Guilty. Guilty.
I have to admit, before we get started here, that there were several possibilities for today's title for me to consider. I could have done an homage to Watergate-era "Doonesbury," and gone with: "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" To be really pedantic would have been to list all sixteen counts of guilty which appeared in courtrooms today, but: "Guilty. Guilty. Guilty... (etc.)... Guilty." would have been rather annoying to read -- I couldn't even manage to type it out in full in this sentence. So in the end I went with just two Guiltys -- one for Paul Manafort's eight guilty verdicts, and one for Michael Cohen's eight guilty pleas, which he voluntarily gave in consideration of a plea deal. Guilty. Guilty. Insert your own "gavel hitting the bench" sounds, if you will....
Enough tomfoolery, though. These, after all, are serious subjects. Two men intimately connected to President Donald Trump were both found guilty in two different federal courtrooms on the same day. That's gotta hurt, and as one commenter to a newspaper article on the guilty findings put it: "The National Weather Service has put out a warning for severe tweetstorms, expected before 4:00 A.M., Eastern time." After all, when the so-called "witchhunt" seems to be snaring an increasing amount of actual witches, what will Trump do?
The Manafort verdicts were the more important in the grand political scheme of things (at least, as they stand now), but the Cohen guilty pleas may prove to be more damning legally for Trump in the end. In the case of Manafort, 18 not guilty (or even hung jury) verdicts would have been a serious political blow to Bob Mueller, even if as he tries to hold both himself and his investigation completely separate from politics. Not only Trump, but all of Trump's defenders as well, would have amped up the volume on the "Mueller's got nothing!" argument, and the pressure to end the investigation would have multiplied accordingly as well. Eight guilty verdicts inoculates Mueller from having to endure all of that, plain and simple. And, don't forget, Mueller will have another crack at Manafort next month as his second (and more serious) federal trial gets underway. This will probably happen even before the sentencing in Manafort's first case. If a second jury also finds Manafort guilty of various crimes, Mueller will be totally politically vindicated -- and before Election Day, to boot.
Trump is probably (going on past behavior) going to try to disassociate himself as much as possible from Manafort (Cohen, too, but we'll get to him in a moment). Trump (and his mouthpiece Rudy Giuliani) will state that all the crimes Manafort was convicted of "have nothing to do with Trump." But it certainly blunts Trump's whole "witchhunt" narrative when Mueller's first trial ends in eight convictions.
Manafort himself is now in a very tough spot. He could hang tight and hold out hope that Trump will eventually pardon him, or he could attempt to cut a last-minute plea deal with Mueller's team. In this attempt, he will have close to zero leverage. After all, if Mueller does nothing, Manafort is still going to be sentenced on eight counts, which probably means many years in jail (he could get up to 80 years, but will probably get a lot less than the maximum). Mueller, if he's smart (and there's no reason to think otherwise, at this point), will refuse to even deal on the crimes Manafort has already been convicted of, and instead offer a deal on the remaining indictments already looming over Manafort, as well as any future indictments for possible crimes more directly involving Trump. Manafort will have to bring to such a plea deal an awfully compelling reason for Mueller to even agree to a deal, which means he'll definitely have to lay out all the dirt he can possibly spill on Trump. Mueller really holds all the cards now, and Manafort is now backed into a pretty severe corner.
Note that bit about "any future indictments," too. Trump's defenders have tried to make much hay out of the fact that Mueller hasn't brought any indictments yet against anyone in relation to the whole Russian interference question. They assume Mueller doesn't have anything, which is why he hasn't filed any charges yet. But Mueller's investigation, according to everyone who knows Mueller's work, is like an iceberg -- nine-tenths of it remains below the waterline, unseen. Mueller will not bring the big charges until he's got the entire thing wrapped up and tied with a string, in other words. Bringing any such charges prematurely would hamper the investigation into everyone else, which is why Mueller is holding back. This is all pure speculation, it must be admitted, but then so is the other side's "Mueller's got nothing" argument.
Up the coast a bit, Michael Cohen voluntarily plead guilty to his own eight counts (of similar tax and bank fraud charges) in federal court. Trump's "fixer" has officially flipped, folks. In his statement to the judge, Cohen directly implicated Donald Trump, saying that "a candidate for federal office" had directed him to make illegal campaign contributions in the form of two "hush money" payouts to women to silence them, right before the election. This puts Trump in direct legal jeopardy, but (rather astonishingly), so far Mueller's team seems completely uninterested in any stories Cohen has to tell. At least, that's what has been leaked publicly. Mueller's team handed off the prosecution of Cohen to a district office in the first place, but it would indeed be a surprise if Mueller doesn't even need to see any of the treasure trove of documents, recordings, and other evidence seized from Cohen earlier. If true, it could mean that Mueller can already prove everything contained within that treasure trove, and didn't even need Cohen for corroboration. That would be surprising, seeing how close Cohen was to Trump for so long.
Cohen is the one guy Trump can't brush off with the whole "he only worked for me for a short time, wasn't he the one who went for coffee?" line. Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer for over a decade, after all. That's hard to minimize, even for Trump. If Mueller's team isn't even interested in what Cohen can testify to, that also could mean that the plea deal was struck only by the New York federal attorney, without Mueller's input at all. This would mean that Cohen has something to offer completely unconnected to the Mueller probe. Why else would the local U.S. attorney strike a plea deal with him? Cohen has to have something to trade, otherwise he would have just been charged and tried on the counts he just plead guilty to. Now let's see... Trump's fixer for years... what could he have to offer a federal attorney? Trump's past business dealings is the obvious answer to that question.
Whatever Cohen offered to sing about, it's easy to assume it probably involves Donald Trump. Whether it is the news that Trump broke campaign finance laws or some seedy real estate dealing in the past, Cohen freely talking to prosecutors has got to be making Trump more than a little bit worried. In the past week, we have learned that the White House counsel has given more than 30 hours of testimony to Mueller's team, Omarosa has also been interviewed by Mueller's team (and is happy to talk to them about anything else they'd like to discuss), and that Trump's campaign manager is guilty of tax and bank fraud, while his personal lawyer pleaded guilty to his own crimes in order to get a plea deal. That's a pretty brutal week for Trump's legal team, you've got to admit. Here's hoping there are many more such weeks ahead. I can't wait to hear what Rudy Giuliani has to say about it all, personally. Maybe he can convince us all that guilty doesn't really mean guilty, or something.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Maybe he can convince us all that guilty doesn't really mean guilty, or something.
Touché
The attorney tasked with going through all of the material seized from Cohen to determine what was protected by attorney-client privilege just finished their final report to the court a few days ago. An interesting footnote to the report was that they stated that they were not able to review any of the data found on a Blackberry phone because they could not break through the encryption. They reviewed everything collected but they couldn’t review what was on that phone. Cohen had said he was doing everything he could to work with the FBI’s investigators, but he held out on that one item, obviously.
I am guessing that Blackberry’s passcode is no longer an issue!
Mueller will not bring the big charges until he's got the entire thing wrapped up and tied with a string, in other words. Bringing any such charges prematurely would hamper the investigation into everyone else, which is why Mueller is holding back. This is all pure speculation, it must be admitted, but then so is the other side's "Mueller's got nothing" argument.
I am not sure if it is “pure speculation” as much as those are the standard operating procedures in cases like this.
It's been a good day!
It's been a good day!
Yup, it has. I'm off down the pub for a beer with my buddies. I expect there will be smiles all round.
Cheers.
Nobody ought to be surprised that everybody surrounding Trump is engaged in shady and illegal doings. Trump himself is the incarnation of shady dealings.
But it's still NOT illegal to get dirt on your political opponent, even from dirty Commie Ruskies!
CW: Manafort himself is now in a very tough spot. He could hang tight and hold out hope that Trump will eventually pardon him, or he could attempt to cut a last-minute plea deal with Mueller's team.
It would do Trump no good whatsoever to pardon Manafort because with that pardon comes an absolute admission of guilt and would therefore free Paul Manafort to testify against Donald Trump regarding said crimes or be found in contempt of court for refusing to do so... which would land Paulie right back in jail. Also, do you think Mueller has used all the ammunition in the Manafort cartridge? Oh, hell no.
Manafort really has only two choices: Stay in jail for a long time or testify against Trump and hope for a shorter sentence. That's it. Trump cannot keep pardoning Manafort every time Mueller gets another conviction, and a pardon frees him up to testify against Benedict Donald... who handed over America to Russia in a quid pro quo.
Hang on tight fellow travelers, now this shit goes nuclear. Anybody thinking about getting on one of Mueller's lifeboats should know this: All the good seats are getting full. :)
Paula
4
It's been a good day!
Why... what happened? ;)
So, I'm not sure I understand the legal machinations in Kick [7], but I'll accept it until I have a chance to read in further.
If it isn't possible to pardon Manafort without putting him in a position where he is legally obliged to testify truthfully then a pardon is definitely off the table.
This means that, as you state Kick, it is time for anybody who has done something wrong to quickly decide whether to come clean and take their lumps, or risk Mueller sweeping them up in the coattails and making a further example of them.
There is a chance the one of the more ridiculous campaign promises from an obvious crook might come true - Mueller might seriously clean up the Washington swamp. His successes over the next few years could change the prosecutorial culture in DC into one less blaze about the influence of money.
What a reputation to have - Mueller could go down in American history as an equivalent to Elliot Ness and the Invincibles. The irony of the Trump family being regarded for future centuries as the evil rooted out by one of the greatest of Americans would be a pleasant repayment for the embarrassment this family has brought to our country.
Anyone interested in reading the Charge and Mikey Cohen's plea deal?
https://www.lawfareblog.com/document-michael-cohen-plea-agreement
Interesting tidbit from page 1 of the Charge:
Someone should really remind Rudy Giuliani that he appeared on Hannity and already admitted Trump repaid Cohen; I think Rudy may have forgotten... he used the word "funneled."
It's also going to be awfully hard for Trump to deny doing so since he already admitted it in multiple tweets.
Idiots. :)
neilm
9
What a reputation to have - Mueller could go down in American history as an equivalent to Elliot Ness and the Invincibles.
Oh, come on Neil, we're all aware that normally you'd remember that no one could ever touch those Bureau of Prohibition guys.
Being that you didn't go full on loopy and refer to them as "Loch Ness and the Incredibles," I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you had two (2) beers.
So how many? *laughs*
You know I'm just kidding you! I hope you had a lovely evening at the pub with your buddies. It sure sounds like you did. ;)
To be really pedantic would have been to list all sixteen counts of guilty which appeared in courtrooms today, but: "Guilty. Guilty. Guilty... (etc.)... Guilty."
Uh.... Once again, REALITY and FACTS are no where to be found here in Weigantia. :^(
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal jury in Virginia convicted Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, on eight felony counts on Tuesday, but the judge declared a mistrial on the 10 other charges he faced.
There were 18 charges..
Manafort was found guilty on only 8 of them.. The jury was hung (as I predicted) on 10 of them..
Since ya'all are in the throes of HHPTDS, math is probably not possible..
Manafort will WALK on more charges than he was found guilty of..
So much for ya'all's claim that Loves Child Pornographers Mueller is competent... Ya'all claimed all 18 charges were a "quote" slam dunk...
Once again, ya'all were wrong...
And, as CRS pointed out, NOTHING of ANY of this has ANYTHING to do with Russia, President Trump or the election...
HHPTDS sufferers are weird..
But, let's talk about whiney bitch-ass Brennan.. :D
Brennan loses by trying to play Trump’s game
John Brennan may not know it, but he’s acting in a drama scripted and produced by Donald J. Trump.
As Eli Lake perceptively observed, President Trump isn’t trying to silence Brennan by revoking his security clearance, as the former CIA director’s defenders insist, but elevate him as a foil.
Trump couldn’t hope for a better poster boy for the so-called “deep state” than a former CIA chief who immediately began to sound like a commentator for MSNBC upon leaving government — and, indeed, signed up as a commentator for MSNBC.
It has been the usual practice of former top intelligence professionals to keep their political opinions, and especially their wild-eyed rants, to themselves. They understand that, having been entrusted with some of the most sensitive powers of the US government, they should show forbearance and restraint lest they undermine the reputations of their institutions.
Brennan has had no such compunction. Granted, he’s acted under provocation. Trump has goaded him on Twitter and launched extraordinary broadsides against the work of US intelligence agencies.
Trump often sounds like the guy popping off down at the end of the bar; he’s transformed Brennan, who is supposed to be the consummate career intelligence official, into the guy down at the other end of the bar.
Advantage: Trump. The president always benefits from the fact that his brand depends on violating norms, whereas if his opponents are baited into violating norms in return, they diminish themselves and their cause.
The president’s adversaries may consider this unfair, but the institutions Trump targets are best served by not responding in kind. If the president says that the press can’t be trusted because it’s so biased, the press should react by being less biased rather than more.
If he says that he’s being undone by a “deep state” conspiracy, former intelligence officials should be more restrained rather than less.
Brennan either doesn’t understand this dynamic — or doesn’t care. He has threatened a lawsuit and Trump has welcomed one. The president is happy for a war with the most unhinged representative of the intelligence community at hand, and John O. Brennan is playing his role flawlessly.
https://nypost.com/2018/08/20/brennan-loses-by-trying-to-play-trumps-game/
Once again, Trump... ooops.. I meant PRESIDENT Trump is playing the unhinged & hysterical Left Wingery like a fiddle...
And the unhinged is eager and willing to dance to President Trump's tune..
Once again, I have to slam President Trump when it is warranted..
What a week for Donald Trump and businessmen such as me. Things just keep getting better! Pinch me.
Here’s a sum up of the week …
? Gross domestic product is flying.
? Black unemployment is the lowest in history.
? Hispanic unemployment is the lowest in history.
? Female unemployment is the lowest in 65 years.
? Youth unemployment is the lowest in 50 years.
The small-business optimism index is the second highest ever, barely behind the record level, attained in 1983 under Ronald Reagan.
On Thursday, the Dow was up more than 390 points — the biggest jump since April. Then up another 110 on Friday. Why? Many experts now believe Trump has won the trade war with China. The Chinese economy is melting down because of Trump’s bold tariffs. So China has come begging back to the trade table. Clearly, Trump and the United States now have the upper hand.
July retail sales exploded, productivity has soared above expectations and manufacturing is booming. All of this points to lower inflation and wage gains. Trump has created the “Goldilocks economy” — it’s just perfect!
And what have the Democrats produced in the past few days? They’ve banned plastic straws in California. Congratulations. We have a winner.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/opinion-columns/wayne-allyn-root/commentary-scared-democrats-are-on-tilt/
President Trump lied....
I am *NOT* getting tired of winning!!! :D
And, in what is going to become a regular feature here in Weigantia..
PRESIDENT TRUMP POLL WATCH...
22 Aug 2018
President Trump's Approval is at 43.4%
22 Aug 2011
Barack Odumbo's Approval was at 43.5%
So, Odumbo inches slightly past President Trump..
But one thing I am certain is really confusing to the tens of millions of Trump Supporters/Patriotic Americans (redundant, I know).......
If President Trump is the totally incompetent and evil person that hysterical Democrats and NeverTrumpers claim he is.....
WHY are President Trump's numbers so closely aligned with Barack Odumbo's numbers???
I mean, LOGICALLY, anything you say about President Trump, competence and character wise, SHOULD apply to Barack Odumbo..... Right??
Once again... We have ya'all's hysterical HHPTDS-based claims....
And then we have the FACTS which PROVE ya'all's claims are nothing but HHPTDS-fueled bullshit..
"These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed.."
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN
As an aside to CW...
Good call you made on not doing a President Trump poll watch feature... :D
The embarrassment of seeing President Trump's numbers right up there with, and sometimes PASSING, Obama's numbers would have been.... distracting... :D
Reclaiming Patriotism for the Left
Surrendering national pride to champions of a blood-and-soil vision abdicates the fight for the soul and meaning of the American project.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/opinion/nationalism-patriotism-liberals-.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion
There ya go.. Left Wingers ADMIT that they have no patriotism and see the need to "reclaim" it...
Kneeling NFL players will help Republicans in November
By Ed Rogers
Opinion writer
August 21 at 2:27 PM
If National Football League players continue their protests during the national anthem this season, it will rile some Republican voters, increasing their intensity and making it more likely that they will vote. At a time when Democrats want their candidates to be less controversial and let dissatisfaction with President Trump carry them into office, continued protests by NFL players will force the issue back into the public spotlight and onto the campaign trail, where Democrats will mostly have to side with the protesters.
I am often frustrated that President Trump and Republicans do what their political opponents want them to do. But in this case, it is the Democrats who are being escorted by a few athletes into a position they would rather avoid. In June, shortly after the NFL owners passed a new league-wide policy requiring players on the field to stand during the national anthem, FiveThirtyEight published an analysis of several polls that were conducted on the issue and ultimately concluded that “the NFL’s new policy is a win for Trump — and on a field that matters, even though it’s not a policy or electoral victory.” A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in January and February found that 53 percent of Americans think “it’s never appropriate to kneel during the national anthem in protest.” The voters who care most about football and tend to be offended by what they see as players using the game in furtherance of some political grievance are mostly Republican voters.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/08/21/kneeling-nfl-players-will-help-republicans-in-november/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.84bcea8c2c78
Once again, President Trump plays the Democrats and it's President Trump and the patriotic Americans who win.. :D
So, by all means, over-paid scumbag America-hating Lefties.. Continue to show your hatred for America and your contempt of the flag, the military and patriotic Americans..
That will help make Nov 2018 a repeat of Nov 2016...
The Media Keep Falling Into the Trump Trap
Reporters foolishly act like liberal political activists.
Donald Trump has long demonstrated a knack for getting his political opponents to make fools of themselves. Sen. Marco Rubio learned this the hard way on the 2016 campaign trail when he tried to out-Trump Mr. Trump. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former CIA chief John Brennan got caught in the trap last week.
Mr. Cuomo took issue with Mr. Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” telling an audience full of Democrats that “we’re not going to make America great again—it was never that great.” The audience booed. Mr. Cuomo was attempting to insult the president but wound up insulting the country and then spent several days walking back what he said. Mr. Cuomo’s late father, Mario, also served as governor of New York. He once remarked: “There are few things more amusing in the world of politics than watching moderate Republicans charging to the right in pursuit of greater glory.” His son is evidence that such behavior is bipartisan.
Mr. Brennan, who called Mr. Trump’s July press conference with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin “nothing short of treasonous” on Twitter, had his security clearance revoked by the president last week. But during an appearance on MSNBC a few days later, he rescinded his comment. “I didn’t mean that he committed treason. But it was a term that I used,” he said. “Sometimes my Irish comes out.” Mr. Trump’s statements after the meeting with Mr. Putin were roundly criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike, and Mr. Brennan was free to add his voice. But a former top intelligence officer who wants to decry the president’s reckless behavior on cable news and social media might want to be more mindful of his own behavior.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-media-keep-falling-into-the-trump-trap-1534892905
Once again, President Trump plays the Democrats like an out of tune fiddle.. :D
Can.... handle.... all... the.... winning!!!! :D
The best feature of this economic growth is its inclusiveness. The simultaneous gains among various demographic groups is something the country hasn’t experienced in a long time, if ever. Older workers, women, minorities, seniors and the less-educated all are faring better in the labor force today than they did under President Obama. The jobless rate for Americans age 16 to 24 hit a 50-year low this summer. In May, the black unemployment rate dipped to 5.9%, the lowest number on record at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People who had stopped looking for work are sending out resumes. More people are quitting jobs because they are confident that a better one awaits. Employers are increasing perks and benefits in an effort to attract new hires and keep the ones they already have. There were 6.7 million job openings last quarter, a 17-year high.
When the media reports this good news, the stories too often resemble a Democratic National Committee press release. The main objective is to assure you that Mr. Trump’s tax cuts and regulatory reform had nothing to do with it, that his predecessor deserves the real credit or that it was all just inevitable. Hogwash.
For all of his faults, the president deserves some praise for the ramped-up economy, just as he’ll deserve blame if his counterproductive trade wars reverse these gains over time. Covering the Russia meddling investigation and keeping the White House honest is important, but these things are hardly the sum of Mr. Trump’s presidency. Reporters look foolish when they insist otherwise.
Leftist reporters looking foolish..
THAT is the new norm.. :D
Two witches walk out of a courtroom....and the
President of the United States is suddenly the decfacto national dirty joke.
Time for a new batch of angry letters to my "representatives" with particular emphasis on their oath of office (to the Constitution - not the President or Republican Party, dumb ass) and the need for each to grow a pair - and quickly.
TheStig wrote:
Two witches walk out of a courtroom....and the
President of the United States is suddenly the decfacto national dirty joke.
"SUddenly"??? What a complete and utter pile of bullshit that is..
For ya'all, Trump has been THAT since the day he announced his candidacy...
And yet, he CONTINUES to kick ya'all's asses and prove ya'all WRONG at EVERY juncture... :D
Time for a new batch of angry letters to my "representatives" with particular emphasis on their oath of office (to the Constitution - not the President or Republican Party, dumb ass) and the need for each to grow a pair - and quickly.
Will be just as effective as the previous 10,000 batches you have sent.. Your representatives are ignoring you, Stig.. In their eyes, you have become a joke. A caricature of a sad pathetic hate-filled intolerant luser....
And President Trump and his supporters??
We keep winning and winning and winning and winning... :D
Ya'all are like Charlie Sheen and his "WINNING"...
Us'all are like the Jacksonville Jaguars last Saturday... REALLY winning.. :D
Interesting polls.. Since I know how much ya'all swear by polls! :D
https://www.freedominthe50states.org/
Why is it that the vast majority of Democrat states are near the bottom when it comes to freedom... Democrat New York is THE worst state when it comes to personal and economic freedom..
Dumbocrats like to give lip service to "freedom".... But when it comes right down to it, Dumbocrats do Stalin proud..
Interesting to note.. MY State, the state that ya'all refer (by commission or omission) as "shit hole"??
It's the NUMBER 1 STATE for freedom... :D
DEMOCRAT CIVIL WAR!!!!
Democrats gather to confront lingering 2016 frustration
https://apnews.com/9426e9644df14629bf6acc3651af2ed0/Democrats-gather-to-confront-lingering-2016-frustration
And right before the midterms too!! :D
Gotta love it.. :D
Golly gee, people...
Am I being too hard on ya'all again?? Can't handle the deluge of FACTS???
I get it.. Yer in a fragile and tender state right now...
"I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It’s frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say, I am."
-Thanos, AVENGERS-INFINITY WAR
I'll give ya'all a break... I realize how hard all this must be for ya'all... All this losing ya'all are dealing with...
I got my daily laugh off CNN 12 hours early, or 12 hours late, for that one of you who prefers wider margins were reality is an issue.
A CNN banner floated across my Facebook thingy, it was attached to Chris Cuomo, who I preferred as a morning anchor, truth be told. ( sorry Michale, I try to limit my use of the word 'truth' in deference to you and your struggle with its definition) The banner tickled me because it was, in my opinion, a glorious definition of 'mutual exclusivity'....it read, "BAD DAY FOR TRUMP, BAD DAY FOR AMERICA"...I know! too much. I can't imagine any plot where a shit day for Trump isn't in some way a good day for America.
Let's squeeze off a few unassailable truths that yesterday offered up, no doubt by the time you get this far, the broken record of regurgitated right-wing ersatz-facts our resident snake-oil consumer drags out has taken its toll on your better judgement.
A good day for America included: two villains receiving their comeuppance for flagrantly, and brazenly playing the American people for mugs. Two men who, with the same misplaced hubris of their former organ grinder, felt they could do as they pleased, laws be damned, and walk away feeling rewarded by their association to Trump. Fitting these two clowns become the first to be jettisoned from the Trumpmobile...by trump's own admission, they were the lowest hanging fruit on the withering vine that is the Trump troupe. Only the offspring of trump and the family cat now stand between Trump and his summary exposure as a second rate crook and all around nare-do-well...America's good day got better when a long overdue breath of rule of law whisked across the land, re-energizing the majority of the people who care about such things, leaving some, the folks wrestling with the existence of the word truth, slightly breathless and mostly redundant. Witches are officially off the endangered species list, and are slightly pissed with the idiot that sold off their natural habitat to buy his wife a third-rate fast food franchise. The best thing that happened to America yesterday was, the palpable collective realization that the Trumpian dark ages have a light at the end of the tunnel, and the majority of the people now know they stand a fighting chance to emerge from this madhouse, with their sanity intact, and their dignity only slightly muddied, for having been hoodwinked by an obvious charlatan. Good for you folks. I'm happy for you to finally see your shadow and realize nothing lasts forever.
In the matter of Trump's bad day...who gives a fuck how his day went. That idiot lives in a dream anyway, he's still mumbling on about collusion and conspiracies and some irrelevant emails about what people had decided for lunch or dental appointments. Trump's reaction to these two men, who are arguably his worst nightmares all at once, was typically nonsensical gibberish...he's how I always envisioned Nero fiddling as the flames of Rome's slums licked up his ivory tower. Sad laughable figure, someone should put him back in his box, he's of no use to anyone while facts, truth, reality and honesty are being used to fix the chaos he himself has wrought on an otherwise proud and stable nation.
LL&P
( sorry Michale,
Yes, you are.. But you can't help it, what with being so enslaved by ideology and such...
I try to limit my use of the word 'truth' in deference to you and your struggle with its definition)
Who are you kidding? You are ALL about "truth"... The problem is, due to yer slavery, it's YOUR "truth" you are only concerned about..
Normal rational OBJECTIVE people are concerned with "FACTS", not truth...
FACTS... An idea that is so alien to you...
And back in the land of Left Wing Hypocrisy..
Asia Argento says she did not have sex with then 17-year-old Jimmy Bennett, but a photo and various text messages between Argento and a friend tell a very different story ... she flat-out says she had sex with him.
This is one of 4 photos Bennett, now 22, took in a Marina del Rey hotel room back in 2013. The then 37-year-old Argento and Bennett are on a bed shirtless, their heads on a pillow and their arms entangled. Sources tell TMZ the pic was taken after the 2 had intercourse. It's a crime in California for an adult to have sex with a person under 18.
Bennett later threatened legal action and, in April, Argento settled with him for $380,000 ... which her boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain, paid.
Argento released a statement Tuesday, saying, "I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett."
https://www.tmz.com/2018/08/22/asia-argento-17-year-old-boy-in-bed-photo-sex-texts/
What *IS* it about Left Wingers and hypocrisy???
[16] Michale
"22 Aug 2018
President Trump's Approval is at 43.4%
22 Aug 2011
Barack Odumbo's Approval was at 43.5%"
So, just let me wrap my head around this here and get this straight.
You are actually CROWING about the president's approval rating being LESS than 45 percent? As if this were some kind of FANTASTIC news or achievement???
SERIOUSLY??? That is just so LAUGHABLE. Good luck getting reelected if it never gets any better than that!
[12] Michale
"Manafort was found guilty on only 8 of them.. The jury was hung (as I predicted) on 10 of them.."
UH NO. As I remember, you predicted he would walk on ALL of the charges.
"Manafort will WALK on more charges than he was found guilty of.."
UH, again NO. It only means the jury could not reach a unanimous guilty verdict on those. We don't know yet how close they actually got. He can also be retried on all of those remaining charges in yet another trial.
You are actually CROWING about the president's approval rating being LESS than 45 percent? As if this were some kind of FANTASTIC news or achievement???
No, I am actually CROWING about the FACT that ya'all claim that President Trump is the MOST evil person in the entire universe, that President Trump makes MUD look smart and competent..
And YET the FACTS clearly show that President Trump's approval rating is equal to and oft times BETTER than your messiah, Odumbo's approval rating..
So, that means that EVERY claim against Trump you can make ALSO applies to Odumbo.. :D
It only means the jury could not reach a unanimous guilty verdict on those. We don't know yet how close they actually got. He can also be retried on all of those remaining charges in yet another trial.
WHich, once again, PROVES ya'all's claim that all of the charges were "slam dunk" charges was a complete and total bullshit lie...
No matter how ya slice it, the **FACTS** and reality PROVE your hysterical lies are nothing but complete and utter bullshit.. :D
One very important point on Manaforts 18 charges is that none of them resulted in an acquittal.
One very important point on Manaforts 18 charges is that none of them resulted in an acquittal.
10 charges resulted in a hung jury which is, for all intents and purposes, an acquittal...
Manafort is innocent of all of those 10 charges...
This is fact....
JM,
But hay... I am a fair guy..
If you want to concede that President Trump is an average President, no better or no worse that Odumbo, I'll accept that...
Cohen willing to tell Mueller about ‘conspiracy to collude’: lawyer
Well, since it's universally agreed that "collusion" is not a crime... conspiracy to commit a non-crime is ALSO not a crime... :D
How hilarious would it be if Cohen was a Trump plant.. A trojan horse... :D
My gods, I would laugh my ass off at that.. :D
A good overall assessment of yesterday's implications, with emphasis on this:
...The most damaging thing that happened yesterday to Trump was not that his former lawyer alleged under oath that Trump had directed him in the commission of crimes. It was that the United States Department of Justice allowed him to enter a guilty plea whose factual basis was that Trump had directed him in the commission of a crime. That is to say that the significance of the Cohen plea is not merely that Cohen alleges that Trump had him arrange to pay hush money to a porn star and a model in a specific effort to influence the election with illegal corporate contributions. It’s that the Justice Department believes this allegation to be true and is willing to proceed criminally against Cohen on that basis.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/the-presidents-situation-gets-worse/568135/
Me likes.
Paula,
Welcome back.. I am soo glad you are feeling better...
That is to say that the significance of the Cohen plea is not merely that Cohen alleges that Trump had him arrange to pay hush money to a porn star and a model in a specific effort to influence the election with illegal corporate contributions. It’s that the Justice Department believes this allegation to be true and is willing to proceed criminally against Cohen on that basis.
So, you think illegal campaign contributions is a big deal, eh???
FLASHBACK: Remember When Obama Campaign Was Fined $375,000 for Campaign Reporting Violations AND NO JAIL TIME?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/08/flashback-remember-when-obama-campaign-was-fined-375000-for-campaign-reporting-violations-and-no-jail-time/
That's funny, cuz I don't recall hearing a PEEP out of you when Odumbo was mired in illegal campaign contributions...
Funny, huh???
Oh wait!! I know!! I know!!!
"Well... er.. uh.... That's different!!!"
Of course it's different.. You hate President Trump who is a Republican and you have your head so far up Odumbo's ass because he is a Democrats...
So, why not just concede the *ONLY* logical and rational conclusion...
You don't give a rat's patooey about ANYTHING but the - or -D after a person's name...
Yer hero is James Hodgkison...
You can admit it.. We all know...
Steven Tyler Demands Trump Stop Playing Aerosmith Songs at Rallies
https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/steven-tyler-aerosmith-trump-rally-song-cease-desist-1202913493/
Coke-addled druggie goes running to lawyers like a bitch-slapped punk.....
Waaaaaaa Waaaaaaa
80% of Aerosmith's fanbase are Trump supporters...
Which proves there is no accounting for taste... :D
So many sins and so many sinners to be found among the Trump entourage, but most notably 'collusion' seems to have disappeared from the litany.
For 2 yrs, I was assured on a daily basis that the Trump presidency would be brought down over "Russian collusion".
Now, it appears that Weigantians, most especially the female ones, have "colluded" to agree to stop talking about "collusion". What a bunch of losers.
Since you seem to be so fond of polls Michale:
A recent Politico/Morning Consult poll shows President Trump lagging behind a number of possible Democratic 2020 candidates.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders, the two best-known potential candidates in the poll, each topped Trump by 12 points. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has said she has no plans to run in 2020, came out 4 points ahead.
35] Michale
"10 charges resulted in a hung jury which is, for all intents and purposes, an acquittal..."
Uh, once again, NO. NOT even CLOSE. Since he can be retried on all 10 of those charges in a new trial, something which is NOT possible with an actual acquittal.
"Manafort is innocent of all of those 10 charges...
This is fact...."
NOT EVEN A FACT. The jury could have been 11 to 1 to convict and find guilty. You don't KNOW.
JM,
Since you seem to be so fond of polls Michale:
I am not fond of polls.. My opinion on polls is well documented..
I only quote them to rub ya'all's hypocrisy in your faces.. :D
A recent Politico/Morning Consult poll shows President Trump lagging behind a number of possible Democratic 2020 candidates.
Yea?? And a month or so away from the 2016 election, Hillary had a 98% chance of winning..
It's so cute that you quote polls, even after they were PROVEN to be so utterly and completely off base.. :D
"Manafort is innocent of all of those 10 charges...
This is fact...."
NOT EVEN A FACT. The jury could have been 11 to 1 to convict and find guilty. You don't KNOW.
Irrelevant...
In America, an American is INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty in a court of law..
Manafort was NOT PROVEN guilty IN A COURT OF LAW on those 10 charges..
Ergo.. Manafort is COMPLETELY and UNEQUIVOCALLY ***INNOCENT*** of those 10 charges...
This is FACT, whether you like it or not..
For 2 yrs, I was assured on a daily basis that the Trump presidency would be brought down over "Russian collusion".
Now, it appears that Weigantians, most especially the female ones, have "colluded" to agree to stop talking about "collusion". What a bunch of losers.
Yep... "Collusion" has lost all of it's shine under a deluge of ***FACTS***....
What you and I knew 2 years ago, everyone else is coming to realize...
"Hmmmmmmm Maybe collusion really isn't a thing... "
-Slow On The Uptake Peanut Gallery
:D
In America, an American is INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty in a court of law..
Manafort was NOT PROVEN guilty IN A COURT OF LAW on those 10 charges..
Ergo.. Manafort is COMPLETELY and UNEQUIVOCALLY ***INNOCENT*** of those 10 charges...
This is FACT, whether you like it or not..
Ain't it SUCH A BITCH for ya'all that ya'all can't spin the FACTS to something more palatable to you... :D
Manafort was NOT PROVEN guilty IN A COURT OF LAW on those 10 charges..
In other words, I Love Child Pornographers Mueller failed to bring home a case that YA'ALL claimed was a "slam dunk"....
Like it or not, Manafort is **INNOCENT** of those 10 charges....
For 2 yrs, I was assured on a daily basis that the Trump presidency would be brought down over "Russian collusion".
CRS:
We now have Trump colluding with Cohen to illegally buy the silence of two women just before the election.
And, as we have told you time and time again when you try to close the book on Russian interference, be patient and wait and see if Mueller has anything.
neilm
I consider 2 yrs to be sufficient patience.
And why do you think "buying silence" is illegal? I bribe all my pornstar hookers on a daily basis not to rat me out to my wife, and Mueller ain't comin' after me!!
I consider 2 yrs to be sufficient patience.
I know, right!???
Hell, within 48 hrs of the Watergate break-in the public KNEW that a crime had been committed and who the likely suspect was..
It's been OVER THREE FRAKING YEARS!!! And NO ONE has a clue as to whether a crime has even been committed!!!
The time for patience is long past..
Either shit or admit there AIN'T shit...
And why do you think "buying silence" is illegal? I bribe all my pornstar hookers on a daily basis not to rat me out to my wife,
The only trouble I would be in is not inviting my wife to play too... Of course THAT never happens.. :D
And, as we have told you time and time again when you try to close the book on Russian interference, be patient and wait and see if Mueller has anything.
We gave I Love Child Pornographers Mueller a chance..
And all he came up with was a Manafort..
Something that is UNIVERSALLY AGREED has **NOTHING** to do with President Trump, Russia OR the Election...
Shit or admit you ain't got shit...
And why do you think "buying silence" is illegal? I bribe all my pornstar hookers on a daily basis not to rat me out to my wife, and Mueller ain't comin' after me!!
Hell, Democrat Bros Podestas were hip deep in everything with Manafort..
Funny how I Love Child Pornographers Mueller ain't going after them either...
This isn't about justice... This is about one thing and one thing only..
Nullifying a free, fair and legal election because the LUSERS didn't like the results...
That is **ALL** this is about...
Michale, my advice to you is put a little WD-40 on your hinges, lest you become unhinged. There's only a week or so until the SC and the SDNY investigations go dark for the election. Then, there will be plenty of opportunities for bashing and mocking Democrats, which, until they get their act together, I'll be happy to join you in doing, where I see it as warranted.
Enough with Manafort. He was charged with evading millions in taxes, and that entailed exhibits and testimony all of the jurors recognized and understood. He's going to prison. As I said two weeks ago, nobody evades Federal income tax on 7 figures of income and doesn't go to prison. Whether the jury wanted to try to slog through the intricacies of bank fraud indictments or not, a tax crook is likely to spend his 80th birthday doing hard time, and there are no clearly apparent grounds for appeal.
He's not going to flip, because to flip on Trump is to flip on EurAsian kleptocrats, and for years his book of business has been Russian / Ukrainian kleptocrats. If he went into general population in federal prison as a rat, he'd be a dead man, and he couldn't wear ostrich hide jackets safely in small-town witness protection.
End of this sordid little tale. I'd still like to see Assange thrown onto the street in London and the Brits or Swedes responding to extradition. That's mainly personal desire to revel in some shadenfreude over Stone's anxiety, though, even though I know it really ought to be just business.
It's time to start paying attention to the election. It's not at all clear that the Dems understand how existentially important this election is to them. So, they will probably behave like Dems, and, as we all know, when an election is the Democrats' to lose, they often do.
And why do you think "buying silence" is illegal? I bribe all my pornstar hookers on a daily basis not to rat me out to my wife, and Mueller ain't comin' after me!!
Um, because Cohen was just charged and pled guilty of it as it relates to campaign financing laws.
I consider 2 yrs to be sufficient patience.
Mueller has been going for just over one year.
Most of these investigations take far longer. Here is a link with the results before yesterday's news:
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-muellers-first-year-compares-to-watergate-iran-contra-and-whitewater/
If Mueller isn't any threat to Treasonous Trump why is he called "Treasonous Trump", and why is Treasonous Trump so scared of him?
Did you see Treasonous Trump respond to the press yesterday at the airport? He looked and sounded as guilty as we all know he is (even if CRS and Michale won't admit it to themselves).
There just isn't enough popcorn in the World for another Tuesday like yesterday's.
:)
Most of these investigations take far longer. Here is a link with the results before yesterday's news:
And yet, you cannot deny that, with the Watergate scandal, the American public knew within 48hrs that a crime HAD been committed..
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-muellers-first-year-compares-to-watergate-iran-contra-and-whitewater/
538???
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
If Mueller isn't any threat to Treasonous Trump why is he called "Treasonous Trump"
Because yer a child who is incapable of having a conversation that DOESN'T involve 3rd playground taunts.. :D
There just isn't enough popcorn in the World for another Tuesday like yesterday's.
And yet, there is STILL President Trump and Democrats are STILL going to get their asses handed to them in November.. :D
Um, because Cohen was just charged and pled guilty of it as it relates to campaign financing laws.
So, violating campaign financing laws is a BIG deal, eh???
FLASHBACK: Remember When Obama Campaign Was Fined $375,000 for Campaign Reporting Violations AND NO JAIL TIME?
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/08/flashback-remember-when-obama-campaign-was-fined-375000-for-campaign-reporting-violations-and-no-jail-time/
EXCEPT, of course, when a Dumbocrat does it.. :^/
Ooopss Neil.. Wardrobe malfunction... Yer hypocrisy and Party slavery is showing.. :D
Michale, my advice to you is put a little WD-40 on your hinges, lest you become unhinged. There's only a week or so until the SC and the SDNY investigations go dark for the election.
And yet, people here even deny THAT reality.. :D
Then, there will be plenty of opportunities for bashing and mocking Democrats, which, until they get their act together, I'll be happy to join you in doing, where I see it as warranted.
Oooohhhh sounds tempting.. Gimme some specifics.. :D
It's time to start paying attention to the election. It's not at all clear that the Dems understand how existentially important this election is to them. So, they will probably behave like Dems, and, as we all know, when an election is the Democrats' to lose, they often do.
OK, that's pretty specific.. :D
I can definitely work with you on this...
Let's see what tomorrow brings.. :D
The State of New York attorney general is busy with charges that can't be pardoned away. More where those came from too. :)
Hell, within 48 hrs of the Watergate break-in the public KNEW that a crime had been committed and who the likely suspect was..
It's been OVER THREE FRAKING YEARS!!! And NO ONE has a clue as to whether a crime has even been committed!!!
We have known that Trump is a Russian tool ever since he stood in front of the American public and asked hackers to go after Clinton’s emails.
We have known Trump is a Russian tool ever since Trump claimed he had no ties to Russian money despite what his sons have told the press in the past:
In 2008, Donald Jr. told investors in Moscow that “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” while Eric reportedly told a golf reporter in 2014 that the Trump Organization was able to expand during the financial crisis because “We don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.”
We have known Trump is a Russian tool ever since Trump denied that anyone from his campaign ever had contact with the Russians during the election, but then had to go back on that statement 16 different times for 16 separate incidents.
We have known Trump is a Russian tool ever since Trump admitted that Don Jr, Manafort, and Kushner met with Russian agents to get dirt on Hillary Clinton (You remember, Trump said this after the five lies he had previously offered regarding what occurred got exposed as lies).
Russia has Trump in their pocket, and people like you cannot admit to yourself that you were so blinded by partisan hatred and sexist bigotry that you ignored the blatantly obvious signs to keep Hillary from winning that you were willing to back Trump. Face it, YOU are responsible for putting a Russian asset into the White House!
The longer you refuse to admit that you helped a foreign government gain a foothold into our government, the harder it will be to not bust out laughing anytime you talk about being “patriotic”!
LWYH [61]
Burn!
Kick:
In answer to your question, three.
Oops - The Invincibles were the 2004 Arsenal team. As you guessed, I meant the Untouchables. Thanks.
[61] Listen: Yep!
Also note: the Repubs who scream "it's been a year or 2 years" or whatever never, ever acknowledge that the GOP has control of the House and Senate and several members of the GOP have been actively blocking investigations and/or sitting on evidence, etc.
But, y'know, reality and all - too much trouble.
Mueller has been investigating for 15 months.
In that time he has charged over 30 people.
He is charging people at a rate of 2 per month.
And the vast majority of the people charged are in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
I'm not really asking for much when I say be patient.
neilm Your [56]
I have NEVER denied that Trump colluded with Russians to get dirt on Hillary. What I've always said is that there is no law against that.
I have NEVER denied that Trump colluded with Russians to get dirt on Hillary. What I've always said is that there is no law against that.
Well if I have to take your legal opinion over Muellers, it will be Muellers. So if charges are brought against high level figures related to Russian interference in the 2016 election, I'm guessing a law has been broken.
The right-wingnuts have barely got over the fact that Manafort was dredged up in a net cast by one of their own, of course to them a minute feels like a lifetime of waiting for Mueller to administer a golden shower on the Trumparade. Right wing-dings and assorted seedy sites are all a buzz these last couple of days, it's something to behold. Half the denizens of the right-wing sites are moaning about Mueller's temerity for marking Manafort's card while looking into collusion, because they are convinced that if enough time washes over a felony it somehow erases it from time. The other half are splitting up into feral gangs of half-witted know it alls, some lamenting the millions of years Mueller took last week to sharpen his pencil, some scoffing at the entire process secure in their own conviction that collusion isn't even a crime, wrongly of course. It's something else to see, much less believe. It astounds me that in all of the bellyaching not one man-Jack of them is remotely troubled that Trump has the likes of Cohen and Manafort in his orbit to start with. Not so much as an eye-brow is raised when Trump holds Manafort up as if he were the very essence of American heroism in the face of injustice, despite the fact he's nothing more than a common thief, proven so and convicted thus.
I just don't get it...on the one hand, you have the evangelicals showering Trump with mulligans for his marital indiscretions, and on the other hand you've got the bulk of rural white America who are seemingly tickety-boo with their man in the white house cavorting with Ruskies and thick with thieves and fakirs.
Not a single moral compass to be found in this rabble...all the lies, meh. All the shady deals, meh. All the swampy cabinet cronies, meh. All the naked bigotry, meh. None it makes so much as a tear in the moral fibre of these Sunday-morning popes. And why is that? was it that while trump was going financially bankrupt ten years ago, they thought they'd lend him brethren support by going morally bankrupt?
Nah...all I can tell is it's the timeless American right-wing past-time, all these bellends will happily plug their noses and look askance, so long as a woman, a black, a Latino or god forbid and flap me sideways, a homosexual not gain power in their democracy again.
Moral cowardice fueled by generational bigotry...and a few guys take a knee during the anthem that celebrates this behaviour and they are the un-Americans...fuck me. It's backwards land all over again.
LL&P
Even one of Trump's lawyers (now ex-lawyer), John Dowd, contributed twice the legal limit... pretty standard FEC "paper" violations, but it tells you everything you need to know about the gullibility of the Trump cultists that they'd fall for the false equivalency bullshit spewing forth from Their Orange Worship comparing civil FEC violations with criminal ones.
Pay no attention to the fact that the Trump campaign also was fined for routine "paper" FEC violations in the same manner as the Obama campaign; the Trump con that Donald is pushing today and that the minions have bought into hook, line, and sinker and spewed back like useful idiots is that routine civil FEC violations are the exact same thing as the criminal conspiracies by Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, and another business entity to illegally buy the silence of multiple persons.
It takes a special kind of stupid to keep falling for the Trump cons and spewing them back over and over ad nauseum on cue, but here we are. Additionally, it takes a monumentally special kind of ignorance to go live on national television and admit to paying two women to stay quiet shortly before the 2016 election, but then Trump is indeed a moron. :)
Russ
61
We have known that Trump is a Russian tool ever since he stood in front of the American public and asked hackers to go after Clinton’s emails.
In. Plain. Sight. On. Live. Television.
It's like they're deaf, dumb, and blind. :)
The longer you refuse to admit that you helped a foreign government gain a foothold into our government, the harder it will be to not bust out laughing anytime you talk about being “patriotic”!
I know, right!? Putin's "Patriotic" Puppets! :)
Russ,
We have known Trump is a Russian tool ever since Trump claimed he had no ties to Russian money despite what his sons have told the press in the past:
Bullshit.. You have NO FACTS that prove that, even now..
Mueller has been investigating for 15 months.
In that time he has charged over 30 people.
He is charging people at a rate of 2 per month.
And the vast majority of the people charged are in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
And NONE of that has **ANYTHING** to do with President Trump...
This is fact...