So Who Did Trump Sell Us Out To? The Intelligence Agency Whistle-blower Scandal.

[Breccia]

Hey @cubby the Constitution says "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors" are grounds for impeachment.

If Trump did, in fact, withhold Congressional-approved DoD-approved aid to Ukraine in exchange for attacking a political rival, does that count as "bribery"?

And also, how do you feel about leading questions?

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there is no excuse even offered for why this crucial deadline was missed.

I thought he did give an excuse, something akin to Executive Privilege. Hold on, I'll find it...

Found it.

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share the substance of the whistleblower’s complaint with Congress, as is normally required by law after the IG determines that the complaint is of “urgent concern.”

The ODNI’s general counsel, Jason Klitenic, told Congress that after consulting with the Justice Department, the ODNI had concluded that “no statute requires disclosure of the complaint to the intelligence committees.”

At a closed-door briefing with the House Intelligence Committee last week, Atkinson stonewalled Democrats’ attempts to get answers — but only, he said, because his hands were tied by the Justice Department’s opinion, which was that the complaint “did not concern allegations of conduct by a member of the intelligence community” or an intelligence activity under ODNI’s supervision and is therefore outside the ODNI’s purview.

“I understand that I am bound by the determination reached as a result of the acting DNI’s consultations with DOJ,” Atkinson wrote to lawmakers on Sept. 17. And he noted that he will continue to abide by that determination, even though he disagrees with it.

[cubby]

Breaking now:

https://mobile.twitter.com/mviser/st...68142992203783

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing to announce formal impeachment inquiry today

President Trump is preparing to release transcript of call with Ukrainian president tomorrow

Whistleblower is preparing to testify before House Intelligence Committee as early as this week.

Shit is gettin' real.

Pelosi announcing Impeachment inquiry is the big one. If she is on board publicly, that means the train is pulling out of the station.

[Orbitus]

Sanders looked ok until he took in some people that are clearly racist.

Examples? Because we have Trump and his right hand "man" Heinrich Himmler AKA Stephen Miller.

[Bodonius]

Examples? Because we have Trump and his right hand "man" Heinrich Himmler AKA Stephen Miller.

Ilhan Omar you know the anti-semite that most likely married her brother

[Orbitus]

Ilhan Omar you know the anti-semite that most likely married her brother

First off, nothing she has said, was antisemitic and secondly, she didn't marry her brother. Any other racist xenophobic conspiracy theories you want to post before you are banned again?

[Bodonius]

First off, nothing she has said, was antisemitic and secondly, she didn't marry her brother. Any other racist xenophobic conspiracy theories you want to post before you are banned again?

Well its more likely she did then not if you look at facts.
But sure, just read her excuses... The reason her husbands name is the same as her dads is because its her dads nickname...

[Orbitus]

Well its more likely she did then not if you look at facts.
But sure, just read her excuses...

What facts? Give me your source that she married her brother. Go for it.

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@Bodonius Nothing? Do you have ANYTHING to back up your claim?

[Breccia]

Whoa! Did you guys know tortoises can bite hard enough to draw blood?

McConnell: 'I was not given an explanation' for Ukraine aid delay

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was not provided an explanation for why the Trump administration held up aid to Ukraine when he pressed senior officials on the matter over the summer.

"I was not given an explanation," McConnell told reporters Tuesday as the congressional furor grew over President Trump’s interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

McConnell said he spoke to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo twice about the matter without receiving clarification for the delay in $391 million in aid to Ukraine.

“I was very actively involved in advocating [for] the aid. I talked to the secretary of Defense, the secretary of State once,” he said.

“The good news was it finally happened,” he added, noting the administration finally released the aid. “I have no idea what precipitated the delay.”

Wow. Fucking McConnell is backing away from this. Holy shit.

This directly and personally refutes Trump's latest two excuses. There is a zero percent chance Trump either blocked the aid because corruption, or blocked the aid because other countries, and didn't consult with McConnell.

Maybe I'm misreading this. But to me, this is massive. McConnell has backed Trump on more and more controversial things, as the least popular Senator in America realized he had no chance of staying in power without Trump. Now, by going on the record and saying he, of all people, was never given a reason for the aid block, that's basically his way of saying "You're on your own, motherfucker." And this is the first glance we've ever seen of McConnell not just breaking with Trump, but also, a glimmer of a suggestion that he might even back impeachment.

It is possible we've finally gotten to the line that even Moscow Mitch won't cross. Maybe. We'll see how this plays out. But this is a public rebuke of Trump's alternative facts. I did not see this coming.

[Orbitus]

Whoa! Did you guys know tortoises can bite hard enough to draw blood?

McConnell: 'I was not given an explanation' for Ukraine aid delay



Wow. Fucking McConnell is backing away from this. Holy shit.

This directly and personally refutes Trump's latest two excuses. There is a zero percent chance Trump either blocked the aid because corruption, or blocked the aid because other countries, and didn't consult with McConnell.

Maybe I'm misreading this. But to me, this is massive. McConnell has backed Trump on more and more controversial things, as the least popular Senator in America realized he had no chance of staying in power without Trump. Now, by going on the record and saying he, of all people, was never given a reason for the aid block, that's basically his way of saying "You're on your own, motherfucker." And this is the first glance we've ever seen of McConnell not just breaking with Trump, but also, a glimmer of a suggestion that he might even back impeachment.

It is possible we've finally gotten to the line that even Moscow Mitch won't cross. Maybe. We'll see how this plays out. But this is a public rebuke of Trump's alternative facts. I did not see this coming.

Probably because he knows that if there was a lawsuit to get the report, and Moscow Mitch tried to defend it, he would lose, badly. Because there is no wiggle room here in the law. The whistleblower law REQUIRES the report to go to Congress, not that it should or that it is recommended, it is REQUIRED to go there. So the acting DNI needs to be held in contempt of congress, fined into oblivion for not doing what the law requires. The only way you are going to start getting what is needed from these Trump supporting morons, is to hit them where it hurts. Their pocketbooks and their freedom. Jail them if you have to.

[cubby]

Hey @cubby the Constitution says "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors" are grounds for impeachment.

If Trump did, in fact, withhold Congressional-approved DoD-approved aid to Ukraine in exchange for attacking a political rival, does that count as "bribery"?

And also, how do you feel about leading questions?

Definitely bribery, almost by definition.

I thought he did give an excuse, something akin to Executive Privilege. Hold on, I'll find it...

Found it.

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share the substance of the whistleblower’s complaint with Congress, as is normally required by law after the IG determines that the complaint is of “urgent concern.”

The ODNI’s general counsel, Jason Klitenic, told Congress that after consulting with the Justice Department, the ODNI had concluded that “no statute requires disclosure of the complaint to the intelligence committees.”

At a closed-door briefing with the House Intelligence Committee last week, Atkinson stonewalled Democrats’ attempts to get answers — but only, he said, because his hands were tied by the Justice Department’s opinion, which was that the complaint “did not concern allegations of conduct by a member of the intelligence community” or an intelligence activity under ODNI’s supervision and is therefore outside the ODNI’s purview.

“I understand that I am bound by the determination reached as a result of the acting DNI’s consultations with DOJ,” Atkinson wrote to lawmakers on Sept. 17. And he noted that he will continue to abide by that determination, even though he disagrees with it.

This is a critical issue.

The DOJ, or Trump's personal law firm, have ruled, again, that the president is above the law.

[Somewhatconcerned]

The whistleblower may not want to reveal their identity publicly, with what we've seen of Trump supporters' penchant for violence (most recently that soldier arrested for wanting to target Beto et al).

[cubby]

Whoa! Did you guys know tortoises can bite hard enough to draw blood?

McConnell: 'I was not given an explanation' for Ukraine aid delay

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was not provided an explanation for why the Trump administration held up aid to Ukraine when he pressed senior officials on the matter over the summer.

"I was not given an explanation," McConnell told reporters Tuesday as the congressional furor grew over President Trump’s interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

McConnell said he spoke to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo twice about the matter without receiving clarification for the delay in $391 million in aid to Ukraine.

“I was very actively involved in advocating [for] the aid. I talked to the secretary of Defense, the secretary of State once,” he said.

“The good news was it finally happened,” he added, noting the administration finally released the aid. “I have no idea what precipitated the delay.”

Wow. Fucking McConnell is backing away from this. Holy shit.

This directly and personally refutes Trump's latest two excuses. There is a zero percent chance Trump either blocked the aid because corruption, or blocked the aid because other countries, and didn't consult with McConnell.

Maybe I'm misreading this. But to me, this is massive. McConnell has backed Trump on more and more controversial things, as the least popular Senator in America realized he had no chance of staying in power without Trump. Now, by going on the record and saying he, of all people, was never given a reason for the aid block, that's basically his way of saying "You're on your own, motherfucker." And this is the first glance we've ever seen of McConnell not just breaking with Trump, but also, a glimmer of a suggestion that he might even back impeachment.

It is possible we've finally gotten to the line that even Moscow Mitch won't cross. Maybe. We'll see how this plays out. But this is a public rebuke of Trump's alternative facts. I did not see this coming.

Agreed. It would be hard to read this any other way than McConnell backing away from Trump, publicly. Taken a bit further, it's possible McConnell has now seen all the information, including the Whistle Blower report, and does not want to be at all implicated in something this blatantly illegal.

Your point and @Skroe as well for "will this be the issue that gets the GOP stampeding towards Impeachment?

(and for those people thinking that the GOP wouldn't do it because RBG could still die and they'd get an unprecedented third seat, Pence is right there ready to nominate whomever they tell him.

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The whistleblower may not want to reveal their identity publicly, with what we've seen of Trump supporters' penchant for violence (most recently that soldier arrested for wanting to target Beto et al).

It's too late. The law requires that he come forward and cannot be shielded. More importantly, a person in this role, who made the very patriotic choice in putting country above president, knows that their name will be public. They were fully ready for this event. They choose to sacrifice their career and their persona life to turn in the criminal.

[Breccia]

The whistleblower may not want to reveal their identity publicly

It is possible they've already left the White House. I'm not saying "lol it's Bolton", hilarious as that might be. But Coats was either fired, or resigned, 3 days after the call. I think a lot of people left with him in the following weeks.

[Rozz]

Ilhan Omar is not the topic of this thread.
Please keep discussion to the scandal and do not derail or instigate any further.

[Bodonius]

What facts? Give me your source that she married her brother. Go for it.

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@Bodonius Nothing? Do you have ANYTHING to back up your claim?

Ok, i will keep to topic and be quiet

[Breccia]

So naturally Schumer took to the Senate floor and asked for unanimous consent, urging Trump to hand over the whistleblower complaint.

"Unanimous? Hah. So which of the --"

Nobody.

"Even McConnell?"

Schumer argued that the only reason to block the resolution Tuesday would be if lawmakers are trying to protect Trump from "accountability."

"The only reason for any senator to object is to shield the president's conduct," Schumer said.

Under Senate rules any one senator can ask to pass a resolution, and any senator can object.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he agreed that the Director of National Intelligence "should make additional information available to the committee" and that he wouldn't block the resolution.

"Stipulating that our objective here is simply to conduct the kind of bipartisan oversight of intelligence matters that the committee has successfully conducted in the past, I have no objection to the senator's request," McConnell said.

"Damn!"

Indeed. I (and others) posted before that McConnell was slowly backing away. This counts as doubling down.

Again, it's possible that this turns out not to be a big deal. Possible. I don't think the ICIG would be doing this just to troll Trump, though. Even a tortoise can feel which way the wind's blowing...no really, their shell is really sensitive. It's part of their spine.

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https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile...tm_name=iossmf

And he absolutely should be. Since he, as a private citizen, and non government entity cannot and should not be doing negotiations on behalf of the US government. Since he was the one that went to Ukraine personally to do this negotiations and sham "investigation". He even admitted to it on live TV on several channels now. This is a violation of the Logan Act and very much indictable.

I continue to not understand how Giuliani was part of this. He's Trump's private lawyer. He has no business being briefed by the State Department. He has no business meeting foreign heads of state, or their lawyers, unless they're in the same court case (they weren't). He has no business asking a foreign leader to direct an inquiry unless a court case was involved (it wasn't). I think Trump sent Giuliani because he thought Giuliani would avoid detection. You don't send your court jester on an espionage run, you use them as a distraction from your espionage run.

[Blur4stuff]

I always figured there would come a point where republicans would turn on Trump and then pretend they were against him all along. I don't know if this is that point, but it will be exciting to find out.

[Leobald]

I guess if Skroe gets permabanned, the impeachment will be successful.

[kaelleria]

Schiff spoke after Pelosi... Apparently part of this as about Trump asking Ukraine to not only investigate Biden, but to manufacture dirt.

[mvaliz]

Maybe I'm misreading this. But to me, this is massive. McConnell has backed Trump on more and more controversial things, as the least popular Senator in America realized he had no chance of staying in power without Trump. Now, by going on the record and saying he, of all people, was never given a reason for the aid block, that's basically his way of saying "You're on your own, motherfucker." And this is the first glance we've ever seen of McConnell not just breaking with Trump, but also, a glimmer of a suggestion that he might even back impeachment.

While I want to believe that to be true, one thing MoscowMitch has proven, and that's he has no ethics whatsoever.

I'm actually slightly nervous that he's NOT directly getting involved in this, as in, he knows something we don't. =/

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Schiff spoke after Pelosi... Apparently part of this as about Trump asking Ukraine to not only investigate Biden, but to manufacture dirt.

That was something I was suspecting might be part of this, especially on the heels of that Ukranian facebook group with the "I love America" pro-trump accounts.