Liberal Forum

Moscow Mule-Trump Junior Just Described Disgraceful

By John Podhoretz

He said, “I love it.”

Yes, upon being informed in June 2016 he might soon be in receipt of information from the Russian government damaging to Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. responded with the words, “I love it.”

He didn’t call the FBI to say he had evidence the Russian government was seeking to interfere with the presidential election of 2016.

No, he said, “I love it” — and set up a meeting with the shady Russian lawyer who, he was told, might share dirt with him.

He didn’t steer the Trump campaign away to shield it from the stain of a potentially scandalous encounter with an operative working for Vladimir Putin.

No, Trump Jr. brought the campaign’s chairman, Paul Manafort, and his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, into the meeting.

Donald Jr. loved it so, you see.

Now, the fact that Donald Jr. “loved” the idea of getting the goods on Hillary Clinton from a foreign antagonist doesn’t suggest anything criminal in itself.

According to the three people who set up the meeting — 1) Trump Jr., 2) a bizarre British publicist named Rob Goldstone and 3) a shady Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya — the proceedings ended up centering on Russia’s adoption policy.

So unless they’re dissembling — and they could be — no actual collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government took place at the meeting.

If they’re not prevaricating, this isn’t the smoking gun that will take down the Trump presidency.

To be sure, Donald Jr. lied outright when the New York Times contacted him about the meeting, which is not good, because lying is bad unless someone asks you whether they look fat in those pants and they do.

But as it happens, lying to the New York Times is not a crime.

At the moment, the only person who might be in some legal jeopardy as a result of the meeting is Kushner, who did not mention the meeting on the form he filled out to secure a security clearance (called an SF-86).

The form specifically states that “knowingly falsifying or concealing a material fact is a felony which may result in fines and/or up to five (5) years imprisonment.”

But enough about legal jeopardy.

There is too much focus on the criminal aspect of this event, which might or might not be significant.

There is not enough focus on the moral aspect of this event, which is far more significant.

Donald Trump Jr.’s conduct defines the word “disgraceful.”

He may not have colluded in the disruption of an American election, but the evidence of the emails he released himself indicates he was only too willing and eager to do so.

Now, politicians have had ne’er-do-well relatives throughout all history who have sought to use their kinship to their own advantage.

Donald Jr. was up to something else here.

He was actively seeking to aid his father’s attempt to secure the presidency of the United States.

If we knew he had been or is in bad odor with his father, or that his father has kept his distance from his son due to the kid’s poor judgment or bad behavior, that would help exculpate the president.

But we know Trump Sr. has knitted his children into every aspect of his professional life.

In other words: The president whose daughter took his seat at the G20 conference and who wants his son-in-law to negotiate a Middle East peace is the same man whose son took a meeting with someone he had been led to believe was a Putin cut-out to procure information that would destroy Hillary Clinton.

I’m sure there are people who will defend this, because there are people who will defend anything.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 9:42 am » wrote: Yes, there are.
They don't care about the moral aspect.
As long as it can't be proven that someone clearly stepped over the legal line into criminality, ethical standards don't matter to them.

There Is Now Evidence that Senior Trump Officials Attempted to Collude With Russia

By David French

Donald Trump Jr.’s e-mails are damning.

Just hours ago, Donald Trump Jr. released one of the more astounding e-mail chains of the entire Russia controversy.

The end result is that Americans may now be introduced to the term “attempted collusion.”

Or, perhaps more accurately (based on present information), “failed collusion.”

In other words, there now exists evidence that senior members of the Trump campaign tried unsuccessfully to facilitate Russian government efforts to defeat Hillary Clinton.

First, some background.

On July 8, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner had a previously undisclosed meeting with a Russian lawyer with alleged “connections with the Kremlin.”

In an initial response to the story, Trump Jr. said the meeting was “primarily about an adoption program.”

By the next day, the story shifted.

The Times reported new details suggesting Trump Jr. took the meeting after being promised “damaging information” about Hillary Clinton.

In his own statement, Trump Jr. confirmed that he had entered the meeting seeking opposition research and claimed that the conversation had only moved to the Magnitsky Act, a sanctions law that led Vladimir Putin to retaliate by blocking American adoptions of Russian children, after it “became clear” that the lawyer “had no meaningful information” on Clinton.

On July 10, the next shoe dropped.

This time, the Times alleged Donald Jr. had received an e-mail beforehand making clear that the lawyer was acting as “part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s candidacy.”

The Times cited three anonymous sources who had “knowledge of the email.”

Needless to say, because of recent bitter experience, I was skeptical.

More anonymous sources? Let’s wait and see.

Well, we didn’t have to wait long.

This morning, in two tweets, Donald Jr. released the entire e-mail chain.

I urge you to read it all.

The first tweet contained his statement and the end of the chain.

The second tweet contained the key first e-mail.

Here’s that e-mail, in full:



Rob Goldstone is a former tabloid journalist and publicist who has business ties in Russia.

He tells Donald Jr.:
Donald Jr.’s response?

“Seems we have some time and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer” (emphasis added).

Later in the chain, the Russian lawyer is described as a “Russian government attorney.”

In his latest statement, Trump Jr. claims that the lawyer wasn’t a government official, there was no opposition research, and the meeting was mainly about “adoption policy and the Magnitsky act.”

The lawyer herself backs this claim, and denies that she has any connection with the Kremlin.

Available evidence now indicates that the meeting turned out to be, to use a formal legal term, a “nothingburger” from which the participants quickly disengaged.

So, what are we left with?

From the available evidence, it looks like Donald Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner (the latter two were forwarded the e-mail chain and attended the meeting) attempted to cooperate in what they were told was an official Russian government effort to “support” Donald Trump.

The meeting became meaningless to them only after it was clear that the Russian lawyer couldn’t deliver the goods.

In other words, this isn’t the smoking gun that proves actual “collusion” with Russia, but rather evidence that Trump Jr., Manafort, and Kushner tried to collude with Russia.

Let’s define our terms.

The word “collusion” doesn’t have precise legal meaning.

It’s largely a political term that refers to claims and allegations that the Trump team worked in some way with Russians as part of the alleged Russian effort to elect Trump.

In other words, to claim that Trump officials colluded with Russians is not the same thing as claiming that they violated the law.

As with many political operations, including dealings with foreign governments, their actions can be unsavory without being illegal.

Indeed, that seems to be the case here.

Yes, the left side of the Internet is lighting up with claims that receiving information is the same thing as receiving an unlawful foreign campaign contribution, but the argument (based on current facts) is frivolous.

The law is designed to capture contributions of definable value, like money or other assets.

What is the definable value of “information”?

Defining speech as a reportable or even illegal “thing of value” would raise serious constitutional concerns.

But to say that it (so far) appears that Donald Jr. didn’t break the law isn’t to defend his actions.

To repeat, it now looks as if the senior campaign team of a major-party presidential candidate intended to meet with an official representative of a hostile foreign power to facilitate that foreign power’s attempt to influence an American election.

Russian collusion claims are no longer the exclusive province of tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists.

No American — Democrat or Republican — should defend the expressed intent of this meeting.

Going further, at long last we can now put to bed the notion that the Russia investigation is little more than frivolous partisan harassment, and it casts in an entirely different light the president’s fury and frustration at its continued progress.

As recently as last week, it appeared that the “collusion narrative” had lost steam, and that the so-called “Russia scandal” had morphed into an attack on Donald Trump’s handling of the investigation, rather than the investigation itself.

If you had told me last week that there existed an e-mail chain where a Trump contact explicitly tried to set up a meeting between a purported Russian official and the Trump senior team to facilitate official Russian efforts to beat Clinton, I’d have thought you’d been spending too much time in the deranged corners of Twitter.

As of now, we should have zero confidence that we know all or even most material facts.

We should have zero confidence that Trump’s frustration is entirely due to his feeling like an innocent man caught in the crosshairs of crazed conspiracy theorists.

It now appears that his son, son-in-law, and campaign chair met with a lawyer who they were told was part of an official Russian government effort to impact the presidential election.

The Russian investigation isn’t a witch hunt anymore, if it ever was. It’s a national necessity.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:11 am » wrote: "Their actions can be unsavory without being illegal."
"Russian collusion claims are no longer the exclusive province of tinfoil-hat conspiracy theorists."
Amen.

Trump’s New CDC Chief Reportedly Promoted a Sketchy Anti-Aging Therapy

She also partnered with Coke—to fight obesity.

Donald Trump’s appointee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention apparently practiced a fringe branch of medicine that promises to reverse the effects of natural aging.

This little nugget comes courtesy of Forbes‘ contributor Rita Rubin, who dug up the 2011 homepage of Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald’s medical practice. (Fitzgerald practiced for decades as an OB/GYN.)

“My goal is to have all my patients, and me, be vigorous and vital for essentially their entire lives,” the FAQ section reads.

“I want to be struck by lightning on the golf course at 120…. and I want that for you.”

How did Fitzgerald plan to get her patients to golfing at age 120?

Through “bioidentical hormones,” an anti-aging regimen discredited by mainstream doctors.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes that “evidence is lacking to support superiority claims of compounded bioidentical hormones over conventional menopausal hormone therapy.”

Fitzgerald’s practice claimed that “we can now measure the vitamins, antioxidants, necessary fats, and proteins in your cells with a simple blood test.”

But ACOG warns that “despite claims to the contrary, evidence is inadequate to support increased efficacy or safety for individualized hormone therapy regimens based on salivary, serum, or urinary testing.”

Harvard Medical School points out that bioidentical hormones haven’t been studied in long-term trials.

A gynecology professor quoted in Rubin’s Forbes piece says such anti-aging treatments are “snake oil,” and notes that “If [Fitzgerald] was one of these people who was marketing anti-aging medicine, that’s scary.”

On top of being ineffective, such treatments could be dangerous.

Most bioidentical hormone protocols require the use of a compounding pharmacy, which ACOG points out are very loosely regulated—meaning the drugs have “variable purity and potency.”

Contaminated drugs from compounding pharmacies have even killed people.

Anti-aging medicine is not recognized as a medical specialty by the American Medical Association, yet Fitzgerald lists it among her credentials.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, whose stated mission is to promote “the research of practices and protocols that have the potential to optimize the human aging process.”

The CDC did not return a phone call seeking comment, but Fitzgerald’s anti-aging fellowship is touted on her bio page at the Georgia Department of Public Health, where she served as commissioner for seven years—at one point partnering with the Coca-Cola company on an anti-obesity initiative.

In addition, Fitzgerald has run for Congress twice and, with her husband, donated more than $25,000 to the Republican party, according to the New York Times.

Republican threatens to re-open investigation for Hillary’s emails if media keeps reporting on Russia.

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) appeared on CNN Wednesday morning to issue an ultimatum: Congress would be “forced” to start investigating Hillary Clinton’s emails again if Democrats didn’t stop talking about the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with the Russian government.

During an interview with Alisyn Camerota, King lamented the way that the Russia scandal has upended President Donald Trump’s administration — and he said that if such disruptions continued, Congressional Republicans would restart the investigation into the private email server that Hillary Clinton used while she served as Secretary of State.

“If this continues  —  this immobilization of the presidency over these kind of things   it’s going to force Congress to do an investigation, a complete and thorough investigation, and that means go back all the way to the 650,000 emails of Anthony Weiner and look at [former FBI Director James] Comey and his activities,” King said, via ThinkProgress.

For good measure, King also said that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election was the actual “collusion” we should be worried about, as Mueller and Comey are longtime friends.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:40 am » wrote:Steve King......
One of the biggest wingnuts in the Republican party.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:50 am » wrote:Robert Maguire

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:22 am » wrote: Another snake oil salesperson.
She will fit in quite well in this administration.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:40 am » wrote: Steve King......
One of the biggest wingnuts in the Republican party.

In August 2015, King was named the least effective member of Congress by InsideGov due to his persistent failures to get legislation out of committee.

Steve King displays the confederate flag on his office desk, despite the fact that Iowa was part of the Union during the American Civil War.

I doubt if any of the committees he belongs to will be restarting any investigations into Hillary's email server.(He doesn't chair any of them.)

Agriculture:
Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry
Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management
Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry
Subcommittee on Nutrition and Horticulture

Judiciary:
Subcommittee on the Constitution
Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law (vice chairman)

Committee on Small Business

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 10:40 am » wrote:Steve King......
One of the biggest wingnuts in the Republican party.

Misty » 11 Jul 2017 2:11 pm » wrote:Fredo thought that he was going to that meeting to obtain some oppo research on HRC.

Oppo research is a thing of value.
Campaigns pay big money for it.

THIS DAY IN “COLLUSION” HYSTERIA
The mainstream media is in a state of ecstasy over the story of Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with that Russian lawyer. It’s easy to understand why. After months with nothing to feed on, the media now has a scrap. In this context, the meal feels like a feast.


It certainly seems that way to Ruth Marcus. She declares, absurdly, that the Trump Jr. emails “could hardly be more incriminating.” I must have missed the one in which he told the Russkies to go ahead and hack John Podesta’s emails, and provided them the password.


Marcus also opines that Trump, Jr. violated U.S. law by accepting something of value from a foreign government agent. If that’s true, then the FBI should raid every embassy party in Washington and half of the city’s cocktail party. Journalists and others routinely accept useful information (and plenty of interesting gossip) from “foreign government agent’s” at these events.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2 ... steria.php

Misty » 11 Jul 2017 2:11 pm » wrote: It doesn't have to have anything to do with the hacking you jackass.

52 USC 30121, 36 USC 510 — the law governing foreign contributions to US campaigns states that:
Fredo thought that he was going to that meeting to obtain some oppo research on HRC.

Oppo research is a thing of value.
Campaigns pay big money for it.

Huey » 12 Jul 2017 12:06 pm » wrote: He thought? Thought police on patrol? We are know prosecuting people for what they thought? Oh, that is so 1984

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 12:08 pm » wrote:Fredo said he never told his Daddy about the meeting with the Russian lawyer, so I guess this is just another crazy coincidence..

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 12:08 pm » wrote:June 8th-website DC Leaks sends it's first Tweet.

June 9th-Fredo, Kushner and Manafort meet with Russian lawyer.

June 12th-Julian Assange reports that WikiLeaks has obtained emails related to Hillary Clinton.

June 14th-WAPO reports that Russian government hackers penetrated the DNC and stole opposition research on Trump.

June 15th-Guccifer 2.0, later identified as a tool of Russian military intelligence, takes credit for DNC hack.

Termin8tor » 12 Jul 2017 12:01 pm » wrote:Wow, the Justice Dept. is going to be very, very, very busy.

Misty » 12 Jul 2017 12:08 pm » wrote:Fredo said he never told his Daddy about the meeting with the Russian lawyer, so I guess this is just another crazy coincidence.



https://twitter.com/yashar/status/884900796957171712

June 8th-website DC Leaks sends it's first Tweet.

June 9th-Fredo, Kushner and Manafort meet with Russian lawyer.

June 12th-Julian Assange reports that WikiLeaks has obtained emails related to Hillary Clinton.

June 14th-WAPO reports that Russian government hackers penetrated the DNC and stole opposition research on Trump.

June 15th-Guccifer 2.0, later identified as a tool of Russian military intelligence, takes credit for DNC hack.