rs wanted to do the same stuff with Hillary and Obama. The Ds wanted to kick Bush and now Trump out. I am a bit afraid for America if any of the sides succeeds. The world relies on the US for security and a fractured US is not what we need. Not to mention if something akin to a civil war happens.

[MB.]

It is probably a good idea for the POTUS to not be susceptible to Russian blackmail. More broadly though, this Senate testimony is about how the Putin Kremlin uses its old KGB GRU agitprop tricks "on steroids" to influence American voters who don't know what is happening. So wether or not this leads to Trump's impeachment (it could), it serves as a critical venue for explaining to Americans how their minds are being colonized by "fake news" generated by Moscow.

[JohnRawls]

It is probably a good idea for the POTUS to not be susceptible to Russian blackmail. More broadly though, this Senate testimony is about how the Putin Kremlin uses its old KGB GRU agitprop tricks "on steroids" to influence American voters who don't know what is happening. So wether or not this leads to Trump's impeachment (it could), it serves as a critical venue for explaining to Americans how their minds are being colonized by "fake news" generated by Moscow.

Okay, but how is that different compared to BBC, CNN, FOXNEWS broadcasting during Russian election? It is not as if Putin doesn't get his fair share of dirt. The question is why did the American people believe what the Russians agitprop said then? If its agitprop then does it mean it is also fake? Or not necessarily ?

[Godstud]

This might be worrying to Trump and his cronies

Mike Flynn Offers to Testify in Exchange for Immunity
Former national security adviser tells FBI, the House and Senate intelligence committees he’s willing to be interviewed in exchange for deal, officials say
https://www.wsj.com/articles/mike-flynn ... 1490912959

[SpecialOlympian]

Okay, but how is that different compared to BBC, CNN, FOXNEWS broadcasting during Russian election? It is not as if Putin doesn't get his fair share of dirt. The question is why did the American people believe what the Russians agitprop said then? If its agitprop then does it mean it is also fake? Or not necessarily ?

Lol look at this shook redhat who can't deal with the fact that Daddy is a traitor.

[MistyTiger]

Even Gowdy! LOL. See, politicians are flip floppers!

[Zag Edit: Rule 2]

[Zagadka]

Making deals for immunity is totally what innocent people do! No need for an investigation.

At what point do people begin questioning Trump? It keeps looking worse and worse. It isn't necessary to come out against him, but surely some questions are raised.

[jimjam]

[jimjam]

Making deals for immunity is totally what innocent people do! No need for an investigation.

At what point do people begin questioning Trump? It keeps looking worse and worse. It isn't necessary to come out against him, but surely some questions are raised.

trump is somewhat shoot from the hip and sloppy. this worked on his previous job but is not suited for his current job. It is a matter of time until he is fucked.

[SpecialOlympian]

Making deals for immunity is totally what innocent people do! No need for an investigation.

At what point do people begin questioning Trump? It keeps looking worse and worse. It isn't necessary to come out against him, but surely some questions are raised.

Can't find the article now, but apparently the reason you would announce such a thing publicly through your lawyer is because you have nothing to offer and Flynn is hoping some idiot Congressional investigative team will take him up on the offer. If he were serious he'd cooperate quietly with the prosecutors.

Still not a good sign that Flynn is willing to take a huge shit on the president in public lol

[anarchist23]

President Donald Trump's ex-national security adviser, Michael Flynn, wants immunity to testify on alleged Russian election meddling, his lawyer, Robert Kelner says his client "has a story to tell", but needs to guard against "unfair prosecution".

Congress is investigating the allegations, with one senator warning of Kremlin "propaganda on steroids".
Mr Flynn was sacked in February after misleading the White House about his conversations with a Russian envoy.
■ Russia 'tried to hijack US election'
■ Putin makes fresh overtures to Trump
■ Russia: The scandal Trump can't shake
■ Michael Flynn: Former US national security adviser
His links to Russia are being scrutinised by the FBI and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, as part of wider investigations into claims Moscow sought to help Donald Trump win the US presidential election, and into contacts between Russia and members of President Trump's campaign team.
"General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit," said his attorney, Robert Kelner, in a written statement.
He said he would not comment on his discussions with congressional panels conducting the investigation.
The lawyer said the media was awash with "unfounded allegations, outrageous claims of treason, and vicious innuendo".
"No reasonable person, who has the benefit of advice from counsel, would submit to questioning in such a highly politicized, witch-hunt environment without assurances against unfair prosecution," he said.
Three other former Trump aides, former campaign chief Paul Manafort and former advisers Roger Stone and Carter Page, have offered to testify without requesting immunity.
Russia 'targeted key states'
The Senate Intelligence Committee opened its hearing on Thursday with one member saying Moscow had sought to "hijack" the US election.
Democrat Mark Warner said Russia may have used technology to spread disinformation, including fake news for voters in key states, such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
"This Russian 'propaganda on steroids' was designed to poison the national conversation in America," Senator Warner said.
Panel chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, warned: "We are all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary."
Mr Burr also confirmed there had been "conversations" about interviewing Mr Flynn, but his appearance had not been confirmed.
The Trump presidency has faced continued allegations that members of its team colluded with Russian officials during the election campaign.
The president regularly dismisses the claims as "fake news" and Russia has also ridiculed the allegations.
President Putin did so again on Thursday at an Arctic forum, describing them as "nonsense" and "irresponsible".
Who is Michael Flynn?
Mr Flynn, a retired army lieutenant-general, initially denied having discussed US sanctions against Russia with the country's ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.
But he stood down after details of his phone call emerged, along with reports that the Department of Justice had warned the White House about Mr Flynn misleading officials and being vulnerable to Russian blackmail.
At last summer's Republican party convention, Mr Flynn led chants of "lock her up" aimed at Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.
In September, he said in a TV interview that it was unacceptable that some of the Democratic candidate's aides had been granted immunity from prosecution.
"When you get given immunity that means you've probably committed a crime," he told NBC News.

BBC

[JohnRawls]

Lol look at this shook redhat who can't deal with the fact that Daddy is a traitor.

I am not pro-Trump SO. I prefer Trump the same way i preferred Obama over MCCain and Romney
Let us see what happens. I doubt Trump is a traitor but i am a bit curiouse also what Flynn wants to say.

[SpecialOlympian]

I am not pro-Trump SO. I prefer Trump the same way i preferred Obama over MCCain and Romney
Let us see what happens. I doubt Trump is a traitor but i am a bit curiouse also what Flynn wants to say.

Lol too late to back out now Trump lover, we can smell the piss on you from here.