Tainari88 wrote:I wonder what is going to happen to Ciarmella? Will he just sort of disappear or croak?
Trump talks a lot of bluster, but he's a softie at heart. There won't be any Clinton-style assassinations unless Ciarmella turns on the Clintons. However, I saw something this morning that was quite interesting:
ICIG complaint alleges Trump-Ukraine whistleblower may be soliciting illicit donationsEXCLUSIVE: A newly filed complaint to the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) alleges that the whistleblower whose allegations touched off House Democrats' impeachment inquiry may have violated federal law by indirectly soliciting more than a quarter-million dollars from mostly anonymous sources via a GoFundMe page.
The complaint, which was filed last week and obtained by Fox News, alleged the donations from roughly 6,000 individuals "clearly constitute" gifts to a current intelligence official that may be restricted because of the employee's official position pursuant to 5 CFR 2635.203 and other statutes. To date, the GoFundMe has raised over $227,000.
The complaint also raised the possibility that some of the donations may have come from prohibited sources, and asked the ICIG to look into whether any "foreign citizen or agent of a foreign government" contributed.
What comes around goes around. Christine Blasey Ford used her platform to raise money, probably well beyond any legal fees. Ciaramella cannot do the same thing while working at the CIA, as they are gifts. The allegation that some of it came from foreign sources further soils his hearsay allegations further, and makes Schiff's attempt to hide his identity all the more troubling for the #NeverTrumpers. Here's the complaint--notice this guy got himself legal representation too.
Complaint to ICIG regarding Ukraine whistleblower"I have not seen anything on this scale," Anthony Gallo, the managing partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC, told Fox News, referring to the fundraising. "It's not about politics for my client -- it's whistleblower-on-whistleblower, and [my client's] only interest is to see the government ethics rules are being complied with government-wide."
Keep in mind that they changed the whistleblower form instructions indicating that the complaint had to be first-hand knowledge. So the deep state was obviously trying to coordinate this hit--probably making Ciarmella sacrificial so that they could keep people like Vindman in the NSC instead of having Vindman complain directly. Democrats tend to get pretty full of themselves--a sense of righteousness and moral superiority that makes them believe that published rules and statutes aren't applicable to them. In this case, Ciaramella may have to choose between his career at the CIA and returning funds.
"[M]y client believes ... that the federal employee you are protecting and their attorneys apparently have strategically weaponized their alleged whistleblowing activities into a very lucrative money-making enterprise using a charity incorporated under a different name than the trade name it is using for fund-raising purposes, which would appear to my client to be a clear abuse of the federal employee's authority and access to classified information," Gallo wrote in the letter to ICIG Michael Atkinson, the same government watchdog who originally received the Ukraine complaint from the whistleblower.
So now we have a war within the deep state. This is definitely not going the way they had planned.
Tainari88 wrote:I happen to think the issue with Trump is not all his aggressive stuff and his usual buffoonery. It is his lack of predictability Relampaguito. The Deep State and the whole machine running the show in DC, has a hard time with lack of predictability.
Oh, I agree. However, a lot of them think that the administrative state developed beginning with FDR is somehow part of the constitution. I've debated people who think that Social Security is an insurance scheme, and they are entitled to benefits. They have no idea that it could be cancelled tomorrow as a matter of law--of course, there would be riots. So I think there are a lot of people in these agencies that think preserving, protecting and defending the constitution would somehow include the CIA, or the State Department--creatures of statute.
Tainari88 wrote:And Trump had no experience in the political arena, and he is clever in his own machinations and in his own survival but he really has a hard time with self discipline and following predictable patterns that make these Deep State people happy.
I had this debate with Drlee early on where Drlee's contention was that Trump would just be a figurehead and do what he was told. In this case, he's not doing what they want--either in Syria or in Ukraine. Yet, it's doing more to expose the deep state and its appendages. Yesterday, I noted Mark Dice. Today, here's Timcast--who's pretty much a centrist, but he rants against the far left. Kind of a Bill Clinton Democrat.
He's also noting that Facebook stopped him, and YouTube locked a video that identified Ciaramella. Yet, Twitter allows you to mention Ciaramella's name and so does the Washington Times. It's really interesting to see who mentions him and who doesn't. They certainly had no such concern for Seth Rich.
Tainari88 wrote:A lot of the Trump voters weren't really fans of the man....they just wanted the end of that rotten show in DC.
Right. Exactly right. However, in the process, they are becoming fans of the man. I still see him as a transitional figure. The deep state has jumped the shark. That's why I've tried to point out to people who take him so seriously that it's pointless to do thinks like try to make truth-value determinations of everything he says, and have some sort of a lie counter or lie-o-meter. It's beside the point. Voting for Trump is a vote of no-confidence in the establishment. That's why Bloomberg is jumping in to the race too.
late wrote:Perry went to Ukraine to lean on the government to get political donors an energy contract for considerably less money than what other companies had on offer. Oh yeah, worried sick about corruption. Worried they won't get it.
So? Do you think he broke the law? If he's advancing US interests, that's generally what he's supposed to be doing. If he broke the law, once again can you cite a statute or regulation that you think he violated? By the way, Perry is not Trump.
late wrote:That will come out in the testimony.
Everyone in DC is a lawyer. You're hoping that testimony that is not probative or admissible in a court will make a difference with the public at large. It's not going to work as far as impeachment is concerned. Yes, we know the Democrats will put some women on the stand who will start crying and claiming they're really scared, and so forth. We're sort of used to this sort of thing by now. The problem is that what you have are primarily policy disagreements, and you don't have sufficient evidence for any legal charges.
Finfinder wrote:With all due respect what has you and your ilk predicted correctly in the last 3 years.
Trenchant. I wonder why they even try. As Marx was reputed to have said, history repeats itself: the first time as a tragedy (Mueller); the second time as a farce (Ukrainegate).
Finfinder wrote:Could it be because they have no viable candidate to win or no viable policy.
Yes. Trump came out of nowhere for them, but so did AOC and the squad. They wanted women to get elected, and they ended up with left-leaning socialists that forced the Democratic presidential primaries so far to the left that they are very unlikely to recover by this time next year. The problem with impeachment efforts is that it distracts from their own internal problems. They also seem to be running warren as a Hillary Clinton (wolf) in Bernie Sanders' (sheep's) clothing, but it's not working among AOC and her ilk who are loyal to Sanders.
Finfinder wrote:I look forward to the day Trump is standing on the debate stage and asks Americans if they want to live in a country that circumvents the will of the people erases their votes and convicts people with out a judge and jury and without the accused allowed a defense. If you are for that then you are a Communist.
Yeah, and where the accuser is kept secret, comes out of the CIA, wasn't on the call, colluded with Schiff and his staff, colluded with Chalupa to get dirt from Ukraine on Trump in 2016; and is quite likely to have violated regulations prohibiting gifts via GoFundMe efforts for whistleblowers. They seriously think that it's okay for an accusation by an unknown person from a spy agency, all of it hearsay, no right to confront the accuser, no right to know the exact nature and cause of the charges (USC/CFR), no right to call witnesses, no right to cross-examine witnesses called, etc. is somehow going to fly with the public.
Finfinder wrote:Its a hoax all this is propaganda campaigns to besmirch the president, destroy the executive branch, and to sway public opinion, coordinated by the media, Democrats, and corrupt partisan bureaucrats.
At taxpayer's expense no less.
late wrote:Information that has come out since then confirmed our suspicions.
None of it proven in a court of law, however...as always seems to be the case with you guys.
late wrote:Btw nobody in my lifetime has done as much character assassination as Trump and his cult of personality.
Personally, I find so much of Trump's shtick like Don Rickles or Rodney Dangerfield. He's funny. "Rosie O'Donnell is a fat pig! Disgusting." is funny to a lot of people, even though it is appalling to the politically correct. Pocahontas, Crooked Hillary, Little Marco, Lyin Ted Cruz, Low-energy Jeb Bush. The dude is hilarious.
"We have put together the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics."
-- Joe Biden