Posted by Tina
Scandals like the one being advanced today used to get a lot of traction. The left media used to be able to control the narrative to do great harm to their political opponents. But today things are different thanks to alternative news and Donald Trump calling them out on their shenanigans.
The NYT claimed to have in their possession damaging emails supporting the Russian collusion meme. They threatened to publish smoking-gun-emails about a so-called “Kremlin-linked” lawyer that met with Don Jr. to pass along dirt on Hillary. But Don Jr. outsmarted the NYT when he made the emails public himself. The emails have nothing of substance in them.
Lefties are already out there screaming “treason” and other such nonsense.
The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, told NBC News that she had no connections to the Kremlin and had no damaging information on Hillary to impart. She claims that her intention was to speak with the Trump campaign about sanctions affecting adoptions. NBC also reports that Kremlin officials said “they were unfamiliar with the lawyer.”
Read more details at the NBC link above. I’m happy to report they seem to have covered this non-story fairly well. I can’t get worked up about accusations that emanate from left media types like the NYT, the WaPo, Buzzfeed, and others since they are such hypocrites and peddle this nonsense to a reading public (radical leftists) that has already proven they have no regard whatsoever for the rule of law. They have no interest in Hillary’s campaign “colluding” with the Ukrainian government against the Trump campaign. See also here and here.
They also had zero interest in the following, a sampling of scandals and criminal acts that were never fully investigated or prosecuted and were exhaustively excused and explained away by the media and complicit administration officials:
* Guns walked across our southern border and into the hands of drug cartel members and the hundreds of murders committed using those guns, including a US border patrol agent.
* Hundreds of conservative citizens targeted and denied 501c4 status by IRS agents that subjected them to extended, intrusive, interrogation and delay resulting in their inability to participate in an election. Extensive targeting of one particular citizen, Catherine Engelbrecht, who was also abused by OSHA and ATF agents.
* Justice Department spying on AP journalists and Fox News reporter James Rosen, accusing Rosen later of “espionage” just for doing his job.
* The many official lies and possible crimes associated with the Benghazi incident. See here and here.
* The Hillary private server and email scandal, including collusion between Bill Clinton and the Loretta Lynch prior to the election.
* Secretly arranged Iran deal, see here here, here, and here…See also delivery of cash on a tarmac in exchange for detained US sailors.
The double standard is obvious to anyone willing to notice and state the truth.
Media participating in these false stories and fishing expeditions deserve whatever scorn is heaped upon them. The citizens that participate in advancing these lies and distortions as truth also deserve whatever scorn comes their way; they have destroyed their credibility completely.
Side note: Don Jr is a good looking man of the Robert Kennedy variety with quite a bit of presence before the television cameras. Could it be that the radical left is scared to death that he will decide to enter the world of politics? Just sayin’.
People are tuning out to the constant Russia, Russia chants just like they did to the kid who cried wolf. We don’t care any more with the steady diet of nothing burgers.
The internet is full of articles after articles today so I’ve had fun sharing the Politicol article of Hillary and the Ukraine collusion and Jonathan Turley’s article on Don Jr.’s meeting. Fighting fire with fire, as they say. If they want to talk about Jr. then I want to talk about Hillary, which in my opinion is much worse and can be verified.
Was The Meeting Between Donald Trump Jr. and The Russian Lawyer Really “Treason” or The “Smoking Gun” of Collusion?:
Jonathan Turley
“I have to respectfully disagree with Painter. I tend to view these things through the lens of a criminal defense attorney and I do not see how either Trump Jr. or Natalia Veselnitskaya could be put into “custody” for such a meeting. There is no crime in listening to people who say that they have incriminating information on a political opponent, even a foreigner. Article III defines treason as “levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” To say that this type of meeting even borders on treason is quite a departure from the language and cases governing that crime.
Moreover, it is hardly shocking to see a willingness to gather dirt during that election. Hillary Clinton was repeatedly criticized for her close association with figures like David Brock who was denounced even by John Podesta as sleazy and disreputable. There was also Sidney Blumenthal who was regularly denounced for spreading rumors and dirt against anyone threatening Clinton.
There also is the allegations surrounding who funded a former British spy to come up with the dossier against Trump, which is now viewed as discredited.
Unless there is more (and this is worthy of investigation), I see nothing close to treason or a crime in this account. That obviously does not fit with the breathless accounts given the story but the criminal code is not a code of political etiquette.”
https://jonathanturley.org/2017/07/10/was-the-meeting-between-donald-trump-jr-and-the-russian-lawyer-really-treason-or-the-smoking-gun-of-collusion/
Good find Peggy.
Jonathan Turley is a Democrat I greatly respect. It’s people like him that add sanity to discussion and come armed with the ever important rule of law.
Well, we can at least agree that the term “treason” goes way too far.
Stop with the whataboutism. If your excuse is “The Left did it too,” then you don’t have any greater principles than the Left does.
Here’s what we know about this:
–Trump Jr. lied when he said he never met with anyone from the Russian government to talk about the campaign.
–Trump Jr. lied when he said he never spoke with any Russian individual about government policy.
–Trump Jr. withheld the existence of this meeting for nearly a year. Jared Kushner also withheld the existence of this meeting for nearly a year, which is worse for him than Trump Jr., because Kushner lied about the existence of this meeting on his security clearance.
–Trump Jr. misled when he said the meeting was not about the campaign the other day. The meeting itself may not have been about the campaign, but Trump Jr. clearly believed it was about the campaign when he chose to attend the meeting.
–Trump Jr. only chose to reveal the e-mails when the NYT said they were about to release the contents. For this, his father called him “transparent.”
–Trump Jr. was told by Goldstone that he would give him “highly sensitive information from the Russian government” if he attended the meeting, and that the government of Russia supported his father’s campaign. This flies in the face of the Trump administration and its defenders’ repeated insistence that the Russians’ only intent in hacking was to hurt Hillary Clinton, not to help Trump.
Here’s what we don’t know:
–Whether Trump Jr. is telling the truth when he says no information was actually given.
–Whether such information would constitute a “thing of value” under the law prohibiting campaigns soliciting a foreign government. It seems obvious to me that damaging information on one’s opponent should fall under this category–campaigns spend thousands on oppo research, and it seems maddening to imagine that a $5 donation from the Russian lawyer would have been illegal, but handing over Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 missing e-mails wouldn’t have been. But we’ll see.
–Whether Trump was aware of the meeting. Donald Jr. says he wasn’t, but he’s also lied about this meeting multiple times, so there is no reason to believe him. Trump was also at Trump Tower the day of the meeting, which was held there.
Whether or not going to a meeting with the express intent of receiving damaging info from a foreign government is illegal, it definitely isn’t right. And it isn’t just the left saying that–multiple former GOP campaign officials have said the proper response to these e-mails should have been to go to the FBI. That’s what Al Gore did when he found out an oppo research file on Bush that was delivered to him came from a foreign source. But the Trumps’ attitude has always been “If it helps us win, of course we’ll do it,” which is the most charitable explanation for Trump’s refusal to fully condemn the Russian hacking, if he did not in fact collude with them.
And I can assure you: no one on the Left is worried about this stupid vampire-looking dude getting involved in politics. He has proven himself an idiot by releasing these e-mails and acting as if they vindicate him, when they are in fact the strongest evidence of collusion yet.
“If your excuse is ‘The Left did it too,'”
You missed the point, which I think I made quite clearly. It is, the credibility, or complete lack thereof, of the left media and those who perpetrate the false accusations. For God’s sake Chris, most, if not all of the stories designed to hurt Trump have been either totally fabricated or imply guilt when there is nothing to base it on. Come on…a few of your representatives were talking impeachment before he even took office.
What you “know” about this is riddled with garbage. For instance, “Trump Jr. lied when he said he never met with anyone from the Russian government”
The lawyer in question is not “with the Russian government.”
“Whether or not going to a meeting with the express intent of receiving damaging info from a foreign government is illegal, it definitely isn’t right.”
Well that could be but it certainly has been done since the beginning of the Republic so get used to it. Hillary engaged in it and where the heck to you think that “golden shower” dossier came from if not the Hillary camp?
“But the Trumps’ attitude has always been “If it helps us win, of course we’ll do it,”
I think that statement more closely resembles your attitude toward Trump…you’re not a mind reader. And as far as the “proper thing to do” goes, why do you suddenly care? All you did for eight years is defend and excuse improper behavior…some of it criminal. You watched as government officials engaged in questionable and illegal acts and showed no outrage.
That’s the whole point Chris. You are like the left media/education/entertainment/judicial complex…totally biased, totally in the bag for the left agenda, no matter what!
“they are in fact the strongest evidence of collusion yet.”
Read Jonathan Turley in Peggy’s comment above. It makes your statement look incredibly foolish.
Bring me actual evidence even somewhat approaching the scandals of the last eight years and I will give it the time of day.
You guys have four years to look for real mistakes. This is just plain crazy. Your concern is as phony as your pretense at fairness.
Well, Trump, Jr., will be pleased to hear that his emails are actually … not … and just more fake news.
Tina, your abilities in the realm of “denial” … are extraordinary.
You missed the point, which I think I made quite clearly. It is, the credibility, or complete lack thereof, of the left media and those who perpetrate the false accusations.
As Libby just explained to you, the source in this case is Donald Trump Jr.’s e-mails, which he provided himself. What “false accusations?” He proved that he did indeed attend a meeting with the intent of getting damaging info on his father’s campaign opponent from a foreign government.
This is exactly what the Trump campaign has been accused of for the last year, Tina…he proved us right.
What you “know” about this is riddled with garbage. For instance, “Trump Jr. lied when he said he never met with anyone from the Russian government”
The lawyer in question is not “with the Russian government.”
Please read Don Jr.’s e-mails that he was gracious enough to provide. Don Jr. was explicitly told that the lawyer’s information came straight from the Russian government. If that’s your only rebuttal to my long list of Don Jr.’s deceptions on this issue, then you must know your defense is weak. You also know multiple Trump officials have denied that anyone from the campaign met with anyone from Russia multiple times.
This is now the THIRD meeting with Russians that Jared Kushner failed to report on his security clearance. You aren’t at all curious about why that is?
Well that could be but it certainly has been done since the beginning of the Republic so get used to it. Hillary engaged in it and where the heck to you think that “golden shower” dossier came from if not the Hillary camp?
*sigh* You’re willingly choosing to not inform yourself on this topic. The dossier was compiled by a company that was hired by Republican NeverTrumpers. And that’s not the same as getting info from a foreign government that explicitly says they favor your campaign–this was a private investigative firm.
More Hillary Russia actual collusion accounts are coming to light again. Here’s one from last Sept. just before the election concerning Viktor Vekselberg.
It is interesting how the words “intent” and “alleged” are applied differently to the Clintons’ than anyone else.
Emails show Clinton ties to Russian oligarch under investigation:
“The Clintons’ relationship with Viktor Vekselberg, the billionaire whose name appears in the documents, has taken on new significance amid an expanding criminal investigation into his company. Last week, authorities raided the offices of Vekselberg’s firm, Renova Group, following allegations of bribery from several of Renova’s subsidiaries.
Vekselberg had been named head of a partnership dubbed the “Russian Silicon Valley” just three months before a Clinton Foundation employee began pushing the State Department to approve Bill Clinton’s proposed meeting with Vekselberg and a handful of other Russian executives.
The emails, obtained by conservative-leaning Citizens United and provided first to the Washington Examiner, do not reveal any illegal activity on the part of the State Department, the Clintons or their foundation.
But the records shed light on one of many relationships that blurred the lines between the Clinton’s political, financial and philanthropic pursuits while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state.
Vekselberg’s Renova Group has donated between $50,000 and $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation, donor records show. Another firm associated with Vekselberg, OC Oerlikon, donated $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation.
Renova’s interests in mining, oil and telecommunications have helped Vekselberg become one of Russia’s wealthiest individuals and an influential figure within the Kremlin.”
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/emails-show-clinton-ties-to-russian-oligarch-under-investigation/article/2601514
I, for one, demand that impeachment proceedings against Hillary Clinton begin immediately.
Chris, The point is this information should have been made known to the public on the same scale as is being given to Don Jr’s.
Can you not see the level of frustration many of us feel about the double standards being applied based on the political party involved? How would you feel if the situations were reversed?
Justice is supposed to be equally applied regardless of social, economic or political status. We are on a downward slide to total lawlessness.
Peggy they do not fully appreciate the necessity and value of the rule of law and equal justice…sad, no?
Funny, funny, Chris.
I don’t know if everyone will be able to access this; it’s an NYT thing, and they are so stingy, but it sums up my position splendidly:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/opinion/trump-russia-collusion.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Once again, Gregg Jarrett lays it out in clear:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/07/11/gregg-jarrett-donald-trump-jr-has-broken-no-law.html
Jarrett is the exception to the Erasmus definition of lawyers shown in the article.
Politics
I told my son “You will marry the girl I choose for you”
He said “No”
I told him, “She is Bill Gates’ daughter.
He said, “OK”
I called Bill Gates and said, “ I want your daughter to marry my son”
Bill Gates said, “No”.
I told Bill Gates, “My son is the CEO of World Bank”.
Bill Gates said, “OK”.
I called the president of World Bank and asked him to make my son the CEO.
He said, “No”.
I told him, “My son is Bill Gates’ son-in-law”.
He said, “OK”.
This is exactly how politics works……..
One more try.
The Democrats finally did it and filed for Trump’s impeachment. This should be hilarious if Ryan sends it to committee and we all get to see the Democrats make fools of themselves trying to get it passed out of committee and to the House floor for a vote.
Pop the popcorn and get ready for democrats to loose more seats in 2018.
Rep. Sherman of California introduces articles of impeachment against Trump:
“LOS ANGELES —Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., has introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, making good on a promise he made to move the process forward.
Sherman, an 11-term Democrat who represents part of the San Fernando Valley, was the first to draft and circulate articles of impeachment last month. He formally introduced the measure, HR 438, on the House floor Wednesday afternoon.
The measure accuses Trump of obstruction of justice and seeking to “use his authority to hinder and cause the termination” of an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, including “through threatening, and then terminating, James Comey.”
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who had previously held a joint news conference with Sherman supporting the effort to impeach Trump, was the only co-sponsor of the measure.”
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rep-sherman-of-california-introduces-articles-of-impeachment-against-trump/ar-BBEiNZF?OCID=ansmsnnews11