Trump associates may have coordinated with Russians, according to US officials

[Sage_Rat]

@davidm

Novartis paid Michael Cohen firm $1.2 million for advice - CBS News

A giant multinational like Novartis signed a $1.2 million contract without researching his credentials first? I’m skeptical.

It would also seem strange to enter in a contract for $1.2m and not have some sort of escape clause if the other person didn’t or couldn’t live up to their part.

[davidm]

Note that, in addition to being Trump’s lawyer, Cohen is a deputy finance chairman for the RNC.

[Sherrerd]

@davidm

Note that, in addition to being Trump’s lawyer, Cohen is a deputy finance chairman for the RNC.

…A fact that should be mentioned by every Democratic candidate running for office, this November.

Let the RNC own their decisions.

[Sage_Rat]

One thing I’ll note is that Devin Nunes is pretty quickly going to become a problem unless someone figures out how he’s at risk of being implicated in all of this.

His quieter method of acting, trying to use his position to feed the Trump team with information is a lot more likely to be become a problem than his earlier strategy of spreading conspiracy theories.

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@Bayard

Who was the poster who kept crowing that “the football was pulled away [from liberals] again” every time there was any news on the Mueller investigation that didn’t conclusively prove Trump was guilty? What happened to that guy?

IIRC, this is the poster you have in mind.

[davidm]

John McCain says that he’s the one who gave the Steele dossier to Comey.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mccain-confirms-he-gave-trump-dossier-to-comey-duty-demanded-i-do-it/

In his new book, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) confirms that he gave a controversial dossier about President Trump to former FBI chief James Comey.

“I agreed to receive a copy of what is now referred to as ‘the dossier,’” McCain writes in the upcoming book, titled The Restless Wave, referencing information compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. “I reviewed its contents. The allegations were disturbing, but I had no idea which if any were true. I could not independently verify any of it, and so I did what any American who cares about our nation’s security should have done.”

[Robot_Arm]

@davidm

John McCain says that he’s the one who gave the Steele dossier to Comey.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/mccain-confirms-he-gave-trump-dossier-to-comey-duty-demanded-i-do-it/

I knew it would turn out to be one of those deep-state Democrats.

[Sage_Rat]

I don’t have access to the Wall Street Journal, but people who are writing about what it said are saying that Devin Nunes is seeking information about an American that has been a source to both the FBI and CIA and who was (probably) part of the Trump Campaign, and supplied much of the early information about possible crimes within the campaign team.

I had, of course, long since proposed Sessions as a whistleblower for the campaign, but he doesn’t make much sense. He doesn’t seem to have spent any significant amount of time abroad, so the CIA would never have had any interest in him.

Felix Sater could be an option. Flynn could be, actually. It would be interesting to look though the full roster and see who all over the age of ~35 has foreign connections or lived abroad.

I’m reasonably doubtful that the FBI actually sent the person in as a mole. It seems more likely that the FBI would simply pull out the Sater file and move back into his life after he was already getting into mischief on his own. (Presuming it to be Sater.)

[Defensive_Indifference]

@Kolak_of_Twilo

IIRC, this is the poster you have in mind.

Ah, yeah! I think that’s him. Now I see why I haven’t seen him around in a while. Thanks.

[Gyrate]

@Bayard

Ah, yeah! I think that’s him. Now I see why I haven’t seen him around in a while. Thanks.

I believe his services were required elsewhere to cover some exposed toes.

Back on topic: if McCain is the one who gave the Steele dossier to Comey, does that imply that the Clinton campaign didn’t do this, or did they also do so? It’s hard to keep track of these things.

[Fotheringay-Phipps]

@Sage_Rat

I don’t have access to the Wall Street Journal, but people who are writing about what it said are saying that Devin Nunes is seeking information about an American that has been a source to both the FBI and CIA and who was (probably) part of the Trump Campaign, and supplied much of the early information about possible crimes within the campaign team.

Here’s the article

The context of the Nunes request is the question of whether, when, why, and to what extent the FBI spied on the Trump campaign.

@WSJ

Thanks to the Washington Post’s unnamed law-enforcement leakers, we know Mr. Nunes’s request deals with a “top secret intelligence source” of the FBI and CIA, who is a U.S. citizen and who was involved in the Russia collusion probe. When government agencies refer to sources, they mean people who appear to be average citizens but use their profession or contacts to spy for the agency. Ergo, we might take this to mean that the FBI secretly had a person on the payroll who used his or her non-FBI credentials to interact in some capacity with the Trump campaign.

@WSJ

And to the point, when precisely was this human source operating? Because if it was prior to that infamous Papadopoulos tip, then the FBI isn’t being straight. It would mean the bureau was spying on the Trump campaign prior to that moment. And that in turn would mean that the FBI had been spurred to act on the basis of something other than a junior campaign aide’s loose lips.

As to who it is, the author of this article believes she knows, but she won’t say. Nonetheless, that makes her speculation as to the source’s characteristics more interesting, based on the notion that she wouldn’t speculate to the contrary.

@WSJ

We also know that among the Justice Department’s stated reasons for not complying with the Nunes subpoena was its worry that to do so might damage international relationships. This suggests the “source” may be overseas, have ties to foreign intelligence, or both. That’s notable, given the highly suspicious role foreigners have played in this escapade. It was an Australian diplomat who reported the Papadopoulos conversation. Dossier author Christopher Steele is British, used to work for MI6, and retains ties to that spy agency as well as to a network of former spooks. It was a former British diplomat who tipped off Sen. John McCain to the dossier. How this “top secret” source fits into this puzzle could matter deeply.

I believe I know the name of the informant, but my intelligence sources did not provide it to me and refuse to confirm it. It would therefore be irresponsible to publish it.

Of course, she could be completely wrong and she offers no clue as to what her basis is. But since we’re speculating, she’s entitled, and ISTM that she believes it’s a US citizen who is/was overseas and has ties to foreign intelligence.

[Robot_Arm]

@Fotheringay-Phipps

Here’s the article

I’m not sure it’s quite right to describe that as an article. The quotes you posted are in more of an editorial voice than a news article, and the page you linked to has it under the heading “opinion”.

[asahi]

Going back to Cohen, if he’s peddling services and promising political access and influence in exchange for millions in payments, it seems dangerously close to being a federal lobbyist. And I don’t think he ever registered as one.

[ElvisL1ves]

Drain the swamp. :rolleyes:

[Fiveyearlurker]

@asahi

Going back to Cohen, if he’s peddling services and promising political access and influence in exchange for millions in payments, it seems dangerously close to being a federal lobbyist. And I don’t think he ever registered as one.

The real scandal here is that this behavior is pretty much what K street is for in the first place.

[Chronos]

So, Nunes is answering the claim that Trump colluded with the KGB, with a counter-claim that he knows of someone who colluded with the FBI. Because that’s just as bad, right?

[yorick73]

@Gyrate

I believe his services were required elsewhere to cover some exposed toes.

Back on topic: if McCain is the one who gave the Steele dossier to Comey, does that imply that the Clinton campaign didn’t do this, or did they also do so? It’s hard to keep track of these things.

This has been known for over a year now. McCain just got around to fessing up. AFAIK the funding is not in dispute

[asahi]

@Fiveyearlurker

The real scandal here is that this behavior is pretty much what K street is for in the first place.

I’m also beginning to wonder about the legality of companies <cough! AT&T cough!> who blatantly contributed money for the purposes of access. This is like post-colonial African republic type corruption we’re looking at here.

[Gyrate]

@yorick73

This has been known for over a year now. McCain just got around to fessing up. AFAIK the funding is not in dispute

That’s not actually an answer to what I asked, but okay.

[Sage_Rat]

@Gyrate

I believe his services were required elsewhere to cover some exposed toes.

Back on topic: if McCain is the one who gave the Steele dossier to Comey, does that imply that the Clinton campaign didn’t do this, or did they also do so? It’s hard to keep track of these things.

According to the Glenn Simpson testimony, Steele directly contacted the FBI and - after meeting them - gave them his reports directly. This was before McCain received his copy of the dossier, let alone gave it to the FBI.

Steele - Late August / early September, if I remember correctly.
McCain - December