# Leaked report of Russian blackmail of Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 10, 2017, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846 "2017-01-10T23:59:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 39
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/761 "2017-03-22T20:36:02Z")
True, true. It’s singularities, all the way down! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/762 "2017-03-22T20:48:37Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > …nasty case of the poloniums. The pompous and vapid old fart in _Hamlet?_ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/763 "2017-03-22T21:55:40Z")
> > [@Ken Dilanean](#): > > News: Adam Schiff on @MTPDaily: I’ve seen more than circumstantial evidence of collusion between Trump campaign and Russia This Nunes thing that happened today is insane. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/764 "2017-03-22T22:27:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > [x.com](https://twitter.com/KenDilanianNBC/status/844667047598592000) > > This Nunes thing that happened today is insane. What is wrong with Nunes? Running to the subject of an investigation to tattle is just perplexing. And Nunes was part of Trump’s transition team I think, so he shouldn’t even be part of the investigation. He showed today with his totally stupid actions that he can’t be unbiased. He needs to step down What I don’t understand is whether he actually saw the supposed information or some murky “source” told him about it? Either way, to be decrying leaks one day and then leaking the next is the height of hypocrisy ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/765 "2017-03-22T22:53:10Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > This Nunes thing that happened today is insane. And to Trump’s enormous advantage. Now all the Trumpists are doubly sure Obama tapped his phones. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/766 "2017-03-22T23:02:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > And to Trump’s enormous advantage. Now all the Trumpists are doubly sure Obama tapped his phones. The Trumpists are stupid. The government tapped foreign spy’s phones. Trumps team just happened to be caught calling the foreign spys. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/767 "2017-03-22T23:04:48Z")
Nunes hasn’t presented any actual evidence of anything. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/768 "2017-03-22T23:12:53Z")
Nunes either leaked classified information or is lying. Either one is pretty crazy. I can’t imagine what made him think this was a good idea. Makes you wonder if it was his idea and, if not, who is pulling his string. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/769 "2017-03-23T00:12:13Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Nunes either leaked classified information or is lying. Either one is pretty crazy. I can’t imagine what made him think this was a good idea. Makes you wonder if it was his idea and, if not, who is pulling his string. I’m curious why anyone thinks this is a revelation. This is exactly how Flynn was caught. We already knew this. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/770 "2017-03-23T00:36:41Z")
So, Nunes’ complaint is that there were legal intercepts of foreigners and Trumpsters were picked up by accident and their names were masked, but they weren’t masked well enough and a person reading the transcripts could figure out who they were. That… doesn’t really seem like a good reason to rush to the White House and warn them. I wonder if there could be any other reason. Nah, probably not. Oh, what’s this? [US Officials: Info suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians](http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html). Probably not related. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/771 "2017-03-23T01:47:18Z")
Yeah. If someone wanted to let the public know that they had incriminating conversations on tape between Trump & the Russians, but didn’t want to leak it personally, that someone could do a lot worse than tricking an idiot Trump supporter into thinking that these taped conversations were going to make Donald look good. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/772 "2017-03-23T12:36:13Z")
Here’s how I understand what Nunes is saying: The communications of Americans being picked up while monitoring foreigners is legal and routine. No big deal there, and if some of those Americans are Trump and his people, still no big deal. The issue is what the intelligence organizations do with the intercepted American communications. Apparently they are supposed to redact all names (unless necessary to understand context) and in general avoid focusing on them. In this case, what Nunes is suggesting is that not only were the names not redacted but the Trump people became the focus of reports based on these communications, which were then widely circulated in the intelligence community. That’s a lot further than the initial incidental interception. Needless to say, I’m not vouching for the validity or significance of Nunes’ claims. But this appears to be what he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/773 "2017-03-23T15:59:41Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Here’s how I understand what Nunes is saying: > > The communications of Americans being picked up while monitoring foreigners is legal and routine. No big deal there, and if some of those Americans are Trump and his people, still no big deal. The issue is what the intelligence organizations do with the intercepted American communications. Apparently they are supposed to redact all names (unless necessary to understand context) and in general avoid focusing on them. In this case, what Nunes is suggesting is that not only were the names not redacted but the Trump people became the focus of reports based on these communications, which were then widely circulated in the intelligence community. That’s a lot further than the initial incidental interception. > > Needless to say, I’m not vouching for the validity or significance of Nunes’ claims. But this appears to be what he’s saying. Well, he changed his claim yesterday so it’s hard to know what his point is, but his later claim was that the names were redacted but one could still figure out who they were by context. Basically it boils down to this, if you’re super famous, there may be a minor risk that redacting your name isn’t enough and that investigators may be able you figure out that it was you who had an innocent conversation with a bad guy. Big fucking whoop. This is a minor privacy issue that can be worked out by the intelligence community or congressional oversight pointing out to them that “hey when you guys redact a name, the policy needs tweaked for the cases where the person is famous.” I don’t buy his story one bit. Nunes is on the intelligence oversight committee. Their job is to point things like this out to the intelligence community behind closed doors, not by rushing to meet with people who may be under investigation and holding two press conferences about it. I think he was either trying to drum up support for Trumps wiretapping claim, trying to discredit the investigators, or was there for some other reason. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/774 "2017-03-23T16:19:28Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > …or was there for some other reason. He’s just really really tired of freedom, it’s so exhausting. He needs to take a break. He’s heard good things about incarceration. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/775 "2017-03-23T21:13:42Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > **Nunes either leaked classified information** or is lying. Either one is pretty crazy. I can’t imagine what made him think this was a good idea. Makes you wonder if it was his idea and, if not, who is pulling his string. Someone should let Trump know we found one of those leakers he’s been saying need to be caught and prosecuted. He keeps saying leaks are serious federal crimes, much worse than somebody just talking to the Russians - well, here you go. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/776 "2017-03-23T21:24:44Z")
Telling Il Douche isn’t “leaking”. Telling _us_ is leaking. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/777 "2017-03-23T23:36:26Z")
Nunes doesn’t even know if Trump or anyone on the Trump team was even intercepted or were just mentioned my 3rd parties. Fucking liar. > [@](#): > > Devin Nunes, R-Calif., does not know “for sure” whether President Donald Trump or members of his transition team were even on the phone calls or other communications now being cited as partial vindication for the president’s wiretapping claims against the Obama administration Fucking liar. > **[Intel Chair Devin Nunes unsure if Trump associates were directly surveilled](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/intel-chair-devin-nunes-unsure-trump-associates-direclty/story?id=46325928)** > > Republican Rep. Devin Nunes has raised more questions than answers. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/778 "2017-03-24T01:46:10Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Nunes doesn’t even know if Trump or anyone on the Trump team was even intercepted or were just mentioned my 3rd parties. Fucking liar. Nunes went before the press twice to make a big hastily-prepared stink about this huge revelation that he wasn’t even really sure about, couldn’t explain without contradicting himself like 40 times, and had no evidence of. I can’t really come up with a good explanation here. The only thing that makes sense to me is that this is a cover story and he was there for a different reason. One thing is certain. As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, a member of the House investigation into the Russian election activities, a member of the Trump campaign, and after the way he behaved during Monday’s hearing, it’s really difficult to believe he’s acting on good faith. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/779 "2017-03-24T03:20:14Z")
You know. Nunes was a member of Trump’s transition team. Seeing him running around with his hair on fire - I’m starting to wonder if maybe the incidental person caught in those phone calls was Nunes himself. I’m starting to wonder if he ran to the Whitehouse because was afraid they might not cover for him. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846/780 "2017-03-24T04:20:28Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > Nunes went before the press twice to make a big hastily-prepared stink about this huge revelation that he wasn’t even really sure about, couldn’t explain without contradicting himself like 40 times, and had no evidence of. > > I can’t really come up with a good explanation here. The only thing that makes sense to me is that this is a cover story and he was there for a different reason. > > One thing is certain. As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, a member of the House investigation into the Russian election activities, a member of the Trump campaign, and after the way he behaved during Monday’s hearing, it’s really difficult to believe he’s acting on good faith. I think good faith out of the GOP will be hard to come by. McCain is probably about all we’re going to get. The Comey hearing was 5 hours of obfuscation and distraction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=38) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaked-report-of-russian-blackmail-of-trump/776846.md?page=40)