The evidence just keeps coming: Donald Trump is a Russian asset.
Time Magazine is one of the many media outlets reporting what can only be labeled a bombshell: that Trump’s buddy Vladimir Putin had put bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan–paying Taliban fighters for each American killed– and that the U.S. has taken no action in response.
In his first comment on the matter, President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that “nobody briefed or told me” about the “so-called attacks,” a comment that his former national security adviser termed “remarkable.”
The New York Times reported Friday on the alleged actions by Russian military intelligence — paying Taliban-linked militias to kill American and British troops — and that Trump and other top White House officials had been briefed on the matter months ago. Major elements were also reported by the Washington Post.
The New York Times reported that the bounties likely resulted in the deaths of several U.S. service members. The Times also reported that the President had been briefed about the intelligence in late March, and had chosen to do nothing. (The Times may have been the first to report on the alleged Russian operation–they got the “scoop”– but the story has since been confirmed by several other media outlets, including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and ABC News.)
VoteVets clearly believes the reports; the veteran’s organization has issued a scathing video in response.
Trump’s continued insistence that neither he nor Pence had been briefed on the matter is simply not credible, according to former Intelligence officials–and if it did prove to be true, it would expose huge failings in the Trump administration.
David Priess was a CIA agent during Bill Clinton and George W Bush’s presidencies; he took to Twitter to explore the various possibilities. He found it significant that the White House was not disputing the truth of the intelligence, and concluded that if the president really wasn’t told, the failure to brief him would constitute a massive failing by the national intelligence community.
Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser, also has been quoted as saying that if the denial were true, and the intelligence never made its way to the president, it would signal dangerous incompetence by the Trump administration.
“I don’t believe this for a minute, but if it were true, it means that Trump is not even pretending to serve as commander in chief. And no one around him has the guts to ask him to. More evidence of their deadly incompetence,” she wrote, following the White House denial.
Her deputy at the time, Ben Rhodes, wrote: “In addition to being almost certainly a lie, the idea that Trump wouldn’t be briefed on Russia putting a bounty on US troops is even crazier than him being briefed and doing nothing.”
This is an evolving crisis: A report late yesterday from the New York Times quotes two officials insisting that the President had been briefed on the matter on February 27th. An even later report, from the AP, asserted that top officials in the White House were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full year earlier than previously reported.
So–as most commentators assumed–Trump is lying. The obvious question is: why did he fail to take any action? (Or as several people in my FaceBook feed put it, what does Putin have on him?)
Just last month, Trump was calling for Russia to be reinstated into the G7.
As the blowback has grown, and as both Democrats and Republicans have demanded answers, Trump’s protestations have morphed somewhat. According to Huffpost, Trump now claims that the Intelligence officials had determined that the story was “not credible.”
What is “not credible” is this massively incompetent, thoroughly corrupt and probably traitorous administration.
Twenty-four Americans were killed in combat in Afghanistan between early 2019 and early 2020. A competent administration would want to know what part, if any, the Russian bounty operation played in those deaths. A President not beholden to Russia and Vladimir Putin would act–if not in late February or early March, when the President rather obviously knew about this– at least now, when the whole world knows.
November can’t come soon enough.
We NOW know that Trump knew in March of 2019 – NOT 2020. The money laundering for the Russians is the most likely dirt the Russians are holding over Trump. And I suspect they have a treasure trove of dirt on the high level Republicans who refuse to stand up for America. There is no other logical explanation for their deranged obedience to this dangerous unqualified buffoon
patmcc; and the evidence of the coming Covid-19 Pandemic has been traced to late 2019, the year Trump has spent campaigning on his impeachment “win” and forcing Kavannaugh onto SCOTUS to strengthen his hold on the Judicial branch of government after losing the House. With Rudy continuing to attempt to gather further help from Ukraine to demean Joe Biden and all those golf outings; who has time to be concerned with protecting our military from Russian intervention? We will never know the truth of this situation or anything out of this administration any more than we will ever know if there was another shooter “on the grassy knoll”.
Is there any word from Trump’s clone, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, about the Russian bounty on his military members?
“November can’t come soon enough.”
And IF Joe Biden is elected, Trump and his White House mafia still have 78 days to continue deconstructing our government and wreaking havoc on this nation and continue supporting Putin. Unless McConnell is ousted, we will simply return to conditions we struggled under during President Obama’s administration; McConnell has the last word and his word is the current “Rule of Law”.
Regarding the news that the president was briefed on Russia placing a bounty on Americans fighting in Afghanistan, a post in this mornings media claims that:
“As the Times reports, Trump’s assertions clash with two intelligence officials, one who says the president was briefed in February, and the other who said it was February 27th.
John Ratcliffe, the recently confirmed director of national intelligence issued a statement Monday night that said leaks were a crime.”
A typical response when you have no defense.
JoAnn,
Your mention of the grassy knoll shooter makes me wonder where she/he will be in November.
It’s treasonous dereliction of duty!
The other possibility, he’s the Muscovian candidate, a foreign asset/agent put in place to destroy the Western Democratic alliance!
With the assault on human rights and freedoms by the Russia/China/North Korea axis of evil and tyranny, there cannot be any delay in forcibly removing this TRAITOR ✊?✊?✊?
Smoking guns, anyone? As if there wasn’t enough evidence to the evil, corruption and madness embedded and surrounding the Trump administration, a cloying question arises: Why hasn’t anyone on the inside come forward to do their patriotic duty before now?
If a Democratic President was involved with something like this, the Republicans would have articles of impeachment voted on before the ink was dry. So, where are the Democrats? We don’t need anymore stinking investigations. Isn’t treason an impeachable crime…you know, like extortion and bribery? How many sheets of tissue paper do Republican Senators need to hide behind? Why did so many of them travel to Russia two years ago?
I think it’s more than just Trump’s crimes. I think the whole goddamned GOP is criminal in oh so many ways.
John,
How’s the book?
This latest Trump outrage should come as no surprise. Why wouldn’t he do whatever comes into his mind either via instructions from Moscow or some whim of the moment? He has NEVER been held accountable for ANY of his actions. Not in his entire life! He has always lied, and cheated, and stole his way using lawsuits, bullying, and intimidation to get what he wanted. He isn’t TRYING to become a dictator. In his mind, he ALREADY IS a dictator. And who can stop him?
Now! Now! It’s just possible that it was in his briefing book, but not part of the oral report. We all know that, if you want to keep this President from knowing about something, you hide it where he definitely won’t see it – in a book! He might not be treasonous. He might just be lazy and stupid or, as Rex Tillerson so eloquently put it, “A f…ing moron.”
Quote from Washington Post, 12/7/19: “Trump is creating evidence faster than the House can draw up Articles of Impeachment”. ARE House members drawing up Articles of Impeachment as Trump’s evidence piles up faster and faster?
Quote from Oscar Wilde: “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” Will this prove to be true IF and WHEN Trump is out of office; beginning with publication of his tax forms? Will any of his actions during his presidency be considered crimes for which he can be held legally accountable? Possibly his mail-in vote as a resident of Florida in Mar-A-Lago
after deciding that remaining a resident of New York City living in his Trump Tower was no longer a safe place? There are law suits waiting in NYCSD for his return to status as a private citizen; but with his declared change of residency, are they still valid? Is his declared change of residence legally valid?
Currently reading Meltzer’s: The First Conspiracy … a well written compelling read set during the time of the American Revolution. General George Washington establishes the first intelligence team to counter spying by Loyalists and local government officials loyal to the King of England. Thus the drama behind the scenes to fight for the independence of our republic. Now it seems another novel is unfolding with a story of a conspiracy that threatens the security of our nation. The actors include a President who is our Commander-in-Chief, denies that today’s intelligence never informed him of bounties paid by Russia to assassins of American soldiers. The same President who refuses to disclose his financial statements of his business interests known to have built his brand hotels in strange locations in Russia. The plot thickens with constant revelations the incumbent President is losing control of protected secrets he does not want the American public to know. Now the President faces a dilemma of his own doing. The Russian premier controls information that could be damaging to the authority of the President just like he is known to to reign in corrupt oligarchs failing to do his bidding. I can hardly wait as the story unfolds before our very eyes. Entertaining! But not for 27 families of American soldiers killed in Afghanistan this year. George Washington must be turning in his grave with disgust to cast shame toward his current successor.
Greetings Jo Ann. Would you be so kind as to refresh my memory regarding the
“grassy-knoll” thing? Memory is shot Irvin
Regarding the “Pee Pee Tape”, which I just viewed and didn’t really find the blob of a male viewing the women to easily be recognizable as Trump, I do remember the Christopher Steele report did contain a reference to Trump participating in some way in a “Golden Showers” action in Russia.
Republicans have managed to bury both the Christopher Steele document and the Robert Mueller report which, if I remember correctly, did refer to portions of Steele’s report being documented. This incident along with Stormy Daniels, the Billy Bush conversation regarding “grab them by the pussy”, the disappearance of the known 19 sex abuse charges against Trump, his calling third world countries “shit holes” undeserving of our disaster assistance, and countless other public outings of his immoral and illegal actions points an accusing finger at the Republican party which forced him on this country as their chosen presidential nominee. It is indeed much more than the “Pee Pee Tape” belying him to posses qualifying experience to receive that honor and he has more than proven he isn’t qualified to clean the toilets in the White House.
To quote Theresa Bowers; “This latest Trump outrage should come as no surprise.”
To quote Peggy Hannon; “He might just be lazy and stupid or, as Rex Tillerson so eloquently put it, “A f…ing moron.”
And to quote Sheila’s final thought again; “November can’t come soon enough.”
Irvin; how old/young are you…lol? The “grassy knoll” reference refers to the oft accused actual assassin of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas,Texas. But, much of the vital evidence of the assassination has been buried in the National Archives for 100 years; to assure no one remains alive who would be old enough to remember that terrible chapter in our history. What dark secrets are hidden there and will Trump’s dark past and present be hidden with them?
Unfortunately, we still have about 30% of the country glued to FAUX news and they won’t believe ANYTHING about their Dear Leader that comes from a different source. Too bad there are so many corrupt high priests like McConnell & Graham & Barr that will do NOTHING about this.
GOD HELP US IN NOVEMBER!!!!
I will not even begin by questioning the guilt of Trump, Inc. That has been a foregone conclusion since Donnie’s time running around with his dad, family lawyer Roy Cohen and their Mafia “business” ties 50 years ago. My reaction most always? “Same shit, different day.”
I continue to ask myself (and wonder why so few Americans seem not to care, much less ask), “What is the system in place that allows (makes possible, intentionally) this kind of “corruption” to happen on a fairly regular basis???” Like the the virus infection rate, what we know as the actual number of “crimes” is most likely just a minuscule portion of what is really there!!!!
Of all my fascinations in life, systems theory is right up there. ALL of us are products of a system. Family of origin is merely one system (ie Family Systems Therapy). We have biological systems, mechanical systems, cosmic systems , political systems, chemical systems, governing systems, economic systems, etc, etc. So I ask, constantly, “Who/What are the key mechanisms, actors, role players, that make this system function (or make it dysfunction)?”
I submit that asking these critical questions on the basis of system dynamics is as vitally important and necessary to understanding a virus and how it functions as it is with governance and economics. To not ask is to assume and we all know what that spells!!!
Therefore, it is my opinion that our system of governance is corrupt by its very nature in how it is designed. In other words, instead of seeing Trump Inc as abnormal, I see it as a normal function of a system that is designed to allow it to be there in the first place.
While everyone wants to (or can’t help themselves) be distracted by the “Trump Comedy of Errors Show” sponsored by (fill in your corporate news outlet here —> ____________.) our government continues to function as it always has: “Take care of us!” And who is us? Well, we all know that answer.
However, it would really be helpful if our “representatives” in government were demanded by a scientific panel of experts to disclose their employers by wearing one piece, fire retardant, jump suits like Formula One Racers wear. Then we could identify all their “sponsors” by the corporate and financial decals and stickers sewn onto their jumpsuit!!! This is all part of looking at out virus under a microscope and identifying the differing parts that make it function (i.e. homeostasis).
NO ONE in government from state to federal functions without their cytoplasm within the cell walls: Corporate and Financial money and favors. As the definition states: All of the functions for cell expansion, growth and replication are carried out in the cytoplasm. It is, then, the quid pro quo of money and career favors that allow for the expansion, growth and legacy of political power and influence over every level of society.
I suppose most folk don’t really want to tackle the real malignancy that stares us in the face each day, year in and year out, decade after decade when it is easier (and perhaps, at a certain level, more fun while , at the same time, outrageous) to look at the symptoms (Trump, Inc).
So I will beat this dead horse (sorry PETA) of systems thinking because if there is ANY chance of a REAL recovery (or discovery of something new, better, more humane), I believe we must start tackling the dysfunctional (again, by design) governing system that allows for these cancers to come and go every 4 years. In my humble opinion, EVERY administration has been giving to the wealthy (and, therefore, powerful) and screwing the peasant masses for decades under BOTH of our pathetic binary parties.
As a wise old player of the system once said to those punk investigators in a dark underground parking garage 48 years ago…..”Follow the money.” When one does that, no one looks very healthy in our system we call “democracy.”
These days, I pretty much ignore the “headlines” that entertain/distract and go right to the REAL cartoon section and, naturally, the obit page to see if my name has shown up yet….
Peace and Cheers- Brad
History will treat this buffoon appropriately. We don’t have to wait that long…..only 125 days. Those 125 days may be anguish, and the time from Biden’s election to his swearing in may be frustrating, but the idiot is on his way out.
One thing that seems intuitively obvious to me is that if you put yourself in Putin’s position in 2016 and you had the tools to manipulate American elections through social media and the choice was between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump you’d think that there would never be a greater opportunity to mount a peaceful attack on your strongest enemy than to favor Trump. That was evident then and even more so now to us so you can imagine how strong a signal that was to a professional power broker like Putin. Irresistible.
It turned out to be a master stroke.
Will Putin ever write his memoirs about it to add to the huge collection of others that reveal the brilliance of his strategic thinking?
We can’t wait for that conclusive evidence. Our 2020 vision: Vote blue no matter who.
I get a bit skeptical when I hear or read about our Intelligence Community. There is the gathering and evaluating of information and then unfortunately we have the political massaging of the Intel to reach a desired conclusion. The WMD’s that Iraq supposedly had is a prime example.
The Trumpet does have a habit of ignoring bad news that clashes with his own opinions and his “world view”. This goes back to the size of his inauguration day crowd.
What is obvious is The Trumpet has extreme difficulty in dealing with democratically elected leaders of other countries. The Trumpet seems to think because after all he is a “stable genius” that he can flim-flam the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea. The Trumpet based much of his 2016 campaign on a get tough approach with China, North Korea, Iran and friendly relations with the Russians. These have all failed to produce results.
The Trumpet has ignored so many facts like his size of his inauguration day crowd, Corona and now the bounties. These three items have all publicly challenged his opinion of how the world should be, rather than how it is.
I endorse Peggy’s comments 100%. If she hasn’t copyrighted it, I might even steal her line “if you want to keep this President from knowing about something, you hide it where he definitely won’t see it – in a book!” So true.
Bradford, you nailed it big time! Your questions are the ones we all need to be asking… out loud to any and all listeners.
I would also agree with Bradford. IMHO, the system is designed, operated and maintained for the 1%. We have had, “Too Big to Fail, and Too Big to Jail”. The Epstein case proved how the Justice System can be perverted (pun intended) to protect the 1%. Steroid Capitalism and Cronyism dominate the Proles.
If the Russians are offering bounties, I doubt anyone will find a check from Russia to the Taliban for services rendered. This would make sense for the Russians to offer bounties, keep the USA bogged down in Afghanistan. Although in a perverse sense the Wall Street-Security-Military-Industrial Complex is more than happy to keep the war going and there is no political will on the part of the USA to get out of Afghanistan.
I don’t buy Trump’s “pick an excuse” game for a minute. He knew of Putin’s assassination efforts long before and in my opinion simply didn’t care, and why? Because he isn’t structurally construced to care. Because he is a terminal narcissist and anything that is going on dehors his narrow interests of me me me simply don’t matter and he will lie, cheat, misrepresent and/or fire anyone he can to avoid DETECTION AND BLAME, the worst things that can happen in the narcissist’s playbook.
He almost daily fires Republican white men in his administration who cross him (or worse, assign him blame) since, after all, doing a good job is not the test; loyalty to Trump is. He also employs racism and white nationalism as diversions to cover his corruption. I don’t think he even believes in either one (or anything else where his interests are not involved) but finds them useful tools to divert public attention from his corruption and everyday display of ignorance in governance (unless twittering and watching TV is the new form of governing).
So what to do with his latest malfeasance of trading off the lives of American soldiers for approval by Putin (a bridge, finally, too far)? Have a quick impeachment exercise and dare the Senate not to remove him. Wait for the election? Why? When your house is on fire you don’t wait until January 21 to call for fire trucks – lest there be no house to save. Where’s the logic for delay? Our democracy is burning. What are we going to do about it?
The Trumpet ignored the killing of the Saudi Newspaper Man in Turkey by the Saudi’s. He has ignored, blustered, bluffed, lied in the past and the GOP continues to march in lockstep with him. Bolton one of the most Reactionary members of the GOP was just a tiny speed bump.
Bradford is raising the roof!!! Agree!!
Regarding it must be more than ‘Pee-pee’–follow the money. He does not want to share his finances because we will learn that Russia Oligars (aka: Putin) own this man and his family. They have him literally by the ‘balls’. Remember the Russian mob had apartments in Trump Tower and you know that the mob had that family monitored.
I have heard from different sources that the Russians “own” Trump’s empire financially through huge loans made through front banks with money from Russian oligarchs.
Senator Cornyn is trying to normalize treason. There is no bottom. There’s no doubt that this is about an international crime syndicate and that money laundering is at the root of it. I recommend this item to see where he started and his mob and Russian ties (BBC 2016): https://youtu.be/-k3B-tw2sB0
Vernon,
I have to admit, pretty doggone good! I didn’t think it would hold my attention, but it has! I still have a little bit to go, some things came up and I’ve gotten sidetracked.
This book, Meadows And Minefields is easy to formulate a movie in your head while you’re reading it, and I have a pretty intense imagination! Better than radio.
John,
Glad you’re enjoying the story. My next novel, “The Ten Arms of Durga” will be out in a couple weeks. It’s a very different story, but, according to my beta readers, a compelling page turner. I once took a class in screen writing and one of the chief tips was to have real actors in mind playing the roles of your characters.
Google the Hindu goddess “Durga”. You’ll see what I mean. LOL.
Years ago, someone told me there are two kinds of politicians: those who want to be somebody (to gain attention) and those who want to accomplish things. Put another way, some like to campaign but don’t like the hard work of governing. It’s not difficult to see which one describes Trump.
Guess we kinda forget that the CIA was paying/arming the Taliban to kill Russians back in the day
See Charlie Wilson’s War — a good film on CIA and Afghanistan made in +/- 2007
Alan Keller, I was going to bring that point up. I think at some point then, we thought Osma Bin Laden was manageable.
My wife keeps telling me that she heard (on Chinese news) that SARS-Cov-2 came from a US lab; Trump calls it “kung-flu”. No winners there.
So, I think we don’t have enough conspiracy theories around here, therefore, I will now reveal the real reason Trump loves Putin and Mother Russia.
Have you seen Trump’s birth certificate? Have you?
I have this secret document (you can’t see but I am holding up a blank sheet of paper) that exposes the truth. Fred Trump didn’t get rich cheating on building government subsidized housing; he got a billion dollars to take a young Russian child in 1950 and pretend that this Russian child was his son. The greedy family all went along with it. After eight years of preparative brain-washing, the loyal subject of Soviet, Mother Russia was ready to begin his life of leisure, until called upon by a secret word uttered by Putin when he was in Russia with his Miss Universe pageant.
He has responded to his training, and after Putin put the fix in, this Putin lap-dog became President.
It is all very simple. It explains everything. He isn’t that stupid or evil, he is just responding to his programming as a Soviet agent.
OK – it’s been a long day and I have to be back online in two hours 8)>
i needed that release
For trump, it’s only about sex and money. Nothing else exist for that bunch of grifters. Perhaps it’s a promise of that hotel and more money than the grifters can make in real estate and hospitality.
I have long thought that Len’s stated theory could be a true-ism. After watching “The Americans” series a few years ago, it all seemed plausible to me.
And, as I finish reading Filthy Rich, James Patterson’s book on Epstein, I think I am living on another planet than most of these people. After all, I am hardly in a position to have the scale of understanding of the world these people inhabit.
Trump: “Fake News. Hoax”.
Pompeo: “Nothing to see here folks. This has been going on all the time.”
White House: Briefing Gang of Eight on details.
Sorry! You don’t get to have it both ways! I cannot imagine what loved ones of soldiers killed in service must be thinking about this, let alone all the soldiers currently serving there now!
This is an incredibly serious Deriliction of Duty! This cannot wait until November. He and his entire Administration must be removed immediately! This is a direct threat to our National Security!
Nancy Pelosi can fill the gap until November.
https://deadstate.org/taliban-yup-russia-was-paying-us-to-kill-us-troops/