The Vise Is Closing on Manafort

Former Trump Campaign Manager to Be Indicted

Reports surfaced today that Robert Mueller, the special investigator for the Russia probe, intends to indict Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for Donald Trump.

Also surfacing today are reports that the FISA court granted warrants to wiretap Manafort because of the CIA's severe concerns about Manafort's Russia contacts, long before he became Trump's campaign chairman.  This suggests that evidence against Manafort is already on tape in the form of intelligence intercepts.

FBI agents picked the lock of Manafort's home and knocked on his bedroom door before removing documents and copying computer files, back in June.  For a FISA court order to grant this extraordinary power, Mueller must have had good evidence of a serious crime, and reason to believe that Manafort would destroy the evidence.

Again, Trump's former campaign manager has been notified that he will be indicted.  The pressure is ratcheting up on Trump and his cronies, the traitors who sold out the US to its Russian enemies.

Mike Flynn Cringes, Asks for Immunity

Lies Catch Up to Former Trump Presidential Advisor

Former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn has told the Senate Intelligence Committee he is willing to be interviewed about the Trump administration's possible ties to Russia in return for a grant of immunity from prosecution.  Flynn served as President Trump's National Security Advisor for three weeks before resigning because of lying to conceal his contacts with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. 

Of particular interest to the American people is whether Flynn discussed the removal of US sanctions on Russia in return for Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and whether Trump himself was involved.

First, Flynn told the Washington Post he didn't discuss sanctions with Kislyak.

     Then, it was revealed that Flynn had met Kislyak.

          Next, Flynn said he couldn't remember whether they had discussed sanctions.

               Now, Flynn thinks he needs immunity.

Flynn's lawyer confirmed that discussions had taken place with the House and Senate Intelligence Committees  Asking for a grant of immunity is a common protection sought even by innocent witnesses, but in Flynn’s compromised situation it signals much, much more.

Why did the Trump transition team do such a poor job vetting Mike Flynn for the job of National Security Advisor?  Flynn failed to disclose payments for representing Russian interests, including his appearance at a Russian Television dinner with Vladimir Putin.  Then Flynn was caught representing the Turkish government.  Flynn registered as a foreign agent only after being caught and fired.

The DOJ warned the White House that Mike Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail for lying about his foreign contacts, before he was selected as National Security Advisor.  But the White House kept  Mike Flynn on the job for three more weeks.  Why?  Flynn should have been fired immediately as a foreign agent.

Perhaps soon we will have proof that the Trump administration is packed with traitors selling out America to the Russian Kleptocracy of Tsar Vladimir.

Republican Lies about Monitoring of Trump Explode in Their Own Faces

Nunes’s Bias Exposed, Confirms Need for Independent Investigation

Congressman Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, announced yesterday that he is backing down from his assertion that Donaald Trump and his aides were monitored by U.S. intelligence services. 

A spokesman added that Nunes needed to obtain documents from the intelligence community before he could assess if Trump or his associates had been monitored.  As for Donald Trump's unhinged assertion that Obama wiretapped him, Nunes repeated what he has said previously, telling reporters, "That didn't happen."

The allegation is merely about “incidental collection," meaning that it occurred incidentally during the surveillance of foreign intelligence targets, not the direct monitoring of domestic targets like Trump, his campaign, or his transition team.  Electronic monitoring requires warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court if the foreigners are in the United States or if a conversation crosses U.S. communication systems.  However, Republican political hacks gladly lied about the matter for political gain.  On Thursday, the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee sent out an email about Nunes' remarks with the subject line, "Confirmed: Obama Spied on Trump."  Now we see that the Republicans were spreading a lie, and Nunes was merely creating an opportunity to spread the propaganda. 

Nunes still has not identified the source of his information. Also, without explanation, he canceled next week's open committee hearing and scheduled a closed session, depriving the American people of their right to know more about Trump's collusion in the Russian cyberwar against the US.

The entire role of Nunes in this affair is highly suspicious.  Without telling his committee, Nunes rushed to the White House last week and later announced that he had told “President” Trump that US intelligence agencies had picked up conversations of Trump and his campaign associates as “incidental collection” during surveillance of other targets.  Nunes is supposed to be investigating Trump, not giving him advance notice of information to be placed before the committee.  Nunes later apologized for a bad decision, but had already exposed himself as either lacking judgment or a Trump agent, or both. 

All of this foolishness shows that Nunes is totally unqualified.  Time after time, he makes bad decisions, shows bias for Trump, and shows no cognizance of the gravity of the national security matters before the House Intelligence Committee.

The only solution is an independent investigative commission, totally out of the hands of biased Republican hacks and incompetent fools like Nunes.

FBI Says Trump Campaign Coordinated Cyberwar with the Russians

Treason against America Is Proven

US officials told CNN today that the FBI has evidence of communications between associates of Donald Trump and Russian operatives to coordinate the release of information damaging to the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.

This evidence constitutes a part of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s links to Russian intelligence, announced by FBI Director James Comey in his testimony Monday to the House Intelligence Committee.  Comey testified that the FBI had "a credible allegation of wrongdoing or reasonable basis to believe an American may be acting as an agent of a foreign power."

One law enforcement official told CNN the FBI has evidence that "people connected to the campaign were in contact and it appeared they were giving the thumbs up to release information when it was ready."

This shows that there is indeed “more than circumstantial evidence” of wrongdoing.  The FBI has evidence that members of Trump’s circle gave the thumbs up for the Russians to release information interfering in the US election.

These Republican traitors colluded with a foreign enemy power to influence the US election.  These traitors tried to influence the election to benefit a foreign enemy power.  This is treason of the highest order.

In related news, we learn that right-wing extremist groups in the US have evidently coordinated their actions with the Russian bot-attack, in which automated comments were placed in volume on Democratic and other social media to further the divide between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and to falsely vilify them to the American people.  All of this occurred in a coordinated manner to magnify the damage done by the Russian cyberwar offensive against the US election.

There is now no doubt that the US President is more than merely a demagogue, liar, racist bigot, misogynist, and psychopathic egotist.  Trump is more than a mere dupe of the Russians.  This news shows that Trump must be Russian operative, placed in power to undermine the US and help the brutal dictator Vladimir Putin.  Trump is a traitor.

“More than Circumstantial Evidence” That Trump Campaign Colluded with Russia

Adam Schiff, the Democratic vice chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was asked today on “Meet the Press” if he had only circumstantial evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.  Schiff answered in the negative and added:  "I can tell you that the case is more than that and I can't go into the particulars, but there is more than circumstantial evidence now."

Schiff was also asked if he had seen direct evidence of collusion, to which he answered:  "I don't want to get into specifics but I will say that there is evidence that is not circumstantial and is very much worthy of an investigation."

The diversions and roadblocks offered by Republican party members in congress show that they are trying to shield Trump’s campaign from its crimes, but it now seems that the days of the crazy traitor Trump are numbered.

Trump's Campaign Manager Manafort Worked for Putin

Trump Lied to America about His Campaign’s Links to Putin

Before he was Donald Trump’s presidential campaign manager, Paul Manafort was covertly under contract with a Russian oligarch to “greatly benefit the Putin government”. 

 

Discovery of Manafort’s allegiance to Putin completes the final link between the Russian government and its American lackey, Donald Trump.  What everyone has known for so long is now proven:  Donald Trump is a traitor who sold out American democracy in return for Russian cyberwar support in the 2016 election.

The Associated Press learned of the link to Putin when it obtained Manafort’s strategy memoranda and records of international wire transfers for millions of dollars.  In response, Manafort issued a statement that he had worked for the oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, and an official representative of Deripaska confirmed that Manafort had an agreement to provide consulting services.

When Manafort pitched his services to Deripaska in 2005, he wrote:  "We are now of the belief that this model can greatly benefit the Putin Government if employed at the correct levels with the appropriate commitment to success." 

Both Manafort and the Trump administration earlier had issued public announcements that Manafort never worked for Russian interests, but Manafort has now admitted that he worked to greatly benefit Putin.  Trump and Manafort have lied to America about their links to Russia and Putin.

Manafort is bound to become a focus of the ongoing FBI probe and congressional probes into Russian connections with the Trump campaign.  The vise is closing in on Trump, who is either totally incompetent as President, or a blackmailed agent of Vladimir Putin, or both.

Rex Tillerson Sells Out America Again

Secretary of State Spurns NATO Meeting, Will Visit Moscow

"Secretary of State" Rex Tillerson has announced that he will skip the meeting of NATO foreign ministers and will instead make a visit to Moscow in April to congratulate the criminals who conducted the cyberwar operation against the 2016 US presidential campaign.

The truth about the Trump administration could not be clearer:  Trump is rewarding his Russian supporters by weakening NATO and legitimizing Putin's criminal regime in Moscow.

NATO has been the most effective military and foreign policy instrument of the United States since the end of World War II.  It has participated in and enables our wars in the Middle East, just as it always provided a bulwark against the aggressive Soviet Union.  NATO continues to save US taxpayers uncounted billions of dollars, and lives of US soldiers, by multiplying American military might and economic power.

In NATO, we are allied with democracies and advanced economies who share our values and support our international interests.  Their modern armed forces multiply our American might, and their territories provide bases from which we conduct our own operations in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and elsewhere.  The soldiers of their armed forces have given their lives alongside our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism.

By snubbing our NATO allies, Tillerson is sabotaging the interests of the United States and giving aid and comfort to our enemies in Russia.

This is the same Rex Tillerson who, as the chairman of Exxon, used a false email name to coordinate his strategies with US regulators, who hid his own company's findings about the impact of fossil fuels on global climate change, and who used lies and propaganda trying to hide the scientific truth that burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming.  Tillerson has proven himself to be an enemy of the future of the human race.

And now he has proven himself to be a traitor to the United States.  What could be more despicable and hateful to the American people?

The US Is Governed by a Liar

The United States has issued a formal apology to the United Kingdom for President Trump’s claim that  UK intelligence services helped former President Barak Obama spy on Trump with a wiretap.

Apologies were made by two talking heads – press secretary Sean Spicer and national security adviser McMaster – but so far there is no word of  an apology through official diplomatic channels.  Such official channels are under the direction of “Secretary of State” Tillerson, who seems to have abandoned diplomacy in a deliberate attempt to destroy the international influence of the United States.  So far, the blustering demagogue Trump has not apologized personally.

 

Last week, Trump accused former President Barak Obama of using wiretapping to spy on Trump during the 2016 election campaign.  FBI chief James Comey and former CIA chief James Clapper both denied Trump’s wild claim.  Yesterday, the senate intelligence committee published a statement saying they had no evidence for Mr. Trump's claim.

After those claims were officially refuted, Trump accused GCHQ, the headquarters of UK intelligence, of spying to help Obama.  But now, Britain has denied those wild claims, and the White House has apologized for the wild lie.

Trump will say anything to stir up trouble against his political opponents.  His constant lies show an utter disrespect for the American people and the office of the presidency.  Trump is a demagogue and is not qualified to lead the nation.

 

Members of Congress who support Trump also show their disrespect for the Constitution and the American people.  By repeating his lying rhetoric and supporting his hateful policies, they have positioned themselves as traitors to America and enemies of the American people, who will know what to do in the next Congressional elections.  The fascist ideologues of Congress had better wake up and do something to rein in the liar Trump before he destroys America and the American people utterly.

Trump Sold Out the United States to Buy the Election

Republican Platform Gutted in Return for Russian Cyberwar against the Democrats

Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, worked with a Russian agent to forge a deal with Putin:  In return for Russian interference in the US presidential election, Trump removed criticism of Russia’s stance in the Ukraine from the Republican party platform.

The operative, Konstantin Kilimnik, came under scrutiny from officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Department partly because of at least two trips he took to the U.S. during the presidential campaign.

The news site Politico announced yesterday that, after a late summer trip to the U.S., Kilimnik suggested that he had played a role in gutting a proposed amendment to the Republican Party platform that would have staked out a more adversarial stance towards Russia.

Kilimnik’s relationship with Manafort traces back to 2005. That’s when Manafort hired Kilimnik to work for him in Ukraine.

Manafort was already actively helping a pro-Russian political party in the Ukraine, and received payments of millions of dollars for helping the Russians in return.

Mounting scrutiny of Manafort’s work in Ukraine, and alleged cash payments from a pro-Russian political party in the Ukraine, forced him to resign from the Trump campaign.

Now the proof is coming out:  Donald Trump bought the election by selling US security in return for Russian cyberattacks on Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.

It is disgusting that Republicans in Congress lack the patriotism to force Trump to come to justice. All they ALL traitors?

Trump must be impeached and convicted of treason.

Trump's Insanity Worsens

Trump Accuses Obama of Wiretapping

Trump's insanity went totally out of control this weekend when he accused former President Barack Obama of ordering a wiretap of Trump and his presidential campaign.  The total chaos of his administration has seized control of Trump's sick mind, and the Orange Demagogue has totally lost it now.

The accusation has no more material substance than than its origin in the rantings of a right-wing radio idiot, repeated and amplified by the fascist goons at Breitbart.  The orange goon is trying again to govern the country with lying propaganda, and it isn't working.

FBI Director Comey Says That Trump Is a Liar

FBI Director Comey has rejected Trump's claim as totally false, and has asked the Justice Department to refute Trump's claim.  Comey investigated Trump's opponent, Secretary Hillary Clinton, endlessly and threw the election to Trump by resuming the investigation only days before the election.  Trump is obviously a liar, because he cannot claim that Comey is biased against him.

Former CIA Chief Says That Trump Is a Liar

Former CIA head James Clapper, who served as Director of National Intelligence for six years under Obama, rejected Trump's claim in an interview on "Meet the Press" Sunday.  Clapper said of the agencies that he oversaw, "there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president, the president-elect, or against his campaign."

Not without Reason

Of course, a court would have to authorize a wiretap, which means that there would be evidence of a crime, which means that a wiretap would not have been without reason.  Trump's claim implies that he is guilty of something.

Trump Is on the Way Out

Trump is out of control and a danger to the United States.  For this and many other reasons, the Congrass has no other option than to impeach Trump, convict him of one of his many crimes, and get him out of office.  The safety of America depends on it.

A good way to start would be to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the collusion of the Trump campaign with Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential election.  Trump's insanity is another place to start.

Sessions Colluded with the Russians and Lied about It to Congress

Justice Department officials announced that the infamous fascist hate-monger, Jeff Sessions, presently the Attorney General of the United States, acted as intermediary between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and officials of the Russian government, at a time that Sessions was an active member of Trump’s campaign team.

One of the meetings, with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, occurred during the September Russian cyber-offensive against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.  

Combined with earlier reports of contacts between Trump’s campaign team and the Russian government, it is now totally clear that the Trump campaign was involved from top to bottom in collusion with the Russians. 

At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sessions absolutely denied any contacts with Russian officials during the campaign.  Sessions deliberately misled the committee and the nation about his seditious and treasonous behavior.

Many have already called for Sessions to recuse himself from investigations of Russian cyber-war in the Presidential election. 

Recusal is not enough.  Sessions must be removed from office.

There can no longer be any doubt that Trump collaborated with the Russians to rig the US election.  As a dupe and agent of the Russians, Trump must be impeached and convicted of treason, along with the other fascist criminals who abetted him.

Our nation is being led by traitors.

DeVos Declares War on the Disabled

Betsy DeVos, Trump's newly appointed Secretary of Education, has decided that disabled students do not need education.

The Department of Education has taken down the website that formerly informed teachers, administrators, and the families of disabled students of their options and rights for accessing education under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

Trump publicly displayed his hate for the disabled during the Presidential campaign, and is following through with a full-blown war on disabled Americans.

This move is consistent with administration policy that substitutes "alternative facts" (lies) of alt-right ignoramuses for the basic facts instilled by public education. DeVos is infamous for her dishonest campaign to destroy public education with so-called "charter schools".  America entered the modern age thanks to public education, and it will decline into third-world status through the ignorant hatred of right-wing hatemongers like DeVos.

By confirming DeVos's appointment, the Republican hatemongers of Congress have demonstrated their allegiance to hatemonger Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the fundamentalist hatemongers of the alt-right.