It's Official, Trump's Team Full Contact with Russian Intelligence.

[Noxx79]

Oh for crying out loud...

Trump DOJ nominee used to represent Russian bank with ties to Putin



It's like he's not even trying anymore.

At least he didn't "forget" to disclose it. Progress?

[Edge-]

At least he didn't "forget" to disclose it. Progress?

He just had to get waivers first, because clearly those companies NDA's for simply being employed is covered by them. What the fuck kind of company does that?

[Breccia]

What the fuck kind of company does that?

The kind of company that has sanctions imposed on them for their behavior and employees.

Duh.

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Just a reminder everyone, there is supposed to be a vote today that will not just sanction Russia for interfering with the election, but to negate Trump's ability to stop it. This is historic, as @Skroe has explained in detail.

The expected one-sided nature of the vote will likely persuade Trump to sign it, despite his campaign running on better relations with Russia. It would also go against Trump's continued statements that Russia wasn't involved in the election (he is the only person making this claim), so sanctioning them for that would be against his stated principles. A strict veto seems unlikely, as it would be tantamount to confession. A pocket veto, less so.

Now, here's where it could get really interesting: I theorized, a while ago -- regarding the Trump Jr. meeting which we're still getting conflicting stories about, including from Manafort tomorrow -- that there was some collusion, and now, Putin is blackmailing Team Trump, threatening to release the evidence of collusion. At the time, I admitted it was just a theory not backed by evidence and I stand behind that. But I said these would happen if it was true:

How will we know if this theory is correct? Well, we might never learn that. But if it is true, the following should happen:
A) Trump will take several mighty steps forward in promoting Putin's agenda. This involves Russia's move to oil drilling, the ceasefire in Syria which basically neuters our presence there, backing away from North Korea and likely pressing the House and Senate on sanctions. This Vox article from 30 minutes ago suggests this is already happening.
B) Trump says his son did a "heckuva" job in an abstract way, but accepts his resignation over this "false" story because it's becoming a distraction. Yes, the Flynn thing.
C) Other WH members who were not part of this -- Haley, Mattis, McMaster, Priebus, etc -- are far more experienced and smarter in context than I am, and if this story is true, they also know about it. Expect there to be more stories about WH infighting, followed by a high-level resignation, when Trump is not just suspected but basically proven to have worked with Russia.

C has now happened.

But the vote is about A. If Trump vetoes the bill, or refuses to sign it, I will have 2 of the 3 things I said I would need to have, to accept that there was collusion. Trump Jr. (and Kushner) have shown no sign of resigning, however.

[Breccia]

Well someone's cranky this morning. Is Trump getting a warning?

Russia's response to new U.S. sanctions must be 'painful': lawmaker

Russia should prepare a "painful" response to new U.S. sanctions to be imposed on Moscow, Konstantin Kosachyov, a prominent member of the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

"Judging by the unanimous vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the sanctions package against Russia, Iran and North Korea, there will be no breakthrough (in U.S.-Russian relations)... In fact, further degradation of bilateral cooperation is becoming inevitable," Kosachyov said.

And it's not like relations were that good before. Other than the closed-door meeting with Putin where Putin told Trump it wasn't him, and Trump accepted that.

"That's not what Tillerson said -- "

Tillerson's on indefinite sudden leave of absence for personal reasons he didn't disclose, and Trump never refuted it personally. Russia's story is objectively more believable.

It looks more and more like Trump isn't paying someone who did work for him. They don't seem happy about it.

[Belize]

Wait, where'd Tillerson go?

[Bullettime]

Wait, where'd Tillerson go?

Impromptu vacation, citing he needs time away.

Normally not a big deal but it's drawing fire from both sides of the political spectrum because it's an absolutely awful time to decide you need a break.

[Breccia]

Normally not a big deal but it's drawing fire from both sides of the political spectrum because it's an absolutely awful time to decide you need a break.

Yes, within hours of sanctions against NK, Iran, and Russia. Especially Russia.

Oh, and the massive number of vacancies in the State Dept.

And our plunging reputation with the rest of the world. Except Russia sorry I meant especially Russia.

And the testimony about Russia collusion, which remember, Tillerson was the only non-Trump in the room with Putin and Lavrov when they talked about it, Putin says it wsn't him, and Trump accepted that.

The US is facing a crisis of international relations like no other outside of war, and Trump just alienated the guy whose sole job is to fix it.

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The desperation is real, and the fear is growing.

Trump tweeted (because of course he did) IN AMERICA WE DON'T WORSHIP GOVERNMENT - WE WORSHIP GOD! and banned transgender in the military in any capacity, also, announced by tweet, did not confer with congressional defense committees, and blamed the cost which is well under one-tenth what the military spends on erectile dysfunction, no really, I am not making this up.

Praising God and attacking the LGBT community can only be a grab at his eroding base, as the Russian connections continue to unfold and his health care plan is a Lovecraftian mix of horrifying and also failing.

He's scared. He's panicking. And he's tweeting in all caps to make sure we see it.

[Belize]

Holy shit, this is a meltdown of biblical proportions.

And I'm not even religious.

Freedom of Religion, motherfuckers

[Breccia]

The desperation is real, and the fear is growing.

More on that: within minutes of the full repeal failing, Trump announces he'll have something big to say about jobs (yes, the Foxcom thing we already knew about) and...and...now he wants to tax the rich!

God, you can smell the thick, orange sweat.

EDIT: Foxconn is planning on adding 3,000 new jobs. If someone did this every day of Trump's eight years...it would be one-third of the jobs he promised. I have no problem with new jobs, far from it. But Trump promised the impossible and this is actually evidence of that.

[Edge-]

More on that: within minutes of the full repeal failing, Trump announces he'll have something big to say about jobs (yes, the Foxcom thing we already knew about) and...and...now he wants to tax the rich!

God, you can smell the thick, orange sweat.

Trump: WHY WON'T ANY OF THIS SPAGHETTI STICK TO THE WALL!?

Though really, does anyone actually believe him for a second? I mean, outside of his loyalists of course.

[Paranoid Android]

Tillerson knew his only job when he accepted was to get those sanctions lifted against Russia for Exxon. He failed so he will probably quit at end of the year.

[Breccia]

Tillerson knew his only job when he accepted was to get those sanctions lifted against Russia for Exxon. He failed so he will probably quit at end of the year.

I've seen other articles suggesting that leaving at the end of the year was his plan, yes. It's not like he wanted this job to begin with.

[Breccia]

Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian lawyer was about sanctions, financier tells Senate panel

A financier for one of the largest foreign investment firms in Russia says the meeting arranged between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian entities during the 2016 campaign had a quid pro quo -- repealing the U.S.-passed Magnitsky Act and the sanctions enshrined in it in exchange for a "sizable offer" to the campaign itself.

"It's clear the interest and goal in that meeting was to repeal the Magnistky Act, said Bill Browder, CEO and founder of Hermitage Capital Management before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. "It's the one thing we can agree with certainty that happened in that meeting."

He added, "I do know how the Russian government behaves, and this was a big ask -- to request that the possible future president of the United States, to repeal a major piece of human rights legislation, they wouldn't have gone in and said please repeal this without something in return."

But Browder said he does not know what the Russians would have offered in return.

"I do know the KGB, the FSB, would have studied their targets carefully and construct an offer that's appealing and sizable enough to be consistent with what they're asking for," he told the committee.

Aside from Trump Jr., Trump top adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer, who, according to Trump Jr., was purported to have damaging information about Hillary Clinton that could be helpful to Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

In his opening remarks before the committee, which is probing Russian meddling in the 2016 and possible Trump campaign ties to the Russian government, Browder detailed his investigation and efforts to shed light on "massive corruption" within Russia.

Browder said through his investigation, he "made Russia a better place for some period of time" but as a result, exposed billions of dollars in corruption connected to the Putin regime.