Here’s something you won’t see on TrumpTV — the DOJ Inspector General after spending 16 Hours interviewing Christopher Steele has determined that he is “credible.”
The extensive, two-day interview took place in London while Trump was in Britain for a state visit, the sources said, and delved into Steele’s extensive work on Russian interference efforts globally, his intelligence-collection methods and his findings about Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, who the FBI ultimately surveilled. The FBI’s decision to seek a surveillance warrant against Page — a warrant they applied for and obtained after Page had already left the campaign — is the chief focus of the probe by Horowitz.
The interview was contentious at first, the sources added, but investigators ultimately found Steele’s testimony credible and even surprising. The takeaway has irked some U.S. officials interviewed as part of the probe — they argue that it shouldn’t have taken a foreign national to convince the inspector general that the FBI acted properly in 2016. Steele’s American lawyer was present for the conversation.
This is bad news for Trumpers, although I don’t expect them to notice until they get their noses rubbed in it. They’re as likely to ignore this as they ignored the fact that the DOJ Inspector General previously cleared the FBI — including Lisa Page and Agent Peter Strzok — of having such a bias personally against Trump that they gave Hillary Clinton a pass in their investigation of her emails.
As I’ve noted before the 73% of the allegations in Steele’s dossier has been shown to be about fully or partially accurate while only 5% has been debunked.
Trumpsters have been long claiming that the Steele was wildly bigoted against Trump and that — using Hillary Clinton’s money, even though she never funded the DNC — Steele concocted a false narrative and attack on Trump in order to derail his campaign and then the FBI tried to use his information to get a FISA warrant for Carter Page — who had already left the Trump campaign at that point — and supposedly didn’t inform the FISA court of Steele and his boss at the time Glenn Simpson’s intention to hurt Trump’s campaign — which they totally admitted up front in the warrant — and that somehow means that the Mueller investigation never should have happened — except that it had already started before Steele wrote his first memo, and Mueller had nothing to do with it.
None of that has stopped Rudy Giuliani from claiming that Mueller was a “hitman” even though it seems like it he didn’t even try to fire at his main target.
Fox News personality Sean Hannity asked Giuliani a whataboutism question, wondering why others weren’t investigated instead of the president.
“Because he didn’t care about the truth,” Giuliani argued. “He was a hitman.”
Trump quoted Giuliani as claiming, “the reality is that this was a plot from the very beginning to frame Trump…”
Uh, yeah right. Actually there was a deep dark plot in place, but it wasn’t that one — it was the one to Russian Intelligence to frame Seth Rich for the DNC hack.
Russia’s foreign intelligence service, known as the SVR, first circulated a phony “bulletin” — disguised to read as a real intelligence report —about the alleged murder of the former DNC staffer on July 13, 2016, according to the U.S. federal prosecutor who was in charge of the Rich case. That was just three days after Rich, 27, was killed in what police believed was a botched robbery while walking home to his group house in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C., about 30 blocks north of the Capitol.
[...]
“To me, having a foreign intelligence agency set up one of my decedents with lies and planting false stories, to me that’s pretty outrageous,” said Deborah Sines, the former assistant U.S. attorney in charge of the Rich case until her retirement last year. “Maybe other people don’t think it’s that outrageous. I did ... once it became clear to me that this was coming from the SVR, then that triggers a lot of very serious [questions about] ‘What do I do with this?’”
The Russian effort to exploit Rich’s tragic death didn’t stop with the fake SVR bulletin. Over the course of the next two and a half years, the Russian government-owned media organizations RT and Sputnik repeatedly played up stories that baselessly alleged that Rich, a relatively junior-level staffer, was the source of Democratic Party emails that had been leaked to WikiLeaks. It was an idea first floated by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who on Aug. 9, 2016, announced a $20,000 reward for information about Rich’s murder, saying — somewhat cryptically — that “our sources take risks.”
At the same time, online trolls working in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Internet Research Agency (IRA) — the same shadowy outfit that conducted the Russian social media operation during the 2016 election — aggressively boosted the conspiracy theories. IRA-created fake accounts, masquerading as those of American citizens or political groups, tweeted and retweeted more than 2,000 times about Rich, helping to keep the bogus claims about his death in the social media bloodstream, according to an analysis of a database of Russia troll accounts by Yahoo News.
This was a full-on major portion of the Russian disinformation campaign, one which was repeated and echoed by Trump pal Roger Stone — who lawyers are continuing to floats these ideas a part of his defense — to his former staffer Steve Bannon from Breitbart to Fox News and even included Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekolow who made this argument on air with Sean Hannity.
Within months, the Rich conspiracy story was also being quietly promoted inside Trump’s White House. Questions about whether the White House pushed the conspiracy theories about Rich have been raised periodically over the last two and a half years — and were consistently denied by White House officials. But the Yahoo News investigation uncovered new evidence that the false claim that Rich was the victim of a political assassination was advanced by one of the White House’s most senior officials at the time.
“Huge story … he was a Bernie guy … it was a contract kill, obviously,” then-White House chief strategist Steve Bannon texted to a CBS “60 Minutes” producer about Rich on March 17, 2017, according to some of Bannon’s text messages that were reviewed by Yahoo News. (Bannon did not respond to requests for comment.)
The conspiracy claims reached their zenith in May 2017 — the same week as Mueller’s appointment as special counsel in the Russia probe — when Fox News’ website posted a sensational story claiming that an FBI forensic report had discovered evidence on Rich’s laptop that he had been in communication with WikiLeaks prior to his death. Sean Hannity, the network’s primetime star, treated the account as major news on his nightly broadcast, calling it “explosive” and proclaiming it “might expose the single biggest fraud, lies, perpetrated on the American people by the media and the Democrats in our history.
Among Hannity’s guests that week who echoed his version of events was conservative lawyer Jay Sekulow. Although neither he nor Hannity mentioned it, Sekulow had just been hired as one of Trump’s lead lawyers in the Russia investigation. “It sure doesn’t look like a robbery,” said Sekulow on Hannity’s show on May 18, 2017, during a segment devoted to the Rich case. “There’s one thing this thing undercuts is this whole Russia argument, [which] is such subterfuge,” he added.
The WIngnut media hammered this story over and over — denying that Russia had anything to do with DNC and Podesta hacks while they were at the same time sending Roger Stone to reach out to Wikileaks and reveal what they were going to release next to Trump’s campaign could take best advantage of it, and even when the Access Hollywood Tape was about to drop — they had Stone again reach out to Wikileaks to have their release their information on John Podesta that very same day and change the media narrative.
But there was “no collusion.” Yeah, right — bullshit.
And then there was this:
Here are the rest of this week’s even in the update to the Trump-Russia Timeline.
July 5th —
July 6th —
July 7th —
July 8th —
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Trump claims the NYTimes report on the squalor at the migrant detention centers is “phony and exaggerated.” [Except the DHS IG has confirmed it.] ”We told you they were overcrowded.” [Because of your over stuffing it with people by abusing your authority over prosecuting asylum seekers who can legally enter any way they want.]
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DOJ switches up the legal team for the Census case.
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AP reports that the FBI is investigating former RNC fundraiser Elliot Broidy over foreign bribery allegations.
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NY Gov Cuomo signs a bill that will allow Congress to access Trump's state tax returns [Although Chairman Neal has already rejected this approach.]
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Theresa May apologizes for a leaked diplomatic cable from her Ambassador to the US KIm Darroch where he said Trump’s administration was “inept, uniquely dysfunctional, could end in disgrace, insecure and incompetent.” He also:
- Describes bitter conflicts within Trump's White House – verified by his own sources – as 'knife fights';
- Warns that Trump could have been indebted to 'dodgy Russians';
- Claims the President's economic policies could wreck the world trade system;
- Says the scandal-hit Presidency could 'crash and burn' and that 'we could be at the beginning of a downward spiral... that leads to disgrace and downfall';
- Voices fears that Trump could still attack Iran.
- 'We don't really believe this Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.'
- Trump says he doesn’t know Darroch, then attacks him saying he’s not popular [How would you know if you don't know him?] and disinvites him to a planned dinner [How'd he get invited if no one like him?] and says he’s work deal with him anymore. [Although since he’s going to leave with Theresa May’s government in 2 weeks, so what difference does that make?]
- AG Bill accuses Dems of trying to create a “spectacle” with their public Mueller testimony. [Yep, because apparently that it what it takes to convince the public that you’re a fracking serial liar.] Even though he was fully in favor of Mueller testifying a few months ago. He also says that he’s on a “pathway” to get the citizenship back into the census? [Could that be a yellow brick road?] He also recuses himself from the Epstein case after questions arise about their relationship.
- Trump tries, again, to shut down the emoluments lawsuit in order to prevent discovery of is financial data, and he gives a completely deluded speech about how "great” the US is doing on the environment when that's absolutely not true.
- Breitbart’s WH Correspondant is going to work for the White House. [Why not, Steve Bannon already worked there. I guess their running out of willingly deluded liars.]
- Far-Right Web personalities say they were invited by the WH to a “social media summit”, although Twitter and Facebook weren’t invited.
- The transcript of Don McGahn’s Chief of Staff Annie Donaldson’s interview with the House Judiciary committee indicates that WH lawyers blocked her from answering over 200 questions.
- Dems drop 37 subpoenas on Trump's administation and businesses seeking to discovery any foreign financial links. “Our goal is simple and straightforward — stopping President Trump from putting a ‘For Sale’ sign in Russian on the door to the Oval Office,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT),
- Trump is already planning his next July 4th Gung Ho rally, of course. and he’s planning a rally to take place during the next Democratic Primary Debate - and also during Mueller’s televised testimony next week.
- Shep Smith cuts away while covering an event with Trump praising himself on the environment in order to cut his self congratulations to ribbons.
- Immigration officials are using a “secret gang database” from foreign governments to deny migrant asylum claims and seperate them from their children. [Couldn't this also be a way to a foreign government to punish dissidents who are supposed to be specifically protected by asylum?]
- The Guardian does a detailed report on Kushner having promoted the blockade of US ally Qatar in order to extort them into investing in his families building at 666 Park Ave.
- A new book by Mollie Hemmingway and Carrie Severino, the head of the Judicial Crisis Network, claims that Melania told Trump the Christine Blasey Ford was lying in her allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.
- Politico reports that Trump pitched a fit when Kellyanne Conway coughed during 2016 campaign meeting and stormed out of the room.
- The UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says she is "deeply shocked" by the conditions at the CBP migrant detention centers. “As a pediatrician, but also as a mother and a former head of State, I am deeply shocked that children are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without access to adequate healthcare or food, and with poor sanitation conditions,
- Education Sec. Betsy Devos is blocking implementation of regulations designed to protect disabled minority students.
- Eric Swallwell drops out of the 2020 race.
- WaPo reports that WH officials are terrified that Epstein’s victims will testify before Congress and they’ll take the blame because they had no real vetting process beyond Google and Lexus Nexus once they fired Chris Christie during the transition.
- NYTimes reports how Epstein used his money and high powered lawyers Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr to threaten and bully Acosta and prosecutors into giving him his sweetheart deal.
July 9th --
- DOJ now says that the July 1st deadline to start printing the census is now suddenly "optional.”
- Pelosi calls on Acosta to resign due to his involvement in setting up the sweatheart prosecution deal for Jeffrey Epstein in 2008.
- Felix Sater testifies to House Intelligence behind closed doors, then tells reporters he regrets trying to do the Moscow Tower project, "I should have attempt Paris instead.” [Yeah, but how many French mobsters do you know?]
- Trump disinvites the British Ambassador to a planned dinner with the Amir of Qatar, then he pushes the Giuliani conspiracy theory that Mueller was a “hitman” who intended to “frame" Trump and disregard the “Truth.”
- DOJ Inspector General Horowitz reportedly finds Christopher Steele “credible" after 16 hours of interviews.
- Michael Isikoff reports that Russia’s SVR Intelligence unit was responsible for starting the conpiracy theory that Seth Rich was responsible for the DNC email hacks just 3 days after he died.
- Jewish Activist state that Trump detention centers fit “every definition of a concentration camp.”
- Nearly 2 dozen of Trump’s former undocumented workers sign a letter asking him for a meeting.
- House Judiciary issues a dozen more subpoenas to key Mueller witnesses including Kushner, Michael Flynn, John Kelly, Rod Rosenstein, Jeff Sesssions and Rick Dearborn.
- Most Republicans still haven’t read the Mueller report.
- Tom Steyer joins the 2020 race.
- Reports are that Acosta will keep his job depending on how long he stays in the news cycle.
- Greg Sargent at the WaPo writes that Trump’s advisors are desparate to reach beyond their #MAGAt filled base - which is why he did his wacky environmental speech full of lies yesterday. [Fat chance, pal.]
- ACLU opposes the DOJ legal team shakeup on the Census case.
- Trump joins a fake fight to “save the pledge of allegiance”
- Acosta tries to whitewash his sweatheart deal with Epstein saying he was “registered as a sex offender and went to jail" even though he was still able to be sexual predator - and now says he’s glad he’s going to be “brought to justice” [Which is exactly what he didn't do the first time.]
- Trump claims he’s “not a fan” of Epstein and that they had a falling out 15 years ago when he used to say he was “Terrific guy.” [Epstein reportedly got caught at Mar-A-Lago hanging around kids and was kicked out.] But then he says he’s feels badly for Acosta and says nothing about how he feels for Epstein’s victims. He reportedly was “infuriated” by the “Fuck Trump” chants that erupted on Fox News when the US won the Women’s World Cup again, and then he goes after the “Radical Left for using Commerce against their enemies” — even after he’s gone after Amazon because Jeff Bezos owns the WaPo, tried to block the AT&T merger because they own CNN, attacked Nordstrom when they dropped Ivanka’s sweatshop chotchkes and has supported boycotts of the NFL, NIke, Starbucks and Oreos.
- “Pedophile Island.” [Nuff said.]
- Vice News reports that the Alt-Right has fallen out of love with Trump.[Somehow, I doubt that.]
- Schumer says that if Trump can’t handle criticism from Fox News “He doesn't deserve to be President.” [He doesn’t, but we already knew that.]
- George Conway calls on the APA to change their rules so they can declare Trump mentally unfit. [Technically some Psychiatrists have already done that based on the Mueller report.]
- Economist declare that Trump’s “great economy” is a fraud that leaves the working and middle-class behind.
- Tami Lahren proclaims that Rapinoe needs to “get over herself” because she’s “not a hero” and has an “attitude problem.” [Nope, on all three.]
- NYTimes reports that in 1992 Epstein threw a “Calender Girl” party where only he and Trump were the male guests with 28 women who were flown in to "entertain" them.
- Bill Barr reverses his recusal from the Epstein case. [Say what now?]
- Mulvaney is reportedly pushing Trump to dump Acosta.
- Rapinoe tells Anderson Cooper neither she nor any of her team mates are going to the White House, but they will go to Congress.
- Rachel Maddow reports that child migrants in Yuma have reported being sexually assaulted by CBP officers.
- UK Foreign Sec. Jeremy Hunt slams Trumps disrespectful comments about Theresa May.
- Prosecutors have a major falling out with Michael Flynn’s new legal team which puts his cooperation deal at risk and he gets pulled a witness.
- Federal Judge rules that Trump’s twitter account is not “private” and orders him to stop blocking users that criticize him.
- McConnel finds out his great-grandfather was a slave-driver and for some reason this makes him happy because some of Obama’s ancestors (on his mother’s side) were also.
- District Judge Jesse Furman says the DOJ reasons for changing legal team are “patently deficient” and denies the change.
- Ross Perot Dies.
- Mark Foley wants his congressional seat back.
- Ocasio-Cortez slams Pelosi as Trump opens up 3 more detentions centers.
- Survey indicates that 68% of evangelicals don’t think America has a responsibility to accept refugees. [It does, under International Law.]
July 10th —
- DOJ instructs two of Mueller’s deputies not to appear before Congress next week.
- UK Ambassador Kim Darroch resigns.
- Trump credits his “you'd be in jail” moment for his winning in 2016 and overcoming the Access Hollywood tape. [Yeah, he should credit Wikileaks for releasing the Podesta emails that same day.]
- Rep. Ilan Omar responds to Tucker Carlson’s xenophobic rant ; “Kinda fun watching a racist fool weeping over my presence in Congress.” [Yes, it is.]
- The US Women’s Soccer Team get a ticker tape parade and rally in New York City.
- WaPo delivers a fact-check that demolishes Kellyanne Conway’s bullshit filled appearance on Fox and Fools where she claimed that Citizenship was asked as part of the census for 50 years before “Obama yanked it out” — but Obama had nothing to do with it since it hasn't been asked in the census for 50 years, and doesn’t need to be since we have more accurate ways of getting that info, the question is included in the American Community Survey which goes out every year, not every five years, and only reaches 3.5 Million people.
- A Three Judge Appeals panel dismisses the Trump emoluments suit.
- Acosta tries to defends his handling of the Epstein case claiming that he would have “gotten away” if he hadn’t “stepped in” and complains that “facts are being overlooked” but other former Federal prosecutor think that's a crock of shit. He had apparently told the Trump transition team that he was told to “back off” Epstein because he had ties to “intelligence”, but he gives a cagey cryptic answer about that now.
- CNN Legal analyst Paul Callan demolished Acosta’s excuses that he didn’t want to “roll the dice” because Epstein might have been acquitted by pointing out that they “never even picked up the dice” by even interviewing the 30-40 victims in the case who were all chidren at the time.
- Conservative OAN Network tries to blame Acosta’s actions on the Epstein case on Robert Mueller, but he was FBI Director at the time and they do the investigating, US Attorneys like Acosta was at the time negotiate with the lawyers.
- Former Palm Beach State Prosecutor Barry Krichner completely blows up Acosta’s excuses by pointing out that the State had aquired a grand jury indictment and there was a 53 page Federal indictment with 30-40 witness until Acosta started his secret negotiations at a Hotel with the defense team’s firm — which Acosta used to work for. Normally prosecutors negotiate with the Defense at their offices, but Acosta met with the defense lawyer secretly at a hotel outside Miami and agreed to keep the deal secret from the victims personally — which is in violation of the Criminal Victims Rights Act.
- A second federal judge blocks the original DOJ Census team from backing out of the case.
- Other Ambassadors admit that they’ve sent the same types of cables as Kim Darroch to their own counties: “It could have been any one of us.”
- MSNBC’s Yamance Alcinder explains that Acosta can’t admit his previous mistakes or apologize because Trump hates that as a sign of weakness — almost as much as he hates people who cough — and that’s how he’s going to keep his job.
- Court filings for Alva Johnson v. Donald Trump indicates that she has cell phone video footage of Trump forcibly kissing her against her will just as he confessed on the Access Hollywood tape.
- MSNBC does a supercut of Trump’s most ridiculous public statements.
- Michelle Goldberg writes that "You can buy your way out of the most disgusting of crimes.”
- Don Lemon and Brian Stetler go after Tucker Carlson for his blatantly racist bullshit attacking Rep. Ilan Omar.