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Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 4:43 p.m. No.26122   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6153 >>6284 >>6388 >>6529 >>6789 >>6803 >>6814

Robert Mueller soon may be exposed as the 'magician of omission' on Russia

By John Solomon, opinion contributor — 07/23/19 07:00 PM

 

While most of the political world focused its attention elsewhere, special prosecutor John Durham’s team quietly reached out this summer to a lawyer representing European academic Joseph Mifsud, one of the earliest and most mysterious figures in the now closed Russia-collusion case.

An investigator told Swiss attorney Stephan Roh that Durham’s team wanted to interview Mifsud, or at the very least review a recorded deposition the professor gave in summer 2018 about his role in the drama involving Donald Trump, Russia and the 2016 election.

The contact, confirmed by multiple sources and contemporaneous email, sent an unmistakable message: Durham, the U.S. attorney handpicked by Attorney General William Barr to determine whether the FBI committed abuses during the Russia investigation, is taking a second look at one of the noteworthy figures and the conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report.

 

The evidence I reviewed suggests Mueller’s handiwork may be exposed for glaring omissions that, when brought to public light, leave key questions unanswered, especially about how the FBI’s unprecedented probe of the Trump campaign started.

Durham is focused on determining whether any government or private figures who came in contact with the Trump campaign in 2016 “were engaged in improper surveillance,” a U.S. official told me when asked about the Mifsud overture.

For those who don’t remember, Mifsud is a Maltese-born academic with a VIP Rolodex who frequented Rome and London for years and engaged at the highest levels of Western diplomatic and intelligence circles.

Mueller’s team alleges that Mifsud is the person who fed a story in spring 2016 to Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos about Moscow possessing purloined emails from Hillary Clinton. It was the earliest known contact in the now-debunked collusion narrative and the seminal event that the FBI says prompted it on July 31, 2016, to open its probe into the Trump campaign.

Mueller concluded that Mifsud was a person with extensive Russia ties who planted the story about the Clinton emails in Moscow and then lied about his dealings with Papadopoulos when interviewed by the FBI in 2017. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Mifsud.

But unlike others accused of misleading Mueller — including Papadopoulos, former Trump adviser Mike Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort — Mifsud was not charged with a crime.

 

Conservative defenders of President Trump, including former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), have raised recent concerns that Mueller’s portrayal of the Mifsud-Papadopoulos contacts doesn’t add up.

Roh told me the information he is preparing to share with Durham’s team from his client will accentuate those concerns.

Mifsud was a “longtime cooperator of western intel” who was asked specifically by his contacts at Link University in Rome and the London Center of International Law Practice (LCILP) — two academic groups with ties to western diplomacy and intelligence — to meet with Papadopoulos at a dinner in Rome in mid-March 2016, Roh told me.

A May 2019 letter from Nunes to U.S. intelligence officials corroborates some of Roh’s account, revealing photos showing that the FBI conducted training at Link in fall 2016 and that Mifsud and other Link officials met regularly with world leaders, including Boris Johnson, elected today as Britain’s new prime minister.

A few days after the March dinner, Roh added, Mifsud received instructions from Link superiors to “put Papadopoulos in contact with Russians,” including a think tank figure named Ivan Timofeev and a woman he was instructed to identify to Papadopoulos as Vladimir Putin’s niece.

Mifsud knew the woman was not the Russian president’s niece but, rather, a student who was involved with both the Link and LCILP campuses, and the professor believed there was an effort under way to determine whether Papadopoulos was an “agent provocateur” seeking foreign contacts, Roh said.

The evidence, he told me, “clearly indicates that this was not only a surveillance op but a more sophisticated intel operation” in which Mifsud became involved.

 

READ MORE: https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/454409-robert-mueller-soon-may-be-exposed-as-the-magician-of-omission-on-russia

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 4:57 p.m. No.26145   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6188 >>6284 >>6388 >>6529 >>6789 >>6803 >>6814

Ex-Flynn business partner convicted for conspiring to act as foreign agent

By Tal Axelrod - 07/23/19 07:30

 

Michael Flynn’s former business partner was convicted Tuesday for illegally lobbying in the U.S. on behalf of the Turkish government.

Bijan Kian, who co-founded the Flynn Intel Group, was convicted by a federal jury in Virginia on charges of conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government, conspiring to make false statements and willful omissions in a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filing, as well as acting as an agent of a foreign government.

Kian, also known as Bijan Rafiekian, will be sentenced in October. He faces up to 15 years in prison, though defendants are typically sentenced to less than the maximum penalty under federal sentencing guidelines, the Justice Department noted.

 

“Today’s verdict should stand as a deterrent to any malign foreign influence that undermines the integrity of our political processes,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement.

“Through misrepresentations in his FARA filing, Mr. Rafiekian attempted to deceive the public and influence key leaders on behalf of Turkey. The Department of Justice treats these crimes with the gravity that they deserve.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Kian worked with Kamil Ekim Alptekin, a Turkish national with connections to the government in Ankara, to conspire to influence U.S. politicians and public opinion against Fethullah GĂĽlen, a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄźan has accused GĂĽlen of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup and Ankara has been attempting to persuade Washington to extradite GĂĽlen to Turkey since 2015.

Prosecutors said Kian and Alptekin intended to use Flynn Intel Group to tarnish GĂĽlen's public image in the U.S., with the hopes that a damaged reputation would increase pressure for his extradition.

The two conspirators also sought to hide the Turkish government’s involvement in the plot, though Alptekin told Kian that that he provided Turkish officials updates on their work, the DOJ said.

Flynn and Kian received hundreds of thousands of dollars through their business, which prosecutors say was funneled through a Dutch shell company.

Prosecutors made their case without testimony from Flynn, who was never charged in connection with the Turkish lobbying campaign but admitted to making false statements in FARA filings as part of a deal to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller.

 

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/454417-ex-flynn-business-partner-convicted-for-conspiring-to-act-as

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 5:28 p.m. No.26196   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6211 >>6284 >>6388 >>6529 >>6789 >>6803 >>6814

A Republican House candidate challenging Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has made frequent references to the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, potentially making her the latest QAnon believer to run for federal office in 2020.

Danielle Stella, a Minneapolis special education teacher, made a stir on the right-wing internet in June when she launched her campaign against Omar, a frequent target of President Donald Trump. But her campaign strategy appears to include outreach to QAnon fans, with Stella’s Twitter account posting twice last week using the hashtag “#WWG1WGA” — a reference to the QAnon motto “Where we go one, we go all.”

 

Stella’s Twitter account also follows a number of prominent QAnon promoters.

 

READ MORE:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/rep-ilhan-omars-republican-challenger-appears-to-be-a-qanon-conspiracy-theorist

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 5:37 p.m. No.26209   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6235 >>6284 >>6388 >>6529 >>6789 >>6803 >>6814

McConnell says he has no plans to watch Mueller testimony

By Jordain Carney - 07/23/19 07:08 PM EDT

 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he has no plans to watch the high-profile hearing with former special counsel Robert Mueller, arguing the country has moved on from the years-long investigation.

 

"The Americans have got a pretty full picture of it. I believe the Mueller report came out sometime back. No, I don't intend to be watching it," he told reporters during a weekly press conference.

 

Pressed if there was anything he wanted to hear from Mueller when he testifies Wednesday, the Senate GOP leader maintained that the country has already heard from the former special counsel, who gave a brief public statement in May.

 

"I don't know how many times we want to see this movie again, but … I think the American people have moved on past this," McConnell said.

 

Mueller's testimony before the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees is expected to dominate the news cycle on Wednesday.

 

The Justice Department is asking Mueller to limit his testimony before Congress to the four corners of his public report on Russian interference and possible obstruction of justice on the part of President Trump.

 

“Any testimony must remain within the boundaries of your public report because matters within the scope of your investigation were covered by executive privilege, including information protected by law enforcement, deliberative process, attorney work product, and presidential communications privileges,” Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer wrote.

 

Both Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) reiterated this week that they didn't intend to call Mueller to testify in the upper chamber.

 

Senate Republicans, instead, are doubling down on their plans to investigate the start of the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign.

Graham said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday that he plans to call former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos to testify as part of a “deep dive” into the early stages of the FBI probe into Russia's election interference.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/454416-mcconnell-says-he-has-no-plans-to-watch-mueller-testimony

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 5:42 p.m. No.26218   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6225

Trump asserts his actions don't amount to obstruction on eve of Mueller testimony

By Aris Folley - 07/23/19 08:28 PM EDT

 

President Trump on Tuesday touted executive powers he is afforded under the Constitution while appearing to dismiss claims of possible obstruction of justice on the eve of former special counsel Robert Mueller's testimony on Capitol Hill.

Trump during a speech at the Turning Point USA Teen Student Action Summit in Washington asserted his belief that his past actions did not amount to obstruction given the executive power he is afforded under Article II of the Constitution.

The president made the remarks while railing against what he labeled the "Russian witch hunt" one day before Mueller is set to testify before Congress on his investigation into Russian election interference and potential obstruction by the president.

 

“First of all, it's very bad for our country,” Trump told the conservative students. “Makes it very hard to deal with Russia … and we should be able to deal with them without having this artificial stuff."

“I could take anybody in this audience. Give me $40 million. Give me unlimited FBI, unlimited interviews, unlimited –– they interviewed 500 people," Trump remarked of the nearly 2-year probe, saying investigators "did everything" and came to a conclusion of "no collusion.”

“Then I have an Article II, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president,” Trump asserted, before adding that he doesn’t “even talk about that because they did a report and there was no obstruction.”

"After looking at it [the Mueller report], our great attorney general read it. He's a total professional. He said, 'There's nothing here. There's no obstruction.' So they referenced, 'No obstruction.' So you have no collusion, no obstruction, and yet it goes on," Trump said.

Trump's remark about "Article II" gave pause to many online, who questioned whether the president was arguing that the constitutional provision he touted gives him unlimited power.

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/454431-trump-boasts-about-his-executive-power-on-eve-of-mueller-testimony

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 6 p.m. No.26240   🗄️.is đź”—kun

Mueller Day: What to watch for

By Morgan Chalfant and Olivia Beavers - 07/23/19 08:06 PM EDT

 

Former special counsel Robert Mueller will testify before Congress on Wednesday in the most anticipated hearing of the year.

It comes more than three months after his 448-page report became public, and two days before the House embarks on a six-week recess.

Mueller has made it clear he is a reluctant witness, and his appearance comes much later than many Democrats would have desired.

It’s uncertain whether there will be any surprises on Wednesday, or whether he’ll move the needle on impeachment one week after the Democratic-controlled House for the first time considered articles against President Trump.

Here’s what to watch for.

 

Will Mueller make news?

In a nine-minute appearance before reporters on May 29, Mueller made it clear he sees his report as his testimony, and that he does not intend to stray outside its lines. He’s further reinforced this point by submitting a copy of the report as his written statement for the record.

The Justice Department in a letter on Monday told Mueller to limit his testimony to the four corners of his report, arguing that other discussions — such as talks about specific investigative steps or decisions — are covered by executive privilege.

Still, there isn’t much the Justice Department can do to prevent Mueller, now a private citizen, from answering questions outside the report.

And Democrats are certain to press him on everything from his assessment of Trump’s potential obstruction of justice in his investigation of Russia’s influence in the 2016 presidential election, to his private interactions with Attorney General William Barr about the public release of information from his probe.

Mueller is likely to dodge inquiries he views as inappropriate. He may offer one-word answers or possibly read sections from his report in response to lawmaker questions.

“He’s not going to volunteer any information,” predicted Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor who previously worked with Mueller. “I think the folks who are interested in getting truthful, accurate information from him may have to do a little tooth-pulling.”

 

READ MORE:

 

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/454435-mueller-day-what-to-watch-for

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 6:03 p.m. No.26245   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6260 >>6284 >>6388 >>6529 >>6789 >>6803 >>6814

Lindsey Graham slams change to iconic bomber jacket for 'Top Gun: Maverick'

By Marina Pitofsky - 07/23/19 08:51 PM EDT

 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday slammed a decision to apparently remove Taiwanese and Japanese flags from Tom Cruise's iconic jacket in the “Top Gun” sequel slated to premiere next summer.

In the newly-released trailer for the film, the Japanese and Taiwanese flags appear to have been removed from Cruise’s jacket and replaced with similar colors.

The movie is being made by Paramount Pictures, but one of the company’s partners is Chinese tech giant Tencent, which some have speculated led to the change, CNN reported.

 

“That’s the power of Chinese money in the modern world that kind of sucks,” Graham said in an interview with TMZ when asked about the Chinese company potentially putting pressure to change the patches on the jacket.

"I hate to see the flag removed because of Chinese financing," he added.

Graham noted that many in his generation were a gan of the original 1986 blockbuster, noting it made them want to be fighter pilots.

He also said he plans to still watch the highly-anticipated sequel “even with that problem.”

When asked whether President Trump should weigh in on the controversy, Graham emphasized that the change was a “private-sector decision.”

“It’s nothing the government can do, but I think it sucks,” he said.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/454440-lindsey-graham-slams-change-to-iconic-bomber-jacket-for-top-gun

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 23, 2019, 7:08 p.m. No.26310   🗄️.is đź”—kun

John B Wells is saying there is a big internet outage in the area he broadcasts from. So he is doing his broadcast differently, what ever that means.

 

Anybody else experiencing any internet probs?

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 24, 2019, 7:25 a.m. No.26739   🗄️.is đź”—kun

Report: James Comey Lied to Trump, Hid that He Was Targeting Trump in Baseless Investigation

 

Former FBI Director James Comey lied to President Trump three times about him personally not being under investigation — which would explain why he refused to say that in public, according to a new bombshell report.

According to the report by RealClearInvestigations, not only was Trump personally targeted, but Comey himself was acting as an investigative agent as he interacted with the president — completely unbeknownst to the latter

 

That would also explain why Comey made memos of his meetings with Trump. The new report reveals that Comey would also put those notes into an investigative file and even call other top FBI officials afterwards.

 

Comey has previously said he considered the memos personal instead of government documents, according to the Wall Street Journal. He also reportedly said they were written contemporaneously to create a record of his interactions with Trump, and he testified to Congress that he decided to do so because of the “nature of the person.”

Trump, not realizing Comey was lying to him, was angered by his refusal to say publicly that he was not personally under investigation and fired him in a letter that acknowledged that Comey had told him privately he was not under investigation three times.

 

Comey denied in his own memoir of having a “counterintelligence case file open” on Trump in the “literal sense.”

However, the report revealed, according to sources briefed on Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s investigation, that Comey was secretly trying to build a conspiracy case against Trump while acting as an investigative agent.

Two U.S. officials told RealClearInvestigations that Comey was essentially “running a covert operation” against Trump, which began when he gave a private “defensive briefing” to Trump on January 6, 2017, about Russian election interference efforts that included telling him about the “pee dossier.”

 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/07/23/report-james-comey-lied-to-trump-hid-that-he-was-targeting-trump-in-baseless-investigation/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&__twitter_impression=true

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 24, 2019, 7:42 a.m. No.26755   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6757 >>6772

David Axelrod: Mueller 'does not appear as sharp' as he was 6 years ago

By Joe Concha - 07/24/19 10:30 AM EDT

 

CNN political commentator David Axelrod on Wednesday offered his take on Robert Mueller's performance during his much-anticipated congressional testimony, saying the former special counsel "does not appear as sharp" as he was six years ago.

"This is delicate to say, but Mueller, whom I deeply respect, has not publicly testified before Congress in at least six years. And he does not appear as sharp as he was then," Axelrod, who was a senior adviser to former President Obama, tweeted to his 1.1 million followers.

 

In all, Mueller is expected to testify for at least five hours on Wednesday.

 

Other commentators were also critical of Mueller's initial performance.

 

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/454493-david-axelrod-mueller-does-not-appear-as-sharp-as-he-was-6-years-ago

Anonymous ID: 7e2e46 July 24, 2019, 8:23 a.m. No.26841   🗄️.is đź”—kun

Protestor yelling about Trump Tower meeting thrown out of Mueller hearing

By Owen Daugherty - 07/24/19 11:11 AM EDT

 

A protester was thrown out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony on Wednesday after he started yelling moments before Mueller was sworn in.

As cameras focused on Mueller for his swearing-in, the protester can be heard yelling allegations that President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort downloaded encrypted apps on the date of a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower.

 

“Kushner and Manafort downloaded encrypted apps the day of the Trump Tower meeting” the man yelled twice as he was being escorted out of the room.

 

Mueller was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for his much-anticipated testimony before a Congressional panel to discuss the contents of his nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Amid the disruption, a microphone placed on the floor in front of a lawmaker picked up audio of him calling the protestor “some idiot.”

 

Mueller was sworn in for his testimony shortly after the protestor exited the room.