1. News in Photos from mikenova (4 sites) WSJ.com: World News: Freed Family Tries to Rebuild as Dark Details Emerge About Ordeal The couple rescued by Pakistani military forces is moving to rebuild their life in a small Canadian town after five years in captivity in which they say an infant daughter was killed and … Continue reading "8:12 PM 10/15/2017 – CNN’s YouTube Videos: Leading Democrat calls for Puerto Rico water investigation after CNN report"
Why are Russian media outlets hyping the Mueller investigation?
Westport News Cybersecurity sleuths claim Russia used Pokemon Go to inflame racial tensions and accuse Twitter of deleting crucial data detailing Russian efforts to sow discord during the 2016presidential election. “Russia, Russia Everywhere,” read The New York ... and more » |
Donald Trump seems to desperately wish he could fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for having called him a “moron.” But by now it’s clear that Trump doesn’t have the guts to do it, either because he’s at his politically weakest point in general, or because Tillerson is a personal friend of Vladimir Putin. Regardless of the reason, Tillerson is now flaunting the fact that he apparently can’t be fired. Based on what Tillerson did on Sunday, we’re about to see Trump’s biggest meltdown about him to date.
For reasons known only to him, instead of laying low until “Morongate” blows over, Rex Tillerson decided to appear on CNN State of the Union on Sunday morning. He knew full well that he’d be asked yet again whether or not he really called Trump a moron. Sure enough, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked him the question. Tillerson once again refused to answer – which at this point is an absolute confirmation that he did call him a moron.
Trump has long had insecurities about his intellect. His poorly written and phonetically misspelled tweets suggest that he suffers from some sort of mild learning disability, which may drive his insecurities on the matter, even though learning disabilities are not counter-indicative to intellect. It’s not shocking that Trump responded to the “moron” insult by publicly calling for himself and Tillerson to take IQ tests.
Donald Trump watches the Sunday morning shows, at least when his own people are on, so he saw Rex Tillerson’s interview. He saw Tillerson once again refusing to deny that he called Trump a moron. That’ll be enough to set Trump off yet again, with a round of angry tweets about Tillerson on Monday – or perhaps not til Tuesday, if some other grievance distracts him. But we’re looking at the (supposed) President of the United States publicly attacking his own Secretary of State yet again.
The post Here comes Donald Trump’s biggest meltdown about Rex Tillerson yet appeared first on Palmer Report.
Read the whole story
· ·
I DO NOT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! You are cheap, pretentious, primitive, and mediocre, just like the majority of your customers. Like “faces”, like “books”, like “posts”, like the uniform mentality of your everywhere-nowhere “friends”. Somewhere between the kindergarten and the institution for the mentally challenged. Not only its current COO, but the Facebook itself is … Continue reading "I DO NOT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! "
Sheryl Sandberg's Russia talk was an insult to our intelligence
Markets Insider-Oct 12, 2017
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, says people were worried about hacking and not election interference before 2016.
Facebook says fake accounts linked to Russia bought thousands of ...
Markets Insider-Sep 6, 2017
"Our analysis suggests these accounts and Pages were affiliated with ... The "vast majority" of ads related to the fake Russian accounts didn't ...
- source
- Axios
- Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, says people were worried about hacking and not election interference before 2016. But that’s not true. Hillary Clinton and others were warning about Russia’s disinformation campaign as far back as 2011. Facebook needs to stop talking about what it didn’t do for years and start talking about what it will do from today.
In a live interview with the news website Axios on Thursday, Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, lamented that the company hadn’t found out about Russia’s use of the platform to spread disinformation and propaganda before the 2016 US elections.
“We were looking at this certainly not as early as we would have liked to, because we wish we had found it before it ever happened,” Sandberg said.
“If you think about 2015, 2016,” she later added, “the threats most people were worried about were hacking, taking down accounts, getting into your email account and sharing all of it.”
Oh.
Perhaps hacking is what users were worried about, but in national security and press circles, the idea of a Russian information war against the US had been gaining steam since 2011. TV channels like Russia Today and websites like Sputnik have long been unapologetic about towing the Kremlin line – about the fact that they are pushing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s will.
By 2015, Russian propaganda was all over Facebook in forms both formal and informal, and the platform had already helped Russia wreak havoc around the world, especially in Ukraine.
“There are those who claim the warnings are just the work of alarmist neo-conservatives,” Columbia professor Ann Cooper and I said in The Washington Post in 2015. “They’re not. The spread of ideas matters. If it didn’t, Russia wouldn’t be in the idea-spreading business.”
Connecting the dots that Russia may have a plan for the US presidential election would require one to pay attention. So let’s say Facebook wasn’t. That’s gross negligence. To ignore that the people purchasing space on Facebook were pushing lies and distortions, on the other hand, is beyond that – it’s willful ignorance and a stunning display of greed.
They’ll tell you
I know that we’re in an information war with Russia because I asked.
Back in 2015, as an adjunct professor at Columbia’s journalism school, I hosted staffers from RT, and they were very frank about their mission. They informed us that from 2008, when the US was critical of Russia’s annexation of a piece of Georgia, their aim was to show the world that the US was a flawed nation that’s inferior to Russia.
Take a quick look at the topics RT consistently used to prove its anti-American point and you might as well be at a buffet serving Facebook’s garbage media diet from the election. Going back as far as 2011, RT was playing on US racial tensions and shrilly accusing Hillary Clinton of warmongering and criminality.
I say 2011 because that’s when Clinton, then secretary of state, testified before Congress about Russia’s information war against the US. The Kremlin knew she was watching, and so the Kremlin went to war against her. No one who paid attention to this interaction was shocked that Putin favored Donald Trump in 2016.
But again, you had to be paying attention. Or you had to keep paying attention. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Congress again addressed the matter of Russian propaganda in testimony. The former RT journalist Liz Wahl explained how the Kremlin manipulated social media, and it might sound familiar to anyone in the US now.
From Wahl’s testimony (emphasis ours):
“Russian media provides a home for a spectrum of political beliefs as long as they are skeptical of the political establishment. While some of the theories peddled are outright absurd, there are a surprising amount of people prone to being manipulated that think it’s hip to believe in any alternative theory, feeling proud of perceiving themselves to be enlightened and even prouder when they amass sizable social media followers that hang on every misguided and outright false theory that is propagated. Russia is aware of this population of paranoid skeptics and plays them like a fiddle.“
Sound familiar? Maybe it reminds you of a few arguments you had with Facebook-addicted family members over the holidays in 2016.
Another witness, Peter Pomeratsev, a journalist who spent years working in Russian television, was even more explicit mentioning Facebook by name.
“The Kremlin… funds ‘troll farms,’ regime-funded companies which hire people to spread messages on social media, using Facebook, Twitter, newspaper comment sections and many other spaces. Through these networks, Russia propagates conspiracy theories, disinformation and fake news…. Their aim was [is] not so much to persuade a potential viewer of any one version, but to trash the information space with so much disinformation so that a conversation based on actual facts would become impossible.”
Pomeratsev wrote a book about his time working in Russia called “Nothing is Real and Everything is Possible” – about how Russia became a fact-less nation. America now knows what he was talking about, but it’s something Facebook should’ve known before we had to find out.
No one wants to hear it, Sheryl
Facebook says it didn’t have an inkling of what was going on before the election, but we know that it knew the Kremlin’s agents were bullying Ukrainian activists, at the very least. Were Sandberg and Zuckerberg simply so naive they didn’t think that Putin would turn his eye on his most fearsome enemy?
Or were they just so greedy they didn’t care?
In the Axios interview, most of Sandberg’s comments were backward-looking and so, in a word, worthless. The 2018 elections are coming, and the far right has not tried to disguise its affinity for the Kremlin line. Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News is known for spreading its share of fact-melting misinformation that sounds as if it’s straight from the RT newsroom.
And – for so-called anti-globalists – Bannon has shown a willingness to collaborate with other international Putin-philes like the UK’s Nigel Farage and Hungary’s far right. Make no mistake: What they all have in common is not only “nationalism” but also a belief in Putin’s political system – fascism.
Opposing this and stamping it out shouldn’t be a question for Facebook. This isn’t a gray area. This an American value. We are not fascists. Millions of people around the world died not too long ago to reaffirm that. What Facebook (and Twitter and Google) has done – ignoring the spread of fascism, lies, and anti-American propaganda in the digital space – is a disgusting display of moral relativism and intellectual laziness that Silicon Valley has revealed it can wear as easily as a pair of Tevas and some cargo shorts.
We don’t want to hear about what Facebook missed. We want to hear that Facebook will not allow the agents of a fascist movement to continue to manipulate it as a distribution platform. We want to hear how attempts by these agents to engage the platform will be vetted and reported to the US government.
Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 2
Iraqi army and Kurdish troops are in a standoff in Kirkuk, a city located in the Kurdistan region, which voted for independence from Iraq last month. Kirkuk holds 10 percent of Iraq’s oil reserves. Washington Post reporter Loveday Morris, who is covering the standoff, joins Hari Sreenivasan via Skype from Baghdad.
Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump for his decision to deny Iran certification that it is complying with the JCPOA nuclear deal, speaking in Jerusalem, Saturday. Speaking about the nuclear deal, Netanyahu termed it as ‘tremendous danger for our collective future’. READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/8pr8
COURTESY: RT's RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE - FOR LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT http://ruptly.tv
RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air
Subscribe to RT! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=RussiaToday
Like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RTnews
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com
Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt
Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT
Listen to us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rttv
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/RT_com
Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/rt
Follow us on Google+ http://plus.google.com/+RT
Listen to us on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rttv
RT (Russia Today) is a global news network broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios. RT is the first news channel to break the 1 billion YouTube views benchmark.
Read the whole story
· ·
John Dickerson, host of "Face the Nation," joined CBSN to discuss the latest on the President's decision to not recertify the nuclear deal with Iran as well as the top political stories of the day.
Subscribe to the "CBSN" Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/1Re2MgS
Watch "CBSN" live HERE: http://cbsn.ws/1PlLpZ7
Follow "CBSN" on Instagram HERE: http://bit.ly/1PO0dkx
Like "CBSN" on Facebook HERE: http://on.fb.me/1o3Deb4
Follow "CBSN" on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1V4qhIu
Watch "CBSN" live HERE: http://cbsn.ws/1PlLpZ7
Follow "CBSN" on Instagram HERE: http://bit.ly/1PO0dkx
Like "CBSN" on Facebook HERE: http://on.fb.me/1o3Deb4
Follow "CBSN" on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1V4qhIu
Get the latest news and best in original reporting from CBS News delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to newsletters HERE: http://cbsn.ws/1RqHw7T
Get your news on the go! Download CBS News mobile apps HERE: http://cbsn.ws/1Xb1WC8
Get new episodes of shows you love across devices the next day, stream local news live, and watch full seasons of CBS fan favorites anytime, anywhere with CBS All Access. Try it free! http://bit.ly/1OQA29B
---
CBSN is the first digital streaming news network that will allow Internet-connected consumers to watch live, anchored news coverage on their connected TV and other devices. At launch, the network is available 24/7 and makes all of the resources of CBS News available directly on digital platforms with live, anchored coverage 15 hours each weekday. CBSN. Always On.
CBSN is the first digital streaming news network that will allow Internet-connected consumers to watch live, anchored news coverage on their connected TV and other devices. At launch, the network is available 24/7 and makes all of the resources of CBS News available directly on digital platforms with live, anchored coverage 15 hours each weekday. CBSN. Always On.
Read the whole story
· ·
Niall Stanage on reports from the Russian investigation.
Saved Stories – Trump Investigations Report Saved Stories – Trump Investigations Report Trump’s Obamacare Sabotage Is Doing Real Damage To American Health Care I DONT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! I DONT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! I DONT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! Shrinks take to streets to demand ‘narcissistic’ Trump’s ouster – New York Post 4:55 PM 10/14/2017 Reince … Continue reading "3:29 PM 10/15/2017 – Shrinks take to streets to demand ‘narcissistic’ Trump’s ouster – New York Post"
PsyPost |
How voters' perception of trust may have influenced the 2016 presidential election
PsyPost An analysis of swing states, which were key to Trump's electoral victory, showed that terrorism/national security was a focal issue. “The trust advantage on this issue for Trump in part contributes to understanding the Electoral College difference from ... Clinton: Brexit vote was a precursor to US election defeatGulf Times all 227 news articles » |
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 3
Saved Stories – Trump Investigations Saved Stories – Trump Investigations At the Intersection of Russia Probe and Social Media: Donald Trump’s Digital Chief – Wall Street Journal Facebook takes down data and thousands of posts, obscuring reach of Russian disinformation Facebook takes down data and thousands of posts, obscuring reach of Russian disinformation Russia-backed Facebook … Continue reading "4:58 PM 10/15/2017 – At the Intersection of Russia Probe and Social Media: Donald Trump’s Digital Chief – Wall Street Journal"
“You cannot publicly castrate your own secretary of state”
San Francisco Chronicle FBI director: Motive in Las Vegas shooting still unclear San Francisco Chronicle Wray added: “We don’t know yet what the motive is, but that’s not for lack of trying, and if you know anything about the bureau we don’t give up easy.” Authorities have said Stephen Paddock targeted the country music festival the night of Oct. … Continue reading "2:05 PM 10/12/2017 – FBI director: Motive in Las Vegas shooting still unclear"
» Sheryl Sandberg’s Russia talk was an insult to your intelligence – Business Insider 12/10/17 16:21 from Saved Stories – None Business Insider Sheryl Sandberg’s Russia talk was an insult to your intelligence Business Insider No one who paid attention to this interaction was shocked that Putin favored (“not- puppet ”) Donald Trump in 2016. But again, … Continue reading "» Sheryl Sandberg’s Russia talk was an insult to your intelligence – Business Insider 12/10/17 16:21 from Saved Stories"
Congressional investigators are homing in on the connections between the 2016 presidential election and social-media giants Facebook and Twitter , a nexus that put Brad Parscale in charge of millions.
Brad Parscale was the Trump campaign’s digital director and his San Antonio company was its highest-paid vendor. Giles-Parscale drew nearly $88 million for about 18 months of work, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures, on top of an additional $4 million since Election Day, which included millions paid to Facebook and other social-media companies. As digital director, Mr. Parscale was responsible for creating and placing ads on social-media platforms such as Facebook, developing the campaign’s website and driving online fundraising efforts.
In July, Mr. Parscale agreed to an interview with the House Intelligence Committee, but later that month the panel postponed it. The committee hasn’t yet set a new date, and, according to a person familiar with the matter, Mr. Parscale hasn’t been contacted by the Senate Intelligence Committee or special counsel Robert Mueller, who, in addition to the congressional panels, is conducting a criminal probe into whether the Trump campaign and its associates colluded with Moscow.
Mr. Trump has denied any collusion by him or any associates, and Russia has said it didn’t meddle in the election.
Mr. Parscale denies any collusion with Moscow. “I am unaware of any Russian involvement in the digital and data operations of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign,” he said in a July statement.
Mr. Parscale’s work was prolific. The campaign tested 40,000 to 60,000 Facebook ads every day, according to a person familiar with the spending. A senior GOP campaign aide said the team would start each day with 70 ads in each target state, such as Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and buy new ads every five minutes, based on what was successful on a range of metrics. Peak days reached nearly 200,000 unique ad combinations, the person said.
The extent of the Trump digital operation’s activity was largely unreported because there are no federal disclosure requirements for online ads. Unlike when they air television and radio ads, campaigns running online ads aren’t required to disclose how much they paid for the ads, whom they paid and where the ads would run.
Now, lawmakers and Mr. Mueller want to know what role activity on Facebook and Twitter played in the election interference, and whether any Russian social-media activity was connected to the Trump campaign. Facebook has estimated that 10 million people saw ads on its website that were paid for by Russia. Mr. Mueller received copies of Russia-backed Facebook ads last month.
“This was a data crime that occurred, carried out at least by Russia, possibly with cooperation with Trump campaign officials, so any Trump campaign official that worked on data, I think, would be relevant to talk to,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
Spokesmen for Facebook and Twitter have said they are looking to bolster transparency and toughen safeguards against improper use of their platforms.
Facebook is set to participate in public hearings on Nov. 1 held by the House and Senate Intelligence committees. Twitter and Google will take part in the Senate hearing.
The House panel also has contacted Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics company paid $5 million by the Trump campaign last year that worked together with Mr. Parscale’s firm, for information related to the Russia probe, a Cambridge Analytica spokesman said.
The House panel referred questions to the company, whose spokesman said it would fully cooperate with the probe but added that Cambridge Analytica itself isn’t under investigation. “There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the company,” he said.
The White House referred questions to Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign, which declined to comment.
While broadcast stations are required to disclose to the Federal Communications Commission how much they earn from political campaigns and groups and where those dollars are directed, social-media companies don’t have to disclose what share of their advertising revenue comes from political ads.
Facebook has turned over the Russia-backed ads to congressional investigators and the House Intelligence Committee has said it will make them public soon. Facebook said in a statement earlier this month that it is “building new tools” that would allow users to see ads run by a specific individual or group, even if those ads aren’t targeted to that particular user.
Steven Passwaiter, vice president at Kantar Media/CMAG, which tracks political advertising, said his firm is planning to track digital ads for the first time this year, but won’t be able to include ads on social-media platforms such as Facebook, the primary platform used by the Trump campaign.
“Facebook is a walled garden,” said Mr. Passwaiter. “You really don’t get the ability to look in.”
Candidates have traditionally spent the bulk of their advertising money on television, which is considered more effective in reaching mass audiences. Through late October 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton spent about $140 million on TV ads to Mr. Trump’s $60 million.
The Trump campaign devoted nearly half of its advertising spending to digital ads, according to the person familiar with the spending, much of it for Facebook ads, which helped the campaign and the Republican National Committee build a network of small donors that raised about $250 million in small-dollar donations.
By Election Day, the Trump campaign had spent about $70 million in advertising on Facebook, according to the person familiar with the spending.
“Facebook was the most significant way for the GOP to prospect to find donors,” Mr. Parscale said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal this week. “It’s a tool which allows you to find people who are supporters easier so you can get them into your campaign.”
Overseeing his efforts was Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law who now serves as a senior White House adviser. Mr. Kushner was interviewed by the Senate Intelligence Committee in July. Mr. Kushner has denied colluding with Russia.
A person familiar with the effort said Mr. Kushner wasn’t involved in the day-to-day work of running digital advertising. Instead, Mr. Parscale would keep him apprised of the budget and of which voters the campaign was planning to target, the person said.
Much of the money paid to Mr. Parscale was dispersed to social-media platforms to pay for the advertising, as well as to at least one other vendor: Sprinklr, a social-media management service that allows companies to scale up their online presence.
Every vendor that worked with Mr. Parscale on the campaign signed a nondisclosure agreement, according to the person familiar with the spending, and didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The Trump ads Mr. Parscale purchased on Facebook were largely focused on fundraising, showing users images of Mr. Trump or his family while asking them to donate, said the person. Images and videos of Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, were targeted to mothers. Some contained cartoons attacking Hillary Clinton as corrupt. The campaign also used Facebook to draw large crowds to Mr. Trump’s campaign rallies, the person said.
Images and videos were tested in battleground locations, comparing results by gender and in rural areas and urban areas using a range of metrics. If small ad buys on certain targets performed well, the campaign purchased more, the person said.
The Facebook ads typically bring in fairly small donations and Mr. Parscale’s low rate of financial return on them drew him criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, who questioned the effectiveness of his ads. In response, Mr. Parscale pointed to the high number of small-dollar donors the campaign was attracting.
“Fundraising small dollars literally followed two days ahead of poll data,” Mr. Parscale said of donations raked in through Facebook ads, speaking at a panel hosted by Google in December. “People would vote with their wallets.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign ultimately drew about 65% of its funds from donations of $200 or less. Mrs. Clinton’s share of small-dollar donations: 26%. Mr. Trump’s fundraising was, however, far outpaced by Mrs. Clinton’s. Over the course of the 2016 election cycle, Mr. Trump raised $350 million, to Mrs. Clinton’s $585 million.
Appeared in the October 14, 2017, print edition as 'The Man on Trump’s Digital Front.'
Read the whole story
· · · · · ·
Wall Street Journal |
At the Intersection of Russia Probe and Social Media: Donald Trump's Digital Chief
Wall Street Journal Congressional investigators are homing in on the connections between the 2016 presidentialelection and social-media giants Facebook and Twitter , a nexus that put Brad Parscale in charge of millions. Brad Parscale was the Trump campaign's digital ... |
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 4
Source: Trump Administration Accused of Aiding Iranian Militias in Syria
A series of blows is taking its toll.
I DO NOT LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! You are cheap, pretentious, primitive, and mediocre, just like the majority of your customers. Like “faces”, like “books”, like “posts”, like the uniform mentality of your everywhere-nowhere “friends”. Somewhere between the kindergarten and the institution for the mentally challenged. Not only its current CEO, but the Facebook itself is … Continue reading "I DON’T LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! I DON’T LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK! I DON’T LIKE YOU, FACEBOOK!"
New York Post |
Shrinks take to streets to demand 'narcissistic' Trump's ouster
New York Post Some 125 psychologists and other mental health professionals marched along lower Broadway Saturday to demand that President Trump be thrown out of office, based on a constitutional clause allowing presidents to be ousted when their cabinets decide ... |
Reince Priebus may have been spying on Donald Trump for Robert Mueller last week
Reince Priebus may have been spying on Donald Trump for Robert Mueller last week
Reince Priebus may have played Trump during meeting last week
Reince Priebus may have been spying on Donald Trump for Robert Mueller last week
Reince Priebus may have played Trump during meeting last week
From: News Duration: 01:05 After Sen. Bob Corker criticized President Donald Trump for his “castration” of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the secretary responded by saying he is “fully intact.” News’s YouTube Videos
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 5
Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you.
The Method To The Moron’s Madness
Read the whole story
· · ·
Syria: Russian 'Transparent Interests' vs Murky US Claims - Kurdish ...
Sputnik International-6 hours ago
"Russia's interests are transparent while US interests are rather unclear to many. There is a lot of uncertainty about Washington's policy in Syria ...
How the US Lost the War in Syria to Russia and Iran
Newsweek-Oct 11, 2017
When the U.S. and its allies finally began their offensive to defeat the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ...
The Latest: Russia Says Syrian Army Taken Key IS-Held Town
U.S. News & World Report-Oct 14, 2017
The Russian military says the Syrian army has taken the full control of a key ... The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group says a deal ...
Russian MoD Accuses US-Led Coalition of Bombings of Raqqa ...
Local Source-Sputnik International-Oct 14, 2017
Local Source-Sputnik International-Oct 14, 2017
US Recognizes Russian Policy Proven Best in Backing Syria to ...
Sputnik International-Oct 13, 2017
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States does not care whether the Syrian forces or the US-backed forces will destroy Daesh in their last ...
Read the whole story
· ·
Of all the various players accused of wrongdoing in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal, the gleefully defiant Roger Stone was the last one whom anyone expected to cave. So when he was faced with a deadline on Friday which would have resulted in subpoena action, most observers – including me – expected him to thumb his nose at it and milk the situation for attention. Instead, in what can only be described as a panic move, Stone has shockingly caved.
The House Intelligence Committee had demanded that Roger Stone turn over the name of his backchannel contact with WikiLeaks, the cyberterrorist group which is believed to have coordinated with Russian government hackers for Donald Trump’s benefit during the election. Throughout the course of the Trump-Russia scandal, Stone had been trying his best to play the rebel. He’s routinely cursed out and threatened the members of Congress investigating the scandal. But this time around, he opted to go ahead and turn over the name of his contact after all.
Stone’s attorney is confirming that the name of the WikiLeaks contact has in fact been turned over to the House Intel Committee (link), while Stone isn’t saying much of anything on Twitter. For all his bluster, for all his desire to gain attention and sell more of his deranged conspiracy books, Stone seems to have decided at the last minute that he doesn’t want to get tossed in jail for contempt of Congress after all.
This is noteworthy because it suggests that Roger Stone, for all his bluster, is not willing to go down with the ship. What happens when Special Counsel Robert Mueller threatens to bring criminal conspiracy charges against him for his communications with Russian hackers during the election? Will Stone cut a deal? If he’s caving on this aspect of the scandal in order to avoid potential arrest, perhaps he’ll end up flipping altogether.
The post Roger Stone shockingly caves in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal appeared first on Palmer Report.
For months we’ve known what Donald Trump’s endgame strategy would be once the investigation into his Russia scandal reached his own top advisers. His strategy has been clear, both because it’s been easy to figure out, and because he’s openly bragged about it. But now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and Congressional investigators have indeed broached Trump’s inner circle, that singular strategy has suddenly imploded in a period of just twenty-four hours.
Trump’s strategy has always been straightforward enough: he was simply going to promise pardons to everyone who was being pressured to flip on him. Trump publicly floated the idea of pardons a few months back, in what was rather clearly a signal to his own people. Some have even theorized that Trump made a point of preemptively pardoning his political ally Joe Arpaio on contempt charges, just to prove to his Trump-Russia co-conspirators that he would take care of them as well. But then this Friday happened, and that strategy began imploding on two fronts.
This week Robert Mueller decided to skip over a number of people in the Trump senior staff hierarchy and jump straight to former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. The only reason for Mueller to be talking to Priebus this early is if Priebus has indicated he’s interested in flipping. According to numerous reports, the two spent the entire day together on Friday, which suggests he did indeed flip. So much for the notion of Priebus remaining quiet and being willing to face potential conspiracy obstruction charges, and then banking on Trump pardoning him.
Of course Reince Priebus never really liked or trusted Trump to begin with. But then one of Donald Trump’s true allies also hit the panic button. Roger Stone, Trump’s friend of forty years and personal adviser, gave up the name of his WikiLeaks contact to the House Intel Committee on Friday (link). Stone could have been arrested for contempt of Congress, and he apparently wasn’t willing to count on a Trump pardon. Do Priebus and Stone no longer trust Trump to protect them, or do they fear his pardons wouldn’t hold up in court? In any case, Trump’s pardon strategy is now imploding.
The post Donald Trump’s defense strategy in the Trump-Russia scandal just completely implodedappeared first on Palmer Report.
Next Page of Stories
Loading...
Page 6
No comments:
Post a Comment