Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?
- Thread starter Cosmos
- Start date
artofdream
Jedi
Trump says Hillary Clinton was the one who colluded with Russia
Source: https://www.rt.com/usa/407988-collusion-russia-trump-hillary
It will be interesting to see how the MSM will deal with this...
NB. Should this be moved under Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?
[Mod note: Thread merged]
Source: https://www.rt.com/usa/407988-collusion-russia-trump-hillary
It will be interesting to see how the MSM will deal with this...
NB. Should this be moved under Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?
[Mod note: Thread merged]
angelburst29
The Living Force
CNN reported Friday night that a federal grand jury has approved the first charges filed by Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged collusion between the presidential campaign of US President Donald Trump and Russian actors. It is not yet known what charges were filed, or who they were filed against.
First Charges Filed in Mueller Investigation on Trump Russia Collusion - Report
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710281058613015-mueller-investigation-trump-russia-charges/
The charges are still sealed under order of a federal judge. However, CNN's source said that whoever the charges are against may be taken into custody as soon as Monday. Mueller's office declined to comment on the news.
The special counsel investigation began in May following Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. In August, Mueller impaneled a Washington, DC, grand jury as part of the investigation. The grand jury issued two subpoenas in that time, for Russian-born lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin as well as Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Trump campaign head Paul Manafort. Akhmetshin and Manafort, along with several others, met in June 2016. Donald Trump, Jr., oldest son of the president, also attended the meeting. He told reporters in July 2017 that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a Russian law preventing American citizens from adopting Russian babies.
Many possible charges and incidents are under investigation by Mueller's team. The special counsel is also meant to "investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election." Other incidents that have come up in the investigation are meetings between former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak with Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The investigation is also looking into allegations that Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey.
The Russian government, Trump, and all others accused of wrongdoing within the investigation have denied that there was any sort of collusion between Moscow, Russian actors, and the Trump campaign.
Fusion GPS scandal: Clinton, DNC broke campaign finance law with dossier funding, complaint says
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/26/fusion-gps-scandal-clinton-dnc-broke-campaign-finance-law-with-dossier-funding-complaint-says.html
The Campaign Legal Center filed the complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the DNC and Clinton’s campaign committee of breaking campaign finance law by failing to accurately disclose the money spent on the Trump-Russia dossier.
“Questions about who paid for this dossier are the subject of intense public interest, and this is precisely the information that FEC reports are supposed to provide,” Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement to Fox News.
The Washington Post reported this week — and Fox News confirmed — that the political consulting firm Fusion GPS was retained last year by Marc E. Elias, an attorney representing the DNC and the Clinton campaign. The firm then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to write the now-infamous dossier.
According to the Post, that money was routed from the Clinton campaign and the DNC through the law firm Perkins Coie and described on FEC reports as legal services.
Responding to the revelations, Clinton’s former campaign spokesman Brian Fallon compared the project to the kind of “oppo research” that “happens on every campaign.”
But the Campaign Legal Center described the FEC reporting as “misleading.”
“Payments by a campaign or party committee to an opposition research firm are legal, as long as those payments are accurately disclosed,” Fischer said.
“But describing payments for opposition research as ‘legal services’ is entirely misleading and subverts the reporting requirements.”
The controversial dossier contained unverified and lurid allegations about dirt the Russians had on Trump and his campaign’s possible connections to Moscow. Critics argued the latest revelation makes it harder for Democrats to accuse the Trump campaign of collusion.
DOJ Allows FBI Informant to Testify on Clinton-era Russia Uranium Deal
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201710271058576948-fbi-informant-russia-uranium-deal/
"As of tonight, the Department of Justice has authorized the informant to disclose to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as one member of each of their staffs, any information or documents he has concerning alleged corruption or bribery involving transactions in the uranium market," said DOJ spokesman Ian Prior in a statement.
The lifting of the gag order comes just one day after Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee (HIC), announced that there would be an investigation into the deal as well as any role then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played in it.
The uranium deal has come under new scrutiny since mid-October, when US President Donald Trump tweeted about it. "Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn't want to follow!" Trump wrote on October 19.
Since then, numerous other Republicans have joined the president in demanding an investigation into any potential misconduct on the part of the executive branch, the Clintons, or any other party regarding the uranium deal. Trump in the past has also alleged that Russian companies donated a great deal to the Clinton foundation, which may have related to the deal — an accusation rebuffed by the Clintons.
"That's your real Russia story. Not a story where they talk about collusion and there was none. It was a hoax. Your real Russia story is uranium,"
Trump told reporters shortly after he made the tweet.
Paul Ryan Says FBI Will Turn Over Long-Sought 'Trump Dossier' Documents
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-26/paul-ryan-says-fbi-will-turn-over-long-sought-trump-dossier-documents
As the public’s perception of the dossier’s credibility has deteriorated further following this week's revelation that it was financed by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee, the FBI is finally acquiescing to the House Intel committee's monthslong campaign to obtain the records. The agency said it will provide the documents to Nunes & Co. by next week, Ryan said.
After Ryan accused the agency of “stonewalling” and “foot-dragging” during an interview published on Wednesday, the FBI contacted his office and promised the requested materials would be readily provided, Politico noted.
“The FBI got in touch with us yesterday afternoon and they have informed us that they will comply with our document requests, and that they will provide the documents that Congress has been asking for by next week,” Ryan said.
FBI Whistleblower Exposes Special Council Mueller's Conflict of Interest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvFCAIRkvWU (8:30 min.)
First Charges Filed in Mueller Investigation on Trump Russia Collusion - Report
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710281058613015-mueller-investigation-trump-russia-charges/
The charges are still sealed under order of a federal judge. However, CNN's source said that whoever the charges are against may be taken into custody as soon as Monday. Mueller's office declined to comment on the news.
The special counsel investigation began in May following Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. In August, Mueller impaneled a Washington, DC, grand jury as part of the investigation. The grand jury issued two subpoenas in that time, for Russian-born lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin as well as Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Trump campaign head Paul Manafort. Akhmetshin and Manafort, along with several others, met in June 2016. Donald Trump, Jr., oldest son of the president, also attended the meeting. He told reporters in July 2017 that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a Russian law preventing American citizens from adopting Russian babies.
Many possible charges and incidents are under investigation by Mueller's team. The special counsel is also meant to "investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election." Other incidents that have come up in the investigation are meetings between former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak with Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The investigation is also looking into allegations that Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey.
The Russian government, Trump, and all others accused of wrongdoing within the investigation have denied that there was any sort of collusion between Moscow, Russian actors, and the Trump campaign.
Fusion GPS scandal: Clinton, DNC broke campaign finance law with dossier funding, complaint says
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/26/fusion-gps-scandal-clinton-dnc-broke-campaign-finance-law-with-dossier-funding-complaint-says.html
The Campaign Legal Center filed the complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the DNC and Clinton’s campaign committee of breaking campaign finance law by failing to accurately disclose the money spent on the Trump-Russia dossier.
“Questions about who paid for this dossier are the subject of intense public interest, and this is precisely the information that FEC reports are supposed to provide,” Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement to Fox News.
The Washington Post reported this week — and Fox News confirmed — that the political consulting firm Fusion GPS was retained last year by Marc E. Elias, an attorney representing the DNC and the Clinton campaign. The firm then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to write the now-infamous dossier.
According to the Post, that money was routed from the Clinton campaign and the DNC through the law firm Perkins Coie and described on FEC reports as legal services.
Responding to the revelations, Clinton’s former campaign spokesman Brian Fallon compared the project to the kind of “oppo research” that “happens on every campaign.”
But the Campaign Legal Center described the FEC reporting as “misleading.”
“Payments by a campaign or party committee to an opposition research firm are legal, as long as those payments are accurately disclosed,” Fischer said.
“But describing payments for opposition research as ‘legal services’ is entirely misleading and subverts the reporting requirements.”
The controversial dossier contained unverified and lurid allegations about dirt the Russians had on Trump and his campaign’s possible connections to Moscow. Critics argued the latest revelation makes it harder for Democrats to accuse the Trump campaign of collusion.
DOJ Allows FBI Informant to Testify on Clinton-era Russia Uranium Deal
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201710271058576948-fbi-informant-russia-uranium-deal/
"As of tonight, the Department of Justice has authorized the informant to disclose to the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as one member of each of their staffs, any information or documents he has concerning alleged corruption or bribery involving transactions in the uranium market," said DOJ spokesman Ian Prior in a statement.
The lifting of the gag order comes just one day after Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee (HIC), announced that there would be an investigation into the deal as well as any role then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played in it.
The uranium deal has come under new scrutiny since mid-October, when US President Donald Trump tweeted about it. "Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn't want to follow!" Trump wrote on October 19.
Since then, numerous other Republicans have joined the president in demanding an investigation into any potential misconduct on the part of the executive branch, the Clintons, or any other party regarding the uranium deal. Trump in the past has also alleged that Russian companies donated a great deal to the Clinton foundation, which may have related to the deal — an accusation rebuffed by the Clintons.
"That's your real Russia story. Not a story where they talk about collusion and there was none. It was a hoax. Your real Russia story is uranium,"
Trump told reporters shortly after he made the tweet.
Paul Ryan Says FBI Will Turn Over Long-Sought 'Trump Dossier' Documents
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-26/paul-ryan-says-fbi-will-turn-over-long-sought-trump-dossier-documents
As the public’s perception of the dossier’s credibility has deteriorated further following this week's revelation that it was financed by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee, the FBI is finally acquiescing to the House Intel committee's monthslong campaign to obtain the records. The agency said it will provide the documents to Nunes & Co. by next week, Ryan said.
After Ryan accused the agency of “stonewalling” and “foot-dragging” during an interview published on Wednesday, the FBI contacted his office and promised the requested materials would be readily provided, Politico noted.
“The FBI got in touch with us yesterday afternoon and they have informed us that they will comply with our document requests, and that they will provide the documents that Congress has been asking for by next week,” Ryan said.
FBI Whistleblower Exposes Special Council Mueller's Conflict of Interest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvFCAIRkvWU (8:30 min.)
angelburst29
The Living Force
Footage Suggests Manafort Surrenders in Russia Probe, WH Claims Unaware
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058657771-manafort-trump-surrender-fbi-russia-probe/
Amid speculations that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller is set to bring the first charges in the Russia probe.
According to the special counsel's statement, US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his business associate Rock Gates have been indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the US and conspiracy to launder money.
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway has said, "We don't even know that it has anything to do with the campaign," adding that the US president had dismissed the media reports concerning the Russia probe as a "hoax."
CNN has released a footage of the US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, arriving at FBI's office just minutes after the New York Times reported citing a source that Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates, had been ordered to surrender to federal authorities.
Other reports in local media suggest the alleged charges against Manafort, who is yet to comment on the issue, include tax fraud.
The news of Manafort being charged come days after media speculations suggested that the first charges in the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's probe into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election were approved by a federal grand jury on Friday and are still sealed under orders of a federal judge.
Russia Probe - Currently, two separate investigations into Russia's alleged interference in the November 2016 election are being conducted in the US — by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, and Congress.
According to media reports, several members of Donald Trump's presidential campaign have been suspected of an "alleged collusion" with Russia, a claim strongly denied as "absurd" by the Kremlin. It his turn, the US president has repeatedly called the Russia probe a "witch hunt" aimed to justify his former rival's, Hillary Clinton, loss in the election. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Paul Manafort, Who Once Ran Trump Campaign, Indicted on Money Laundering and Tax Charges (Video)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/us/politics/paul-manafort-indicted.html
Mr. Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman, and his longtime associate Rick Gates, surrendered to the FBI on Monday. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, said Mr. Manafort laundered more than $18 million to buy properties and services.
“Manafort used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States without paying taxes on that income,” the indictment reads.
Mr. Gates is accused of transferring more than $3 million from offshore accounts. The two are also charged with making false statements.
“As part of the scheme, Manafort and Gates repeatedly provided false information to financial bookkeepers, tax accountants and legal counsel, among others,” the indictment read.
Mr. Gates is a longtime protégé and junior partner of Mr. Manafort. His name appears on documents linked to companies that Mr. Manafort’s firm set up in Cyprus to receive payments from politicians and businesspeople in Eastern Europe, records reviewed by The New York Times show.
Attempts to reach Mr. Gates on Monday were not successful. A spokesman for Mr. Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Manafort has expected charges since this summer, when F.B.I. agents raided his home and prosecutors warned him that they planned to indict him. That warning raised speculation that Mr. Manafort might try to cut a deal to avoid prosecution.
Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, said there were no concerns that Mr. Manafort would offer damaging information about the president in exchange for a deal.
Some close to Mr. Manafort, including his former business partner Roger J. Stone Jr., have said he had nothing to offer that would help prosecutors build a case against Mr. Trump. “He’s not going to lie,” Mr. Stone said in September.
Mr. Manafort, a veteran Republican strategist, joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 to help keep delegates from breaking with Mr. Trump in favor of establishment Republican candidates. Mr. Trump soon promoted him to chairman and chief strategist, a job that gave him control over day-to-day operations of the campaign.
But Mr. Trump fired Mr. Manafort just months later, after reports that he received more than $12 million in undisclosed payments from Viktor F. Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president and a pro-Russia politician. Mr. Manafort spent years as a political consultant for Mr. Yanukovych.
American intelligence agencies have concluded that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia launched a stealth campaign of hacking and propaganda to try to damage Hillary Clinton and help Mr. Trump win the election. The Justice Department appointed Mr. Mueller III as special counsel in May to lead the investigation into the Russian operations and to determine whether anyone around Mr. Trump was involved.
Mr. Trump has denied any such collusion, and no evidence has surfaced publicly to contradict him. At the same time, Mr. Trump and his advisers this year repeatedly denied any contacts with Russians during the campaign, only to have journalists uncover one undisclosed meeting after another.
The New York Times revealed in July that Mr. Manafort and others close to Mr. Trump met with Russians last year, on the promise of receiving damaging political information about Mrs. Clinton.
Ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and associate indicted in special counsel probe (Video)
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/paul-manafort-former-trump-campaign-manager-surrender-feds-120807400--abc-news-topstories.html
Manafort and Gates would be the first charges in the special counsel's five-month investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russia.
Manafort originally emerged as a key figure in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry because of consulting work he did in 2014 on behalf of the Ukrainian government.
In July -- the same month in which he registered as a foreign agent because of his lobbying work -- the FBI executed a search warrant at Manafort’s Virginia home, stemming from the Russia investigation. A source familiar with the matter described armed FBI agents’ waking Manafort early in the morning as they knocked on his bedroom door.
Manafort, 68, joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 as the campaign’s convention manager and was promoted to campaign chairman two months later.
He stepped away from the campaign in August 2016 amid questions about his foreign business ties. At the time, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau released scans of 22 entries from the ledgers of so-called “black accounts” which listed Manafort's name next to payments totaling $12.7 million between 2007 and 2012 for his work tied to pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. The story was first reported by the New York Times.
Gates, 45, worked for Manafort’s international firm, Davis Manafort Partners, between 2006 and 2007. Gates’ connections to Trump before and after the election include his leading operations at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, serving as deputy chairman on the 2017 Presidential Inauguration Committee and joining the nonprofit America First Policies created after the election.
Mueller was appointed special counsel in May by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself in March from all matters related to last year's presidential election.
In addition to the action taken by Mueller's team, Manafort has been heavily scrutinized by the multiple congressional committees conducting their own investigations into Russian meddling. In August, sources close to Manafort told ABC News that the former campaign manager provided the committees with about 400 documents, including paperwork related to Ukraine.
CNN first reported last week that a federal grand jury in Washington had approved the charge brought by Mueller’s team.
Trump seemed to react over the weekend to the news of a potential charge, tweeting, as he has previously, that the investigation was a “witch hunt” promoted by Democrats. He further seemed to suggest that it was a distraction from items on his administration’s agenda, such as tax reform.
President Trump’s attorney Ty Cobb later swatted down any connection.
“Contrary to what many have suggested, the president’s comments today are unrelated to the activities of the Special Counsel, with whom he continues to cooperate,” Cobb said in a statement to the White House press pool.
US Congressman Trey Gowdy Slams Mueller Inquiry for Leaks to Media
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710291058644700-trey-gowdy-leak-mueller-slam/
On Friday night, CNN reported that a federal grand jury had approved the first charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian actors.
Trey Gowdy, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has slammed the inquiry for leaking news about the charges, which are reportedly still sealed under orders from a federal judge.
"In the only conversation I've had with Robert Mueller, I stressed to him the importance of cutting out the leaks," Gowdy told Fox News Sunday.
"It's kind of ironic that the people charged with investigating the law and the violations of the law would violate the law," he added.
According to the CNN report, plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday. It is unclear what the charges are or who has been charged.
"Make no mistake, disclosing grand jury material is a violation of the law. Somebody violated their oath of secrecy," Gowdy said.
Gowdy, a former state and federal prosecutor, represents South Carolina in the House of Representatives. He led the House Select Committee into events surrounding the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi inquiry, during which he criticized the Obama administration's "intentional," "coordinated" and "shameful" stonewalling of his investigation.
First Charges Filed in Mueller Investigation on Trump Russia Collusion - Report
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710281058613015-mueller-investigation-trump-russia-charges/
The charges are still sealed under order of a federal judge. However, CNN's source said that whoever the charges are against may be taken into custody as soon as Monday. Mueller's office declined to comment on the news.
The special counsel investigation began in May following Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. In August, Mueller impaneled a Washington, DC, grand jury as part of the investigation. The grand jury issued two subpoenas in that time, for Russian-born lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin as well as Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Trump campaign head Paul Manafort. Akhmetshin and Manafort, along with several others, met in June 2016. Donald Trump, Jr., oldest son of the president, also attended the meeting. He told reporters in July 2017 that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a Russian law preventing American citizens from adopting Russian babies.
Many possible charges and incidents are under investigation by Mueller's team. The special counsel is also meant to "investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election." Other incidents that have come up in the investigation are meetings between former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak with Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The investigation is also looking into allegations that Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey.
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058657771-manafort-trump-surrender-fbi-russia-probe/
Amid speculations that Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller is set to bring the first charges in the Russia probe.
According to the special counsel's statement, US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his business associate Rock Gates have been indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the US and conspiracy to launder money.
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway has said, "We don't even know that it has anything to do with the campaign," adding that the US president had dismissed the media reports concerning the Russia probe as a "hoax."
CNN has released a footage of the US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, arriving at FBI's office just minutes after the New York Times reported citing a source that Manafort and his former business associate Rick Gates, had been ordered to surrender to federal authorities.
Other reports in local media suggest the alleged charges against Manafort, who is yet to comment on the issue, include tax fraud.
The news of Manafort being charged come days after media speculations suggested that the first charges in the Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's probe into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election were approved by a federal grand jury on Friday and are still sealed under orders of a federal judge.
Russia Probe - Currently, two separate investigations into Russia's alleged interference in the November 2016 election are being conducted in the US — by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, and Congress.
According to media reports, several members of Donald Trump's presidential campaign have been suspected of an "alleged collusion" with Russia, a claim strongly denied as "absurd" by the Kremlin. It his turn, the US president has repeatedly called the Russia probe a "witch hunt" aimed to justify his former rival's, Hillary Clinton, loss in the election. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Paul Manafort, Who Once Ran Trump Campaign, Indicted on Money Laundering and Tax Charges (Video)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/us/politics/paul-manafort-indicted.html
Mr. Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman, and his longtime associate Rick Gates, surrendered to the FBI on Monday. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, said Mr. Manafort laundered more than $18 million to buy properties and services.
“Manafort used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a lavish lifestyle in the United States without paying taxes on that income,” the indictment reads.
Mr. Gates is accused of transferring more than $3 million from offshore accounts. The two are also charged with making false statements.
“As part of the scheme, Manafort and Gates repeatedly provided false information to financial bookkeepers, tax accountants and legal counsel, among others,” the indictment read.
Mr. Gates is a longtime protégé and junior partner of Mr. Manafort. His name appears on documents linked to companies that Mr. Manafort’s firm set up in Cyprus to receive payments from politicians and businesspeople in Eastern Europe, records reviewed by The New York Times show.
Attempts to reach Mr. Gates on Monday were not successful. A spokesman for Mr. Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Manafort has expected charges since this summer, when F.B.I. agents raided his home and prosecutors warned him that they planned to indict him. That warning raised speculation that Mr. Manafort might try to cut a deal to avoid prosecution.
Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, said there were no concerns that Mr. Manafort would offer damaging information about the president in exchange for a deal.
Some close to Mr. Manafort, including his former business partner Roger J. Stone Jr., have said he had nothing to offer that would help prosecutors build a case against Mr. Trump. “He’s not going to lie,” Mr. Stone said in September.
Mr. Manafort, a veteran Republican strategist, joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 to help keep delegates from breaking with Mr. Trump in favor of establishment Republican candidates. Mr. Trump soon promoted him to chairman and chief strategist, a job that gave him control over day-to-day operations of the campaign.
But Mr. Trump fired Mr. Manafort just months later, after reports that he received more than $12 million in undisclosed payments from Viktor F. Yanukovych, the former Ukrainian president and a pro-Russia politician. Mr. Manafort spent years as a political consultant for Mr. Yanukovych.
American intelligence agencies have concluded that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia launched a stealth campaign of hacking and propaganda to try to damage Hillary Clinton and help Mr. Trump win the election. The Justice Department appointed Mr. Mueller III as special counsel in May to lead the investigation into the Russian operations and to determine whether anyone around Mr. Trump was involved.
Mr. Trump has denied any such collusion, and no evidence has surfaced publicly to contradict him. At the same time, Mr. Trump and his advisers this year repeatedly denied any contacts with Russians during the campaign, only to have journalists uncover one undisclosed meeting after another.
The New York Times revealed in July that Mr. Manafort and others close to Mr. Trump met with Russians last year, on the promise of receiving damaging political information about Mrs. Clinton.
Ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and associate indicted in special counsel probe (Video)
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/paul-manafort-former-trump-campaign-manager-surrender-feds-120807400--abc-news-topstories.html
Manafort and Gates would be the first charges in the special counsel's five-month investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russia.
Manafort originally emerged as a key figure in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry because of consulting work he did in 2014 on behalf of the Ukrainian government.
In July -- the same month in which he registered as a foreign agent because of his lobbying work -- the FBI executed a search warrant at Manafort’s Virginia home, stemming from the Russia investigation. A source familiar with the matter described armed FBI agents’ waking Manafort early in the morning as they knocked on his bedroom door.
Manafort, 68, joined the Trump campaign in March 2016 as the campaign’s convention manager and was promoted to campaign chairman two months later.
He stepped away from the campaign in August 2016 amid questions about his foreign business ties. At the time, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau released scans of 22 entries from the ledgers of so-called “black accounts” which listed Manafort's name next to payments totaling $12.7 million between 2007 and 2012 for his work tied to pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. The story was first reported by the New York Times.
Gates, 45, worked for Manafort’s international firm, Davis Manafort Partners, between 2006 and 2007. Gates’ connections to Trump before and after the election include his leading operations at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, serving as deputy chairman on the 2017 Presidential Inauguration Committee and joining the nonprofit America First Policies created after the election.
Mueller was appointed special counsel in May by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein; Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself in March from all matters related to last year's presidential election.
In addition to the action taken by Mueller's team, Manafort has been heavily scrutinized by the multiple congressional committees conducting their own investigations into Russian meddling. In August, sources close to Manafort told ABC News that the former campaign manager provided the committees with about 400 documents, including paperwork related to Ukraine.
CNN first reported last week that a federal grand jury in Washington had approved the charge brought by Mueller’s team.
Trump seemed to react over the weekend to the news of a potential charge, tweeting, as he has previously, that the investigation was a “witch hunt” promoted by Democrats. He further seemed to suggest that it was a distraction from items on his administration’s agenda, such as tax reform.
President Trump’s attorney Ty Cobb later swatted down any connection.
“Contrary to what many have suggested, the president’s comments today are unrelated to the activities of the Special Counsel, with whom he continues to cooperate,” Cobb said in a statement to the White House press pool.
US Congressman Trey Gowdy Slams Mueller Inquiry for Leaks to Media
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710291058644700-trey-gowdy-leak-mueller-slam/
On Friday night, CNN reported that a federal grand jury had approved the first charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian actors.
Trey Gowdy, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has slammed the inquiry for leaking news about the charges, which are reportedly still sealed under orders from a federal judge.
"In the only conversation I've had with Robert Mueller, I stressed to him the importance of cutting out the leaks," Gowdy told Fox News Sunday.
"It's kind of ironic that the people charged with investigating the law and the violations of the law would violate the law," he added.
According to the CNN report, plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday. It is unclear what the charges are or who has been charged.
"Make no mistake, disclosing grand jury material is a violation of the law. Somebody violated their oath of secrecy," Gowdy said.
Gowdy, a former state and federal prosecutor, represents South Carolina in the House of Representatives. He led the House Select Committee into events surrounding the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi inquiry, during which he criticized the Obama administration's "intentional," "coordinated" and "shameful" stonewalling of his investigation.
First Charges Filed in Mueller Investigation on Trump Russia Collusion - Report
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710281058613015-mueller-investigation-trump-russia-charges/
The charges are still sealed under order of a federal judge. However, CNN's source said that whoever the charges are against may be taken into custody as soon as Monday. Mueller's office declined to comment on the news.
The special counsel investigation began in May following Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey. In August, Mueller impaneled a Washington, DC, grand jury as part of the investigation. The grand jury issued two subpoenas in that time, for Russian-born lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin as well as Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Trump campaign head Paul Manafort. Akhmetshin and Manafort, along with several others, met in June 2016. Donald Trump, Jr., oldest son of the president, also attended the meeting. He told reporters in July 2017 that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss a Russian law preventing American citizens from adopting Russian babies.
Many possible charges and incidents are under investigation by Mueller's team. The special counsel is also meant to "investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election." Other incidents that have come up in the investigation are meetings between former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak with Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The investigation is also looking into allegations that Trump obstructed justice when he fired Comey.
Putin stating the obvious. (Select subtitles)
Putin defends Trump: He is being prevented from carrying out any of his election platforms and plans (4:06 min)
ADDED:
Back in March Lavrov said something similar:
Putin defends Trump: He is being prevented from carrying out any of his election platforms and plans (4:06 min)
ADDED:
Back in March Lavrov said something similar:
angelburst29
The Living Force
I hope these indictments are "the beginning process" in nabbing the Clinton's? If they start indicting her inner circle for crimes - the only one's standing would be the Clinton's, Bush's and their ilk - with no place to run and hide? Then they can more on and start cleaning house in Congress?
Ex-Trump Campaign Manager Manafort Appears in Federal Court, Pleads Not Guilty
https://sputniknews.com/news/201710301058671470-trump-manafort-pleads-not-guilty/
The allegations against Manafort arose as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation but the actions in question occurred before Manafort was part of Trump's campaign.
Manafort is represented by Kevin M. Downing, an attorney specializing in white collar crime. Downing worked as a senior Justice Department official before leaving to represent clients in complex financial investigation cases.
Rick Gates, one of Manafort's business partners, was also included in the indictment. According to the indictment, the pair "generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their Ukraine work." Gates' attorney, a public defender, pleaded not guilty for the defendent.
Manafort's charges did not mention "Russian collusion," the indictment stated.
White House: Manafort Indictment Has Nothing to Do With Trump or Trump Campaign
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058670912-trump-campaign-manafort-indictment-unrelated/
"Today's announcement has nothing to do with the president, has nothing to do with the president's campaign or campaign activity," Sanders told reporters. "We've been saying from day one there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all."
Manafort was indicted on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent in his capacity as a lobbyist working for pro-Russian former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych from 2004 to 2010. Manafort would then go on to become Trump's campaign chief in the summer of 2016. Sanders denied that there was any greater significance.
All of the charges related to events that occurred before the Trump campaign had even started, Sanders said. Therefore, any wrongdoing on Manafort's part is unrelated to the president's campaign. Sanders added that Trump and Manafort haven't spoken in months, with their last known contact in February.
Sanders also distanced the White House from George Papadopalous, who served as a foreign policy adviser to Trump in 2016. Earlier in October, Papadopolous pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents pertaining to Russian actors he had contacted or attempted to contact in his capacity as an adviser to the Trump campaign.
Tony Podesta stepping down from lobbying giant amid Mueller probe
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/30/tony-podesta-stepping-down-from-lobbying-giant-amid-mueller-probe-244314
Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Podesta announced his decision during a firm-wide meeting Monday morning and is alerting clients of his impending departure.
Podesta is handing over full operational and financial control to longtime firm CEO Kimberley Fritts, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting. Fritts and a senior group of the Podesta team will be launching a new firm in the next one or two days. Sources said the transition has been in the works for the past several months.
Podesta’s decision to leave the firm came on the same day that former Donald Trump campaign aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted on multiple charges, including money laundering, operating as federal agents of the Ukrainian government, failing to disclose overseas bank accounts and making false statements to federal authorities. Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier this month for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, according to court records.
The investigation into Podesta and his firm grew out of investigators’ examination of Manafort’s finances. Manafort organized a PR campaign on behalf of a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Podesta Group was one of several firms that were paid to do work on the PR campaign to promote Ukraine in the U.S.
Podesta Group filed paperwork with the Justice Department in April stating that it had done work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine that also benefited the same Ukrainian political party that Manafort once advised. Podesta Group said at the time it believed its client was a European think tank untethered to a political party.
Podesta has long been a larger than life figure on K Street, growing his business from a boutique firm into a massive lobbying and public relations operation. He is well known for his flashy dressing, vast art collection, generous campaign donations across all levels of Democratic politics and, of course, for his brother John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.
Podesta Group has struggled in the wake of the Mueller investigation. More than a dozen of its lobbying clients have cut ties with the firm this year, according to lobbying filings. Revenues have also declined: The firm brought in an estimated $4.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, down from $5.2 million in the second quarter of 2017 and from $6.1 million in the third quarter of 2016.
Ex-Trump Campaign Manager Manafort Appears in Federal Court, Pleads Not Guilty
https://sputniknews.com/news/201710301058671470-trump-manafort-pleads-not-guilty/
The allegations against Manafort arose as a result of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation but the actions in question occurred before Manafort was part of Trump's campaign.
Manafort is represented by Kevin M. Downing, an attorney specializing in white collar crime. Downing worked as a senior Justice Department official before leaving to represent clients in complex financial investigation cases.
Rick Gates, one of Manafort's business partners, was also included in the indictment. According to the indictment, the pair "generated tens of millions of dollars in income as a result of their Ukraine work." Gates' attorney, a public defender, pleaded not guilty for the defendent.
Manafort's charges did not mention "Russian collusion," the indictment stated.
White House: Manafort Indictment Has Nothing to Do With Trump or Trump Campaign
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058670912-trump-campaign-manafort-indictment-unrelated/
"Today's announcement has nothing to do with the president, has nothing to do with the president's campaign or campaign activity," Sanders told reporters. "We've been saying from day one there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all."
Manafort was indicted on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent in his capacity as a lobbyist working for pro-Russian former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych from 2004 to 2010. Manafort would then go on to become Trump's campaign chief in the summer of 2016. Sanders denied that there was any greater significance.
All of the charges related to events that occurred before the Trump campaign had even started, Sanders said. Therefore, any wrongdoing on Manafort's part is unrelated to the president's campaign. Sanders added that Trump and Manafort haven't spoken in months, with their last known contact in February.
Sanders also distanced the White House from George Papadopalous, who served as a foreign policy adviser to Trump in 2016. Earlier in October, Papadopolous pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents pertaining to Russian actors he had contacted or attempted to contact in his capacity as an adviser to the Trump campaign.
Tony Podesta stepping down from lobbying giant amid Mueller probe
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/30/tony-podesta-stepping-down-from-lobbying-giant-amid-mueller-probe-244314
Democratic power lobbyist Tony Podesta, founder of the Podesta Group, is stepping down from the firm that bears his name after coming under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Podesta announced his decision during a firm-wide meeting Monday morning and is alerting clients of his impending departure.
Podesta is handing over full operational and financial control to longtime firm CEO Kimberley Fritts, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting. Fritts and a senior group of the Podesta team will be launching a new firm in the next one or two days. Sources said the transition has been in the works for the past several months.
Podesta’s decision to leave the firm came on the same day that former Donald Trump campaign aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were indicted on multiple charges, including money laundering, operating as federal agents of the Ukrainian government, failing to disclose overseas bank accounts and making false statements to federal authorities. Trump campaign foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty earlier this month for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, according to court records.
The investigation into Podesta and his firm grew out of investigators’ examination of Manafort’s finances. Manafort organized a PR campaign on behalf of a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. Podesta Group was one of several firms that were paid to do work on the PR campaign to promote Ukraine in the U.S.
Podesta Group filed paperwork with the Justice Department in April stating that it had done work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine that also benefited the same Ukrainian political party that Manafort once advised. Podesta Group said at the time it believed its client was a European think tank untethered to a political party.
Podesta has long been a larger than life figure on K Street, growing his business from a boutique firm into a massive lobbying and public relations operation. He is well known for his flashy dressing, vast art collection, generous campaign donations across all levels of Democratic politics and, of course, for his brother John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman.
Podesta Group has struggled in the wake of the Mueller investigation. More than a dozen of its lobbying clients have cut ties with the firm this year, according to lobbying filings. Revenues have also declined: The firm brought in an estimated $4.8 million in the third quarter of 2017, down from $5.2 million in the second quarter of 2017 and from $6.1 million in the third quarter of 2016.
angelburst29 said:
It does appear to me that Trump let the clock run out on the Mueller investigation.
And all that has come out, are some obscure charges not even connected to Trump, or the supposed Russia interference in the election.
I guess their wishful thinking was that Trump would wither under all the accusations, and resign. I think that they underestimated him.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Hello H2O said:
I think, it's a little too early to really figure out what's going on with these sudden indictments? One thing does seem apparent, the indictments are exposing the hidden overseas offshore accounts and the tracking of undisclosed payments - kind of like Panama Papers Part 2? Even Tony Podesta is scrambling to take cover? On the heels of this, Trump is pointing to Obama’s campaign organization as funding the dossier.
Trump tweets of reported Fusion GPS payment
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/30/trump-gps-fusion-tweet-dossier-244304
“Report out that Obama Campaign paid $972,000 to Fusion GPS. The firm also got $12,400,000 (really?) from DNC. Nobody knows who OK'd!” Trump wrote on Twitter Monday, offering a somewhat incorrect account of reporting published a day earlier by The Federalist.
The president’s online post does not link to a specific story but appears to be a reference to The Federalist’s report that Obama for America paid $972,772 to Perkins Coie, an international law firm. The Washington Post reported last week that both the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign paid millions to Perkins Coie, which in turn paid Fusion GPS, the firm behind the unconfirmed dossier alleging collusion between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.
The Federalist’s story has gained significant traction within conservative circles, but Trump’s summary of its reporting offers a conclusion not reached in the story: that Obama’s campaign organization had funded the dossier. The Federalist report, which is based on publicly available Federal Election Commission reports, shows only that Obama for America funds went to Perkins Coie, classified as “legal services,” not that that money was then funneled to Fusion GPS.
The dossier in question, which was published last winter by BuzzFeed just days before Trump’s inauguration, alleged significant collusion between the Kremlin and the president’s campaign and remains unverified. Trump has denied all of the allegations in the dossier.
The president’s finger-pointing comes as the first indictments were issued as part of the investigation led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who has been charged by the Justice Department with leading an independent probe into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election and allegations that the Trump campaign or individuals with ties to Trump colluded with those efforts.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Fusion GPS - Fusion GPS, Chris Steele, And The Phony Trump Dossier, A Complete Timeline ...
_https://twitter.com/i/moments/924719263033593856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizenfreepress.com%2Fbreaking%2Ffusion-gps-chris-steele-and-the-phony-trump-dossier-a-complete-timeline%2F
Podesta Group Took More Than $200K To Lobby For Uranium One
_https://twitter.com/search?q=Podesta&src=tren
Nunes’ investigating digs up trove of Democrat connections to Russia dossier
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/29/devin-nunes-shifts-russia-dossier-focus-from-donal/
On two fronts, Rep. Devin Nunes has shifted the Russia debate in Washington further away from President Trump and closer to Democrats.
He exposed the practice of “unmasking” by Obama aides and flushed out the source of payments for the scandalous anti-Trump dossier that drove the Russia collusion narrative.
The California Republican’s first tactic: He traveled to the Executive Office Building and viewed evidence that the Obama administration had “unmasked” the concealed names of Trump associates in highly classified intelligence reports during the election campaign.
The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence talked publicly about his discovery to much derision from Democrats and Washington’s press corps. The unmasking suggested that the Obama White House was spying on a political foe through its legal right to unmask the identities of people unintentionally swept up in surveillance operations.
An advocacy group filed a complaint about his disclosure with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Mr. Nunes responded by removing himself as the overseer of the committee’s Russia probe.
But his legacy lives on. Both the Senate and House intelligence committees have summoned former Obama aides as witnesses. It turns out that Samantha Power, as ambassador to the United Nations, made hundreds of unmasking requests, Fox News reported.
Adding intrigue to her research, she told the committee that other people did some of the unmaskings in her name.
The committee subpoenaed documents concerning Ms. Power, former National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice and former CIA Director John O. Brennan. All deny that they were spying on Mr. Trump.
Mr. Nunes‘ second tactic brought the most immediately result: He flushed out the identities — long kept secret — of some of the financial backers for the notorious Trump dossier that has fed the Democrats’ Russia collusion charges for months.
He did it by signing a subpoena for the bank records of Fusion GPS, the liberal opposition research firm that hired the dossier writer, former British spy Christopher Steele.
The Nunes subpoena touched off a chain of events.
Fusion GPS went to U.S. District Court on Oct. 20 and asked a judge to block the subpoena. That move triggered the first unmasking of the dossier’s financier.
On Tuesday, the law firm Perkins Coie decided it was time to fess up. It filed a letter, written to Fusion’s attorneys, acknowledging that Perkins had hired Fusion with money from the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Perkins, whose attorney Marc E. Elias is the Clinton campaign’s general counsel, urged Fusion to lift the confidentiality of other clients who funded the dossier.
The letter said the flow of money to Fusion started in April 2016 and ended before the Nov. 8 presidential election. Mr. Steele began writing his memos in June. He continued to write and submit dossier memos up until December, meaning there are other moneymen for whom Mr. Nunes would like names.
Because Fusion also has Russian clients, some Republicans have wondered whether anyone in Moscow also paid Mr. Steele’s bills. There has been no proof, to date.
Washington learned of another funder. For months, news reports said the first entity to hire Fusion to conduct Trump opposition research was a Republican.
The Washington Free Beacon on Friday acknowledged that it had hired Fusion to collect information from publicly available sources. It said the arrangement stopped well before Fusion went to Democrats and received money to pay Mr. Steele.
The Free Beacon, a snappy conservative news website filled with investigative and humorous postings, is funded by Paul Singer, a Republican and big campaign donor. He is also anti-Trump. He backed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida in the Republican presidential primary race.
Mr. Nunes‘ moves have clearly irked Democrats, who want the investigation confined to suspected Republican coordination with Russian election interference. The Senate and House intelligence committees so far have found no confirmed evidence of Trump collusion.
Fusion’s attorneys, the Washington firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, filed court arguments attacking the congressman’s “fishing expedition.”
They said he had no power to act because he recused himself from the Russia investigation. They called his subpoena signature “not part of legitimate legislative activity” and an exercise of “coercive power.”
“The Trump dossier appears to have deeply upset President Trump and some of his allies, including Mr. Nunes, who served on President Trump’s campaign,” the Fusion attorneys said.
Posted in full by BuzzFeed, the dossier accuses Mr. Trump of salacious conduct with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel, a long quid pro quo relationship with Russian intelligence and bribe-paying in Asia. None of those charges has been confirmed publicly.
Mr. Nunes‘ chief congressional critic is Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, the House intelligence committee’s top Democrat. Mr. Schiff is a big fan of Mr. Steele’s and has repeated his charges in Congress and on TV.
Interviewed last week by CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Mr. Schiff said Mr. Nunes is just trying to change the subject.
“I think, Chris, at the end of the day, what this is about is a technique you see often in criminal cases where the facts are really bad for the defendant, there’s an effort to put the government on trial,” Mr. Schiff said. “So I think Mr. Nunes and the president want to put the government on trial because they don’t want to look at the facts implicating the White House.”
Mr. Cuomo: “That’s problematic when the man that you’re defining that way is in charge of the investigation, is the head of your committee. And it raises the question of when are we going to see what you guys have.”
Mr. Schiff: “It is problematic, Chris, because he had committed to stepping aside and recusing himself from the investigation but has not done that. And so that is a real problem that we have to grapple with every day.”
Mr. Nunes picked up an unlikely supporter in Leon E. Panetta, a Democrat who has served as a congressional representative from California, director of the CIA and secretary of defense.
Mr. Panetta told CNN that Congress needs to find out who funded the dossier.
“Well, it’s obviously something that the intelligence committee is going to have to look at,” Mr. Panetta said. “You know, knowing presidential campaigns, they’re big operations and somehow the left hand may not know what the right hand is doing. And that could be the case here, but I really do think that the committee is going to have to get into this, determine just exactly what happened. Who knew what and when.”
On Saturday, the House intelligence committee said it had reached a deal to inspect Fusion’s banking records.
Wasserman Schultz to Testify On Russia Dossier
https://thepoliticalinsider.com/congressional-republicans-want-podesta-wasserman-schultz-testify-russia-dossier/
Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Trey Gowdy, went so far as to call the DNC’s near $10 million payment for what they’re labeling ‘opposition research,’ is akin to money laundering.
“I’m not an election law expert, but the good news is you don’t have to be,” Gowdy said, “to understand the absurdity of believing that you can launder all of your campaign money by just hiring a law firm.” “I’m interested in that,” he added.
A spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz said she “was not aware of anything related to this research arrangement.”
She and Podesta both told the Senate Intelligence Committee last month that they didn’t know who paid for the dossier.
Gowdy, being the southern gentleman he is, wants to give them another chance to answer those questions, even offering some advice for Democrats on how they might be better able to remember who authorized payment for the research.
“I am also interested in sharing some memory tricks with folks at the DNC because no one can remember who paid $10 million to a law firm to do oppo research,” Gowdy said. “I find that stunning. $10 million and no one can remember who authorized it, who approved it, who said, ‘This is a really good idea.'”
And Gowdy is furious at Muller for the circus that’s going on with the Russia investigation, because he warned him not to allow it to happen. “In the only conversation I’ve had with Robert Mueller, I stressed to him the importance of cutting out the leaks.”
“It’s kind of ironic that the people charged with investigating the law and the violations of the law would violate the law,” Gowdy concluded.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) also wants some answers.
“It’s difficult to imagine that a campaign chairman, that the head of the DNC would not know of an expenditure of this magnitude and significance,” she said during an interview with Face the Nation.
Collins insisted that they “absolutely need to be recalled” to testify.
For their sake, they had better keep denying knowledge. After all, it is a federal crime to ‘knowingly and willfully’ make a false statement to a federal agency.
Be a shame if this pair of Clinton hacks ended up afoul of the law while Hillary was able to skirt it for so long.
_https://twitter.com/i/moments/924719263033593856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizenfreepress.com%2Fbreaking%2Ffusion-gps-chris-steele-and-the-phony-trump-dossier-a-complete-timeline%2F
Podesta Group Took More Than $200K To Lobby For Uranium One
_https://twitter.com/search?q=Podesta&src=tren
Nunes’ investigating digs up trove of Democrat connections to Russia dossier
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/29/devin-nunes-shifts-russia-dossier-focus-from-donal/
On two fronts, Rep. Devin Nunes has shifted the Russia debate in Washington further away from President Trump and closer to Democrats.
He exposed the practice of “unmasking” by Obama aides and flushed out the source of payments for the scandalous anti-Trump dossier that drove the Russia collusion narrative.
The California Republican’s first tactic: He traveled to the Executive Office Building and viewed evidence that the Obama administration had “unmasked” the concealed names of Trump associates in highly classified intelligence reports during the election campaign.
The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence talked publicly about his discovery to much derision from Democrats and Washington’s press corps. The unmasking suggested that the Obama White House was spying on a political foe through its legal right to unmask the identities of people unintentionally swept up in surveillance operations.
An advocacy group filed a complaint about his disclosure with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Mr. Nunes responded by removing himself as the overseer of the committee’s Russia probe.
But his legacy lives on. Both the Senate and House intelligence committees have summoned former Obama aides as witnesses. It turns out that Samantha Power, as ambassador to the United Nations, made hundreds of unmasking requests, Fox News reported.
Adding intrigue to her research, she told the committee that other people did some of the unmaskings in her name.
The committee subpoenaed documents concerning Ms. Power, former National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice and former CIA Director John O. Brennan. All deny that they were spying on Mr. Trump.
Mr. Nunes‘ second tactic brought the most immediately result: He flushed out the identities — long kept secret — of some of the financial backers for the notorious Trump dossier that has fed the Democrats’ Russia collusion charges for months.
He did it by signing a subpoena for the bank records of Fusion GPS, the liberal opposition research firm that hired the dossier writer, former British spy Christopher Steele.
The Nunes subpoena touched off a chain of events.
Fusion GPS went to U.S. District Court on Oct. 20 and asked a judge to block the subpoena. That move triggered the first unmasking of the dossier’s financier.
On Tuesday, the law firm Perkins Coie decided it was time to fess up. It filed a letter, written to Fusion’s attorneys, acknowledging that Perkins had hired Fusion with money from the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Perkins, whose attorney Marc E. Elias is the Clinton campaign’s general counsel, urged Fusion to lift the confidentiality of other clients who funded the dossier.
The letter said the flow of money to Fusion started in April 2016 and ended before the Nov. 8 presidential election. Mr. Steele began writing his memos in June. He continued to write and submit dossier memos up until December, meaning there are other moneymen for whom Mr. Nunes would like names.
Because Fusion also has Russian clients, some Republicans have wondered whether anyone in Moscow also paid Mr. Steele’s bills. There has been no proof, to date.
Washington learned of another funder. For months, news reports said the first entity to hire Fusion to conduct Trump opposition research was a Republican.
The Washington Free Beacon on Friday acknowledged that it had hired Fusion to collect information from publicly available sources. It said the arrangement stopped well before Fusion went to Democrats and received money to pay Mr. Steele.
The Free Beacon, a snappy conservative news website filled with investigative and humorous postings, is funded by Paul Singer, a Republican and big campaign donor. He is also anti-Trump. He backed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida in the Republican presidential primary race.
Mr. Nunes‘ moves have clearly irked Democrats, who want the investigation confined to suspected Republican coordination with Russian election interference. The Senate and House intelligence committees so far have found no confirmed evidence of Trump collusion.
Fusion’s attorneys, the Washington firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, filed court arguments attacking the congressman’s “fishing expedition.”
They said he had no power to act because he recused himself from the Russia investigation. They called his subpoena signature “not part of legitimate legislative activity” and an exercise of “coercive power.”
“The Trump dossier appears to have deeply upset President Trump and some of his allies, including Mr. Nunes, who served on President Trump’s campaign,” the Fusion attorneys said.
Posted in full by BuzzFeed, the dossier accuses Mr. Trump of salacious conduct with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel, a long quid pro quo relationship with Russian intelligence and bribe-paying in Asia. None of those charges has been confirmed publicly.
Mr. Nunes‘ chief congressional critic is Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, the House intelligence committee’s top Democrat. Mr. Schiff is a big fan of Mr. Steele’s and has repeated his charges in Congress and on TV.
Interviewed last week by CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Mr. Schiff said Mr. Nunes is just trying to change the subject.
“I think, Chris, at the end of the day, what this is about is a technique you see often in criminal cases where the facts are really bad for the defendant, there’s an effort to put the government on trial,” Mr. Schiff said. “So I think Mr. Nunes and the president want to put the government on trial because they don’t want to look at the facts implicating the White House.”
Mr. Cuomo: “That’s problematic when the man that you’re defining that way is in charge of the investigation, is the head of your committee. And it raises the question of when are we going to see what you guys have.”
Mr. Schiff: “It is problematic, Chris, because he had committed to stepping aside and recusing himself from the investigation but has not done that. And so that is a real problem that we have to grapple with every day.”
Mr. Nunes picked up an unlikely supporter in Leon E. Panetta, a Democrat who has served as a congressional representative from California, director of the CIA and secretary of defense.
Mr. Panetta told CNN that Congress needs to find out who funded the dossier.
“Well, it’s obviously something that the intelligence committee is going to have to look at,” Mr. Panetta said. “You know, knowing presidential campaigns, they’re big operations and somehow the left hand may not know what the right hand is doing. And that could be the case here, but I really do think that the committee is going to have to get into this, determine just exactly what happened. Who knew what and when.”
On Saturday, the House intelligence committee said it had reached a deal to inspect Fusion’s banking records.
Wasserman Schultz to Testify On Russia Dossier
https://thepoliticalinsider.com/congressional-republicans-want-podesta-wasserman-schultz-testify-russia-dossier/
Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Trey Gowdy, went so far as to call the DNC’s near $10 million payment for what they’re labeling ‘opposition research,’ is akin to money laundering.
“I’m not an election law expert, but the good news is you don’t have to be,” Gowdy said, “to understand the absurdity of believing that you can launder all of your campaign money by just hiring a law firm.” “I’m interested in that,” he added.
A spokesperson for Wasserman Schultz said she “was not aware of anything related to this research arrangement.”
She and Podesta both told the Senate Intelligence Committee last month that they didn’t know who paid for the dossier.
Gowdy, being the southern gentleman he is, wants to give them another chance to answer those questions, even offering some advice for Democrats on how they might be better able to remember who authorized payment for the research.
“I am also interested in sharing some memory tricks with folks at the DNC because no one can remember who paid $10 million to a law firm to do oppo research,” Gowdy said. “I find that stunning. $10 million and no one can remember who authorized it, who approved it, who said, ‘This is a really good idea.'”
And Gowdy is furious at Muller for the circus that’s going on with the Russia investigation, because he warned him not to allow it to happen. “In the only conversation I’ve had with Robert Mueller, I stressed to him the importance of cutting out the leaks.”
“It’s kind of ironic that the people charged with investigating the law and the violations of the law would violate the law,” Gowdy concluded.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) also wants some answers.
“It’s difficult to imagine that a campaign chairman, that the head of the DNC would not know of an expenditure of this magnitude and significance,” she said during an interview with Face the Nation.
Collins insisted that they “absolutely need to be recalled” to testify.
For their sake, they had better keep denying knowledge. After all, it is a federal crime to ‘knowingly and willfully’ make a false statement to a federal agency.
Be a shame if this pair of Clinton hacks ended up afoul of the law while Hillary was able to skirt it for so long.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Another surprising development - On 03.10.2017, the Benghazi trial began:
Now, on 30.10.2017 while the trial is still underway:
US Captures Benghazi Attack Mastermind
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058674450-us-captures-benghazi-attack-mastermind/
In the statement, US President Donald Trump announced that the officials were acting on his orders when capturing the suspect identified as Mustafa al-Imam.
"Yesterday, on my orders, United States forces captured Mustafa al-Imam in Libya," Trump said in the statement. "Because of this successful operation, al-Imam will face justice in the United States for his alleged role in the September 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, which resulted in the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods — four brave Americans who were serving our country."
The raid was reportedly conducted in Libya on Saturday. Officials are now planning to transfer al-Imam to the US for prosecution in federal courts,
ABC News reported.
"[The] US will spare no effort to ensure that justice is served after capturing Benghazi suspect," Rex Tillerson told reporters following the White House announcement.
US arrests militant suspected of 2012 Benghazi attack Monday 30 October 2017
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/suspected-militant-us-compound-attack-libya-captured-special-forces-358418298
US forces have captured a militant who is believed to have played a role in a 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, a US official said on Monday.
Late on Monday, President Donald Trump identified the suspect as Mustafa al-Imam. He said Imam would face justice in the US.
The attack on the embassy was the topic of numerous congressional hearings, with Republican lawmakers critical of then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton's response to the attack.
Earlier this month, US prosecutors opened their case against the suspected ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khatallah.
Trump Calls for Faster Release of Clinton Emails, Uranium Deal Investigation 31.10.2017
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710311058676528-trump-clinton-emails-uranium-investigation/
About 500 pages of Clinton's emails are being released per month. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton claims that the State Department has about 70,000 pages of emails, meaning at the current rate they won't all be released until 2031.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a memo on Friday to State Department employees that more resources will be dedicated to releasing Obama-era State Department files.
CNN reports that a frustrated Trump has told his State Department to hurry things along as part of his bid to increase government transparency to the public. Trump also has expressed the belief that the mainstream media's "witch hunt" targeting him has criminally neglected alleged wrongdoing on Clinton's part.
"Never seen such Republican ANGER & UNITY as I have concerning the lack of investigation on… the Uranium to Russia deal, the 33,000 plus deleted Emails… and so much more. Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia 'collusion," which doesn't exist," Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Sunday.
Trump has also called on his Justice Department (DOJ) to investigate charges of corruption related to a 2010 US-Russia deal on uranium production.
The deal, which saw Russian state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom acquire Canadian uranium mining company Uranium One, led to Russia controlling 20 percent of the US' uranium production capacity, although the deal prohibits the exporting of the uranium.
Then-President Barack Obama's State Department, headed by Hillary Clinton at the time, was among nine US agencies that signed off on the deal, although Clinton has denied that she had any personal involvement in the decision. Since then, the FBI has accused Rosatom officials of using bribery, extortion and kickbacks to ensure that the deal happened — and Republicans have gone on to claim that Clinton was among those bribed.
"Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn't want to follow!" Trump tweeted earlier this month, reigniting the scandal.
Trump went on to say that the Democrats were pushing the media away from reporting the story because it endangered their narrative of Moscow assisting Trump in defeating Hillary during the 2016 presidential election. "This was the Democrats coming up with an excuse for losing an election," Trump told reporters. "They didn't know what to say, so they made up the whole Russia hoax."
Manafort, Gates Placed Under House Arrest
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058673785-manafort-gates-house-arrest-indictment/
Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges during their hearing with Judge Deborah Robinson at the US District Court for Washington, DC. Both men agreed to remain under house arrest and report daily to authorities in exchange for a release from custody. They also surrendered their US passports. Robinson set the next status hearing for the trial for November 2.
Now, on 30.10.2017 while the trial is still underway:
US Captures Benghazi Attack Mastermind
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058674450-us-captures-benghazi-attack-mastermind/
In the statement, US President Donald Trump announced that the officials were acting on his orders when capturing the suspect identified as Mustafa al-Imam.
"Yesterday, on my orders, United States forces captured Mustafa al-Imam in Libya," Trump said in the statement. "Because of this successful operation, al-Imam will face justice in the United States for his alleged role in the September 11, 2012, attacks in Benghazi, which resulted in the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods — four brave Americans who were serving our country."
The raid was reportedly conducted in Libya on Saturday. Officials are now planning to transfer al-Imam to the US for prosecution in federal courts,
ABC News reported.
"[The] US will spare no effort to ensure that justice is served after capturing Benghazi suspect," Rex Tillerson told reporters following the White House announcement.
US arrests militant suspected of 2012 Benghazi attack Monday 30 October 2017
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/suspected-militant-us-compound-attack-libya-captured-special-forces-358418298
US forces have captured a militant who is believed to have played a role in a 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, a US official said on Monday.
Late on Monday, President Donald Trump identified the suspect as Mustafa al-Imam. He said Imam would face justice in the US.
The attack on the embassy was the topic of numerous congressional hearings, with Republican lawmakers critical of then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton's response to the attack.
Earlier this month, US prosecutors opened their case against the suspected ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khatallah.
Trump Calls for Faster Release of Clinton Emails, Uranium Deal Investigation 31.10.2017
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710311058676528-trump-clinton-emails-uranium-investigation/
About 500 pages of Clinton's emails are being released per month. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton claims that the State Department has about 70,000 pages of emails, meaning at the current rate they won't all be released until 2031.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a memo on Friday to State Department employees that more resources will be dedicated to releasing Obama-era State Department files.
CNN reports that a frustrated Trump has told his State Department to hurry things along as part of his bid to increase government transparency to the public. Trump also has expressed the belief that the mainstream media's "witch hunt" targeting him has criminally neglected alleged wrongdoing on Clinton's part.
"Never seen such Republican ANGER & UNITY as I have concerning the lack of investigation on… the Uranium to Russia deal, the 33,000 plus deleted Emails… and so much more. Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia 'collusion," which doesn't exist," Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Sunday.
Trump has also called on his Justice Department (DOJ) to investigate charges of corruption related to a 2010 US-Russia deal on uranium production.
The deal, which saw Russian state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom acquire Canadian uranium mining company Uranium One, led to Russia controlling 20 percent of the US' uranium production capacity, although the deal prohibits the exporting of the uranium.
Then-President Barack Obama's State Department, headed by Hillary Clinton at the time, was among nine US agencies that signed off on the deal, although Clinton has denied that she had any personal involvement in the decision. Since then, the FBI has accused Rosatom officials of using bribery, extortion and kickbacks to ensure that the deal happened — and Republicans have gone on to claim that Clinton was among those bribed.
"Uranium deal to Russia, with Clinton help and Obama Administration knowledge, is the biggest story that Fake Media doesn't want to follow!" Trump tweeted earlier this month, reigniting the scandal.
Trump went on to say that the Democrats were pushing the media away from reporting the story because it endangered their narrative of Moscow assisting Trump in defeating Hillary during the 2016 presidential election. "This was the Democrats coming up with an excuse for losing an election," Trump told reporters. "They didn't know what to say, so they made up the whole Russia hoax."
Manafort, Gates Placed Under House Arrest
https://sputniknews.com/us/201710301058673785-manafort-gates-house-arrest-indictment/
Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges during their hearing with Judge Deborah Robinson at the US District Court for Washington, DC. Both men agreed to remain under house arrest and report daily to authorities in exchange for a release from custody. They also surrendered their US passports. Robinson set the next status hearing for the trial for November 2.
JGeropoulas
The Living Force
The "Trump's a racist" crowd is in full outrage about remarks Gen. John Kelly made on Monday to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham: that the Civil War was caused by a “lack of ability to compromise.” (see readers comments at the link below)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/people-officially-done-john-kelly-091449841.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
https://www.yahoo.com/news/people-officially-done-john-kelly-091449841.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
I'm right now watching the US Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing with 'tech giants' Facebook and Twitter.
Right from the start, listening to their representatives talking (reading statements from their carefully prepared papers) it seems clear, that both FB an Twitter are saying the very things the committee wants to hear. This is painful to watch, utterly absurd, and completely Orwellian.
Live feed e.g. here:
_https://sputniknews.com/us/201710311058702969-tech-executives-testify-us-congress/
I think it would be time to consider switching to other social platforms, instead of FB and Twitter.
Right from the start, listening to their representatives talking (reading statements from their carefully prepared papers) it seems clear, that both FB an Twitter are saying the very things the committee wants to hear. This is painful to watch, utterly absurd, and completely Orwellian.
Live feed e.g. here:
_https://sputniknews.com/us/201710311058702969-tech-executives-testify-us-congress/
I think it would be time to consider switching to other social platforms, instead of FB and Twitter.
angelburst29
The Living Force
President Trump said Wednesday he's starting the process immediately to terminate Senator Chuck Schumer's Diversity Visa Lottery program which brought the Manhattan terrorist into America.
Trump Calls For Immediate End to Diversity Visa Lottery Which Brought Terrorist Into America
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=57598
"I am today starting the process of terminating the diversity lottery program. I am going to ask Congress to immediately...get rid of this program,"
Trump said, calling the suspect an "animal."
"Diversity lottery — sounds nice, it's not nice. It's not good. It hasn't been good," he said.
"We want people that are going to help our country, we want people that are going to keep our country safe," Trump said. "We don't want lotteries where the wrong people are in the lotteries and guess what? Who are the suckers that get those people? We want a merit-based system."
The Diversity Visa Lottery Program, also known as the Schumer Program, "aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States."
The program epitomizes our globalist elite's insane immigration policies. Rather than bring people in based off merit and what is best for the country, 50,000 or more people are brought in ever year to go straight on welfare just to get "diversity" numbers up (a.k.a. inflate Democratic voter rolls).
Trump said the terrorist may have brought some 23 people in with him, potentially due to chain migration rules.
"This man that came in, or whatever you want to call him, brought in with him other people and he was the primary point of contact for — and this is preliminarily — 23 people that came in or potentially came in with him," Trump said. "That's not acceptable."
Trump slammed Chuck Schumer early Wednesday morning for being behind the insane program:
US should probe Manafort’s ‘Ukrainian trail’ rather than blaming Russia – Lavrov
https://www.rt.com/news/408371-lavrov-ukrainian-trace-us-investigation/
“They have now found a Ukrainian trail in connection with Mr. Manafort and one of his employees. I suppose a Ukrainian trail should be investigated through Ukraine. [Kiev authorities] also have [things] to say about their standpoint during the US presidential campaign,” Lavrov told the media Tuesday.
The US investigators “have been working for many months... looking for a Russian trail.” Instead, their efforts “resulted” in the indictment of two former Trump campaign members in connection with their alleged dealings with a former president of Ukraine, Russia’s foreign minister pointed out.
The findings surfaced amid an investigation by US Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
However, “not a single fact” or shred of evidence supporting anti-Russia allegations regarding Moscow’s involvement in any election campaign have ever been presented, Lavrov stressed.
“Without any evidence, we have been blamed for interfering not only in elections in the US, but in European states too. Recently, Moscow has been accused of making decisions on which minister to appoint in the Republic of South Africa,” Russia’s senior diplomat said at the press-conference, adding: “Fantasy has no limits.”
Over the past years, Washington has seemingly managed to find ways to blame any negative world events on Russia, “be it political protests, companies going bankrupt, or man-made disasters,” Lavrov said.
“I’ve already heard we’ll soon be not only interfering in elections, but also manipulating the environment in order to create floods,” he added.
Farage: 'Jewish Lobby' Has Disproportionate Power in US
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960810001396
Speaking on his LBC show about investigations into Russian election meddling, Farage said there are "foreign lobbies" that are "very powerful" in the US and have influenced American politics, Hill reported.
"There are about six million Jewish people living in America, so as a percentage it’s quite small, but in terms of influence its quite big," Farage said.
"They have a voice within American politics, as indeed do the Hindu groups and many other groups in America. But I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the Israeli government tried to affect the result of the American elections."
Farage, the former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, was asked by a caller whether US politicians are "in the pockets" of Israel, to which Farage replied: "In terms of money and influence yes they are a very powerful lobby."
"There are other very powerful foreign lobbies in the United States of America and the Jewish lobby with its link to the Israeli government is one of those strong voices," he continued.
Farage, a close ally of President Trump, also said that it was unlikely Russian interference in the election had a "material effect" on the election results.
Farage made the comments Monday, following the bombshell report that a federal grand jury had hit former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Richard Gates with a 12-count indictment on Monday morning. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy against the United States and money laundering.
Farage has forged a close alliance with Trump, appearing alongside him on the campaign trail and attending presidential debates to show support for the real estate mogul. Trump has also spoke fondly of Farage, praising his "Brexit" efforts.
CIA Releases Hundreds of Thousands of Files on Killing of Osama bin Laden
https://sputniknews.com/military/201711011058737270-cia-files-bin-laden-release/
"In an effort to further enhance public understanding of [al-Qaeda], the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on 1 November 2017 released additional materials recovered in the 2 May 2011 raid on [Osama bin Laden's] compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," the CIA wrote in a statement accompanying the release of the information.
The statement also mentions that some material has been withheld: copyrighted material, sensitive material that could endanger national security, pornography, malware, and "blank, corrupted, and duplicate files." Those files will likely remain classified for many years to come, and possibly forever.
Now, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a right-wing foreign policy think tank based in Washington, DC, has analyzed over 460,000 new documents released by the CIA.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the released documents was bin Laden's private journal, which according to FDD contained "thoughts on the 2011 Arab uprisings, which he wanted his men to capitalize on."
One document included videos from the wedding of Osama's eldest son, Hamza bin Laden, believed to be the first known image of the reclusive Hamza as an adult. Hamza is believed to be alive and active in Pakistan. As recently as May 2017, Hamza released a video calling for his followers outside the Middle East to attack Jews, Americans, Westerners and Russians.
One file, believed to have been written by one of bin Laden's lieutenants, describes a deal between al-Qaeda and Iran. Al-Qaeda planned to strike US interests in "Saudi Arabia and the Gulf" in exchange for Iran offering them "money, arms, [and] training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon." Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based and Iran-backed militant and political group considered a terrorist organization by the US bloc, but not Russia or China.
The document goes on to claim that the deal fell apart after al-Qaeda didn't hold up its end of the bargain. However, due to their mutual opposition to the US, al-Qaeda and Iran did not become enemies after the agreement fell through.
Another interesting find was the repository of videos on Osama's personal computer. Footage of the beheading of American hostage Jack Hensely was accompanied by animated films such as "Antz," "Cars," "Chicken Little" and "Ice Age" as well as viral videos such as "Charlie Bit My Finger." There was also a documentary entitled "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?"
Today's release of recovered al-Qaeda letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization," said CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a statement. "CIA will continue to seek opportunities to share information with the American people consistent with our obligation to protect national security." (Article continues.)
Trump Calls For Immediate End to Diversity Visa Lottery Which Brought Terrorist Into America
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=57598
"I am today starting the process of terminating the diversity lottery program. I am going to ask Congress to immediately...get rid of this program,"
Trump said, calling the suspect an "animal."
"Diversity lottery — sounds nice, it's not nice. It's not good. It hasn't been good," he said.
"We want people that are going to help our country, we want people that are going to keep our country safe," Trump said. "We don't want lotteries where the wrong people are in the lotteries and guess what? Who are the suckers that get those people? We want a merit-based system."
The Diversity Visa Lottery Program, also known as the Schumer Program, "aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States."
The program epitomizes our globalist elite's insane immigration policies. Rather than bring people in based off merit and what is best for the country, 50,000 or more people are brought in ever year to go straight on welfare just to get "diversity" numbers up (a.k.a. inflate Democratic voter rolls).
Trump said the terrorist may have brought some 23 people in with him, potentially due to chain migration rules.
"This man that came in, or whatever you want to call him, brought in with him other people and he was the primary point of contact for — and this is preliminarily — 23 people that came in or potentially came in with him," Trump said. "That's not acceptable."
Trump slammed Chuck Schumer early Wednesday morning for being behind the insane program:
US should probe Manafort’s ‘Ukrainian trail’ rather than blaming Russia – Lavrov
https://www.rt.com/news/408371-lavrov-ukrainian-trace-us-investigation/
“They have now found a Ukrainian trail in connection with Mr. Manafort and one of his employees. I suppose a Ukrainian trail should be investigated through Ukraine. [Kiev authorities] also have [things] to say about their standpoint during the US presidential campaign,” Lavrov told the media Tuesday.
The US investigators “have been working for many months... looking for a Russian trail.” Instead, their efforts “resulted” in the indictment of two former Trump campaign members in connection with their alleged dealings with a former president of Ukraine, Russia’s foreign minister pointed out.
The findings surfaced amid an investigation by US Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
However, “not a single fact” or shred of evidence supporting anti-Russia allegations regarding Moscow’s involvement in any election campaign have ever been presented, Lavrov stressed.
“Without any evidence, we have been blamed for interfering not only in elections in the US, but in European states too. Recently, Moscow has been accused of making decisions on which minister to appoint in the Republic of South Africa,” Russia’s senior diplomat said at the press-conference, adding: “Fantasy has no limits.”
Over the past years, Washington has seemingly managed to find ways to blame any negative world events on Russia, “be it political protests, companies going bankrupt, or man-made disasters,” Lavrov said.
“I’ve already heard we’ll soon be not only interfering in elections, but also manipulating the environment in order to create floods,” he added.
Farage: 'Jewish Lobby' Has Disproportionate Power in US
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960810001396
Speaking on his LBC show about investigations into Russian election meddling, Farage said there are "foreign lobbies" that are "very powerful" in the US and have influenced American politics, Hill reported.
"There are about six million Jewish people living in America, so as a percentage it’s quite small, but in terms of influence its quite big," Farage said.
"They have a voice within American politics, as indeed do the Hindu groups and many other groups in America. But I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the Israeli government tried to affect the result of the American elections."
Farage, the former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party, was asked by a caller whether US politicians are "in the pockets" of Israel, to which Farage replied: "In terms of money and influence yes they are a very powerful lobby."
"There are other very powerful foreign lobbies in the United States of America and the Jewish lobby with its link to the Israeli government is one of those strong voices," he continued.
Farage, a close ally of President Trump, also said that it was unlikely Russian interference in the election had a "material effect" on the election results.
Farage made the comments Monday, following the bombshell report that a federal grand jury had hit former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Richard Gates with a 12-count indictment on Monday morning. The indictment includes charges of conspiracy against the United States and money laundering.
Farage has forged a close alliance with Trump, appearing alongside him on the campaign trail and attending presidential debates to show support for the real estate mogul. Trump has also spoke fondly of Farage, praising his "Brexit" efforts.
CIA Releases Hundreds of Thousands of Files on Killing of Osama bin Laden
https://sputniknews.com/military/201711011058737270-cia-files-bin-laden-release/
"In an effort to further enhance public understanding of [al-Qaeda], the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on 1 November 2017 released additional materials recovered in the 2 May 2011 raid on [Osama bin Laden's] compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," the CIA wrote in a statement accompanying the release of the information.
The statement also mentions that some material has been withheld: copyrighted material, sensitive material that could endanger national security, pornography, malware, and "blank, corrupted, and duplicate files." Those files will likely remain classified for many years to come, and possibly forever.
Now, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a right-wing foreign policy think tank based in Washington, DC, has analyzed over 460,000 new documents released by the CIA.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the released documents was bin Laden's private journal, which according to FDD contained "thoughts on the 2011 Arab uprisings, which he wanted his men to capitalize on."
One document included videos from the wedding of Osama's eldest son, Hamza bin Laden, believed to be the first known image of the reclusive Hamza as an adult. Hamza is believed to be alive and active in Pakistan. As recently as May 2017, Hamza released a video calling for his followers outside the Middle East to attack Jews, Americans, Westerners and Russians.
One file, believed to have been written by one of bin Laden's lieutenants, describes a deal between al-Qaeda and Iran. Al-Qaeda planned to strike US interests in "Saudi Arabia and the Gulf" in exchange for Iran offering them "money, arms, [and] training in Hezbollah camps in Lebanon." Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based and Iran-backed militant and political group considered a terrorist organization by the US bloc, but not Russia or China.
The document goes on to claim that the deal fell apart after al-Qaeda didn't hold up its end of the bargain. However, due to their mutual opposition to the US, al-Qaeda and Iran did not become enemies after the agreement fell through.
Another interesting find was the repository of videos on Osama's personal computer. Footage of the beheading of American hostage Jack Hensely was accompanied by animated films such as "Antz," "Cars," "Chicken Little" and "Ice Age" as well as viral videos such as "Charlie Bit My Finger." There was also a documentary entitled "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?"
Today's release of recovered al-Qaeda letters, videos, audio files and other materials provides the opportunity for the American people to gain further insights into the plans and workings of this terrorist organization," said CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a statement. "CIA will continue to seek opportunities to share information with the American people consistent with our obligation to protect national security." (Article continues.)
angelburst29
The Living Force
Bergdahl Judge Begins Deliberating on Sentence
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Sgt-Bowe-Bergdahls-Attorneys-Prepare-for-Closing-Arguments-454663763.html
A military judge on Thursday began deliberating the punishment for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after defense attorneys asked for no prison time while prosecutors sought more than a decade behind bars.
Army Col. Jeffery Nance said he planned to spend the afternoon considering evidence and would open court again Friday morning to continue deliberating then. It wasn't clear when he would deliver the sentence.
Bergdahl faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009. In closing arguments, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years in prison, citing serious wounds to service members who looked for Bergdahl.
"Sgt. Bergdahl does not have a monopoly on suffering as a result of his choices," said Maj. Justin Oshana, a prosecutor. Contrasting Bergdahl with those wounded searching for him, he added, "The difference is all the suffering stems from his choice."
But defense attorneys argued Bergdahl already suffered enough confinement during his five years of brutal captivity by Taliban allies. They asked the judge to give their client a dishonorable discharge and no prison time. Their argument for leniency also cited harsh campaign-trail criticism by Donald Trump and Bergdahl's mental disorders.
"Justice is not rescuing Sgt. Bergdahl from his Taliban captors ... only to place him in a cell," said Capt. Nina Banks, one of his defense attorneys.
Bergdahl pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The judge has wide discretion on sentencing Bergdahl because he didn't strike a plea agreement with prosecutors to limit his punishment. A bad conduct or dishonorable discharge would deprive Bergdahl of most or all of his veterans' benefits.
Hannity Reveals Mueller’s Right Hand Man Signed Plea Deal In Clinton-Uranium One Case (VIDEO)
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/11/wow-hannity-reveals-muellers-right-hand-man-signed-off-clinton-uranium-one-case-video/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888wQuKaKWE (2:16 min.)
Hannity teased he would expose Mueller in tonight’s monologue.
“I have a powerful monologue that you don’t want to miss… We will expose Robert Mueller’s corrupt special counsel next.”
According to Hannity, Fox News Legal Contributor Gregg Jarrett discovered both Deputy Attorney General Ron Rosenstein and Mueller’s right hand man, Andrew Weissmann, former head of the fraud unit at Obama/Holder’s Justice Department, signed the plea agreement of the Russian businessman embroiled in the Clinton-Uranium One case.
Before the show, Hannity teased a new scandal would ensnare Barack Obama. Is the former President about to be implicated in the Clinton-Uranium One scandal?
Last week, Hannity quote tweeting President Trump, exploding on Mueller, asserting the Special Counsel is covering up Clinton’s role in the ‘Clinton/DNC/Trump dossier’ scandal.
“Watch, if indictment, the Mueller “Walk”. He will Tip off Media. Mueller wants to change the narrative from REAL COLLUSION HE KNEW ABOUT!,” tweeted Hannity.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Sgt-Bowe-Bergdahls-Attorneys-Prepare-for-Closing-Arguments-454663763.html
A military judge on Thursday began deliberating the punishment for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after defense attorneys asked for no prison time while prosecutors sought more than a decade behind bars.
Army Col. Jeffery Nance said he planned to spend the afternoon considering evidence and would open court again Friday morning to continue deliberating then. It wasn't clear when he would deliver the sentence.
Bergdahl faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009. In closing arguments, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years in prison, citing serious wounds to service members who looked for Bergdahl.
"Sgt. Bergdahl does not have a monopoly on suffering as a result of his choices," said Maj. Justin Oshana, a prosecutor. Contrasting Bergdahl with those wounded searching for him, he added, "The difference is all the suffering stems from his choice."
But defense attorneys argued Bergdahl already suffered enough confinement during his five years of brutal captivity by Taliban allies. They asked the judge to give their client a dishonorable discharge and no prison time. Their argument for leniency also cited harsh campaign-trail criticism by Donald Trump and Bergdahl's mental disorders.
"Justice is not rescuing Sgt. Bergdahl from his Taliban captors ... only to place him in a cell," said Capt. Nina Banks, one of his defense attorneys.
Bergdahl pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The judge has wide discretion on sentencing Bergdahl because he didn't strike a plea agreement with prosecutors to limit his punishment. A bad conduct or dishonorable discharge would deprive Bergdahl of most or all of his veterans' benefits.
Hannity Reveals Mueller’s Right Hand Man Signed Plea Deal In Clinton-Uranium One Case (VIDEO)
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/11/wow-hannity-reveals-muellers-right-hand-man-signed-off-clinton-uranium-one-case-video/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=888wQuKaKWE (2:16 min.)
Hannity teased he would expose Mueller in tonight’s monologue.
“I have a powerful monologue that you don’t want to miss… We will expose Robert Mueller’s corrupt special counsel next.”
According to Hannity, Fox News Legal Contributor Gregg Jarrett discovered both Deputy Attorney General Ron Rosenstein and Mueller’s right hand man, Andrew Weissmann, former head of the fraud unit at Obama/Holder’s Justice Department, signed the plea agreement of the Russian businessman embroiled in the Clinton-Uranium One case.
Before the show, Hannity teased a new scandal would ensnare Barack Obama. Is the former President about to be implicated in the Clinton-Uranium One scandal?
Last week, Hannity quote tweeting President Trump, exploding on Mueller, asserting the Special Counsel is covering up Clinton’s role in the ‘Clinton/DNC/Trump dossier’ scandal.
“Watch, if indictment, the Mueller “Walk”. He will Tip off Media. Mueller wants to change the narrative from REAL COLLUSION HE KNEW ABOUT!,” tweeted Hannity.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Reuters reported on Thursday that they have discovered the payment for the Trump-Russia dossier filled with explosive and unverified allegations. Opposition research company Fusion GPS was paid $1.02 million to compile the dossier, and used $168,000 of that money to purchase the services of former British spy Christopher Steele.
DNC Paid Over $1 Million to Fusion GPS for Dodgy Trump/Russia Dossier
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058769309-democrats-payment-fusion-trump-dossier/
Fusion GPS was paid by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee to continue work it had begun to compromising information about Donald Trump and ultimately compile the now-infamous dossier of alleged ties between Trump and Russian actors. Reuters reported on Thursday that Fusion was paid over $1 million by Hillary and the DNC through their intermediary, DC law firm Perkins Coie.
Fusion then retained the services of former British intelligence officer and Russia specialist Christopher Steele, with whom they had worked in the past. They paid Steele's company Orbis Business Intelligence $168,000 in exchange for his work in compiling the 33-page dossier.
When the DNC received the dossier they paid for, they decided not to use it — possibly because the claims in it were unbelievable and histrionic. Among other charges, the dossier claimed that Trump accepted a "regular flow of intelligence" from the Kremlin and that Moscow was blackmailing Trump. Its most infamous claim was that Trump paid several Russian sex workers to pee on a bed in front of him for his own sexual gratification.
But the dossier didn't began with the DNC. In early 2016, conservative newspaper the Washington Free Beacon contracted Fusion to dig up dirt on Trump, as part of an attempt to keep him from winning the Republican candidacy for the president.
When it became clear that Trump's primary victory was imminent, the payments stopped and the DNC stepped in. At this point, Fusion contracted Steele and the dossier went from general opposition research to specifically focusing on alleged connections between Trump and Russia.
After the election, the defeated DNC stopped paying Fusion — but the opposition research firm kept investigating, eventually completing the dossier, whereupon it ended up in the hands of GOP Senator John McCain and then-FBI Director James Comey. The dossier was also leaked to the press.
The dubious document was first unveiled in January by BuzzFeed News. Although many other outlets such as Reuters had acquired the dossier, they refused to publish it, stuffed as it was with salacious and unverified claims.
Almost 10 months have passed since the dossier was unveiled, and yet very little evidence has surfaced to support its claims. The dossier did not cite any sources, but Steele reportedly never interacted directly with his contacts, instead working through paid intermediaries.
Former acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell, no friend of Russia or Trump, said that Steele's methods worried him "because if you're paying somebody, particularly former FSB officers [the CIA's Russian counterpart], they are going to tell you truth and innuendo and rumor, and they're going to call you up and say, 'hey, let's have another meeting, I have more information for you,' because they want to get paid some more."
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the dossier cost $12 million to compile. He did not say where he got that figure.
Ex-FBI Director Comey Upcoming Book Details Role in Russia, Clinton Probes
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058768583-comey-fbi-role-russia-clinton-probe/
Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey will explain his role in the agency’s probe of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private server use and alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a press release from Macmillan Publishers.
The book, "A higher Loyalty; Truth, Lies and Leadership," is slated to go on sale in May.
"In his forthcoming book, former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions."
Comey's decision not to charge Clinton, who has blamed the former FBI director in her book "What Happened" alongside Russia for her election loss, for sharing classified information over private, unsecured servers as secretary of state is the subject of multiple congressional investigations.
Lawmakers are also examining the use of wiretaps by Comey’s team to investigate alleged ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia — the subject of a separate probe by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was appointed to take over after Comey’s firing.
The investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the US election, called a "witch hunt" by the US president is being conducted by the FBI and Congress. Moscow has repeatedly refuted the allegations, calling them "absolutely groundless."
Bannon Says Trump Unable to Survive Impeachment Vote - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058752104-bannon-trump-impeachment/
Former White House strategist Stephen Bannon believes that US President Donald Trump most likely would not be able to keep his post in the event of an impeachment vote, if it took place, the magazine Vanity Fair reported.
According to the magazine, citing sources, Bannon had conducted a study, on which members of the government would remain loyal to Trump, if the 25th amendment to the US Constitution (on early termination of the president's duties) were applied. Bannon and ex-adviser to Trump's campaign headquarters, Roger Stone, believe that the representatives of the Republican Party "are waiting for a chance to impose a Trump impeachment," the report said.
"One thing Steve wants Trump to do is take this more seriously. Stop joking around. Stop tweeting," a source close to Bannon said, as quoted by the publication.
According to the publication's sources, Bannon told Trump during telephone calls on Monday and Tuesday that the president needed to install an assertive lawyer to stand above his lawyer Ty Cobb, who is in charge of managing issues related to the ongoing investigations into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Moscow with the Trump campaign. Also, Bannon discussed two methods of putting pressure on Congress, in order to deprive US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of financing or limit its scope.
The US Congress is currently investigating Russia's alleged meddling in last year's US presidential election. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been carrying out a similar investigation. A number of hearings regarding the issue have been held in Congress, but intelligence service officials have not provided any evidence, claiming that the information is confidential. Russia denies meddling in the 2016 US election, calling the accusations absurd.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his campaign deputy and former business associate Richard Gates were indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts, including the violation of the law on foreign agents and money laundering. The prosecution believes that during the term of Victor Yanukovych, as President of Ukraine, Manafort and Gates engaged in a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign in the United States on behalf of Yanukovych and his government.
In summer, two Democratic Congressmen, Brad Sherman and Al Green, called for impeaching Trump because he had allegedly obstructed justice during the investigation of the "ties" of his presidential campaign to Russia. On Tuesday, a fresh poll revealed US voters' support for impeaching Donald Trump had reached a record high of 49 percent.
DNC Paid Over $1 Million to Fusion GPS for Dodgy Trump/Russia Dossier
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058769309-democrats-payment-fusion-trump-dossier/
Fusion GPS was paid by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee to continue work it had begun to compromising information about Donald Trump and ultimately compile the now-infamous dossier of alleged ties between Trump and Russian actors. Reuters reported on Thursday that Fusion was paid over $1 million by Hillary and the DNC through their intermediary, DC law firm Perkins Coie.
Fusion then retained the services of former British intelligence officer and Russia specialist Christopher Steele, with whom they had worked in the past. They paid Steele's company Orbis Business Intelligence $168,000 in exchange for his work in compiling the 33-page dossier.
When the DNC received the dossier they paid for, they decided not to use it — possibly because the claims in it were unbelievable and histrionic. Among other charges, the dossier claimed that Trump accepted a "regular flow of intelligence" from the Kremlin and that Moscow was blackmailing Trump. Its most infamous claim was that Trump paid several Russian sex workers to pee on a bed in front of him for his own sexual gratification.
But the dossier didn't began with the DNC. In early 2016, conservative newspaper the Washington Free Beacon contracted Fusion to dig up dirt on Trump, as part of an attempt to keep him from winning the Republican candidacy for the president.
When it became clear that Trump's primary victory was imminent, the payments stopped and the DNC stepped in. At this point, Fusion contracted Steele and the dossier went from general opposition research to specifically focusing on alleged connections between Trump and Russia.
After the election, the defeated DNC stopped paying Fusion — but the opposition research firm kept investigating, eventually completing the dossier, whereupon it ended up in the hands of GOP Senator John McCain and then-FBI Director James Comey. The dossier was also leaked to the press.
The dubious document was first unveiled in January by BuzzFeed News. Although many other outlets such as Reuters had acquired the dossier, they refused to publish it, stuffed as it was with salacious and unverified claims.
Almost 10 months have passed since the dossier was unveiled, and yet very little evidence has surfaced to support its claims. The dossier did not cite any sources, but Steele reportedly never interacted directly with his contacts, instead working through paid intermediaries.
Former acting Director of the CIA Michael Morell, no friend of Russia or Trump, said that Steele's methods worried him "because if you're paying somebody, particularly former FSB officers [the CIA's Russian counterpart], they are going to tell you truth and innuendo and rumor, and they're going to call you up and say, 'hey, let's have another meeting, I have more information for you,' because they want to get paid some more."
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the dossier cost $12 million to compile. He did not say where he got that figure.
Ex-FBI Director Comey Upcoming Book Details Role in Russia, Clinton Probes
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058768583-comey-fbi-role-russia-clinton-probe/
Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey will explain his role in the agency’s probe of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private server use and alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to a press release from Macmillan Publishers.
The book, "A higher Loyalty; Truth, Lies and Leadership," is slated to go on sale in May.
"In his forthcoming book, former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions."
Comey's decision not to charge Clinton, who has blamed the former FBI director in her book "What Happened" alongside Russia for her election loss, for sharing classified information over private, unsecured servers as secretary of state is the subject of multiple congressional investigations.
Lawmakers are also examining the use of wiretaps by Comey’s team to investigate alleged ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia — the subject of a separate probe by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was appointed to take over after Comey’s firing.
The investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the US election, called a "witch hunt" by the US president is being conducted by the FBI and Congress. Moscow has repeatedly refuted the allegations, calling them "absolutely groundless."
Bannon Says Trump Unable to Survive Impeachment Vote - Reports
https://sputniknews.com/us/201711021058752104-bannon-trump-impeachment/
Former White House strategist Stephen Bannon believes that US President Donald Trump most likely would not be able to keep his post in the event of an impeachment vote, if it took place, the magazine Vanity Fair reported.
According to the magazine, citing sources, Bannon had conducted a study, on which members of the government would remain loyal to Trump, if the 25th amendment to the US Constitution (on early termination of the president's duties) were applied. Bannon and ex-adviser to Trump's campaign headquarters, Roger Stone, believe that the representatives of the Republican Party "are waiting for a chance to impose a Trump impeachment," the report said.
"One thing Steve wants Trump to do is take this more seriously. Stop joking around. Stop tweeting," a source close to Bannon said, as quoted by the publication.
According to the publication's sources, Bannon told Trump during telephone calls on Monday and Tuesday that the president needed to install an assertive lawyer to stand above his lawyer Ty Cobb, who is in charge of managing issues related to the ongoing investigations into alleged Russian interference in the election and possible collusion by Moscow with the Trump campaign. Also, Bannon discussed two methods of putting pressure on Congress, in order to deprive US Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of financing or limit its scope.
The US Congress is currently investigating Russia's alleged meddling in last year's US presidential election. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been carrying out a similar investigation. A number of hearings regarding the issue have been held in Congress, but intelligence service officials have not provided any evidence, claiming that the information is confidential. Russia denies meddling in the 2016 US election, calling the accusations absurd.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his campaign deputy and former business associate Richard Gates were indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts, including the violation of the law on foreign agents and money laundering. The prosecution believes that during the term of Victor Yanukovych, as President of Ukraine, Manafort and Gates engaged in a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign in the United States on behalf of Yanukovych and his government.
In summer, two Democratic Congressmen, Brad Sherman and Al Green, called for impeaching Trump because he had allegedly obstructed justice during the investigation of the "ties" of his presidential campaign to Russia. On Tuesday, a fresh poll revealed US voters' support for impeaching Donald Trump had reached a record high of 49 percent.
