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Author Topic: Corruption in Government  (Read 57579 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #795 on: November 15, 2018, 11:29:15 pm »
Chris Hedges on the Ruleless-ness Tearing Our World Apart (Video)

by CHRIS HEDGES NOV 14, 2018


The Pulitzer Prize-winner delves into the "deep psychological distress" Americans have been plunged into as meaningful communal bonds are shattered.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 02:04:23 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #796 on: November 16, 2018, 12:25:52 pm »
LDF (Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.), Defend. Educate. Empower.


The midterm election proved that voter suppression is alive and well. Here's a quick overview of what voters encountered in key states where LDF staff and volunteers were on the ground as part of our Prepared to Vote initiative:

Georgia—Voter Registrations Blocked: Before the election, the state attempted to block 53,000 voter registration applications, most of which were from African Americans. On Election Day, voters encountered long lines and malfunctioning voting machines. Some polling places were even changed without notice. Now, over a week after the election, votes for Georgia's next governor are still being recounted.

Alabama—Black Students Denied the Vote: LDF filed a complaint on behalf of four Black college students who were denied the right to vote in Madison County. Across the state, voters encountered barriers to the ballot because of “inactive voter” lists, inaccurate voter registration lists, mismatches between addresses on photo ID and registered addresses, and poorly trained poll workers.

South Carolina—Machines Changing Votes: In Richland County, voters reported that machines were changing their votes. There was only one technician assigned to recalibrate malfunctioning machines for every five polling places, resulting in long wait times during the morning hours.

Texas—Early Voting Cut for Students: Last month, LDF filed a lawsuit on behalf of students at Prairie A&M University who are being disenfranchised by attempts to curtail early voting on campus. On Election Day, Texas voters encountered challenges with malfunctioning or broken machines, polling place changes, and long wait times for public transportation for voters with disabilities.

Barriers to the ballot in these states and others revealed renewed efforts to restrict voters' rights. Our report on the obstacles we encountered underscores the ongoing impact of voter suppression on racial minorities and the need for greater protections and election reform.

LDF has fought diligently over the past year to defend civil rights, and we will continue to ensure that all voters can exercise their fundamental right to vote. Watch this video to learn more and help us keep fighting with a donation in support of equality.


NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
40 Rector Street, 5th floor   •  New York, NY 10006


A brief snapshot of a few of the voting issues the LDF team observed on the ground and learned about on Election Day

SNIPPET:

Quote
TEXAS

In Tarrant and Dallas counties, Texas voters encountered challenges with malfunctioning or broken machines, polling place changes, and long wait times for public transportation for voters with disabilities.

At the Lakeside Recreation Center precinct, voters—most of whom were people of color—were turned away for attempting to vote at the wrong location. The precinct lines changed 😈 from the previous election, but the voters did not receive notice.

In Harris County, long delays in the morning hours at polling sites around the county resulted in a judicial order to
extend polling place evening hours at nine locations

READ MORE about ELECTION RIGGING in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina AND Missouri:


Quote
Democracy Defended, our full report on the 2018 midterm elections, which will also include an analysis of pre-Election Day voter suppression activities, is forthcoming.

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
40 Rector Street, 5th floor   •  New York, NY 10006

Agelbert NOTE: A more appropriate title for the forthcoming LDF full report would be "Democracy Destroyed" or "Democracy Attacked". 

Response to the above irrefutable evidence of  REPUBLICAN FASCIST ELECTION RIGGING by Right Wing BIGOTS (see below):





ANOTHER Agelbert NOTE: It is no coincidence that the very same racist PIGS who rig elections in the USA are in total alignment with the Hydrocarbon Hellspawn destroying our environment for profit over planet. They are ALL "Birds" of the VERY SAME empathy deficit disordered, hate filled, vile, despicable, rampant greed driven "feather". 


He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #797 on: November 19, 2018, 11:24:47 pm »

Proof of Collusion
How Trump Betrayed America

By Seth Abramson

For the first time, the full, explosive record of the unthinkable: how a US president compromised American foreign policy in exchange for the promise of future business and covert election assistance.

Looking back at this moment in history, historians will ask if Americans knew they were living through the first case of criminal conspiracy between an American presidential candidate turned commander in chief and a geopolitical enemy. The answer might be: it was hard to see the whole picture. The stories coming in from around the globe have often seemed fantastical: clandestine meetings in foreign capitals, secret recordings in a Moscow hotel, Kremlin agents infiltrating the Trump inner circle...

Seth Abramson has tracked every one of these far-flung reports and now, in Proof of Collusion, he finally gives us a record of the unthinkable - a president compromising American foreign policy in exchange for the promise of future business and covert election assistance. The attorney, professor and former criminal investigator has used his exacting legal mind and forensic acumen to compile, organise and analyse every piece of the Trump-Russia story. His conclusion is clear: the case for collusion is staring us in the face. Drawing from American and European news outlets, he takes readers through the Trump-Russia scandal chronologically, putting the developments in context and showing how they connect. His extraordinary march through all the public evidence includes:

* How Trump worked for thirty years to expand his real estate empire into Russia even as he was rescued from bankruptcy by Putin’s oligarchs and Kremlin agents.

* How Russian intelligence gathered compromising material on him over multiple trips.

* How Trump recruited Russian allies and business partners while running for president.

* How he surrounded himself with advisers who engaged in clandestine negotiations with Russia.

* How Trump aides and family members held secret meetings with foreign agents and lied about them.


By pulling every last thread of this complicated story together, Abramson argues that - even in the absence of a Congressional investigation or a report from Special Counsel Mueller - the public record already indicates a quid pro quo between Trump and the Kremlin. The most extraordinary part of the case for collusion is that so much of it unfolded in plain sight.  :o  >:( 

http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Proof-of-Collusion/Seth-Abramson/9781471182389
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AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #798 on: November 21, 2018, 01:53:18 pm »
Adam Schiff slam dunks Donald Trump


Bill Palmer | 9:09 am EST November 21, 2018

Palmer Report » Analysis

Unless you spent the weekend under a rock, you’ve heard by now that Donald Trump lashed out at incoming House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff by idiotically referring to him as “Adam Schitt.” This prompted Schiff to fire back by making light of Trump’s insistence that he wrote the answers to Robert Mueller’s questions himself. Now that Trump is in new trouble, Schiff is taking aim at him accordingly.

Donald Trump released a shameful and treasonous statement siding with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who murdered American journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Adam Schiff fired back in this manner: “To say “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t,” or that we are incapable of finding out the truth, or that knowing the truth our silence can be bought with arms sales, undermines the Presidency, credibility of our intelligence professionals, and our role as a champion of human rights.”

Then came the news that back in April, Donald Trump tried to have Hillary Clinton and James Comey prosecuted on false charges. Schiff fired back again: “To those who have said that Trump is committed to the rule of law, and that he would never seek to turn his personal or political animus into criminal prosecution of his opponents: He is not. And he would. We must pass legislation to protect Mueller before it’s too late.”

The important part here is that, after having spent the past two years stuck as minority ranking member on the House Intel Committee, Adam Schiff is now just a few weeks from becoming majority Chairman. This means Schiff will have subpoena power and the ability to hold public hearings into every one of Donald Trump’s scandals. In other words, Schiff will soon be able to slam dunk Trump with far more than just words.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/adam-schiff-slam-dunks-trump/14156/


Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo were treasonously plotting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from the start

Tim Faulkner | 12:01 pm EST November 21, 2018

Palmer Report » Analysis

Even as Donald Trump publicly sides today with Saudi Arabia, we’re learning that current United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, delivered a detailed plan to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an attempt at assisting in the coverup of the murder of American resident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This is according to a new bombshell story from the Middle East Eye. If proven true, this would be an outrageous attempt by the Donald Trump administration to cover up a crime against the United States by a foreign leader.

Just as Trump did when he sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the American Intelligence community, Trump is now siding with Saudi leaders over the CIA, which stated that MBS ordered the torture and murder of Khashoggi. According to the Middle East Eye’s source, Pompeo delivered the elaborate coverup plan, a step-by-step procedure to avoid culpability for the king and crown prince, in person during a meeting in Riyadh on October 16, exactly two weeks after Khashoggi’s death.

The plan involved scapegoating an innocent member of the ruling Saudi family to protect top leaders from any political or criminal fallout. Such a blatant attempt to prevent justice and protect ruthless murderers would cause worldwide outrage, but the fact that top officials in Trump’s administration were the masterminds behind the plan is stunning. Even before the story bringing Pompeo into the conspiracy came out, human rights groups across the globe were demanding the United States uncover the truth.

It now appears that top intelligence officials in the Trump administration were well aware of what happened, but instead of working to make the facts public, they did everything they could to help protect those involved in ordering the gruesome murder. “When Pompeo declared on 18 October that Saudi Arabia should be given ‘a few more days’ to complete its investigation into the case, he was giving them time to begin implementing his plan,” according to the source. While this story is sure to attract worldwide scrutiny, Trump might (temporarily) enjoy the distraction from all of the indictments of Special Counsel Robert Mueller that are likely coming soon.

Click here to help fund Palmer Report's editorial takedown of Donald Trump!

Be sure to follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for our mailing list.

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/pompeo-plottng-treason-start-trump/14149/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #799 on: November 22, 2018, 08:14:34 pm »
The old FOX IN THE HENHOUSE trick

This must hear Thom Hartmann Podcast exposes how Trump AND crooked Judge Kavanagh helped deep six JFK assassination files AND gave the CIA a pass for OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. Senator Mitch McConnell is also part of this continued cover up. How come? Mitch McConnell was an intern on the Warren Commission whitewash! 

November 22, 2018 Podcast
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #800 on: November 24, 2018, 10:15:36 pm »


Tomorrow is Yesterday...
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #801 on: November 27, 2018, 04:47:43 pm »
Sinking Donald Trump declares war on General Motors, CNN, Robert Mueller, and well, just about everyone

Bill Palmer | 12:30 am EST November 27, 2018

Palmer Report » Analysis

Donald Trump is having a particularly bad day. How do we know this? Just ask Donald Trump. He’s spent the day declaring war against, well, just about everyone. This isn’t some kind of power move, either. He’s making empty threats that he knows he can’t carry out, he’s lashing out at everyone who’s defying him or making him look bad, and he’s running out of designated enemies.

Trump spent the morning attacking Robert Mueller and the Trump-Russia investigation, the latest sign that Trump’s Matt Whitaker stunt hasn’t worked, and that Trump is as frustrated with Mueller’s ongoing progress as ever. Then Trump posted a multi-part tweet all but calling for the worldwide destruction of CNN, and hinting at launching state-run television in its place (no, he can’t make this happen). But then came Trump’s feud with General Motors.

GM announced today that, largely due to Donald Trump’s failed trade war, it’ll be shedding large chunks of its American workforce. Trump promised that he would magically bring back American automotive jobs, but instead his disastrous economic policies have made things worse. Now Trump is lashing out at GM, insisting that the car maker “better put something else in” to replace the lost U.S. jobs. That’s obviously not going to happen.

If this storyline sounds familiar, it’s because Donald Trump previously had a similar feud with iconic American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson. Trump demanded that Harley keep the jobs in the United States, but Harley took them overseas anyway, and of course Trump has done nothing about it. Ford has also slashed manufacturing jobs due to Trump’s trade war.

But the bigger story here may be that Donald Trump just keeps declaring war on one American cornerstone after another, whether it be a respected public official like Mueller, or a respected news outlet like CNN, or a bedrock car company like General Motors. As Trump circles the drain, he’s now at war with everyone – except for the thugs running Russia and Saudi Arabia. But then again, he personally owes them money.

Click here to help fund Palmer Report's editorial takedown of Donald Trump!

Be sure to follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for our mailing list.

Bill Palmer



Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report


https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/war-general-motors-cnn-mueller/14258/

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #802 on: November 27, 2018, 05:13:32 pm »

Chris Hedges - The American Empire 😈👹🦍💵🎩🍌🏴‍☠️ Will Collapse Within a Decade, Two at Most (11-19-18)

46,633 views


VulgarTrader

Published on Nov 20, 2018

Here, Chris speaks with CBC Radio about his new book and predicts that the US empire will collapse within the next 20 years, probably within the next 10.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #803 on: November 28, 2018, 05:30:17 pm »
PART OF THE TRUTHOUT SERIES Progressive Picks

BY Karen Garcia, Sardonicky

PUBLISHED November 28, 2018


SNIPPET 1:

Quote
With about eight dynasties now possessing as much money as half the entire world’s population combined, it is impossible to ignore the fact that extreme wealth inequality is antithetical to the health and future of humanity and every other living thing on earth.


SNIPPET 2:

Quote
Meanwhile, back in the US capitol, House Speaker-in-Waiting Nancy Pelosi 👎 took to the pay-walled pages of the Amazon Empire’s Washington Post mouthpiece in yet another attempt to convince the oppressed that her plutocratic Congress is in their corner.

But her words can’t help but betray that the Democratic Party’s toothless new “restoring democracy” legislation is simply more sugar-coating of the continued oppression of ordinary people by the Amazon-America League of Oligarchs. She follows the neoliberal playbook of diagnosing the lethal cancer and then prescribing band-aids to keep it nicely hidden. The “big tells” are highlighted in my bold.

Full article:

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #804 on: November 29, 2018, 12:35:40 pm »
Thom Hartmann thinks Trump 😈 is doing the Nixon (pretending to be totally nuts dangerous for negotiation purposes) strategy combined with the Goebbels dictate for Hitler. 👹

Goebbels told Hitler, in no uncertain terms, that they could control the populace, even though they had minority support, IF, and ONLY if, they kept everyone off balance. The other advice Goebbels is mostly known for is the Big Lie. Actually, Goebbels proposed both those ethicallly bankrupt strategies as part of a formula to achieve dictatorial power.

This required food fights, spats (real or not), outrageous demands, etc. to dominate the news cycle while a lot of 'progress' on their heinous plans went on behind the scenes until total dictatorial power was obtained.

I think Trump is following that script. I think the Koch Brothers 🦕🦖 handed it to him.

QUOTE:

"One longtime Koch lieutenant characterized the overall strategy of Koch's libertarian funding over the years with both a theatrical metaphor and an Austrian capital theory one: Politicians, ultimately, are just actors playing out a script. The idea is, one gets better and quicker results aiming not at the actors but at the scriptwriters, to help supply the themes and words for the scripts – to try to influence the areas where policy ideas percolate from: academia and think tanks. Ideas, then, are the capital goods that go into building policy as a finished product – and there are insufficient libertarian capital goods at the top of the structure of production to build the policies libertarians demand."

Read more:

The political activities of the Koch brothers include the financial and political influence of Charles G. 🦕 and David H. 🦖 Koch on United States politics.



An interesting documentary on Nixon. It leaves some important stuff out, of course. BUT, it does offer some clues about nixon's behavior not many people know about:


Reputations: The Secret World of Richard Nixon, Part One (BBC, 2000)

126,479 views


Jack Graham

Published on Aug 12, 2016

The first of a two part Reputations special, originally aired on BBC 2 in 2000.  This episode reveals Nixon's dangerous and unstable private personality, and how it deformed his political career and presidency.

PART 2


Jack Graham

Published on Aug 12, 2016

The second of a two part Reputations special, originally aired on BBC 2 in 2000.  This episode reveals Nixon's conspiracy to sabotage the 1968 peace talks with Vietnam in order to extend the war, allowing a Nixon election victory later that same year at the cost of thousands of preventable deaths.


He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #805 on: November 30, 2018, 02:56:09 pm »
In real socialism, or communism, the bureaucrats get all the goodies. Cuba is a case in point.

So it's better that Eddie Lampert, Carl Icahn and Jamie Dimon get all the Goodies? ??? 

RE

Good one. 👍 ;D

You see, RE, the issue with Capitalist Ideology is not so much WHO gets the goodies. Capitalist Ideologues are basically immune to being convinced of the LACK of merit of Capitalism. Any other type of economic system credited with attempting to reduce inequality in society will always be mocked as a scam.

Captalist ideology, of course, requires the demonization of any system (e.g. Socialism) that attempts to reduce greed based inequality. However, all the endlessly and boringly repeated "evidence" presented "justifying" Capitalism as the "best" system is not really what drives the Capitalist to vigorously defend Capitalist Ideology (often by vigorously attacking egalitarian Ideologies like Socialism).

What drives the CAPITALIST iDEOLOGY IS not PROFIT.   

What drives the Capitalist Ideology is a (flawed) World View. But, but, aren't Capitalists all aout profit?



NOPE.

Here's a clue to what is behind the diamond hard ideological shell Capitalists surround themselves with that prevents them from objectively measuring the merits of egalitarian economic systems like Socialism.

Quote
"Capitalist ideology claims that the world is perfectly ordered and everybody is in their place (i..e. everybody gets what they deserve). This self legitmating aspect of Capitalism is Socially Catastrophic. This is the Victorian view of the world." Rob Urie - Author " Zen Economics"

IOW, Capitalist WORLD VIEW, which I once mistakenly shared, embodies a firm belief  that human relations are governed by pecking order. This half truth morphs, in the Capitalist's mind, into accepting that the most predatory, aggressive, intelligent, manipulative, etc. (you get the idea - might is right and morality is for the weak) will ALWAYS rise to the top of the pecking order heap, no matter what the economic system. SO, since most people who buy this Malthusean World View do not consider themselves at the totally consciense free "ideal" elite level of pecking order, they ask themselves how best they can survive, and possibly thrive, in this jungle.

They look at Socialism and expect (see: Predatory Pecking Order World View) that everybody is going to have gooberment breathing down their necks while the "big boys rake it in at the top". They look at Capitalism where everybody is getting shafted, more or less, by the big boys raking it in at the top, BUT, there is theoretically more freedom from gooberment "interference" at the middle class level.

SO, they defend Capitalism, "with all its warts". 

The incorrect premise (Pecking Order justifies predatory behavior in humans) leads to the biosphere destroying behavior that Capitalists wittingly (and often unwittingly) engage in, to the detriment of our species.

The correct World View is that humans are social beings. No, we are not like the bees and ants, which are, for all practical purposes, species instinctively 100% Socialist. But, we are certainly NOT "lone individuals in competition for resources with our family, friends, peer group, etc.". That's the PECKING ORDER WORLD VIEW that "justifies" ANTI-Social behavior because "if you don't do it, somebody else will run over you to do it".

All the other (Predatory Pecking Order, Social Darwinist Ideology based) claims about varying intelligence levels, natural differences in human skill and ability that are "penalized" by Socialism, the alleged Socialst hindrence to greater economic prosperity based on education, experience, etc. are ALL realities that can certainly be accommodated in an EMPATHY BASED EGALITARIAN economic system like SOCIALISM.

Soviet Style "Socialism" was NOT TRUE SOCIALISM. Neither is Cuba's "Socialism". WHY? Because it simply replaced the Owner BOSS/Employee WORKER PECKING ORDER with the Commissar BOSS/Comrad WORKER PECKING ORDER.

THAT is why anarchists called the Soviet (FAILED) Experiment, STATE CAPITALISM.

In many places in the world today there are Socialist organizations that work as they should. They are called COOPs. The Manufactured Home Park I live in is now becomming an R.O.C. (Resident Owned Community). We will ALWAYS limit how much you can sell your home and lot for to make SURE that prices remain within the reach of the middle class to poor American Family who wants a home. We will take care of the grounds and we will ALL continue to pay the same "rent", whether we are on the board of directors or not.

THAT is how SOCIALISM WORKS. We are making our little portion of American society more stable, more secure and more environmentally conscious. If this happened all over the world, humanity would have a fighting chance to REALISTICALLY deal with making sure that EVERYBODY pays their fair share of ALL COSTS in order to mitigate Catastrophic Climate Change. There is NO CHANCE of that happening in a Capitalist World Economy.

Getting back to our (FAILED) version of Capitalism, here is just one of a video series that lays out the incredibly creative level of BOLD FACED BULLSHIT that Capitalism defending economists have engaged in to explain the "rationality" of CAPITALIST CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, that continues UNABATED today, which is methodically destroying the world economy through increasing, totally unjustified, inequality:


How Fraud Corrodes Weak Market Regulations Governed by Market Fundamentalism

November 24, 2018

Prof. Bill Black’s talk at the forum, “Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism,” held in Washington DC, on October 19, 2018



Series: Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism

Ralph Nader: Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism

Antitrust and How Kleptocracy Corrupts What Markets are Supposed to do Well

The Virtues and Limits of Markets

https://therealnews.com/stories/how-fraud-corrodes-weak-market-regulations-governed-by-market-fundamentalism
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #806 on: December 01, 2018, 01:41:28 pm »
Agelbert NOTE: The following selected comments highlight the importance of the article posted here after the comments:

Quote
Eureka says:
November 30, 2018 at 7:47 pm
Well that’s a relief, another loop back into Stone besides Corsi.  I remember those posts about the earlier PACs but it is hard to keep all of the crime syndicate balls in the air as to how they may relate ultimately to the Mueller investigation.  So appreciate you are on top of it all.  These people are so exhausting!


Semanticleo says:
November 30, 2018 at 8:15 pm
Hoping Muellers self-,,,imposed gag order is lifted soon. It must be embarrassing enduring so many scofflaws of putative legal entities and low-lifes of Manaforts 😈 statuous Republican  iconography.


Jenny says:
November 30, 2018 at 9:13 pm
Thanks Marcy for continuing to put all the puzzle pieces together.  At this point, I need a score card to tell the players.

Shady Don McGahn’s name was in the book, Blinded by the Right, not very flattering back in the 80s and 90s.  Now he is front and center.  Questionable as FEC, Commissioner.  Will he go down too?

Did these individuals all go to Trump 🦀 University majoring in Crime 101: Collusion, Corruption and Obstruction?


SOME IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DETAILS  MICHAEL COHEN PROBABLY SHARED WITH MUELLER’S TEAM

November 30, 2018/19 Comments/in 2012 Presidential Election, 2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe /by emptywheel

The attention since Michael Cohen pled guilty has focused largely on his role in brokering a Trump Tower deal, which was the substance of his lies to Congress as detail in his plea. But there are other things about which he was surely a really useful witness for Mueller. ABC provided some sketchy details, including the enticing detail that Cohen knew about pardon offers (possibly, even for him).

Quote
Cohen has spent more than 70 hours in interviews with Mueller’s team. The questioning has focused on contacts with Russians by Trump associates during the campaign, Trump’s business ties to Russia, obstruction of justice and talk of possible pardons, sources familiar with the discussions have told ABC News.

But I want to point to two historical details of particular interest. 🧐

It’s clear that Mueller has some interest in campaign finance irregularities, at least those of Roger Stone . But the crowd Roger rat-f u c k s with actually has a history with Michael Cohen . Cohen set up a 527 in 2011 into which Trump Organization funneled probably illegal cash.

As I’ve noted, in 2011, one of the people closely involved in Stone’s 2016 rat-f u c king, Pamela Jensen , was involved in a 527 called ShouldTrumpRun that listed Michael Cohen as President.

 

The organization was apparently laundering Trump corporate cash into campaign spending. But when the issue came before the FEC, Commissioner Don McGahn  helped kill an investigation into it.

Quote
During McGahn’s FEC tenure, one of those he helped save from enforcement action was Trump himself. In 2011, when the future president-elect was engaged in a high-profile process of considering whether to enter the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump was formally accused in an FEC complaint of violating agency regulations. The case was dismissed on a deadlocked vote of the FEC commissioners.

A four-page complaint filed by Shawn Thompson of Tampa, Fla., accused Trump of illegally funneling corporate money from his Trump Organization into an organization called ShouldTrumpRun.com. McGahn and fellow FEC Republicans Caroline Hunter and Matthew Petersen voted to block FEC staff recommendations that Trump be investigated in the matter—designated Matter Under Review (MUR) 6462.

Ultimately, Trump opted not to run for president in 2012. Nonetheless, FEC staff attorneys concluded his activities before that decision may have violated campaign finance rules regarding money raised to “test the waters” for a candidacy. A staff report from the FEC Office of General Counsel, based largely on news articles and other documents about Trump’s flirtation with running for president—including Trump’s own quoted statements— recommended that the commissioners authorize a full FEC investigation backed by subpoena power.

FEC Democrats voted to pursue the recommended probe, but the votes of McGahn and the other FEC Republicans precluded the required four-vote majority needed for the commission to act.

McGahn and Hunter issued a “ statement of reasons” explaining their votes in the Trump matter in 2013. The 11-page statement blasted FEC staff attorneys in the Office of General Counsel for reviewing volumes of published information regarding Trump’s potential 2012 candidacy in order to determine whether to recommend that the FEC commissioners vote to authorize a full investigation. McGahn and Hunter argued that the FEC counsel’s office was prohibited from examining information other than what was contained in the formal complaint submitted in the case.

The Office of General Counsel shouldn’t be allowed to pursue an “unwritten, standardless process whereby OGC can review whatever articles and other documents not contained in the complaint that they wish, and send whatever they wish to the respondent for comment,” the Republican commissioners wrote.

And this public trial balloon in 2011 is interesting  ;) for another reason. It means that when Trump set up the Miss American deal in 2013, the Russians knew he 🦀 might consider running for President. Cohen was closely involved in that deal, too.

That Cohen was involved in negotiations with the Agalarovs in 2013  is interesting enough. But I’m particularly intrigued by something that happened in the wake of the disclosure of the June 9 meeting. As the Trumps and Agalarovs started getting testy about each others’ response, Ike Kaveladze called Roman Beniaminov’s attention to a picture from the Las Vegas announcement party that got leaked to the press, highlighting Cohen and Keith Schiller.

On July 13, 2017, Ike Kaveladze (who was really in charge of the meeting for his boss, Aras Agalarov) and Roman Beniaminov (Emin Agalrov’s assistant, who heard ahead of time the meeting was about dealing dirt on Hillary to the Trumps) had the following exchange by text (PDF 34).

 

[Kaveladze sends link]

Quote
Beniaminov: But I don’t recall taking any video. And I can’t understand why it looks so similar.

Kaveladze: I mean his trump organization employees.

By July 13, the Agalarovs and Trumps were increasingly at odds on how to respond to the story, not least after the Trumps leaked Rod Goldstone’s name to the press after saying they wouldn’t. After that, there seemed to be increasing amounts of dirt being leaked, perhaps by both sides:D

It appears that Kaveladze may have phoned Beniaminov right before this to raise this CNN story, which had just been posted. Beniaminov seemed to think Kaveladze had suggested that he, Beniaminov, had taken the video, even while he seems to have been present at the Las Vegas event back in 2013.

 

Scott Balber 😈, the Agalarov’s👹 ever-present lawyer (who had actually represented Trump on a Miss Universe related issue in 2013), was quoted in the piece.

Quote
“It’s simply fiction that this was some effort to create a conduit for information from the Russian federal prosecutors to the Trump campaign,” Balber said on CNN’s “New Day.” “It’s just fantasy world because the reality is if there was something important that Mr. Agalarov wanted to communicate to the Trump campaign, I suspect he could have called Mr. Trump directly as opposed to having his son’s pop music publicist be the intermediary.”

I don’t rule out Balber having taken and leaked the video.

Or maybe not: What Kaveladze is interested in highlighting to Beniaminov is the presence of two other Trump employees in the video: Keith Schiller and Michael Cohen, shown above.

I don’t know what to make of the reference — though it’s equally possible they were involved in the 2017 response, or were viewed for some other reason as an additional concern regarding the June 9 meeting.

While Schiller actually was in the loop of the June 9 meeting (Rob Goldstone chatted with him the day of the meeting and asked about how to mail things to Trump given increased security), there’s no public evidence Cohen was.

But perhaps Kaveladze realized Cohen might know something about the 2013 events that would be of concern as the investigated heated up.

In any case, we know from Mueller’s questions he thinks the 2013 does serve as a key part of the investigation. And while Schiller 🦖with his sinecure at the RNC — may not be talking, Michael Cohen is;D

There are other aspects of Trump’s business that Cohen will explain for Mueller, including corrupt deals with Russians and related countries.

But these two past events are likely to be of particular interest for Mueller’s prosecutors.



Tags: Aras Agalarov, Don McGahn, Ike Kaveladze, Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Roman Beniaminov

Agelbert additional NOTE: For those that don't know about the Miss America Trump DEAL with Russia, let me say that you are missing the KEY to how Russia got to Trump. All the rest of the collusion fun and games, including real estate money laundering and continuously bailing Trump out of his CONSISTENT BUSINESS FAILURES, followed smoothly thereafter.

The Russian Oligarchs OWNED Trump LONG before he ran for POTUS.

If you cannot handle that, you are in willful denial. Let me also add that the Republican Party DOES NOT see Russia as an adversary, simply because Russia is run by a Profit Over People and Planet Oligarchy, just as the USA currently is. So, YEAH, the Republicans are happy as pigs in poop to take all the Russian money they can. AND THEY HAVE, AND CONTINUE NOW, to TAKE RUSSIAN MONEY! The Republican Party is the Party of TRAITORS on behalf of CAPITALIST/FASCIST OLIGARCHY. If you think that is not the case, SEE BELOW:

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #807 on: December 01, 2018, 04:58:40 pm »
How the Profit Over People and Planet DINOs in the Democratic Party Plan to Screw Americans Out of Medicare for All, Reality Based Social Security Pensions & A Green New Deal

Agelbert NOTE: Also in this reality based video is a (summarized) TRUE HISTORY of WHY and HOW the REPUBLICAN PARTY destroyed a MAJOR PART of the middle class in the USA.


Thom Hartmann Program

Published on Nov 20, 2018

After Democrats took back the House, a debate on who the next speaker would be was the a major concern for democrats right up there with who would be running for President in the 2020 general election.

One group of corporate democrats is fighting to get rid of Nancy Pelosi, but not for the reasons you would think,

Can progressives put aside ideological unity and embrace Nancy Pelosi before this group of corporate democrats sends the party right into the hands of multinational corporations?

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He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #808 on: December 02, 2018, 06:41:50 pm »
Palmer Report December 1, 2018 SNIPPET:

The document is thirty-three pages, so we’ll cut to the chase: Michael Cohen is asking for time served. This would mean that he wouldn’t have to report to prison at all. Considering the seriousness of the nine felonies he’s pleaded guilty to, as well as the other felony charges that were waived as part of his deal, this would be a very lenient sentence. The thing is, the mere act that he’s asking for it reveals something.

For a defendant, the goal in a sentencing memo is to ask for something on the lenient end of what might be considered realistic. You don’t want to ask for something absurd, because then the judge might be offended, and might be inclined to not take the request seriously. Considering how closely Michael Cohen has been working with Robert Mueller and other prosecutors – including the events of yesterday – you have to figure that he made this request after running it past them first, and wouldn’t have asked for something that they found offensive, either.

Michael Cohen’s decision to release this document right now, when his sentencing hearing isn’t for nearly two weeks, suggests that he’s trying to capitalize on the public goodwill that he earned yesterday when he helped Robert Mueller expose that Donald Trump was a part of the Trump Tower Moscow conspiracy during the 2016 election. Cohen went a long way yesterday to taking down Donald Trump, as well as bringing Trump’s kids to justice.

We’ll see what Robert Mueller comes back with as far as his sentencing recommendation. The judge could then end up realistically going with anything in between what Mueller asks for and what Cohen asks for. But again, it’s revealing that Cohen thinks he’s in a strong enough position to even ask for a free pass. If Mueller comes anywhere close to recommending time served, it’ll mean that Mueller thinks Cohen has been a really big help in Trump’s downfall.

You can  read the lengthy sentencing memo here.

Full article:

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/sentencing-memo-revealing-cohen/14384/
« Last Edit: December 03, 2018, 01:31:55 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #809 on: December 03, 2018, 01:32:10 pm »
Quote from: AG
The Russian Oligarchs OWNED Trump LONG before he ran for POTUS.

If you cannot handle that, you are in willful denial. Let me also add that the Republican Party DOES NOT see Russia as an adversary, simply because Russia is run by a Profit Over People and Planet Oligarchy, just as the USA currently is. So, YEAH, the Republicans are happy as pigs in poop to take all the Russian money they can. AND THEY HAVE, AND CONTINUE NOW, to TAKE RUSSIAN MONEY!

Bookmark this post. Most of the Rs in Congress are owned by Russia, and all are actively engaged in obstruction of justice. In the fullness of time all will be revealed. And the fuckwits who have declaimed that "TrumpRussia"is a neocon myth, like Caitlin F u c k i n g Johnstone, will be revealed for their poor judgment and lack of understanding Or ideological blindness.

Eric Trump admitted to all this before they told him to STFU.

Yep. By the way, have you been able to wade through the 33 page Mueller Motion to get Cohen a lighter sentence? It is quite incriminating of Trump , even if Trump 🦀, as usual, is trying Orwell his way out of his PROVEN COLLUSION by making noises about having the "maximum sentence" book thrown at Cohen.

Palmer Report December 1, 2018 SNIPPET:

The document is thirty-three pages, so we’ll cut to the chase: Michael Cohen is asking for time served. This would mean that he wouldn’t have to report to prison at all. Considering the seriousness of the nine felonies he’s pleaded guilty to, as well as the other felony charges that were waived as part of his deal, this would be a very lenient sentence. The thing is, the mere act that he’s asking for it reveals something.

For a defendant, the goal in a sentencing memo is to ask for something on the lenient end of what might be considered realistic. You don’t want to ask for something absurd, because then the judge might be offended, and might be inclined to not take the request seriously. Considering how closely Michael Cohen has been working with Robert Mueller and other prosecutors – including the events of yesterday – you have to figure that he made this request after running it past them first, and wouldn’t have asked for something that they found offensive, either.

Michael Cohen’s decision to release this document right now, when his sentencing hearing isn’t for nearly two weeks, suggests that he’s trying to capitalize on the public goodwill that he earned yesterday when he helped Robert Mueller expose that Donald Trump was a part of the Trump Tower Moscow conspiracy during the 2016 election. Cohen went a long way yesterday to taking down Donald Trump, as well as bringing Trump’s kids to justice.

We’ll see what Robert Mueller comes back with as far as his sentencing recommendation. The judge could then end up realistically going with anything in between what Mueller asks for and what Cohen asks for. But again, it’s revealing that Cohen thinks he’s in a strong enough position to even ask for a free pass. If Mueller comes anywhere close to recommending time served, it’ll mean that Mueller thinks Cohen has been a really big help in Trump’s downfall.

You can  read the lengthy sentencing memo here.

Full article:

https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/sentencing-memo-revealing-cohen/14384/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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