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[Mueller Investigation] Trump/Russian 2016 election interference et al

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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    Wait, can we force private citizens to go to hostile foreign powers to be disappeared or worse?

    I thought this was America?!
    Yeah I'm under the impression that extradition requires treaties to do so and I dunno if we have one with Russia.

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    GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    Brody wrote: »
    Whats this about handing over ambassadors? Did I miss something in the last thread?

    The "really interesting" deal that Putin proposed in Helsinki was to allow Mueller to interview the agents he indicted last Friday in exchange for the US sending to Russia persons of interest related to Magnitsky to face "justice." One of those is former Ambassador to Russia McCaul.

    No. The deal was for Russia to “help us in our investigation”. It was 100% not to give us the indicted Russians.

    The part about the indicted Russians was added later by the White House.

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    autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    Every day im still surprised by the newest lows reached. At some point, you should reach the middle and actually dig up again technically, shouldn't you? But not.

    I still get shocked by the absolutely brazen malice and incompetence of this foreign installed excuse for an administration obviously meant to topple America and destroy its future.
    There's no more hiding, and not even any good attempts at gaslighting anymore.

    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
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    enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    Goumindong wrote: »
    Brody wrote: »
    Whats this about handing over ambassadors? Did I miss something in the last thread?

    The "really interesting" deal that Putin proposed in Helsinki was to allow Mueller to interview the agents he indicted last Friday in exchange for the US sending to Russia persons of interest related to Magnitsky to face "justice." One of those is former Ambassador to Russia McCaul.

    No. The deal was for Russia to “help us in our investigation”. It was 100% not to give us the indicted Russians.

    The part about the indicted Russians was added later by the White House.

    I think it was interview... in Russia. Putin was never going to give them to us. Well, actually he was never going to do any of it because it wasn't a serious proposal.

    Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    Has anybody mentioned this?

    Based on screenshots posted by a former Playboy model in response to a Sun story about her sending topless photos and sexual messages to Guccifer 2.0 , the Russian hackers encouraged the Seth Rich conspiracy theory.


    I am not sure if what I just said made any sense or was just gibberish.

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    PhillisherePhillishere Registered User regular
    Henroid wrote: »
    Wait, can we force private citizens to go to hostile foreign powers to be disappeared or worse?

    I thought this was America?!
    Yeah I'm under the impression that extradition requires treaties to do so and I dunno if we have one with Russia.

    We have been doing extraordinary renditions for citizens of other countries for awhile for torture and execution, including at least citizens of allies. It is just that it is a pretty big step to start doing it to senior level former federal employees.

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    GoumindongGoumindong Registered User regular
    Goumindong wrote: »
    Brody wrote: »
    Whats this about handing over ambassadors? Did I miss something in the last thread?

    The "really interesting" deal that Putin proposed in Helsinki was to allow Mueller to interview the agents he indicted last Friday in exchange for the US sending to Russia persons of interest related to Magnitsky to face "justice." One of those is former Ambassador to Russia McCaul.

    No. The deal was for Russia to “help us in our investigation”. It was 100% not to give us the indicted Russians.

    The part about the indicted Russians was added later by the White House.

    I think it was interview... in Russia. Putin was never going to give them to us. Well, actually he was never going to do any of it because it wasn't a serious proposal.

    The original translation I read made no mention of the 12 indicted people. But rather that “Russia would gladly cooperate with intelligence agencies to get to the bottom of it”. He was essentially suggesting that the FSB get direct access to our investigation in exchange for us giving him a US Ambassador.

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    ForarForar #432 Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited July 2018
    Couscous wrote: »
    I am not sure if what I just said made any sense or was just gibberish.

    ... I'll get the red twine.

    Forar on
    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
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    MorganVMorganV Registered User regular
    Wait, can we force private citizens to go to hostile foreign powers to be disappeared or worse?

    I thought this was America?!
    I bolded the operative word.

    It used to be. At least ostensibly. But with this chucklefuck in charge, and with McConnell fucking up the Senate (and Ryan trying and failing in the House), all the usual decorum and accepted traditions (like not extraditing former ambassadors) seem to be a thing of the past.

    This isn't just on Trump, though he's by far the most egregious. Because he's too lazily ignorant to know this isn't something that should be done.

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    No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    Couscous wrote: »
    Has anybody mentioned this?

    Based on screenshots posted by a former Playboy model in response to a Sun story about her sending topless photos and sexual messages to Guccifer 2.0 , the Russian hackers encouraged the Seth Rich conspiracy theory.


    I am not sure if what I just said made any sense or was just gibberish.

    JFC Americans are really goddamn stupid.

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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    MuddBudd wrote: »
    I'm going to take a wild guess that Putin's diplomatic immunity protects him from getting snagged by Mueller?

    Most likely.

    It'd likely follow with a formal declaration of war by Russia.

    I can't imagine the international community at large would be too upset by someone doing it in this specific case though, as heinous as it would be to do something like that even once.

    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    SpawnbrokerSpawnbroker Registered User regular
    Every day im still surprised by the newest lows reached. At some point, you should reach the middle and actually dig up again technically, shouldn't you? But not.

    I still get shocked by the absolutely brazen malice and incompetence of this foreign installed excuse for an administration obviously meant to topple America and destroy its future.
    There's no more hiding, and not even any good attempts at gaslighting anymore.

    We have reached the "I did it and it was awesome!" stage of the gaslighting.

    Steam: Spawnbroker
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    SpaffySpaffy Fuck the Zero Registered User regular
    Fencingsax wrote: »
    Elvenshae wrote: »
    Loving the thread title, @So It Goes

    So this just popped up my newsfeed - surrounded by all this hargle-bargle coming out of Helsinki, Trump has elected to invite Putin to the White House this fall, via an invite from his National Security Advisor.

    And DNI Dan Coats found out...by CNN reporting on the invite while he was speaking on air.

    Well that's spiffy

    I came as fast as I cou- oh.

    NO COLLUSION

    ALRIGHT FINE I GOT AN AVATAR
    Steam: adamjnet
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    shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited July 2018
    Here's the video of Coats finding out:



    ABC News is a news desk at a major broadcaster.

    Wow...he's just blindsided.

    He doesn't look that blindsided. He looks like he's taking it like it's a joke. "The White House tweeted" she says and he's already got his comedy face on, anticipating the joke. I can't read wtf he really thinks if he doesn't just think this is all hilarious.

    Either way, it's basically another indication of the extent to which Trump does not understand anything but authoritarian rule. He doesn't do process, he simply thinks he says and so it happens. And his courtiers scramble to deal with it.

    shryke on
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    CptHamiltonCptHamilton Registered User regular
    shryke wrote: »
    Here's the video of Coats finding out:



    ABC News is a news desk at a major broadcaster.

    Wow...he's just blindsided.

    He doesn't look that blindsided. He looks like he's taking it like it's a joke. "The White House tweeted" she says and he's already got his comedy face on, anticipating the joke. I can't read wtf he really thinks if he doesn't just think this is all hilarious.

    Either way, it's basically another indication of the extent to which Trump does not understand anything but authoritarian rule. He doesn't do process, he simply thinks he says and so it happens. And his courtiers scramble to deal with it.

    I've worked in an environment before where the boss was an absolutely unstable moron who could be counted on to regularly do things which scaled somewhere between 'weird' and 'a federal crime' but who somehow avoided any serious consequences every single time. This is pretty much the sort of reaction we would have to any statement beginning with, "So this morning Marty..." and ending with "promised the client <something impossible>" or "claimed credit for all of our work" or, in one instance, "lied to the Air Force about his security clearance status so he could get into a meeting".

    Once you've been pissed off, dumbfounded, shocked, horrified, and stressed the fuck out long enough the human response is to laugh because fuck it, what else are you going to do?

    He can't very well go off on Trump on air. He probably can't even go off on Trump off-air. The best he can do, and what was probably formulating in his head while he tried to laugh and project confidence into the live TV cameras, is come up with a way to very sternly warn the President that this is a bad idea in a way that doesn't make Trump throw a tantrum.

    PSN,Steam,Live | CptHamiltonian
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    SixSix Caches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhex Registered User regular
    Trump continues to just do whatever he wants because there’s been no reason not to. There aren’t any consequences, so why would he change how he behaves?

    can you feel the struggle within?
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    SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited July 2018
    kaid wrote: »
    KetBra wrote: »
    Here's the video of Coats finding out:



    ABC News is a news desk at a major broadcaster.

    Wow...he's just blindsided.

    He needs to resign.

    Yes and frankly until trump gives a firm no we are not going to hand over former ambasadors over to russia every ambassador and foreign office worker should resign immediately because clearly it is not safe for them to be abroad with Trump as president.

    Well, for what little it's worth: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/19/politics/senate-votes-republicans-russia/index.html
    Washington (CNN)The Senate approved a resolution to oppose sending US officials to be interrogated by Russian officials on Thursday, following a weeklong clash between congressional Republicans and the White House over the US relationship to Russia.
    The 98-0 vote came after the White House announced it now disagreed with the proposal from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
    The resolution expressed the sense of the Senate that no current or former diplomat, civil servant, law enforcement official, member of the armed forces or political appointee should be made available to Putin's government for an interrogation. The proposal was produced by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

    EDIT: from that same article
    The vote followed another one earlier Thursday, where a top Senate Republican leader blocked passage of a nonbinding bipartisan resolution -- proposed by another Republican senator -- backing the US intelligence community.

    Spoit on
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    PantsBPantsB Fake Thomas Jefferson Registered User regular
    Fencingsax wrote: »
    More terrifying is everyone treating it as a hilarious joke.

    Well Coats is a professional, so it's probably not going to be fbombs. And everyone else is just "well fuck it."

    Coates was Senator from Indiana until the 2016 election, he's not a professional except compared to Trump

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    QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Yeah if McCaul goes over there for questioning he either isn't coming back or he's coming back after being "bigliest" enhanced interrogated.

    The proper response from a president should have been to say with a giant smile "go fuck yourself. I know you speak english well enough to understand what I'm saying when I tell you ~yes you~ to go fuck yourself so go and do it, right over there in the corner and when you get done come back here and we'll try this again. No this isn't a polite suggestion it's me telling you to do it. Now."

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    shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    edited July 2018
    shryke wrote: »
    Here's the video of Coats finding out:



    ABC News is a news desk at a major broadcaster.

    Wow...he's just blindsided.

    He doesn't look that blindsided. He looks like he's taking it like it's a joke. "The White House tweeted" she says and he's already got his comedy face on, anticipating the joke. I can't read wtf he really thinks if he doesn't just think this is all hilarious.

    Either way, it's basically another indication of the extent to which Trump does not understand anything but authoritarian rule. He doesn't do process, he simply thinks he says and so it happens. And his courtiers scramble to deal with it.

    I've worked in an environment before where the boss was an absolutely unstable moron who could be counted on to regularly do things which scaled somewhere between 'weird' and 'a federal crime' but who somehow avoided any serious consequences every single time. This is pretty much the sort of reaction we would have to any statement beginning with, "So this morning Marty..." and ending with "promised the client <something impossible>" or "claimed credit for all of our work" or, in one instance, "lied to the Air Force about his security clearance status so he could get into a meeting".

    Once you've been pissed off, dumbfounded, shocked, horrified, and stressed the fuck out long enough the human response is to laugh because fuck it, what else are you going to do?

    He can't very well go off on Trump on air. He probably can't even go off on Trump off-air. The best he can do, and what was probably formulating in his head while he tried to laugh and project confidence into the live TV cameras, is come up with a way to very sternly warn the President that this is a bad idea in a way that doesn't make Trump throw a tantrum.

    He's not desperation laughing. He's fucking mugging for the camera.

    He's not some fucking professional you guys, he's a GOP congressman Trump shove into the position. Don't act like he's got integrity here.

    shryke on
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    HakkekageHakkekage Space Whore Academy summa cum laudeRegistered User regular
    Guys it’s McFaul

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    SurfpossumSurfpossum A nonentity trying to preserve the anonymity he so richly deserves.Registered User regular
    edited July 2018
    shryke wrote: »
    shryke wrote: »
    Here's the video of Coats finding out:



    ABC News is a news desk at a major broadcaster.

    Wow...he's just blindsided.

    He doesn't look that blindsided. He looks like he's taking it like it's a joke. "The White House tweeted" she says and he's already got his comedy face on, anticipating the joke. I can't read wtf he really thinks if he doesn't just think this is all hilarious.

    Either way, it's basically another indication of the extent to which Trump does not understand anything but authoritarian rule. He doesn't do process, he simply thinks he says and so it happens. And his courtiers scramble to deal with it.

    I've worked in an environment before where the boss was an absolutely unstable moron who could be counted on to regularly do things which scaled somewhere between 'weird' and 'a federal crime' but who somehow avoided any serious consequences every single time. This is pretty much the sort of reaction we would have to any statement beginning with, "So this morning Marty..." and ending with "promised the client <something impossible>" or "claimed credit for all of our work" or, in one instance, "lied to the Air Force about his security clearance status so he could get into a meeting".

    Once you've been pissed off, dumbfounded, shocked, horrified, and stressed the fuck out long enough the human response is to laugh because fuck it, what else are you going to do?

    He can't very well go off on Trump on air. He probably can't even go off on Trump off-air. The best he can do, and what was probably formulating in his head while he tried to laugh and project confidence into the live TV cameras, is come up with a way to very sternly warn the President that this is a bad idea in a way that doesn't make Trump throw a tantrum.

    He's not desperation laughing. He's fucking mugging for the camera.
    As a dentist, I'd say look at the way he grips the chair, taps his pinkies together, and starts bouncing his legs.

    (I mean, he very well could be trying to smooth things over for the audience's benefit, but he seems rather discomforted by the news.)

    ((Also I mostly just wanted to say "as a dentist."))

    Surfpossum on
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    Mr RayMr Ray Sarcasm sphereRegistered User regular
    edited July 2018
    Couscous wrote: »

    Here's a worrying thought, is Butina being charged with state, or federal level crimes? Could Trump theoretically pardon her if convicted?

    Mr Ray on
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    XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    Federal I'd assume

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    ZekZek Registered User regular
    Pardoning someone for a Russia-related crime is an enormous political risk for Trump. The only incentive he has to do it is if it will keep them from testifying against him, which isn't even a guarantee. And the more obvious it is that this was Trump's motivation for pardoning them, the worse it is for him politically.

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    Styrofoam SammichStyrofoam Sammich WANT. normal (not weird)Registered User regular
    I know at this point basically nothing will do it at this point, but pardoning an actual honest to god foreign spy might actually peel off some Republicans at least a little.

    wq09t4opzrlc.jpg
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    CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    Pardoning Maria Butina wouldn't endanger anyone (she already made all her reports to her masters: they know everything she knows) and it'd make the Russian collusion even more undeniable than it already is. So not too scary.

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    SmurphSmurph Registered User regular
    It's worth noting that Putin's deal that Trump thought was "very interesting" wasn't to let Mueller indict anyone or even interview them himself. Mueller would be allowed to go to Russia and watch the Russians interview the indicted Russians. Putin never offered to send them to the US.

    In exchange, Trump would arrest innocent American civilians and send them to Russia to be questioned by Russians. Also Mueller would go to Russia and hey who knows what would happen to him, he might get sick.

    It seems like the Russians were just like "Holy shit, he's giving us everything, what else can we ask for? Lets go nuts!" mode

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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    The only way i see trump getting away with a pardon on a know spy would be if Putin gave up something *huge;* we're talking full withdrawl from crimea Huge.

    Putin won't do that though. One burnt spy in return for ensuring more chaos in the US? fucking bargain.

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    Undead ScottsmanUndead Scottsman Registered User regular
    I know at this point basically nothing will do it at this point, but pardoning an actual honest to god foreign spy might actually peel off some Republicans at least a little.

    Why?

    Especially when it'd be framed as Trump taking on those libby liberals in the DOJ who are out of control and way overstepping their authority.

    Everybody knows what's up. The only way that this Russia stuff actually hurts Trump (and thus would distance the GOP from him) is if his base cares about it, and so far, it appears the only thing they care about is whether or not Trump looks like what they think a badass looks like.

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    No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    yeah, wrt a pardon for Butina, there's no real upside and plenty of downsides, so naturally, OF COURSE Trump will do it.

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    CalicaCalica Registered User regular
    So It Goes wrote: »
    There's a vast realm of human reactions between yukyuk and violence.

    Yeah, like nervous laughter.

    I mean we obviously read it differently, but when he wants to just laugh about it like he's another powerless passenger on this shitty ride and not the Director of National Intelligence fucks to him.

    Laughter, particularly nervous laughter, is often involuntary and all but impossible to control. Quit being a goose.

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    ViskodViskod Registered User regular
    He might pardon Flynn, because Flynn is only going to be charged with lying and have a minimal sentence.

    Once Manafort is found guilty of like, all of the crimes in the known universe, I don’t think he’ll pardon him. I think there will be too much there for him to spin a way out of even for Fox News,

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    SixSix Caches Tweets in the mainframe cyberhex Registered User regular
    Trump is not in a position to get anything of value from Putin, nor is he capable of doing it.

    can you feel the struggle within?
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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Viskod wrote: »
    He might pardon Flynn, because Flynn is only going to be charged with lying and have a minimal sentence.

    Once Manafort is found guilty of like, all of the crimes in the known universe, I don’t think he’ll pardon him. I think there will be too much there for him to spin a way out of even for Fox News,

    Flynn is being charged with a minor crime as part of a plea agreement; if he doesn't fully co-operate with the investigation he and his son are straight fucked.

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    ViskodViskod Registered User regular
    I know. I expect he’ll cooperate and get a minimal sentence.

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    ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    Xaquin wrote: »
    Federal I'd assume

    It's definitely federal. Assistant Attorneys General made the announcement.

    PSN: idontworkhere582 | CFN: idontworkhere | Steam: lordbutters | Amazon Wishlist
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    GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    Like, Flynn might be the first person in the history f the united states to straight up refuse a presidential pardon.

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    No-QuarterNo-Quarter Nothing To Fear But Fear ItselfRegistered User regular
    I know at this point basically nothing will do it at this point, but pardoning an actual honest to god foreign spy might actually peel off some Republicans at least a little.

    Everybody knows what's up. The only way that this Russia stuff actually hurts Trump (and thus would distance the GOP from him) is if his base cares about it, and so far, it appears the only thing they care about is whether or not Trump looks like what they think a badass looks like.

    I don't agree with this. There is certainly a hardened core of true-believers, but they are utterly dwarfed by the numbers of people who are either apathetic or simply half-informed.

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    Captain InertiaCaptain Inertia Registered User regular
    I think the ones who realize Russia isn’t their friend are some of the ones that are retiring.

This discussion has been closed.