Could this actually work for Putin in the short-term, at least? He sends the US 60 new spies that we aren’t familiar with and have to study and learn about.
I can just picture Trump in bed with his cheeseburgers and on his cell phone Putin is whispering: “Donald, my dearest friend, listen, this is what we are going to do…”
I’m not positive, but I *believe *that the names and photographs are probably provided to the government of the host country before the personnel arrive, so that the host country can say yea or nay. That’s usually enough to start tracking more information down before they even arrive.
That sort of effort isn’t put into every person assigned to serve in a country, mind you. They’ll have criteria to help them determine who to investigate in-depth. But by the time you arrive, the intelligence services will definitely know what you look like and probably have already decided if you’re worth keeping an eye on.
Yeah, you use polonium when you want everyone to know unambiguously that it was you. Your enemies need to know who they’re supposed to be afraid of, after all.
So, if the assassination team brings polonium you are supposed to be afraid of Putin, if they bring dissection tools you are supposed to be afraid of Saudi royalty, and if you’re supposed to be afraid of Trump he’ll send Maxwell Smart?
“Knock it off” is a rather standard US English idiom meaning “stop it.” It is generally used when addressing children in a stern manner., like when the eleven year old and the nine year old are arguing about stupid shit.
A Federal Judge telling counsel to “knock it off” is a dressing down.
Paul Manafort’s team was supposed to file his response to prosecutors’ alleging he violated his cooperation agreement last night. Apparently they did so, but under seal. Nobody knows why.
What does it all mean? My guess is Paul Manafort has been abducted from his prison cell by aliens from Zeta Reticuli IV.
Maybe that “significantly daily monetary penalty” will be enough to keep the judiciary open longer? (Since it’s running out of money because of the shutdown?) Clever of Mr. Roberts…
It sounds to me like they’re trying to make the argument that Manafort just needs a nicer jail cell with a plant and the opportunity to go out and play chess with other people, and if he only had that, his memory would get a lot clearer. I don’t get the sense that they’re trying to deny the accusation so much as entice Mueller to give them a second chance…for what should be just a small pittance of a favor.
I assume that Mueller has enough history dealing with slimeballs to know whether it’s worth offering the second chance, or if it would just be a waste of time. I think he would only do it if he can force Manafort to accept some provisions where it was clear to Manafort that he was inescapably being monitored and literally couldn’t get away with scratching his butt without being caught doing it, and that his family and friends would lose out even far more significantly than they already are.
Not long after I graduated from law school, I told my preschooler that his repeated questions about when he had to go to bed were already “asked and answered.”