Better not!
For me, the most harrowing development since the election is the way self-described liberal people now denounce those they disagree with as traitors.
This charge used to be the stock in trade of the far right, McCarthy wing of the conservative movement - reaching the depths of insanity when Gen. George Marshall was publicly excoriated as a traitor.
And now "TREASON!" has become the rallying cry of the democrat liberal who historically opposed this odious tactic.
Wilhelm Reich was correct when he said that "Emotional Plague" is the most contagious of ailments. Because of this, Democrats have become the very thing they once professed to hate - and now make wild allegations of treason as a way to chill discourse.
This vile and divisive accusation dots the comments here.
Shame on those who do this.
Shame on those who stand by as they see it done.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
4
give it up, there is no smoking gun
The Trump faction of the Republican Party (which is today the controlling faction) will do anything to try to defend their position and derail looming Democratic victory in the 2018 elections. They are desperate.
1
I still want FACTS regarding what Russia did, who helped them, how, why and when.
All this smoke screen over the FBI etc. is just that, a manufactured smoke screen that does nothing to alter the need for an investigation and actual facts.
Even if it turns out to be true that some in FBI acted inappropriately that does nothing to alter the FACT that the investigation into Russian meddling must come to a proper conclusion without interference.
Deal with the FBI if/when that comes necessary but it must not be an excuse to avoid protection our Democracy from a foreign adversary like Russia.
//
2
Comments are moderated? Yeah, moderated speech like free speech was moderated in the former USSR? Hypocrites. A lot of people over here in Britain too, can't wait to see the memo and the consequences it will have for the undemocratic, Democratic Party, an oxymoron if we've ever seen one. Trump was democratically elected, Russia meddling, "is a nothing burger", get over it, we the people are sick of hearing it, this horse has been flogged to death. We the people want to see the memo, because the Democrats so desperately don't want us to see it, that is reason enough.
1
The origins of the memo are from the GOP. The Washington Examiner reported in October: "Lawyers for the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon informed the House Intelligence Committee Friday that the organization was the original funder for the anti-Trump opposition research project with Fusion GPS." They can't even get their propaganda right.
2
There is danger afoot if the Republican Congress doesn’t watch their step. People on the street are plenty riled up and Happy to meet Nunez and Stephen Miller personally.
1
What a karmic comeuppance. A few days ago the NYT published an editorial "Why Does President Trump fear the truth?"
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/26/opinion/editorials/trump-...
Where today's editorial asking "Why Do the Democrats Fear the Truth?"
In face of such a blatant double standard, we, the readers, can only surmise that the NYT fears the truth as long as it directed at its own allies.
This is not the NYT from the Nixon years, as depicted in the movie "The Post" I have just seen.
2
Well, this gives everyone with secret information from ANY Party Carte Blanche to release classified information.
If the Nunes memo is about Carter Page being the target of a FISA warrant, this will end badly for Trump & Co. Carter Page was under surveillance because he was in contact w/ two Russian spies known to be recruiting American assets. Those spies were indicted. Yes....there was cause to place Carter Page under surveillance.
https://nypost.com/2018/01/29/team-trump-thought-carter-page-might-be-a-...
2
For me, the most harrowing development since the onset of Trump Derangement Syndrome is the way self-described liberal people now denounce others as traitors.
This charge used to be the stock in trade of the far right, McCarthy wing of the conservative movement - reaching the depths of insanity when Gen. George Marshall was publicly excoriated as a traitor.
And now "TREASON!" has become the rallying cry of the democrat liberal who historically opposed this odious tactic.
Wilhelm Reich was correct when he said that "Emotional Plague" is the most contagious of ailments. Democrats have become the very thing they once professed to hate, making wild allegations of treason as a way to chill discourse.
This vile and divisive accusation dots the comments here.
Shame on those who do this.
Shame on those who stand by as they see it done.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
3
OF COURSE McCABE HAD TO GO
An FBI’s Wife’s Husband – “must be above suspicion.”
“Say it ain’t so, Andy.” But Andy cain’t say so. So Andy had to go.
Should’a been Long Ago.
https://channelingtrump.wordpress.com/
The statement that there is no known precedent for the House declassifying a confidential document is incorrect. As early as 1793, the House adopted a Standing Order authorizing such action, and it acted accordingly on several subsequent occasions. See my book, Governmental Secrecy and the Founding Fathers, at pp. 100-104, 125-126, 236, 239.
Of course, this is not to say that disclosure is wise in the present case.
Why is there no mention of Trump not following through on the Russian sanctions that were overwhelmingly voted on by both Houses of Congress and that he signed off on and then delayed? Does anyone in the Fed Govt care about the constitution anymore or are they too busy writing and reading Tweets.
4
Self-destructive Republicans releasing a Russian compiled document thereby playing into Russia’s hands while widening the chasm between our judicial and themselves. Sure, that makes sense.
2
Here's the deal: The White House wrote the memo for Nunes, their stooge.
2
Pay no attention to Trump Jr.'s e-mails in which he said Russians were offering dirt on Hillary in exchange for special favors.
Pay no attention to the fact that Trump directed his son to write a statement with denying that it had anything to do with Russians offering dirt to help the Trump campaign. Pay no attention to the FACT that we now know that the statement was a lie.
Pay no attention to the fact that the result of those e-mails was a meeting right in Trump Tower attended by Trump's son, son-in-law, and highest campaign officials while Trump was in the same building.
Pay no attention to the fact that after the meeting Trump demanding the Republican platform be changed to what the Russians wanted.
Nope, pay no attention, NY Times. Because you need to print the innuendoes of the Republicans against good people to prove that your journalists are just as "fair and balanced" as Fox News. Just like you did during the 2016 campaign.
It is the NY Times lack of judgment and the NY Times willingness to print the right wing propaganda as if he had the same weight as actual FACTS that will doom democracy. Shameful.
Pay no attention to the fact that Trump specifically asked Comey to drop the Russian investigation and then fired him when he did not comply.
Pay no attention, NY Times, because those FACTS are not any more believable as the Republican accusations that your newspaper keeps giving equal weight to.
4
If GOP Congress Critters were interested in the truth, they would also release the Democratic counter memo. GOP Congressional investigations are, & have been for a long time, solely about partisanship & are not a genuine effort to ascertain the truth.
1
Sounds like a threat to me. F.B.I. and the Justice department have felt they were above the law for some time and they have shown signs of corruption for decades. Just making a decision on Hillary, before the investigation is final, is a sure sign of corruption. So far, Mueller has found nothing on Trump but they have continued to dig up dirt on themselves. The Democrats and Republicans and most of our judicial departments have turned a blind eye to corruption. They are all in it so deep. I am sure if all their corruption was exposed it would cause a national and international crisis. They need to be exposed and underminded.
3
This is a sad day for our democracy. A second rate representative from California enabled by an equally spineless Speaker of the House, have decided to use Russian Secret Service tactics that go back to the days of the Tsar. Purposely trying to defame a hallowed institution and politicize it so it is unrecognizable to the public, they are setting the stage for countless criminal defendants to lay claim to partisan politics in their indictments. How will we teach our children about this course of events? It is bad enough that we don't have civics courses taught in the early school years, but this disinformation will poison many minds who will not be able to distinguish truth from damned lies.
Neither Nunes, Ryan or the other henchman in the Republican party deserve re-election. It is my hope that Republican voters next November send them back to their districts to lead an unenviable future being victims of their own evil intents. Trying to destroy a democracy in the United States should place them in the Political Hall of Shame along with Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon.
3
How does Mr. Nunes, recused from the Russian investigation, get away with this?
3
This headline should read: "House Republicans desperate to defend Trump endanger national security."
3
I find this very not funny and this is very telling we can't get one complete investigation regard the Trump Russia affair. But we have had how many when Bill Clinton was President, and how many were there for the Benghazi affair. To me and the world this is very telling that their is in fact something to hide here and like all things this will eventually come out I just hope that all par ties involved will pay the price for their involvement in aiding and abetting the cover up. I is now very apparent that there needs to be some serious house cleaning at many levels.
The rise of Trump shows how outdated the US Constitution is.
Despite the many red lines he has crossed, Trump is still in power. Because Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidency itself are not representatives of the people. No matter the anger towards Trump and the GOP, the red states will win in November. The GOP has become brazenly fascistic and they have a powerful backer in Putin. Once the FBI is shredded, its replacement will be something like the KGB - under the supervision of the major political party.
The rule of the (political) majority is now the “rule of law.”
And with the repeal of net neutrality, the deregulation of banks, the tax cuts for businesses and more taxes for the masses and more, the foundations are laid down now for the future demise of the American Dream.
What's at stake is ..."the security and integrity of our elections.."
. . . . .
What????....
Don't you mean the security, integrity, and existence of our COUNTRY!
4
I strenuously object to the second-to-last paragraph of this article. To assert that Nancy Pelosi's statement reflects a lack of circumspection is biased and incorrect, and it is not good journalism.
3
I don't see a Pelosi put-down. Please check the meaning of "circumspect." I see her as clearly being more direct than Paul Ryan's useless remark. Ryan was "cautious, wary, careful...[synonyms for "circumspect"] while Pelosi was straightforward in criticizing Nunes (who is a disgraceful creep).
What are you afraid of?
1
Call Devin Nunes' offices NOW and DEMAND he STOP his activities as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Clovis, CA - Main: (559) 323-5235
Visalia, CA - Main: (559) 733-3861
Washington, DC - Main: (202) 225-2523
3
In the meantime, what happened with implementation of the sanctions against Russia ordered by a virtual unanimous vote in Congress? The deadline was yesterday. How about reporting that, NYT? It seems the deflection is working.
2
Republicans commit treason to the united states.
6
California, do your job in September.
3
In 1973 and 1974, America learned that Richard Nixon was covering up the crimes of his campaign staff conducting illegal activities with illegal money.
Imagine if the Republicans in Congress had banned together to DEMAND that Richard Nixon fire every prosecutor who dared to investigate him? Imagine if the Republicans in Congress stated for the record that every person in law enforcement and every special prosecutor who was investigating Richard Nixon was corrupt and should be thrown in jail because their sole purpose was to lie and engage in criminal activity to bring down the President?
That's what the Republicans in Congress are doing today. And the press is standing by treating this smear attempt as if it was true.
Ken Starr and his staff had all kinds of contacts with people who were determined to bring down the President. The NY Times never gave any critics of Starr this kind of credibility that your newspaper is giving to the Republicans. Stop it. This is democracy at stake and you are acting like stenographers instead of journalists. And if you think that will protect your newspapers if the fascists win, just look at Putin's Russia to see what your abandonment of journalist principles has wrought.
Is this newspaper getting ready to be the PRAVDA of the new fascist America?
Shame on you.
3
How DARE you run an article about "How FISA Wiretap Applications Work" as if there is any legitimacy to the Republicans' propaganda and if their propaganda was not simply a brazen and disgusting attempt to try to cover up crimes! What are you doing, NY Times? Where is your journalistic sensibility? You did this to Hillary Clinton and DESTROYED her campaign by treating every charge by every right wing propaganda outlet as if we should take it seriously because it is just as likely to be true as to be a lie.
After all, just because Karl Rove, Colin Powell, Jared Kushner, and many other White House officials both before and after Hillary Clinton used private e-mail accounts which had MORE classified e-mails than Clinton did, didn't stop you from repeating the right wing propaganda that Hillary was a corrupt official whose actions were so outrageously criminal instead of completely acceptable.
The NY Times is once again complicit in helping to legitimize the propaganda of the right wing by treating the lies as if they were true.
The FISA wiretap article is a disgusting display of the NY Times giving legitimacy to the right wing attacks against anyone who might reveal damaging information about Republican crimes. You should know better.
Stop giving legitimacy to propaganda. Stop it! Your terrible reporting on Trump and Clinton are leading us toward fascism.
7
This is classic! Liberals' collective hair on fire. It's clear that McCabe bailed early. The memo will torch him and other Obamaites.
1
So the Grand Old Predators release half a story, against the agencies who put their lives on the line every day for us...and the White House chooses not to impose the Russia sanctions that Congress voted for unanimously.
Guess who just bought the U.S., comrade.
5
Oh please, just a little bit of bias in this reporting. Seems like the NYT's does not want to consider the possibility of the FBI's leadership being willingly used by the Obama administration to misuse a FISA warrant and actively spy on Trump's campaign and also put the fix in on the Clinton investigation. This is just the beginning of the bad news for the democrats and the NYT's knows that, just wait till the inspector general's report comes out.
2
Obama was the complete opposite of Trump. Obama generally underplayed his hand.
2
So, Nunez wrote it, who illustrated it so Trump could "read" it?
4
Where do these speculations come from? This is one of the problems with the way the right gives conspiracy theories legs.
Speculation is enough. If it is repeated enough by enough right wing sources, it soon is as good as fact to those who want to believe it. It leads to more speculation which is repeated, etc. All your Facebook friends repeat it enough and soon it is accepted by everyone who still will join your Facebook discussions because anybody who is liberal at all has given up on trying to have a conversation without being jumped on by all your “thinking” friends.
Sean Hannity and Fox and Friends will continue to push the speculations as if they are fact. The president will send out tweets reinforcing the narrative after seeing it on Fox and Friends and that will convince you even more because it came from your prez, and why would he lie?
If a mainstream fact based news source disproves these speculations, it doesn’t matter. You and your friends already know that they all have a liberal bias and so can’t be trusted. Anyway you already know the truth.
If the speculation is true, than this could be worse than Watergate. And Barack Obama is a Muslim who was born in Kenya. Hillary had a campaign aid assassinated for leaking her emails. She ran a child sex ring out of a pizza parlor. Etc. and if any of these are disproved, it doesn’t matter because you know enough to know something is rotten. You can speculate on what that might be. That is enough.
Rant over.
1
Will you publish how each of our reps voted?
1
What the USA needs now is a good ole coup d'etat.
Already happened, Nov 2016
Devin Nunes has about a 20% chance of retaining his seat during the midterms. Is he trying to destroy the Republic before he packs up and goes home?
Traitor.
4
More obstruction and collusion foisted upon us by Trump toadie Nunes, who has no credibility. Lock 'em up, lock 'em all up.
3
One small step for the House committee, one giant leap for fascism.
1
Traitors protecting a traitor. End of story.
4
I get it. The House Republcans want to be re-elected. They are heady with their power (their's and their rich donor's). Most have turned a blind eye to ethics violations, malfeasance, reasurring coal miners and oil drillers that it is now okay to pollute the air and water. Bi-partisanship, even the Constitution, seem to have become relics. They have become one with Trump. If he looks good, they all get re-elected.
Intelligence Committee Republicans put together a "secret" memo to share the "true" story of Trump and Russia with the public, make Trump look good, and lead to all their re-elections.
But they have no evidence. They face documented meetings with Russians by the Trump campaign team, family members and Trump himself during the campaign and after the election.
They face FBI Dir. Comey's testimony, based on notes taken directly after meetings with Trump, in which Trump pleaded for his loyalty, which is illegal, and asked to be reassured, more than once, that he was not suspected of collusion. Not giving his loyalty, Comey was fired. They face an honorable prosecutor in Bob Mueller.
Their "story"? Forced out Asst. FBI Dir. McCabe's wife took a campaign donation from a Democrat. This makes the investigating FBI team corrupt. Hillary bought the Steele dossier, which means the Democrats started the Russian collusion story to undermine Trump, even though Hillary lost and McCabe is out. They have no evidence.
Sessions was very smart to recuse himself.
1
#ReleaseTheMemo
We have been saying this from day one. The establishment (R's & D's) has always been against trump and were attempting to do everything they could to keep him out of office. This is just further proof that Obama weaponized the DOJ & FBI and would have made J. Edgar Hoover proud. IRS Targeting, having FISA label James Rosen of Fox News a "criminal co-conspirator" (something Trump has NEVER done to the media), Loretta Lynch meeting with Bill Clinton during his wife's investigation, Eric Holder being in contempt of congress and SO much more. The swamp is scared and doing everything they can to hang onto power. They cant control Trump and we love it.
2
Do you love your country and constitution being destroyed? The "establishment", as well as the popular vote, would have preferred a candidate fit for office. This one only knows how to destroy. The "swamp" has now been replaced by a billionaire's club.
Some facts:
A federal judge DECLINED to consider Holder in contempt, considering the congressional contempt vote, "entirely unnecessary".
James Rosen was investigated regarding the leak of classified information about North Korea.
Holder informed the House Judiciary Committee that prosecuting the press for revealing classified information is not “wise policy.” On the other hand, this President has threatened action against “fake news”, translated as any news he doesn’t like.
If you have "proof" that Obama "weaponized" the DOJ & FBI, by all means present it, rather than spreading unsubstantiated Fox News allegations. They also claimed Tower wiretapping, the Obama birther conspiracy, the Podesta "pizzagate" child sex ring, and the assassinated DC intern was the Wikileaker. NOT one shred of proof was presented in support.
We DO have proof that anyone who refuses to pledge loyalty or even questions this leader will face dismissal, character assassination and DOJ pursuit. Remember Flynn's (ironic) "Lock her up" chant. We also have proof that Don Jr., Kushner and Manafort met with Russian agents to obtain STOLEN material.
Though it was clearly improper for Bill Clinton to meet with Lynch.
It took me awhile to realize that the (R) after every GOP member stands for (R)ussian supporter.
Any "Ronald Reagan Republicans" remember these words?:
"America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere".
Ronald Reagan, 1989
R.I.P. USA - 1776-2018
Russian colony - 2018 - ...
2
The memo of the long knives ...
1
Nunues is a traitor. A special counsel should be appointed and he should be prosecuted.
3
The complicity is not just with Russian interference; the "complicity at present"
is those in Congress who are complicit with Donald J. Trump's surrogates who
are...yes presently are selling out our government of law to the "outlaws" whose
jobs in Congress are being dictated by their campaign financiers.
Where did I read that Paul Ryan Speaker of the House...received $500,000
from the Koch Brothers when he passed the outrageous new Trump Tax Bill.
Please Editors : muckraking may be "old fashioned" but it is time once more
to dig dig dig deeper...like Ida Tarbell...and bring these outlaws like Ryan to
the forefront....time for a "new broom" that is you NYTimes to sweep the floors
or the corrupt GOP clean.....and see what a good clean sweep of these outlaws
can look like....
Maybe NYTimes you will find that THE POST ...will once again...play the better
Tarbell...than you...so get cracking.....and no more milquetoast analysis...
cut to the quick...keep it simple...and keep it clear....time matters to the time
at hand....there is no more time for futile equivocation....words matter.
'
1
Nunes as well as all of his GOP collaborators are, without question, traitors to our country. Let us hope and work toward the punishment that is due them. Seems like a slo-mo "Saturday Night Massacre" is occurring, executed by not only #45, but fully assisted by a traitorous GOP congress.
2
Someone should investigate these Republicans to see if they’re being paid/blackmailed by the Russians
1
When is the next congressional baseball game? I’m sure millions of Americans would love to see comrade Nunes strike out.
Putin’s strategy to destroy our government seems to be working. The score so far:
Russia: 100
USA: 000
Trump is the perfect stooge. And the notion that our elected officials are in any way wise, concerned, serious men and women is plainly not the case. They are just more stooges.
Trump and his Ignoramus Party are driving this bus right off the cliff.
"...Speaking to reporters after the closed-door vote, Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the committee’s top Democrat, said Republicans had voted 'to politicize the intelligence process'...”
_+_+_+_
What was OMITTED from that statement was Rep. Schiff’s DECLARATIVE statements of the release of the (D) memo would provide a recitation of the facts.
Cherry-picking much?
BOTH memos should be released to the public, DESPITE the media's SPIN, make up their own INFORMED decision.
“The exact contrary to what is generally believed is often the truth.”
- Bruyere
“The first duty of a man is the seeking after and the investigation of the truth.”
- Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC)
“Facts have a cruel way of substituting themselves for fancies. There is nothing more remorseless, just as there is nothing more helpful, than truth.”
- William C. Redfield
“Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Facts are many, but truth is one.”
- Tagore
This old, stale investigation is going nowhere.....so tiresome.
Isn't "extraordinarily reckless" how Hillary's handling of her email server described? Can we call it even now?
Colin Powell started it. It was a necessary work-around of foreign agencies blocking State Department portals with denial of service attacks.
I think you fail to see the gravity of this. This is a classified memo. If there is justification for releasing it, it should be done under the supervision of the Justice Department and FBI and of course, the Democratic response should be released at the same time, under the same conditions. If we had the opportunity to engage with that kind of supervised release of Hillary's email, then yes, it should have been done. This action by Nunes is a serious offense against our country and even if you see some equivalence with Hillary's actions (I don't see it, but even if there were some equivalence) you can't say that because some politician did something wrong at some time in the past, that would justify another politician doing something wrong now. This is a very serious matter and ought not to be treated as trivial.
“This Russia investigation is a farce! I have proof! Read this memo I wrote calling it a farce, see.”
Good god. We are in for some very dark times.
7
This paper did publis the Pentagon Papers! CREO! Let the light shine through! No bad comments on the leaks coming from inside the Trump Whitehouse even on his conversations with foreign leaders!
1
Past time to offer Devin Nunes a choice; Solitary in a SuperMax prison or deportation to Russia, I’m sure they would give him a gold plated Dacha for all of the damage he has done to the FBI and the rule of law.
2
Fun to see all this concern about sanctity of classified information, proper vetting per process and review, not interfering with investigations, blah-blah and so on.
None of these things mattered during past year's leak-a-thon, or that third-rate Mad Magazine dossier - planted, manipulated, marketed - being a planetary gear of the whole Trump/Illuminati/Klingon nexus until, suddenly, it was gone from the Narrative starting about ten days or so ago.
And the provenance of a memo - a summary of a real investigation - actually getting a vote beats a thinly-veiled Adam Schiff leak-feeding dogfood hearsay to CNN every Friday like clockwork. Especially when FBI number two jumps ship, unbidden, seeminly in sync with that document becoming public.
Face it Dems, the Russians did not decide to run the one widely-known Democrat with the baggage and incompetence to lose to likes of Donald Trump. Yeah, Hillary was that bad people.
3
What's the end game here? Cherry picking things that make the justice department bad will fire up the worst of the far right's crazies. When Mueller finally releases his findings they will be convinced his report will be part of some great conspiracy. Think ahead- will this really stop Trump from getting impeached? If not, then you're sending a dog whistle to men with guns. If you think this will work you are delusional, but your actions now could get people killed later. How soul-less are you people?
1
Why is fake president Tweetie Pie so afraid of the Putie Cat that he's now trying not to enforce the sanctions against Russia previously approved by both Republic-led houses of Congress? Why does Devin "Inspector Clouseau" Nunez keep putting together intentionally misleading documents to try to disrupt the investigation of potential crimes committed by the Trump transition team on which he himself served? Will the Republicans in Congress continue to act like Putin's lapdogs in following these red herrings that try to distract us all from the Trump-Kremlin connection via Russian "banks" and organized crime figures? When will Trump at long last finally look in the mirror and utter his two most favorite words-- "You're FIRED!".....GRUSTNYY!
2
Is it possible that Trey Gowdy, Devin Nunes and their ilk are being blackmailed by the Russians into doing their bidding? What a sorry state a once great country has reached. Sad.
2
Grand Old Phonies.
2
Its pretty clear... actually crystallinly clear... why he needed Sessions as fire wall. Sickening, what has happened to this nation .
1
The republicans are like the drug dealer who gets busted with 50lb of heroine in his trunk and then tries to get off by saying the police didn't have a proper search warrant.
2
Apparently treason does not stop with the President — it extends to the Republican Party as well.
Republicans, meet the Rubicon river. Cross at your own peril.
These Republicans are collaborating with a treasonous regime. No, no Russia.
The Trump administration!
So, will the Dems release their report before the president approves Nunez's nonsense? Or maybe the question is will the Post or Times get it first?
For democracy to break all the way, you need a compliant press that reports the propaganda with the same weight as it reports facts. For democracy to break, you need a lazy press that prefers to report innuendo fed to them instead of actually spending the effort to report a story and providing context.
For democracy to break, you can't have journalists like the Washington Post reporters who decided to investigate why there was a break in at the DNC offices in the Watergate Hotel.
Nope, if you are today's NY Times reporters, you simply say "The Republicans tell us that those burglars were actually HELPING the Democrats and who are we to judge?" If you are today's NY Times reporters, you simply say "in order to prove that we are not biased we need to report the Republican claims that the Watergate burglars were Democrats as being just as likely to be true as anything else."
For democracy to break, it needs the NYT reporting this story as if there isn't a single reporter or editor who could possibly judge whether or not the FBI is awash with pro-Hillary agents who broke the law to elect her.
It's as if the fact that the FBI did a sham investigation of the DNC hacking didn't happen. Or the FBI's direct link to Giuliani and the Trump campaign.
I hope Mueller saves democracy because it is clear that the NY Times can't be bothered. This newspaper's need to prove it is as fair and balanced as Fox News has undermined our country. Shameful reporting.
The daily antics of this administration are often compared to The Apprentice. Sadly, the Republicans have on their minds a different show about a different game: Game of Thrones. They are cautioned not to speak truth to power - like Ned Stark, whose head was displayed on a pike for trying to protect the legitimacy of the throne. Instead, they model themselves after the eunuch, Varys, who chooses survival through obsequiousness. Are we a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law or a medieval-like fantasy governed by sexual appetites and palace intrigue? It appears that true democratic governance is impossible because different players are living in wholly different realms.
I think I can confidently say that Putin is enjoying the on-going trainwreck. And just biding his time and that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
4
The FBI is biased towards criminals. Yes, thank you. Closing in soon to catch criminal(s).
3
About 12 months ago, Trump claimed his election campaign was wiretapped, NYT and CNN ridiculed him for falling for a conspiracy theory hoax. The reason why this was so unthinkable was that everyone believed in the checks and balances in the US system that would make the idea of a sitting administration would allow wiretapping their political opponent's election campaign is beyond comprehension.
Nixon's original problem was someone in his sphere using hired goons to discover democrat's political strategy. This idea that the powerful arms of US state could be deployed to listen in on the campaign members conversations was beyond comprehension to many.
Still, there was checks and balances, a judge had to sign off on the actual wiretap. If the speculations are true that a judge first refused the request - that speaks volumes about how that judge realized what the optics of this would look like. If the 2nd speculation is that in order to get the judge to agree to sign off on the wiretap, the Steele dossier was used, then think about it.
Unverified (largely agreed even by FBI as false) research funded largely by ruling-party friendly PAC and the state itself against a political opponent's campaign was used to obtain a FISA warrant to wiretap after the first request was denied. How does this compare against Watergate?
2
When there are overt outrageous acts committed by the administration or his supporters in Congress, look for the covert outrageous acts they're trying to divert attention from. In this case it's the rightwing taking steps to remove their "political enemies" from the Justice Department and the FBI with the flimsiest of reasons.
7
This is a sham designed to give Trump a "plausible" reason to remove or pressure Rosenstein. The Trump Admin is purging all the career officials who refused to let Flynn go and leave the Russia Thing alone.
Strange how the Trump Admin is also not pushing sanctions on Russia or the investigation into tampering, even though the Congress overwhelmingly passed a law for the sanctions last year. Where are McConnel and Ryan?
10
If Republicans are so eager for transparency, they should make their funding transparent and reveal the donors of Super Pacs and LLC real estate companies that realtors like Trump use to hide the names of those who buy their properties. They don't want Americans to know who funds them. The NRA takes Russian money, and you can bet your Rubles that Russian money is just as welcome in their Super Pacs. How about some transparency about who funds whom?
7
Like the way Clinton hid the names of donors to her 'foundation', and funneled the money through Canada to avoid disclosure? Yeah, I'd like to see those names released and all those financial records.
2
Why is anyone surprised that a police agency is overstepping its mandate. This happens to have been the case in the US and overseas for most of recorded history!. Why does anyone expect the FBI to be different than say the Maricopa County Police? Same people, different agenda.
The American people need to know what happened and the truth will make the FBI (and every other police department) a better agency
4
Agreed. If there were problems with how things were handled during the DOJ investigations, it should be investigated.
Although that is not what this is about. It is purely partisan and the way this is being done stinks. Written by the Republicans on the committee, disputed by the Democrats, the Justice Department not given a chance to review, the Democrats given no input, but sent to the White House (which would like to discredit the DOJ if there is a chance they will find dirt on him) for approval. This all done by Devin Nunez who supposedly recused himself from the Russian investigation after pushing the White Houses talking points on the White House lawn.
As the Mueller investigation gets closer to the president, the Republicans rush to push a narrative that tries to discredit everyone who might have a hand in building a case against him.
This is like so much of how the Republican Party operates these days. If they don’t like where something is headed, come up with an alternate narrative. Change the subject. Come up with alternative facts that they can get their base to believe. This is not about transparency. The Republican Party has lost all credibility on that front after working on health care and tax legislation in secret and then rushing them through and hopefully voting before anyone has a chance to evaluate them. No hearings. No outside input.
This has nothing to do with transparency.
Paul Ryan, as Speaker of the House, has the responsibility and authority to remove Devin Nunes from the intelligence committee and censure him and his partisan co-conspirators for this dangerous and unprecedented and behavior.
Ryan's lack of leadership in this attempt by Nunes and the Republicans on the Intelligence Committee to obstruct justice should be considered obstruction as well.
9
Both the Republican and the Democratic memo ( this alone shows how far we gone in that we do not have one unified memo from the House Unintelligence committee) are going to be partisan slants on based ona confidential FISA warrant request that we will not have access to. In other words we wont have the complete info or the context that statements are made in:
Example:
MEMO: I kill my wife
Context and complete info: My sense of humor kills my wife
Without complete info and context all the talking points are meaningless.
4
You are speculating that the texts about secret society and planning meetings or insurance polices are a big part of the memo. You could be right, but I suspect the real issue is that FISA warrant, and if the steele dossier was used to obtain the warrant after the judge first refused to sign in.
When you step back, the optics of a FBI and DoJ wiretapping the campaign of an political opponent is so mind-boggling impossible that the NYT first laughed at Trump's original statement last year as a sign of senility.
So now it turns out the impossible conspiracy theory appeared to be true. Until we see the memo, there is no use speculating.
I want to pay particular attention to the FISA warrant part --- that a judge has to sign off on the wiretap is our last check against unreasonable search capabilities by the government. If the warrant was obtained using documents that the signing officer knows is dubious, you can't submit a document to a judge when you know it is false (there is a legal term for that, and it's a felony). That really goes back to the original question : A sitting administration allowed the wiretapping of a political opponent's presidential campaign using (very likely) falsehoods.
1
Seems Fox so called news, conspiracy theory tactics have come to the very committee whose role it is to serve as oversight, to ensure the security of the United States. Nothing other than scary.
The "foxes" themselves have entered the very hen house itself!
9
It makes no sense to release a summary of classified information in the name of transparency. I don't want the Reader's Digest version of the information. Just give me the entire document and let me draw my own conclusions.
4
Especially a summary written by Devin Nunes, who has been shown to be a Trump lapdog.
“I have here in my hand a list a list of names..."
5
It has been reported that Nunes has not read the documents upon which the memo is based.
What?
No time?
Gotta get on TV and then dial for dollars?
Also reported is that the Senate committee investigating this issue have not been allowed to read the memo or the underlying documents.
What? Perhaps they might disagree with the conclusions?
Here we are: yet another partisan hack job aimed to undercut this investigation.
Oh, and faith in the government.
Remember trump's: "I am the only one who can fix it."
Looks like trump and his GOP enablers are well on their way to taking down our government.
The 2018 elections are our only hope of changing things before they become irreversible.
VOTE!
6
Uh, he helped write it
Duh, no doubt he did.
Too bad he forgot to review the basic documents.
Too busy writing.
Kinda like "Ready, Fire Aim."
It comes down to the people and a free press.
7
Keep draining! - swamp creatures are starting to panic as the true depth of their treachery becomes more and more exposed to the cleansing light of day!
4
Frightening and Machiavellian. Seems like the Republicans are going along with “the Don” to get at Mueller from another direction. They’ll use their phony despicable “trumped up” memo to get rid of Rosenstein, hire someone else in that post who will then fire Mueller. Also the DEMS are cowards. This move is unprecedented. They should release their own memo pronto without regards to official protocol which seems to already have been trampled on by the Republicans..
5
The wheels are coming off the bus of our country. We the people have become mere road kill. I hope the Republicans are enjoying their demolition derby. Sad.
10
They are and reaping what they bel8to be their just rewards, money and conttol over the people. Also all the power to do that.
2
Who is ready to march on Washington?
17
I love how everyone is questioning Nunes credibility. The same people that don't question the integrity of an investigation born from a fake Russian dossier.
Leave it to NYTimes comment section for me to get my laugh of the day! Tick tock tick tock, dems are about to be on the defensive for the next few months.
5
WRONG. And no matter how many times you repeat it, it's still F-A-L-S-E. Pay attention now: FACT: the investigation was initially based on much more than just the Steele dossier. If it's all so fake, then why are people like you, Trump, and the Republicans trying so hard to discredit and kill it? What do you have to worry about?
7
So you say I should trust the same Devin Nunes that -
- was part of the Trump transition team.
- a year ago, publically ran to the White House to notify them of "urgent" information and held a press conference after, but then we find out the White House had given him this info in the first place.
- a year ago, he recused himself from the House investigation into Russia, but didn't honor his recusal.
We should believe a "memo" he "wrote", based on classified information which he has not himself read? BUT the House will not permit any other information to come out which may contradict it based on the same confidential data?
Great info for Fox and Friends and Hannity, but get real.
8
More lies out of the cons. This investigation of The Donald was begun before the dossier. Ask Comey.
You will know that Trump has been a very bad boy, that there is a there there, when Mueller gives his ruling. In the meantime watch that ranting as it could lead to a coronary.
This is how democracies fail. Now perhaps we will have less bluster about 'exceptionalism' and less lecturing others about the US' example. Greed, venality, tribalism, treason, triviality, you name it......(what a fall and what a shame!)
9
From the USSR perspective, Ukraine is like Florida got split off from the US.
2
What job with the Trump organization will Devin Nunes get if and when he is ever defeated for office??????
9
... But... I was waiting for *you* to protest first!
2
obstruction of justice
9
This is not my GOP and they should all be remove and start anew.
8
At this point I don't care what Dems might have done wrong. They have so much catching up to do with this GOP that it hardly matters to me. So something might be unfair to Donald Trump? And? The "feed the rich" Republicans don't care what's fair anymore, so who are they to complain? Let them have a taste of their own medicine: I don't care even if the memo says Hillary had an affair with a porn star. Even if it says Rosenstein is a Confederate sympathizer. Even if it says the Dems denigrate other countries with profanity, or that everything they say is a lie. I don't care what it says. I don't care what Fox says, or what Republicans say. I don't think of them as part of my world anymore.
7
Just watched the Gary Oldman remake of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.”
Looks like Karla has a mole in Nunes, and he has Trump’s lighter...
8
Putin is so high-fiving everyone he walks by in the Kremlin right now. He placed an entire apparatus working on behalf of Russia in our government without firing a shot.
Throwing the noblest law enforcement branch in this country under the bus to save the hide of a man who lies to everyone with every breath he takes.
Proud day for Repubs.
7
Traitors just to keep power. 11/6/2018!
6
So let me understand here, we're all just supposed to take this Devin Nunes authored memo at face value without seeing the evidence that it's allegedly based on because it's classified? The same guy who's cloak and rubber dagger shenanigans are keystone cops worthy? Mm-hmm... yeah...ok... sure ;)
7
This is the equivalent of the Democrats saying that Ken Starr should never have gone to the judge to receive permission to expand his investigation into Bill Clinton because the source of his information was from right wing operatives and Starr did not inform the judge that the information he received came from right wing operatives.
For the NY Times to cover this story as if the Republicans were doing anything but lying is an abandonment of democratic norms by this once-great newspaper. Cowed into proving to Fox News watchers that their reporting is "fair and balanced", the NY Times has reported on the Republicans propaganda as if it was facts and not innuendo.
I'm shocked that the editors of the Times have forgotten what it means to be a reporter. It is distinguishing fact from propaganda, not treating propaganda as if it had the same weight as facts. Shameful.
3
Hoist on his own petard - one can only hope!
2
Meanwhile, Trump says sanctions are no longerneeded against Russia.
5
It is reported by Tucker Carlson on Fox that only 12 Democrats read the House Intelligence Memo though it is widely available.
It is reported by CNN that the Democratic memo will be made public following the same procedure as the one made by the Republicans in the House Committee after it is shared first with all the members of the House.
I am surprised that the Gray Lady neglected to mention these facts, seems more concerned with spinning this issue not reporting it.
Truth is good, so let us see the memo and decide for ourselves. The FBI is not the clean lily people on this forum and the NYT seem to believe. Like anywhere where there are people and power, there is some degree corruption. It is to everyone's interest to reveal it less we want Trump to spy on the Democratic contenders in 2020 using the same FISA warrant subterfuge.
4
In the same vote to release the GOP Memo (where Nunes didn't even look at the data "supporting" it), the GOP controlled House Intel Committee voted that the Democratic Memo could not be released.
Why would they block information that opposes them? Perhaps to conceal false information and fraud?
Does that change your view? "Truth is good", right?
1
After this unbelievable breach of security, I do not want to hear another word about Hillary Clinton's private email server. Not one word.
7
Sorry, she is still being investigated and it's not going away.
1
WE’RE NOT GETTING THE DOCUMENTATION, just a memorandum prepared to make the upper FBI lifers look like a buncha anti-Americans.
Check under Pumpkin Papers.
Also remember we only got the FULL Pentagon Papers (history of US-Indochina through the end of the Johnson Admin. because Sen. Gravel stood on the floor and read all four volumes into the record.
Post-Nixon reforms allowed Members of Congress to save time and vocal cords by simply attaching a document to a speech.
WE NEED THE WHOLE FILE RELEASED to know truth from Trumpola.
4
Agree, but the House GOP had blocked rebuttal from Dems who have seen all the data, which apparently Nunes has not. One has to wonder WHY?
1
Feels like the Republican version of the Dreyfus Affair — making Mr. Rosenstein the traitorous law breaker.
2
The Republicans’ best weapon is Nancy Pelosi’s chip shots. Shut her up, and the Democrats stand a chance.
3
Miller and Trump want Rosenstein's head to clear the deck of certain impeachable offenses, including this intentional effort.
2
I did not ever expect to believe that every Republican on a House of Representatives committee is a traitors Now, I do. Lock Nunes up first.
4
Well done Comrades! Well done...
3
For our next act, the FCC will shut down all reporting media except FOX news . . . .
3
How is it a secret if Nunes wrote it?
1
Nunes did. not WRITE this memo. His staff members did. He says he has not even seen the classified documents they allegedly used as its source.
1
So.
It looks like Vlad does have kompromat materials not just on Donald but the whole GOP as well.
My! My! My!
To be honest, this is grandmaster chess move worthy of Kasparov: Install Trump to the presidency and make sure he remains installed.
In the event that he gets impeached and Vlad loses his money launderer, well GOP, are you prepared on what version of the pee tape will surface in the aether?
Are you complicit money-grabbing cowards afraid yet?
3
Discrediting the entire FBI before being indicted. Clever. A child of five might do the same.
2
Republicans have been seditious for over ten years. What do you think they'll do when President T. calls on his now wholly owned FBI to come after them?
4
Watergate in slow motion
3
Isn't this about America's integrity?
Are you not facing a common enemy, regardless of political affiliation?
Your own president attacking the FBI and security services?
Don't you have a statue named Liberty?
Have you lost all decency, or maybe just direction?
I have nothing but questions: WHY? WHY? WHY?
3
Anyone else remember when you could count on Republicans to protect America from Russian attacks? Whatever happened to those guys? Today's GOP is a bunch of cowards, sellouts, traitors and collaborators who are too weak to protect America anymore. All they care about is protecting their own graft and their corrupt, illegitimate fraud of a "Presdient". Shame on all of them.
3
What the unspeakable Nunes is doing is trying to upend a tower by removing a pebble. As if an argument over a FISA warrant could cancels the cascade of suspicious events and monumental lies that have since occurred. In question of international relations, a slight rumor by some unreliable small player unleashes tremors among intelligence agencies. In the Carter case, intel agencies had not one suggestion but all sorts of indications that something odd was happening. To bring up the issue on whether or not there was enough basis or which document
provoked the investigation, is akin to a defense lawyer reaching into his bag of tricks to cast doubts on the guilt of his client. Nunes should be expelled from the House for trying to make the legislative branch of government into a subsidiary of the White House. If he wants to become part of that staff, he should resign and join Conway in the paid chorus of adulators.
9
Trump conducts his businesses on his golf courses where the microphones are his.
1
I find it very difficult to understand why the House Republicans don't know how bad for them it is to become known as the purveyors of fake news. They can't be that stupid. Can they?
10
Even the gospel they preach is fake news. Everybody makes it to Nirvana on their first try.
2
If the Second Coming actually happens this year, as some fundamentalists predict (as they have in other years), one can only hope that the appearance will be right in the chambers of Congress during the middle of a session. Can you imagine the sound of jaws hitting the floor? And the fear running so high that many a good suit will be darkened by warm release? So many charlatan liars posing as Congresspersons, so many false Christian capitalists who pay lip service to their faith, not to mention plain ol' atheist capitalists who truly have no conscience, rather than a corrupted one masked in false piety.
I would love to be a fly on the wall, watching that scene as the cockroaches scramble away from the light. It is utterly sickening to read daily about the abject, blatant immorality running amok in the halls of Congress. A foremost institution, a symbol of our democratic republic, that Americans should be able to reasonably trust and reasonably have faith in. Partisan disagreement is one thing. It's expected and it typically should lead to open discussion and wrangling and some sort of compromise. The partisan warfare we are now seeing amounts to an obscene winner-take-all, at any cost, no matter how dark and devious and duplicitous. And a helluva lot of Americans approve, which is even more sickening. The nation, as envisioned by our Founders, will not survive if this continues. The beacon of freedom is burning out.
5
The analogy to The Second Coming is spot on. The cynicism of the likes of Mitch McConnell and the spinelessness of the likes of Paul Ryan are truly stunning to behold. But I do take exception to the implication that atheist capitalists are more immoral than false Christian capitalists. They are actually less hypocritical. As an atheist and a pretty moral humanist, I protest the idea that one cannot be an atheist and a moral human being with a fully engaged conscience. KA
1
If the Dems were doing this, the Republicans would be calling for impeachment and resignation for the traitors. How do these Republicans look themselves in the face each morning? Maybe all they look at is their bank account.
9
It is quite a sight to see all these people living for nothing more than to put something over on others.
2
The reckless action of an out-of-control kleptocracy.
7
Oh my goodness! Such an uproar behind absolutely nothing we haven't heard in the past. The FISA warrant was legitimately procured and extended via a judge who based his decision on facts that were verifiable and constitutional! Arest these Republicans!
8
No Donald, the fact that the FBI's job is to investigate and expose criminal activity does not constitute bias against you.
8
This is theater for the believers. It won't matter what the memo says, no matter how inflated or wrong it is. What matters is that the hard-core conservatives get their world view affirmed once again.
"Russian interference" is viewed by the right as an advantage for the democrats--not first and foremost what it is, namely, a crack in the wall of how our democracy supports our constitution. And so, "Russian interference" will float away after Meuller gets fired, and republicans will congratulate themselves on undermining the democrats again.
At the same time, "Clinton" writ large is an endless winner for the hard-core right wingers, and so a memo like this could be in as obtuse language as a Gertrude Stein poem, but as long as the word "Clinton" appears somewhere, then 5 minutes of hard-core fulfillment is realized on the right, and they can be satisfied.
But from here on out any future memos will become immediately obscene because they will be equated with this schlock. Republicans will question the veracity of Meuller's work by citing "memos" like this one.
The right is involved in an auto-erotic frenzy (like this unzipping of the restraints on this memo), and it seems that it feels so good to them that even the idea of sharing their fantasies with the reality based world deflates their urges, and reduces their governance to a flaccid set of mean and angry slogans. There is no story but their own,no romance with America, just with the faces in their mirror.
7
The republican house committee on intelligence is an oxymoron!
No sane person would believe them over the FBI.
8
Oh No! As Aunt Pittypat said, "Where are my smelling salts!" Who, in this fine country, with its trustworthy, loyal, kind, thrifty and brave politicians, its selfless capitalists and its fearless journalists, would ever dream of trying “to politicize the intelligence process.” Why, all through 2016, it must have been that evil wolf Putin dressed as my kindly old grandmother, and his innumerable "bots", constantly whispering in my ear to vote for Donald Trump, that reincarnation of George Washington. Oh, how I was deceived! I'm so sorry now that I didn't vote for that paragon of virtue, Betsy Ross; you know, the nice lady who wiped her server (and a few other things) with the flag. What kind of people would tell lies for political advantage?
1
Good luck trying to get Americans to believe that the FBI is the culprit in the Russia affair and that Trump is the choir boy innocent victim of an FBI, Hillary Clinton conspiracy.
The Republicans are delusional.
We're not as dumb as Donald would like us to be. He doesn't fool the vast majority of us.
If we were dumb, about 60% of us would have a positive view of him instead of the actual negative view we all hold. He's the least popular president in history at this point in presidency.
Memo or not, we simply can't stand the jerk and that ain't gonna change.
7
How much more of a shitshow can this get?
Republicans have sold their souls in support of Trump and the end result will be a disaster. Either Trump gets ousted, destroying the Republican party along the way or Republicans push aside the investigations, destroying the reputation of the DoJ and intelligence community, thereby allowing Trump to take further steps toward an autocratic society.
History in the making. I just hope that history will eventually tell the tale of collusion...
5
Will someone please do a full-blown background investigation and story about Devin Nunes? There is some connection to Russia, whether it is through his winery investment, or his lack of financial resources as a former dairy farmer, that explains his laser-like focus on behalf of Trump against the Russian story.
5
Just yesterday Trump is refusing to enforce the harsher sanctions on Russia. That law was passed almost unanimously by the House. He lacks the power to refuse to comply with it using the State Department. Another purpose of the memo is to aid in covering up Trump’s stance of personally being above this law.
1
The world's only superpower is completely crazy and clutching his teeth into its own tail is worn in a circle, growling viciously.
Amusing spectacle.
2
The memo needed to be released for transparency in the judicial system. whereas Trump thinks system wise, and plans steps, amid chaotic seeming twits; democrats have no plan for anything; their only hope is to degrade Trump and possibly impeach him. Good luck with that. All signs point out that the Russian Collision and obstruction of justice investigation is quickly coming to end, one way or the other. 18 months, and nothing to show for it, not even a description of the investigated crime, good riddence.
3
Well, there are decades of Hillary investigations and nothing to show for but the show keeps going on. Bill Clinton was under the microscope for years, including an impeachment and ending with nothing to show for it.
Trump has a trainload of scandals, if there is nothing, what is he afraid of?
4
Point of reference; Investigations with integrity wait until all the facts are in hand before releasing their findings. And Mueller is a Republican. You'd do better to ask "What are Trump and all these people hiding ? Why do they act so guilty ? Is the Legislative branch now an adjunct of the presidential branch ? if Trump and minions are innocent, then they have nothing to fear from a thorough investigation - much as the innocent man charged with murder wants a fair trial, not a plea to manslaughter. Regardless of who gets fired or what you may think about the process, the Truth WILL come to light eventually. It always does. If it clears Trump, so be it. Everyone will move on.
2
Just like Trump you think that if you talk fast enough, lie enough that your words will be accepted as truth by the majority of voters. Alas, you are in the minority, so stop blowing smoke.
1
I think the only bigger Clown in this passion play than that weirdo Devin Nunes, is Paul Ryan who is showing himself to a weak, partisan and unfit to be in the Congress let alone Speaker of the House.
9
"Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin largely stayed out of the dispute, deferring to Mr. Nunes and the committee on how to proceed."
Of course Paul Ryan, the man who stands despite having absolutely no spine, would defer to the likes of Devin Nunes who has discredited himself mightily on the Intelligence committee in the recent past. Nunes was forced to recuse himself on April 6th, 2017 from the Committee while being investigated on ethics charges for leaking classified info which could compromise U.S intelligence agencies abilities to gather intelligence. Sound familiar ?
Nunes has consistently shown he is not the sharpest knife in the House, and now he is back at it, attempting to taint the intelligence agencies tasked with keeping us safe - all in the name of creating a large cloud of smoke to cover Trump's liabilities re; Russian interference, and to discredit Mueller et al. Shameless, and disgusting, and vastly unpatriotic. Bordering on treason.
Trump and his henchmen legislators definitely act as if they have something enormous and frightening (to them) to hide. We'll see eventually, no matter who is fired.
10
I hope re-runs of "Invasion of The Body Snatchers" appear on TV.
But expect republicans to protest loudly, perhaps even threaten to remove the broadcast license of those showing it.
After the Junta took over Thailand, folks were arrested for reading 1984
3
This is tantamount to the Democrats saying that everything Ken Starr learned in his investigation of Bill Clinton was a lie because he was a right wing Republican and he learned about Monica Lewinsky from Republican operatives -- the "elves" -- who told Linda Tripp to keep taping but instead of getting lurid details of Lewinsky's sexual activities with the President, Tripp should instead egg on Monica to ask Clinton to get her a better job. That way Starr could turn it into an "obstruction of justice" suit.
In that case, Starr was desperate to turn a sexual affair into a crime. But Mueller is doing no such thing. He is trying to PROTECT OUR COUNTRY and its democratic institutions from illegal foreign influence. And the Republicans will do anything to stop him. And Mueller is from the SAME PARTY as the President he is investigating, unlike Ken Starr. But that's still not enough for the Republicans -- they want a corrupt investigator who will cover up wrong doing even if it is harmful to our country. So even an independent one who is a Republican but can't be corrupted is no good for them.
Does that make the Republicans traitors or just plain crooks?
Shameful.
13
Releasing the memo, the background information, and identifying the names of those who sought to use the power/authority of a public office to investigate and harm private citizens (and Presidential candidates) needs to be revealed.
6
Problem is, you can't trust the Republicans, we need to see the Democrats memo too. Why does the majority party block the publication, because their own memo is not kosher?
2
There is supposedly classified info in this memo Nunes’ staff prepared. The problem with reading it will be that secret portions of it will need to be redacted by WH staff. Next Trump will eliminate any portions of it that he feels might not support his case... aka, fake news. Could be tough to decipher what it says if large portions are blacked out.
1
And you think you can trust the democrats? They are the ones blocking the release.
1
Congress is getting to the essence of this scandal, just as it did in Watergate. Only in Watergate it was a bipartisan effort. Here, the Democrats are determined to stand united to oppose. impede, and obstruct the truth.
5
Profiles in cowardice: "Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin largely stayed out of the dispute, deferring to Mr. Nunes and the committee on how to proceed."
4
The House Intelligence Committee has now involved itself in obstruction and abuse of power. While the Committee has the duty of oversight of intelligence and federal law enforcement agencies, the release of what has been described as a three page summary memo cannot contain enough detail or explanation to convince rational, reasonable people but can suggest, infer, and accuse without providing necessary context and background. As one who obtains at least three data points before concluding anything, silencing dissenting views on the committee denies the public of the ability to make informed decisions. This memo is one narrative that is speciously biased, much like political kabuki theater but with more dire consequences - distracting, obstructing, or destroying a legitimate federal investigation.
3
The release of this staff-written document with no footnotes was done by only the Republican members of the Intelligence Committee in Congress. These same House Republicans voted no against allowing the Dems on the committee to release their memo explanation. Clearly this committee operates without bipartisanship and is useless as it fails to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, their mandate.
1
Trump is like a rat caught in a rain barrel. He will undertake any means necessary to save himself, and the GOP will assist.
Further, the Republican donor class wants to keep Trump and the GOP in power because together they are the golden goose they have sought for years. They are not going to let some mere violations of election laws by a moronic campaign interfere.
Their hired Republican Congressmen have received their marching orders. Protect Trump, dump Mueller, and keep control of both Houses in 2018.
If Mueller is permitted to finish his work, he no doubt will produce a report utterly condemning of Trump and the people in his orbit. Obstruction of justice is pretty obvious at this time. Conspiracy to violate campaign election laws is less clear so far, but we do not know what Mueller knows. That report could persuade even many of Trump's die-hard supporters that he should be impeached.
The GOP does not want that information to get out. It does not want to be in a position not to vote for impeachment when perhaps 3/4 of the country wants it. Therefore, its best solution is to end the Special Counsel investigation entirely and soon.
The GOP is signaling to Trump that he can survive firing Mueller. He could risk a "Saturday Night Massacre" or he could just fire Sessions and appoint a new AG who can terminate the Special Counsel investigation.
For Trump, these are desperate times. It may be just a matter of days.
4
Perhaps the DOJ or FBI shiould petition the FISA Court for a temporary restraining Order prohibiting publication of the ‘Nunes memo’ — to be made permanent should review confirm that release would, in fact be reckless and endanger FBI and DOJ sources and methods, and the ability of the FISA Court to function effectively.
2
Accusation is not fact....Trump's smear campaign against the intelligence agencies of this country to undermine their credibility leads the American public to question "Why and what path" is he creating to further his own interests as the King of emoluments.
3
Maybe we have been focusing on the wrong target all along and it was not Trump or his campaign the ones with whom Russia colluded but with David Nunes. His behavior had been suspect all along but this memorandum is the final nail on his coffin. While Congress will not investigate his actions or do anything about it, I hope the voters in his district kick him out of office.
2
Remember too the other Republican congressmen besides Nunes on the Intelligence Committee. They not only voted to release a suspect document without footnotes, they also voted to gag their fellow committee members, the Democrats. These Republican members should be identified if they are running for office in the midterms. Call them “out.”
1
Victor Davis Hanson's just released essay in the National Review "Hillary's 'Sure'Victory' Explains Everything" exposes the twisted machinations and lies of the Democratic Party establishment including Barack Obama and sets the stage for their ignominious fall and likely criminal prosecution. As Hanson points out, Hillary's expected victory caused the various actors aligned with her to become ethically sloppy and careless because in the Clinton universe personal loyalty and the hope for reward always beat moral judgment and the standards of ethical conduct. The timing couldn't be better because it occurs on the eve of the release of the Republican memo. Sensing the gathering storm, Schiff is desperatelying trying to save the ship, but too little and too late. The most disturbing corollary, however, is the lapdog role played by the liberal press in continuing the cover-up and perpetuating the phoney charges of a Russian collusion. It turns out we didn't need Russia to destroy our nation. We had it in us all this time and it festered like a growing cancer in our souls. In some cases the motives might even have been good, but the end never justifies the means. It is the great tragedy of liberal progressivism which has now brought ruin on itself.
4
Another feeble attempt by a con to deflect. But, but Hillary. But, but Obama. These two do not have Trump’s recent track record of cheating students at Trump University (fine of $25 million paid just over a year ago) or embezzling donor funds from the Trump Foundation. Appears that significant fines due the IRS and the State of New York on the latter have been thwarted by your president, hidden in the heat of destroying the country while playing golf.
1
This party-line vote by Republicans is absolutely outrageous. At the very least the release of the partisan-biased document should not be used as a surprise attack on the FBI, the Special Council, and the DOJ- with the prospect that its contents could be disseminated with disgracefully cynical and self-serving intent in the President's State of the Union tomorrow.
If the memo is as damning as the Republicans claim, why the rush? Is the description of events that took place over many past months some sort of perishable good? Will it be understood less thouroughly or fairly by waiting a week or two and briefing the entire House?
If Trump's own Assistant AG is to be believed in his warning that the release of the would be "extraordinarily reckless," the damage to intelligence sources and methods could be much worse than Trump's inexcusably casual exposure of his national security briefing on North Korea to party-goers and staff at Mar-a-Lago. Remember that outrageous dereliction of duty? There have been so many since then that it seems run-of-the-mill in comparison to all the other blatant falsehoods and deceptions Trump has perpetrated on the American public.
Sadly, now that Devin Nunes has handed Trump authority over whether and how to exploit the contents of the "cherry-pick memo," Trump will surely act according to habit, being constitutionally unable to delay gratification of his delusional, narcissistic victim-fetish when it comes to the Russia inquiry.
2
Release the Kraken!
Release the Steele Dossier unredacted. There are hundreds of copies floating around. Release it anonymously. Republicans proudly announced with their “Memo” a plan to disregard all rules, constraints, and regard for truth. When will Democrats stop dreaming about ideals and recognize reality. Their “friends” in the Republican Party are all scoundrels.
2
Rep Devin Nunes, the author of this creative writing sample, has NOT READ the underlying CLASSIFIED INFORMATION that is the factual basis for his fiction. And, I believe, his security clearance was revoked or changed in May, 2017. So, not only is this memo NOT derived from the classified source material, it would also disseminate a fiction that would muddy the actual classified facts were they to be released, and it would limit intelligence gathering sources and methods into...Russia.
So, it destroys the credibility of the American system of Justice. It could endanger sources of intel on the country that has penetrated our electoral system-Russia, people could die, but also their methods. It is untrue. Scrutiny and counter arguments are not being allowed. Neat, if you are one scarred Representative or the fraud in the WH who're about to be caught red handed.
2
This is the same memo that Nunes played his game (and got caught) of supposedly rushing to the White House to reveal the information when in fact he received it from the White House. What the press and the Dems must learn to do is what the Repubs have mastered. When it comes out, dismiss it, yawn, and start a new conversation. By ranting and screaming about it they inadvertently increase its importance in peoples minds. Fake news folks, nothing to see here, just keep moving. In time, it will disappear from the ADD minds of the voters anyway as new issues take the front page. However, if this is used to stop/fire Mueller then they should boycott all gov't activities including establishing a federal budget until Mueller is re-instated. Schiffer should also demand action on the lack of notification that an inquiry was started on the DOJ and the FBI without due notification and without any input from the minority party
3
Anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to distract from the Failing Trump Presidency.
It's rather offensive that Republicans think we're stupid enough to believe them but, then again, they DID get is to vote them into office in the first place.
2
The GOP has built up this "nothing burger" secret memo by going on Fox Entertainment (they're not News) shows for days now.
The propaganda behind teasing American with a "secret" memo is ludicrous. Deep state nonsense.
How about talking about 100+ folks on Trump's campaign staff and West Wing who have ties to Russia. That's not even secret and it's way more important.
2
The Russian link began when Carter Page was suspected of being recruited as a Russian agent by a trio of Russian agents over the past few years (since 2013?). Page became a key member of the Trump campaign and the CIA warned the FBI that it had learned about a Russian operative or link with the Trump campaign. It was not something which was concocted by Clinton or Obama. In fact, two of the Russian agents escaped back to Russia before being apprehended, while the third agent was arrested at his bank job as an executive. He was convicted and sentenced to jail and was recently released back to Russia. Page had numerous meetings with these spies and was mentioned by the Russian spies as being a key recruit. That is what Trump, and Nunes as his lackey, wish to cover up by firing Rosenstein. Can you say "Obstruction of Justice" or "Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice"?
2
Turns out the facts of the Russia collusion allegations do matter. Obama was likely protected while in office. It is possible Hillary was exonerated because his emails were in the mix.
Well, there is no one left to protect Obama or Hillary, except the FBI, which has to protect itself now.
4
Yes, the FBI must defend itself from both Trump and House Republicans who want to protect their power and money from scrutiny by Robert Mueller, a fellow Republican.
1
What has happened to our Republic?
14
Just when you think you've seen it all then the Republicans throw out another curve ball and set a new standard for low-down, dastardly, cowardly, deceitful, and rotten to the core gamesmanship. We can hold some these House scoundrels accountable for their betrayal of American values next fall though and two years later again. This day will be a rallying cry.
Where there is hope, there is a tomorrow.
12
November 6th couldn't come fast enough. Please Vote these clowns out. Ryan agreed with Trump's toady Nunes in releasing the memo.
13
The Democrats should also release their memo. They do not have to abide by the threats of the GOP...or of ANYTHING by the GOP. Nunes wants to release his garbage, so the Dems should release the rebuttal to the Nunes garbage. Nunes has something drastically wrong with him, and I think that something wrong is appalling corruption that he is trying to hide under layers and layers of even more corruption, obfuscation, and mendacity. These republicans are going to end up in a bloodbath/abattoir of their own perfidious making. I cannot think of people who deserve it more than they do.
9
I don't understand why there isn't a simultaneous publishing of the Democratic written document, minus classified information, when trump's administration and congress publish nunes's dossier.
The Times should have it on the front page!
4
The CNN explained this. The Dems memo will be published after it is shared with the entire House, following the same procedure, so there will be a small gap between the two.
Remember the slogan “Don’t get mad, Vote”? That’s the only way to take the head off of the snake. The mid-terms are just around the corner. Do you really want change? Then not only vote, put promote this urgency to every person you know, regardless of their political affiliations. The future of our country depends on YOU!.
5
Thank god for Nunes. If it wasn't for him we probably wouldn't have had Mueller.
1
The Democratic memo may leak. Perhaps then the truth will come out.
1
The problem seems to be that the Democratic memo with context includes classified information that, if released, could jeopardize methods of collecting information and presumably people as well. If that is the case, how can Democrats release (or leak) it? It's the old problem of how people who want to be conscientious fight slime.
The republicans has turned into fruitless wonders...Supporting this corruption administration will be to their peril..How dare they join in the pathological lies of trump. Fake news, fake president.
2
If the fraudulent house speaker and Trump toady Ryan was doing his job, he would have long ago removed the loathsome, unfit Nunes as chairman.
3
Don’t get mad, get even America!
In November 2018, go to the polls in droves and show Trump and his stooges that we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Show them what it means to have REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT in both branches of Congress.
Then in 2020, get rid of Trump and as many of his stooges as possible — ENOUGH!
6
Happy, happy, happy to expose the FBI. They think they rule the country. I believe they killed JFK and MLK and many others.
1
Devin Nunes, Donald J. Trump, and the GOP would be committing treason against the United States of America by releasing their memo about FISA to the public and enemies of the state (USA). They should all be imprisoned, after they are removed from their official offices.
2
This goes so far beyond Watergate. This is a republican conspiracy against our constitution.
5
Perhaps it is time to recognize that Trump, WH staff and Republicans in both houses of our government are deliberately selling out to the Russians. Rather than doing everything they can to stop Russia's current and future meddling into our country's affairs, they appear to be soliciting and/or encouraging such activities. At least one of the reasons for such disgraceful behavior is the 2018 election. Perhaps they want Russia to do as they did in 2016, but this time do it even better and at the local level. What we are seeing now is certainly not the behavior of people who care about the well being of our country.
4
When are the real Republicans going to stand up and be counted...
Why are all Republicans so silent....even the entire Fourth Estate should
claim that those in Congress who fail to act against such traitors as Nunes who has obviously sold out to Trump should be denounced and discredited as
honorable representatives and true to their oath of the office they pledged
to uphold....
When are these GOP representatives going to make a stand against the
tyranny of their campaign financiers who control their votes....when ....and who will care about their own legacy....or maybe if they are cowards...they
will be tarred by the damage that is sure to become their fate.
2
I think the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee should all go rogue and tell us what they know so far. And that during the State of the Union (which is pretty awful), they should not show up (sick day - because we're ALL sick of this president) or they should show up and then turn their backs on the commander-in-creep.
3
Why is the whole tone of this article largely devoted to softening the potential revelations in the memo? I remember well the Watergate investigation and, of course, the more recent swarm of articles and essays from this paper on the President's fitness to serve as our country. The aggressiveness of those scores of articles always but always aimed clearly at conveying mistrust regarding both President Nixon and now President Trump. Thinking back to the last presidential election, it's obvious that nothing has changed here. This paper is as disreputable and dishonest as ever. The writers here, I suspect, are simply incapable of reporting the news.
5
If one has nothing to hide, than one has nothing to fear. Let all the truth come out and let the public see it all. Stop hiding. Stop obfuscating. There are three sides to every story.
5
Sunshine is the best disinfectant? Right?
Isn't that what a real journalist would say?
2
Selective, slanted memos do not equal sunshine, buddy.
Donald claims the FBI is biased against him. Yet he tried to create bias when he asked Comey for loyalty, and he expected bias in his favor when he wanted to get Michael Flynn off the hook. He doen't mind biases when they benefit him.
3
Devin Nunes has signed off on a memo without having read the underlying source material. Trump probably won’t be able to comprehend the. 3.5 page summary, but will sign off on it because it will give him a week to spin the news cycle. Fox News will broadcast whatever spin the President deems necessary to stay in power.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
2
i'm glad the memo is coming out. i certainly hope the msm is glad. i hope the public is glad. i feel at this point, hannity and his team have been covering this stuff for over a year, and we are not finding out what is really going on.
i believe we are going to see trouble for the fbi, hrc campaign, obama admin, and dnc. hang on tight.
4
Let’s see where we are. Carter Page is a Russian operative who was being spied on by the FBI. Republicans write up a false narrative to aid and abet this same Russian operative. The Russian government infiltrates our election process and influences the outcome with the eager help of the Trump team. The Republican Party refuses to do anything to stop this from happening again and instead tries to destroy the credibility of the FBI and Justice Department to save their jobs and that of the President. Anyone see something bad about to happen here or is all we care about is how well our 401ks are doing?
5
The discredited Devin Nunes once again strikes his partisan, cherry picking, out of context narrative and the Republican party; the majority party in control, gladly concedes it's role of being a check on the balance of power.
The Democrats and Americans in general, need to start focusing on the devastation that this and the pressure to remove employees poses to our democracy. There is no point in fighting for DACA when the American dream is dying for 99% of us.
1
This obvious ploy to discredit Rosenstein, along with everything else that Trump and Nunes have done to thwart this investigation is no different than the Saturday Night Massacre, just done at a slower pace designed to make it seem legitimate. And yesterday the president decided to not enforce the sanctions against Russia that were enacted on an almost unilateral basis by Congress. And that has hardly made the news today! The very worst that I feared when Trump was elected is coming true. And I am frightened, because the checks and balances are not happening. The 2018 mid terms are more important than ever, if we make it that long.
4
What happens when you subvert due process, preemptively purge opponents, undermine the rule of law and systematically manipulate press coverage? You stop being America and start being Russia.
5
If our republic survives long enough to have elections in 2018 and 2020, I hope the Republican party, as presently constituted, is crushed so badly that it goes into extinction like the Whigs before the Civil War. And I say this as a one-time Republican. It is so embarrassing, so depressing, and so distressing to watch our country turning into a banana republic.
It is bad enough having a narcissistic, megalomaniacal, misogynistic, sadistic, criminal, compulsive liar sitting in the White House. But to see how many of the Congressional Republicans I once thought would at least stand up to blatant obstruction of justice, or not obstruct it themselves, is what is truly heartbreaking. When it comes to Emperor Trump, there is no rule of law in this country anymore I guess. Open R tribalism "trumps" all else in our era now.
I just don't get it. Do these Congressmen have mafia hit men trailing them, threatening theirs or their family's lives unless they roll over to whatever the Trumpsky demands? Are they being paid fortunes under the table in exchange for betraying their country? Do they have donors ready to 'primary them out' in the next election unless they submit? Do Trumpsky's henchmen have enough 'compromot' to blackmail them?
It feels like we are nearly in, or already in, a constitutional crisis. Or has it already come and gone, with Trumpsky winning? If not, may Nunes and his enablers stare down the barrels of their own indictments one day soon.
1
Stay tuned. There will be indictments. Democrats will go to jail.
5
Nunes is a joke. He and his Republican counterparts are colluding with Trump in his obstruction of justice. Have they not noticed that Trump turns on everyone the minute they dare criticize anything he does?
1
Like in the old movie "Z", based on actual events in Thessaloniki in Greece, will this big bunch of crooked people ever be brought to justice and required to spend time in jail ? Just asking.
1
I still cannot figure out who wrote this memo. Was it Devin Nunez, who is supposed to be recused?
2
Rule of law means nothing to these people.
1
Well, that's the last, last straw.
2
November 2018, and then November 2020.
3
Maybe the 22nd district of California will vote Nunes out of office. Maybe. But the coffers of the tool, Nunes, are 10 times that of his closest opponent, Janz (an attorney). And over in Cruz land, O'Rourke (currently a Representative in the House for his district) is struggling with name recognition. So, time to start chatting up the names and qualifications of the challengers, wherever they are, and whoever they are. Time to take kick the gop trash in Congress to the curb. It's a start.
1
What are the Democrats so afraid of?
I can't wait to read the memo.
5
Release the memo. This is bigger then Watergate. It reveals the underbelly of corruption at FBI and DOJ at the highest levels, the falsifying of affidavits to obtain FISA warrants as a pretext for spying on political opponents, and a vast cover-up and obstruction of justice in deciding not to indict Mrs. Clinton for her vast array of crimes. Yes. America needs to know. Release the memo.
12
The memo and Congress are so politicized - and Nunes so tainted by his last antics - that it is hard to see this as anything but a political move If they wanted only transparency - might they have done this differently. Might they have taken Nunes out of the picture? Might they have allowed the Dems to release their own counter version of the GOP-written memo? Might they have allowed the FBI, as they requested, to explain the dangers to national security in releasing the memo? Might they have allowed anything that resembled a democracy? If Trump thinks that anyone beyond his 37% core will think that his message of unity tonight at the SOTU address is anything but mockery, he and the GOP are sorely misguided.
Abuse of power should come as no surprise. No, I am not talking about DOJ or the FBI but instead the GOP.
I find it disturbing how quickly the GOP has turned on these two institutions to provide cover for DJT.
Patriots? I think not.
So in that case why not release both memos? Why deny releasing the democrat one that fills in all the holes that the cherry picked memo left out. If you want transparency then they would do that, or what they are really doing is manipulating public opinion, are you seriously ok with that?
Draining the swamp.
Democrats against releasing important information? Who woulda thunk? How they celebrated all kinds of past document leaks.
12
Democrats politicizing the release of important information so that their supporters dismiss the contents. Media ever their enablers.
3
It's important to note that despite the obvious problems surrounding this information, the GOP fully expect to get away with all this.
The Right slide through the politics of this country with wholly invented and self-granted status as the 'traditional' party.
What we will see here is proof to the lie 'mainstream media'. This obvious smear has a fascist media waiting to air it.
4
Left does the same.
1
The last time I had such a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach was the night that Trump won the Electoral College, but in a way this news is even worse. There is a steady process going on in the Republican-controlled Congress (augmented by the right wing echo chamber) to systematically undercut and destroy the rule of law that has until now, fairly well but never perfectly, protected us from becoming governed by a despot. It feels like one by one the Republican House members are becoming a Star Chamber developing a black list to destroy every person of integrity who may still be trying to uphold the constitution of our country, rather than (as they are) swearing their liege loyalty to the Great Leader Trump. Tonight I really fear for the future of our democracy. The poison is setting in deeply and could be fatal. Not even one Republican "profile in courage" in that committee. Some dark presence has taken over their consciences.
43
The timing here is delicious. Clearly, the endgame is to get Rosenstein fired and a stooge put in before Mueller interviews Trump.
13
Exactly. That's why they made sure to include the part about Rosenstein. They want him out.
3
Yup while the 30% deluded base cheers on.
It looks like Republicans have made a calculation that to preserve their majorities in Congress they need to kill the Mueller investigation and solicit a new round of Russian interference on their behalf heading into November. They are desperate to maintain their grip on power at all costs including treason. To call this an impending constitutional crisis would be a gross understatement. Release of this memo despite the urgent warning from Justice erases any scintilla of doubt as to their corrupt motive.
24
But can they be stopped?
One sided point of view.
1
The public should know the origin of the whole Russia issue. The fact that it arose from the Clinton campaign is something that none of the major media seems to care about in their lust to stop Trump.
10
The fact is that the Steele dossier originated with a conservative group.The fact is that the FBI was aware of Russian interference before getting the dossier. The fact is that the dossier’s origin is far less important than it’s veracity.
1
The steele dossier did not originate with Clinton, it was all started with by republican opposition to Trumps candidacy, and picked up by Clinton late in her run at office, and picked up by the FBI before that.
Her campaign apparently promoted it and hrs was the first to go public with the allegations
1
The Republican Party has simply lost any moral standing, with Devin Nunes and Donald Trump leading the way. Their consistent flouting of House rules and intelligence regulations smacks of Joe McCarthy, as does the "we have secret information of wrong-doing" by members of the Clinton campaign.
You guys won, remember?
13
So Obama and Democratic partisans in the FBI, in collusion with the Clinton campaign and GPS Fusion, used illegally obtained surveillance to collect and funnel intelligence for the sake of helping to defeat a political opponent?
How is this not another Watergate? Because Clinton was a woman, and because Obama was black, and because the arc of history was supposed to bend towards a coronation of Clinton?
Sorry, that dog isn’t going to hunt. And oh, the irony of all of this coming back to bite the party that tried to abuse their positions in the first place is just too good!
Season 1 of the Trump Show was good, but I’m liking the drama in Season 2 much more!
12
What was illegal about the surveillance and how do you know that? How much of the Steele dossier was corroborated by other sources? If Comey and the FBI were biased, then his actions shortly before the election show it sure wasn't in favor of Clinton.
You do know that the dossier was originally funded by a republican primary opponent if trump, don’t you?
The Republican Party is basically becoming an enemy of the United States.
21
Not everyone if you bother to read the posts.
It wasn't that long ago Republicans were fuming that Susan Rice had some names "unmasked" from a document, which incidently turns out to be not the same as exposing them to the public, but rather for internal review. They wanted her drawn and quartered and locked up, etc.
Now they have no problem with revealing intelligence sources to the public, compromising our allies, all in service of the most massive, narcissistic bloviating ego ever to hold the highest office in our country.
It even outdoes the similar treasonous compromise of Valerie Plame's identity, all in the service of "proving" the bogus yellow-cake uranium scam that Cheney and allies used to dupe Dubya into starting a war.
And all it's going to show is that Carter Page, who had known ties to Russia, was a person of interest that the FBI wanted to watch, well within the scope of their public trust as our top law enforcement agency. But Trump's ego will be stroked, which I guess is most important, so important that they also have to prohibit a Democratic response. In the interests of "transparency." Right, and up is down, and white is black, and night is day.
10
Clearly the memo is a major embarrassment to Democrats or it would have already been leaked. Progressive rage towards our duly elected President Trump has done more to bring down our democracy than any actions the Russians may have taken. The liberal elitists in Washington have surely all visited the International Spy Museum and know nothing new took place in the past election except their own willingness to subvert our system in service to their cooked up accusations of “collusion.” Release the memo and let the chips fall where they may.
11
No they are not trying to hold it because they are embarrassed it's full of information that has been up till now kept secret, as in classified. Everyone was all freaked out about Clinton using her own server because classified info could possibly but didn't, get out there. Now we have a party just releasing it. And if they really wanted truth to get out then why won't they release the democrats rebuttal memo that fills in all the holes they left with their cherry picking. The republicans literally wrote this memo just for the sake of manipulating public opinion. They wrote it and now are releasing it.
Wow - this escapade stinks to high heaven. First, Nunes has behaved like a member of the Trump conspiracy to obstruct justice. Perhaps Trump or others have advised on what to include or exclude from this memo. Second, the Steele information was developed with sources inside Russia. Of course, Russia wants to burn these sources. Trump / Nunes look like they want to help out with that. Nothing says actively conspiring with Russia than this.
13
When Trump is ultimately charged with treason, every sitting GOP member of Congress should be charged as well.
17
Devin Nunes seems a bit too enthusiastic about discrediting the FBI. What do the Russians have on him? Did they give him campaign money? Do they have evidence of some crime that he's committed? I can't believe he loves Donald Trump so much that he would attack the reputation of an agency that can hardly be described as a bastion of left-wing ideology. Something else is going on here. Please NYT, find out what it is.
14
After his “midnight run” to the Whitehouse, he is as deeply imbedded in obstruction of justice as the rest of the gang. It’s called self preservation.
Or maybe he's just a sychophant?
How dare the Republicans "politicize" the already politicized "intelligence" investigation? Only Democrats can do that!
5
Lori: “Devin Nunes is an embarrassment and disgrace to California . . . I sincerely hope his constituents . . . Vote him out.” So do I Lori. But the reality is that Devin Nunes’ district is in red hot Trump country where conspiracy theories abound. Nunes’ voters are Trump voters, so his seat is safe and that’s all that matters to him. He’s just playing to the base. If anything, Nunes’ actions will make him the hero of the far right and strengthen his position within the Greedy Old (mostly white male) Party. But we have to stay strong and continue to resist this attempted coup. There are more who oppose Trump than support him. Never forget - Hillary won the popular vote!
5
Why couldn't they do this 16 months ago?
3
Every Intelligence organ of the United States found Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election. The republican party and trump not only don't care about this, they actively attempt to thwart the investigation at every turn. Investigations that could prove trump, et.al., had nothing to do with the Russian interference.
Why?
No one on the republican side has been able to offer up a compelling argument as to why the evasion. When pressed, they get angry and defensive.
7
The Russian involvement happened under the watch of Obama. It feels entirely too convenient to turn it around and blame Trump. Extremely clever politically, however.
2
When these intelligence organs found these findings they were all run by Obama appointees who framed the entire issue...
The Russian interference affair in the 2016 United States elections became a political game between Democrats versus Republicans.
No danger, whatsoever, of an imaginary impeachment of President Donald Trump. Is up to American voters whether to reelect or not Trump in 2019.
3
One need only look at the McCarthy era to see glaring examples of the FBI acting in a politicized way. No organization is completely above reproach and Adam Schiff's crying about Republican's politicizing the intelligence process and the President placing personal interest over national interest, on this matter, couldn't be more partisan nor laughable. The harder house Democrats fight to keep this document under wraps the more it smells. Let Mueller's work proceed but let's see if there is evidence the Justice Department behaved inappropriately.
6
And the harder Trump and the Republicans try to block and discredit an independent investigation into the election...the more it smells. They clearly do not want Mueller to proceed and why is that?
What secret memo? Everyone has known that the memo existed; we just do not know precisely what it says. They have been going through the process to get authorization to publicly issue it. That seems to upset the NYT because it lives on illegal leaks.
I do agree that it will most likely give a partisan view of the FBI’s activities. So will the Democratic response, which I hope will also be released. Given the strange activities that have occurred around Clinton’s server and Russian meddling, and the stonewalling of Congress by the FBI, the most reasonable course of action is to release everything, including the emails the FBI has refused to provide the House. Corruption in DC seems to be bipartisan, and I do not think I can trust any party to give an objective rendering of the facts, and that definitely includes the media.
2
This is the same Devin Nunes who recused himself just months ago from leading the House Intelligence Committee investigation into Russia and the election. All members, including Republicans, seemed to acknowledge that he was double dealing in order to protect Trump and misdirect the committee's probe. Suddenly now, he's back! and bigger than ever. GOP ethics in Congress have grown so slippery that the members are willing to forsake Trump's justice department, the FBI and national security, all in the name of saving Trump. They whole cabal doesn't have much further down to go before overturning the national Law And Order they always professed to cherish. Hypocrites all.
9
I have been a political junkie for well over 50 years. I have often thought my government made mistakes,that politicians too often did not serve the people or the country well, that the military-industrial complex had too much sway, that money was corrupting the entire system. But until yesterday evening I never felt afraid. I am now. The center is not holding, "the best lack all conviction, while the worse are full of passionate intensity." Nunes is a Kremlin operative and the President of the United States of America is a screaming toddler eating cheeseburgers while Rome burns. KA
6
Follow the money, Mr. Mueller. Follow the money.
4
Or, in the case of the alleged democratic cover-up, follow the dossier.
1
The republicans just cannot get over this.
Had Clinton become president there would have been a full investigation of Russian meddling or attempted meddling. And it would have been bipartisan. The gop have always been super anti Russia hawks why the change now? I smell a dead rat and see a red herring. The antics of the goo are not to be trusted.
3
Lincoln famously said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
The potential release of this memo has Trump's house divided against itself, with GOP members of the Intelligence Committee pitted against Jeff Sessions' Department of Justice. It may be unlikely, but I hope Lincoln's words prove correct and the Trumpian house collapses (and not just for the delicious irony that Trump used to build real estate).
Also, I'm not versed in California's congressional districts, but is there a chance that Devon Nunes (whose official title should be Trump's Toady) could be sent the way of New Jersey's Rodney Frelinghuysen? In the category of just desserts, that, too, would be delicious.
3
This is treasonous behavior in my opinion. Reckless, immature, unthinking, unintelligent, reprehensible incompetent behavior unsupported by direct evidence. Our enemies must love this dissent which weakens our confidence in our own institutions and puts us at risk when we rely on unsubstantiated,,in corroborated material compiled by people who have not done due diligence. More reckless behavior by our current GOP leaders. I cannot believe they are using "The Best and the Brightest". Their reputations are in tatters. I see no way for the Republican Party to ever gain back any respect among the people. They must assume their constituents are unintelligent forgetful, ignorant and don't care about moral, ethical, compassionate issues. What a sad view of their own base. I have never seen such anti American values displayed so frequently and so woefully encouraging behavior that is dishonest, selfish, and dispassionate. I will not forget this "family values" inhumane political party who have created hate, bigotry, division pitting Americans against each other. This is not the America I was so proud of after 9/11.
Sadly, Laura Mellick MD
1
The top story, today, should be that on the day the release of this memo was announced, and on the day McCabe was forced out, the White House very quietly stated that it would decline to enforce sanctions on Russia that had passed both the House and the Senate almost unanimously. Where is that headline? This is sensational distraction, intended to draw attention away from the real news: the president is subverting democracy to curry favor with a foreign autocracy.
4
By approving the release of the "extraordinarily reckless" GOP document while denying the release of the Democratic one, the hypocrisy of the Congressional majority's control of the Committee becomes clear for all to see.
One can only hope that the suppressed Democratic document can see the light of day through a leak to either the NYT or WaPo. The Simon transcript released by Sen. Feinstein earlier this month demonstrated her integrity and bravery in deciding to let the public become aware of and make their own decisions about this critically important investigation.
Recently, the GOP has regularly been screaming for "transparency" about their deliberations. What a farce!
Insofar as "transparency" is concerned, only the release of BOTH documents simultaneously would suffice. To do otherwise would surely prove that this "report" is nothing less than authoritarian (i.e., Trump-defending) propaganda designed to hoodwink the public once again. Heaven help us!
1
It is certainly past the time when Democrats should no longer feel compelled to adhere to precedent in dealing with the trumpists in the House. We are in the beginnings of a coup against democracy by the GOP.
If Trump approves this document's release it will be a further indication of intent to obstruct justice. All indications are the document is a one-sided, manufactured story designed to mislead or misinform the public about an ongoing investigation. Trump's stamp of approval seems like it would be a stamp of approval of and collusion in a cover up against the interests of the United States.
Maurice F. Baggiano, Member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court
1
Not unlike the dossier, which was used to initiate a campaign against Trump. The origins of that investigation you are so invested in protecting smell to high heavens.
1
Release the memo!! Let the American people see it and decide.
4
This is exactly what is spelled out in How Democracies Die, book by Levitsky and Ziblatt (and their NYT editorial 1/28/17). It is beyond scary. Our democracy is broken, and its remaining fragments are being irreparably obliterated day by day. Forbearance, and country before party is needed, now, this minute.
1
This move by Nunes (and the White House) REEKS of desperation.
1
One can acknowledge that Trump is a terrible person but still believe that neither Democrats nor Republicans should be using the FISA courts, or the FBI, or the IRS to attack political enemies. This harkens back to Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover. Let’s see what the memo says and what evidence is there.
6
Nunes has already demonstrated himself to be operating outside of ethical, if not legal, norms. He should be sitting on concrete looking through metal bars.
3
What a mess. The partisans are gleeful when "their" politicians weaponize the FBI, angry when the other side does the same, and incapable of recognizing this in themselves. Perhaps no surprise.
1
And I am reading this right when The Scorpion is trying to stop a 100 foot tsunami
guess who succeeds
Hmm, Mr. Steele is being set up. First, we have the criminal referral regarding the dossier. Then we have the refusal to show the transcripts of Fusion GPS (which Sen Feinstein fortunately released). Now we have this secret memo that will be publicized regarding said dossier and author for supporting evidence in a FISA warrant. Methinks somebody is desperate to kill the messenger!
From the remarks of quite a few here, it is clear the Fox propaganda and GOP messaging is working. Because it has been well established that Fusion GPS and their work was originally at the behest of a Republican candidate until the GOP convention. Then it was taken up by Hillary Clinton's campaign. Instead, tunnel-visioned folks are jumping right to "Hillary Clinton paid for report".
It isn't working for me. I clearly see Rep. Nunes pulling all sorts of levels behind the curtain trying to scare us all. It isn't necessarily the message that is scary, but the effort to sell this Goebels-worthy propaganda that is. We certainly are not in Kansas any more...
The instant trump releases Nunes's memo, Schiff should release the Democratic counter-memo. No Republican permission needed. Or give it to Feinstein - she's brave enough.
This Nunes memo is simply a way to funnel investigation secrets to the White House lawyers. Republican's new motto should be "Protecting Russian Agents everywhere - including in the White House." Heck, the e-mail and Benghazi investigations were tainted from the start by Republicans.
The only bias shown so far is on the GOP side on behalf of keeping trump (and themselves) above the law. The only ones who are allowed to investigate are the 100% partisan Republicans - no Republican who isn't toeing the Trumpublican orthodoxy can be a part of any investigation.
At this point, Republicans will never impeach trump for obstruction of justice. Indeed, there would be a conflict of interest because the Republicans had a direct hand in obstructing justice and that very investigation. trump believes his interests are the country's interests - he thinks he is King Louis XIV "l'etat c'est moi" - can we borrow a guillotine from Macron to remind him the consequences of such arrogance?
Lets hope all Democrats, in unison, will yell "you lie" as trump claims the investigation is a witch hunt during his state of the disunion speech. "Where are the sanctions, Mr. president?"
The enemy is within - and it is the Trumpublicans.
1
Notice to GOP: Nov. 6, 2018 is NOT far off. Smear the FBI, DoJ if you want, but voters will respond, and hopefully vote you all out of office.
3
In other words, all the conservative shrieking about classified information on Clinton’s server was a lie.
What does it take for any thinking person to see right through Republican propaganda?
The Republican base is the most gullible bunch on the planet, bar none.
So now, in addition to a U.S. President doing everything he can to thwart an investigation into election meddling by our most dangerous foreign adversary, we've got Republican members of the U.S. House doing everything then can to assist him in this endeavor by undermining our lead investigative agency. What's Russian for, "You can't make this stuff up"??
15
What's he hiding, only a guilty person would act like Trump.
1
Kremlin West
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
GOP removes from its platform support for the Ukraine who's nation was invaded by the Russians.
16 intelligence agencies all have evidence that the Russians interfered in our election.
Yesterday the moscovian candidate failed to enforce sanctions passed by both houses of congress.
Inspector Clouseau could piece this together.
Instead the GOP has placed a man before the law.
Yes he will release the memo.
Rosenstien will be next. The memo is designed to discredit him and thus the investigation.
It is sad very sad that our nations security apparatus is being destroyed like this. They hypocrisy of a party that has made homeland defense a corner stone of its ideology is a best complicit in obstruction of justice or worse treasonous.
8
Sheesh, and the thinking was the Senate's committee was a disconnect from Truth, Honor and Reality...
The "memo's release would shed useful light on...political bias that" was obviously as pervasive in the House's committee as it was in the Senate's.
2
Let's get it all out in the open. I'm sick of spin, of spin-doctors, of politicians and bureaucrats telling me to trust their interpretations of the evidence. Let's see it all, the good, the bad and the ugly, whether it hurts Mr. Trump or helps him, whether it casts the FBI is a good light or bad. Release the GOP memo, the Democratic memo and, more importantly, all of the underlying documents on which they are based. If there's any information about the original Russian sources for the Steele memo - their identities, any interviews with them, any corroborating or controverting evidence - let's see all that, too. Let it all hang out. We're not children. We can handle the truth.
8
Didn't you read this part? "That other information remains highly sensitive, and releasing it would risk burning other sources and methods of intelligence-gathering about Russia." Pretty diabolical of the GOP to exploit national security to score political points. Shame on them.
1
Our daily nightmare only gets worse. Will no one stand up to Trump and help the Democrats save our country from devastation? Will the election of 2018 come too late to stop this destruction?
Where are the patriots?
5
If additional space can be made in such articles it would be helpful to readers to be given information about what options we have in our various roles, environments and net works to make needed changes in both processes and outcomes of behaviors by elected and selected policy makers who endanger the well being of individuals, systems and infrastructures of this country when they do not take any personal responsibility for their words and deeds.Freedom of speech is not equal to freedom to hurt and harm! Principles of faith are not equivalent to the unprincipled creation of divisiveness.Mistrust. Disrespect. The daily violation of selected, constructed "the others." By discriminating. Excluding. Marginalizing. Dehumanizing.Stigmatizing. In a "sinful," ummenschlich WE-THEY culture of religionists-in-name-only!Pagan-politicos need to pay a personal price in a nation which proffers to be the most Christian-caring-one in the world. Would Jesus, in his wanderings and balming words, had he reached our shores, visa less been deported?
1
Doesn't releasing the memo open more lines of investigation, for better or worse, for both "sides"? Are Republicans are working for or against their President?
1
If there is no there there, why the fight to protect Trump? The country is headed to a worse place than we are in now , and things are pretty terrible at present.
7
You can do something about this obscenity. It’s not enough to speak out.
Andrew Janz is running for congress against Nunes in November. Help him defeat Nunes. Vote, organize, contribute.
Vote at every election in your community and state.
That’s how democracy will return to this country.
10
It looks to me like every Republican in Congress is on Putin's payroll. There's no other explanation for their behavior.
5
The Republicans think only about partisan politics
and supporting Trump. They have no concern about the truth and no outrage over the Russian attempt to sabotage our elections. They need to think more about their country and about our democracy. But they are failing miserably and have no shame or honor.
They just want to muddy the water with propaganda and distorted memos. They are Trump's fake news.
5
It is a terrible mistake to think that Russia tried meddling in the 2017 election to favor Trump over Clinton.
Russia just wanted to undermine the US' stance on the world diplomatic stage, by making the country turn to itself and suffer from internal fights. And on this they have largely surpassed all predictions. The turmoil in Congress is a great example of that.
9
It is surprising so few have recognized how much the democrats have actually helped the Russians in their propaganda campaign.
1
Apparently, the GOP fears our own FBI agents allegedly undermining our country far more than they fear Russian agents out there every day working to undermine our democracy, which appears to be working just to Putin's plan.
6
This would be - transparent. Something the government could perhaps shift torwards in this day and age. The lineup of recent whistleblowers extends through numerous bureaus and agencies and both sides of the isle share in either suffering or glee depending on the headline. Enough is enough and shadowy agencies should be held accountable for their actions and should not be given a free pass to do as they will.
1
Instead of releasing a memo in dissent, perhaps the Democrats should release an open letter to the American people outlining why the investigation into Russian election tampering is critical. This is not a witch-hunt. We want to know the extent to which Russian government officials influenced our elections, so we can prevent future intrusions into our democratic process. Why is the President and GOP taking this all so personally?
This President gets most of his funding from Russian officials. The NRA gets money from Russian officials. Who else gets money from Russian officials? This is what unregulated dark money in elections looks like, folks. Citizen United drowned our Republic in dark foreign money, and now, we may already be underwater. The Republican Party has already sold itself completely and utterly.
I truly wish it was November already. I can't wait to vote every last one of them out.
5
So when the Russian tanks come rolling in, crossing the Bering Strait, landing in Alaska, we do have the comforting cushion of Canada to help with our safety. Well, maybe not.
Imagine the enormity of armored tanks moving through Fairbanks, or better yet smashing through Denali National Park. From there the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, before reaching Canada. As the assault continues moving in a southerly direction, towards British Columbia, and then the State of Washington in the United States of America, the country splits into a modern day version of the American Civil War. The White House and the Senate and House Republican majority, and the majority of the Supreme Court are so very prepared, with a grand welcoming party for the takeover of our country by a dangerous foreign power.
2
We inch closer to an authoritarian state every single day. With the courts being stacked with unqualified appointees, gerrymandering and voter suppression will never be properly or fairly addressed. The Russians will continue to manipulate elections since this administration is doing nothing to stop it and the president refuses to believe the election was tampered with. And again, Trump has passed on Russian sanctions overwhelmingly approved by both houses of congress. Now a memo penned by a Trump shill is shaping the DOJ and the FBI into exactly what Trump wants as he'll then control both agencies. And it's a memo that is not based on fact, but supposition. They'll be no one to tell the truth on Trump and his criminal and perhaps treasonous activity no matter what the Mueller investigation finds as it will already have no credibility which is the point of the memo and all the attacks on Mueller and the FBI.
Democrats will never be in a position again to do anything about this situation since Republicans will continue to control everything. The nation will then be governed by a tyrant with a complicit congress in full support of the madness.
The institutions of government that historically kept the balance of power in check will no longer be in that position and will be explained away on Fox News which will be the equivalent to TASS or RT. Sean Hannity will be the minister of propaganda. Good job Republican supporters. MAGA.
4
We should expect Trump to use this memo to ramp up his attacks on the investigation with the intent of shutting it down.
2
Exactly. That's why they made sure to highlight Rosenstein's role in extending the FISA warrant. That may be a minor point otherwise, but Trump wants him out, the sooner the better.
How about a list of who voted for this? I would like to give money to their opponents this year.
3
The FBI will never trust Congress again with sensitive material.
The nasty, lawless behavior of today's Republican congress didn't start with Trump's corruption---it started with McConnell/Gorsuch.
Congress' unconstitutional behavior this year did not start when Mueller was hired---it only started when they realized Trump actually is guilty and they only have a few more months to have a majority to try to crush the truth.
3
The public has been wondering for a long, long while how the GOP could willingly nominate an inexperienced candidate who eventually wins the highest office in the land. The public now wonders about the actions of GOP elected representatives and the weakness of the opposition party, feckless in so many ways. Nunes: what is his background, his relationship to Trump, possible foreign actors and why has he been so obvious in his words and deeds? "Secret Memo"? Really? All should stand before the light of day, including Nunes. There is certainly more to this story, more to the Russian story, more to so much that has lead to this day: Citizens United, Kochs and Mercers, the leaders of the House and Senate, Fox "Propaganda" News. Where is the legitimate media? Waiting for Facebook? Will we look back and wonder why this could have happened? Should we as : how fast can Democracy die? A bang, or a whimper?
1
I understand that Mr. Mueller and his committee must work at a conscientious and meticulous pace, but it's been nearly nine months. By the time they are ready to present their findings, whatever they may be, Trump and his sycophants
will have created enough suspicion in our institutions, the press, Justice Dept. and the F.B.I. to diminish the committee's findings as "fake news."
2
Is Schiff supposed to be the conscience of America? His objections to the release of the memo are filled with the usual Democratic bombast about the great institutions of America which supposedly only Democrats uphold while those nasty old Republicans are doing everything they can to undermine America. It's like the McCarthy era which Schiff and the rest of his party seem intent on invoking with their endless fear mongering and willful distortions of fact regarding so-called "Russian collusion" to the point where the normal functioning of our government is no longer possible. So the question must be asked "Have you no sense of decency, sir. Have you at long last no sense of decency?"
6
Schiff is a mouthpiece and worse than even NY Senator Schumer the way he races for the microphones.
McCarthy was a Republican.
If the Republicans truly want to put a lid on bias then they need to keep the president from speaking and using his twitter account. They are creating "fake news" with this story just to get some of America angry, but most Americans will see right through this.
2
I hope that Mueller and his team are ensuring that the information and testimony they have assembled are archived somewhere protected from the attempted purge and campaign to discredit the FBI and other institutions. our democracy is at stake. At 65 years of age, I don't recognize my country. And I weep for its loss.
5
There are 2 problems with the Republican claim that the FBI misled a judge into issuing a FISA warrant to spy on the "Trump campaign" by citing the allegations contained in the Steele memo, without telling the judge that (1) the FBI had not confirmed the veracity of those allegations and (2) the research had been paid for by an opposition research firm that was working for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Here's the problem with this narrative.
(1) The FISA warrant apparently was limited to electronic monitoring of only 1
former low-level foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, Carter
Page. Yet, Trump's GOP defenders imply that the entire Trump campaign
staff was under FBI investigation. That's not true.
(2) Carter Page had already left the Trump campaign in Sept 2016 when the
monitoring started.
(3) Carter Page had already been investigated by the FBI for his activities in
Russia starting back in 2013.
(4) There is no evidence to suggest that the decision by the judge to approve
the FISA warrant was based on the allegations contained in the Steele
Memo, few of which would pertain to Carter Page.
Given that Carter Page had already left as a low-level foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign by the time the electronic monitoring started, the GOP claim that FBI monitoring of Carter Page constituted monitoring the Trump campaign makes no sense.
1
It's really amazing to watch the comments here. What could possibly be wrong with releasing a four page document that tells the American people some facts as to why we're here? What could possibly be wrong with more information?
Doesn't this square up with the idea that we need an investigation that will reveal whatever Russian collusion there was? Don't we need to get to the bottom of this? And more importantly, are we not interested to see exactly where this goes?
I believe the whole Russian investigation is a farce concocted at the highest levels. That it's morphing into an obstruction investigation is a farce within a farce, since what is being obstructed is an investigation into something that never happened.
America needs answers immediately! Bring on the memo!
5
Most commenters here are wearing partisan blinders. They believe anything as long as it condemns Trump and/or the GOP. Their responses are entirely predictable.
2
You ask what could be wrong with releasing a four page memo ( calling it a document is a stretch) that tells Americans some facts. Following that logic I ask what is wrong with releasing the democrat produced memo? There is of course a problem with both these memos, in that they are unable to provide proof as the details are classified.
You obviously don't want to to see what this investigation reveals, as you have already labeled it a farce.
Look at what Trump has done to America in one year. We are a nation in crisis of our own doing since the Republicans refuse to act like Americans who care about their country.
This is the time for the Dems to take the gloves off and fight back.
I am still waiting for Schiff to actually raise his voice. But he should be shouting. It's time to get angry to protect our country.
Thanks to gerrymandering, the Republican Party of the 70's no longer exists. Today's Republicans would not have moved to impeach Nixon. Where would we be today if they hadn't done the right thing then?
Scarily, we're about to find out.
1
I am eagerly awaiting the release of this memo. Millions of Americans, like me, are anticipating reading it, to finally learn the truth about how the Obama administration used the FISA courts to authorize surveillance of the Trump campaign. If there was any wrongdoing in the 2016 Presidential campaign, this is it. If the Obama administration used FISA to spy on Trump, then that's a serious misuse of federal law. Personally, I would not expect anything less from Obama, nor from Hillary Rodham Clinton. The election of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States was truly an act of Providence, an intervention into secular affairs meant to save our nation from further moral and spiritual demise. I support the President. I support Trump. Thank you.
5
Sorry, but Nunes and Trump have the right to shape America as they wish.
Democrats are sniffling because they did not think of it first.
This is our time, with our people.
Look at the stock market - the thaw has begun in many ways .
Next up: election reform.
1
The refusal of the Republican majority on the committee to allow the Democratic rebuttal to be published simultaneously with the majority memo is just a side-issue. Both the memo and the timing of the release could well be politically motivated, but, as the NYT points out, it is too early to make a judgment regarding its substance. Schiff's vehement objections indicate that it is a bombshell. They will backfire on him because the Republicans couldn't do more to raise interest in the entire matter. By the same token the Democratic rebuttal is also political in nature. It, too, will eventually come out, but, as Schiff well knows, its release will be anti-climactic because all of its points will already have been raised and intensively debated by both sides in the media. It will, therefore, be like a little tin horn drowned out by the rest of the show. One thing is certain, however. The bitterness and rancor will continue no matter how it all comes out.
1
With this decision, republicans have officially renounced their patriotism in favor of party. There are now two possible outcomes: the creation of an autocracy with Donald Trump at its head or the complete dismantling of the republican party. In November it will be up to American voters to decide which.
"The committee did make a Democratic memo rebutting the Republican version available to the full House, but Republicans said they wanted time for members to review the document before considering its public release."
If the Republican memo is released, will some fine patriot please find a way to leak the Democratic memo as well?
2
1. GOP committee members vote to release highly partisan and highly controversial memo despite objections of the DOJ.
2. Number 2 at the FBI is forced out by a "higher ups".
3. Whitehouse refuses to enact sanctions on Russia legislated by Congress.
It's Tuesday morning. And the rule of law is breaking down in America.
One question that I don't hear asked by pundits is why is Paul Ryan supporting the release of the memo? What is he hiding and what is his motivation?
And the winners of this absurd political battle, since the Democrats have chosen to bring the charges of collusion are Putin and the Russians. In a very real sense the real collusion with the Russians are those who refused accept the election of President Trump...
2
As an outsider looking in, I find the partizan beliefs of so many Americans, seems to be more important than the truth, or justice.
Very sad.
There are those who believe that President Trump is obstructing justice as it relates to the ongoing investigation into our 2016 election. It seems to me that the Republicans, by the release of this memo - explicitly after being warned by the Justice Department not to do so - are complicit in this obstruction of justice. Although there are some who maintain that the President can't be criminally prosecuted for his obstruction - impeachment being the only recourse, this is not true for members of Congress. I would like to see the Justice Department go after the congressmen who release this memo. Justice Department: Put your money where your mouth is!
Releasing the memo without the other side being allowed is the same as only the prosecutor being present and allowing the accused not to speak.
Simply un-American in a court of law, as in public opinion.
The entire Republican party is now by commission or omission in cahoots to hide whatever Trump is hiding. They don't even want to know what it is or let Mr. Mueller declare formally there is nothing there.
The comportment of the Republican House and Congress regarding this investigation which was authorized by Republicans is astonishing. Their slash and burn attitude toward anyone or anything that might challenge the president and their interests erodes the notion of rule by law, and two central ideas to governance. First the value of a loyal opposition, Americans who have the best interest and common good of the Country who hold a different point of view. Without this notion, political conversation has no anchor in any moral framework that would induce respect and positive compromise. Second, the notion that people in positions of service will perform their duty because of their professionalism and commitment to service regardless of personal political views and that the collective commitment to truth will serve us all. It is difficult to grasp whom the GOP now trusts regarding matters of justice either on the streets, regarding white collar crime, or international drug smuggling. Bias both pro and con exists in every human. This is beyond a slippery slope of ethical and national concern, it is behavior that cuts at the very nature of our Republic.
House Republicans are now clearly involved in a cover up.
They are not investigating the overwhelming evidence that Russia interfered in our election. Therefore they will not be proposing counter measures to protect a most sacred element of Democracy - the vote.
Worse, they are actively interfering in the investigation of whether Donald Trump and his campaign staff and surrogates conspired with the Russian Government to interfere in our election.
These House Republicans are clearly undermining our Democracy.
And the Russians keep messing with us, without any effort now. This is now all about the Dsyfunctional House that Trump Built. By the time he's done, the FBI could be permanently damaged, just the way he gleefully tore through the reputations of every one of his opponents. Trump's sick gift is to know how to manipulate America's anti-intellectual nature and it's taste for slogans vs information. As anti-law enforcement as I can be (does the idea of unlawful surveillance actually surprise anyone? Three letters...NSA.), the idea that our national law enforcement agency becomes a caricature of itself without any power -- what's coming, Fake Law? -- is problematic on all kinds of levels. It seems that this is all about Trump playing a different game than the rest of us, moving the pieces early to damage the information that comes out of the investigation.
1
I must be too far gone. The memos, the news coverage, the comments: suddenly, it all (taken together) seems funny to me.
It's a serious situation, I suppose, but it goes far beyond this new scandal, right now, right here. The only dramatic event would be if something like this did NOT happen somewhere, among some high-ranking "government officials," every week; and if "respectable news organizations" did NOT publish their breathless accounts of it, every week; and if readers were NOT, once again, surprised and outraged.
The contents of Nunes' memo have been in the news for over a year, anyway (although certainly not the NYT). They are the result of Mueller's "investigation." Like the 2016 election, they are the opposite of what a lot of people expected.
So, okay: here we go. Like the local AM radio talk show said, "get your popcorn."
Amid the rancor surrounding the latest political theater is Washington comes the larger question of whose interest is served by undermining the credibility of the Department of Justice, the FBI and the FISA court system? Perhaps some historical perspective will help us to better interpret dark political motives. Until the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, the Attorney General was essentially the president's legal advisor with no supporting cast comprised of attorney's or investigators. In 1870 President Grant nominated Amos Ackerman from Georgia to serve as Attorney General, and Congress created the Department of Justice. The newly constituted DoJ aggressively pursued the the barbaric Ku Klux Klan and the Knights of the White Camellia. The FBI emerged as our nation's investigative agency to pursue real or suspected perpetrators of illegal activities beyond state jurisdiction. Federal judges are trusted to interpret laws and their enforcement. In a singular vote by the Republican majority of the House Intelligence Committee, we find prima facie evidence that casting doubt on the independence and integrity of our nation's investigative and legal system means little to political wizards such as Chairman Nunes and other palace guards of our president. When the political will to destroy exceeds the will to constructively build, we live amid distressing times.
1
Obviously, America, Republicans would not release the memo unless it is damaging to the Democrats, though Trump will likely blame Obama or HRC.
It is unbelievable that Republicans would choose the Russian meddling investigation as the hill they wish to die on. Carter Page strikes me as the most dubious among the many doubtful characters who were involved in President Trump's election campaign, and considering that the cast includes names like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, that is saying something. I would take issue with the FBI only if they had failed to wiretap this guy.
Speaking for myself, while I am sure that the Russians tried to interfere in your elections in November 2016, I have never taken the story of Mr. Trump conspiring with the Russians seriously. I concede that players in Mr. Trump's team, who were unaware of the import of what they were doing, got drawn into what was probably a Russian sting operation. Remember that many of them were bungling amateurs, selected solely on the basis of being family and doubtless the Russian professionals played them like so many violins in the Moscow Orchestra. Almost certainly, they kept Mr. Trump informed, whatever he may say today. Collusion, in the sense of deliberately working together with Russians, amounting to a conspiracy against the nation, nope.
With all these crazy antics by the GOP, I am beginning to have doubts.
America is looking more like Russia by the day. The only difference is that in Russia opponents are assassinated, whereas under this administration they are character assassinated.
Republicans are only concerned by who paid for the Steele dossier but not on investigating what it suggests. By that standard, surely they should be concerned by the financial entanglements of ALL who worked on the campaign or in this administration. They know that Page, Manafort, Gates, and Flynn had substantial "financial entanglements" with Russia or Russian interests. They also know that modifications were made to the GOP platform regarding Russia and Ukraine. The question remains: is Russian money influencing American policy and this administration? Follow the money.
In 1971, then-Alaska Senator Mike Gravel entered more than 4,000 pages of the 7,000-page Pentagon Papers into the Senate record, insisting the public had a right to know the truth behind the Vietnam War.
We, the American public, have a right to know the truth behind this current "Secret Memo" -- all of the information; not bits and pieces that favor one side or another - the sources of all the information. Anything less is a travesty of justice.
2
So much for checks and balances and respect for two party governance. The
Republicans have just bought into Trump's systematic destruction of all of
the institutions that undergird this democracy and that safeguard the nation
from threats at home and abroad. And to think that none of this might not have happened if a single individual didn't have an ego that simply cannot bear
the truth that his big "WIN" was tainted and that he lost the popular vote.
This is a reason to shut the government down. Keep doing continuing resolutions and every time the republicans make an undemocratic move shut it down. Sadly a coverup or a one sided misleading political report will resonate better with the working class that a plan to save innocent children from deportation. This time hopefully the Dems will have their talking points agreed upon a little huptz.
Just more smoke and mirrors! Remember we can correct this in November.
We are watching the destruction of our democracy.
1
Why are they protecting him?
They should either not be part of any of this, OR should be part of their own investigation. We've seen the GOP make up a fake set of charges to pursue someone they needed out of their way: the hit-job on Hillary Clinton that was the Bengazi investigation, was such a sham. Now they're going after the FBI because they need it to stop looking into Trump.
Hillary Clinton has cause to sue for release of the memos. She should on behalf of we Americans.
The only response the Democrats on the committee can and should make is to pull a Feinstein, read their memo into the Congressional Record. Bring the facts to light to counter the lies of Nunes and Ryan.
And stop attending any committee meetings where Nunes is present. He is clearly a Trump apologist and potentially an active Russian agent who "recused" himself so well that he is still running the committee.
This whole memo is a fraud. It's directed towards the uninformed segment of America, who Republicans expect will just take their word. They started off talking about "transparency" for the public. These are classified documents that the public WON'T have access to in order to corroborate anything that Nunes put together in this memo. Nunes already has lost any credibility by flip-flopping back and forth on this investigation. One minute he's recused from the investigation and the next he's re-inserted himself. A document that only gives the information that Nunes wants to put out without there being an opportunity for the public to corroborate it is clearly a fraud. But they're counting on if they scream it loud enough over and over the uninformed will eat it up and not care if it can be corroborated. On top of that these people should be charged with treason for trying to undermine our democratic institutions in order to protect one man, when their real job is to protect the American public. They are supposed to be the guard dogs of our democracy and instead have chosen to become lap dogs for Donald Trump.
1
Something is not right here and doesn’t make sense.
Someone has to have something on Nunez, Gowdy and the other Grand Old Phonies.
After swearing to uphold our constitution, rational, patriotic people do not act this way.
Russians, Koch Brothers, others?
I know where the next investigation should go.
Or maybe a subpoena by Muller - does Nunez have something to hide?
Disregarding Justice Department warnings.....
Why would anyone expect anything different from House Republicans? They have proven over at least the last forty years that there is no penalty for disregard.
Adam Schiff has the right of it... the Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee have NO honor, NO integrity, and NO shame.
181
Would you feel the same way if the memo revealed that Carter Paige was acting to collude or are you just being partisan?
It's time to get ready for the "what if" scenarios: what if the Democratic memorandum is not released by the committee (someone reads it into the public record); what if the Nunes report contains any classified information (will he/committee members be help responsibe for doing that or will it be another Scooter Libby?"
What if Mueller presents a case or multiple cases of obstruction of justice and the House does nothing/the Senate does nothing? What if there is also a case to be made against Pence.
The Watergate all over again, but much worse.
"Intelligence" doesn't belong in any sentence describing the nihilistic punks of the Trump mob. It is screaming brats from top to bottom.
If Trump agrees to release the memo and Nunes continues to disallow the democrats on the House Intelligence committee to disseminate their counterpoint memo they should just pull a Feinstein and release it anyways.
It's political war at this point, gloves off, we cannot abide this anymore.
181
Add to that the Republicans in Congress who agreed to release the memo. What is clear is that the memo is an attempt to manipulate the American people by scrubbing it; to put spin on the truth of what actually happened. Unless ALL the underlying information is made available, then any twisting and deception by Nunes and the Republicans rises to the level of conspiratorial behavior and obstruction of justice, each of which I would consider treasonous and a violation of their oath of office. One thing for sure, Ryan has no sense of duty or the guts to do his constitutionally mandated job.
1
The Koch boys have schemed for 50 years to take over this playpen.
Shouldn't Nunes be under investigation at this point for his odd behaviors as the head of this committee? He showed documents to Trump before- shouldn't he be asked to be under oath, testifying?
116
What's the point. He would get selective amnesia or just lie. It seems testifying under oath is quite meaningless now to the GOP. There is nothing Christian (ethics or morals) about them anymore and putting your hand on the Holy Bible is like putting your hand on a comic book for them.
I hope the NYT is digging into what illegalities Nunes has been involved in. The explanation for his bizarre behavior most likely is that Nunes is guilty of something.
1
At what point do Mr. Nunes' own actions become obstruction of justice?
144
.
They have been for several months. He's just kicking it into high gear now.
.
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, disregarding Justice Department warnings that their actions would be “extraordinarily reckless...”
At least they didn"t say "grossly negligent." I'm thinking that's more or less a Green Light in DOJ-speak.
19
"Oh no, we're not working for the Russians!"
Watch what they do, not what they say.
How a party that is so preoccupied with "terrorism" can decide it is a good idea to attack the agencies charged with preventing it is beyond all understanding. The President had better hope there is never a domestic threat against his life, because the FBI he has excoriated may just decide to sit by and watch.
63
It is probably not wise to make an enemy of the FBI. I hope the rank-and-file at the FBI assists with Trump's downfall.
If one party has "weaponized" a country's most powerful intelligence and law enforcement organizations against another, something has to be done. That cannot be ignored in the name of "national security." That, in and of itself, is a dangerous "national security" flaw.
This is really showing any thinking American what the Republican party is about.
This will backfire.
55
Apparently there appears to be a paucity of "thinking Americans" these days.
Thinking Americans did not vote for Trump.
Nancy Pelosi is correct:
" “Clearly, House Republicans’ desire to protect President Trump has clouded their judgment and caused them to lose sight of what’s at stake: the security and integrity of our elections,” her office said in a statement."
88
On a nation level, the security and integrity of our elections" is a joke -- and not because of Russian. Big money influence, partisan legerdemain, corporate media biases and the undermining of voting rights are the real issues that rob them of any integrity.
I don't think House Republicans are trying to protect Trump. I think the idea that they are is Pelosi's (and others') fabrication. Some people want it to be true and want to believe it, and we live in a place where and during a time when that passes as "truth."
Quoting Nancy Pelosi is like quoting Bozo the Clown. I wouldn't do it . . . unless I was writing about clowns.
The Republican congressmen are doing everything they can to stop this investigation because most if not all of them are guilty of accepting Russian money for their campaigns. The NRA is also part of this illegal operation and collusion with a Russia. The NRA used Russian donations to use on Republican campaigns in 2016. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell are in in this too.
61
This I want citations on. BTW I am not a trumpie but Avery concerned citizen who feels our country is being flushed where trump won't go.
Devin Nunes and Trey Gowdy have an incredible task of explaining their actions to Congress and the American public. Gowdy because he was nothing more than a hack who lead the charge of "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" in multiple questioning sessions of Hillary Clinton. Trump cries "witch hunt", well Nunes and Gowdy have been the biggest toadies ever. But what is their end game and exactly where does all of this lead?
Republicans have decided to tie their political and potentially criminal futures to Donald Trump and Russian interference (social media, financial contributions via the NRA, and quid-pro-quo policy exchanges). I suppose the first stroke is to cast total discrediting into governmental organizations designed to protect all Americans and American interests. The FBI and DoJ are prima facie targets - these organizations have deep investigatory skills and resources to fully expose Donald Trump for (my opinion) the con-artist, grafter who is up to his eye teeth in finaincial squeezing by Russian oligarchs and criminal syndicates.
Why Nunes and Gowdy? Perhaps these two Eagle Scouts have been on the take and are being blackmailed by Russian interests - the same who manipulate Donald Trump. Or, are they taking orders from Trump himself, which now points to a criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice and subvert the trust in DoJ and FBI.
60
They should surrender their ES badges. The republicans have admitted that Benghazi was nothing more than a which hunt. Of course they were silenced but there are recordings of their admission.
Paul Ryan, my immoral congressman is in all of this. His PAC received a lot of money from a Russian/American. The great thing about Ryan being Speaker, is his agenda and ratings have been made public all over the country and he is not only hated in Wisconsin's first district, but also by the whole country. He is the Speaker and should be addressing this.
55
I really wish that Wisconsin would wake up and do the right thing. Make me proud of the community that raised me.
If I were close to his district I would ring every door bell to oust him.
It's ridicules to see Democrat heads explode over the release of this memo. The memo in itself is neither here nor there. Its foregleams indicate it's an accusation and/or information that puts classified material into perspective. Its intent was to make a case to declassify sensitive material.
The bottom line, is the alleged surveillance abuses will either be backed up by factual evidence or it will not. But, by denying it a day in court indicates you'll likely try and refute the facts that will speak for themselves.
9
Gauging by the sentence syntax we're left wondering if this is some trolling going on...but that aside for the moment...is not Nunes denying "a day in court" for the full context of his accusations by denying democrats the release of their memo which would provide additional context for the FISA warrant on Carter Page, an individual known for his peculiar affection for all things Russian?
It seems more likely that Nunes and his cohorts will be the ones trying to refute the facts as they come out if the facts are not to their liking. That is the actual purpose of his memo, a preemptive attempt to discredit the FBI and Justice Dept.
1
If the facts are cherry picked and do not reveal the whole story, what good are they? Why is Trump so afraid of this investigation? Why are the Republicans so helpful in derailing it? These are both facts and they speak for themselves.
1
Ryan, in order to even get a warrant, LEOs must present facts in an actual court that is charged with reviewing the information before thwy approve it. The court of public opinion is not the place to review documentation that would place our national security in jeapardy. This release will expose methods and sources that will be compromised and therefore useless. It may even put their lives in danger. How does that make us safer?
1
Nunes is either extraordinarily naive - which shouldn't surprise, as he seems on the Neanderthal end of the species's spectrum - and a dupe for malevolent interests, or he's intentionally acting on the behalf of those malevolent interests. Either way, he's in violation of his oath of office. His background as a right-wing grower in the Central Valley doesn't augur well for upholding democratic principles and the rule of law, nor a bipartisan approach to national security matters, which has been traditional and served this nation well. If our national security and intel sectors become beholden to partisan hectoring, we've gone far down the road to being a banana republic. The trend has been in that direction for almost six decades now. Greed, fear and fearmongering, and entropy...
27
It's hard to see how this secret memo could be taken seriously. The authors are solely the Republican House members, and should be classified as a talking-points memo of the GOP. It may provoke discussion and debate, but hardly as the last word. If classified information is included, as reported, it will first go through the DOJ and anything of serious import may be redacted or denied publication.
The desperation of this act pushed by Rep. Nunes is indeed telling; to the extent of roiling/stopping the investigation of Russian interference into our elections by discrediting Mr. Rosenstein as a first step to firing Mr. Mueller. It seems to be another amateur move by Mr. Nunes, and will fail.
43
The authors of this Republican memo are not members of Congress. They are Nunes’ staffers. He admits that he has never seen the classified documents that were allegedly the source for the memo. That will be convenient if there are any legal ramifications as the underlings will doubtless be blamed.
Most of us are powerless in this sordid political game; all we can do, other than our votes and meager contributions, is watch history play out. But the New York Times, as the standard bearer for the fourth estate in this country, can call out injustice and fight for what is right with a huge platform. It's time to stop pretending that reporting the destructive excesses of Trump and the Republican Party can be carried out as some dispassionate exercise. What they are doing can cause irreparable damage to our nation and our freedom.
Gray Lady, you were an enabler when the Bush Adminstration lied about chemical weapons and dragged us into war. You were an enabler in allowing Trump a nigh-unchallenged platform, in what was tantamount to billions of dollars in free advertising. You stood back while the GOP targeted Hillary Clinton, an honorable woman for prosecution with lies and exaggerations about Benghazi, emails, her relation with the DNC, and anything that would drag her good name through the mud. You've stammered and hesitated to condemn Trump for his own disinformation campaign against the press, even as he impugns your own credibility. But we're running out of time to save America. New York Times, please speak out boldly and incessantly against this one-sided assault on our nation's values, before it's too late.
114
Now we will see which side is lying about that memo.
It would not be the first time, if it is the FBI caught lying. Nor the first time for the GOP.
11
Based on his recent (guilty) actions, Nunes has no integrity. Anyone who would trust a report produced by Nunes likely has poor judgement.
Watch.
Now Donald will sit on it and claim he can't release it because it has too much important information, making sure the memo holds its magical, mystical power of implying Democratic wrongdoing without ever seen the light of day.
It doesn't say anything, but by remaining in secret, the Democrats can't really challenge it.
14
The Dems can challenge it by releasing their own memo in response. It is time to fight fire with fire and cease following polite rules of political engagement. The Dems do not claim to be above the law, but at the very least we should be able to defend the Intelligence agencies and ourselves. Isn’t that what Trump says he is doing with his insulting tweets? Defending himself, not the Constitution?
Nope. The House Intel Committee rule that governs this allows for the memo's release if the White House does not object within five days.
The Republican game is really quite boring, isn't it? One has seen it all by graduation from junior high school.
Mr. Mueller, PLEASE subpoena Devin Nunes. You might also want to ask Mitch McConnell why he thought it best the American people were kept in the dark before the election.
66
Because Republican's were all complicit in getting Russian money and Trump elected. Follow the money!!
1
Incompetence in service to God is no vice.
The Republican members of this committee, created to protect the American people, have allowed the White House and Nunez to bully them into releasing information cherry-picked to protect the President from investigation.
We as a nation have now been herded into a lawless wilderness without the protection of our government and the Constitution.
38
Don't forget a media that can make more noise than a hammer mill while saying nothing.
1
As someone has said : the barbarians are not at the gate, they are already inside it.
1
Who's bringing the lawsuit to stop this terrible breach of security?
15
I say we ALL boycott the trump's state of the union speech, because regardless of the words spoken, HE is the one tearing the institutions of our nation apart to save his miserable hide, and republicans are providing the tools.
for the leader of this nation, who loves his 'ratings', give him zilch.
46
I will boycott his speech because not a word that comes out of his mouth is true. I don't need to hear more lies to know what he is. I knew it years before the election.
1
The Democrats need to get their act together and start counter-punching more effectively against the obviously orchestrated attempt to get rid of Robert Mueller. Second, the Republicans are now trying to justify politicizing the FBI under the flimsiest of pretenses. And Nunes--wasn't he the guy hiding in the bushes at the White House? This entire charade is a grotesque excuse to dismantle the foundations of our republic.
39
Maybe they are all following orders from the Kremlin? It seems all their actions are what Putin likes them to do. Wouldn't it be mind blowing that they will all end up in jail for trying to destroy the US Constitution and the institutions that serve to uphold it. Maybe we won't see that. Instead we will have the Russian media showing us Putin sitting at the presidential desk in the Oval Office while Trump and his cabinet applaud loudly. Weird scenario ? No more than Trump as Potus.
Ryan appointed Nunes to this position (Boehner did before this Congress). SO Ryan can remove him as chair. As stated in the article, "Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin largely stayed out of the dispute, deferring to Mr. Nunes and the committee on how to proceed."
Paul Ryan may be staying out of it publicly, but he can't wash his hands of this.
53
The fear is palpable. What if Congressional Republicans took Russian money? Do they not have incentive to conspire with Trump to torpedo any investigation? What's next? Will there be honest and fair elections in November of this year?
42
Believe Republicans will do anything to retain power. They have been corrupt and weak and they have cheated their way to power before.
Hmmm, sudden early retirement by assoc director of FBI, reckless release of memo, and refusal to approve additional sanctions against Russia recommended by Congress.
And it’s only Monday.
46
GH
McCabe is not taking early retirement. He is taking vacation time due him to carry him to his planned retirement date.
He will then retire on schedule.
Sounds to me like he is tired of the false accusations, and would rather just sit home quietly until he can retire. If i were in his position, I would do the same.
It would not surprise me if he might speak up AFTER he retires, when they no longer have any hold on him.
20
Do you work for the Bureau? Amazing that you know why McCabe retired if you don’t? BTW are you aware that Trump once asked McCabe in a phone call how his wife felt being a loser? No one ever accused Trump of having class.
The game is just to plant enough doubt. None of what any memo written by the GOP has to be true. It just has to give them enough of a story to be a distraction. That's what is so horrible about the whole thing. The GOP doesn't really care about this country, about the people they serve or about any truth that doesn't further their agenda.
31
Trumps followers don't need much. They run on conspiracy theories. This is more than enough for them to continue to ignore the "Russia thing".
As House Republicans we’re voting to release their own memo allegedly attacking the DOJ. The Russian sanctions date just expired, without action.
20
It didn't expire, today was the deadline. Trump and Tillerson just refuse to enact it!!!
Neither Pelosi nor Schiff nor any other Democrat on Capitol Hill is acting more than sadly displeased about this Republican power play, when white-hot fury and public denunciations are the only thing that's appropriate.
As usual: Well played, Republicans. Poorly played, Democrats.
9
but what are you talking about? don't you already know? hadn't Michelle told you? when they take the low road the Dems take the high road. And just look where the high road got them? This is happening because Pelosi & Co.have no ability to get down & dirty enough to fight an army of snakes. The Democrats look like deer caught in the headlights. Where's the counter-punch?
1
A brouhaha may erupt at the SOTU speech as Trump dives into this latest revelation thus further dividing the parties. He'll find it impossible to ignore and will ramble on extending the speech ad nauseam.
3
I am taking a pass on this speech with an objective of unifying the country. Too funny. Hopefully some attendees will LOL.
I recall the days when liberals were mortified by the abuses of the establishment bureaucracy and the intelligence community. But when the target is Republican they sing a different tune.
6
And I remember when the GOP at least claimed to be the party of law and order. They seem to be very much against the rule of law nowadays.
21
General accusations don't really go over well.
It isn't yet known whether any "abuses" were involved here, and the memo itself won't establish that.
I have a feeling that this is going to fail spectacularly due to the law of unintended consequences.
14
You mean that law where, when one tries too hard to effect a certain outcome therein lies the opposite of the desired effect?
We can only hope.
This seems obviously one sided... like many other things currently involving this presidency - everything is along party lines. I'd like to see Mueller left alone to finish his investigation. At this point honestly who cares what they disclose about Trump? What will the investigation say, that he lied, doesn't have morals, sided with Russians, the campaign was less than forthcoming, that people in power are using position for their own benefit and enrichment, etc, etc.... this list goes on. Now what will the majority run Congress do about such a report? Nothing likely... Can we at least do something to prevent or make minimal foreign interference in our elections?
8
Go back to using ballot paper for voting. And then counting the votes with scrutineers of both parties and media reps present. After all we have sent our people to observe other nation's vote counting. Why not do it for ourselves.
I am wondering if this is going to make Peter King vulnerable. I never like him but he has such staying power.
2
Americans have a right to know, but at what cost. If People are concerned about the right to know, then disclose all of the information that was put before the Judges in order for the Judges to determine whether there was probable cause for a warrant. Disclose the warrant, the warrant affidavit, the court minutes regarding the warrant, and any other information that was submitted in support of the warrant. The court minutes for the warrant should prove to be rather interesting, since Judges sometimes ask questions before they issue a warrant. And if all of the preceding information is going to be released, then why even have a secret court to review this material. Why not just have news reporters come into court and review -- and report on -- the warrant application process. In a number of instances -- involving routine criminal cases -- the materials used to obtain a warrant are usually sealed, and you need a court order to get this material. A Defendant in a criminal case may not even get access to all of the warrant material, and when the Defendant is given the material -- in a number of cases -- certain information is redacted. All great civilizations fall (e.g., the rise and fall of the Romans); and, we may not know it now, but we may be witnessing the rise and fall of the United States. That's why every one is turned off by what goes on in Washington.
1
So if the Nunes memo is designed to inform the American people in the interests of transparency lets at least go through a process to ensure that it is accurate before it is published.
For example let's give it and the Democratic response to the Senate Judicial Committee for concurrence and the DOJ to ensure that our national interests are not harmed.
The fact that Nunes is not prepared to do this exposes his real motives and makes a nonsense of his claim of transparency.
Instead of a constructive process the next few months we will be arguing who is right and who is not with possible tragic results for our Democracy.
I am convinced that if there is no collusion and no obstruction of justice Mr Mueller will soon reach that conclusion.
Ryan and McConnell need to tell their troops that they need to focus on the Country,s needs , this nonsense is what is dividing America and driving us crazy
10
Who will tell Ryan and McConnell mired in political donations from the NRA to put country ahead of party? Surely you jest?
It's surprising to me how fast the Republican congress accepted close ties and mutual affection between the Trump campaign and administration and the Russians and turned on the FBI, which I think is chock full of lifelong Republicans. On top of their Orwellian doublespeak about this memo, they are cannibalizing themselves in order to avoid the conclusions of the Mueller investigation. I hope the truth is brought out.
21
Democracy is clearly under attack not just by President Trump, but now by his "willing accomplices" in the House of Representatives led by co- conspirator, Rep. Devin Nunes. It's tline for another "profile in courage" moment by the Democrats led by ranking minority member, Rep. Adam Schiff, of the House Intelligence Committee to release their memo showing how Rep. Nunes misrepresented the facts in the FISA warrant issued to allow the FBI to investigate Trump campaign aide Carter Page. At this moment of potential Constitutional crisis the FISA court judge who approved the request should also speak out. We are facing a brazen conspiracy by Republicans sanctioned by Speaker Paul Ryan to obstruct and subvert justice in total disregard of their oath to the Constitution and the nation to be a "check" on the blatant interference by President Trump in the investigation by the Special Counsel.
15
Even with the release of this Memo there is nothing that can be done to rectify the damage Donald Trump has done to the destruction of American democracy. Trumps candidacy was always tainted and will have lasting repercussions on the transparency o of America as we know it. There is nothing left to admire or to show example of to the World beyond US borders or even within.
9
Before our eyes, we are witnessing the politicization of the US justice system, federal law enforcement and domestic intelligence gathering. This Trumpian takeover is also corrupting our environmental stewardship, public education, federal election system, ethics oversight. I fear that next is our military. I'll never forget when Trump turned a Boy Scout rally into a political speech, during which he praised himself for his election win. Is there nowhere he won't take his politicization? The president's brand of partisan rot is seeping into all three branches of federal government and polluting some of their most important functions.
18
Once the Nunes Memo is released, and the secrets in the underlying classified documents spilled or declassified, why can't the Democrats release their memo (which would no longer be classified), as well as the original documents (which also would no longer be classified)?
One side can't say "what WE are telling the world is declassified, but what YOU want to tell the world, using the same documents, is still classified".
Nobody ever accused Nunes of being a smart guy, just a weasel.
17
He may be a weasel but he is dangerous weasel.
One thought as to the intense GOP desire to release the STAFF written memo... burning sources. Perhaps this is more than trying to attack the credibility of the JD; FBI and our institutions, but to actually do away with sources that could effectively incriminate Drumpf.
Treasonous too when one considers another GOP objective may be to actually align with Russia to ensure winning more elections.
9
I get it. The House Republcans want to be re-elected. They are heady with their power (their's and their rich donor's). Most have turned a blind eye to ethics violations, malfeasance, reasurring coal miners and oil drillers that it is now okay to pollute the air and water. Bi-partisanship, even the Constitution, seem to have become relics. They have become one with Trump. If he looks good, they all get re-elected.
Intelligence Committee Republicans put together a "secret" memo to share the "true" story of Trump and Russia with the public, make Trump look good, and lead to all their re-elections.
But they have no evidence. They face documented meetings with Russians by the Trump campaign team, family members and Trump himself during the campaign and after the election.
They face FBI Dir. Comey's testimony, based on notes taken directly after meetings with Trump, in which Trump pleaded for his loyalty, which is illegal, and asked to be reassured, more than once, that he was not suspected of collusion. Not giving his loyalty, Comey was fired. They face an honorable prosecutor in Bob Mueller.
Their "story"? Forced out Asst. FBI Dir. McCabe's wife took a campaign donation from a Democrat. This makes the investigating FBI team corrupt. Hillary bought the Steele dossier, which means the Democrats started the Russian collusion story to undermine Trump, even though Hillary lost and McCabe is out. They have no evidence.
Sessions was very smart to recuse himself.
4
In the upcoming elections we will face one of three scenarios.
Scenario 1 - Democrats field good candidates for the midterm elections. Voters give majority to Democrats in both the House and Senate.
Scenario 2 - Democrats field good candidates for the midterm elections. Voters deny majority to Democrats in the House and Senate.
Scenario 3 - Democrats do not field good candidates for the midterm elections.
Scenario 1 is the best and it will result in government for the common good of all citizens. If scenario 2 is realized, we will have to wait until racists and racist sympathizers/enablers to become minority before we can expect a government for the common good of all citizens. If scenario 3 were to happen, we will have to wait for a third party to be formed in strength and win elections. Finally, scenario 4 is the status quo which is not desirable for the common good of all citizens.
3
None, not one new sanction against Russia was implemented by the Trump Administration, yet the legislation overwhelmingly passed the Senate 98-0. Why not? Trump now is systematically eliminating the key leadership of our premiere law enforcement agency - those investigating his collusion with Russia. Comey, McCabe and Rosenstein is next. The Republicans are enabling and supporting this treasonous President and his continued collusion with an enemy of the United States - Russia. This country has never in its history been at such peril. Given the complete failure of our institutions and the moral integrity of the Republican Party, how will Trump be stopped?
Mueller should immediately subpoena Trump to testify in person in front of his Grand Jury. Will he do that? I doubt it. I think he will be gone before the Olympics are over.
Then what are patriotic Americans left to do? That is the really, really scary part to consider. How will it all end?
12
If Ryan and McConnell had been in charge during Watergate, Nixon would have gotten away with it.
Why isn't the press investigating why the Republicans in Congress are so desperate to cover up the crimes of the sitting President? Does he have something on them?
What is shocking is that the media -- including the NY Times -- treats seriously the propaganda released by the Republicans who want to make sure that Trump gets away with crimes far worse than Nixon's.
When they come for you, NY Times, you only have yourselves to blame for truing so hard to prove that you are "unbiased" by pretending that propaganda should be given equal weight with facts.
15
The original sin of our country was not slavery. It was gossip. Once again it has reared its ugly head. No matter what Mueller comes back with or how this investigation is concluded, millions have already made up their minds and will react accordingly.
It hurts to say that once this is over, the only thing that could reunite the nation will be a full scale tragedy large enough to overpower our polarities. I shudder to think what that would be and that it is now our best hope.
It is an irony that if the USA falls apart, it will be thanks in large part to a media which is no longer run by great people, professionals that anyone can really trust for more than five minutes. The catalyst of our downfall will be manufactured in large part by tweet chasers fueled by bias and self-interest.
The founders built something imperfect. How could they do anything else? Just look at who they left it to.
2
We are in a full-scale tragedy, right at this moment.
This is why you don't give the keys to the family car to people like Trump and this GOP. Buckle up. But be advised that it may not help.
5
It seems like a lot of effort to take our attention off the really important matter at hand - Stormy Daniels
6
This latest move from a small group of a Republicans is a desperate attempt to shield the President from serious obstruction of justice accusations. If Trump fires Rosenstein, it will be a major assault on our democracy. This is a very dark and sad time for the United States - our country will be greatly diminished for decades to come.
9
The point in doing this now is to include and highlight the part about Rosenstein re-authorizing that FISA warrant. Trump wants him out of the way.
this White House and Congress aren’t about DACA. they’re about dachas.
7
Why do they do this? Why? What are they gaining from supporting the most divisive and corrosive presidency in history?
5
One large reason they (being Devin Nunes and Repbulicans) is that some of them are deeply compromised by business dealings with Russian Oligarchs (Russian Intelligence) and they are simply blackmailed or otherwise extorted into their strange behavior.
Julian Assange is peddling blackmail to people like Hannity who then disseminates this to Trump's followers. As such, the Republicans are essentially on one side, and U.S Intelligence on the other.
By any measure this is traitorous. It just is, and someday this will be broadly accepted. Assange giving blackmail to Hannity about Mark Warner for broadcast in the Far Right media. Trump not implementing sanctions against Russia...it is all so disturbing. We may have advanced too far to reel this back in.
4
Money, money and more money! It was reported that the Koch brothers gave Paul Ryan half a million dollars after the tax bill passed.
4
This behavior is the direct result of gerrymandered districts, unlimited PAC money (the Koch's just gave 1/2 Million to the National Republican Congressional Committee as a reward for tax reform), voter suppression and the gaming of our electoral process by "primary-ing" Republican candidates with such techniques as "score-carding". Even the Koch's might not have intended the divisive, reckless and vicious actions of these low-class Republican snakes.
5
Reading the comments here is as important as the article. Plenty of Trump supporters have written and buy every conspiracy theory Trump puts forth. He's just an average guy forever aggrieved by the powerful elite. (He's actually just an entitled narcissist who can't stand to be criticized by anyone, but why quibble?). Further, Trump has his state media propaganda organ in Fox News, and the Republican Politburo backing him too. To Trumpsters, if law enforcement Republicans, which is what the FBI and Justice are comprised of, are investigating Trump, it must be a conspiracy. Trump supporters have written things here such as there is "no known precedent for the FBI's actions! when in the previous presidential election the FBI director, a religious zealot and right-wing Republican played a material part in Trump winning the election by violating guidelines and the orders of the Justice Department, pontificated on immorality, all while concealing that he was in possession of evidence that Trump, Manafort, Don Jr. etc. were in collusion with the Russians. It's also as if the first director of the FBI, the far-right zealot J. Edgar Hoover, who peddled in blackmail, never existed. This is more than just the authoritarianism of Trump. All elected Republicans must destroy the investigators, even though they're also Republicans, because Trump's Alt-Right, nativist, White-Nationalist base, which has taken over the Republican party, will destroy every elected Republican who doesn't.
6
How in heaven's name did Donald Trump ever win the Republican primary? Good grief, the misery that unleashed.
5
There is an interesting story at the Daily Beast:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/julian-assange-thought-he-was-messaging-se...
...about a woman who successfully imitated Sean Hannity on a Twitter account and received a message from Julian Assange that he had information regarding Mark Warner, Democratic co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
These Republicans have a huge advantage; they have Russian Intelligence working for them. That intelligence has all the dirt, all the compromising material because they've been collecting it for years.
This is why Mueller's task is much larger than just Trump and the Russians. Tangled in are all sorts of Congressmen and other leaders. This is probably the one thing that can compromise Mueller.
That said, the Republicans are treasonous. It is as simple as that.
10
Where is Paul Ryan? Why is Nunes allowed near this...wasn't he recused. Is there any Republican who has any morality or loyalty to the country? Why are they being Trump Toadys??
8
We are deep in constitutional crisis territory folks. And everyone, no matter their party affiliation, should be mighty concerned that we have an administration that daily and blatantly flouts the rule of law and the norms of our government.
Is it at all coincidental that today, the Moscow Times reports that the Trump administration is "even worse" than the Obama administration - and shortly thereafter Trump decides to not put into place the sanctions against Russia that were due to be implemented today? Really people, how much clearer could it possibly be that Trump and his band of merry grifters is owned part and parcel by Putin and the Russian government?
https://themoscowtimes.com/news/trump-administration-even-worse-than-oba...
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/371333-state-dept-tells-congr...
I am, literally, weeping for my country today.
9
Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House INTELLIGENCE Committee, is an oxymoron of a concept if ever there was one. And now -- Surprise! -- he adds blatant, obvious servitude and political obedience to Trump to his long list of deficiencies.
20
Putin must wake up every day laughing himself silly. His schemes to destroy the United States have succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
Good job, Nunes. Someday, your name will be as reviled as that of Benedict Arnold in American history.
59
How much more choreographed can it get?
First there's a concerted "Hooo Boy! Here it comes!" build-up launched from the 10th planet realm of the right-wing blogosphere...predictably enabled by a massive uptick in Russian bot activity programmed to carpet bomb #ReleaseTheMemo into the confirmation bias addicted 35% of the population who at this point really need to hear something sort of solid to counter what has really become an ugly and incontrovertible line of evidence indicating obstruction if not treason on the part of the White House.
Then we get a steady ramp up of the anti-FBI drumbeat. Never mind that it's Republicans trashing Republicans. If anybody thinks this is anything but an attempt to isolate Mueller (because the optics of firing him are simply not good), well then I have three or four islands recently swallowed up by rising seas that I'd like to sell you.
And now we get the memo, which instead of being actual evidence is really just an opinion piece which wouldn't make it into the editorial pages of a real newspaper. It's a press release. Bald-faced agit prop of the lowest order. Something dredged from the same authoritarian sewer that makes it impossible for the president to break the law.
I can give a pass for all this to the ingenues who don't have much and need to believe in something. I can't do the same to the Republican leaders who are simply doing a well-heeled goose step toward a world their parents fought to prevent a few decades ago.
33
The repubs will come to rue this day, when they tried to gaslight the entire country and feed into the paranoid recriminations of the Drumpf propaganda machine. We don't buy it you chumps and your Faustian bargain only exposes you for how spineless you are.
The only cabal is in the White House, led by a slovenly, vulgar, sad excuse for a man who cares little about making this country "great" and more about enriching himself and his family, surrounding himself with sycophants, playing into the hands of the strongmen of the world, and trying half-heartedly to cover up treason.
This would make a great Cohen brothers black comedy, except for the fact that this is our lives and our futures these people are messing with. #SAD
17
PC NYC
Coen brothers. Excellent film makers.
Sad Days for America when a Party chooses its own Power over the Protection of the United States, this whole boondoggle of Secret Society, Deep State, Fake News these people are blinded by the Insane amounts of Power and Cash being passed out by the Oligarchs, Putin, and are no doubt colluding to help Russia over America....sad days for the grand ole party, who cant see the light because the cash is piled to the cieling on there vacation home desks, Sad days when we allow the FBI whose protected this country selflessly, but now politicized and picked apart, while a Guilty party sitsas its Master, patting them all on the head and handing out free Golf Memberships.
Sad days for America...
11
Mr Mueller - release it all -
14
Books on the present day Republican Party: "The Confederacy of Dunces" and the "Audacity of Dope" This is the age of rule of the stupid.
15
Those of us with security clearances were told to only to those that need to know and my materials were sensitive to a particular time period. I and those that had security clearances were told the penalty for revealing information to people that were not vetted. If I or anyone else did what the Republican Controlled Committee did the stunt tonight, there would a flight booked to JFK, NY, NY or Dulles, DC. And penalties and possible jail time. This precedent is reckless and the DOJ used the proper word for declassifying information for a purely political motive. SHAME ON THOSE IDIOTS ON THE COMMITTE!
14
Not shame on them. Better to lock them up. We already have a president who provided top secret US intell to his Russian visitors. Is publication of classified material also a perk of Congress? If this was such hot stuff on the DOJ, why didn’t Nunes himself write the memo, instead of giving that serious responsibility to lesser staff for them to take the fall. He swears after all that he never personally saw the documents used as the basis for the memo. Smells fishy.
So the party and president in power release selected bits of classified information to attack the DoJ and the FBI. If this is not a disguised coup and politicization of justice, what is it? Cover-up of treason and blocking any possibility of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors ...
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/for-impeachment-referral-mueller...
19
But the Deep State also releases selected bits and pieces of classified information to attack the sitting POTUS. They are effecting a defacto coup d'etat.
No deep state in America - it's called law enforcement. Copying the thug Erdogan's slogans is misleading in this context - there's no group of generals or colonels plotting a coup. A con man and scam artist was put in the White House in part with help from a hostile foreign power.
Republicans have become the Party of Treason.
30
It's not enough to blather on in the NYTimes comment column. You have to write to your Congressional representatives and express your outrage.
19
Money talks! Organizations such as swingleftorg and democraticredistricting.com are our only hope for righting such wrongs.
3
The Democrats in Congress are doing their best, but cannot stop the Republicans from their misguided deeds. These far right nitwits think that there is a "deep state" led cabal that is trying to get rid of trump.
Duh. It's not the deep state, it's the majority of the people in the country, that want trump investigated because there is plenty of evidence that he has obstructed justice, possibly colluded with the Russians, just a couple of the many things he has done that make him unfit to be president.
Oh yeah. He just decided not to impose the sanctions that the House & Senate passed. More proof that trump is Putin's puppet??
If they are R (Complicit), they Do Not Care. Unless your last name is Koch or that of another donor.
Republicans are now traitors, helping our enemies? sigh
18
Who needs an enemy like North Korea when you have Congressional Republicans doing the bidding of their bigoted base and lying leader?
25
For shame. "Republican" now means "Quisling."
21
So many Republicans bending over backwards to protect a snake oil salesman. You can never disown those choices, GOP. Long term it's not going to be pretty.
29
Nunes is putting democracy under the bus to save Trump who is controlled by the Puttin regime. No one going to miss Nunes when his dirts get out.
23
The Republican Party is the greatest threat to the US since Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
But note evil always self- destructs just not in a timely way. Be patient. Their days are numbered.
47
So when it comes out and you find out that it was Democrats, I will assume you start back peddling and continue to blame Republicans and Trump?
Yep - The evangelical Faux-Christians made a deal with the devil to elect trump, and the devil will want his due. A high price indeed to make a deal with the devil. The greatest threat to Christianity is the evangelical faux-Christians and the greatest threat to our country is the evangelical Faux-Christians. Separation of church and state is the only way to run a nation.
1
This is Putin in charge now.
In Russia, he's up for reelection and he will destroy any opposition there.
With Trump, Putin is demanding his end of the bargain. Obviously, he's holding Trump hostage. Looks like he's also got info on the GOP to spill.
Thus, the GOP's desperate measures to wage war against the FBI itself.
Trump knows he can't escape what Mueller has on him. Memo or not, Mueller will be fired pretty soon.
27
There would be nothing to keep the Mueller team from publishing personal notes. It’s not like Team Trump would have any credibility as most Americans want the investigation to continue with a decision, one way or another. It would be cruel for Trump not to be able to convince Mueller of “No collusion.” In the meantime, the State of the Union speech tomorrow can best be described tonight as precarious. Even Melania may cut and run to Florida again.
1
Please. Stop putting Putin in front of the cart. Trump did all this. He contracted with Russia to steal the election. It was his way of making good on his Russian loans.
Yes remember Russians hacked the GOP headquarters but only chose to release information from the Democrats. What do they have on the GOP?
Oh well. Mr. T and his satellites know that so many American voters read or hear only headlines. Some of them may manage to read the memo. But that's about it. No meaningful number of T's world residents will consider the context or omitted parts of circumstances in that memo.
Beaded on this accurate understanding of the American voters, Goodlatte, Gowdy, and Nunes are maneuvering bipartisan games to assert their loyalty to Mr. T.
Am I too far fetched?
9
No. Way too polite, actually.
2
So the Republicans want to release a memo that they crafted and then claim discredits part of the Russia investigation. They're entitled to their opinion. But so are the rest of the committee members, i.e. the Democrats. So in the interest of operating in full public view, if the committee wants to air its dirty laundry, the Democrats should simply release their memo. It will be a battle of the partisan memos, but at least the public will have the benefit of both points of view.
34
Once again, the Republicans in Congress have displayed their outright contempt for the United States and its citizens.
33
The very same Republicans who spent a year demanding an investigation into the enormous national security risk caused by Sec. Clinton storing "classified" emails on a private server, even acknowledging that no one ever saw them, are now going to release "top secret" intelligence, embedded into a memo they manufactured, over objection of the intelligence agency? But they aren't going to release an explanatory rebuttal memo why? Because it contains "secrets?" So comforting to know that they'd rather spend their time protecting a grifter than stopping a foreign power from interfering in our next election
46
Using a non secure server in your basement because you don't want to carry two devices is lame. It carries the appearance of wanting to avoid records retention and possible future FOIA matters. Hillary should not have done it, she should have used only government provided email. (I still voted for her though).
1
Just for the record other earlier Secretaries of State used private servers to escape the antiquated State Department system. Even recently two right wind darlings Ivanka and Jared along with other WH staffers used their private servers to handle some government business. Am I the only one who noticed that?
The only reason to do this now is to put pressure on Rosenstein with the goal of forcing him out. The sooner he goes, the sooner his replacement can try to stymie Mueller's investigation. Trump must be very worried about what Mueller is uncovering.
23
So dossiers financed by one party should be dismissed... but memos written by one party should be believed?
17
They were both Republican efforts. The Dems didn’t take over the financing of the dossier until after trumps nomination. The republicans initiated the dossier during the primaries as oppo research.
3
Nunes better hope the Democrats don't take the House in November...because one of the first things they will likely do, will be an investigation into his role in this event among others.
26
I hope Democrats do, but when they find out it was their party it suddenly gets dropped. Remember Michigan?
Congressman Nunes for more than a year has been playing a very suspicious role beyond his call on the job , and not sharing fully with the bipartisan Committee in Congress . Speaker Ryan should request an FBI investigation in Nunes role of an obstructionist in investigation by the Special Counsel on Russian meddling in 2016 presidential elections . What do you think ?
23
I say "Don't hold your breath ." I don't understand why so many Americans are bent on destroying their own country.
2
I think the chances of Ryan standing up to a Republican so called president are between zero and none. He stays quiet, not as foolhardy as Nunes, but even more dangerous in that job. Also he likes big donations from the NRA.
3
Nunes is a Trump TOADIE. He runs to his boss (Trump) with everything that should be kept by Congress, in its role as a separate branch of Government. What he is doing, when considering Trump's complicity in the Russia issue, is tantamount to treason.
Let's see what his spineless sycophants do to support him in their surrender of their Constitutional obligations. My guess, nothing.
Our old swamp pales in comparison to the new one - and the stink is intolerable.
May President Trump be very careful in deciding whether or not to release this memo to the public. We do remember and take into consideration that we should not turn our head when we see not only the law, but the spirit of the law disregarded. We should not allow the existence of what we know to be wrong.
3
Does this change anything, really? It doesn't matter what is in the Nunes memo. Republicans will cheer the release and hold it as proof. Democrats will scorn the release and ignore the contents as biased politics. And so it goes on.
6
Sad that you seem the view them as equal sinners. Normalizing?
A re-separation of powers of the three branches of government is an ultimatum someone needs to respond to. The question becomes who could be trusted to do it.
1
No one could divide that baby these days. Trump is far into stacking the judicial branch courts with often incompetent conservative judges. All with the blessings of Congress.
1
When will the 4th estate decide that saving the nation through effective reporting that helps ordinaty people understand the current jeopardy is more valuable to the continuation of the Republic than any claims of journalistic neutrality (non-existing) or corporate agenda to make money off of this president and now a constitutional crisis?
4
See also:
https://twitter.com/Evan_McMullin/status/958151715651555329
"Don’t be too distracted by the Nunes memo scheme, the most important news of the night is Trump’s refusal to implement new sanctions on Moscow needed to deter its ongoing influence operations."
26
As has been reported, the Trump team was in apparent despair about winning the 2016 election.
My beliefs were that the reaction was due to being shocked by the unexpected win or overwhelmed by the job ahead or unhappy about giving up their lives, or maybe all of those.
But now I think they were scared by the inevitable unearthing of their entire scam of a campaign.
With ultimate hubris they took the next step in a years-long crime spree in Russia and the former Soviet states.
And the scam has worked.
Maybe I've watched All the President's Men too often (I read the book once), but I've been convinced all along that the truth will emerge and Trump will be exiled to Elba in Palm Beach County.
As Carl Bernstein just said on a great opening segment on Don Lemon's show, if Ryan and McConnell had been in charge during Watergate, Nixon might have gotten away with it.
Sleep tight.
18
And who's minding the store? While Congress is consumed with obstruction of justice, collusion, the Clintons, and Russia, China is building ports, bridges, highways and other infrastructure with new 'partner' countries in our backyard. Our infrastructure is crumbling, we have a public education system in dire straits, a calamity in the White House, and a lack of leadership within both political parties. How much worse can it get? Plenty, probably. My hope is that there are government people in out of the way places who are working overtime to shed light on the truth.
14
The problem of DC insiders ignoring the law and expanding federal activity far beyond constitutional limits goes way, way back. At least to J. Edgar Hoover who made an obscure, small office in the DOJ into a monster secret police agency.
The current imbroglio is merely the latest example. We need to rein in our intelligence agencies and, in fact, criminalize agents who violate laws OR constitutional provisions. Conviction should result in severe penalties.
2
Let's see, you write a memo, call it secret, lock it up, and only let certain people see it. Those folks reading it can't take notes, or a picture of it. Yet, it's so secret it has to be released to the public. Gosh, what a way to make something out of nothing. I walked on the Appalachian Trail this afternoon and a fellow mentioned the secret memo to me. So it must be working if a stranger in the wilderness feel compelled to mention it to me.
7
This is headed toward the political equivalent of Waco, except across the nation. Trump and Republicans and their willing followers are happy to see democracy burn rather than allow justice to work its course.
11
Doesn't Nunes know that Congress is a co-equal branch of government and it does not work for the executive (president) branch. Why is he doing Trump's bidding? We know he was part Trump's transition team. Why doesn't he quit Congress and go work for Trump full time already!
10
If there were nothing to hide, Republicans would not be acting as defence attorneys and claiming procedural errors by the FBI as it obtained evidence. This is clearly blocking the investigation - something only the guilty do.
10
Let's wrap up the collusion bit of this and cut to the chase. Step right on over Trump's "red line", follow the money (laundering) and let the chips fall. If he's not guilty of any past financial crimes, then release the tax returns and let Mueller do his job. You'd have nothing to worry about, right? However, given Mr Trump's past record of shady business ethics, he's likely not worried about collusion or impeachment. No, he's seeing the ghost of Al Capone.
12
It's always been exposure of the money laundering that Trump feared, not Russian collusion, or impeachment. If Trump's criminal enterprise is ever investigated and prosecuted, he'll lose his whole empire.
4
The rule of law is dead under the Trump administration. We now have a full-blown constitutional crisis. These are VERY SCARY times that we live in. No one in the Republican Party has the courage to stand up to Trump. I truly don't get it. PLEASE get out and vote for whatever Democrat is running for the House or Senate. It's our only hope.
13
I'm hoping the FBI will start to fight back. The would be very smart to do that.
10
No semblance of love of democracy remains. All we have now is a power grab. Republicans refuse to give up their ability to loot no matter the short or long term impact on our country.
Noteworthy is that Paul Ryan remains clear of this debacle. He knows that if Pence and Trump are charged with obstruction, he is next in succession.
If you thought Trump was a nightmare, Ryan would be much worse.
7
Very timely issue given it's coincidence with the Academy Award nomination of " The Post ", and it's struggle for public disclosure of the Pentagon Papers.
3
If the memo turns out to be true and can be supported by the underlying evidence, then these men, Mr Trump, Nunes, Gowdy, Hannity and Fox News will be heroes. If they are all wrong, than they all should leave office. You should all read the Simpson testimony. It's out there.
1
It's evolved into a complex multiprong attack: the President will play bipartisan dove above the fray (bipartisan SOTU speech, "of course I'll testify"), while behind the scenes the White House exerts partisan pressure inside the FBI (McCabe resignation), smears the FBI (Nunez memo), attacks Mueller's credibility, and so on, with the right wing press whipping up conspiracy accusations.
Clearly, whatever it is Mueller already knows, or is about to reveal, or is determined to find out, is extremely dangerous information to extremely powerful people, cabals or factions.
What is most dangerous here is that this is not a conflict inside the government, as it was with the bipartisan Watergate investigations: this is concerted obstruction of justice by a unified political party, something we haven't seen since the slavery era,
8
Tonight Carl Bernstein is telling CNN Don Lemon that this situation is now The Monday Night Slaughter. A turning point. Tsar Trump is trying to suppress the investigation –his constant aim-- and also the FBI. And says if Ryan and McConnell had been there during Watergate, he doubts the investigation would have gone forward.
How far will today’s Repubs go now, infected with radical extremism? They’re in power over our 3 branches and most states.
In Nixon's time, there was no Fox News monopoly as a state-run Republican Party propaganda machine across the country. Today, our range of motion politically is much reduced.
As Charles Blow says.... "This inches us further away from democracy and closer to despotism. Might as well call a thing a thing."
See new book by 2 Harvard professors 'How Democracies Die.' Good title.
13
They can release all the memos they want. And let Trump attack the FBI, the CIA and other intelligence agencies. They can take apart the Constitution. They can lie, spin, and distort the truth. But what the Republicans can't do is convince most Americans that Trump is an honest, ethical and qualified president. End of story.
12
We are all waiting for the 2018 mid-terms, but, what about our electoral system has been fixed? Discriminatory Voter ID laws and Cross Check are still in place. The Russians are still exploiting Social Media and weaknesses in our Electoral Systems. Hacking of Voting Machines remains viable. No one has looked into the irregularities in the Vote in Key swing states. Unless there is overwhelming Democratic turnout, how will the Democrats win back Congress? Don't forget, Hilary won; No model predicted a Trump win. You can't tell me that 4 Blue states flipped for Trump by a percentage just below what would trigger a recount. Something is rotten and no one has bothered to find out why. Congress could stay in GOP hands for the same reason Trump "won" in the first place.
12
Nunes must be ordered, without delay, to appear before the federal FISA Court to answer why he should not be held in criminal contempt for attempting to release this memo containing classified information relative to the highly confidential functioning of that Court.
19
So the coup against our democracy looks like this. Jeff Sessions has recused himself and can't fire Mueller. Rosenstein, if asked to fire Mueller, would refuse. The release of this memo by Nunes and his allies is calculated to take Rosenstein out. Trump will appoint a new assistant AG. And then Trump will have Mueller fired. At that point he and the republicans in Congress will open proceedings against Clinton and her campaign.
6
john, what is tragic is how many red state Americans will cheer the coup on, as we majority blue Americans watch democracy die. Please tell the blue state Americans-- why is this?
Of course Trump is for this. Anything to muddy the waters and change the topic from his upcoming State of The Union.
2
Nunes should have long ago been required to step down. He tainted the committee with his unethical visit to the White House to disclose info to Trump and staff in the early part of this investigation. What we have here is whatever leadership we have left in the Democratic party has got to start playing hardball with these guys IF they are truly out of line. They should have stood against Nunes months ago - they didn't so this is what we have - Nunes again trying to throw a wrench in the investigation. With the Republicans standing behind Trump to continue pushing their agenda any weakness or misstep by the Democrats will be ceased upon. Where is OUR Democratic attack dog? I'm afraid until we stop playing nice and by the rules and possibly gain enough seats in 2018 we're not going anywhere. The numbers are against the Dems and the Republicans are taking no prisoners lead by Trump - when is that going to sink in?
4
First they create a work of fiction by collaging cherry picked and misrepresented incidents in the lives of people they think should have no.
Then they create an atmosphere of mysterious repression around it.
Then, still pretending, the "vote" to release the "secret" memo which is the opposite of secret. They have given it an aura of legitimacy, and they have broken with the tradition of even trying to be honest or respect necessary restraints.
Carter Page earned surveillance for defined reasons.
This cheat is meant to imply, once again, that the honest people are liars and the liars are honest.
Disgusted doesn't even begin to describe it!
28
1st paragraph should end "people they [Republican legislators] think should have no right to free speech, thought, or ethical legal process.
5
Does this mean we get to talk about the p-p tapes again (aka salacious allegations in the Steele dossier)?
Trump probably wishes everyone would just stop talking about his alleged encounters with prostitutes. His wife hasn't talked to him since the Stormy Daniels story broke. Just before that it was a hundred women the campaign had to "take care of", according to Steve Bannon in "Fire and Fury".
Melania might be noticing a pattern here. A movie was made about this very situation recently, it was a horror film called "Get Out".
Meanwhile, GOP members of Congress would like us to pretend that Carter Page didn't actually meet with the Russians because the warrant was somehow politically motivated. Of course, the judge was told there was probable cause of Russian contacts by Carter and guess what, it turned out to be more than probable. You can't make this stuff up.
He is just as entitled, in the GOP view, to lie about his Russian contacts as Sessions, Flynn, Kushner, Donald Jr and others.
20
Seriously, why would anyone who hasn't already made up their mind (i.e. Republican base) put any credence in something a doofus like Devin Nunes came up with? He barely has more integrity than Trump.
70
$12.5 million in corporate donations last year, that's Nunes.
11
The Republican base is about 5% of the population. They will find this out the hard way in November.
1
Because if it has facts that can be backed up by the AG report, then the facts can speak for themselves. If there is something that is factually false, the Democrats can and will challenge it and it can be reconciled with the AG report, or preferably by going to the root source used in the report.
Something to consider is that multiple investigations have gone on for a long time. In spite of including covert surveillance and the resources of the DOJ can congress, nothing involving illegal Russian collusion has been publically shown to occur. Instead there have been leaks, process crimes, and accusations of obstruction of justice for investigation of a crime that has not been shown to occur.
Had any unambiguous evidence of significant collusion surfaced the memo would not matter because the evidence would speak for yourself.
However, if the intent was to set up an investigation of the new admin on false pretenses for the purpose of damaging it, you might expect things to have unfolded exactly as the have. Text messages showing bias and referencing "Andy" among high level people.
1
I’m starting to question how much support these Republicans are receiving themselves from Russia.
136
Just starting now? Why? It hasn't been starkly apparent all along? Why?
7
And there you have it. There were less reported allegations that conservatives up and down the ticket in numerous districts and more than a few states benefitted from Russian interference an disinformation in the last election. These crooks are running scared, not just to protect Trump, but themselves as well.
10
McConnells PAC received millions of dollars from Russian backed interests which was then doled out to Republican candidates for office. This goes deep.
2
Let's not forget, the Grifter Oligarch Party exposed national secrets in the first Bengazi hearing. They have long ago given up even trying to keep up appearances that they're concerned about anything other than retaining power.
63
Although not unexpected from this crew of Republicans, its difficult to believe
these people care more about protecting their Republican regime than discovering if the meddling occurred and how deep the Russian incursion actually was. If you listen closely, you can hear the United States circling the drain.
61
Not hard to understand now that we know that the GOP has profited from Russian money...
I wonder, is this only about discrediting Rosenstein and the FBI, or could the idea of a secret "memo" be an attempt to discredit the veracity of all memos, as such?
Remember, another memo is one of the key pieces of evidence that can be marshaled in a case of obstruction of justice against Trump. This is Nunez, the White House, and other desperate Republicans saying, "You've heard James Comey's version of the truth: now here is ours." America, choose your own reality.
11
They're getting their ducks in a row so that if Mueller indicts Trump or anyone close to him, they can use their deviousness in obstructing this whole issue to "justify" their not even considering any kind of charges for anyone close to Trump, or the stable genius himself.
There is no doubt how history will judge these events.
But how will those who stood by and let it happen be judged?
I think we know that too.
47
I'll be eligible for Social Security and Medicare in just a few years, but I am now looking into moving to Canada.
43
but will Canada welcome political refugees from the US? There will be many tears of Americans if this ever happens. Pray for us, and our Republic.
You can live in Canada and still get your benefits.
You all keep threatening to leave. Do it!
The Grand Old Party needs to be renamed the New Russian Party. They are doing their best at the bidding of their owners...oops, their donors.protect our Trump is their rallying cry.
30
Democrats - release the memo. Don't let this lie. Have the agents come home and then burn the Rep. there is so much lying, covering up, shady money, dereliction of duty and filth the GOP has stained our country with.
Firing Bhahara, ending and settling the Deuche Bank Russian money connection, lying by every major player in his administration and the absolute harm Nunes is doing. Virtually, enriching yourself and family and never releasing tax records. How come no one can leak those?
Somebody has to come forward for the survival of our nation. We need a a statesman or a hero to place country above all else.
Dems need to go after Nunez, Ryan, McConnell, Sessions, professionally or personally. Dig into their emails, finances, contacts. Get up the nose of their backers.
And if it takes a liberal Wikileaks-type to expose it so be it. If Dems continue to stick with the "they go low, we go high" we're doomed. Go as low as you can, end this and start building back our democracy.
Hillary keep coming at them. You didn't win so there is nothing to stop you as an ex-president to be brutal.
56
It's outrageous that they can release their cherry picked memo and they get to decide of the Dems memo can also be released. And of course they're claiming the info they chose to leave out is too much or risk to national security; info that would provide context for their cherry picked issues they wanted in their memo.
4
"Hillary keep coming at them. You didn't win so there is nothing to stop you as an ex-president to be brutal."
Ex-president? Hillary was our president?
Why didn't anyone tell me that?
I learn a lot from these comments.
Like the internet, everything is true and very educational.
Everything about this so-called memo stinks. For his part, Mr. Nunez has already given us a number of inflammatory lies. When he was an active member of an investigatory committee he behaved so questionably that he had to recuse himself from the Russia investigation--at which point he continued to interfere with the investigations and, for instance, issue his own subpoenas without committee approval, and carry out his own private investigations. The Republicans on the committees have refused to focus on the task at hand, have protected witnesses, and have even tried to shut down the committees before they had done anything at all. Why would this memo be any different?
42
This will be the biggest fizzle since New Coke.
13
Nunes is a habitual liar. I remember at some point in 2017 looking him up on Wikipedia and finding that his bio was filled with obvious false claims.When I looked again this year, it had been scrubbed clean.
33
Several hundred Republicans have coordinated among themselves, colluded with the White House, and recklessly disregarded the entreaties of their own Justice Department. Their standards for the rule of law have sunken lower than a snake's belly.
29
Many should be charged with obstruction themselves.
1
In a year of this administration, we have become a corrupt, third world nation with a collapsing democracy and no values other than the accumulation of personal wealth and maintaining power. This country will not survive the cleptocratic Republicans who hide behind hate and duplicitous pseudo religion.
49
True, sigh. Asheville is nice though.
1
I can see that Republicans are trying to create a plausible story line that Trump supporters can hang on to when the Mueller report is released. But really - the whole story is that the FISA application to investigate Carter page included (among many other classified things) an unsubstantiated report by Christopher Steele? Really, that's all? Quite a thin thread of a story line! (Remember that Republicans are the ones who initiated the Steele report through Fusion GPS. And Steele did not know who was funding the report.) So from this we're supposed to believe the FBI and all the other US intelligence agencies are corrupt? And we're supposed to believe that this thin little story means that none of the evidence of Russian interference and/or Trump collusion and/or Trump obstruction of justice could possibly have happened? Certainly some Trump supporters will try to hang on to this thin little story line, but it's an awfully weak string!
26
Carter Page was under FISA surveillance before Steele was even hired. This is the kind of misdirection we can expect in Nunes's ridiculous memo.
I cannot wait long enough for 2018 mid term election. Depending on the current republican crooks to save our democracy would be like living in a fools' paradise.
11
If the obama administration had been honest to begin with the dems might still be credible. So keep up the crying
If it is possible for the Russians to hack into the DNC, RNC, and assorted local, state and other databases, how difficult would it be to hack into the private email accounts and other "private" information of Republican House members? Answer: not very. There is a reason so many Republicans are turning their back to Trump's destruction of our democracy, and it isn't because they like him...
17
I think it's already been established that Wikileaks has GOP emails, but haven't yet seen a need to release them. I infer from this that there is considerable kompromat animating so much loyalty to Trump among Republicans in Congress.
5
Bingo! The blackmail chain is deeper than anyone can yet imagine...
Way to lead, Paul. A real person of principle.
"Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin largely stayed out of the dispute, deferring to Mr. Nunes and the committee... "
41
Yet one more example among far too many of Paul taking care of himself rather than the country. He knows there is going to be an anti-GOP backlash from this like they've never seen before and Paul wants to manipulate everything behind the scenes so that he can later claim that he had nothing to do with it. He's as corrupt as Nunes.
3
"House Republicans Vote to Release Secret Memo on Russia Probe"
Today's news that Mr. Nunes is releasing his so-called "memo" while not allowing a counter by the Democrats, is a shocking example of how low the GOP has sunk, and most especially "representative" Nunes. Further, not allowing this gimmick—which is most certainly designed to shield Donald Trump—to be vetted by the DOJ is reckless, in the least. Such a despicable partisan act I have not seen... at least not since Nunes' last ten acts of treason.
Shame SHAME, and forever shame on Devin Nunes for not only standing beside the so-called president, the corrupt, ignorant and bigoted Donald Trump, but for being out front in defending and enabling this beast. Nunes is not a representative of We the People. He is a representative of two people only: Donald Trump,and himself. Please god, may they both be dragged from their offices and each fitted for a set of strong shackles before this great nation falls any further.
53
Ten acts of treason? Are you sure you don't mean 57?
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
1
People familiar with the underlying application have portrayed the Republican memo as misleading in part, they say, because Mr. Steele’s information was insufficient to meet the standard for a FISA warrant. They said the application drew on other intelligence material that the Republican memo selectively omits. That other information remains highly sensitive, and releasing it would risk burning other sources and methods of intelligence-gathering about Russia.
Democrats tried unsuccessfully on Monday to push forward a motion for the F.B.I. and the Justice Department to brief the entire House in a private session on that material before the release of the Republican memo so that they could make a more informed judgment about its contents.
The Republicans who voted against this motion should have to make individual public statements as why they voted against the motion. In this way, their Democratic opponents should have something to run as political advertisements in case the Republicans turn out to be wrong about Carter Page.
The Mueller investigation might result in an indictment against Carter Page. If that turns out to be the case, the Republicans who voted for the release should be held fully accountable for their error in judgment.
26
If Mr. Steele’s information was at all used to try and meet the "standard" for a FISA warrant, that should tell you something about the motives of the F.B.I. spies. A political party pays a commercial firm like Fusion GPS to generate scandalous materiel and expects any good to come of these endeavors? And select personnel within the F.B.I. exploits this material for a surveillance warrant?
Great empires don't fall from outside attacks (e.g. the Russians are coming). They rot from within (e.g. Fusion GPS).
2
The Republicans hired Fusion GPS first . They then gave up because Trump won the primary.
1
But you forget that the FBI wanted to talk to Steele because he had very similar information to what the FBI had that his dossier revealed. I'd wager Steele's information only supported what the FBI already had, thus making the FISA warrant request more compelling.
You are correct about great empires failing, but don't blame Fusion GPS, they are only a messenger. It's what you do (or don't do) that catalyzes the rot.
1
Is Nunes looney Noonez? Are Californians proud to have voted for this national embarrassment of a congressman who breaks secrets and destroys trust in the democratic process? Or is he just trying for a Trump promotion by being the number one lackey when Sessions gets fired? Stay tuned dear readers, there’s more circus drama to come on he next exciting episode.
19
Devin Nunes supposedly recused himself from the Russia investigation. Does Nunes have any scruples whatsoever?
22
Yay!
Can't wait to read Steele's report!
1
Steele's report has been out for more than a year. I've read it. The reason it is never quoted by the MSM is that it is so transparently absurd that even democrats would find it silly. It alleges Trump has been working for Putin for the last 8 years to spy on the USA activities of Russian oligarch families. This is flat out looney and if it was used to get a surveillance warrant then that shows we have big problems in our FBI.
I believe it has been online for a couple of years for anybody to read it. Or is this a new one?
Go to Buzzfeed. They have it for you to read.
Let me guess, it says Trump is great and the FBI is being mean to him? What a sad day and age, it's a shame it seems not enough Republicans in the House have the requisite spine to do the right thing.
34
Hopefully our Republican Rep will be relieved of his need for a spine or his job either one. So sick of their mess.
This is some ugly fight going on for the soul of the nation.
Where will we come out on this? I hope it is on the side of truth, fairness, due process, and letting the investigation take its course. All this maneuvering causes a loss of faith in the idea that was the United States of America.
47
Egregious,lack of integrity.
10
Prediction: Rosenstein will be fired and replaced with some Trump masochist who will then “replace” Mueller. Under the assault, the FBI will become a leaky, sinking boat and the country will be in chaos.
20
Forget about a Watergate moment. Have you all forgotten that the Republicans did not control Congress when Nixon resigned under pressure?
9
There were Republicans with integrity when Nixon was forced to resign. I was in my early twenties living 2000 miles from Maine and I was so impressed that young Bill Cohen from Republican from Maine voted to impeach, That was a profiles in courage moment.
3
WOW. I am having a hard time getting my head around this one. I lost faith in President Obama when he created DACA and now I am losing faith in the FBI if this memo is true. Whatever happened to the RULE of LAW in the United States?
5
Maybe it's time for you to come in from the milky way . Hello Earth to Galactus . The rule of law is certainly in peril but not from the FBI , the memo is something Nunes cooked up and the memo not true . Come on down.
4
So you would kick people out of this country who did not voluntarily come here, who have lead model lives that many voting Americans could not even compare with, AND WHO HAVE SERVED IN OUR ARMED FORCES DEFENDING THIS COUNTRY WITHOUT EVEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE? If you are answering yes to this, then, in my book, you are not an American.
2
If you truly want to believe that helping out people who were small tiny children when their parents brought them here; ones that never knew of any other country is something you would lose faith in a true leader over then, brother I have lost faith in you. In people that think like you.
Holy cow, where did we get such a mean spirited portion of our population from?
Especially all the ones who came over from Europe to displace the actual owner of this land.
1
It's just terrible when one trusts the FBI more than the elected officials who are supposed to be the check on the executive branch. What do we do if they fire Rosenstein and Mueller? March, my darlings, and prepare to stand together before the tanks.
23
I'll be marching right there with ya! Trump is definitely putting his ducks in a row in order to fire Rosenstein and then Mueller. If that happens, there must be a huge response.
Devin Nunes , a regressive politician with a penchant to do anything to obstruct and smear by selectively picking what is released to the public. A toady for sure and dangerous because he has no sense of ethics , the Igor of the house , with lots of ignorance to pass around. Our country is truly in peril !
25
There was a time when members of Congress, having sworn an oath to defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, would be interested in getting to the bottom of the possibility that Russia interfered with our 2016 election. In that long-ago time, members eventually would put country ahead of party, and patriotism ahead of politics. That time is no more. It is beyond shameful, it is seditious and insidious how the majority party has colluded to obfuscate, impede, and obscure the search for facts, the search for truth so that they can attempt to mis-direct and deceive the public, divert the investigation, and avoid the possible implication of their president's election as tainted by Russian interference, with or without active cooperation of the candidate, his campaign organization, or even his party. It is a shameful indictment of the members whose first interest and primary activity has been to try to impugn the veracity of the investigators at the FBI and Mr. Mueller's staff, rather than seek to find the real truth, the facts, and make sure that our elections, the most fundamental foundation of our democracy, are independent and valid. These members of Congress are showing the true content of their character, and the quality of their citizenship by their actions. We the People have a remedy - remember - and vote in November 2018.
28
I hope we wake up to news tomorrow that Mueller subpoenaed Trump to appear in front of the Grand Jury. That would fix his wagon.
29
Absolutely, but is not happening. So what do you do then?
I hope we wake to news that Republican obstructionists in the House are being subpoenaed for said obstruction.
2
It may very well come to that.
1
The Trump Russia investigation was an attempt by the corrupt Obama DOJ/FBI/CIA/Deep State to tie up the new administration so they could divert attention from their activities, and pray that they were never uncovered. It worked for a year, with the leftist press aiding them in barking up the wrong (empty) tree. The best defense is a good offense, you see. But the simmering pot has been turned up and is now boiling over, and they won't be able to cover up the widespread corruption any longer. Many members of the Obama Administration are in deep, deep legal jeopardy. This is about to get very interesting! Pass the popcorn!
5
pure delusion
4
what are you talking about?
3
“...Russia’s brazen meddling in the 2016 presidential election.” Let’s focus on THAT. It is known (by actual facts!) that our country’s election was targeted by a foreign power. And yet the Republicans prefer to politick rather than protect our democracy. It’s beyond shameful.
16
And, tonight, the Trump administration announced that they see no need for enforcing sanctions against Russia that congress overwhelmingly passed. We have to ask ourselves: why is that?
4
Rosenstein is as good as gone.
Sessions will be next.
Bye bye, Muellie, we barely knew ye.
3
Under that mild exterior Rosenstein seems pretty steely. I don't think I'd want to be firing him.
With the GOP, it's all politics, all the time - guess this really shouldn't come as a surprise. Releasing a memo they themselves wrote in secret to help protect their president from charges of collusion with the Russians to win an election is nonetheless beyond despicable. Nixon must be spinning in his grave.
9
Got my "Nunes is a Traitor" signs printing as I write this. His district is 20 minutes away. Heading for the major intersections. We must stand up for our democracy!
32
This reeks of Machiavellian politics, pure and simple. I truly hope that those who know the facts, every last one of them, about this situation and can prove them beyond any shadow of a reasonable doubt will come forward. Our democracy is literally hanging by a thread. If our bedrock institutions, especially our law enforcement and intelligence agencies, can be so easily undermined we are in serious trouble. Those institutions, and our faith in them, including congress, are all that separates us from tyranny.
16
"They said the application drew on other intelligence material that the Republican memo selectively omits.".....You either release all the information or you don't release any of the information. Nunes and the selective release of information just plain smells bad.
16
They're all on the take. Russian money help get them elected. They don't want proof of that to come to light.
22
These days, any publication = reality, even when it is filled with lies and distortions. This is what Republicans count on. This behavior is unforgivable. A deluge of distractions will not make me forget the behavior of this Republican Congress, from their unbridled partisanship, their meanness, their slavish devotion to corporate power over people, their lack of moral courage and last but not least, their protection of a "President" whose behavior is so reprehensible that the most negative adjectives used to describe him have nearly lost their meaning.
26
May history not forget the GOP acted as traitors to this country, refusing to legitimately investigate Russia's meddling in our Presidential election.
24
Lets hope that during Trump's State of the Union speech tomorrow night he pulls out the order authorizing the memos release and signs its from the podium. I am so sick of these secret recordings, secret FISA courts and judges, FBI misconducts, fake news stories and more. Time to open it up and expose all of it.
8
John,
Its a sad day when a cabal led by the likes of Nunes disregards the Justice Department and releases a memo that even GOP senators have called highly questionable.
FYI, if you look at the wiki page for Nunes it has been amended to say that he is a "russian politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 22nd congressional district since 2003. " Love it. May this climate denying, Benghazi conspiracy nut twist in the wind when the FISA memo is debunked.
I am also hoping Mc Cabe was actively pushed out, and that it adds another nail in the coffin of Trump's obstruction of justice coffin.
If anything happens to Mueller, you are going to see people in the street in numbers that make the first women's march look like a cake walk.
2
Anyone who uses the term "fake news" sincerely does not deserve to be taken seriously.
1
And holds it up to show us all, like a 5 year old with his color drawing from Kindergarten.
With this president and his cohorts everything is unprecedented in just about everything they do.
So the Obama Administration started this surveillance and Trump's own representatives continued it. They keep bringing up that the Clinton Campaign gave funds for the research yet this all was started with funding from GOP supporters.
This country is quickly going to the dogs and that is an insult to the dogs.
7
Nunes keeps committing obstruction of justice. Wonder what Trump or Putin have on him that he is so afraid of the Mueller investigation going forward. In the mean time, the silence of other republicans in congress is deafening. Are they all party to this charade?
17
The Republican Party is following Trump down the path to authoritarian rule. Democracy depends on checks and balances, which include acceptance of democratic norms and procedures and a commitment to putting democratic institutions and practices above individual or party interests. The Republicans have repeatedly been willing to cast aside norms and practices of democracy and to weaken governing institutions to protect Trump and to safeguard their majority control. We are watching the erosion of democracy.
30
I'm open-minded. Let's see what's in it!
5
We need to do more than see what's in it. We need to understand how it is documented and also to critique the reasoning. Both are expected to be thin.
7
Only if we can verify the accuracy of contents, which the GOP is both refusing to allow. It is worthless on it's face and dangerous propagandizing if they refuse to allow the contents to be challenged.
I didn't think that was how we did things here.
12
Is Nunes liable for obstruction of justice?
McCabe's status as a witness in the Mueller investigation jeopardized in any way by his "retirement" from his job?
Can he sue the government for firing him without cause... and maybe Trump for calling his wife a "loser"?
2
Nunes IS obstructing justice, whether he will be liable or not is another story. This is a man of absolute perfidious intent. He must be culpable of something very bad, or he wants to date trump when Melania leaves...God knows!
McCabes's status as a witness in the Mueller investigation should not be jeopardized in any way by his "retirement" from his job.
If McCabe left "willingly"...even if he felt that he was being forced out...I don't know if he can sue the government...? Perhaps he CAN sue on the grounds of a hostile work environment, threats, coercion, and harassment.
As far as trump calling McCabe's wife a "loser" that is just vile, stupid, nasty, and the remark of the imbecile whom we know as trump...but perhaps it is slander...?
1
Trump doesn't realize this memo release might subtract from the collusion case, but ADDS to the obstruction case.
16
Trump has outsourced obstruction of justice to his Republican buffers in Congress.
13
Far from draining any swamp Trump and the GOP have opened up a canal for passage of immoral creepy-crawly foreign oligarchs and autocrats into control of our amber waves of grain.
This memo release is horrifying as to the depths the GOP has sunk in their thralldom to international wealth.
21
The Democrats were loudly asking to get to the bottom of the so called Russian interference. Well, we are getting there and now they do not like what we are finding because it's not what they wanted to find. Pure hypocresy!
8
Actually, all of the publicly available evidence, including 2 guilty pleas and two indictments, point to Russian interference. Democrats oppose the release of the memo because it is partisan, cherry pucks evidence, and revels classified intelligence.
13
it takes a hypocrite to see one
1
Why do you assume that this memo will represent "getting to the bottom" of the Russian interference? To the contrary, this memo will be a hoax and a distraction, a pathetic attempt at stopping us getting to the bottom.
Do Congressional staffers (Republican or Democratic) have the authority to classify a document they themselves write?
3
Trump has been consistently clear that he wants the Justice Department to be his emforcer- protect him personally and go after his enemies as he pleases.
What we are witnessing is simply a kind of coup to achieve this. He can't quite do it by himself, after all we are still not living in outright dictatorship, but he orchestrating it. Republicans enable him, either by being actively complicit (Nunes and Co), complicit by not acting (Ryan, McConnell) or just generally being silent. A great horde of infamy.
Historically, America has often fallen far short of its ideals of equality. But, it's never been a one-person rule. Trump clearly wants a one-man rule and is working on it. Norms of civil behavior are eroding. Those two factors together are very ominous. Beyond Trump the man there is Trumpism the crude and thuggish un-civil behavior. It won't go away in a day. Even if Trump is censured or simply loses the elections, the American polity is already severely wounded and healing will be hard and ling term.
15
I am blown away by the blatant cynicism of Nunes & co., and my expectations were rock-bottom. They need to be eradicated as soon as possible for democracy to survive.
19
The taking over of our democracy has commenced.
16
About 1.5 years ago.
Release Nunes’ memo.
Release the Democratic memo.
Ask for comments from DOJ and FBI
Hold congressional hearings on the subject
If you just release the Nunes memo with no5hing else, it is just propaganda.
14
As someone who lived through Watergate and other government abuses, I find it hard to believe that so many of the comments side with government agencies over civil liberties. Shameful.
17
What civil liberties?
It's abundantly clear that Devin Nunes is hiding something. No one embarks on this type of subterfuge otherwise. This is not about secret societies or the "Deep State," this is about one more narcissist making a power-grab and sweeping something under the carpet. Nunes is not winning friends in his home district either. They're fed up with his grandstanding. For the first time since he was elected to Congress, he'll be facing a Democratic challenger who has a real shot at turning a Red District Blue. While Nunes likes standing before microphones in the halls of the Capitol, he avoids constituents at all costs. If the Mueller investigation is allowed to play itself out, I wouldn't be surprised if Nunes ends up facing obstruction charges himself.
19
...and so it begins.
The dark forces supporting trump are marshaling in earnest now that the Special Counsel Mueller is getting very close to shutting this corrupt administration down. This is a very dangerous period in this process...trump and his minions look towards Putin and other non democratic hardliners for inspiration. Our Democracy, in the meantime, is in peril.
We must be vigilant and we must hold all accountable. This is existential.
20
One more reminder that getting rid of the Republicans in November is a matter of national security.
29
I hope that we can make it to November. If Rosenstein and Mueller get booted and Congress refuses to act then I think it’s up to the American people to get out and protest-national strike days, something! I don’t have much faith that anyone in power is going to speak up and take action to stop this horror show.
1
The GOP must be sitting on a ticking political time bomb. Efforts like this to diffuse it will result in a lot of jail time.
16
What don't these elected officials, who swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, understand about the word, "secret?"
For that matter, why can't the IRS, in supporting the concept of 'secret only when convenient', summarily release all of Donald Trump's tax returns for the public to peruse and decide whether he is in fact a great business mind and a very rich person?
10
Charles De Gaulle, President of France, supposedly was asked the question,"Do you think the American experiment has been a success?" His (supposed) reply was, "It's too soon to tell."
Whether that story is apocryphal, inaccurately attributed, or something else, I think his answer would be "non!".
(He also is quoted as saying "You may be sure the Americans will commit all the stupidities they can think of, plus some that are beyond imagination.")
7
This may possibly be the line where we can readily determine true patriots from perhaps what may very well be enemies of the people. History will reveal that soon enough.
It is no longer about what is good for Americans, but what is good for Republicans, the political party and specifically its donors. I have no love for the Democratic Party, but even with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi with their brazen partisanship in full display 8 years ago, there was a respect for the Constitution.
It is quickly going out the window and fulfilling Nikita Khrushchev’s prophesy that the US would collapse from within.
How far does the Russian influence extend into the Republican Party? Seriously, I cannot imagine the power is that intoxicating unless there is some massive personal payoff or compromat to drive this malignant behavior. Sane men and women do not act this way unless they are under great stress.
11
All of this noise from republicans makes it so obvious that there is something (or things) to hide. Republicans are following the same rule book as they did during Watergate - as they do with everything - deny and obfuscate.
They know Trump is dirty / untrustworthy when it comes to Russian or they wouldn't have enacted new laws that block the president's ability to relax sanctions without Congressional review.
The republicans have always been more than willing to lie, cheat, and steal to gain power and keep it. The evidence of their unbelievably unethical and unscrupulous behavior is so overwhelming, and our inability to do anything about it.. is just so, so depressing.
Stealing a supreme court nominee, gerrymandering and suppressing the vote, lying about Climate Change, tax cuts for the rich, it just goes on and on and on and on...
13
If I were a progressive, I'd demand an immediate recount...
Am sure some of those 22 votes were for Jill Stein...
On the bright side, there's already a line of municipal traffic court judges out the back door and around the block at the Supreme Court building, each vying to be the one to issue an injunction banning Republicans from the US Congress...
1
Republicans fighting back. Why not? All this is partisanship at its worst any way. The Russia probe has being gone on for too long and without any updates or progress reports.
5
then there should be no classified information - release everything now - not just conjecture and snippets.
2
Girish Kotwal: Federal investigators conducting an investigation do not give YOU updates and progress reports. What is it about that you do not understand?! An investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded, and at its conclusion you will know ALL there is to know. When people keep saying that they are angry that the "probe" has been going on for too long without "updates or progress reports" let me ask you this? What do you call the indictments and the guilty pleas????? Good grief!
1
An outrageous act. Of course, the fear is that Trump will use this memo as justification for firing Rod Rosentein, "cleaning house" at the FBI and the Department of Justice, and finding a replacement who will fire Robert Mueller to derail his investigation.
Time to fight back. Nancy Pelosi, please invite Storm Daniels to Trump's State of the Union address tomorrow!
7
Seems a little premature to get all worked up. I would like to see the thing first.
3
Robert, they have already said they cant reveal the original source material and they won't allow any response from opponents who have also read the report. That's not alarming?
4
When the die is cast, all these actors will be made to account. They may not be able to see it now, but the night of 40 knives is quickly approaching. And it will be a Republican bloodbath.
8
The "memo" is a GOP written political statement claiming to be based on FBI source material. It has no factual value.
What needs to be released since the GOP chose to try and politicize it are the original FBI documents in their entire context so the public can see that the GOP is lying again.
10
"over the land of the authoritarian and the home of the politically expedient", just does not have the same ring.
5
Does anyone really think that Trump’s lawyers have not already read the memo? There is no way that one of Trump’s minions didn’t get them a copy. Guaranteed.
7
This is just the opening act. Act II will be the firing of Ron Rosenstein as Trump conspires to silence the voices aligned against him.
17
Oh my goodness. This is not a play. This is not reality TV. This is for REAL. We must stop with the levity. We must understand the gravity of the situation. The country you and I have know is under direct THREAT.
8
This feels like a ploy from a sleazy attorney, trying to conjure up an 'alternative facts' theory to gin up reasonable doubt, where none exists. Only it's being undertaken by the people who are supposed to be the checks and balances leg of our political system, looking out for democracy - not pandering to an autocratic dictator. Feel like I'm on the deck of the Titanic.
3
Leak it all, everyone. Don't be constrained by the law. They aren't.
22
Absolute power corrupted absolutely. It was a nice democracy while it lasted.
21
paul ryan and the rest of the republican crew are just a remarkably shameless bunch of toads. i thought they used to stand for something, but I guess I was wrong or just shockingly naive. this is a dreadful period and I hope it is over soon
2
Clearly, Trump must have something on Devon Nunes since this is now the SECOND time, in order to protect this President, Nunes and his cronies are more than willing to accept any cost for doing so. As many have said, when during an important investigation, since Congress is doing the exact opposite of what they did during the Nixon/Watergate era, democracy is crumbling in America.
How ironic it was that the Republican Party was beside itself when this President was elected yet, now despite serious security and possible obstruction of justice issues, Republicans are leaving no stone unturned to protect him, even it means creating a further government crisis, widen the divisions even further, and by doing all of this, they continue to display their "true colors", a complete disgrace.
Going forward, clearly, the democrats will have no stomach to work whatsoever with Republicans on a bipartisan budget bill. In the next couple of weeks, another government shutdown is all but guaranteed. Get ready, crisis government will be the norm.
15
Donald Trump is approaching his Watergate moment. And may the outcome be the same as it was for Richard Nixon. (Has Trump seen "The Post" movie?)
19
Rachel Maddow just showed the clip - "One year of Watergate is enough."
As if there were a statute of limitations on democracy. Trump is trying to test this line again. We shall soon see if the United States as a constitutional republic has any legs left. I had some doubts before; now my doubts are many.
2
The Republicans and Trump are out in the open actively destroying our democracy. If 75% of the citizenry are for DACA, they are against it. How do they expect to get away with this blatant disregard for anyone but themselves and their Big Money masters.
There is only one explanation - they have a surprise waiting for us, either rigging of the voting machines, which are easily manipulated by vote flipping programs (the voting machine companies are owned by staunch Republicans), or they will declare a pretext (there are many possibilities) and cancel elections indefinitely since they cannot afford to lose power.
Democracy just isn't working out for them so their goal is authoritarianism.
Every Republican I've met would love to be a master served by everyone else.
Their attitude is that, since they're the "makers," they should also be the takers.
16
Every single person who voted to release this is complicit in obstruction of justice. I hope Mueller doesn't forget them.
25
Now we know what to think the next time the Republican leaders in Congress, to say nothing of the president, complain that the release of classified information is risky and unpatriotic. And we know too that this action is taken for purely political reasons. After all, the disposition of this case, as the facts come out, is in Congress's hands anyway. Nothing will happen if they don't want to respond to the facts. The purpose here is to provide a vocabulary of doubt for those who are preparing to go before the public and explain why they did nothing when the evidence came out that the sitting president and his minions conspired against the rest of us to win this election. It will be much easier to say that there was villainy on both sides, that it is all political—that truth and honor are not involved, and that they have not ignored their Constitutional responsibility just to keep their party in power. The Republicans have disgraced themselves before in this regard, and will again.
14
Unfortunately, it is impossible to shame people who have no scruples.
So it seems we are NOT going to see the actual details that outline the alleged malfeasance in our FISA warrant process, but instead the Republican Party's Cliff Notes of such events?
How alarming that our Congress is now churning out it's own propaganda.
Hopefully, someone will get a cold and pull a "Feinstein". Only then will we get truly honest transparency in this matter, which the Republicans claim is their intended goal.
Just like the veiled Fusion GPS interview, I am sure the American people can decide for themselves who is tilting the scales in this increasingly disturbing saga.
9
We are witnessing before our very eyes the slow crumbling of a democracy once thought, perhaps naively, to be indestructible. The perfect political storm seems to be forming. The democratic election of a demagogue. A Republican Party void of principles willing to make Faustian Bargains and place their political objectives above the sanctity of the Constitution. For those who think this sounds a little too melodramatic, I would caution you to remember what happens when you pay no attention to history. Germany before 1933 was a democracy with freely elected representatives and a President.
21
yes, and it's LOTS WORSE. AND IT"S MOVING FASTER.
3
I agree that Nunes memo should be released. If what is alleged through these members public statements, is true, I want to know. But woe be the entire lot of them, if it contains readily disputed points. It should be beyond a shadow of doubt. Because what they are claiming of many people, who here to for, appear to have been among our finest servants, dedicated to the law, are high crimes against our nation. Comey, Mueller, McCabe and Rosenstein have evidently, in cahoots, decided to overthrow the government. That is the charge, nothing less. By all means release it. Be really, really transparent. Leave nothing out. On this you must stake your entire political future. If this turns out not to be accurate, you all resign, effective immediately. Seems fair.
6
The problem is that this will be enough to provide fodder to right-wing media, resulting in a fever-pitch among the elected Republicans to call for the firing of Rod Rosenstein. Mueller must be close.
Again, Speaker Ryan proves in another scenario that he is a spineless shill.
2
Anyone that is not highly alarmed at this point is not paying attention. The republic as we have known it is on the table. It's time to take a stand. We must move fast. We MUST counter the coup. We must be resolute. We must save the republic.
18
My take away is that there must be a lot to be afraid of if they are working so hard to discredit and fire anyone associated with the investigation. If there was no collision, why not let the report come out and exonerate everyone.
23
Oh Great! Our representatives are bickering about anything and everything to score political points including holding the fate of hundreds and thousands of people hostage. ( Midterm alert everyone!) We have manbaby vain president that thinks everything that doesn't portray him in good way "fake news" so now most Americans that supports him don't trust the press--one of the great pillars of a functional and healthy democracy--anymore. overall it is fair to say that average Americans don't trust congress to really represent their interests and instead are beholden to lobbyists.
No matter Mueller's investigation finally concludes (there is still a possibility that might not happen given the nastiness of the partisanship now), Russia already won.
7
I’m old enough to remember J Edgar Hoover running the FBI. I never thought I would live to see the day that I would be routing for the FBI. But I am.
30
I remind you, current AG and former Senator Sessions was an early proponent of the Trump campaign and intimately involved, perhaps beyond simple recusal. He may have shared the campaign with his colleagues in Congress which would explain why the Republicans in Congress are seeking to derail the Russian investigation. I'm starting to think their allegiance to the White House is far more than skin deep. It's getting to look like some in Congress are obstructing Justice as well.
11
Our intelligence communities have the knowledge and skill to defend our democracy at this inflection point in time. I sincerely hope they can organize a defense for us and our descendants. Much is at stake, right now!
24
They don't actually as the cyber break ins of US financial institutions, infrastructure controls and US government have demonstrated.
The public can rightly ask why that is when the US intelligence is chomping down $100B a year to prevent these attacks.
2
We are all hoping -- while Trump is gradually strangling American democracy, abetted by Congressional Republicans. What has happened today -- the vote to release this memo as Trump bullies out of office one potential check on his authority after another -- is an outrage. Let your members of Congress know you have had enough!
5