Marcy Wheeler as emptywheel writes—Three Questions Not Asked of Steve Bannon:
The Roger Stone trial is done for the week, with Randy Credico getting through his testimony (though probably without substantiating the witness-tampering charge tied to him), with Margaret Kunstler confirming that Credico had never provided information from Assange to Stone through her, and with a very short appearance from Steve Bannon.
Bannon’s appearance was most interesting, in my opinion, for what he wasn’t asked. Here’s CNN’s coverage.
Prosecutor Michael Marando asked Bannon what he made of Stone’s August 18 email — introduced in Aaron Zelinsky’s opening — telling Bannon, ““I do know how to win this but it ain’t pretty.” Bannon responded by calling Stone some lame euphemism for “rat-fucker,” and that Stone is highly experienced in such things. But Bannon was not asked whether there was any follow-up to the email. That’s particularly interesting given the possibility that it pertains to another investigation, albeit one not related to the core Russian issues. [...]
Marando used Bannon’s request to Stone as a way to premise that Bannon believed that Stone was the campaign point person on any outreach to WikiLeaks.
But Bannon wasn’t asked about the last email in that thread, which asked Bannon to tell Rebecca Mercer to send him some money. That’s significant, because the government wants to show that Stone lied to HPSCI about discussing his dark money shenanigans with the campaign (but that he cleaned that lie up). Since that exchange amounts to Stone telling Trump’s campaign manager what he was up to, I had thought Bannon might be asked to elaborate on that. He was not.
Finally, Bannon was not asked about his response to an email Paul Manafort sent to Jared Kushner and David Bossie on November 5, 2016 about how to “secure the victory.” [...]
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TODAY’S EYE ROLL
Newt Gingrich writes another book. The New Yorker gives him a 26-question interview.
QUOTATION
“Still another danger is represented by those who, paying lip service to democracy and the common welfare, in their insatiable greed for money and the power which money gives, do not hesitate surreptitiously to evade the laws designed to safeguard the public from monopolistic extortion. American fascists of this stamp were clandestinely aligned with their German counterparts before the war, and are even now preparing to resume where they left off, after "the present unpleasantness" ceases.” ~~Henry A. Wallace, “Wallace Defines American Fascism,” April 9, 1944
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2008—Chambliss uses 9/11 footage in latest ad:
Ah, class act, that Saxby Chambliss, From instigating lying dirty-bomb politics against triple-amputee war hero Max Cleland in 2002, to stooping to terror-mongering with a national tragedy in the current run-off against Orange to Blue candidate Jim Martin for the Georgia Senate. […]
At least Chambliss' scumbaggery is consistent. Consistently beyond the pale.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: It’s the Friday wrap-up & early warning show. The many conspiracies Republicans must believe, plus their newest fake outrage. Just call it bribery & extortion, already. Flop sweat at Stone trial. New character in the Parnas/Fruman saga: Charles Gucciardo.
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