Former President Donald J. Trump

[Jimbo]

I can't read or respond to everything, but here's the thing: all this is an investigation undertaken by seasoned federal prosecutors. What comes will come either in a report to Congress or in FEDERAL FUCKING COURT. Say what you will about the deep state or political motivations or whatever else, but federal court is no joke, and federal judges, particularly those sitting in DC, are no joke. Whatever comes will be supported by sworn testimony and actual documentation. If there are actual legal proceedings, it will be subject to cross examination and the Rules of Evidence.

I tried to read the indictment but failed

Yeah, they did issue indictments. True. But anyone can be indicted, and if they can get them out of Russia for a trial, we'll see.

Have another try and look at the specific allegations in the indictments. These are things that the Mueller team has a good faith belief they can prove in federal court, within the rules of evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt. "Anyone can be indicted" is a general truism that applies to local yokel hometown prosecutions. This is, as I noted above, FEDERAL FUCKING COURT. Being indicted is never good, but being indicted in federal court by top gun prosecutors is a BAD thing.

I can't take credit for this comeback but on a podcast where the host was taking apart the latest Mueller indictment, where he made the point I had never thought of and then borrowed, how "anyone can be indicted," he cited the Bundy case as an example of how ineffectual federal indictments could be, how after all the legal wrangling all the charges against Bundy were dismissed.

A federal judge in Las Vegas dismissed charges against Cliven Bundy and his sons, Ammon and Ryan, on Monday.

Judge Gloria M. Navarro of Federal District Court, in a ruling from the bench, said that the government’s missteps in withholding evidence against the three Bundy family members and a supporter, Ryan W. Payne, were so grave that the indictment against them would be dismissed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/08/us/b ... issed.html

PS I will take another stab at reading the indictment.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Mueller’s people are absolutely not going to withhold exculpatory evidence. No chance.

[Jimbo]

Mueller’s people are absolutely not going to withhold exculpatory evidence. No chance.

As I said above, I am waiting and seeing what happens. Not that I have anything better to do. I also heard that Nunes is going to end the investigation. That probably doesn't change the fact that this indictment was produced and so the prosecution of the 13 Russians will carry on but how about the problem of actually getting them in custody, they being in Russia. Maybe the FBI can try the old You have won a million dollars! Be at the Federal Courthouse in Washington DC on June 20 to claim your prize.

[Jimbo]

Davey, this is how I see it, Russians or not, as problems go controlling bots on the internet is not that that big a deal. Okay?

I think bots on the internet are a VERY big deal especially in an election year.
Look what bots did to help take down Al Franken!
http://www.newsweek.com/alt-right-trump ... ter-810355

Ironically everyone's doing it now.

The Publisher of Newsweek And The International Business Times Has Been Buying Traffic And Engaging In Ad Fraud

IBTimes.com, the publisher’s US business site, last year won a significant portion of a large video and display advertising campaign for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency. Social Puncher, a consulting firm that investigates online ad fraud, alleges in its report that the ads were displayed to an audience on IBTimes.com that includes a significant amount of “cheap junk traffic with a share of bots.”

Not saying Franken's fall was not prompted by bots but Franken was unlucky. This is still a new and unfolding world. As we see how these bot campaigns work, as we see how they're popping up everywhere, as we have learned how to disregard the "Nigerian prince" scam, going forward hopefully internet information consumers will find places they trust, check other places for verification and thereby learn to discriminate.

[Sneelock]

No matter what happens everything’s coming up Jimbo!

[Snarfyguy]

Why is Trump protecting Russia?

Aside from the blizzard of lies, one is struck by how frantic Trump sounds [in his tweet storm over the weekend]. The number and looniness of the tweets arguably exceed anything he has previously done. His conduct reaffirms the basic outline of an obstruction charge: Desperate to disable a Russia probe that would be personally embarrassing to him, he has tried in many ways to interfere with and end the investigation. In doing so, he, at the very least, has abused his office. In turning on his inquisitors rather than to the job of protecting America from Russian influence, he confirms his peculiar fidelity to Vladimir Putin and reminds us he continues to violate his oath of office. There is no doubt he has, based on what we already known, committed actions constituting an abuse of his office. What, if anything special counsel Robert S. Mueller III intends to do about it remains to be seen. Trump’s meltdown over two days is likely to re-raise questions about his mental stability and temperamental fitness to govern.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ri ... 2cd75ca4fc

Also, Frum's piece in the Atlantic is pretty withering.

America Is Under Attack and the President Doesn't Care

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... re/553667/

Keep in mind Frum is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative and a former speechwriter for GW Bush.

[Jimbo]

I just read the entire Mueller indictment. I want to couch my words but fuck it, I was wrong. The Baron is right. That document is very thorough and sounds true. Much of what I spout sounds like it came from the minds of the Russian trolls. I feel like I want to write to Jimmy Dore and CN and ask everyone if they read the entire doc. Glib summaries and nitpicking won't do for me anymore. That Trump is not mentioned in the doc is unimportant. What they did, these Russians, according to the doc was clearly illegal. I could defend Putin and say how the Russian government is also unmentioned but putting 2+2 together, for whose other purpose would such a blatantly political operation benefit? I imagine Putin maybe even saying you got me and I apologize. My excuse is you have troops on our border and you, too, interfered in our election, but what can I say except, this was a stupid stunt. If we can be friends again I won't do anything like this again. And that is my hope too. We need to be friends with the Russians. They are a powerful and potentially useful ally. Together the US and Russia could solve the middle east problem, terrorism, the environment, energy and stop the threat of nuclear annihilation. And if Russia doesn't make the first move towards making amends the US should apologize for all it has done, including election tampering in Russia, and then offer peace and security to Russia and together make a new start toward a better world.

[Jimbo]

America’s long history of meddling in other countries’ elections

Dov Levin, an academic from the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University, has calculated the vast scale of election interventions by both the US and Russia.

According to his research, there were 117 “partisan electoral interventions” between 1946 and 2000. That’s around one of every nine competitive elections held since Second World War.

The majority of these – almost 70 per cent – were cases of US interference.
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... -elections

Reaping and sowing … reaping and sowing …

[Dr Markus]

Hmmm interesting counter.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

I feel obligated to note that (even federal) Indictments aren’t usually so detailed and Mueller has issued these (through a grand jury) knowing that these cases almost certainly won’t go to trial, and has included all the details to tell a story and convince people that there is something, shall we say, “there,” there. But I also believe that these people are such fucking Eagle Scouts that these are all good faith allegations and they haven’t played fast and loose at all with including things they don’t actually believe they can prove.

[Count Machuki]

I just read the entire Mueller indictment. I want to couch my words but fuck it, I was wrong. The Baron is right.

*rubs eyes*

[PresMuffley]

learn to discriminate.

Much of what I spout sounds like it came from the minds of the Russian trolls.

[bobzilla77]

The signs are all right there if you know how to look for them, and are willing to believe.

[bobzilla77]

I just read the entire Mueller indictment. I want to couch my words but fuck it, I was wrong. The Baron is right. That document is very thorough and sounds true. Much of what I spout sounds like it came from the minds of the Russian trolls. I feel like I want to write to Jimmy Dore and CN and ask everyone if they read the entire doc. Glib summaries and nitpicking won't do for me anymore. That Trump is not mentioned in the doc is unimportant. What they did, these Russians, according to the doc was clearly illegal. I could defend Putin and say how the Russian government is also unmentioned but putting 2+2 together, for whose other purpose would such a blatantly political operation benefit? I imagine Putin maybe even saying you got me and I apologize. My excuse is you have troops on our border and you, too, interfered in our election, but what can I say except, this was a stupid stunt. If we can be friends again I won't do anything like this again. And that is my hope too. We need to be friends with the Russians. They are a powerful and potentially useful ally. Together the US and Russia could solve the middle east problem, terrorism, the environment, energy and stop the threat of nuclear annihilation. And if Russia doesn't make the first move towards making amends the US should apologize for all it has done, including election tampering in Russia, and then offer peace and security to Russia and together make a new start toward a better world.

Wow, you really are an employee of the Russian troll factory!!!

[PresMuffley]

The signs are all right there if you know how to look for them, and are willing to believe.

Bonsai sounds an awful lot like bullseye to me.

[Jimbo]

The Nunes memo. Yeah, we don't trust it because it's a Republican party generated document and the Republicans are all liars and so the memo must be a lie, too. I agree about the Republicans but explained here is how now because the secret FISA court is going after politicians the politicians are attacking the legality of a FISA court ruling, not to mention the actions of the FBI, NSA, CIA (the deep state) when all of these government agencies have been acting illegally, covertly, unconstitutionally against US citizens since 9/11. Will Trump act?

[Jimbo]

,

[bobzilla77]

Oh no, Jimbo's communications are cut off!! That happened to a lot of RUSSIAN ROBOTS this morning. Coincidence or CONSPIRACY?!?

[Sneelock]

can anybody prove it's actually Jimbo?

[Sneelock]

Maybe it’s just a tactical, Crisis Jimbo to throw us off guard?