Press conference now: Rep. Cummings announces 3 releases

[pnwmom]

Last edited Thu Apr 27, 2017, 11:30 AM - Edit history (1)

ON EDIT: Thanks to bigtree, here is the link to the release:

https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-releases-three-new-docs-on-flynn

Notes from presser:


Release of 2014 letter that explicitly warned General Flynn against accepting any payments from a foreign government "without Congressional consent."

Also, a April 7, 2017 letter countering suggestion by Flynn's attorney that he followed correct procedures: "DIA did not locate any records referring or relating to General Flynn's receipt' of foreign money.'

"DIA did not locate any records of General Flynn seeking permission or approval of receiving any money from a foreign source."

Also, a letter from inspector general from DOD announcing their own investigation.

Cummings says the DT administration absolutely refused to comply with the committee's requests for documentation.

"I honestly don't understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn."

Senator Richard Blumenthal say these letters are powerful, incontrovertible, flagrant violations of Federal criminal law that won't be prosecuted unless we have a special prosecutor. Says we can't count on the Attorney General appointed by the President to do that job.

[spanone]

1. K&R...👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[L. Coyote]

27. Videos: Come on, man ...

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[L. Coyote]

34. Flynn warned in 2014 he needed permission for payments; DIA has no record; new IG inquiry.

Link to tweet

[L. Coyote]

48. Spicer: It is all the black guy's fault

Link to tweet

[L. Coyote]

52. Maddow: Russia Behind Mike Flynn's Work For Turkey

&t=17s

[Amaryllis]

35. Note the big smile on the guy to his left when Cummings says, "Come on, man."

[spanone]

2. calling for a special prosecutor......

[Duppers]

50. Likelihood of that coming to fruition? 0...

According to this article:

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-special-prosecutor-trump-russia-jeff-sessions-congress-2017-2

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Blumenthal speaking now. MUCH wider than Flynn.

LOCK.HIM.UP.

[malaise]

7. They're all in this thing together

Truth will out

[cilla4progress]

39. R U

sure??? Goddess pleeze! Some days I believe, others I am bereft....

[malaise]

41. Yes -the more important question is when

[cilla4progress]

44. I feel this, malaise..

I work in the legal field so I know "plaintiffs" have to take the time to build their case to be sure it is lock solid. Especially in this situation - we have an even higher standard because of the DEPLORABLES brainwashed belief in FAKE NEWS. What it's going to take to convince the right of TRUMP et al's guilt unquestioningly?

What do you expect when the shit hits the fan? I'm going to hunker down because I think it will be ugly, and possibly bloody. Too many ARs circulating out there...

[certainot]

45. there will be no help or coop from republicans - they have no integrity

they've purged the party of all independent thinkers and actors

democrats will make little progress until americans stops ignoring the 1200 coordinated radio stations used to make excuses for trump and enable and intimidate the gop reps and media.

there is no common truth to work with, no possibility of real democracy and accountability, until democrats stop giving rw radio a free speech free ride to dominate 40 states (w/80) senators with repeated lying.

as soon as americans start boycotting and protesting re rw radio the republicans will fall apart. it's really the only advantage they have, but it's a huge one.

[spanone]

4. msnbc cutting away....fuck them

cnn not there either.....jeebus

[Sculpin Beauregard]

8. So fucking frustrating. CNN cut away to go

to their stupid fucking talking heads when Blumenthal was speaking. Is this streaming on any other news org?

[spanone]

10. they would rather talk about their perception of what was being said than allow viewers to actually

hear what the congressmen were saying

our fucking media is fucked

[Sculpin Beauregard]

12. I know, it's making me homicidal. Jesus Murphy!!!😡😡😡

[spanone]

19. m$nbc is now BACK for cummings taking questions

[Orrex]

24. What did they cut away to?

I shudder to ask...

[spanone]

25. a 'panel' talking about what they were still talking about!

instead of allowing listeners to hear what the lawmakers were actually saying,

they let pundits talk about it.

[Orrex]

29. Gosh, that's helpful.

It's the YouTube "movie trailer reaction video" repurposed for news media. Lovely.

[malaise]

42. Remember now

it's always about their interpretation of what's being said. They believe we're too stupid to draw our own conclusions.

It sickens me.

[HAB911]

5. Lock him up

[ginnyinWI]

6. "I honestly don't understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn."

I'll tell you why. Pull on that thread, and the whole sweater gets unraveled!

[deminks]

9. Also, the Russian influence is still ongoing, I am betting.

[uponit7771]

36. +1, I'm not betting though ... Red Don is still working with Russia on money front AT THE LEAST

[Sculpin Beauregard]

11. They know, they just can't say it in public yet.

[ginnyinWI]

14. I'm sure Flynn knows more than he's told, so far!

If they throw him under the bus, he'll sing!

[DK504]

26. ""I honestly don't understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn."

LOL...he will spill all the beans if he is taken down and they are terrified.

[gratuitous]

28. Reminds me of a civil trial many years ago

We had the plaintiff, and the defendant's attorney kept hitting on the notion of motive. What motive did the defendant-employer have for harming the plaintiff-employee? It didn't make any sense for the employer to hurt his employee! One of the jurors piped up, "Well . . . could greed be a motive?" The attorney barked, "NO!"

Why is the White House covering up for Michael Flynn? Why, why, why? Doesn't make any sense. "Well . . . could it be the White House is complicit in Flynn's wrongdoing?"

[PatSeg]

32. If they throw Flynn under the bus

He'll retaliate 100 fold. I don't think he has any loyalties whatsoever.

[bigtree]

13. docs

https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/cummings-releases-three-new-docs-on-flynn

[pnwmom]

22. Thanks!

[SCVDem]

15. Did you ever pull that one thread on a sweater?

You keep pulling and the entire thing comes undone.

Flynn is that thread. (Irish pennant for my Marine friends)

[Sculpin Beauregard]

16. If anyone finds a source for the entire

presser, including Blumenthal, please post!

[Rebl2]

17. Why can't

they subpoena the the documents they want to look at?

[calimary]

38. Welcome to DU, Rebl2!

While we were watching that news conference I asked my husband if this is obstruction of justice. He said "you don't get out the elephant gun to shoot the mouse" - which I THINK was really saying "too early to bring that up yet".

But it still seems an AWFUL LOT like obstruction of justice.

Just ANOTHER reason why you do NOT want some private industry CEO brought in as president. The culture of the private industry CEO is that he is KING. And what he says GOES. And the rules don't apply to him. They're for all the little people farther down the corporate food chain. You just dictate what you want, issue the edict, and it's DONE. And then you go play golf while all the little people farther down the food chain implement your divine dictates and figure out how to make them work. NO accountability. NO answers to your questions - don't even bother asking, he won't acknowledge or answer your question - because he doesn't have to. He owns the joint. Or - he's the king, lord-and-master, supreme leader, holder of the last word, and ultimate ruler of all he surveys. You bring that mentality into the White House and you have trump & comp.

[NewJeffCT]

18. Senator Sydney Blumenthal?

Do you mean Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut?

[pnwmom]

21. Yeah, that's what i thought Cummings said -- but he probably said 'Senator" not "Sydney.'

Anyway i fixed it. Thanks!

[L. Coyote]

20. "I honestly don't understand why the White House is covering up for Michael Flynn." LOL

Simple, they are co-conspirators.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[2naSalit]

31. Geeeze!

Even we lowly GS and AD personnel aren't allowed to work for or take payments from foreign governments etc... That's just brazen willfulness to commit crimes. This was a coup, not question about it. Needs to be ousted immediately.

[George II]

23. I've never seen Elijah Cummings so upset, not even in hearings run by Issa. He was clearly...

...angry and seems at the point of not taking any more crap from the republicans.

I missed the first part of this, including Blumenthal's statement.

[True Dough]

30. What a tangled web he weaves

It makes it all the more galling to watch him in action last year...

[L. Coyote]

51. Trumps defended Flynn after firing him, blaming "fake news"

David Brodie question 10:30 in. Leaks are the "criminal act" and Flynn treated unfairly, says the guy who fired him.

[shenmue]

33. Loves me some of that man

[L. Coyote]

37. #TrumpsTrolls are going after Cummings on Twitter.

They are calling him a racist!

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[cilla4progress]

40. This may be the hook to get a Special Prosecutor

And then things can proceed from there??

[StarzGuy]

43. So, What's Next?

JHC, what do we do now? We know they (Trumpsters) violated these laws yet there isn't anything that can be done to remove these crooks? Unfortunately, I live in a Trumpster state called Arizona. We have two republican senators so I am sure they won't be of any help. My representative is a republican turned democrat recently. I don't understand that dynamic either. But I will contact them all to voice my opposition to Dtrumpf and his cronies.

[pnwmom]

49. The Rethugs are the ones who have to feel some heat, because they're the ones with the

power to order a special prosecutor. All Dems can do at this point is scream -- loudly.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

46. K&R nt

[L. Coyote]

47. NPR: Michael Flynn Is The Subject Of A Pentagon Investigation

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/27/525881345/michael-flynn-is-the-subject-of-a-pentagon-investigation

.... Today, Cummings cited an Oct. 8, 2014, letter to Flynn from the general counsel of the Defense Intelligence Agency that the ranking member described as "explicitly warning Flynn, as he entered retirement, that he was prohibited by the Constitution from receiving payments from foreign sources without advance permission."

In the letter, the agency said it was responding to Flynn's "request for a written opinion regarding the ethics restrictions" after his retirement. ...........

Flynn was fired by President Trump from his job as national security adviser for giving statements to administration officials that obscured his contacts with Russia's U.S. ambassador.

"Flynn later offered to testify to the congressional committees investigating the potential connections between Trump's campaign and Russia's interference in last year's election if he could secure immunity from prosecution," NPR's Phil Ewing reports. "So far, neither the House nor Senate Intelligence Committee has agreed to make such an arrangement."

Cummings said that after getting documents related to Flynn from the Department of Defense, "Our next step is to get the documents we are seeking from the White House so we can complete our investigation." ..............

Link to tweet

[Mercurian]

53. He knows too much

Flynn could take them all down and they knoq it. But he won't. He'll pull an Ollie North and come out a hero. At least to the Deplorables. The GOP old guard will never embrace anybody who colluded with the Evil Empire. Except SCROTUS of course, and only at arms length.