Author Topic: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory (aka The Big Lie)  (Read 242839 times)

Agnostic007

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #775 on: July 31, 2018, 08:42:53 PM »
You ever seek therapy for your Trump Anxiety Syndrome?

Nice try....

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #776 on: August 07, 2018, 09:24:15 PM »
If Trump meeting is illegal, then Clinton dossier is criminal too
BY JONATHAN TURLEY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 08/06/18

President Trump has ignited yet another firestorm with a tweet admitting that the meeting in Trump Tower between Russians and his son, Donald Trump Jr., was an effort to gather dirt on Hillary Clinton. It contradicts the statement that Trump released to the media in 2016.

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota and others declared that the tweet makes a criminal charge against Trump an “open and shut case.” It does not. It is not even compelling evidence of a crime, because it is based on an erroneous interpretation of federal election laws. What is most alarming is the failure, again, to consider the implications of radically expanding the scope of such laws just to bag Trump or his family at any cost.

Early on Sunday morning, Trump tweeted, “Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics — and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!” At the outset, there are a couple glaring problems with these public statements.
First, this is not “fake news” but serious news created by Trump and his team in issuing a clearly misleading statement to the New York Times, then issuing a false statement denying that Trump drafted the statement to the media. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow stated categorically that Trump had no role in issuing the statement that the meeting was only about “a program about the adoption of Russian children.” Sekulow belatedly addressed that over the weekend with the equivalent of a shrug and a statement that “in a situation like this, over time, facts develop.” He added, “That is what investigations do.” The problem is that Sekulow is not investigating his client but supposedly talking to him. The facts do not develop from a “no” to a “yes.” The answer simply changed.

Second, the president is only partially correct in saying that the meeting with Trump Jr. is “done all the time in politics.” The media has largely ignored that Hillary Clinton and her campaign spent a huge amount of money to fund the efforts of former British spy Christopher Steele to gather dirt on Trump, including information from the Russian government and intelligence figures. All of the outcries and expressions of shock by Democratic leaders over the Trump Tower meeting ignores the more extensive contacts and efforts by the Clinton campaign.

However, this particular meeting is not “done all the time” because it was uniquely dumb. Trump Jr. pulled Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner into a meeting with unknown participants connected to the Russian government in Trump Tower as members of the media meandered around downstairs. The irony is that the Clintons showed how this is “done all the time” with cutouts and third parties like Steele. Indeed, despite denials during and after the campaign, the Clinton team only admitted to funding the dossier after the media stumbled onto the paper trail long after the election. When caught, they simply declared it was done all the time as “opposition research.”

The point is that only amateurs would take a meeting after a cryptic email from a music promoter about having Russian government evidence. They should have informed the FBI and used lawyers as surrogates. They should have done many things other than assemble the Trump triumvirate and walk blindly into that meeting. If stupidity were a crime, Trump Jr., Manafort and Kushner would serve life sentences for doing so. However, crimes are defined by acts and levels of intent. More importantly, courts narrowly construe such definitions to protect the public from ambiguous rules that prosecutors can twist to indict anyone at any time.

Take the crime being proclaimed as “open and shut.” Before Camerota came to this conclusion, the CNN anchors discussed federal election laws that make it a “crime for any person to solicit, accept, or receive, anything of value from a foreign person or U.S. political campaign for the purpose of influencing any elections for federal office.” Thus, if Trump Jr. was willing to review evidence of criminal conduct by Clinton, it must be a type of foreign campaign contribution and, therefore, a federal crime.

Such logic is so inescapable that Camerota responded, “I mean, what more really is there to talk about after that one?” The answer is “a lot more.” The Russians setting up the meeting said their government had evidence of criminal conduct connected to the Clinton Foundation soliciting illegal donations. According to witnesses, Trump Jr. asked for the promised evidence but Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya said she did not have it and only wanted to talk about Magnitsky Act limitations on Russian adoptions. The meeting ended shortly thereafter.

If the Russians had evidence of criminal conduct by Hillary Clinton, her campaign or her family foundation, the Trump campaign had every reason to want to know about it. That is precisely what the Clinton campaign spent millions to do, talking to Russians and other foreigners investigating Trump. Indeed, under this interpretation of federal election laws, Clinton and her surrogates would be equally guilty in using a former foreign spy to gather information on Trump from foreign sources, including Russians.

Consider the implications of what the critics are suggesting. It would mean treating information as a form of political contribution as no different from money, for purposes of a criminal charge, even information about criminal acts by an election candidate. That would mean administrations could prosecute political opponents for merely attending meetings with foreign individuals to discuss the criminal conduct of a sitting American president. Democratic politicians could be charged if they reviewed evidence of alleged bribes or quid pro quos by Trump.

Indeed, it could be any foreign source, since the law is ambiguous. Does that not include foreign organizations like environmental and other public interest groups? How about journalists or lawyers sharing evidence of crimes by powerful politicians? Fortunately, courts likely would reject such an interpretation as a major threat to First Amendment freedoms of speech and even the press. So why are so many journalists and activists blind to implications of such an expansion? The answer is rage. We live in the age of rage, from Trump tweets to cable news crusades.

The latest media frenzy is part of the Newtonian principles that now guide both politics and journalism: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” However, journalists and lawyers are trained to avoid immediate involuntary reactions, particularly when the potential costs are so prohibitive. Responding to a sweeping political tweet with a sweeping legal interpretation is neither equal nor wise. In the end, the Trump Tower controversy is not based on “fake news” as claimed by the president, but the federal crime alleged by the media is based on fake law.

http://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/400609-if-trump-meeting-is-illegal-then-clinton-dossier-is-criminal-too

Dos Equis

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #777 on: August 14, 2018, 10:14:10 AM »
2016 Trump Tower Meeting Looks Increasingly Like a Setup by Russian and Clinton Operatives
By Lee Smith | August 13, 2018

Evidence suggests the infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russians was a giant set up to disparage the Trump campaign

https://saraacarter.com/2016-trump-tower-meeting-looks-increasingly-like-a-setup-by-russian-and-clinton-operatives/

Dos Equis

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #778 on: August 20, 2018, 09:02:47 AM »
Mueller running a tight ship again.

Leak of White House counsel's cooperation shows Mueller's team 'panicking,' Giuliani says
Trump had 'no problem' with White House counsel's testimony
By Valerie Richardson and Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Sunday, August 19, 2018
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/aug/19/don-mcgahn-leak-shows-robert-mueller-team-panickin/

Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #779 on: August 20, 2018, 12:54:56 PM »
If Trump meeting is illegal, then Clinton dossier is criminal too
BY JONATHAN TURLEY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 08/06/18

President Trump has ignited yet another firestorm with a tweet admitting that the meeting in Trump Tower between Russians and his son, Donald Trump Jr., was an effort to gather dirt on Hillary Clinton. It contradicts the statement that Trump released to the media in 2016.

CNN anchor Alisyn Camerota and others declared that the tweet makes a criminal charge against Trump an “open and shut case.” It does not. It is not even compelling evidence of a crime, because it is based on an erroneous interpretation of federal election laws. What is most alarming is the failure, again, to consider the implications of radically expanding the scope of such laws just to bag Trump or his family at any cost.

Early on Sunday morning, Trump tweeted, “Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics — and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!” At the outset, there are a couple glaring problems with these public statements.
First, this is not “fake news” but serious news created by Trump and his team in issuing a clearly misleading statement to the New York Times, then issuing a false statement denying that Trump drafted the statement to the media. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow stated categorically that Trump had no role in issuing the statement that the meeting was only about “a program about the adoption of Russian children.” Sekulow belatedly addressed that over the weekend with the equivalent of a shrug and a statement that “in a situation like this, over time, facts develop.” He added, “That is what investigations do.” The problem is that Sekulow is not investigating his client but supposedly talking to him. The facts do not develop from a “no” to a “yes.” The answer simply changed.

Second, the president is only partially correct in saying that the meeting with Trump Jr. is “done all the time in politics.” The media has largely ignored that Hillary Clinton and her campaign spent a huge amount of money to fund the efforts of former British spy Christopher Steele to gather dirt on Trump, including information from the Russian government and intelligence figures. All of the outcries and expressions of shock by Democratic leaders over the Trump Tower meeting ignores the more extensive contacts and efforts by the Clinton campaign.

However, this particular meeting is not “done all the time” because it was uniquely dumb. Trump Jr. pulled Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner into a meeting with unknown participants connected to the Russian government in Trump Tower as members of the media meandered around downstairs. The irony is that the Clintons showed how this is “done all the time” with cutouts and third parties like Steele. Indeed, despite denials during and after the campaign, the Clinton team only admitted to funding the dossier after the media stumbled onto the paper trail long after the election. When caught, they simply declared it was done all the time as “opposition research.”

The point is that only amateurs would take a meeting after a cryptic email from a music promoter about having Russian government evidence. They should have informed the FBI and used lawyers as surrogates. They should have done many things other than assemble the Trump triumvirate and walk blindly into that meeting. If stupidity were a crime, Trump Jr., Manafort and Kushner would serve life sentences for doing so. However, crimes are defined by acts and levels of intent. More importantly, courts narrowly construe such definitions to protect the public from ambiguous rules that prosecutors can twist to indict anyone at any time.

Take the crime being proclaimed as “open and shut.” Before Camerota came to this conclusion, the CNN anchors discussed federal election laws that make it a “crime for any person to solicit, accept, or receive, anything of value from a foreign person or U.S. political campaign for the purpose of influencing any elections for federal office.” Thus, if Trump Jr. was willing to review evidence of criminal conduct by Clinton, it must be a type of foreign campaign contribution and, therefore, a federal crime.

Such logic is so inescapable that Camerota responded, “I mean, what more really is there to talk about after that one?” The answer is “a lot more.” The Russians setting up the meeting said their government had evidence of criminal conduct connected to the Clinton Foundation soliciting illegal donations. According to witnesses, Trump Jr. asked for the promised evidence but Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya said she did not have it and only wanted to talk about Magnitsky Act limitations on Russian adoptions. The meeting ended shortly thereafter.

If the Russians had evidence of criminal conduct by Hillary Clinton, her campaign or her family foundation, the Trump campaign had every reason to want to know about it. That is precisely what the Clinton campaign spent millions to do, talking to Russians and other foreigners investigating Trump. Indeed, under this interpretation of federal election laws, Clinton and her surrogates would be equally guilty in using a former foreign spy to gather information on Trump from foreign sources, including Russians.

Consider the implications of what the critics are suggesting. It would mean treating information as a form of political contribution as no different from money, for purposes of a criminal charge, even information about criminal acts by an election candidate. That would mean administrations could prosecute political opponents for merely attending meetings with foreign individuals to discuss the criminal conduct of a sitting American president. Democratic politicians could be charged if they reviewed evidence of alleged bribes or quid pro quos by Trump.

Indeed, it could be any foreign source, since the law is ambiguous. Does that not include foreign organizations like environmental and other public interest groups? How about journalists or lawyers sharing evidence of crimes by powerful politicians? Fortunately, courts likely would reject such an interpretation as a major threat to First Amendment freedoms of speech and even the press. So why are so many journalists and activists blind to implications of such an expansion? The answer is rage. We live in the age of rage, from Trump tweets to cable news crusades.

The latest media frenzy is part of the Newtonian principles that now guide both politics and journalism: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.” However, journalists and lawyers are trained to avoid immediate involuntary reactions, particularly when the potential costs are so prohibitive. Responding to a sweeping political tweet with a sweeping legal interpretation is neither equal nor wise. In the end, the Trump Tower controversy is not based on “fake news” as claimed by the president, but the federal crime alleged by the media is based on fake law.

http://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/400609-if-trump-meeting-is-illegal-then-clinton-dossier-is-criminal-too

It is interesting to read op-eds because they are 'the voice of the people' and not canned reports from the newscasters. An opinion is just that and therefore changes nothing or very little except occasionally other people's opinions. I am not going to speculate on what may or may not happen with all this stuff about Trump, the Trump family, his associates and meetings with whomever, for a couple of reasons; Mainly, like an op-ed, my opinion does not effect the outcome or lack thereof and because at this point, I'm tired of it. This may make me unpatriotic or something the like, but it's where I am at now. I've even stopped watching the news except for local news. There is so much more to life than the current political games.

My family, which includes 8 adults, is currently visiting from Germany. Much like reading published opinions, it is interesting to hear the opinions from a German perspective. Yesterday, I hosted a large family and friends party. Discussion about today's political scene was minimal. One thing prevailed, whether republican or democrat, nobody  had anything good to say about Trump. When I teased my son about secret microphones hidden around the yard and the possibility of him losing his security clearance, he reminded us all that should this happen, he'd be out of his government job, which would not be funny.

chaos

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #780 on: August 20, 2018, 06:47:09 PM »
One thing prevailed, whether republican or democrat, nobody  had anything good to say about Trump.
::)
Liar!!!!Filt!!!!

Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #781 on: August 20, 2018, 10:53:05 PM »
::)

You can roll your eyes until they roll right out of your head. What are the odds of 50 people with politically diverse opinions finding nothing positive to say about Trump? Okay, so maybe I should have invited you. Sorry, I didn't think of it. Fifty to one might have spiced things up a bit.  ;D ;D ;D

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #782 on: August 20, 2018, 11:27:55 PM »
You can roll your eyes until they roll right out of your head. What are the odds of 50 people with politically diverse opinions finding nothing positive to say about Trump? Okay, so maybe I should have invited you. Sorry, I didn't think of it. Fifty to one might have spiced things up a bit.  ;D ;D ;D

Who cares want 50 foreigners think? 

chaos

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #783 on: August 21, 2018, 09:37:54 AM »
Who cares want 50 foreigners think? 
This. These people formed their opinions based on their liberal media shoved down their throats. They should focus on getting rid of their muzzie problem before worrying about Trump.
Liar!!!!Filt!!!!

loco

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #784 on: August 21, 2018, 10:26:05 AM »
.

chaos

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #785 on: August 21, 2018, 12:02:27 PM »
$20 million later and we're still waiting.
Liar!!!!Filt!!!!

Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #786 on: August 21, 2018, 05:22:40 PM »
Who cares want 50 foreigners think? 

Nobody cares, unless they have the intelligence to realize 50 people are just a small sampling which is representative of a much larger population of folks. There are those who say to hell with what the people of foreign countries feel about United States politics. Unfortunately, this line of thinking is incredibly short-sighted and naive.

Quote
The survey of opinion in 134 countries showed a record collapse in approval for the US role in the world, from 48% under Obama to 30% after one year of Donald Trump – the lowest level Gallup has recorded since beginning its global leadership poll over a decade ago.

The result comes after a separate Gallup survey found that Trump reaches the first anniversary of his inauguration with the lowest average approval rating of any elected president in his first year.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/18/us-leadership-world-confidence-poll

 

chaos

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #787 on: August 21, 2018, 06:00:37 PM »
Nobody cares, unless they have the intelligence to realize 50 people are just a small sampling which is representative of a much larger population of folks. There are those who say to hell with what the people of foreign countries feel about United States politics. Unfortunately, this line of thinking is incredibly short-sighted and naive.
 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/18/us-leadership-world-confidence-poll

 
Economy booming, low unemployment, market skyrocketing.
Who gives a fuck what foreigners think? That's what got us in trouble in the first place, trying to take care of the world. As far as Trumps approval rating with the world after his first year? Again, who gives a fuck, fuck them and their opinions, their whiny asses bitching because America isn't taking care of them. FTW
Liar!!!!Filt!!!!

Dos Equis

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #788 on: August 24, 2018, 11:42:40 AM »
Nobody cares, unless they have the intelligence to realize 50 people are just a small sampling which is representative of a much larger population of folks. There are those who say to hell with what the people of foreign countries feel about United States politics. Unfortunately, this line of thinking is incredibly short-sighted and naive.
 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/18/us-leadership-world-confidence-poll

 

Or someone who is an American citizen, appreciates American exceptionalism, and that we live in the greatest country in human history, could care less what people from other countries think about our POTUS, particularly when that POTUS is doing a good job. 

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #789 on: August 24, 2018, 11:43:18 AM »
Robert Mueller's 'win' exposes how the media never cared about Russia 'collusion'
by Eddie Scarry
August 23, 2018
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/robert-muellers-win-exposes-how-the-media-never-cared-about-russia-collusion

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #790 on: August 24, 2018, 11:55:21 AM »
How long before Cohen’s lawyer changes his story again?
By Post Editorial Board August 23, 2018

Can Michael Cohen give evidence that President Trump knowingly colluded with Russia, or does he have no knowledge whatsoever? It seems to depend on what story his lawyer is teasing at the moment.

Following Cohen’s guilty plea Tuesday, attorney Lanny Davis said on MSNBC that his client is willing to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller about a “conspiracy to collude,” citing his “knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest.”

That seemed to confirm July 27 CNN and CBS reports that Cohen was prepared to testify that Trump knew in advance about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting in which Russians were expected to offer political dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Davis personally confirmed those stories off the record to The Post at the time.

Except now Davis says it isn’t true.

Trump insists he first learned of the meeting from reporters in July 2017. And Axios on Thursday reported that Cohen, in sworn testimony to two congressional committees last year, said he had no idea whether Trump had advance knowledge of the meeting.

That was publicly confirmed by the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), who said Cohen had testified “he was not aware of the meeting prior to its disclosure to the press.”

Davis told Axios that “nothing has changed” and reaffirmed that Cohen “stands by his testimony.”

He also “explained” to Axios that at the time of the CNN and CBS reports “we could not confirm and we could not correct” — even though he did confirm them to The Post.

Maybe the lawyer is taking a hit for a client who changed his story. But, since Davis is a longtime Clinton confidant, you have to ask if he’s working more than one agenda.

Either way, it casts serious doubt on Davis’ newest claim — namely, that Cohen is prepared to offer different proof that Trump knowingly colluded with Russia. (And you thought the president had trouble keeping his stories straight.)

https://nypost.com/2018/08/23/how-long-before-cohens-lawyer-changes-his-story-again/


Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #791 on: August 24, 2018, 03:06:19 PM »
Or someone who is an American citizen, appreciates American exceptionalism, and that we live in the greatest country in human history, could care less what people from other countries think about our POTUS, particularly when that POTUS is doing a good job. 

Have you traveled to other first world countries? If you do you know that what you experience is very different than you'd imagine based on the media. I'd bet the same is true for people from other countries traveling in the U.S.

I'm pleased that Trump has finally realized Kim jong un was playing him for a fool when he told him North Korea would denuclearize. Whether Trump likes it or not, there are lessons to be learned from past experiences.

Dos Equis

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #792 on: August 24, 2018, 03:13:51 PM »
Have you traveled to other first world countries? If you do you know that what you experience is very different than you'd imagine based on the media. I'd bet the same is true for people from other countries traveling in the U.S.

I'm pleased that Trump has finally realized Kim jong un was playing him for a fool when he told him North Korea would denuclearize. Whether Trump likes it or not, there are lessons to be learned from past experiences.

I've travelled to first and third world countries.  Doesn't change my view one bit.  Actually, my travels have reinforced my belief that I live in the greatest country on earth and my lack of concern for what foreigners think about us. 

Regarding North Korea, nothing is going to happen overnight.  What he has accomplished so far still dwarfs whatever every other POTUS has previously done, including that empty suit Obama. 

Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #793 on: August 24, 2018, 03:24:35 PM »
I've travelled to first and third world countries.  Doesn't change my view one bit.  Actually, my travels have reinforced my belief that I live in the greatest country on earth and my lack of concern for what foreigners think about us. 

Regarding North Korea, nothing is going to happen overnight.  What he has accomplished so far still dwarfs whatever every other POTUS has previously done, including that empty suit Obama. 

Especially for you.  :-*


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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #794 on: August 24, 2018, 03:38:41 PM »

Primemuscle

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #795 on: August 24, 2018, 03:39:56 PM »
*yawn*   ::)

Oh sorry, I didn't mean to bore you.  ::)

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #796 on: August 24, 2018, 03:42:40 PM »
Oh sorry, I didn't mean to bore you.  ::)

Too late.

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #797 on: September 12, 2018, 10:19:07 PM »
In the least surprising news of the day . . .

Judge Moss said he didn’t believe Mr. Papadopoulos lied to investigators to help the Russian government, but said he was concerned that the defendant didn’t correct the record until months after his initial interview—and only after he was confronted with evidence by the FBI about his lies.

The judge also said he couldn’t take into account the less-sinister motives Mr. Papadopoulos’s attorney had described. “His motive was not the best motive,” Judge Moss said, adding that it was a “calculated exercise in self-interest over national interest.”

Ex-Trump Campaign Adviser George Papadopoulos Sentenced to 14 Days In Prison
By Aruna Viswanatha
Updated Sept. 7, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/ex-trump-campaign-adviser-george-papadopoulos-sentenced-to-14-days-in-prison-1536353828

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #798 on: September 14, 2018, 02:06:48 PM »
Uh oh.  He pleaded guilty to more crimes having nothing to do with Trump being a Manchurian Candidate.  Now he's going to "flip."  It's curtains for Trump.  Curtains . . . .

Paul Manafort pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate in deal with Mueller team
By Alex Pappas,   Jake Gibson   | Fox News

Paul Manafort is expected to plead guilty as part of a plea deal with the special counsel. He is facing seven counts of foreign lobbying violations and witness tampering in federal court.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty in federal court Friday as part of a plea agreement that involves cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and allows him to avoid a second trial.

“I plead guilty," Manafort, 69, told U.S. District Judge Amy Berman in Washington.

Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann told the judge that Manafort's deal includes a cooperation agreement with prosecutors, who are investigating whether any Trump associates played a role in Russia's meddling in the 2016 election. That could include interviews with prosecutors and testifying in court.

A defense attorney for Manafort told Fox News the deal includes "full cooperation."

But the president's team downplayed the significance of Manafort's plea.

“Once again an investigation has concluded with a plea having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign," Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said in a statement to Fox News. "The reason: the president did nothing wrong."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Friday that Manafort's decision is "totally unrelated" to the president.

Manafort, in a trial set to begin Sept. 24, had been facing seven counts of foreign lobbying violations and witness tampering in federal court in Washington.

In August, in a separate trial in Virginia, a federal jury found Manafort guilty on eight counts of federal tax and banking crimes.

Manafort faces up to 10 years on these charges in Washington. He still faces sentencing for his guilty verdict in Virginia.

As part of this agreement, Manafort has forfeited multiple bank accounts and several properties in New York. However, he will keep his properties in Florida and Virginia, where his family live.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!

3:21 AM - Aug 22, 2018
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Manafort attorney Kevin Downing told reporters after the court hearing it was a “tough day” for his client, “who has accepted responsibility.” He said Manafort “wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life.”

The case was brought by Mueller's team, which is probing potential crimes related to the 2016 election. But Manafort has not been charged with anything related to the campaign.

In August, Manafort’s bank and tax fraud conviction made him the first campaign associate of Trump found guilty by a jury as part of Mueller’s probe.

“I feel very badly for Paul Manafort,” Trump told reporters after the August verdict, adding that it had "nothing to do with Russian collusion." The president has called Mueller's probe a "witch hunt."
Trump also said he had “such respect” for Manafort and called him a “brave man.” In comments interpreted to mean he was open to pardoning Manafort, Trump commended Manafort, saying he “refused to break” and “make up stories in order to get a deal.”

In the Virginia trial, prosecutors said Manafort hid income earned from political work overseas from the IRS while fraudulently obtaining millions in bank loans. Manafort had pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The prosecution’s star witness, Rick Gates – Manafort’s former business partner who struck a plea deal to cooperate with the government -- testified during the trial that he and Manafort committed bank and tax fraud together.

Downing, Manafort's attorney, suggested after the guilty verdict in August that Manafort was open to striking a deal before the second trial.

“He is evaluating all of his options at this point,” Downing said of Manafort.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/14/paul-manafort-to-plead-guilty-as-part-plea-deal-with-special-counsel.html

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Re: The Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theory
« Reply #799 on: September 17, 2018, 08:43:14 AM »
Bob Woodward: No Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion
PJ Media ^ | 09/16/2018 | Rick Moran
Posted on 9/17/2018, 11:43:08 AM by SeekAndFind

Bob Woodward, whose bestselling anti-Trump book Fear has got Washington tongues wagging, told talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Friday that despite looking "hard" for two years, he could find no evidence of collusion between Donald Trump and the Russians in the 2016 presidential election.

HH: So let’s set aside the Comey firing, which as a Constitutional law professor, no one will ever persuade me can be obstruction. And Rod Rosenstein has laid out reasons why even if those weren’t the president’s reasons. Set aside the Comey firing. Did you, Bob Woodward, hear anything in your research in your interviews that sounded like espionage or collusion?
BW: I did not, and of course, I looked for it, looked for it hard. And so you know, there we are. We’re going to see what Mueller has, and Dowd may be right. He has something that Dowd and the president don’t know about, a secret witness or somebody who has changed their testimony. As you know, that often happens, and that can break open or turn a case.

HH: But you’ve seen no collusion?

BW: I have not.

Woodward isn't the only one who couldn't find the pony under the pile of manure. Lisa Page told a House committee that the FBI also tried their best to find enough evidence of collusion to bring a case against Trump and his campaign and failed.

The Hill reports:

Yet, when history judges the former FBI lawyer years from now, her most consequential pronouncement may not have been typed on her bureau-issued Samsung smartphone to her colleague and lover.

Rather, it might be eight simple words she uttered behind closed doors during a congressional interview a few weeks ago.

“It’s a reflection of us still not knowing,” Page told Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) when questioned about texts she and Strzok exchanged in May 2017 as Robert Mueller was being named a special prosecutor to take over the Russia investigation.

With that statement, Page acknowledged a momentous fact: After nine months of using some of the most awesome surveillance powers afforded to U.S. intelligence, the FBI still had not made a case connecting Trump or his campaign to Russia’s election meddling.

Page opined further, acknowledging “it still existed in the scope of possibility that there would be literally nothing” to connect Trump and Russia, no matter what Mueller or the FBI did.

“As far as May of 2017, we still couldn’t answer the question,” she said at another point.

Page sounds a little disappointed that there may be "literally nothing" to the collusion narrative.

But with Woodward coming up empty and Page admitting the FBI can't make a case, why does the left get so excited whenever a Trump crony pleads guilty and makes an immunity deal with Mueller? Trump is "trapped." He's "worried." It's close to the end. He can't escape. He's losing it. There is gleeful anticipation that Mueller will show Trump won the election because Russia helped him and the president will be impeached because of it.

Meanwhile, there is no witness who has come forward with any testimony or evidence of Trump colluding with Russia. There has been no leak from the special counsel's office that suggests collusion. No congressman or senator on the intelligence committees has said there is any evidence of collusion. There has been no leak from Congress that would point to collusion.

So why this continued hysteria about collusion? In truth, this is more about denial on the left for the reasons they lost the presidency in 2016 than it is about a president committing treason.

Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump because she was the worst major party candidate for president in modern history. She had nothing to say and nothing to offer voters except that she would make history as the first woman president if she won. She was the least trusted presidential candidate since polling began.

These factors alone would have made her election very difficult. In the end, voters rejected her and what little she offered as far as ideas.

What do you suppose is going to happen on the left when Mueller issues his final report with no bombshell collusion charge?