Trump era: Fascist dawn, or road to liberation?

'Operation Blackout: Israeli military intelligence will protect Pentagon computers on election day.'

By Whitney Webb - January 04th, 2020

Very astute observation @sToRmR1dR .

Within the article is a reference to one of my favorite back-door companies (a bit of sarcasm).

Microsoft’s ElectionGuard a Trojan Horse for a Military-Industrial Takeover of US Elections

Not to worry the next election will above board...yah...:headbash:
 
Just a friendly reminder in what state the US would have be in if Killary won the elections back in 2016. (Beware: it's a gruesome video)

 
Trump legal team denies impeachment charges in first official response
Trump legal team denies impeachment charges in first official response
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump go to board Marine One at the White House, Jan 17, 2019.

Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump go to board Marine One at the White House, Jan 17, 2019.PHOTO: AFP

Jan 19, 2020 - United States President Donald Trump’s legal defence team forcefully denied on Saturday (Jan 18) that he abused his power by pressuring a foreign government to investigate his political rivals, calling the two impeachment charges against him a “brazen and unlawful” attempt to hurt his chances of re-election.

The defiant rejection of the accusations came in response to an official summons issued in the past week by the Senate, notifying Mr Trump that he faces removal from office if he is convicted.

In a six-page letter, Mr Trump’s first formal response to the charges against him, his lawyers denounced the impeachment case brought by House Democrats as constitutionally and legally invalid, and driven by malice toward him.

“The articles of impeachment submitted by House Democrats are a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president,” the document says.

“This is a brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election, now just months away.”

The President’s lawyers did not deny any of the core facts underlying Democrats’ charges, conceding what ample evidence has shown, that he withheld US$391 million (S$526 million) in aid from Ukraine and asked the country’s president to investigate former vice-president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

But they said Mr Trump broke no laws and was acting entirely appropriately and within his powers when he did so, echoing the President’s repeated protestations of his own innocence.

They argued that Mr Trump was not seeking political advantage but working to root out corruption in Ukraine.

“President Trump categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation in both articles of impeachment,” Mr Pat Cipollone, White House counsel, and Mr Jay Sekulow, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, wrote.

Mr Trump’s response came shortly after the House impeachment managers formally outlined their case for Mr Trump’s removal from office, arguing in a lengthy legal filing that the Senate should convict him for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

In the 46-page trial memorandum, the House impeachment managers asserted that beginning in the spring, Mr Trump undertook a corrupt campaign to push Ukraine to publicly announce investigations of his political rivals, withholding as leverage nearly US$400 million in military aid and a White House meeting.

He then sought to conceal those actions from Congress, they said, refusing to cooperate with a House impeachment inquiry and ordering administration officials not to testify or turn over documents requested by investigators.

The legal back-and-forth on Saturday offered a preview of the strategies both sides will employ starting in the coming week, when the Senate opens oral arguments in only the third impeachment trial of a president in the nation’s history.

Donald Trump's latest Russia expert has reportedly been escorted from the White House amid claims of a security-related investigation.

Trump's newest Russia adviser 'escorted from White House' amid security investigation
Trump's newest Russia adviser 'escorted from White House' amid security investigation

Jan. 19, 2020 - Andrew Peek has been placed on administrative leave pending the inquiry, Axios reported.

He is the third head of European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council to leave the post in the past year.

His two predecessors, Tim Morrison and Fiona Hill, both gave evidence at the impeachment hearings held by the House of Representatives last year.

It was not immediately clear what the reported security investigation involved.

Bloomberg reported that he had been escorted from the White House, quoting three sources speaking anonymously.

Mr Peek, who previously worked as an expert on Iran and Iraq and acted as a national security adviser to Republican senators Gordon Smith and Mike Johanns, took up the post in November.

Mr Trump has taken a dramatically different attitude towards Russia and Vladimir Putin than previous administrations.

He has publicly praised the Russian president, even declaring at a press conference in Helsinki that he took his word over that of US intelligence agencies that Russia did not try to interfere in the 2016 election.

During the campaign he called on Moscow to try to unearth emails deleted by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press."

Mr Trump has also held several private meetings with Mr Putin, at one point allegedly forcing an interpreter to tear up their notes of the conversation.

The links between his campaign and Russia led to the Mueller investigation, which concluded that there was no evidence of a concerted co-ordination but did point to efforts at obstruction of the inquiry.

'I wouldn’t go to war with you people', Mr Trump reportedly said during 2017 meeting in the secure vault in Pentagon known as 'the Tank'

'You're a bunch of dopes and babies': Trump called America's top military leaders 'losers' in off the rails Pentagon meeting, report says
Trump called America's top military leaders 'dopes, babies and losers' in off the rails Pentagon meeting, report says

Jan. 18, 2020 - Donald Trump once called a room full of America’s top generals “a bunch of dopes and babies”, according to a new report.

The 2017 meeting took place in the Pentagon’s secure vault known as “the Tank” — a secure, windowless room apparently viewed within the American military apparatus as sacred — amid concerns among the military’s top brass of “gaping holes in Trump’s knowledge of history, especially the key alliances forged following World War II,” according to an excerpt from a new book due out by two Washington Post reporters.

But, after a lengthy crash course on the rationale behind America’s military presence abroad, and the importance of alliances like Nato, Mr Trump reportedly became frustrated, and snapped at the group that included the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, general Joseph Dunford.

"You're all losers. You don't know how to win anymore," Mr Trump said after complaining that the US hadn't won the war in Afghanistan after 16 years.

Mr. Trump then continued to muse about the people in charge of America's military, and suggested that they no longer knew how to win wars.

“I wouldn’t go to war with you people,” Mr Trump reportedly said. He continued: “You’re a bunch of dopes and babies.”

While the meeting had been previously reported, the outburst had not. And, those newest details show a surprising level of vitriol even for a man known for his penchant for tossing aside the norms of respect and admiration normally associated with the presidency.

In attendance were Gen Dunford and several officials who have now left the federal government, including former Defense secretary Jim Mattis, former National Economic Council director Gary Cohn and former secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Stephen Bannon, the former chief strategist in the White House, was also there, and described his thinking at the time to the Washington Post.

“Oh baby, this is going ot be f*****g wild,” Mr Biden said he thought after Mr Mattis gave a 20-minute briefing on the power of Nato and America’s “postwar rules-based international order”, as one slide was labelled. Mr Trump has frequently bashed Nato as president, complaining that he does not believe America’s foreign allies are paying enough into the system.

“If you stood up and threatened to shoot [Trump], he couldn’t say ‘postwar rules-based international order.’ It’s just not the way he thinks,” Mr Bannon said.

In the years since, Mr Trump has continued to slam NATO during international trips, and in December made headlines after abruptly leaving a gathering of leaders in London when a video showing Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson mocking the American president.

The month before that, the Trump administration moved to substantially cut its contribution to the collective budget of Nato, US and NATO officials said.

Ex-US vice-president, Joseph Biden is also suspected of corruption, according to a member of the Ukrainian parliament

Court in Ukraine orders investigation of Poroshenko, Obama administration members
Court in Ukraine orders investigation of Poroshenko, Obama administration members
European Solidarity party leader Pyotr Poroshenko, left, and Barack Obama Nikolai Lazarenko/TASS

European Solidarity party leader Pyotr Poroshenko, left, and Barack Obama © Nikolai Lazarenko/TASS

KIEV, January 14, 2020 - Ukraine’s Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has obliged the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) to launch a probe into seizure of government power and corruption suspicions. The cases mention the names of the United States’ 44th president, Barack Obama, former Ukrainian president, Pyotr Poroshenko and ex-US vice-president, Joseph Biden, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from the Opposition Platform - For Life party, Renat Kuzmin, said on Tuesday.

"Ukraine’s Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has obliged the NABU to investigate the suspicions over the seizure of government power in Ukraine and of the embezzlement of state budget money and international financial assistance by members of the Obama administration in collusion with Poroshenko," Kuzmin said on his Facebook page. Also, Kuzmin in his post mentioned Biden’s name and attached a copy of the corresponding court resolution.
 
Zerohedge has a piece on that book that is mentioned in the previous post. Trump’s comments, if true, makes me chuckle a bit. I agree, that these quotes actually has the opposite effect of what the authors intended, which is to make Trump appear crazy.

 
Don't know how I missed this report? On December 6, 2019, in Pensacola, Florida, three U.S. sailors were killed in cold blood and eight other people were wounded before the gunman, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was himself shot dead.

With an FBI investigation underway, Navy security officer David Link still is not allowed to talk about what he saw when a Saudi gunman killed three U.S. sailors at this sprawling Florida naval base last month.

1-23-2020 - At Florida base, a mix of relief, anxiety in Saudi shooting aftermath
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meets Navy sailor David Link, one of the first responders at the scene of a December 6, 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola by a Saudi military officer that killed three U.S. sailors, at the base in Pensacola, Florida, U.S., January 22, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Stewart

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper meets Navy sailor David Link, one of the first responders at the scene of a December 6, 2019 shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola by a Saudi military officer that killed three U.S. sailors, at the base in Pensacola, Florida, U.S., January 22, 2020.

But Link, one of the first responders at the scene, makes clear he appreciates just how badly things could have gone for him on Dec. 6 at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

“When I got home, it was kind of immediate relief. I got to see my wife and daughter, to know that I got out of that situation — and with my life,” said Link, a master-at-arms 3rd class.

Link and other base personnel met U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday during a visit that highlighted the Pentagon’s efforts to restore a sense of security at U.S. military bases across the country. The facilities host about 5,000 military students from 150 countries, including more than 800 from Saudi Arabia.

It is an uphill battle in Pensacola. Three U.S. sailors were killed in cold blood and eight other people were wounded before the gunman, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, was himself shot dead.

Families at the base were already on edge after the shooting. Then, earlier this month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr declared it an act of terrorism and announced 21 Saudi cadets training in the United States were being sent home after an investigation turned up child pornography or social media accounts containing Islamic extremist or anti-American content.

Twelve of them had been training at the Pensacola base.

Navy Captain Tim Kinsella, commanding officer of the naval air station, acknowledged apprehension among families who live on the base and said his team has held around 25 town halls in the past six weeks to address their concerns. “There’s a natural apprehension. There’s always the questions: what are we doing to make the base safer,” Kinsella said.

Still, Kinsella played down calls for the Saudis to be sent home, including an online petition to move all training of students from countries outside NATO overseas, calling them “outliers.”

Esper told reporters traveling with him there was no “active” consideration of sending Saudis back home to carry out their training. He noted recent Pentagon changes aimed at improving the vetting of foreign military students.

Asked about how he was addressing tensions between military families and the 140 Saudi students remaining at the Pensacola base, Esper said it was something local base leaders were “working aggressively on.” “We talked about maybe increasing roving patrols, stationary patrols,” he said.

The Dec. 6 attack further complicated U.S.-Saudi relations at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional rival. It also cast the international military exchange programs the U.S. military believes help forge long-term partnerships in a negative light.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, praised those relationships and Esper’s efforts to strengthen security. “At the same, though, we cannot be bringing people over here who want to do things like this with our country,” DeSantis said, standing next to Esper.

Kinsella said he believed that the broader Pensacola community still supported the presence of international military trainees.

He recounted how one Pensacola resident gave an apple pie to a group of Saudi military officers, apprehensive of what the community thought of them after the shooting by a fellow Saudi. “People here recognize that they (the foreign students) are victims of this as well,” Kinsella said.

7 December 2019 - Saudi airman kills four at US Naval Base in Florida
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/12/07/saud-d07.html

An attack carried out by a Saudi air force pilot early Friday morning at the US Navy’s sprawling Pensacola, Florida Naval Air Station left at least four dead, including the shooter, and another eight wounded. Police and naval authorities reported that the attack was carried out with a handgun.

image.jpg

Aerial view of Naval Air Station Pensacola [Source: Wikimedia Commons]

The carnage spread across two floors of a classroom building at the base, which trains tens of thousands of pilots and airmen each year. Deputies from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department were the first to respond to the incident, shooting and killing the Saudi officer.

He was identified by NBC News as Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. The US Navy and police authorities were withholding the names of the victims pending notification of their families.

The mass shooting at the base in Pensacola was the second such incident at a US Navy facility in the space of barely 48 hours. On Wednesday, a 22-year-old sailor from Texas, identified as Gabriel Antonio Romero, opened fire at Pearl Harbor’s naval shipyard in Hawaii, killing two civilian workers and wounding a third, before shooting himself to death.

At a press conference held Friday afternoon at the Pensacola base, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suggested that the killings there may have been linked to terrorism. “There is obviously going to be a lot of questions about this individual being a foreign national, being a part of the Saudi Air Force and then to be here training on our soil,” DeSantis said, adding that the Saudi monarchy needed “to make things better for these victims” as “this was one of their individuals.”

At the same press conference, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan told the assembled media not to expect “quick answers” about the shooting, and that there were “aspects of the case that will never be public.” The government, he said, would “tell you what you need to know to keep our [communities] safe.”

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, who represents the Pensacola area, tweeted Friday that “This was not a murder. This was an act of terrorism.”

January 14th, 2020 - After Florida killings, Saudis withdraw 21 cadets from United States
After Florida killings, Saudis withdraw 21 cadets from United States

Saudi Arabia will withdraw 21 cadets receiving military training in the United States following a US investigation into a Saudi officer's fatal shooting of three Americans at a Florida naval base that US Attorney General William Barr on Monday branded an act of terrorism.

The December 6 attack further complicated US-Saudi relations at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival. A deputy sheriff shot dead the gunman, Saudi Air Force Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, in the Pensacola, Florida, incident.

[...] The Pensacola attack prompted the Pentagon to halt operational training for some 850 visiting Saudi military personnel as part of a "safety stand-down" in the aftermath of the shooting. The Pentagon said on December 19 that it had found "no information indicating an immediate threat" after reviewing the visiting Saudis following the shooting.
 
I kind of snicker a little bit at how much difficulty Tim has with anything remotely conspiratorial. He appears to not like them at all. It's a bit like watching him suck on a lemon. Here is something about a "whistle-blower" aka "Voldemort" trying to get rid of Donald Trump in conjuction with senior Democrats.

 
Yesterday, after having a peek at the impeachment charade where Schiff, Schumer and others were speaking/lying (no sane person could listen to them more than 30s), I started thinking that since these anti-Trumpers are obviously insane and criminal, they will not hesitate to use the ‘last option’ to remove Trump. After this senate trial, they’ve used all their non violent options. So, if I’d be Trump, I would ante up vigilance and protection. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been any ‘Sirhan Sirhans’ appearing yet. Not that we know of, at least.
 
Yesterday, after having a peek at the impeachment charade where Schiff, Schumer and others were speaking/lying (no sane person could listen to them more than 30s), I started thinking that since these anti-Trumpers are obviously insane and criminal, they will not hesitate to use the ‘last option’ to remove Trump. After this senate trial, they’ve used all their non violent options. So, if I’d be Trump, I would ante up vigilance and protection. I’m surprised that there hasn’t been any ‘Sirhan Sirhans’ appearing yet. Not that we know of, at least.

It's so bad he would have to hire private body-guards to really cover himself. He has his own lawyers now for impeachment defense. Your "Sirhan" option is one to put in the mix of diabolical plots I suppose. It is kind of a nail-biter show these days.
 
Looks like Trump has heeded my warning. ;-D

Trump is speaking behind a huge pane of glass at the March for Life.

I'm glad Trump is taking extra precautions. I feel, Soleimani's assassination placed Trump in a heightened position to suffer the same fate?

Another situation that may have added to security risks, a comment made by the U.S. special representative for Iran:

Successor to slain Iran general faces same fate if he kills Americans: U.S. envoy

And Iran's response was :

U.S. threat to kill Soleimani successor a sign of 'governmental terrorism': Iran foreign ministry spokesman

To make matters worse, a commander of the hardline Basij militia who was an ally of Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq, two days ago.

Militia ally of Iran's Soleimani shot dead in southwest Iran: IRNA

Just prior to the killing of Soleimani's ally, an Iranian lawmaker offered a $3 million reward to anyone who would kill Trump.

Iran MP offers reward for killing Trump, U.S. calls it 'ridiculous'
 
It's so bad he would have to hire private body-guards to really cover himself. He has his own lawyers now for impeachment defense. Your "Sirhan" option is one to put in the mix of diabolical plots I suppose. It is kind of a nail-biter show these days.

I’ve wondered from time to time what kind of protection he has. It seemed reasonable to think he had already hired Private protection of some sort. I’ve also wondered about his food preperation, does he have a food taster? What a job that would be ! I also think he is a cautious and detailed minded person that knows what has happened to others and how the swamp operates, so will take precautions. But what a tangled, evil web to navigate.

This impeachment has been such a farce. They’re insane if they actually believed it would work. It’s actually making Trump more popular as I’m sure your aware of. So many times I’ve thought during this charade, they think the American people are really stupid and will be easily fooled as they have been in the past. Major miscalculation!
 
A lawyer's perspective on Schiff's closing arguments. It's a bit like magic tricks or acting. Who knew?!

 
Having watched a little bit of the proceedings by Trump's lawyers in the impeachment trial, I have to say that I'm quite impressed by their thoroughness, clarity, and fact based arguing. I think they have a smart strategy, where they started by 'setting the scene' presenting an overview, and then slowly narrowing down on the more specific details. It's all 'lawyer talk', of course and it can be boring for the 'average joe' to follow, but smartly they have inserts of video clips every now and then that brings the points home.

So far I think that the two ladies, Pam Bondi and Jane Raskin have been the most impressive ones. Bondi made a solid presentation showing how corrupt and shady the Bidens are, and Raskin made a rhetorically brilliant talk about the role of Giuliani. Comparing the presentation by these two ladies to e.g. Schiff's nonsensical ramblings, is like comparing adults to a 5-year old.

Here are two clips for those of you who haven't seen them yet:

Pam Bondi:

Jane Raskin

It's interesting, that YouTube doesn't allow me to share these videos by the usual 'Share' button.
 
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