Presidents* Trump & Putin bromance

[Vrede too]

Rudy Giuliani: Talks of Trump Tower Moscow continued throughout 2016 election

They lied throughout the campaign and ever since.

[Vrede too]

Even if Rudy is now telling the truth, unlikely, this means that POSPOTUS knew that Cohen committed a felony in lying to Congress, about POSPOTUS' activities! I'm no lawyer, but it seems to me that at the very least this is felonious conspiracy after the fact.

[neoplacebo]

Harummmph! Thirty days in the electric chair. Next case.

[Vrede too]

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen to testify before Congress in February

Save the date, February 7. I'm no Cohen fan, but I predict world class entertainment whatever he says.

I'll watch it in some form or another, but I don't expect he will say much I care about with ongoing investigations.

Good call.

Michael Cohen postpones congressional testimony, claims 'threats' from President Trump and Rudy Giuliani

[Vrede too]

(Congressman Jerrold) Nadler (D-NY) Statement on Michael Cohen Guilty Plea

... "The Special Counsel has now secured guilty pleas from President Trump’s personal attorney, his campaign manager, his deputy campaign manager, a foreign policy advisor to his campaign, and his National Security Advisor. He has filed 191 charges against more than thirty individuals—almost all of whom are in President Trump’s orbit, Vladimir Putin’s orbit, or both. The President can pretend that this investigation has nothing to do with him and nothing to do with Russia, but these indictments speak for themselves." ...

Plus, Cohen's lie means that POSPOTUS was lying all along and that one person that KNEW they were lying was Putin. Agent Orange has been the very definition of a pol compromised by a foreign adversary....

Tick-tock.

Trump associate Stone arrested, faces obstruction charge (and more)

[O Really]

I've said it about others before, and I'll say it about scum-bag lying sleazepot criminal Stone that sending a bunch of riot-armed FBI guys to bang on his door in the dark at 6:00 a.m. is a bit overkill and probably mostly show and a fun excursion for the agents. But it is funny as hell to see the arrogant obnoxious asshole get roused and perp-walked.

[Vrede too]

I've said it about others before, and I'll say it about scum-bag lying sleazepot criminal Stone that sending a bunch of riot-armed FBI guys to bang on his door in the dark at 6:00 a.m. is a bit overkill and probably mostly show and a fun excursion for the agents. But it is funny as hell to see the arrogant obnoxious asshole get roused and perp-walked.

Agreed, but it's satisfying seeing it happen to a powerful, rich white guy for a change. Calling CNN was a nice touch.

Video shows FBI at Roger Stone's house

CNN remarks on how this was different from other Mueller-related arrests. Is Stone a gun nut, or is it just because he's been more of an asshole than others? Found comments, don't know if they're accurate:

CNN has been camped out for a very long time waiting for this. Their presence does not indicate a leak. I do wonder why they felt the need to take Mr. stone unaware. Flight risk? Preventing the destruction of evidence?

It is interesting the assumptions people are making about why CNN was there. CNN was camped outside Roger Stone's residence and has been for a bit over a week waiting for it. It's the reason you don't have a reporter with name recognition on the ground - they didn't know it was coming or they would have had Acosta describing the play by play from the front yard.

"Acosta"

Latest Trump Tweet:

Greatest Witch Hunt in the History of our Country! NO COLLUSION! Border Coyotes, Drug Dealers and Human Traffickers are treated better. Who alerted CNN to be there?

CNN reporter watched Stone's arrest. Here's what happened

They've got yellow tape isolating his block! That will make him popular with the neighbors.

Apparently Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson Is Roger Stone’s Neighbor, Saw The Arrest Go Down

... The former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver tweeted that was preparing for his morning jog when he saw Stone, who was indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury on charges that include obstruction of an official proceeding, false statements and witness tampering, being taken away by FBI agents....

Chad Johnson
‏Verified account @ochocinco

FBI arrested my neighbor Roger before my morning jog, I’ve only seen shit like that in movies, crazy to start to my Friday

5:31 AM - 25 Jan 2019

... Johnson’s appearance in the drama had many people on Twitter puzzled. Others were wildly excited that the story had yet another twist:

This is not a cameo I expected

I want all my breaking political news reported by @ochocinco

Waiting for the “Donald Trump Indictment Tree” and the “Sean McVay Coaching Friendship Tree” to somehow connect via @ochocinco .

Ochocinco providing color & context to this is pretty much Florida. I love my state.

what is this place where roger stone and ochocinco are neighbors, is it like a retirement home for celebrity big brother applicants?

...

[Vrede too]

Found:

Finally. With that Nixon tattoo in his back, it’s like two birds with one STONE.

[Vrede too]

I've said it about others before, and I'll say it about scum-bag lying sleazepot criminal Stone that sending a bunch of riot-armed FBI guys to bang on his door in the dark at 6:00 a.m. is a bit overkill and probably mostly show and a fun excursion for the agents. But it is funny as hell to see the arrogant obnoxious asshole get roused and perp-walked.

Agreed, but it's satisfying seeing it happen to a powerful, rich white guy for a change....

They got Roger Stone. Now what?



...

Stone must have made Mueller really angry.

“Stone was not afforded the customary voluntary surrender option usually seen in white collar criminal cases. Most likely, the raid was intended to send a clear message to other witnesses and potential defendants that witness tampering, a federal felony with a sentence of up to 20 years if it involves physical intimidation, will not be tolerated by the polite but tough former FBI director. … Whatever Mueller discovered enraged him enough to send a Navy Seals-like team to a 66-year-old man’s house at 6 a.m. Mueller really wanted to startle Stone – and anyone else thinking about witness tampering.”
— Paul Callan, CNN

...

Stone’s arrest was appropriate.

“Law enforcement simply does not hand a summons to someone who threatens to kill a witness and trust that person to act responsibly with it. No conscientious prosecutor would think a summons appropriate there, or think that a threat to kill a witness is simply what targets of grand jury investigations routinely do. … Arresting Stone was lawful, appropriate and fully justified by his own words and conduct.”
— former U.S. attorney and senior FBI official Chuck Rosenberg, Lawfare

...

In Ominous Development for Trump, Roger Stone Gets Mueller Tattoo

By Andy Borowitz

In a potentially worrisome development for the White House, Donald Trump’s longtime political adviser Roger Stone spent the weekend getting a tattoo of the special counsel, Robert Mueller, on his back.

Minutes after being released on bail, Stone was reportedly driven to a tattoo-removal specialist in Jersey City, who spent nine hours removing his notorious back tattoo of Richard Nixon to make room for the newly minted Mueller tat.

News of Stone’s Mueller tattoo sent a wave of panic through the White House, where top aides attempted to predict what the tattoo portended for Stone’s loyalty to Trump going forward.

For his part, Stone downplayed the significance of the tattoo as he stripped off his shirt to display it for reporters. “I will have no comment at this time, other than to say that Robert Mueller is a kind, fair, and extremely handsome man,” Stone said.

[Vrede too]

Timeline: All the Mueller Indictments and Plea Deals So Far
From George Papadopoulos to Michael Cohen to Paul Manafort, here are the players caught in the special counsel’s probe
as of January 25, 2019

Blumenthal & Grassley Introduce Special Counsel Transparency Act

Tell Senate Republicans: Pass the Special Counsel Transparency Act



A bipartisan bill was just introduced in the Senate to protect Robert Mueller's investigation. If passed, the Special Counsel Transparency Act will ensure that Mueller can release his report directly to Congress and the public, guaranteeing that Trump can't bury or censor the investigation's findings.

Trump has been nothing if not relentless in his attempts to interfere with and sabotage Mueller. And his Republican lackeys in Congress have consistently failed to push back. But Mueller's latest indictment of Trump's long-time adviser Roger Stone proves the most direct link yet between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence. It's finally time for Senate Republicans to draw a line in the sand, stop being complicit in undermining our democracy and protect the investigation....

[Vrede too]

Judge finds Manafort lied to investigators in Russia probe

Paul Manafort intentionally lied to investigators and a federal grand jury in the special counsel in the Russia probe, a judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson was another loss for the former Trump campaign chairman, who faces years in prison in two separate criminal cases stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. It hurts Manafort's chance of receiving a reduced sentence, though Jackson said she would decide the exact impact during his sentencing next month....

Jackson found there was sufficient evidence to say Manafort broke his plea agreement by lying about three of five matters that prosecutors had singled out. That included his misleading the FBI, prosecutors and a federal grand jury about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, his co-defendant who the FBI says has ties to Russian intelligence.

Prosecutors had accused Manafort of lying about his discussions with Kilimnik about a possible Ukrainian peace plan. During a sealed hearing, Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said one of the discussions— an Aug. 2, 2016, meeting at the Grand Havana Club cigar bar in New York— went to the "larger view of what we think is going on" and what "we think the motive here is."

"This goes, I think, very much to the heart of what the Special Counsel's Office is investigating," Weissmann said, adding: "That meeting and what happened at that meeting is of significance to the special counsel."

The meeting occurred while Manafort was still in a high-ranking role in the Trump campaign. Rick Gates, Manafort's longtime deputy and also a Trump campaign aide, also attended....

Lock him up, for a long, long time.

[Vrede too]

This is how (Trumpette) Jacob Wohl created a (fake) sexual harassment accusation against Robert Mueller

[Vrede too]

Paul Manafort sentenced to a total of 7.5 years in prison. 'It is hard to overstate the number of lies.'

Paul Manafort, the man who helped guide Donald Trump to the presidency, was sentenced to a total of more than seven years in federal prison on Wednesday after a judge added 43 months to the sentence he received in another case last week.

The pair of prison sentences marks the end of Manafort's abrupt transformation from a globe-trotting political operative with mansions and lavish clothing to a frail-looking, wheelchair-bound, gray-haired inmate who, in his own words, had been "humiliated" by his changed circumstances....

Many are screaming that he should have been sentenced to more, and they may have a point. However, 7.5 years in prison is nothing to sneeze at, and it may even be a death sentence at his 70 years of age. I'm satisfied, and I appreciate that the fines and seizures mean that he has fully paid for Mueller's entire investigation.

[GoCubsGo]

Paul Manafort sentenced to a total of 7.5 years in prison. 'It is hard to overstate the number of lies.'

Paul Manafort, the man who helped guide Donald Trump to the presidency, was sentenced to a total of more than seven years in federal prison on Wednesday after a judge added 43 months to the sentence he received in another case last week.

The pair of prison sentences marks the end of Manafort's abrupt transformation from a globe-trotting political operative with mansions and lavish clothing to a frail-looking, wheelchair-bound, gray-haired inmate who, in his own words, had been "humiliated" by his changed circumstances....

Many are screaming that he should have been sentenced to more, and they may have a point. However, 7.5 years in prison is nothing to sneeze at, and it may even be a death sentence at his 70 years of age. I'm satisfied, and I appreciate that the fines and seizures mean that he has fully paid for Mueller's entire investigation.

And the State of New York immediately filed charges against him that can't be pardoned by pospotus. I'm good with that also.

[Vrede too]

And the State of New York immediately filed charges against him that can't be pardoned by pospotus. I'm good with that also.

Ah, I missed that when I skimmed the article, thanks and Yay!

[Vrede too]

In 420-0 vote, House says Mueller report should be public

ANSWERED “PRESENT” 4, including billy.pilgrim's Gaetz

Take that, Attorney General William Barr. If not made public my guess is that it will be rapidly leaked.

[Vrede too]

(Sen.) Lindsey Graham (R-SC) just blocked a resolution to make Mueller report public for the dumbest reason

Was going to excerpt, but every sentence expertly shreds him. Not too long.

Would we be a gang if we weren’t represented by NC, TN, SC and FL pols?

I like this:


https://washingtonpress.com/

Not sure I've seen it before. The Who We Are page isn't very forthcoming, could be a DNC organ for all I know.

[Vrede too]

Tell Attorney General Barr: Release the full Mueller report

[billy.pilgrim]

There won't be anything in it.

[GoCubsGo]

POSPOTUS sure has been quiet for someone who's been vindicated from a totally illegal witch hunt. :confusion-scratchheadyellow: