Sunday, October 13, 2024

The Russia Hoax Is Still Not a Hoax

David A. Graham - Donald Trump's affection for oppressive and bloodthirsty dictators is by now so familiar that it might go unremarked, and yet also so bizarre that it goes unappreciated or even disbelieved. [I]n the depths of the pandemic, Trump prioritized the health of Vladimir Putin over that of Americans, sending the Russian president Abbott COVID-testing machines for his personal use, at a time when the machines were hard to come by and desperately needed. Meanwhile, Trump told people in the United States they should just test less. So much for "America First."

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Trump's public line on the war in Ukraine is that Putin never would have invaded on his watch, because of his strength. Yet evidence keeps piling up that Trump is weak to any Putin overture - that Putin can get Trump to do what he wants, and has done so again and again.

Putin is hardly alone. Trump's record shows a consistent pattern of affection for dictators, with them doing little or nothing for America's benefit in return. Russia's apparent moves to interfere in the 2016 election by hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee and leaking them - right after Trump made a public appeal for just that - is a rare example of reciprocity, though not to the benefit of the nation.

Many people also persist in believing that stories about Trump's collusion with and ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign were a hoax. This seems to be an unfortunate by-product of Special Counsel Robert Mueller not establishing any criminal conspiracy. Yet the evidence of improper relationships with Russia was out in the open long before Mueller completed his report. Not only was it not a hoax then, but Woodward's reporting shows that Trump's secretive dealings with the Kremlin continue to this day.

#1 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-12 03:33 PM

Glad you brought this up, TR.

In all the realization by low info swing voters about Trump's J6 crimes, let's not forget that Trump is a Traitor in more ways than one.

He's been Vlad's B for 30 years; using Russian money because US and most other foreign banks wouldn't give him the time of day.

Apparently selling secrets, too, many of them Official and not his to share.

What one guy will do for a Moscow Building Permit for a new hotel, like the one he just got in Dubai!

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2024-10-12 03:38 PM

Fat Donnie Traitor can swing from a rope.

#3 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-10-13 02:19 AM

"Federal election regulators fined Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee earlier this month for not properly disclosing the money they spent on controversial opposition research that led to the infamous Trump-Russia dossier.

The DNC was fined $105,000 and the Clinton campaign was fined $8,000, according to a letter sent by the Federal Election Commission to a conservative group that requested an inquiry.

Political candidates and groups are required to publicly disclose their spending to the FEC, and they must explain the purpose of any specific expenditure more than $200. The FEC concluded that the Clinton campaign and DNC misreported the money that funded the dossier, masking it as "legal services" and "legal and compliance consulting" instead of opposition research.

The dossier was compiled by retired British spy Christopher Steele. It contained unverified and salacious allegations about Donald Trump, including claims that his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to win the 2016 election. Trump's campaign had numerous contacts with Russian agents, and embraced Russian help, but no one was ever formally accused of conspiring with Russia"

www.cnn.com

You have zero credibility. STFU

#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 09:23 AM

Trump has always been a Putin lover/lackey and no amount of profanity is going to change that fact.

Grant Stern
@grantstern
That time Trump shipped $4.7 million in COVID aid to Putin and bought a bunch of fire prone Russian ventilators for FEMA that never got used at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Now that is a disaster.

x.com

Trump's Been Playing a Ventilator Shell Game With Russia"and Moscow Mocks Him

The Trump administration bought ventilators from Russia that can't be used (wrong voltage, and they catch fire). Then it gave good ventilators, still needed in the U.S., to Moscow.

www.thedailybeast.com

#5 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:32 AM

#5 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:32 AM | Reply | Flag: Cannot be flagged Newsworthy enough

#6 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:35 AM

#5 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:32 AM | Reply

Even if what you listed above happened, it wasn't Trump personally and it was certainly not illegal. Your darling was fined for conjuring up a fake story and she knew it was a lie and still directed her campaign to run with it. She couldn't even win by cheating. Hillary should be in jail for election interference.

#7 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 09:37 AM

Catherine Rampell
@crampell

As president, Trump withheld Covid supplies from US states, but sent Covid tests to Putin.
Hard to believe this guy is still a coin flip away from a second term.

x.com

The federal government outbid states on critical coronavirus supplies after Trump told governors to get their own medical equipment

The federal government is outbidding states on orders of critical medical equipment necessary to aid patients and protect medical professionals from coronavirus, even though President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted states get their own supplies.

During a conference call with governors on Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told Trump his state was denied three major orders of equipment because the federal government had outbid him.

"I'm not quite sure what to do with this, so I'm just going to throw it out there for you," Baker told Trump on the call, according to Bloomberg News. "We took very seriously the push ... that we should not just rely on the stockpile, that we should go out there and buy stuff and put in orders and try to create pressure on manufacturers and distributors, and I gotta tell you that on three big orders, we lost to the feds."

Baker, a moderate Republican, added, "I've got a feeling that if someone has the chance to sell to you and to sell to me, I am going to lose on every one of those."

www.businessinsider.com

#8 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:41 AM

"Even if what you listed above happened, it wasn't Trump personally"

Sure it was, at least according to Trump's Secretary of State at the time:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Washington Examiner over the weekend that U.S. President Donald J. Trump decided to provide "significant assistance" to Russia and said that the U.S. equipment is already on its way there. Pompeo said, "We're excited about our ability to try and help them work their way through this virus," and added: "I have been working with Russia since I was Director of the CIA," citing mutual cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

#9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:45 AM

#9 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:45 AM | Reply | Flag

So arrest him for it already. But you can't or he would have already been arrested.

And while you're at it throw that hag in prison for election interference.

#10 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 09:54 AM

"Federal election regulators fined Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee earlier this month for not properly disclosing the money they spent on controversial opposition research that led to the infamous Trump-Russia dossier.
The DNC was fined $105,000 and the Clinton campaign was fined $8,000, according to a letter sent by the Federal Election Commission to a conservative group that requested an inquiry.
Political candidates and groups are required to publicly disclose their spending to the FEC, and they must explain the purpose of any specific expenditure more than $200. The FEC concluded that the Clinton campaign and DNC misreported the money that funded the dossier, masking it as "legal services" and "legal and compliance consulting" instead of opposition research.
The dossier was compiled by retired British spy Christopher Steele. It contained unverified and salacious allegations about Donald Trump, including claims that his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to win the 2016 election. Trump's campaign had numerous contacts with Russian agents, and embraced Russian help, but no one was ever formally accused of conspiring with Russia"
www.cnn.com
You have zero credibility. STFU
#4 | Posted by lfthndthrds

Say, did the FEC ever fine Trump for the money he paid to catch and kill the Karen McDougal and Stormy Dainiels stories? No, because there the Republican appointees on the commission voted against opening an investigation:

[A]fter assessing the merits of three complaints related to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to buy the silence of porn star Stephanie Clifford (a.k.a. Stormy Daniels) ahead of the 2016 election, the agency's nonpartisan lawyers recommended that the FEC find reason to believe that Trump and others violated several campaign finance laws and proposed an investigation "to determine the extent to which Trump coordinated with, or otherwise directed, Cohen to make the Clifford payment to help his presidential campaign during the 2016 election."

But the six-person bipartisan agency, which requires four affirmative votes to take most official actions, including launching an investigation, deadlocked on the recommendation, as it frequently does. By voting against the recommendation, Republican Commissioners Sean Cooksey and James "Trey" Trainor effectively killed any further inquiry into Trump's actions, despite the fact that the agency's professional staff believed the available evidence was at least sufficient to conduct a formal investigation.

www.citizensforethics.org

#11 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:58 AM

"So arrest him for it already. But you can't..." - #10 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 09:54 AM

How could she do that?

I do not believe that Gal_Tuesday is a law enforcement agent.

You're welcome.

#12 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:58 AM

"Stormy Dainiels stories"

You mean the Stormy Daniels who publicly said nothing happened between her and Trump? But then got offered a book deal...

#13 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 10:02 AM

The above info had to do with the Stormy Daniels case. Here's the info on the Karen McDougal case, and interestingly enough although the Republicans on the committe once again blocked an investigation into Trump, the committee did fine AMI (owners of the National Inquirer) $187,5000 for its part in the catch and kill scheme:

In addition to Michael Cohen's payment to Stephanie Clifford, the statement of facts supporting District Attorney Bragg's indictment of Trump describes another hush money scheme involving American Media, Inc. (AMI), the publisher of the National Enquirer, and a $150,000 "catch and kill" payment for the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal's story about her alleged affair with Trump. The FEC also received complaints about the AMI payment and, as in the Cohen case, the agency's nonpartisan attorneys recommended finding reason to believe that Trump and others violated campaign finance law. But the Republican commissioners again blocked an investigation into Trump, citing prosecutorial discretion because, among other things, the FEC's attorneys conducted "extensive outside research into news reports, published books, and social media posts" that the Republicans claimed to be unreliable. Their own effort to dismiss the allegations against Trump also failed to gain the four necessary votes to succeed.

In the AMI case, all six commissioners did, however, agree to find reason to believe, based on the non-prosecution agreement AMI previously signed with the Justice Department, that AMI had made a prohibited in-kind corporate contribution with its payment to McDougal. AMI subsequently agreed to a conciliation agreement supported by every FEC commissioner that stated the "payment to Karen McDougal to purchase a limited life story right combined with its decision not to publish the story, in consultation with an agent of Donald J. Trump and for the purpose of influencing the election, constituted a prohibited corporate in-kind contribution." AMI paid a $187,500 fine in June 2021.

#14 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 10:06 AM

#11 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 09:58 AM | Reply

You still openly support a person who interfered in a federal election - trying to manipulate the outcome with false documentation provided by a foreign spy.

You have no credibility.

#15 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 10:08 AM

#13 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 10:02 AM | Reply | Flag: MAGAts post and re-post 100% BS because they believe that everyone is as gullible and stupid as they are

#16 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 10:08 AM

#15 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 10:08 AM | Reply | Flag: Supports a twice-impeached, adjudicated rapist, and convicted felon for president. Credibility rating: -1,500

#17 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 10:11 AM

In summary, Trump participated in election interference during the 2016 election with his catch and kill schemes, which coming after the "grab 'em by the -----" video could certainly have cost him the election if those stories had gotten out.

#18 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 10:12 AM

You still openly support a person who interfered in a federal election - trying to manipulate the outcome with false documentation provided by a foreign spy.
You have no credibility.
#15 | Posted by lfthndthrd

Trump interfered with the election as I have shown above, and you still openly support him. You have no credibility.

#19 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 10:13 AM

#19 | Posted by Gal_Tuesday at 2024-10-13 10:13 AM | Reply | Flag: Cannot be flagged Newsworthy enough

#20 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 10:15 AM

Hillary should be in jail for election interference.

#7 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTHRDS AT 2024-10-13 09:37 AM | REPLY

Trump was president for four years and promised to "lock her up!"

why didnt he? youve been had, thats why.

#21 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-10-13 11:37 AM

You mean the Stormy Daniels who publicly said nothing happened between her and Trump? But then got offered a book deal...

#13 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTHRDS AT 2024-10-13 10:02 AM | FLAG:

If stormy didnt have sex with DJT why did he pay her 130,000 and have her sign an NDA?

you have zero credibility.

#22 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-10-13 11:38 AM

you have zero credibility.

I would say less than zero.

#23 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-10-13 12:07 PM

Tony, I pegged it at -1,500.

:-)

#24 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 12:19 PM

If stormy didnt have sex with DJT why did he pay her 130,000 and have her sign an NDA?

you have zero credibility.

#22 | Posted by Alexandrite at 2024-10-13 11:38 AM | Reply | Flag

I didn't say that - Stormy Daniels did. If she lied she should go to jail for perjury.

#25 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 12:22 PM

Hans pegged Tony, go figure...

#26 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 12:22 PM

"Hans pegged Tony, go figure..." - #26 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 12:22 PM | Reply | Flag: MAGAt understanding

#27 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 12:25 PM

"Stormy Daniels did." - #25 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 12:22 PM | Reply | Flag: MAGAts post and re-post 100% BS because they believe that everyone is as gullible and stupid as they are

#28 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 12:26 PM

"Hans pegged Tony, go figure..." - #26 | Posted by lfthndthrds (NSFW) at 2024-10-13 12:22 PM

Tony, I pegged it at -1,500.

:-)

#24 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 12:19 PM

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

#29 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 12:33 PM

I didn't say that - Stormy Daniels did. If she lied she should go to jail for perjury.

#25 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTHRDS

But she didn't lie and she won't go to jail.

On the other hand when twice impeached convicted felon (and your hero) and criminally indicted Trumpy loses this election and gets stomped to the curb by an America fed up with his nonsense and hateful BS and tedious insane and incoherent rhetoric he COULD definitely go to jail.

So it's no wonder you and he are so desperate. What will you do when Dear Leader is locked up for his crimes?

Will you cry for poor poor Trumpy?

And guess what Kamala has to look forward to if she was to (Gawd forbid!) lose? Nothing. Maybe a nice vacation somewhere. Maybe another try in 4 years.

Meanwhile Trumpy rots away in prison. Or an insane asylum.

#30 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-10-13 01:13 PM

Lfthndturds is an ignorant, childish, fool.

He's also completely wrong.

On everything.

#31 | Posted by Angrydad at 2024-10-13 03:01 PM

He's a MAGAT ass licker.

#32 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2024-10-13 03:06 PM

Hans,

Your repetitive posts with way too much italics and bold are making my eyes bleed. Try to be original.

#33 | Posted by BellRinger at 2024-10-13 05:26 PM

"Your repetitive posts with way too much italics and bold are making my eyes bleed." - #33 | Posted by Bellringer at 2024-10-13 05:26 PM | Reply | Flag: Response

#34 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 05:31 PM

If trumpers think russia is so great they can go fight on it's behalf.

#35 | Posted by Tor at 2024-10-13 09:08 PM

I would say less than zero.

#23 | POSTED BY TONYROMA AT 2024-10-13 12:07 PM |

You got pegged by a morbidly obese fat guy, STFU.

#36 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 09:14 PM

"You got pegged by a morbidly obese fat guy ..." #36 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2024-10-13 09:14 PM | Reply | Flag: Partial truth

#37 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:22 PM

#36 | Posted by lfthndthrds

---another attempt at making this BS into "something"

I'd like to put this latest regurgitation in a side by side with polling but I don't have to...to know

that every slip in polls for kammy results in this sort of childish gibberish coming out

again...

it also happens every time she opens her illiterate mouth but doesn't say anything....which is

pretty good for a cheap parlor trick.......but good for a potus ?.... naw I don't think so.....

keep working on it while you can....

nov 5

DJT declared potus by 11 EST

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan at 2024-10-13 09:49 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

Don't you love nature, despite what it did to you?

#39 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:53 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

Are you always so stupid or is today a special occasion?

#40 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:54 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

I can't seem to remember your name, and please don't help me.

#41 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:55 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

A half-wit gave you a piece of his mind, and you held on to it.

#42 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:56 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

You are as useless as rubber lips on a woodpecker.

#43 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:57 PM

#38 | Posted by shrimptacodan (Notice how he writes like bushlover2/afkabl2/"babbles" who, at his advanced age, finally earned his GED!!!)

Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you'd had enough oxygen at birth?

#44 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-13 09:58 PM

All roads lead back to collusion delusion

#45 | Posted by THEBULL at 2024-10-14 11:24 AM

Just like Hunter's laptop that was Russian disinformation, amirite? Hint...I'm not. It wasn't Russian disinformation but Dems ignored it completely and have fought hard to keep it under the covers.

It's impossible to have a prospering nation when the two entities running it don't play on the same field. Fine, you want to get out the corrupt, lying person in charge. Great! Now, why do we have someone who is also a corrupt, lying person in charge? I know, I know, you have to be objective to accept reality and that's not a skill DR lib kids possess. But that doesn't change the logic.

#46 | Posted by humtake at 2024-10-14 12:23 PM

All roads lead back to collusion delusion

#45 | POSTED BY THEBULL

Why would the Trump campaign contact Russian intelligence officers over 100 times?

Because Trumpy was eager eager to exploit the Kremlin's aid, particularly by maximizing the impact of the disclosure of Democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers.

Why would citizen Trump call Putin directly 7 times as a private citizen campaigning for President?

To collude.

Collude: cooperate in a secret or unlawful way in order to deceive or gain an advantage over others.

#47 | Posted by donnerboy at 2024-10-14 12:51 PM

#45 | Posted by THEBULL (NSFW) at 2024-10-14 11:24 AM | Reply | Flag: MAGAts post and re-post 100% BS because they believe that everyone is as gullible and stupid as they are

#48 | Posted by Hans at 2024-10-14 01:01 PM

Just like Hunter's laptop that was Russian disinformation, amirite? Hint...I'm not. It wasn't Russian disinformation but Dems ignored it completely and have fought hard to keep it under the covers.

#46 | Posted by humtake

Russian Bots told Humtake that Hunter's laptop had bombshell stuff on it and he still believes it!

Turned out to be rather dull and nothing to do with Joe Biden...but those Russian Bots are still way more appealing to idiots like Humtake.

Hey Humtake, didn't X take down JD Vance's hacked info?

#49 | Posted by Sycophant at 2024-10-14 01:06 PM

Just like Hunter's laptop that was Russian disinformation, amirite? Hint...I'm not. It wasn't Russian disinformation but Dems ignored it completely and have fought hard to keep it under the covers.

#46 | Posted by humtake

It was russian disinformation that the laptop contained proof of joe biden's corruption. It contained hunters huge dick instead. Which made republicans even madder.

#50 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-10-14 04:47 PM

All roads lead back to collusion delusion

#45 | Posted by THEBULL

Answer one question - how do you explain trump selecting russian asset paul manafort as his campaign manager, out of everyone in the world he could have chosen?

#51 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-10-14 04:48 PM

#46 | Posted by humtake

What on the laptop is being covered up? Hunter's dick pic was presented on the floor of Congress by perverted Republicans.

#52 | Posted by rstybeach11 at 2024-10-14 04:49 PM

Here's your daily reminder that trump's DOJ barred the investigators from looking into trump's financial ties to putin.

Hillary testified under oath to a hostile republican congress for 11 hours about bengazi.

Trump couldnt do that for 11 seconds about collusion or his coup.

#53 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-10-14 04:49 PM

#47 | Posted by donnerboy

From Mediaite comments:

Cackling Kamala hgwells
19 minutes ago
When is Bob Mueller testifying again about the COLLUSION DELUSION? LOL!

Looks like the MAGAts received their talking points from Trump HQ.

#54 | Posted by rstybeach11 at 2024-10-14 05:01 PM

@#15 ... You still openly support a person who interfered in a federal election - trying to manipulate the outcome with false documentation provided by a foreign spy. ...

Huh?

WTF is your current alias talking about?

Got links?

#55 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-10-14 09:52 PM

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