EXTRY! EXTRY! IMPEACHMENT IMMINENT!

And they finally got the Schiff memo out. As expected, it eviscerates the Nunes memo, with actual sourced information that shows that memo lied about basically everything it was trying to claim. Some of the high points (once you work past all the things they were forced to redact to get it released to the public)


* The FBI launched their investigation into Russian election interference and the involvement of certain Trump campaign linked people before they ever even heard of the Steele Dossier. So no, they didn't use the dossier to launch an investigation.

* The FBI/DOJ provided REAMS of evidence to justify the Page FISA warrant. Barely any of which came from the dossier.

* The FISA warrant was re-authorized by different judges THREE TIMES because it paid off, and produced valuable intelligence. So I just want to be absolutely clear here, the GOP is super super super super angry that the FBI got this right, snagged valuable intel on an ongoing Russian attack against the US election system, but it implicated someone with an (R) after their name so this is an outrage!

* EVERY single authorizing judge was a Republican appointee. One Reagan, one HW Bush, two W Bush appointees.

* The warrant on Page wasn't even requested or authorized until after he had left the Trump campaign. Not that it would have mattered if he had still been on the campaign given the weight of justifying evidence.

* Every single thing Nunes' memo claimed the DOJ and FBI witheld from the FISA court, was not withheld at all. Schiff went so far as to directly quote the section of the FISA application where the court is told everything Nunes and his people tried to claim wasn't told to them. So they were either stunningly incompetent, or lying, when they made that claim in their memo.

* In order to sell those lies to the public Nunes flat out mishandled classified intelligence. He was in no way authorized to release anything in his memo to the House as a whole, he did it anyway. Then he sought retroactive declassification from the President.

* Fun tidbit. The FBI has verified a bunch of dossier details. Trump didn't want us to know which so he redacted almost the entire section listing what had been corroborated. Even though the dossier is public.



*The Nunes memo falsely claimed the FBI used a yahoo news article as corroboration of Steele's dossier. They did not. The news article was cited to call attention to the court that Page was issuing public denials of things (denials contained in said article) that the FBI knew he had done. It was presented as further background Page was hiding things.

Etc....

Basically, nothing of Nunes' memo is left but a smoldering crater after going through this, even with the redactions. There was nothing remotely resembling any abuses of FISA. Procedures were followed exactly properly, and produced results as intended.

Nunes's memo was 100% a political hit job against the DOJ and FBI trying to derail the Trump investigation, and nothing else.

White House Legal Team Considers Ways Trump Could Testify

Someone should at least alert the fat lady that she may be needed.

cthia wrote:White House Legal Team Considers Ways Trump Could Testify

Someone should at least alert the fat lady that she may be needed.

They will fight it out in the supreme court, if they can, or at least they should by claiming executive privilege. Make Mueller fight tooth and nail for every phyrric victory. Then start the discussion of how they want to do it. They should demand a list of questions and time for written responses, not a live personal interview with no defense lawyers present.

It would be just too easy to get Trump to make so many contradictorey statements that even if he was not deliberately trying to lie, he would be in danger of perjury.

I'm even willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's so delusional, he actually believes what he is saying, internal and external evidence notwithstanding (which is, after all a criterion of delusional thinking).

pappilon wrote:

cthia wrote:White House Legal Team Considers Ways Trump Could Testify

Someone should at least alert the fat lady that she may be needed.

They will fight it out in the supreme court, if they can, or at least they should by claiming executive privilege. Make Mueller fight tooth and nail for every phyrric victory.

That will last about 5 seconds in front of the Supreme Court.


This has already been litigated at the Supreme Court during Nixon. Executive privilege cannot be invoked to withhold anything from a criminal prosecution. That's why Nixon had to give up his tapes. They'll dismiss it as soon as it hits their desk.

Then start the discussion of how they want to do it. They should demand a list of questions and time for written responses, not a live personal interview with no defense lawyers present.

And if they piss Mueller off too much he'll just subpoena the president to appear in front of the Grand Jury and game over. Because that's established law too, Trump can't legally refuse that subpoena.

And Mueller will NEVER agree to written questions in advance. At least not only. Maybe some inconsequential ones on background but the key questions? He's going to ask those in person with opportunity for immediate follow-up.

Because he's not an idiot. And only an idiot would agree to letting Trump have his lawyers craft all his responses for him in writing off in their own room somewhere.

The Power of Putin compels you.

gcomeau wrote:
And if they piss Mueller off too much he'll just subpoena the president to appear in front of the Grand Jury and game over. Because that's established law too, Trump can't legally refuse that subpoena.

And Mueller will NEVER agree to written questions in advance. At least not only. Maybe some inconsequential ones on background but the key questions? He's going to ask those in person with opportunity for immediate follow-up.

Because he's not an idiot. And only an idiot would agree to letting Trump have his lawyers craft all his responses for him in writing off in their own room somewhere.

Yes but, no matter how bad the hand, there is still a chance for negotiation. I don't think Trump's attorneys are idiots either. Which is why the GOP is pulling out all the stops to discredit the investigation, the FBI, all the people already entering guilty pleas ...

This entire administration is sitting in a chair waiting to be executed. The screws are being tightened in anticipation of each question after a left, right and a uppercut is thrown to soften up the prey. Triple blows to the snake and its head.

I mentioned about members of the transition team not being properly vetted and incapable of being "securely" exposed to classified material since day 1.

But no one listens to me. I should run for president and fix that. Since it's obvious that everyone has a chance, now!

cthia wrote:This entire administration is sitting in a chair waiting to be executed. The screws are being tightened in anticipation of each question after a left, right and a uppercut is thrown to soften up the prey. Triple blows to the snake and its head.

I mentioned about members of the transition team not being properly vetted and incapable of being "securely" exposed to classified material since day 1.

But no one listens to me. I should run for president and fix that. Since it's obvious that everyone has a chance, now!

We're way beyond the transition now, and Jared, et al still have no proper security clearance. And general Chief-of-staff is making waves about it. Can we still Lock up Crooked Hillary?

pappilon wrote:

cthia wrote:This entire administration is sitting in a chair waiting to be executed. The screws are being tightened in anticipation of each question after a left, right and a uppercut is thrown to soften up the prey. Triple blows to the snake and its head.

I mentioned about members of the transition team not being properly vetted and incapable of being "securely" exposed to classified material since day 1.

But no one listens to me. I should run for president and fix that. Since it's obvious that everyone has a chance, now!

We're way beyond the transition now, and Jared, et al still have no proper security clearance. And general Chief-of-staff is making waves about it. Can we still Lock up Crooked Hillary?

Jared and Ivanka should never have been allowed in the WH and should be dismissed effective immediately.

At least Hillary is calling on Trump to plug the hole in our country's cyber security as a direct line threat to our democracy, which Trump still hasn't done. What the hell does the Kremlin have on him?

Of course, if the hole is plugged, then he'd have to stand on his own next election. I see!

cthia wrote:Jared and Ivanka should never have been allowed in the WH and should be dismissed effective immediately.

Hey, smr, when are you going to roast cthia over his disrespecting your chosen crown princess?