Politics WH officials crashed highly classified briefings about the Russia probe

[SlyPokerDog]

• National-security experts and legal experts were "gobsmacked" by senior White House officials' attendance Thursday at a classified briefing about the Russia investigation and a suspected FBI informant on the Trump campaign.
• The White House chief of staff, the White House counsel, three GOP lawmakers, and one Democrat met with deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, FBI director Christopher Wray, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to glean more details about the suspected informant and other details of the Russia probe.
• One former FBI official described the situation, and President Donald Trump's and his allies' broadsides against the DOJ, as a "f---ing circus."

The president's chief of staff and the White House counsel attended a classified briefing Thursday with top Justice Department officials and lawmakers about an investigation into the president and his associates — and the events have floored national-security experts and former intelligence officials.

When the White House announced the first of the two briefings earlier this week, it said chief of staff John Kelly would not be attending.

One former FBI official said they were "gobsmacked" when they learned the chief of staff would be present after all.

"This is an investigation centering squarely around the president and his cohorts," said this person, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "And we've got the president's chief of staff attending a classified briefing — and getting sensitive intelligence — about said investigation. It's a f---ing circus."

When it emerged later that Emmet Flood, the new White House counsel, also attended the briefing, the person added: "This is truly mind-boggling."

Renato Mariotti, a longtime former federal prosecutor in Chicago, expressed a similar view.

"It is completely inappropriate for a lawyer representing a subject of the investigation to attend the congressional oversight meeting in which nonpublic information about the investigation was revealed," he tweeted following the first briefing. "What possible legitimate purpose could his attendance have served?"

The first briefing Thursday included Kelly, Flood, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, FBI director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes and ranking member Adam Schiff, House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Schiff was invited at the last minute after Democrats slammed Nunes and Gowdy for what they described as a partisan briefing that could be weaponized against the DOJ and the special counsel Robert Mueller.

The second briefing included Kelly, Rosenstein, Wray, Nunes, Schiff, and most other members of the Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group consisting of the Republican and Democratic leaders of the intelligence committees and the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. Ryan, citing scheduling conflicts, said he would not be able to attend the second briefing.

Thursday's briefings come as tensions between the White House and DOJ are at a boiling point, with the Russia investigation, Mueller, and a suspected FBI informant at the eye of the storm.

The individual's identity was confidential at first but several media outlets later reported that Stefan Halper, a veteran of previous Republican administrations and a former professor emeritus at Cambridge University who was in touch with several members of the Trump campaign, was the informant.

Reports about the source sparked a flurry of unproven accusations from Trump and his loyalists that the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign during the election. The president subsequently requested that the DOJ investigate the matter.

The DOJ agreed to Thursday's briefings, both of which include details about the informant and the Russia probe, after a series of back-and-forths with Congressional Republicans and the White House over protecting the person's safety.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whit...ngs-classified-experts-react-2018-5?r=UK&IR=T

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[tlongII]

So?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[julius]

Damn, can you imagine the colossal shit storm that conservatives/republicans/righties would've had, if Obama had done this? Or even 1/10th of what Trump is accused of?

 

[tlongII]

Damn, can you imagine the colossal shit storm that conservatives/republicans/righties would've had, if Obama had done this? Or even 1/10th of what Trump is accused of?

It would be far less than the colossal shit storm that liberals/democrats/lefties are currently having.

 

[julius]

It would be far less than the colossal shit storm that liberals/democrats/lefties are currently having.

It's sad that you actually think that anyone believes you here.

 

[tlongII]

It's sad that you actually think that anyone believes you here.

It doesn't matter if anyone believes me or not. It's the truth. All you have to do is go on social media to observe it.

 

[bluefrog]

It doesn't matter if anyone believes me or not. It's the truth. All you have to do is go on social media to observe it.

100% false equivalency

Conservatives were having a cow over Obama's beige suit and ordering Dijon mustard on his burger. Those were the biggest personal "scandals" during his administration.

Current "shit storm that liberals/democrats/lefties are currently having" seems warranted in comparison.

 

[tlongII]

100% false equivalency

Conservatives were having a cow over Obama's beige suit and ordering Dijon mustard on his burger. Those were the biggest personal "scandals" during his administration.

Current "shit storm that liberals/democrats/lefties are currently having" seems warranted in comparison.

It's a documented fact that "No U.S. president has received as much coverage or as much negative coverage as Donald Trump in the modern media age, the report concluded after reviewing the first 100 days of media reports from seven U.S. print and broadcast outlets and three foreign media outlets." That's just the truth.

 

[bluefrog]

It's a documented fact that "No U.S. president has received as much coverage or as much negative coverage as Donald Trump in the modern media age, the report concluded after reviewing the first 100 days of media reports from seven U.S. print and broadcast outlets and three foreign media outlets." That's just the truth.

Seems naive to expect positive coverage when one attacks the press. Do you disagree?

He gave little hard policy news to cover and constantly did and said controversial things like

• Make 488 false or misleading claims (including using the death of his chief of staff’s son to make a false claim about Obama)
• Spend an inordinate amount of time at war with members of his own party (not to mention making no effort at bipartisanship)
• Pack the Judiciary and his administration with unqualified Right-Wing appointees (Devos, Brett J. Talley, his daughter)
• Attack the FBI and the intelligence community (fired Comey, bullshit "Deep State" acusations)
• Alienate longtime allies like Germany, Britain and rest of NATO (thanked Putin for kicking US diplomats out of Russia)

The bad press is warranted

 

[tlongII]

Seems naive to expect positive coverage when one attacks the press. Do you disagree?

He gave little hard policy news to cover and constantly did and said controversial things like

• Make 488 false or misleading claims (including using the death of his chief of staff’s son to make a false claim about Obama)
• Spend an inordinate amount of time at war with members of his own party (not to mention making no effort at bipartisanship)
• Pack the Judiciary and his administration with unqualified Right-Wing appointees (Devos, Brett J. Talley, his daughter)
• Attack the FBI and the intelligence community (fired Comey, bullshit "Deep State" acusations)
• Alienate longtime allies like Germany, Britain and rest of NATO (thanked Putin for kicking US diplomats out of Russia)

The bad press is warranted

My point stands.

 

[bluefrog]

My point stands.

Was the negative coverage warranted?

 

[oldfisherman]

Damn, can you imagine the colossal shit storm that conservatives/republicans/righties would've had, if Obama had done this? Or even 1/10th of what Trump is accused of?

It would be far less than the colossal shit storm that liberals/democrats/lefties are currently having.

I consider myself an independent. But in this debate, I strongly agree with tlongII. It has been waaaaay too obvious that the Dems have waaaay over reacted to every issue.

Example...

The president takes an oath of office to preserve, protect, and to defend the constitution of the US. Obama pissed all over the constitution while pushing his agenda (which I consider a real crime). The Dems thought that was ok, which is sad. And I did not think the Reps made a big enough issue of this crime.

 

[bluefrog]

I consider myself an independent. But in this debate, I strongly agree with tlongII. It has been waaaaay too obvious that the Dems have waaaay over reacted to every issue.

Example...

The president takes an oath of office to preserve, protect, and to defend the constitution of the US. Obama pissed all over the constitution while pushing his agenda (which I consider a real crime). The Dems thought that was ok, which is sad. And I did not think the Reps made a big enough issue of this crime.

I can counter two examples with Trump for each one you give on how "Obama pissed all over the constitution" and Trump hasn't even been in office two years.

 

[MARIS61]

Fake outrage.

Perfectly normal meeting procedure and really a generous gift from President Trump to the deep state.

Guilty of ignoring subpoenas and court orders, this at least stalls jail time for a few of them, but time is running out.

 

[tlongII]

Was the negative coverage warranted?

Some of the negative coverage was warranted. But nowhere near to this degree.

 

[barfo]

Some of the negative coverage was warranted. But nowhere near to this degree.

Corruption generally gets very negative coverage. Most people don't approve of corruption.

barfo

 

[tlongII]

Corruption generally gets very negative coverage. Most people don't approve of corruption.

barfo

Most politicians are corrupt.

 

[julius]

It's a documented fact that "No U.S. president has received as much coverage or as much negative coverage as Donald Trump in the modern media age, the report concluded after reviewing the first 100 days of media reports from seven U.S. print and broadcast outlets and three foreign media outlets." That's just the truth.

Could it be because he has lied the most of any president ever?

 

[barfo]

Most politicians are corrupt.

Actually not true, your cynicism has gotten the better of you.

Also, there are different degrees of corruption. This is easily the most corrupt administration in the last century or so.

barfo

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Texas Republican Who Pushed To Impeach Obama Just Got Jailed After Being Convicted Of 23 Felonies

A Republican former congressman from Texas has been convicted of fraud after funneling $1.25 million from donors into personal expenses as part of what prosecutors have described as a “white collar crime spree.”

A jury in federal court in Houston ruled Thursday afternoon that former GOP lawmaker Steve Stockman (Texas) is guilty of all but one of the 24 felonies he was charged with last March.

Stockman faces 20 years in federal prison for each conviction, including 11 counts of money laundering, seven counts of mail and wire fraud, two counts of make false statements to the Federal Election Commission, one count of making coordinated excess campaign contributions, one count of conspiracy to make conduit campaign contributions, and one count of filing a false tax return.

Following the verdict, Stockman was taken to jail where he will await sentencing, which is scheduled for Aug. 17.

“Stephen Stockman abused his position as United States Congressman to defraud charitable donors and then used the proceeds of his crimes to corrupt the election process and make a range of impermissible personal expenditures,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan.

Stockman was charged with two former aides, Thomas Dodd and Jason Posey, who both entered guilty pleas and testified against their former boss. The three faced 28 felony charges in total.

When he was in Congress, Stockman, a staunch conservative, gained notoriety for threatening to seek the impeachment of then-President Barack Obama if he tried to implement gun control regulations through executive action.

https://politicaldig.com/texas-repu...-prison-after-being-convicted-in-23-felonies/

 

[tlongII]

Could it be because he has lied the most of any president ever?

Maybe. Can you prove that?

 

[CupWizier]

• National-security experts and legal experts were "gobsmacked" by senior White House officials' attendance Thursday at a classified briefing about the Russia investigation and a suspected FBI informant on the Trump campaign.
• The White House chief of staff, the White House counsel, three GOP lawmakers, and one Democrat met with deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, FBI director Christopher Wray, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to glean more details about the suspected informant and other details of the Russia probe.
• One former FBI official described the situation, and President Donald Trump's and his allies' broadsides against the DOJ, as a "f---ing circus."

The president's chief of staff and the White House counsel attended a classified briefing Thursday with top Justice Department officials and lawmakers about an investigation into the president and his associates — and the events have floored national-security experts and former intelligence officials.

When the White House announced the first of the two briefings earlier this week, it said chief of staff John Kelly would not be attending.

One former FBI official said they were "gobsmacked" when they learned the chief of staff would be present after all.

"This is an investigation centering squarely around the president and his cohorts," said this person, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. "And we've got the president's chief of staff attending a classified briefing — and getting sensitive intelligence — about said investigation. It's a f---ing circus."

When it emerged later that Emmet Flood, the new White House counsel, also attended the briefing, the person added: "This is truly mind-boggling."

Renato Mariotti, a longtime former federal prosecutor in Chicago, expressed a similar view.

"It is completely inappropriate for a lawyer representing a subject of the investigation to attend the congressional oversight meeting in which nonpublic information about the investigation was revealed," he tweeted following the first briefing. "What possible legitimate purpose could his attendance have served?"

The first briefing Thursday included Kelly, Flood, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, FBI director Christopher Wray, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes and ranking member Adam Schiff, House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Schiff was invited at the last minute after Democrats slammed Nunes and Gowdy for what they described as a partisan briefing that could be weaponized against the DOJ and the special counsel Robert Mueller.

The second briefing included Kelly, Rosenstein, Wray, Nunes, Schiff, and most other members of the Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group consisting of the Republican and Democratic leaders of the intelligence committees and the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate. Ryan, citing scheduling conflicts, said he would not be able to attend the second briefing.

Thursday's briefings come as tensions between the White House and DOJ are at a boiling point, with the Russia investigation, Mueller, and a suspected FBI informant at the eye of the storm.

The individual's identity was confidential at first but several media outlets later reported that Stefan Halper, a veteran of previous Republican administrations and a former professor emeritus at Cambridge University who was in touch with several members of the Trump campaign, was the informant.

Reports about the source sparked a flurry of unproven accusations from Trump and his loyalists that the FBI was spying on the Trump campaign during the election. The president subsequently requested that the DOJ investigate the matter.

The DOJ agreed to Thursday's briefings, both of which include details about the informant and the Russia probe, after a series of back-and-forths with Congressional Republicans and the White House over protecting the person's safety.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whit...ngs-classified-experts-react-2018-5?r=UK&IR=T

another day in the White House and another day of corruption.

 

[CupWizier]

Maybe. Can you prove that?

Read the list at the New York Times. The guy lies on a daily basis and turning a head to it makes one part of the problem.

 

[tlongII]

Read the list at the New York Times. The guy lies on a daily basis and turning a head to it makes one part of the problem.

Wrong.

 

[julius]

Seriously, if you're going to have blinders on this much it's not worth trying to engage in an adult conversation with you anymore.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

So?

Well, since they're here let's all tell em classified shit they're not supposed to know. Wtf is wrong with this country?

Imagine planning a surprise birthday party for someone and they show up and everyone just goes ahead as if they aren't there.

 

[tlongII]

Seriously, if you're going to have blinders on this much it's not worth trying to engage in an adult conversation with you anymore.

I’m not the one that can’t have an adult conversation.

 

[barfo]

I’m rubber and you're glue, shit bounces off me and sticks to you. Nyah Nyah Nyah. My dad can beat up your dad.

FTFY.

barfo