All Things Trump: Is it over yet?

[Scot Dutchy]

[Tero]

Follow the brief case.

[Forty Two]

Wtf?! Fucking monster!

President Trump threatens Gouda and Edam cheese with new import tariffs
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/04/p ... t-tariffs/

Someone has got to stop this son of a bitch...

How about all the other cheeses we make? Just two of hundreds.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/04/trumps- ... ong-f.html

“The real message here — and I think he’s right about this, but it’s hidden in the presentation and sound and fury — is fundamentally European macro-economic policy… is that Europe is free-riding global demand, running huge trade surpluses and nobody has really stood up credibly to that ideology until Trump."

''

Nonetheless, Lonergan said it was ironic that Trump had been criticized by the “commentariat” on the details of trade tariffs, but that his wider aim to address global trade imbalances was being overlooked with too much focus on the headline-grabbing tariff threats and trade war fears.

“Look, I do not like all these tariffs, I do not like trade wars, I do not like the presentation of Trump. But when it comes down to the fundamental point of saying to policymakers in Europe, ‘Look at what you’re doing and this is not sustainable and look what happened the last time we had these imbalances,’ there is actually a fundamental point here,” Lonergan said.

He added that Europe was dominated by economies enjoying a trade surplus and had been able to take advantage of consumption in the States.

“What has happened post-euro crisis is that Europe is free-riding, it’s saying we’re going to run massive trade surpluses — Italy’s running a current account surplus now; peripheral Europe is; central and eastern Europe, which were deficit countries pre-crisis are now big surplus countries… We’re only able to run those surpluses thanks to the generosity and kindness of strangers who are willing to take in all of those goods.

“It’s a lie to say this is an amazing German export achievement — no, it isn’t, it’s because there is a consumer at the other end who’s willing to generate the demand.”

[Forty Two]

AFA031B6-0928-433C-AAAF-0C9DA6D7C588.jpeg
Follow the brief case.

The paranoia of you blokes is palpable.

The report is going to be released. Calm down.

Everyone on the Democrat side freaked out when Barr said there could be an investigation into the events of 2016 to see if there was a real predicate for surveillance back then, and to review what was represented to FISA and why, etc. I would think the Democrats of all people would be full-bore in favor of getting to the bottom of it all.

John Brennan said to the House Intelligence Committee two years ago: "We were uncovering information and intelligence about interactions and contacts between US persons and the Russians. And as we came upon that, we would share it with the bureau." I sure hope Meuller's report has that "information and intelligence" about "interactions and contacts between US persons and Russians. It was shared with the Bureau, so he said.

It wasn't made public in the "intelligence report" of December 2017, remember? Remember when I was asking about that report in discussions here? I said "where is the proof" and everyone said, "pshaww! It's an intelligence report! We can't disclose that! It's intelligence secrets and such!" -- well, NOW the Democrats are saying "release the ENTIRE Mueller report to the public, including the back up documents..." -- that report and documents will necessarily include whatever information and intelligence about interactions and contacts between US persons and Russians were discovered by Brennan's intelligence agency, right? After all, as they came upon that, they shared it with the FBI! There must be something really damning there.... or if not really damning, at least damning...well, if not damning, at least indicative of something damning....

Let's see it!!

According to ‘Russian Roulette,’ a book by Yahoo! News chief investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff and David Corn… Brennan contacted Reid on Aug. 25, 2016, to brief him on the state of Russia’s interference in the presidential campaign. Brennan briefed other members of the so-called Gang of Eight, but Reid is the only who took direct action. Two days after the briefing, Reid wrote a letter to then-FBI Director James Comey asserting that ‘evidence of a direct connection between the Russian government and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign continues to mount.’ Reid called on Comey to investigate the links ‘thoroughly and in a timely fashion.’

Hmmm..... Harry Reid received information from John Brennan which included evidence of a direct connection between the Russian government and the Trump campaign. It not only was evidence - the evidence was multiple - it "continued to mount."

What evidence? Three years later, do we know? Did Reid say? Did Brennan say? Why not? Is it "secret?" If it is "secret," then on what basis would it be made public when releasing the Mueller report? If it's not secret, why withhold it even now?

According to Isikoff and David Corn -- Brennan told Reid that the intelligence community had determined that the Russian government was behind the hack and leak of Democratic emails and that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind it. Brennan also told Reid that there was evidence that Russian operatives were attempting to tamper with election results. And, that's set forth in the 2017 "intelligence report" -- I sure hope all that evidence is set out in the Mueller Report. I mean, the first step in any kind of special prosecution of the President, or anyone else, on collusion or conspiracy with the Russians to tamper with the election results would be to prove that the Russians were attempting to tamper with the election results and were behind the hack and leaks, right? An American can't conspire illegally to do something wrong, if nobody tried to do anything wrong.

Here’s more of Brennan’s testimony to Congress:

John Brennan swore, under oath: "I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and US persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals and it raised questions in my mind, again, whether or not the Russians were able to gain the cooperation of those individuals.”

I sure as shit hope that Mueller got that "information and intelligence" -- I mean - it revealed contacts and interactions between Russian officials and US persons INVOLVED IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN! The information is out there! Is it in the Mueller report? I surely can't wait to see.

Remember, folks, all the stuff we've been told for 3 years now by Brennan, by Comey, by Strzok, by Page, by Adam Schiff, on MSNBC, on CNN -- the reporting was done! Anonymous sources were vetted using proper journalistic standards such that 40% of the US population came to believe there was evidence of Trump campaign collusion with the Russians to interfere with the election of 2016 and about 1/3 of Americans believed Trump himself might well be a Russian Agent - Rachel Maddow and others said flat out that there was evidence that made them concerned that Trump was a pawn of Putin - a Manchurian Candidate -- that they "had something on him."

Those statements don't go away. For years there was supposedly evidence - it couldn't be disclosed of course -- anonymous - you know - can't reveal the source, and the information itself might lead to the source being identified (cough cough Adam Schiff cough cough). And, we can't expect Brennan to reveal the information, cuz like, sources and methods. But, we, the journalists - we've vetted this - we are comfortable reporting this to you as verified news, in accordance with journalistic ethics - you know - like Watergate and All the Presidents Men - crusty, experienced news editors holding journalists' feet to the fire .... do you have confirmation? Has it been validated? Do you have two sources? Have you vetted those sources? Oh, we can't run with that! You need more! Get me more, and we'll run it! O.k., man, run it! I'll back you!

No no - in the last 3 years, it was "run that shit!" Some fucking congressman with a poltiical agenda told you some shit and said it was "off the record" or anonymous, so that's good enough for us! Publish! We know Trump is guilty of SOMETHING! Fry him!

[Tero]

william-barr-almost-done-redacting
https://karireport.blogspot.com/2019/04 ... ng-90.html

[Cunt]

J.A. was arrested, apparently. I wonder if this means he will be testifying about anything, or if he will just rot in gitmo...? I

[Forty Two]

J.A. was arrested, apparently. I wonder if this means he will be testifying about anything, or if he will just rot in gitmo...? I

Well, CNN's reporting on Julian Assange arrest today was fucking hilarious.

Their morning show stated unanimously that there was "no free speech defense" to releasing classified information. LOL. What a fucking pack of idiots.

Then they went on to bleat about how this is Trump's "worst nightmare" because Assange will start disclosing how he got all the leaked material.... as if that's going to hurt Trump -- they assume that Assange will say "we got all this from the Russians..." after he has been outright stating, over and over again, with no uncertain terms, that they did not get the material from the Russians.

I guess they think he's going to change his story.

Why would he? He already sacrificed the last 7 years to sit in the Ecuadorian embassy because he would not play ball. Wouldn't it be more likely that he'd want to give the Trump administration's Department of Justice some good information that helps them, in exchange for leniency?

I mean - the charges are bogus anyway, unless they have Assange doing some hacking or something like that, which my understanding is not alleged. We have the US government dangerously trying to criminalize private persons, who are not even American, disclosing leaked classified information outside of the United States. Frankly, anyone who supports this kind of prosecution can't call himself a liberal.

[Cunt]

J.A. was arrested, apparently. I wonder if this means he will be testifying about anything, or if he will just rot in gitmo...? I

Well, CNN's reporting on Julian Assange arrest today was fucking hilarious.

Their morning show stated unanimously that there was "no free speech defense" to releasing classified information. LOL. What a fucking pack of idiots.

Then they went on to bleat about how this is Trump's "worst nightmare" because Assange will start disclosing how he got all the leaked material.... as if that's going to hurt Trump -- they assume that Assange will say "we got all this from the Russians..." after he has been outright stating, over and over again, with no uncertain terms, that they did not get the material from the Russians.

I guess they think he's going to change his story.

Why would he? He already sacrificed the last 7 years to sit in the Ecuadorian embassy because he would not play ball. Wouldn't it be more likely that he'd want to give the Trump administration's Department of Justice some good information that helps them, in exchange for leniency?

I mean - the charges are bogus anyway, unless they have Assange doing some hacking or something like that, which my understanding is not alleged. We have the US government dangerously trying to criminalize private persons, who are not even American, disclosing leaked classified information outside of the United States. Frankly, anyone who supports this kind of prosecution can't call himself a liberal.

I thought he was connected to a suspicious death of someone presumed to have leaked (as opposed to the DNC data being hacked) the stuff to Assange...his name was Rich something...

Anyway, it's a weird place. I hope he gets some freedom, at least to see his family. 7 years is a long time to be in hiding from American Oligarchs...

[Forty Two]

I don't think Assange was connected to that death. Some speculated Seth Rich leaked the material, and that's why his murder occurred, but I don't recall there being any evidence to support that. The timing and circumstances of the murder set people to speculating.

I do recall the Intercept or some other website publishing an analysis of the data which suggested that the data was likely not "hacked" but "downloaded." I'd have to research that.

Hacking is such a broad terms, though, that it's hard to know what "intelligence services" mean by that. It can be someone breaking into a system, or it can be someone inside clicking a malware link and affording access, or it can be someone finding a password, or it can be someone wrongly downloading material on site and using it or distributing it improperly.

[Cunt]

I don't think Assange was connected to that death. Some speculated Seth Rich leaked the material, and that's why his murder occurred, but I don't recall there being any evidence to support that. The timing and circumstances of the murder set people to speculating.

I do recall the Intercept or some other website publishing an analysis of the data which suggested that the data was likely not "hacked" but "downloaded." I'd have to research that.

Hacking is such a broad terms, though, that it's hard to know what "intelligence services" mean by that. It can be someone breaking into a system, or it can be someone inside clicking a malware link and affording access, or it can be someone finding a password, or it can be someone wrongly downloading material on site and using it or distributing it improperly.

Mostly, it seems safest to assume he is not an 'enemy of the people'. When I heard an Obama era spook say that 'wikileaks is a clearinghouse for Russian intelligence', it makes me very suspicious. That is exactly what they claimed for themselves (as well as being a 'clearinghouse for anyone else's information')

I wish instead of political hogwash, he released the sextapes of the young Clintons, or the Trump pee-hooker records, or something lurid and overtly sexual. I'm sick of this endless shrieking about nothing.

The main story, as I've seen it so far, is that 'something is going to happen right away, and the bad guys will get theirs'.

With that story, everyone seems to be willing to wait. It's really like a reality show...nothing happens, but is described so dramatically, that you can't wait for the commercial break to be over...

[Brian Peacock]

Wtf?! Fucking monster!

President Trump threatens Gouda and Edam cheese with new import tariffs
https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/04/p ... t-tariffs/

Someone has got to stop this son of a bitch...

How about all the other cheeses we make? Just two of hundreds.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/04/trumps- ... ong-f.html

“The real message here — and I think he’s right about this, but it’s hidden in the presentation and sound and fury — is fundamentally European macro-economic policy… is that Europe is free-riding global demand, running huge trade surpluses and nobody has really stood up credibly to that ideology until Trump."

''

Nonetheless, Lonergan said it was ironic that Trump had been criticized by the “commentariat” on the details of trade tariffs, but that his wider aim to address global trade imbalances was being overlooked with too much focus on the headline-grabbing tariff threats and trade war fears.

“Look, I do not like all these tariffs, I do not like trade wars, I do not like the presentation of Trump. But when it comes down to the fundamental point of saying to policymakers in Europe, ‘Look at what you’re doing and this is not sustainable and look what happened the last time we had these imbalances,’ there is actually a fundamental point here,” Lonergan said.

He added that Europe was dominated by economies enjoying a trade surplus and had been able to take advantage of consumption in the States.

“What has happened post-euro crisis is that Europe is free-riding, it’s saying we’re going to run massive trade surpluses — Italy’s running a current account surplus now; peripheral Europe is; central and eastern Europe, which were deficit countries pre-crisis are now big surplus countries… We’re only able to run those surpluses thanks to the generosity and kindness of strangers who are willing to take in all of those goods.

“It’s a lie to say this is an amazing German export achievement — no, it isn’t, it’s because there is a consumer at the other end who’s willing to generate the demand.”

This suggests that the real problem is US indebtedness and trading deficits. That trade surpluses are a bad thing is basically a moral argument as presented here. I'd rather see some sound economics supporting that view if I'm not to take it as plain old whinging and self-pitying resentment.

[Hermit]

What a novel concept. EU trade surpluses are nothing to write home about. It's just the case that US consumers like what the EU produces so much more than EU consumers like what the US produces.

[Forty Two]

It's also the case that EU tariffs on US goods have been much higher, generally speaking, than those imposed by the US on EU goods. Yet, nobody loses their shit over EU tariffs.

[Tero]

What, you don't like the spam we make out of GMO soybeans?

[Cunt]

What, you don't like the spam we make out of GMO soybeans?

If you really want to make a joke, grow huge, commercial fields of cheap food, like soybeans, then process it in an industrial shit-show, then grab a bunch of diesel, and ship it to hippies so they can show how earthy they are.

Of course, only a few will find it funny enough. To really get everyone laughing, you might want to do it while claiming to want to save the earth from a falling sky...