I'm watching the Cohen hearings and there's a distinct difference between Democrats briefing Kavanaugh and Republicans briefing Cohen. Democrats were perfectly polite to Kavanaugh, never raising their voices or making accusations, and yet Kavanaugh responded with shouts and sobbing. Republican Mark Meadows is already raising his voice repeatedly and throwing out accusations while actually shouting over Cohen.
Frankly, I don't particularly care what happens to Cohen today. But why do I keep seeing Republican Congresspersons shouting during hearings? Whether it's Lindsey Graham or Brett Kavanaugh or Mark Meadows, the constant refrain is just to raise your voice and shout out accusations.
It's Sammy the Bull testifying against John Gotti. He has physical evidence in the form of documents. He has stated that he briefed Ivanka and Don Jr. on Trump Tower Moscow at least TEN times. And he basically confirmed at least significant portions of the much-maligned Buzzfeed story. In every way, the Trump organization is nothing but low-rent organized crime, right down to the way Trump issues orders to innoculate himself. The Republicans on the committee haven't offered a single actual defense of Trump on substance, they are simply shouting FOX News talking points into the void and seeing what sticks. The President is the head of a criminal enterprise.
On the subject of Cohen - it's all pretty breathtaking how troubling the information he has is, and that one half of those present couldn't be concerned leas about it.
As long as there is no smoking gun (and there won't be at this hearing), it's just going to be posturing.
On the subject of Cohen - it's all pretty breathtaking how troubling the information he has is, and that one half of those present couldn't be concerned leas about it.
As long as there is no smoking gun (and there won't be at this hearing), it's just going to be posturing.
Well he did bring copies of checks from Trump and Trump Jr. to reimburse the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels signed AFTER he was President and while he was not on retainer for Trump.
Well he did bring copies of checks from Trump and Trump Jr. to reimburse the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels signed AFTER he was President and while he was not on retainer for Trump.
Yeah. I saw that. Apparently that doesn't matter to Republican voters (his approval rating with republican voters is around 90%) or republican lawmakers (they've all gone to bat for him in this hesring).
Everyone knows he cheated on his wife. Everyone knows he bought Stormy Daniels off. Everyone knows it was done in a way that's illegal under current campaign finance laws.
I bet Donald Jr. cares. He's been directly implicated as an accessory to a felony and he has no immunity...
I've said it a hundred times, but everything about his entire organization and family feels like it should be being investigated as a RICO case. The only thing it's missing is the murders:
If what Cohen is saying is true, he is guilty of blantant and willful felony campaign finance violations (including a clear knowledge of guilt because of the cover-up), tax fraud, and bank fraud (misrepresenting his assets to Deutsche Bank).
In regards to Nixon, as someone who has been reading alot about it, even back then, the party and his supporters were saying the same bullshit. That he didn't really know what was going on and everything he did was incidental. Right up to the point (and beyond frankly) where 18 minute gaps started appearing in subpoenaed tapes. I am 1000% convinced a Nixon in 2019 with this Republican Party behind him and FOX News survives Watergate.
Elliott Abrams was literally in front of Congress less than two weeks ago. Like Oliver North, he only isn't a convicted felon because of a Presidential pardon.
Anyone who thinks AOC doesn't have true skills needs to watch this clip. She does no grandstanding, she just calmly get Cohen to give up the names of the people who have documents connecting Trump to criminal acts:
So Cohen wasn't the only one to testify today and I was waiting for this testimony to share this entire story even though it broke a couple weeks ago...
Meanwhile in Canada:
Former attorney general of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould gave damning testimony today to the House of Commons justice committee regarding being pressured to drop or change the charges of a Quebec engineering company called SNC-Lavalin, to the point where she said the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) applied pressure himself and removed her from the position of attorney general after she did not go along with it.
Some back story (sorry for the wall of text):
In Feb 2015, the RCMP (Canada's FBI) lays corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin. They allege that the company used bribery to get work in Libya. If convicted, the company would be barred from obtaining Canadian government contracts for 10 years. SNC-Lavalin brings in roughly $9.5 billion yearly, has about 50,000 employees and operates in over 160 countries. It is a Quebec darling.
October of 2015, Liberals win the federal election with a majority and Justin Trudeau taps Jody Wilson-Raybould to Minister of Justice which also makes her the attorney general.
After extensive lobbying by SNC-Lavalin, in 2018, the Liberals table budget bill that changes the Criminal Code that allows companies to file a "remediation agreements." Basically, these agreements allow a company to pay a fine, promise good behaviour in the future to prevent criminal conviction. SNC-Lavalin (knowing that Liberals have a majority and the bill will pass regardless) start the process of attempting to get a remediation agreement even though it isn't law.
The caveat, in September that year, prior to the bill being passed, the Public Prosecution Service denies SNC-Lavalin the chance to negotiate one of these new remediation agreements. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould could overrule the prosecution services decision and has a conversation with Trudeau regarding the file. This doesn't sit well with Wilson-Raybould as she point blank asks him "is he politically interfering with this case." He says no, and the decision is up to her, he just is attempting to "find a solution" for the company.
She sticks to her guns, and does not interfere with the Prosecution Office. Obviously SNC-Lavalin does not like the decision and neither does its stock holders as its shares fall nearly 14%.
In January, Trudeau shuffles his government cabinet positions and moves Wilson-Raybould to Veterans Affairs (seen as a demotion) and appoints Montreal MP David Lametti to Justice.
Then, on February 7 this year, the Globe and Mail (sadly behind a paywall) wrote an article stating the Wilson-Raybould was pressured by the Prime Minister's office to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case and her lack of cooperation was the result of her being ousted as Minister of Justice (and as Attorney General of Canada). The Ethics commissioner (seriously US, get one) begins an investigation regarding the claims.
Liberals go into full damage control over the article. Justin Trudeau gets in front of news cameras on February 11th and basically says everything is fine, I said it was her decision alone in the case, Jody and I still have a wonderful relationship. Her continued presence in cabinet speaks for itself blah blah blah.
Feb 12, she resigns from cabinet, exploding the story even further and sending Trudeau into damage control saying he is disappointed and doesn't know the reason why she resigned. At the same time Wilson-Raybould releases a statement saying she hired a former supreme court justice to advice her on solicitor-client privilege.
Feb 13th the liberal led justice committee debates about probing it themselves. They call one closed door meeting to hear from Lametti about the tensions of his or her duties being justice minister as well as attorney general at the same time. Everyone smells a coverup brewing and loudly demand that the government of Canada waive solicitor-client privilege and allow Wilson-Raybould to tell her side of the story.
On Feb 18th, the Liberals attempt to tap a fall guy Gerald Butts as he resigns from the Prime Ministers Office over the allegations stating his presence is a distraction while also claiming he did nothing wrong.
The next day, Wilson-Raybould attends a Liberal cabinet meeting which is odd because she resigned. Wilson-Raybould allegedly asked to speak there, however due to cabinet confidentiality what was said was never made public.
Then on the 25th, after much public backlash, Trudeau waives both cabinet confidentially and solicitor-client privilege for Wilson-Raybould to speak.
For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with SNC-Lavalin. These events involved 11 people (excluding myself and my political staff) – from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and the Office of the Minister of Finance. This included in-person conversations, telephone calls, emails, and text messages. There were approximately 10 phone calls and 10 meetings specifically about SNC-Lavalin that I and/or my staff was a part of.
Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC. These conversations culminated on December 19, 2018, with a phone conversation I had with the Clerk of the Privy Council – a conversation for which I will provide some significant detail.
A few weeks later, on January 7, 2019, I was informed by the Prime Minister that I was being shuffled out of the role of Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
~~
the 10 contacts were in concern of the Quebec provincial elections being held in the fall and how a poor ruling could result in SNC-Lavalin laying off staff in Quebec or even moving out of province which would hurt the Liberals.
This is obviously very, very bad for the Liberals heading into an election year. This also broke just in time as I wouldn't put it past Lametti to overrule the prosecutions office before this went to trial.
I give it less than 12 hours from now before he is blaming Democrats for holding the Cohen hearing as the reason the talks fell apart. The biggest con in all of this (well, one of them) is this idea of Trump as the master dealmaker and negotiator. It turns out he literally can't make deals with ANYONE, and the extent of his negotiating tactics seems to be "give me what I want or I'm taking my ball and going home". He doesn't prepare, he doesn't put in the work, he simply walks into rooms thinking he will bend everything to his will just by being present. It's not just that he isn't any good at it, it's that he believes his own bullshit.
So what has been accomplished here?? We have now had two meetings getting breathless media coverage where he has showered praise on one of the worst people on Earth, and he has walked away with exactly jack shit. But I'll give you a hint as to what produces meaningful diplomatic agreements. And it's YEARS of painstaking work by professional diplomats, not a reality TV star waving his dick around. Giving Kim this kind of legitimacy for actual results would be one thing, but now this is just embarrassing. Can we please refrain from falling for this charade a third time??
Edit: No joke, Trump blamed the Democrats for not holding off the hearing for two more days 15 minutes after I finished typing this.
I've said it a hundred times, but everything about his entire organization and family feels like it should be being investigated as a RICO case.
Nah. His organization is/was not generally in the business of committing overt crimes. He has abused bankruptcy laws and stiffed parties to contracts with him, etc. Terrible business practices, and suffered the appropriate penalty of being cut out of credit markets. His cozying up to Russians kaundering money was fairly incidental; his misuse of his foundation was generally in the name of shallow self-aggrandizement; his recent potentially criminal behavior has emerged from fairly doecisl circumstances having to do with his presidential campaign and inauguration - not circumstances that relate to his business as usual.
So credit where credit is due, I don't think he's spent his life running a criminal organization. He's just a hustler running a scummy business. If he talks like a mobster, it's only because he's a weak-minded imbecile who thinks that's what it means to be tough.
(None of which is meant to excuse him. If he committed fromes in unique circumstances, he still committed crimes. Same is true of Nixon. And Trump has compounded it with generally crappy behavior. One way or another, sooner or later, we gotta be rid of this guy.)
Is this really true though?
"Don't think he's spent his life running a criminal organization"?! With what, at LEAST 30 years of tax fraud? His father was committing fraud on his company that was passed to him since before Trump was even born. You list a whole raft of fraud and abuses, many of which have run for decades.
Under RICO, all that crap counts as racketeering activity. Money laundering, fraud, obstruction of justice, embezzlement, bribery, bankruptcy fraud.
Almost the entire point of the RICO Act is to go after people who ordered crimes that others committed by their orders (typically seen as mob bosses) but did not actually commit those crimes themselves.
Let's not forget that there was an honest to god RICO Act lawsuit against Trump before the election that got dropped because he won, related to his Trump University.
President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un “felt very badly” about student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in North Korea and died after being returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state in 2017.
Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday after the two leaders failed to reach a nuclear agreement, Trump said he believed Kim.
The spineless piece of crap consistently kisses the butt of dictators and plays pretend tough guy against American citizens blaming us for his failures.
The idea that Kim Jong Un wouldn't be personally familiar with the status of an American being held in a North Korean prison is completely and utterly absurd. This might be a new low even for him. But how many times do we have to point out the obvious?? He goes out of his way to give not only the benefit of the doubt, but to heap praise on any dictator he comes in contact with. The Saudi Crown Prince, Duterte, Putin, Kim. Apparently they just tell him in private they aren't responsible for something and that's good enough for him. It's easy to see why. He craves what they have and are able to get away with. It's beyond obvious.
They don't even have to tell him that they deny it. He says it for them.
Remember with Putin prior to even talking to him Trump said "I'll ask him your favorite question about meddling. He may deny it.". He's basically working with them to avoid topics they don't want to talk about. Sounds familiar right.
He's a fake tough guy he can't stand up to anyone who can push back.
So Cohen wasn't the only one to testify today and I was waiting for this testimony to share this entire story even though it broke a couple weeks ago...
Meanwhile in Canada:
Former attorney general of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould gave damning testimony today to the House of Commons justice committee regarding being pressured to drop or change the charges of a Quebec engineering company called SNC-Lavalin, to the point where she said the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) applied pressure himself and removed her from the position of attorney general after she did not go along with it.
Some back story (sorry for the wall of text):
In Feb 2015, the RCMP (Canada's FBI) lays corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin. They allege that the company used bribery to get work in Libya. If convicted, the company would be barred from obtaining Canadian government contracts for 10 years. SNC-Lavalin brings in roughly $9.5 billion yearly, has about 50,000 employees and operates in over 160 countries. It is a Quebec darling.
October of 2015, Liberals win the federal election with a majority and Justin Trudeau taps Jody Wilson-Raybould to Minister of Justice which also makes her the attorney general.
After extensive lobbying by SNC-Lavalin, in 2018, the Liberals table budget bill that changes the Criminal Code that allows companies to file a "remediation agreements." Basically, these agreements allow a company to pay a fine, promise good behaviour in the future to prevent criminal conviction. SNC-Lavalin (knowing that Liberals have a majority and the bill will pass regardless) start the process of attempting to get a remediation agreement even though it isn't law.
The caveat, in September that year, prior to the bill being passed, the Public Prosecution Service denies SNC-Lavalin the chance to negotiate one of these new remediation agreements. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould could overrule the prosecution services decision and has a conversation with Trudeau regarding the file. This doesn't sit well with Wilson-Raybould as she point blank asks him "is he politically interfering with this case." He says no, and the decision is up to her, he just is attempting to "find a solution" for the company.
She sticks to her guns, and does not interfere with the Prosecution Office. Obviously SNC-Lavalin does not like the decision and neither does its stock holders as its shares fall nearly 14%.
In January, Trudeau shuffles his government cabinet positions and moves Wilson-Raybould to Veterans Affairs (seen as a demotion) and appoints Montreal MP David Lametti to Justice.
Then, on February 7 this year, the Globe and Mail (sadly behind a paywall) wrote an article stating the Wilson-Raybould was pressured by the Prime Minister's office to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case and her lack of cooperation was the result of her being ousted as Minister of Justice (and as Attorney General of Canada). The Ethics commissioner (seriously US, get one) begins an investigation regarding the claims.
Liberals go into full damage control over the article. Justin Trudeau gets in front of news cameras on February 11th and basically says everything is fine, I said it was her decision alone in the case, Jody and I still have a wonderful relationship. Her continued presence in cabinet speaks for itself blah blah blah.
Feb 12, she resigns from cabinet, exploding the story even further and sending Trudeau into damage control saying he is disappointed and doesn't know the reason why she resigned. At the same time Wilson-Raybould releases a statement saying she hired a former supreme court justice to advice her on solicitor-client privilege.
Feb 13th the liberal led justice committee debates about probing it themselves. They call one closed door meeting to hear from Lametti about the tensions of his or her duties being justice minister as well as attorney general at the same time. Everyone smells a coverup brewing and loudly demand that the government of Canada waive solicitor-client privilege and allow Wilson-Raybould to tell her side of the story.
On Feb 18th, the Liberals attempt to tap a fall guy Gerald Butts as he resigns from the Prime Ministers Office over the allegations stating his presence is a distraction while also claiming he did nothing wrong.
The next day, Wilson-Raybould attends a Liberal cabinet meeting which is odd because she resigned. Wilson-Raybould allegedly asked to speak there, however due to cabinet confidentiality what was said was never made public.
Then on the 25th, after much public backlash, Trudeau waives both cabinet confidentially and solicitor-client privilege for Wilson-Raybould to speak.
For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with SNC-Lavalin. These events involved 11 people (excluding myself and my political staff) – from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and the Office of the Minister of Finance. This included in-person conversations, telephone calls, emails, and text messages. There were approximately 10 phone calls and 10 meetings specifically about SNC-Lavalin that I and/or my staff was a part of.
Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC. These conversations culminated on December 19, 2018, with a phone conversation I had with the Clerk of the Privy Council – a conversation for which I will provide some significant detail.
A few weeks later, on January 7, 2019, I was informed by the Prime Minister that I was being shuffled out of the role of Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
~~
the 10 contacts were in concern of the Quebec provincial elections being held in the fall and how a poor ruling could result in SNC-Lavalin laying off staff in Quebec or even moving out of province which would hurt the Liberals.
This is obviously very, very bad for the Liberals heading into an election year. This also broke just in time as I wouldn't put it past Lametti to overrule the prosecutions office before this went to trial.
Messy situation for Trudeau and the Liberals, though not altogether surprising given how the government has handled other situations like the Trans-Mountain Pipeline. In many ways, they haven't really differed from their predecessors.
That said, in spite of the fact that the government has alienated the right and left, they still stand a good chance of retaining power simply because the current political dynamic skews toward the center in this country.
So Cohen wasn't the only one to testify today and I was waiting for this testimony to share this entire story even though it broke a couple weeks ago...
Meanwhile in Canada:
Former attorney general of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould gave damning testimony today to the House of Commons justice committee regarding being pressured to drop or change the charges of a Quebec engineering company called SNC-Lavalin, to the point where she said the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) applied pressure himself and removed her from the position of attorney general after she did not go along with it.
Some back story (sorry for the wall of text):
In Feb 2015, the RCMP (Canada's FBI) lays corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin. They allege that the company used bribery to get work in Libya. If convicted, the company would be barred from obtaining Canadian government contracts for 10 years. SNC-Lavalin brings in roughly $9.5 billion yearly, has about 50,000 employees and operates in over 160 countries. It is a Quebec darling.
October of 2015, Liberals win the federal election with a majority and Justin Trudeau taps Jody Wilson-Raybould to Minister of Justice which also makes her the attorney general.
After extensive lobbying by SNC-Lavalin, in 2018, the Liberals table budget bill that changes the Criminal Code that allows companies to file a "remediation agreements." Basically, these agreements allow a company to pay a fine, promise good behaviour in the future to prevent criminal conviction. SNC-Lavalin (knowing that Liberals have a majority and the bill will pass regardless) start the process of attempting to get a remediation agreement even though it isn't law.
The caveat, in September that year, prior to the bill being passed, the Public Prosecution Service denies SNC-Lavalin the chance to negotiate one of these new remediation agreements. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould could overrule the prosecution services decision and has a conversation with Trudeau regarding the file. This doesn't sit well with Wilson-Raybould as she point blank asks him "is he politically interfering with this case." He says no, and the decision is up to her, he just is attempting to "find a solution" for the company.
She sticks to her guns, and does not interfere with the Prosecution Office. Obviously SNC-Lavalin does not like the decision and neither does its stock holders as its shares fall nearly 14%.
In January, Trudeau shuffles his government cabinet positions and moves Wilson-Raybould to Veterans Affairs (seen as a demotion) and appoints Montreal MP David Lametti to Justice.
Then, on February 7 this year, the Globe and Mail (sadly behind a paywall) wrote an article stating the Wilson-Raybould was pressured by the Prime Minister's office to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case and her lack of cooperation was the result of her being ousted as Minister of Justice (and as Attorney General of Canada). The Ethics commissioner (seriously US, get one) begins an investigation regarding the claims.
Liberals go into full damage control over the article. Justin Trudeau gets in front of news cameras on February 11th and basically says everything is fine, I said it was her decision alone in the case, Jody and I still have a wonderful relationship. Her continued presence in cabinet speaks for itself blah blah blah.
Feb 12, she resigns from cabinet, exploding the story even further and sending Trudeau into damage control saying he is disappointed and doesn't know the reason why she resigned. At the same time Wilson-Raybould releases a statement saying she hired a former supreme court justice to advice her on solicitor-client privilege.
Feb 13th the liberal led justice committee debates about probing it themselves. They call one closed door meeting to hear from Lametti about the tensions of his or her duties being justice minister as well as attorney general at the same time. Everyone smells a coverup brewing and loudly demand that the government of Canada waive solicitor-client privilege and allow Wilson-Raybould to tell her side of the story.
On Feb 18th, the Liberals attempt to tap a fall guy Gerald Butts as he resigns from the Prime Ministers Office over the allegations stating his presence is a distraction while also claiming he did nothing wrong.
The next day, Wilson-Raybould attends a Liberal cabinet meeting which is odd because she resigned. Wilson-Raybould allegedly asked to speak there, however due to cabinet confidentiality what was said was never made public.
Then on the 25th, after much public backlash, Trudeau waives both cabinet confidentially and solicitor-client privilege for Wilson-Raybould to speak.
For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with SNC-Lavalin. These events involved 11 people (excluding myself and my political staff) – from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and the Office of the Minister of Finance. This included in-person conversations, telephone calls, emails, and text messages. There were approximately 10 phone calls and 10 meetings specifically about SNC-Lavalin that I and/or my staff was a part of.
Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC. These conversations culminated on December 19, 2018, with a phone conversation I had with the Clerk of the Privy Council – a conversation for which I will provide some significant detail.
A few weeks later, on January 7, 2019, I was informed by the Prime Minister that I was being shuffled out of the role of Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
~~
the 10 contacts were in concern of the Quebec provincial elections being held in the fall and how a poor ruling could result in SNC-Lavalin laying off staff in Quebec or even moving out of province which would hurt the Liberals.
This is obviously very, very bad for the Liberals heading into an election year. This also broke just in time as I wouldn't put it past Lametti to overrule the prosecutions office before this went to trial.
.......the current political dynamic skews toward the center in this country.
I think you're giving mob bosses too much credit. Once RICO was enacted (meaning, the government found a way to go after the organization rather than strictly individuals), the entire thing basically fell apart within 15-20 years. Their code of silence became meaningless in very short order. Moreover, it would have been impossible for Trump not to have crossed paths with these guys in NY in the 70s and 80s. Of course he learned from them. And his mentor was Roy Cohen, one of the most despicable characters in American history.
This recently came up - but it looks like Netanyahu will end up being indicted based on three separate corruption investigations. The exact charges are still to be determined, but the damage is being done.
Comments
Haven't had a chance to look at it. Too busy talking about evolution, I guess...
He hasn't said anything that hasn't been known before.
Frankly, I don't particularly care what happens to Cohen today. But why do I keep seeing Republican Congresspersons shouting during hearings? Whether it's Lindsey Graham or Brett Kavanaugh or Mark Meadows, the constant refrain is just to raise your voice and shout out accusations.
I believe this, among other things is new. For those that are really concerned about charitable foundations this should be right up your alley.
Come on - I didn't actually say that.
On the subject of Cohen - it's all pretty breathtaking how troubling the information he has is, and that one half of those present couldn't be concerned leas about it.
As long as there is no smoking gun (and there won't be at this hearing), it's just going to be posturing.
Well he did bring copies of checks from Trump and Trump Jr. to reimburse the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels signed AFTER he was President and while he was not on retainer for Trump.
Yeah. I saw that. Apparently that doesn't matter to Republican voters (his approval rating with republican voters is around 90%) or republican lawmakers (they've all gone to bat for him in this hesring).
Everyone knows he cheated on his wife. Everyone knows he bought Stormy Daniels off. Everyone knows it was done in a way that's illegal under current campaign finance laws.
35% of the country doesn't seem to care.
I've said it a hundred times, but everything about his entire organization and family feels like it should be being investigated as a RICO case. The only thing it's missing is the murders:
In regards to Nixon, as someone who has been reading alot about it, even back then, the party and his supporters were saying the same bullshit. That he didn't really know what was going on and everything he did was incidental. Right up to the point (and beyond frankly) where 18 minute gaps started appearing in subpoenaed tapes. I am 1000% convinced a Nixon in 2019 with this Republican Party behind him and FOX News survives Watergate.
Wonder if they find this guy credible, head of the NRA.
So dumb that's the main thing they try to stick on her and Bernie.
Why not Democratic Socialism like in Scandinavia? They beat us in almost every conceivable measure such as happiness and healthcare and education.
Meanwhile in Canada:
Former attorney general of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould gave damning testimony today to the House of Commons justice committee regarding being pressured to drop or change the charges of a Quebec engineering company called SNC-Lavalin, to the point where she said the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) applied pressure himself and removed her from the position of attorney general after she did not go along with it.
Some back story (sorry for the wall of text):
In Feb 2015, the RCMP (Canada's FBI) lays corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin. They allege that the company used bribery to get work in Libya. If convicted, the company would be barred from obtaining Canadian government contracts for 10 years. SNC-Lavalin brings in roughly $9.5 billion yearly, has about 50,000 employees and operates in over 160 countries. It is a Quebec darling.
October of 2015, Liberals win the federal election with a majority and Justin Trudeau taps Jody Wilson-Raybould to Minister of Justice which also makes her the attorney general.
After extensive lobbying by SNC-Lavalin, in 2018, the Liberals table budget bill that changes the Criminal Code that allows companies to file a "remediation agreements." Basically, these agreements allow a company to pay a fine, promise good behaviour in the future to prevent criminal conviction. SNC-Lavalin (knowing that Liberals have a majority and the bill will pass regardless) start the process of attempting to get a remediation agreement even though it isn't law.
The caveat, in September that year, prior to the bill being passed, the Public Prosecution Service denies SNC-Lavalin the chance to negotiate one of these new remediation agreements. As attorney general, Wilson-Raybould could overrule the prosecution services decision and has a conversation with Trudeau regarding the file. This doesn't sit well with Wilson-Raybould as she point blank asks him "is he politically interfering with this case." He says no, and the decision is up to her, he just is attempting to "find a solution" for the company.
She sticks to her guns, and does not interfere with the Prosecution Office. Obviously SNC-Lavalin does not like the decision and neither does its stock holders as its shares fall nearly 14%.
In January, Trudeau shuffles his government cabinet positions and moves Wilson-Raybould to Veterans Affairs (seen as a demotion) and appoints Montreal MP David Lametti to Justice.
Then, on February 7 this year, the Globe and Mail (sadly behind a paywall) wrote an article stating the Wilson-Raybould was pressured by the Prime Minister's office to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case and her lack of cooperation was the result of her being ousted as Minister of Justice (and as Attorney General of Canada). The Ethics commissioner (seriously US, get one) begins an investigation regarding the claims.
Liberals go into full damage control over the article. Justin Trudeau gets in front of news cameras on February 11th and basically says everything is fine, I said it was her decision alone in the case, Jody and I still have a wonderful relationship. Her continued presence in cabinet speaks for itself blah blah blah.
Feb 12, she resigns from cabinet, exploding the story even further and sending Trudeau into damage control saying he is disappointed and doesn't know the reason why she resigned. At the same time Wilson-Raybould releases a statement saying she hired a former supreme court justice to advice her on solicitor-client privilege.
Feb 13th the liberal led justice committee debates about probing it themselves. They call one closed door meeting to hear from Lametti about the tensions of his or her duties being justice minister as well as attorney general at the same time. Everyone smells a coverup brewing and loudly demand that the government of Canada waive solicitor-client privilege and allow Wilson-Raybould to tell her side of the story.
On Feb 18th, the Liberals attempt to tap a fall guy Gerald Butts as he resigns from the Prime Ministers Office over the allegations stating his presence is a distraction while also claiming he did nothing wrong.
The next day, Wilson-Raybould attends a Liberal cabinet meeting which is odd because she resigned. Wilson-Raybould allegedly asked to speak there, however due to cabinet confidentiality what was said was never made public.
Then on the 25th, after much public backlash, Trudeau waives both cabinet confidentially and solicitor-client privilege for Wilson-Raybould to speak.
She did so today here are her opening remarks (video):
For a period of approximately four months between September and December 2018, I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with SNC-Lavalin. These events involved 11 people (excluding myself and my political staff) – from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office, and the Office of the Minister of Finance. This included in-person conversations, telephone calls, emails, and text messages. There were approximately 10 phone calls and 10 meetings specifically about SNC-Lavalin that I and/or my staff was a part of.
Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC. These conversations culminated on December 19, 2018, with a phone conversation I had with the Clerk of the Privy Council – a conversation for which I will provide some significant detail.
A few weeks later, on January 7, 2019, I was informed by the Prime Minister that I was being shuffled out of the role of Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of Canada.
~~
the 10 contacts were in concern of the Quebec provincial elections being held in the fall and how a poor ruling could result in SNC-Lavalin laying off staff in Quebec or even moving out of province which would hurt the Liberals.
This is obviously very, very bad for the Liberals heading into an election year. This also broke just in time as I wouldn't put it past Lametti to overrule the prosecutions office before this went to trial.
I give it less than 12 hours from now before he is blaming Democrats for holding the Cohen hearing as the reason the talks fell apart. The biggest con in all of this (well, one of them) is this idea of Trump as the master dealmaker and negotiator. It turns out he literally can't make deals with ANYONE, and the extent of his negotiating tactics seems to be "give me what I want or I'm taking my ball and going home". He doesn't prepare, he doesn't put in the work, he simply walks into rooms thinking he will bend everything to his will just by being present. It's not just that he isn't any good at it, it's that he believes his own bullshit.
So what has been accomplished here?? We have now had two meetings getting breathless media coverage where he has showered praise on one of the worst people on Earth, and he has walked away with exactly jack shit. But I'll give you a hint as to what produces meaningful diplomatic agreements. And it's YEARS of painstaking work by professional diplomats, not a reality TV star waving his dick around. Giving Kim this kind of legitimacy for actual results would be one thing, but now this is just embarrassing. Can we please refrain from falling for this charade a third time??
Edit: No joke, Trump blamed the Democrats for not holding off the hearing for two more days 15 minutes after I finished typing this.
Is this really true though?
"Don't think he's spent his life running a criminal organization"?! With what, at LEAST 30 years of tax fraud? His father was committing fraud on his company that was passed to him since before Trump was even born. You list a whole raft of fraud and abuses, many of which have run for decades.
Under RICO, all that crap counts as racketeering activity. Money laundering, fraud, obstruction of justice, embezzlement, bribery, bankruptcy fraud.
Almost the entire point of the RICO Act is to go after people who ordered crimes that others committed by their orders (typically seen as mob bosses) but did not actually commit those crimes themselves.
Let's not forget that there was an honest to god RICO Act lawsuit against Trump before the election that got dropped because he won, related to his Trump University.
Bad=democracts good=Trump. Totally predictable that the bumbling failure blames everyone else for his impotence.
You'd have to be a fool and a right wing media viewer to believe it. "The buck stops everywhere", this guy is ridiculous.
I suppose the Democrats wrote this tweet as well right:
President Donald Trump said Kim Jong Un “felt very badly” about student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in North Korea and died after being returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state in 2017.
Speaking at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday after the two leaders failed to reach a nuclear agreement, Trump said he believed Kim.
The spineless piece of crap consistently kisses the butt of dictators and plays pretend tough guy against American citizens blaming us for his failures.
Remember with Putin prior to even talking to him Trump said "I'll ask him your favorite question about meddling. He may deny it.". He's basically working with them to avoid topics they don't want to talk about. Sounds familiar right.
He's a fake tough guy he can't stand up to anyone who can push back.
Messy situation for Trudeau and the Liberals, though not altogether surprising given how the government has handled other situations like the Trans-Mountain Pipeline. In many ways, they haven't really differed from their predecessors.
That said, in spite of the fact that the government has alienated the right and left, they still stand a good chance of retaining power simply because the current political dynamic skews toward the center in this country.
Lucky Canadians!
This recently came up - but it looks like Netanyahu will end up being indicted based on three separate corruption investigations. The exact charges are still to be determined, but the damage is being done.