January 30, 2018

Second Trump-Russia dossier being assessed by FBI Exclusive:

Exclusive: memo written by former journalist Cody Shearer independently sets out some of the allegations made by ex-spy Christopher Steele


The FBI inquiry into alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 US presidential election has been given a second memo that independently set out some of the same allegations made in a dossier by Christopher Steele, the British former spy.

The second memo was written by Cody Shearer, a controversial political activist and former journalist who was close to the Clinton White House in the 1990s.


Unlike Steele, Shearer does not have a background in espionage, and his memo was initially viewed with scepticism, not least because he had shared it with select media organisations before the election.

However, the Guardian has been told the FBI investigation is still assessing details in the ‘Shearer memo’ and is pursuing intriguing leads.

One source with knowledge of the inquiry said the fact the FBI was still working on it suggested investigators had taken an aspect of it seriously.

It raises the possibility that parts of the Steele dossier, which has been derided by Trump’s supporters, may have been corroborated by Shearer’s research, or could still be.

The revelation comes at a moment when Donald Trump and some Republican lawmakers have been seeking to cast doubt on the credibility of the Mueller inquiry and the motivation of the FBI in examining Russian collusion, including unproven allegations that investigators had a bias in favour of Hillary Clinton when the investigation was initially launched before November.




MORE:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/30/trump-russia-collusion-fbi-cody-shearer-memo

January 30, 2018

State of the Union.... and the state of principled conservatives.

https://twitter.com/wuerker/status/958393895603326977

January 30, 2018

How you can tell that Devin Nunes' memo is worthless, even before it's released to the public:

It's written by Devin Nunes.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/1/30/1737177/-How-you-can-tell-that-Devin-Nunes-memo-is-worthless-even-before-it-s-released-to-the-public#comment_69119602

January 30, 2018

Duckworth asks Trump's EPA chief if Morocco is a "shithole country"

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) asked the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tuesday whether he believes Morocco is a “shithole” country.

The question came as Duckworth was scrutinizing EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s recent official trip to the North African nation, in part to promote liquefied natural gas exports.

“Can I assume that like all these other Americans, you did not find Morocco, a North African nation, to be a shithole when you visited?” Duckworth asked Pruitt at an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.


Duckworth was immediately cut off by Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) because her time for questioning Pruitt had expired.



http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/371402-dem-asks-epas-pruitt-if-morocco-is-a-s-hole-country

January 30, 2018

A fun fact about FBI Director Chris Wray...

https://twitter.com/HoarseWisperer/status/958391765408665606

January 30, 2018

Sen Collins: It's not "perplexing"-You KNOW what's happening-Will you STAND UP & DO SOMETHING!?!?!

GOP senator: Trump decision not to implement new sanctions against Russia is "perplexing"

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Tuesday said it’s “perplexing” that the Trump administration opted to not implement additional sanctions on Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

"The one thing we know for sure already is the Russians did attempt to meddle in our election. And not only should there be a price to pay in terms of sanctions, but also we need to put safeguards in place right now for the elections for this year,” Collins said on CNN’s “New Day.”

The Senate passed a bill last year by a vote of 98-2 approving increased sanctions on Russia in response to the country’s interference in the 2016 election. The bill also passed by a wide margin in the House.


The Trump administration told Congress on Monday that the legislation itself serves as enough of a deterrent and, as a result, the actual sanctions would not be implemented.


MORE:
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/371353-collins-white-houses-decision-not-to-implement-new-russian-sanctions
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/958380810289197056
https://twitter.com/jevaun/status/958381270316265472

January 30, 2018

Rare tweet from Sally Yates, exactly one year after she was fired by Trump.

@SallyQYates

Despite relentless attacks on our democratic institutions and norms, our resilience has kept our country strong. But we will remain so only if we strive to live up to the American values that make us who we are. We’re better than this.

https://twitter.com/SallyQYates/status/958357518513786881
https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/958359160067969024

January 30, 2018

Nancy Pelosi: 'House Republicans crossed from dangerous irresponsibility into the realm of COVER-UP'

“Tonight, the House Republicans crossed from dangerous irresponsibility and disregard for our national security into the realm of cover up. In doing so, they disregarded the warnings of the Justice Department and the FBI."

“Chairman Nunes’ memo contains significant inaccuracies and omissions that misrepresent the underlying intelligence and jeopardize the effectiveness of our intelligence and law enforcement communities. Americans should be deeply concerned by Speaker Ryan’s sanctioning of this irresponsible decision and his complicity in allowing the Committee investigation to devolve into a sad political spectacle.

“President Trump must honor his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief and reject the reckless release of the Nunes memo.

“Republicans must cease their efforts to undermine Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation. House Republicans are engaged in a pattern of abdicating their constitutional responsibilities to the American people. Deliberately, the GOP refused to release the Democrats’ memo. Clearly, they are afraid of the truth.

“I commend Ranking Member Schiff and other Intelligence Committee Democrats for insisting that all documents be reviewed and appropriately redacted before being released. Democrats remain committed to ensuring that the integrity of the Special Counsel and Congressional investigations is not compromised by an unsubstantiated, partisan smear campaign.”

https://www.democraticleader.gov/newsroom/12918-3/

January 30, 2018

SOTU: "I believe the time has come to bring that investigation of this matter to an end"

Richard Nixon



25 - Address on the State of the Union Delivered Before a Joint Session of the Congress
January 30, 1974




http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=4327

January 30, 2018

LPGA star on golf with Trump: 'He cheats like hell'

LPGA legend and Trump pal: “He cheats like hell...In all the times I’ve played with him he’s never come close to breaking 80. But what’s strange is that every time I talk to him he says he just golfed a 69...I just laugh.”


"He cheats like hell," the 15-time LPGA Tour winner said. "So I don't quite know how he is in business. They say that if you cheat at golf, you cheat at business." Pettersen also said the president must pay his caddies well, as drives that are headed for the woods always ends up back in the fairway. She also mentioned his fondness for gimmes.



more:
http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2018/01/30/president-trump-cheats-hell-golf-course-according-suzann-pettersen