[SpecialOlympian]

Non-democrat left wingers in America are irrelevant and deservedly so. The uselessly academian communists who want to exterminate the working class for being bourgeoisie or whatever are Antifa level people, most of whom seem content not to up their game intellectually but might hit a better looking guy in the head with a bike lock now and then.

Lol @ a guy who was unable to pass his bar exam and use his degree calling other academics useless.

[Suntzu]

Lol @ a guy who was unable to pass his bar exam and use his degree calling other academics useless.

He is in good company, JFK, Jr., Michelle Obama . . .

[SpecialOlympian]

I believe Michelle passed the bar and did not renew her license, which is different from going to teach in China because you're unqualified for any legal work.

[Suntzu]

I believe Michelle passed the bar and did not renew her license, which is different from going to teach in China because you're unqualified for any legal work.

Michelle did finally pass after three tries, I believe.

[SpecialOlympian]

Oh no she was a practicing lawyer at a respected Chicago law firm.

Nice diss, bro.

[Sivad]

Non-democrat left wingers in America are irrelevant and deservedly so.

There's a large and active progressive left that is about to do to the dems what the tea party did to the republican party.

[The Immortal Goon]

How the duck did you conclude that a user named Hong Wu needs protection from China?

Your support of Trump:

I beat the people from China. I win against China. You can win against China if you're smart. But our people don't have a clue. We give state dinners to the heads of China. I said why are you doing state dinners for them? They're ripping us left and right. Just take them to McDonald's and go back to the negotiating table.

China’s upset because of the way Donald Trump is talking about trade with China. They’re ripping us off, folks, it’s time. I’m so happy they’re upset.

There are people who wish I wouldn’t refer to China as our enemy. But that’s exactly what they are. They have destroyed entire industries by utilizing low-wage workers, cost us tens of thousands of jobs, spied on our businesses, stolen our technology, and have manipulated and devalued their currency, which makes importing our goods more expensive – and sometimes, impossible.

On labeling China an enemy

“Because it's an economic enemy, because they have taken advantage of us like nobody in history. They have; it's the greatest theft in the history of the world what they've done to the United States. They've taken our jobs.”

“China is the biggest environmental polluter in the World, by far. They do nothing to clean up their factories and laugh at our stupidity!”

We can’t continue to allow China to rape our country and that’s what they’re doing. It’s the greatest theft in the history of the world.

China is neither an ally or a friend -- they want to beat us and own our country.

The single biggest weapon used against us and to destroy our companies is devaluation of currencies, and the greatest ever at that is China. Very smart, they are like grand chess masters. And we are like checkers players. But bad ones.”

No surprise that China was caught cheating in the Olympics. That's the Chinese M.O. - Lie, Cheat & Steal in all international dealings.

But when you see China, these are fierce people in terms of negotiation. They want to take your throat out, they want to cut you apart. These are tough people. I've dealt with them all my life.

But, I mean, if you knew that Trump was lying to his supporters in order to make money for himself and that's something that you liked, then I guess that's that. Though it does sort of take the wind out of the sails of whining about other people being personally corrupt.

...Instead, you should attack the actual capitalist system

[Suntzu]

Oh no she was a practicing lawyer at a respected Chicago law firm.

Nice diss, bro.

She was, affirmative action hire. Still took her three tries to pass the bar.

[The Immortal Goon]

Until now, Robert Mueller has haunted Donald Trump’s White House as a hovering, mostly unseen menace. But by securing indictments of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, and a surprise guilty plea from foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, Mueller announced loudly that the Russia investigation poses an existential threat to the president. “Here’s what Manafort’s indictment tells me: Mueller is going to go over every financial dealing of Jared Kushner and the Trump Organization,” said former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg. “Trump is at 33 percent in Gallup. You can’t go any lower. He’s fucked.”

The first charges in the Mueller probe have kindled talk of what the endgame for Trump looks like, according to conversations with a half-dozen advisers and friends of the president. For the first time since the investigation began, the prospect of impeachment is being considered as a realistic outcome and not just a liberal fever dream. According to a source, advisers in the West Wing are on edge and doing whatever they can not to be ensnared. One person close to Dina Powell and Gary Cohn said they’re making sure to leave rooms if the subject of Russia comes up.

The consensus among the advisers I spoke to is that Trump faces few good options to thwart Mueller. For one, firing Mueller would cross a red line, analogous to Nixon’s firing of Archibald Cox during Watergate, pushing establishment Republicans to entertain the possibility of impeachment. “His options are limited, and his instinct is to come out swinging, which won’t help things,” said a prominent Republican close to the White House.

Trump, meanwhile, has reacted to the deteriorating situation by lashing out on Twitter and venting in private to friends. He’s frustrated that the investigation seems to have no end in sight. “Trump wants to be critical of Mueller,” one person who’s been briefed on Trump’s thinking says. “He thinks it’s unfair criticism. Clinton hasn’t gotten anything like this. And what about Tony Podesta? Trump is like, When is that going to end?” According to two sources, Trump has complained to advisers about his legal team for letting the Mueller probe progress this far. Speaking to Steve Bannon on Tuesday, Trump blamed Jared Kushner for his role in decisions, specifically the firings of Mike Flynn and James Comey, that led to Mueller’s appointment, according to a source briefed on the call. When Roger Stone recently told Trump that Kushner was giving him bad political advice, Trump agreed, according to someone familiar with the conversation. “Jared is the worst political adviser in the White House in modern history,” Nunberg said. “I’m only saying publicly what everyone says behind the scenes at Fox News, in conservative media, and the Senate and Congress.” (The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment by deadline.)

As Mueller moves to interview West Wing aides in the coming days, advisers are lobbying for Trump to consider a range of stratagems to neutralize Mueller, from conciliation to a declaration of all-out war. One Republican explained Trump’s best chance for survival is to get his poll numbers up. Trump’s lawyer Ty Cobb has been advocating the view that playing ball will lead to a quick resolution (Cobb did not respond to a request for comment). But these soft-power approaches are being criticized by Trump allies including Steve Bannon and Roger Stone, who both believe establishment Republicans are waiting for a chance to impeach Trump. “The establishment has proven time and time again they will fuck Trump over,” a Bannon ally told me.

In a series of phone calls with Trump on Monday and Tuesday, Bannon told the president to shake up the legal team by installing an aggressive lawyer above Cobb, according to two sources briefed on the call. Bannon has also discussed ways to pressure Congress to defund Mueller’s investigation or limit its scope. “Mueller shouldn’t be allowed to be a clean shot on goal,” a Bannon confidant told me. “He must be contested and checked. Right now he has unchecked power.”

Bannon’s sense of urgency is being fueled by his belief that Trump’s hold on power is slipping. The collapse of Obamacare repeal, and the dimming chances that tax reform will pass soon—many Trump allies are deeply pessimistic about its prospects—have created the political climate for establishment Republicans to turn on Trump. Two weeks ago, according to a source, Bannon did a spitball analysis of the Cabinet to see which members would remain loyal to Trump in the event the 25th Amendment were invoked, thereby triggering a vote to remove the president from office. Bannon recently told people he’s not sure if Trump would survive such a vote. “One thing Steve wants Trump to do is take this more seriously,” the Bannon confidant told me. “Stop joking around. Stop tweeting.”

Roger Stone believes defunding Mueller isn’t enough. Instead, Stone wants Trump to call for a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton’s role in approving the controversial Uranium One deal that’s been a locus of rightwing hysteria (the transaction involved a Russian state-owned energy firm acquiring a Canadian mining company that controlled a large subset of the uranium in the United States). It’s a bit of a bank shot, but as Stone described it, a special prosecutor looking into Uranium One would also have to investigate the F.B.I.’s role in approving the deal, thereby making Mueller—who was in charge of the bureau at the time—a target. Stone’s choice for a special prosecutor: Rudy Giuliani law colleague Marc Mukasey or Fox News pundit Andrew Napolitano. “You would immediately have to inform Mueller, Comey, and [Deputy Attorney General] Rod Rosenstein that they are under federal investigation,” Stone said. “Trump can’t afford to fire Mueller politically. But this pushes him aside.”

Incidently, Brietbart confirms broad outlines of the story.

1. Robert Stone, politically, probably has the best strategy here for Trump. But it's insanely cynical (as politics are). This said, I feel shame for the people that would hop on board and believe it after Roger Stone is essentially saying, "I'm only doing this to trick dumb people..."

2. I think it's hilarious that Trump is turning on Kushner, who he put in charge of just about everything.

3. In general, this doesn't sound great for Trump...

[SpecialOlympian]

How does it feel to be less accomplished than a black woman suntzu? As a man of few accomplishments I guess it must sting.

[Suntzu]

In 15 seconds I can think of half a dozen things I have done that Michelle hasn't and never will.

[SpecialOlympian]

Ok suntsu

You didn't actually list any of your achievements, but I totally believe you. We all know you're an accomplished dude.

[Buzz62]

Just popped in to say...
The "witch-hunt" has produced a big fat goose egg, with respect to this "collusion" horse kaka.

[Stormsmith]

Don Jr admitted to it months ago.

[Buzz62]

I see...and yet nothing.

[Suntzu]

Ok suntsu

You didn't actually list any of your achievements, but I totally believe you. We all know you're an accomplished dude.

I appreciate that!

[The Immortal Goon]

I see...and yet nothing.

Politically motivated or not, it's a bit of a stretch to see the FBI going after Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, and getting a guilty plea from George Papadopoulos as "nothing."

All law enforcement, but specifically the FBI, will go after the lowest level guys to see who they can flip to strengthen the cases as they work their way up.

Manafort, Gates, and Papadopoulos are by design not the biggest catches.

As to if they can flip and what else happens one can not speculate. But this isn't exactly "nothing."

[SpecialOlympian]

What a great week for Trump! I can't imagine how anyone could be disappointed by any of this!

[Sivad]

Politically motivated or not, it's a bit of a stretch to see the FBI going after Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, and getting a guilty plea from George Papadopoulos as "nothing."

All law enforcement, but specifically the FBI, will go after the lowest level guys to see who they can flip to strengthen the cases as they work their way up.

Manafort, Gates, and Papadopoulos are by design not the biggest catches.

As to if they can flip and what else happens one can not speculate. But this isn't exactly "nothing."

But doesn't that sort of show they really don't have any clear evidence of wrongdoing? It looks like they're just shaking the tree to see what if anything falls out.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

Mueller Reveals New Manafort Link to Organized Crime

Buried deep in Robert Mueller’s indictment of Paul Manafort is a new link between Donald Trump’s former campaign and Russian organized crime.
The indictment (PDF), unsealed on Monday, includes an extensive look into Paul Manafort’s byzantine financial dealings. In particular, it details how he used a company called Lucicle Consultants Limited to wire millions of dollars into the United States.

The Cyprus-based Lucicle Consultants Limited, in turn, reportedly received millions of dollars from a businessman and Ukrainian parliamentarian named Ivan Fursin, who is closely linked to one of Russia’s most notorious criminals: Semion Mogilevich.

Mogilevich is frequently described as “the most dangerous mobster in the world.” Currently believed to be safe in Moscow, he is, according to the FBI, responsible for weapons trafficking, contract killings, and international prostitution. In 2009, he made the bureau’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
...
On Oct. 5, 2012, Lucicle wired in $62,750 to pay for a Mercedes-Benz. And on Valentine’s Day of 2013, it sent $14,000 to a Florida art gallery. In total, according to Mueller’s indictment, Lucicle wired more than $5 million into the U.S. for Gates and Manafort.

At least some of the money Manafort and Gates used to pay for all those goodies appears to have come from Fursin. The New York Times reported in July that Lucicle and Fursin are tied to an “offshore entity, Mistaro Ventures, which is registered in St. Kitts and Nevis and listed on a government financial disclosure form that Mr. Fursin filed in Ukraine.”

According to the Times, “Mistaro transferred millions to Lucicle in February 2012 shortly before Lucicle made the $9.9 million loan to Jesand L.L.C., a Delaware company that Mr. Manafort previously used to buy real estate in New York.” It was one month after that transfer that Lucicle started shelling out millions to pay for cars, clothes, and real estate, according to the indictment.

That isn’t Fursin’s only connection to Manafort. He is also a lawmaker for the Party of Regions, which paid at least $17 million to Manafort’s firm.

In addition, Fursin’s longtime business associate, Ukrainian billionaire Dmitry Firtash, has an off-again, on-again partnership with Manafort. Together, they tried to buy the Drake Hotel in Manhattan for a cool $850 million. Firtash also bankrolled Ukraine’s Party of Regions.

Firtash has his own legal complications. He is currently under indictment in U.S. federal court for allegedly orchestrating an international titanium mining racket. The acting U.S. attorney in Chicago recently dubbed him an “organized-crime member” and an “upper-echelon associat[e] of Russian organized crime.” His attorneys say those charges are mere “innuendo,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

A December 2005 report from the Austrian Federal Criminal Investigation Agency said the FBI described Fursin and Firtash as senior members of the Semion Mogilevich Organization.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/mueller-r ... ized-crime