Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?

[Mike]

Did the intercept even consider it is nice and convenient that this leaked top secret report confirms the official narrative pretty much months after the fact? And on the heels of Putin exposure to the wider public.

I'm sure the MSM will just go bonkers with this as proof and what not.

https://theintercept.com/2017/06/05/top-secret-nsa-report-details-russian-hacking-effort-days-before-2016-election/

Russian military intelligence executed a cyberattack on at least one U.S. voting software supplier and sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials just days before last November’s presidential election, according to a highly classified intelligence report obtained by The Intercept.

The top-secret National Security Agency document, which was provided anonymously to The Intercept and independently authenticated, analyzes intelligence very recently acquired by the agency about a months-long Russian intelligence cyber effort against elements of the U.S. election and voting infrastructure. The report, dated May 5, 2017, is the most detailed U.S. government account of Russian interference in the election that has yet come to light.

While the document provides a rare window into the NSA’s understanding of the mechanics of Russian hacking, it does not show the underlying “raw” intelligence on which the analysis is based. A U.S. intelligence officer who declined to be identified cautioned against drawing too big a conclusion from the document because a single analysis is not necessarily definitive.

[...]

This NSA summary judgment is sharply at odds with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial last week that Russia had interfered in foreign elections: “We never engaged in that on a state level, and have no intention of doing so.” Putin, who had previously issued blanket denials that any such Russian meddling occurred, for the first time floated the possibility that freelance Russian hackers with “patriotic leanings” may have been responsible. The NSA report, on the contrary, displays no doubt that the cyber assault was carried out by the GRU.

 

[JGeropoulas]

Late Monday night [6-5-17], a lawsuit was filed against James Comey by Dennis Montgomery, a former U.S. intelligence contractor who walked away with more than 600 million classified documents on 47 hard drives from the NSA and the CIA. Because this data documented warrantless collection of phone, financial and personal data and the unmasking of identities in spy data about millions of Americans, Montgomery turned it over to the FBI, who then did nothing to investigate.

More background details can be found in my earlier post in March here: https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,43576.msg708312.html#msg708312

John Solomon and Sara Carter
CircaNews.com
June 7, 2017

A former U.S. intelligence contractor tells Circa he walked away with more than 600 million classified documents on 47 hard drives from the National Security Agency and the CIA, a haul potentially larger than Edward Snowden's now infamous breach.

And now he is suing former FBI Director James Comey and other government figures, alleging the bureau has covered up evidence he provided them showing widespread spying on Americans that violated civil liberties.

The suit, filed late Monday night by Dennis Montgomery, was assigned to the same federal judge who has already ruled that some of the NSA's collection of data on Americans violates the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, setting up an intriguing legal proceeding in the nation’s capital this summer.

Montgomery says the evidence he gave to the FBI chronicle the warrantless collection of phone, financial and personal data and the unmasking of identities in spy data about millions of Americans.

“This domestic surveillance was all being done on computers supplied by the FBI," Montgomery told Circa in an interview. "So these supercomputers, which are FBI computers, the CIA is using them to do domestic surveillance."

Documents obtained by Circa outside of the lawsuit show that the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington in 2015 approved a grant of limited immunity for Montgomery so he could explain how he managed to walk out of his contract and the buildings he worked in with the classified material.

_http://circa.com/politics/accountability/james-comey-sued-by-intelligence-contractor-dennis-montgomery-over-spying-on-americans (includes an interview of Dennis Montgomery)

 

[Glenn]

James Comey admits, obstruction of justice…by Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump

http://theduran.com/james-comey-admits-obstruction-of-justice-by-hillary-clinton-not-donald-trump-video/

James Comey: Lynch asked me to call email investigation a 'matter'

As the liberal left mainstream media was foaming at the mouth anticipating James Comey testifying that Trump had obstructed justice in some form during his testimony, what we did get is zero evidence of Trump obstruction, but of Hillary Clinton – Loretta Lynch obstruction.

It was an unexpected turn of events and now drags the Obama administration into the Trump witch hunt they helped orchestrate.

The former FBI Director detailed his interaction with Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch about specific language used in the Clinton Email “investigation.”

Comey stunned the Senate, when he said that President Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch asked him to downplay the Hillary Clinton’s email scandal…

DailyCaller notes,

Comey said Lynch instructed Comey not to call the criminal investigation into the Clinton server a criminal investigation. Instead, Lynch told Comey to call it a “matter,” Comey said, “which confused me.”

Comey cited that pressure from Lynch to downplay the investigation as one of the reasons he held a press conference to recommend the Department of Justice not seek to indict Clinton.

Full Transcript (courtesy Zerohedge)…

LANKFORD: Then you made a comment earlier a the attorney general, the previous attorney general asking you about the investigation on the Clinton e-mails saying you were asked to not call it an investigation anymore. But call it a matter. You said that confused you. You can give us additional details on that?

COMEY: Well, it concerned me because we were at the point where we refused to confirm the existence as we typically do of an investigation for months. And was getting to a place where that looked silly because the campaigns we’re talking about interacting with the FBI in the course of our work. The Clinton campaign at the time was using all kinds of euphemisms, security matters, things like that for what was going on.

We were getting to a place where the attorney general and I were both going to testify and talk publicly about it I wanted to know was she going to authorize us to confirm we have an investigation. She said yes, don’t call it that, call it a matter. I said why would I do that? She said, just call it a matter. You look back in hindsight, if I looked back and said this isn’t a hill worth dying on so I just said the press is going to completely ignore it. That’s what happened when I said we opened a matter.

They all reported the FBI has an investigation open. So that concerned me because that language tracked the way the campaign was talking about the FBI’s work and that’s concerning.

LANKFORD: You gave impression that the campaign was somehow using the language as the FBI because you were handed the campaign language?

COMEY: I don’t know whether it was intentional or not but it gave the impression that the attorney general was looking to align the way we talked about our work with the way it was describing that. It was inaccurate. We had an investigation open for the federal bureau of investigation, we had an investigation open at the time. That gave me a queasy feeling.

Obstruction from Obama’s AG…

Comey said that this troubled him greatly and convinced him, “I have to step away from the department if we’re too close this case credibly.”

Zerohedge further notes…

Still, we note that despite his admission that the conversation “gave me a queasy feeling,” Comey went ahead and followed her orders because “that was not a hill i wanted to die on…”

Under questioning by panel chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), Comey said that he was uncomfortable with the unexpected meeting Lynch had with former President Bill Clinton on an airport tarmac last year. Comey said that meeting convinced him that the independence of the investigation was tainted with regard to the Justice Department and led him to go public with the bureau’s findings on Clinton.

Then Comey added in later testimony that “Loretta Lynch had appearance of conflict of interest.”

Five things spring to mind:

1) The utter politicization of the Justice Department (from the top-down) under Obama, has now been exposed as “fact” if Comey is to be believed.

2) Why did Comey think that a Clinton “Hill” was not worth dying on, but a Trump “Hill” was?

3) Why didn’t Comey “memorialize” this conversation in one of his memos at the time… as he said he did immediately after his Trump conversation?

4) So the only official to “pressure” Comey during his tenure was Loretta Lynch?

5) What would happen if AG Sessions colluded with the FBI Director to alter their statements about a Trump investigation for political reasons?

But hey, let’s spend the day ignoring that focusing on speculation about Trump and his “Russian hookers” obsession.

 

[JGeropoulas]

Seth Rich’s Reddit Posts Were Edited After He Died
Caitlin Johnstone
Rogue Journalist
May 20, 2017

I am not writing this article to accuse anyone of anything. If Reddit administrators deleted the personal information tying a murder victim to his Reddit account after it was found by online sleuths, and if they feel they had a good reason for doing it the way they did, I am sure we’re all open to hearing their reasoning. But that information is key to piecing together data that could quite literally save the world, and we need to pay attention to this sort of thing and have a public debate about it. Tensions between the United States and Russia have reached such insane heights that an expert analyst has said we are in more danger of nuclear annihilation in some ways than we were at the peak of the last Cold War, and the reasons being given to the public for those tensions are all based first and foremost on allegations that Russian hackers stole the Democratic party emails that were released by WikiLeaks. This isn’t just about Seth Rich; we’ve all got a stake in this thing.
…
But the internet never forgets and someone had the sense to archive Seth Rich’s account before whoever edited it deleted the email address with Rich’s full name in it, linking him conclusively to the account u/MeGrimlock4.

Read full article here:
_https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/someone-just-edited-seth-richs-reddit-posts-b5f185b0aab

 

[JGeropoulas]

Judicial Watch Asks Court to Force State Department to Refer Action on Clinton Emails
to State Department
Judicial Watch
June 05, 2017

Trump Administration Defending Obama/Clinton Email Scandal ​

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a motion in opposition to the Tillerson State Department’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its failure to take any action to recover emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other employees unlawfully removed from the agency (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Rex Tillerson (No. 1:15-cv-00785)). The lawsuit seeks to force State Department compliance with the Federal Records Act (FRA). The Trump administration continues to object to taking this strong action to recover Clinton’s emails.
...
The Trump administration is now defending handling of the email matter by the Obama administration and last month filed a declaration from the FBI trying to justify the State Department’s refusal to follow the law and refer to the Clinton email issue to the Justice Department. (The Federal Records Act states that an agency head “shall” initiate an action through the Attorney General when he becomes aware of any unlawful removal of agency records.)...

Read full article here:
_http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-asks-court-force-state-department-refer-action-clinton-emails-state-department/

 

[JGeropoulas]

Video Emerges of Seth Rich Questioning Ballot Integrity
Thu, June 8, 2017

As can be heard in this video, Rich had valid concerns. During the Democratic primaries the following year, New York voters reported two voter purges that barred 120,000 people from being able to vote. The scandal, months before Rich’s death, had lead to massive outcry from supporters of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who believed that the DNC was engaging in election fraud to nominate Hillary Clinton.

_http://bigleaguepolitics.com/video-emerges-seth-rich-questioning-ballot-integrity/

 

[Ca.]

Comey’s testimony proved that he is a dirty cop: Christopher Farrell (Vid 6:04)...
_http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/5465097462001/?#sp=show-clips
June 08, 2017

Former Judicial Watch Director of Investigation Christopher Farrell on how former FBI Director James Comey admitted to leaking information.

Day 229.1 Hillary's Leakers, Hackers, and Henchmen
Published on Jun 9, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNpGHeUxEJg

Weighing Awan Brothers Risk Versus Error Correction

http://<iframe width="560" height="...LA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Published on Jun 9, 2017

Comey Can't Quite Say Crowdstrike, Alperovitch, and Umbrage, No Code From Julian, Just Plain Text
Comey Is Right - It Was the Russians - It Was Dmitri Alperovitch and His Crowdstrike That Was On-Site at DNC From May 4th, 2016 to June 16th, 2016
Where Was the FBI For a Hack of Congressional Campaign Servers and National Campaign Servers? They Did Call the Help Desk Several Times in Their Defense

 

[A Jay]

Not sure how far he and Russia will go, but by mentioning what he did about the JFK assassination he is pointing directly at what seems to be the coming out of the deep state/national security state. From the little I’ve seen in MSM they are very dismissive of the interview, which isn’t a surprise, but for those with eyes and ears to see Putin and other spokes people he surrounds himself with seem to be slowly laying out the truth of things.

I would say that he is willing to go as far as the global population are ready to accept, so the fact that he talks about the deep state and JFK - and lets not forget that in the context of the supposed chemical attack in Syria he talked about false flags - is a very good sign, cause it means he has reasons to believe the public is way more open now to these things than they used to be. Obviously, he can measure the global sentiment way more accurately than we can.

Looking at this through Overton's Window, the public has been programmed since 9/11 to accept that certain nations engage in the sponsorship of terrorist proxy armies to achieve their geopolitical ends, that nations assassinate political opponents, that nations hack and interfere in the electoral and political processes of other nations, etc. So the public has really already been primed for all of the information. All Putin has to do is hold up a mirror.

 

[angelburst29]

Former FBI Director James Comey testified on the Trump-Russia probe at the US Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. It was the first public appearance of Comey since his firing in May.

Comey Risks Getting Into Trap He Set for Trump
https://sputniknews.com/us/201706111054525420-comey-trap-trump/

Gevorg Mirzayan, associate professor at the Department of Political Sciences of Finance University under the Russian Government, wrote in an analytical piece for RIA Novosti that while the main subject at the testimony was supposed to be whether US President Donald Trump is professional and trustworthy, after the testimony the question emerged whether Comey himself was professional enough.

Obstruction of Justice? - Comey confirmed previous media statements saying that Trump wanted the former FBI chief to "pledge loyalty" to him, asked to stop the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn because "he is a good guy" and to confirm his campaign team has no ties with Moscow.

The decision whether Trump's requests were an "obstruction of justice" will be made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, while the House could officially make a charge.

However, are there chances that Trump would really be accused of "obstruction of justice"? His opponents have hoped that Comey would shed light on Trump's pressure concerning the probe into Flynn who is de facto accused of working for Moscow. Comey said Trump hoped the investigation would stop.

"I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go," Comey quoted the US president as saying in his written testimony ahead of Thursday's hearing.

However, when asked if Trump didn't order him to stop investigating Flynn, Comey said that "in his words no." However, he believed it was an order. "That's the way I took it," Comey said, adding that he "can be wrong."

Whether Trump's words are enough to be considered an obstruction of justice raises doubts, RIA Novosti contributor Mirgayan believes. He reminded that the law allows the US president to stop an investigation into any person.

"There were no threats or bribes; it was just a friendly wish to let go of a person who tried to prevent the further deterioration of Washington-Moscow relations after another example of [former US President Barack] Obama's diplomatic hysteria during the last days of his presidency. In this wording, it's difficult to interpret Trump's statement as the 'obstruction of justice,'" Mirzayan wrote.

US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn announced his decision to resign on February 14 amid the growing controversy surrounding his conversation with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak before Trump's inauguration. In his resignation letter, Flynn noted that he had not given Vice President Mike Pence complete information about his conversations with Kislyak.

Flynn's talks with the Russian ambassador took place following Obama's decision to impose a set of punitive measures against Russia, including the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the closure of two Russian diplomatic compounds, in response to Moscow's alleged interference in the US presidential election, which has been repeatedly denied by the Russian side.

"Comey himself declined to interpret this decision, but noted that the issue was rather a matter of creating some kind of discomfort, not an attempt to exert pressure. Moreover, the probe [into Flynn] wasn't affected by Trump's words; he can only be accused of being politically incorrect," the analyst noted.

When commenting on Trump's conversations with Comey, Gov. Chris Christie said, "What people don’t understand is that they elected an outsider president." "They elected someone who had never been inside government and quite frankly never interacting with the government except at the local level. And so, the idea of the way, the tradition of these agencies is not something that he’s ever been steeped in. And so, here I think over the course of time, and we can talk about different examples, what you’re seeing is a president who is now very publicly learning about the way people react to what he considers to be normal New York City conversation," Christie said.

Comey's Image Damaged - during the testimony, Comey didn't only lose from the point of view of the evidence base, but also lost the reputation of a professional and just a decent person — the key elements of his image, on which the anti-Trump forces were betting," the political analyst wrote.

The formal reason for the dismissal of Comey was his professional incompetence. In the beginning of his testimony, Comey said that the "shifting explanations" of his firing "confused me and increasingly concerned me."

Comey said that Trump has repeatedly told him that he was "doing a great job." "That didn't make any sense to me," Comey said when commenting on the pretext of his dismissal allegedly over his actions during the US election campaign.

"The administration then chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI, by saying the organization was in disarray… Those were lies, plain and simple," Comey stated.

Mirzayan believes that there's enough evidence that the FBI was in "disarray."

"It was enough to follow last year's epic around Hillary [Clinton], when the FBI first launched an investigation into her on charges of violating state secrets, then by the order of Hillary's friend Attorney General Loretta Lynch [the FBI] closed the investigation, then by Comey's decision reopens it, and finally closes it under media pressure."

Moreover, the FBI director didn't find the source or sources of leaks about the Trump administration. The last straw was the inability of the FBI director to identify the source of information leaks about the Trump administration's affairs to the press.

The Dems wanted to present Comey as "a victim of Trump's arbitrariness, a fighter for all good and justice," however, it turned out he was a leaker himself.

Comey confirmed that he gave a memo of his conversations with Trump to "a close friend" of his to leak to the media. Moreover, Comey admitted that he intentionally refused to inform the public that Trump was not under the investigation.

"Therefore, it turns out that Trump was absolutely right speaking of the incompetence of Comey as director of the FBI and as a member of the team. Moreover, in this light, Trump asking for Comey's 'loyalty,' after which the FBI director promised honesty to the president, seems to be quite justified. There's no honesty here at all," Mirzogyan wrote, suggesting Comey may himself be accused over his actions.

Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitz called for finding out whether by leaking sensitive information the ex-FBI head violated the law.

Flynn — Last Hope - The Democrats seem disappointed but they still are not giving up and will push the Russia probe forward. It will be quite difficult to do it. Of course, Comey admitted there is a grop of intelligence service members within the Russian diplomatic mission, but it's nothing new as it's a common practice around the world.

It's more important that Comey said that Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak is not a "spy" as the US mainstream media have written. This is important because Kislyak is a former deputy minister of foreign affairs and one of the most respected Russian diplomats. Moreover, Kislyak met US Attorney General Jeff Sessions three times who is also accused over alleged ties with Russia, but it was finally confirmed there was nothing wrong in the meetings.

"Unless [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller is a complete idiot, which he is not, he's concluded there's no obstruction of justice case because if he had concluded otherwise, Comey wouldn't be testifying," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told CBS. "You wouldn't let his chief and only witness go through this process if you believe you really had a case to prosecute," Graham said. "And Mr. Mueller is a good prosecutor."

"However, he is not entirely right — the promoters of [Trump's] impeachment have another trump card. Now the whole anti-Trump crusade is based on a very unsteady foundation called Michael Flynn. The retired general really violated the US law (when he did not declare acts of lobbyism against Turkey), but is forced to invent another episode [of violating the law] — work for the Russians, preferably on Trump's orders. And if Flynn does not slander Trump, he risks finding himself behind bars over the Turkish issues. So now General Flynn must prove whether he is a professional and a decent man," the analyst concluded.

 

[Ca.]

Amazing....

Feinstein: "Congress Should Investigate If Lynch Pressured Comey To Cover For Hillary Clinton" Video
by Tyler Durden Jun 11, 2017 8:35 PM
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-06-11/feinstein-congress-should-investigate-if-lynch-pressured-comey-cover-hillary-clinton
Snip:

As we noted last Thursday, Comey testified last Thursday that it gave him a "queasy" feeling after Lynch asked him to characterize his probe into Clinton's emails as a "matter," rather than an investigation. He told the Senate Intelligence Committee that such a request would match the wording of Clinton's campaign.

Feinstein said she would've also felt queasy.

"I would have a queasy feeling, too, though, to be candid with you," the longtime Senate Democrat said. She added that an investigation separate from the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the election is needed.

"I don't think we should mix the two,"

she added.

That said, when asked who do you believe, Trump or Comey, Feinstein said that “At this point, the FBI director”

Separately, Feinstein said she has not yet decided from Comey's testimony whether Trump's interactions with the ex-FBI director amount to obstruction of justice. “I don't know whether it's obstruction of justice. I don’t intend to draw any conclusions until investigations are finished,” she added.

Trump on Friday denied that he asked Comey to let "go" of his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and that he requested Comey pledge his loyalty to him prior to Comey's dismissal. The president added that he is "100 percent" willing to testify about his interactions with Comey under oath, while playing down reporters' inquiries if he did in fact have "tapes" of his conversation with Comey.

The Last Refuge
The Entire Deep State DC Institutional Apparatus Knew President Trump Was Not Under Investigation…Video
6-10-17
_https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/06/10/the-entire-deep-state-dc-institutional-apparatus-knew-president-trump-was-not-under-investigation/

Snip:

That means all of these professional politicians knew the media claims of President Trump being under investigation was a nothingburger; completely false.

To add to that list, James Comey said he briefed each of the intelligence committees that President Trump was never under investigation.
Do you realize how many people that is?

Mike Conaway (11th District of Texas), Peter King (2nd District of New York), Frank LoBiondo (2nd District of New Jersey), Tom Rooney (17th District of Florida), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (27th District of Florida), Michael Turner (10th District of Ohio), Brad Wenstrup (2nd District of Ohio), Chris Stewart (2nd District of Utah), Rick Crawford (1st District of Arkansas), Trey Gowdy (4th District of South Carolina), Elise Stefanik (21st District of New York), Will Hurd (23rd District of Texas), Adam Schiff, Ranking Member (28th District of California), Jim Himes (4th District of Connecticut), Terri Sewell (7th District of Alabama), Andre Carson (7th District of Indiana), Jackie Speier (14th District of California), Mike Quigley (5th District of Illinois), Eric Swalwell (15th District of California), Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas), Denny Heck (10th District of Washington), James Risch (Idaho), Marco Rubio (Florida), Susan Collins (Maine), Roy Blunt (Missouri), James Lankford (Oklahoma), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), John Cornyn (Texas), Dianne Feinstein (California), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), Angus King (Maine), Joe Manchin (West Virginia), Kamala Harris (California)

… All of them knew President Trump was not under investigation.

Sen Dianne Feinstein
_https://twitter.com/SenFeinstein?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Sen Dianne Feinstein‏Verified account @SenFeinstein Jun 9
Standing with the Los Angeles LGBT community for #LAPrideWeek! Plenty of events this weekend to celebrate:
_https://twitter.com/SenFeinstein/status/873340687579701248

5:47 PM - 9 Jun 2017
32 replies 136 retweets 603 likes
Human Race‏ @Occupy_America1 Jun 10

Replying to @SenFeinstein @AllLeftNews
Stand with anti sharia march

ZestyGardenGnome‏ @7kidchaos 17h17 hours ago
Replying to @SenFeinstein
LGBT encompasses perhaps 2% of the population according to CDC. Why so much attention showered on them non-stop?

Veritas‏ @nes_pa Jun 9
Replying to @SenFeinstein
Identity politics, handing Democrats crippling losses & power nationwide.

‏ @RealColtonWest Jun 9
Replying to @SenFeinstein
Why? so you're standing in support of people having sex a certain way?

Ariuszme‏ @Ariuszme 14h14 hours ago
Replying to @SenFeinstein
Have u lost ur god damned mind saying congress should go after Lynch/Clinton? Do u 4get who pays ur salary? DEMOCRATS,UR job: Impeach Trump

the elms‏ @westseattleelms 11h11 hours ago
Replying to @SenFeinstein
They barred an LGBTQ group who are Pro-Trump. Hypocritical.
0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes

Lorri DiCassio‏ @LdicassioLorri 16h16 hours ago
Replying to @SenFeinstein
You can't have it both ways. Your sanctuary cities are practicing sharia law where LBGT are KILLED.

Dr. Larry Love‏ @DrLarryLove 17h17 hours ago
Replying to @SenFeinstein
No one cares about these retards

Michael Pilgrim‏ @MichaelPilgrim6 Jun 10
Replying to @SenFeinstein
This post shows your lack of intelligence and integrity

LetThereBeLight‏ @ShadowVanquish Jun 10
Replying to @SenFeinstein
When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.

 

[angelburst29]

Former NSA senior analyst and whistleblower William Binney said that James Comey could legally be jailed for up to 35 years for admitting in a congressional testimony last week that he had deliberately leaked a confidential conversation with President Donald Trump.

Comey Could Face 35 Years in Jail for Leaking Talks With Trump
https://sputniknews.com/us/201706131054570680-comey-could-face-decades-jail-trump/

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey could legally be jailed for up to 35 years for admitting in a congressional testimony last week that he had deliberately leaked a confidential conversation with President Donald Trump, ex-National Security Agency (NSA) senior analyst and whistleblower William Binney told Sputnik.

That's something that whistleblowers are in jail for between five and 35 years," Binney noted about Comey’s testimony last week to the US Senate Intelligence Committee in which he admitted to leaking a memo of his conversation with Trump.

William Binney worked for the NSA for 36 years, retiring in 2001 as the technical director of world military and geopolitical analysis and reporting; he created many of the collection systems still used by NSA.

Binney pointed out that Comey had been unable in his extended testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee to point out a single case where he could identify Trump as asking him to perform any illegal act.

"I have heard nothing from Comey that indicates President did anything wrong," the veteran NSA analyst said. However, Comey’s past actions revealed a long record of improper behavior and acts for which he could be prosecuted, Binney pointed out.

However, retired FBI Special Agent and whistleblower Colleen Rowley in published interviews recalled that when Comey was deputy attorney general,
he had signed off on highly illegal programs, including warrantless surveillance of Americans and torture of captives.

As a top law enforcement official of the George W. Bush administration, Comey presided over post-September 11 cover-ups and secret abuses of the US Constitution, including fabrications used to launch wrongful wars, and exhibited plain incompetence, Rowley has stated.

William Binney is a cryptanalyst and mathematician and for 30 years he was a senior analyst at the NSA. He exposed the agency’s history before he exposed major aspects of its blanket surveillance programs.

The attorneys general of both the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s businesses, claiming that their foreign dealings are a violation of the US constitution.

Washington DC, Maryland Top Lawyers Sue Trump Over Foreign Hotel Payments
https://sputniknews.com/us/201706131054568015-maryland-dc-sue-trump-businesses/

The high-profile lawsuit claims that Trump is in violation of Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the US Constitution, the so-called Emoluments Clause. The Clause says that no government officials may "accept of any present, emolument [compensation], office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state" without Congressional approval.

The attorneys general of the state and the District, both Democrats, filed the lawsuit on June 12. "Each President, regardless of temperament or ideology, has sought, in his own way, to honor that solemn vow [to defend the Constitution]," the lawsuit read.

[...] Constitutional scholars debate whether or not the Emoluments Clause applies to the president, or to businesses owned by him. The Constitution typically explicitly names the president and vice president when parts of the Constitution refer to them, with clauses generally referring to government officials not always applying. Presidents often accept gifts from foreign leaders, of course, although they traditionally seek Congressional permission to keep the present.

Trump already faces a similar lawsuit brought in January by plaintiffs that include an ethics group, a restaurant group and a hotel events booker. They claimed that Trump was violating the Emoluments Clause by maintaining ownership of his fleet of businesses. Trump ceded day-to-day control of his empire to his sons, but he still owns the Trump Organization.

On Friday, the US Department of Justice claimed that those plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to sue because they were unable to allege specific harm to the president's integrity brought on by foreign revenue to his conglomerate.

Speaking of The District of Columbia .... is spending $20,000 to pay artists to paint environmentally friendly, pro-LGBTQ murals on storm drains?

D.C. Spending $20,000 to Paint LGBTQ Murals on Storm Drains
http://freebeacon.com/issues/d-c-spending-20000-paint-lgbtq-murals-storm-drains/

Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled a “rainbow-colored crosswalk” on Friday to promote gay pride parades that are taking place in the city this weekend. Bowser announced storm drains would also be painted by local artists to “celebrate the LGBTQ identity” and the environment.

“We are installing these temporary crosswalks as a symbol of Washington, D.C.’s inclusivity and LGBTQ pride,” Bowser said. “For many years, Washington, D.C., has been a leader on LGBTQ rights, and my administration will continue pushing forward to protect and defend the rights of and expand opportunity for our LGBTQ residents. It is an honor to be part of this installation, and I look forward to joining residents from across D.C. at the Capital Pride Parade.”

Bowser’s office said the rainbow crosswalks are temporary in order to “comply with federal standards.”

Jeff Sessions said that his office disagrees with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decisions to halt President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

Sessions Disagrees With Ninth Circuit Decision to Block Trump's Travel Ban
https://sputniknews.com/us/201706131054568128-sessions-disagrees-trump-ban-block/

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement on Monday his office disagrees with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decisions to halt President Donald Trump’s temporary travel ban.

President Trump’s Executive Order is well within his lawful authority to keep the Nation safe," Sessions stated. "We disagree with the Ninth Circuit’s decision to block that authority."

Sessions claims the court order prevents Trump from practicing his legal authority to protect the United States under Article II of the US Constitution.

Earlier on Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Hawaii district court judge's injunction against suspending the entry of nationals of six countries to the United States.

The ban, issued on March 6, is a revised version of Trump's January 25 executive order that blocks nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days and suspends refugee admissions for 120 days. The original order also barred Iraqi nationals from entering the United States.

Four members of the team assembled by special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate alleged Russian influence in the 2016 US presidential election that saw Republican candidate Donald Trump voted into the White House, have made monetary donations to the Democratic Party.

Revealed: Mueller's Team Heading Trump-Russia Probe Donated Big to US Democrats
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201706121054566725-muellers-team-gave-democrats-money/

In assembling a team of supposedly bipartisan investigators to probe into whether Russian operatives influenced the November 2016 presidential election,
US Special Counsel Robert Mueller has chosen four people with ties to the Democrats, according to The Hill.

Federal Election Commission filings show that four members of Mueller's team, including Michael Dreeben, Jeannie Rhee, Andrew Weissmann and James Quarles, have made substantial donations to Democratic candidates or the Democratic Party over the past several decades.

[...] As investigations press on into alleged ties between Trump's team and Moscow, no evidence of the Kremlin's alleged influence on the election has been provided so far.

The reason laptops were banned from flights?

According to a senior US official speaking to the New York Times, the classified information that President Donald Trump revealed to Russian officials in May related to an Israeli cyber attack against a Daesh cell of bomb-makers.

Intel Trump Shared With Russians Was About Israel’s Hacking of Daesh
https://sputniknews.com/military/201706121054565456-leaked-intelligence-israel-hacking-daesh/

The officials told the Times that in the first weeks of 2017, Israeli "cyberoperators" hacked a small cell of Syrian militants skilled in bomb-making. They found that the team intended to create small explosives that closely resemble computer batteries. The "batteries" would then be placed inside a laptop and smuggled into airports, where it would be able fool X-ray detectors.

Allegedly, President Trump spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak about this classified piece of intelligence during a May 10 meeting with the two officials.

At the time, sources claimed that the "Middle Eastern ally" that gathered the intelligence had requested it not be shared. On May 15, national security adviser Herbert McMaster said that Trump couldn't have identified the Israelis as the source, because Trump himself was not told.

Another report from White House officials said that Tel Aviv was apoplectic that Trump may have "compromised a vital source of information on [Daesh]." The reports alleged that the Israelis shared the intel with the stipulation that it not be forwarded to anyone else, even allies. Another anonymous report claimed that the Israelis had embedded an asset into the terrorist group, and Trump's leak may have endangered the spy's life.

During a May 23 testimony before the House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee, former CIA director John Brennan said that Trump sharing the intel constituted a breach of protocol: he shared the information personally instead of feeding it through an intelligence channel, and he didn't send the report to be modified to protect the source of the intelligence before sharing it.

American intelligence was so confident in what the Israelis found that they banned laptops and other large electronic devices from airports in several Muslim-majority countries. The information constituted a "rare success" in online warfare against Daesh, who have consistently shown sophisticated aptitude with new media and cyber warfare.

"The intelligence was so exquisite that it enabled the United States to understand how the weapons could be detonated, according to two American officials familiar with the operation," read the Times' report.

US Congressman Greg Gianforte attacked reporter Ben Jacobs after he asked him a question about a healthcare bill at a campaign event in the US state of Montana about 24 hours before polls closed on May 24.

US Lawmaker Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Journalist
https://sputniknews.com/us/201706121054563790-us-montana-congressman-journalist/

US Congressman Greg Gianforte pleaded guilty on Monday to assaulting a journalist who worked for The Guardian, the UK-based news outlet reported.

Gianforte attacked reporter Ben Jacobs after he asked him a question about a healthcare bill at a campaign event in the US state of Montana about 24 hours before polls closed on May 24, the report stated.

The report noted that Giantfore and Jacobs reached a civil settlement last week, which included a donation of $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Gianforte, a millionaire high-tech businessman, won a seat in the US House of Representative, which was vacant when Ryan Zinke was nominated and confirmed as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.

 

[Windmill knight]

_http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/12/politics/donald-trump-cabinet-meeting/index.html

I know the source is CNN, but I have to admit this is quite bizarre. Watch the video. Trump may not be a psycho but he does enjoy indulging in his narcissism, it seems, and their cabinet know it very well. I guess they all want to keep their jobs!

 

[Ca.]

Trump Admin Announces Crackdown On Violent Gang Like MS-13 - The Five
Apr 18, 2017

http://<iframe width="560" height="...8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Published on May 8, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YmbB7Lnv98

_http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message3540464/pg2?disclaimer=1
Re: Who KILLED SETH RICH - I WANT THE TRUTH !!!!!!!!!!!
Seth Rich was assassinated by hitmen hired by leaders of the Democratic party in retaliation to his unauthorized leaks to WikiLeaks. There, now you have the truth!
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 52006826
Who are the hitmen? Do you know thier names??
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 45241135
m13 right.. didnt they show up right before the guns were stolen from the cops ..what wheres the bullet forensics...govt issued weapon.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 74304096

M13 ? Can't you elaborate?

MS-13
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13

_https://www.google.fr/search?q=CIA+m13&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=C9M_WZasH_TR8geZrY_QBg#q=CIA%27s+relation+to+M13+gang&tbm=vid

 

[angelburst29]

I found this to be an interesting and unexpected statement by Putin? Russia must have some pieces of the puzzle that the general public are unaware of?
Wonder if this "offer" by Russia gives any indication that Comey's life might be in danger?

Russia is ready to grant asylum to former FBI Director James Comey if he is persecuted in the United States, President Vladimir Putin said.

Putin: Russia Ready to Grant Asylum to Comey if He is Persecuted in US
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201706151054659703-putin-comey-asylum-russia-us/

"He said he had recorded his conversation with President [Donald Trump] and handed over this recording to mass media with the help of a friend. This sounds strange. When a special service head records a conversation with the commander-in-chief and then gives it to the media through his friend. What is then the difference between the FBI director and [Edward] Snowden? Then he is not the head of a special service, he is a human rights activist defending a certain stance. If he [Comey] is persecuted, we are ready to grant him political asylum in Russia, he should know about it," Putin said.

On June 8, Comey appeared for testimony on the Trump-Russia probe at the US Senate Intelligence Committee. He explained why he recorded his private talks with the US president, saying that he was afraid Trump might "lie" about them. However, he said that Trump did not directly order him stop investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

Following the revelation, Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitz called for finding out whether by leaking sensitive information the ex-FBI head violated the law.

In May, Trump fired Comey over what he believed was poor handling of the investigation into the Hillary Clinton private server and email scandal. However, many believe that the decision is connected with the probe into alleged ties of Trump's campaign team to Russia, as Comey reportedly was seeking funding to extend the bureau’s inquiry.

Russia has repeatedly denied claims of meddling in the US political process, calling such allegations absurd. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had no official contacts with Trump's team during the presidential campaign.

President Donald Trump lashed out on Twitter early on Thursday after a report that he was under investigation for possible obstruction of justice by the special counsel probing alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Trump blasts report on possible obstruction of justice probe
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN195385

“They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice” trump wrote on Twitter.

The Washington Post, citing unidentified officials, on Wednesday reported that special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice.

Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct justice in the probe of Russian interference in last year's presidential election, according to a story by The Washington Post.

Justice Department special counsel investigating Trump for obstruction of justice: Report
http://abc7news.com/news/justice-department-special-counsel-investigating-trump-for-obstruction-of-justice-report/2100116/

ABC News has not independently confirmed the report, which cites U.S. officials. Reached by ABC News, special counsel spokesman Peter Carr offered no comment.

In response to the story, a spokesman for Trump's attorney Marc Kasowitz issued a statement only addressing what he referred to as a "leak" from the FBI.

"The FBI leak of information regarding the President is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal," the statement read.

The special counsel does not operate under the purview of the FBI, but took over the investigation previously led by the agency.

Former FBI Director James Comey suggested in testimony before the Senate Intelligence committee last week that Mueller would consider whether a crime was committed when Trump allegedly told him "I hope you can let this go," referring to the investigation into ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.

"I don't think it's for me to say whether the conversation I had with the president was an effort to obstruct," Comey said. "I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning, but that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards, to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that's an offense."

The president denies that he asked Comey to drop the Flynn probe, part of his version of the events involving the former director that he said last week he'd be "100 percent" willing to recount under oath.

Trump has been emphatic in denying any connection to the 2016 election meddling that the U.S. intelligence community says Russia was behind.

The president said that he was assured on three occasions by Comey that he was not personally under investigation when Comey's dismissal was announced last month. In testimony before the Senate Intelligence committee last week, Comey affirmed that he previously told Trump he was not personally being investigated in the FBI's counter-intelligence probe.

Scrutiny over Trump's response to the Russia probe and his interactions with his FBI director would mark a new phase in the investigation.

The investigation into obstruction of justice "began days after Comey was fired on May 9," the Washington Post story notes.

In a letter to Comey informing him of his termination, Trump wrote that he was acting on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, but days later expressed that the decision was his own and that he was thinking about the Russia investigation when it was made.

On Monday, a friend of Trump's, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, claimed that Trump was "considering, perhaps, terminating the special counsel" -- an action that would ultimately have to be made by Rosenstein. The White House pushed back against tthat assertion, with Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying that Trump "has no intention to do so."

Rosenstein told the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday that Mueller would have "the full degree of independence that he needs to conduct that investigation appropriately" and that he would not follow an order to fire the special counsel "unless I believe those are lawful and appropriate orders."

 

[angelburst29]

America’s largest oil refinery is now fully owned by Saudi Arabia.

Saudis take 100% control of America’s largest oil refinery
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/01/investing/saudi-arabia-buys-largest-oil-refinery-port-arthur/

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s state-owned oil behemoth, took 100% control of the sprawling Port Arthur refinery in Texas on Monday, completing a deal that was first announced last year.

Port Arthur is considered the crown jewel of the US refinery system. The Gulf Coast facility can process 600,000 barrels of oil per day, making it the largest refinery in North America.

Since the start of OPEC’s production cuts, oil market analysts and experts have been focusing on how US shale would respond to the relatively higher and stable oil prices, possibly eating up some of the cartel’s global market share while the cuts last.

OPEC deal backfires: Saudis lose market share to Iran, Iraq
https://www.rt.com/business/386799-saudis-lose-market-share-iran/

The market share war is also going on a micro level within OPEC itself – a diverse group of producers, with each pushing and pursuing their own agenda in every meeting and collective decision. This time around it is no different.

Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s biggest producer and de facto leader, is losing market share, while Iran and Iraq have so far emerged as winners of the cuts with in the cartel in a battle for market share, according to Christof Ruehl, former chief economist at BP who is currently Global Head of Research at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

“If you’re talking about winners, you can count Iran and Iraq,” Ruehl said at a Dubai conference last week, as quoted by Bloomberg.

The Saudis were aware that they would be ceding some market share with the OPEC deal, but opted for higher and more stable oil prices by signing up to a deal that allowed Iran to slightly lift its output, while others — especially Riyadh—would have to cut.

The lower-for-longer oil prices have led to a considerable deficit in Saudi Arabia’s budget, and the Kingdom had to draw from reserves and increase the issue of debt to finance the gaps in its oil-dependent government revenues.

The Saudis now need higher oil prices if they want their oil giant Aramco to be valued in next year’s IPO anywhere in the vicinity of US$1 trillion, let alone the US$2-trillion valuation that Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has mentioned.

The Saudi 2017 budget sees higher oil prices this year lifting oil revenues by 46 percent compared to the 2016 estimates.

(I think - the American people are going to get screwed by the Saudi's, just so they can line their own pockets. Why they were allowed to take full ownership of the Port Arthur refinery in Texas, is beyond me? )

Oil prices are down over 10 percent since May 25, when OPEC, Russia and other producers agreed to extend oil output cuts. The reason is reports of growing US crude stockpiles – something Saudi Arabia would like to change.

Saudi Arabia may be targeting US inventories to prop up oil prices
https://www.rt.com/business/392376-us-oil-saudi-arabia/

The oil-rich kingdom owns a large refinery on the US Gulf Coast, and in order to manipulate the numbers, Saudi could slow down exports to America.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides a weekly update on US oil storage data, including imports and exports. The data from the EIA has been crucial to changes in oil prices lately.

“I think their next plan of attack is to drop exports to the US so they can manufacture a drop in the EIA report,” John Kilduff of Again Capital told CNBC. “It will make it look like inventories are really coming down,” he added.

According to the analyst, out of the 8 million barrels per day imported into the US, 1 million come from Saudis. And this number may be going down by between 100,000 and 250,000 barrels per day.

“The Saudis understand the importance of changing optics in the US and are following it up by continuing to signal that they are going to reduce shipments into the US,” Helima Croft, global head of commodities strategy at RBC, told CNBC.

“It’s a good time to reduce because they’re going into seasonal domestic demand swings,” said Croft. Oil demand in the Gulf traditionally goes up in summertime.

Oil prices were flat on Thursday, as Brent was trading 12 cents up at $47.12 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate was one cent up at $44.72. However, earlier during the day prices touched six-week lows on concerns that stockpiles will continue to grow globally, especially in America.