House Intelligence Committee Hearing

Guinevere · Post by **Guinevere** » Mon Mar 20, 2017 8:29 pm

Anyone else watch or listen? I wasn't able to hear it all, but there were some solid takeaways:

1. The FBI is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, including connections to the Trump campaign. He won't discuss details about who or what specifically is being investigated (at least not in open session). He did say that Russia was interested in hurting Clinton, hurting the US/democracy, and helping Trump.

2. Neither the FBI nor the NSA have any evidence or information about any Obama ordered or Obama-era wiretap of Trump/Trump Tower, etc.

Of course, at the White House presser shortly thereafter, Spicey doubled down on the crazy, and while I don't have the exact quotes at hand, essentially said "Obama did to wiretap us, waaaahhhhhhhhhhh."

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Mon Mar 20, 2017 8:43 pm

I heard most of it...

I don't have time to comment now in detail, but suffice it to say it wasn't a great day for The Donald...

It's kind of funny...

I'm sure that the White House, McConnell and Ryan set it up to have this hearing on the same day as Gorsuch's in the hopes that the SC nominee confirmation hearing would take media attention away from the House Intelligence Committee hearing, but the exact opposite appears to have happened...

Which works out as a double loss for Team Trump, because from what little I've seen it appears that Gorsuch performed pretty well, and now they won't get any positive PR from his hearing because it was completely overshadowed by Comey and Rogers...

RayThom · Post by **RayThom** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 2:09 am

Everybody is missing the real story. These hearings are fake and detracting from real presidential duties.

Sad.

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 3:01 am

Well, now that the FBI has solved the case of the missing Super Bowl jersey, they'll put their best men right on it!

-"BB"-

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 3:26 am

Guinevere wrote:Anyone else watch or listen? I wasn't able to hear it all, but there were some solid takeaways:

Neither the FBI nor the NSA have any evidence or information about any Obama ordered or Obama-era wiretap of Trump/Trump Tower, etc.

Of course, at the White House presser shortly thereafter, Spicey doubled down on the crazy, and while I don't have the exact quotes at hand, essentially said "Obama did to wiretap us, waaaahhhhhhhhhhh."

The only thing Trump had that Obama might have wanted to tap was Melania or Ivanka.

-"BB"-

Guinevere · Post by **Guinevere** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 10:54 am

Does a day go by where you don't speak negatively or disrespectfully of women? I don't think so.....

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:46 am

Guinevere wrote:Does a day go by where you don't speak negatively or disrespectfully of women? I don't think so.....

WAAAAHHHHH!!!!! That mean ol' man hurted my poor widdle feewings!!

-"BB"-

Guinevere · Post by **Guinevere** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:14 pm

My feelings arent hurt. But thanks for proving my point.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:26 pm

Baghdad Sean made a complete fool of himself yesterday, (of course that's kind of the job description when you're the Press Secretary for Donald Trump)

He ought to do those press briefings wearing one of these:

Of all the ridiculous things he said yesterday, my personal favorites were when he described Michael Flynn as a "volunteer" (like he was sitting in the campaign headquarters stuffing envelopes... Of course Flynn didn't need a salary; he was making big bucks as an unregistered foreign agent for the Turks) and said of Paul Manaforte, (who was the Trump campaign manager for four months) that he had a “very limited role” in the campaign for a “very limited amount of time”

And speaking of ridiculous...

I have to say I was extremely disheartened ("disheartened" being the kindest word I can think of) by the performance of some of the GOP members on the panel, who seemed to want to ignore all the other aspects of the Russia-Trump connections and instead carry water for Trump by focusing exclusively on the "leak issue"... (I thought Trey Gowdy in particular really embarrassed himself with this approach)

Let's remember what the primary "leak" that was the focus of all this fury was about...

We're not talking about leaking information about on-going military operations, or perfectly legal classified sources and methods, or sensitive classified communications between the State Department and our diplomats in the field, (like the things that were leaked by Snowden and Manning...though some of the members absurdly tried to make that analogy)

We're talking about leaking the information that the National Security Advisor had lied about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, both to the public and to the Vice President Of the United States, and that because of this, he might be vulnerable to blackmail...

Information that the POTUS was made aware of and did absolutely nothing about for over a week until it was made public...

So as a result of this leak, we no longer have a National Security Advisor who lied about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States, both to the public and to the Vice President Of the United States, and because of this, could have been vulnerable to blackmail...

It takes a, uh, truly creative mind, (again the kindest way I can think of to put it) to try to argue that this somehow damaged national security...

On the other hand, it requires no intellectual acrobatics at all to see how a leak that produced this result in fact enhanced national security...

And one other thing to remember about this leak, is that numerous people in Trump's White House, (many of whom had no love for Flynn) also knew this information so there's no need to necessarily believe it even came from anyone within the professional intel community.

How sweet would it be if the FBI rigorously investigates this (as Trump and his allies are insisting be done) and it turns out that the leak came from Steve Bannon?

Guinevere · Post by **Guinevere** » Wed Mar 22, 2017 11:57 pm

And now, after today's inexplicable conduct by Chair Nunes and his calling-out by ranking member Schiff who has concluded that the committee cannot credibly hold the hearings (my new hero), John McCain has weighed in, and he agrees with Schiff.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... sia-probes

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 2:15 am

I saw Nunes give his mini-presser outside the WH and was like WTF?!?!

This is turning into an abysmal failure of leadership by the GOP. Kudos to John McCain, I sure hope saner heads prevail and an independent bipartisan commission is convened.

As to Trump, at this point all I can say is that he's certainly giving us one hell of a show. Ratings! It turns out that's the only thing he's good at making great again.

Beer Sponge · Post by **Beer Sponge** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 5:45 am

Bicycle Bill wrote: The only thing Trump had that Obama might have wanted to tap was Melania or Ivanka.

I doubt that, jackass. Obama is completely devoted to his wonderful wife, and as a happily married man, I can't see him even wanting to stray and cheat.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:23 am

Guinevere wrote:And now, after today's inexplicable conduct by Chair Nunes and his calling-out by ranking member Schiff who has concluded that the committee cannot credibly hold the hearings (my new hero), John McCain has weighed in, and he agrees with Schiff.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... sia-probes

Nunes has certainly tanked whatever little credibility he had to lead this investigation. What he did was absolutely inappropriate for a person in that position; at a bare minimum he has to step aside.

I completely agree with McCain and have said before that a Special Committee is the best way to go with the investigation. I hope this incident will help to serve as a catalyst to create the pressure to get this done.

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 1:33 pm

It looks like AHCA - the WeDon'tCare plan - is going to die in the House today.

With any luck, Trump will be tied up in investigations for months or even years, and get fuck all passed in Congress.

Hopefully we will see the GOP lose Congress in 2018. LJ, do you think that's possible? (I know it's not your desire, but I'm asking for your unbiased analysis - and I realize it's early to predict.)

Fingers crossed.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:40 pm

It looks like AHCA - the WeDon'tCare plan - is going to die in the House today.

I'll be very surprised if that happens...

If that happens, it will mean that Ryan and Co are really shitty at counting votes...(Ryan, bright fellow that he is, may not be that good at it since he went straight from Chairman of the Appropriations Committee to Speaker, with no experience in the House Leadership...But Majority Leader McCarthy and GOP Whip Steve Scalise should certainly know how to count votes)

If they know they don't have the 216, they'll pull the bill and reschedule a vote for another time; not let it go down to defeat...

Hopefully we will see the GOP lose Congress in 2018. LJ, do you think that's possible? (I know it's not your desire, but I'm asking for your unbiased analysis - and I realize it's early to predict.)

That's a question I've given some thought to, and done some research on, and the short answer is "Yes, but it would be very difficult"...

I don't have time to give a proper in-depth answer to the question now, but I will in the next couple of days...

There are a lot of variables involved....

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 8:26 pm

Cancelled the vote; 30-40 no votes at the moment.

Donald & Spicey both boasting earlier that it would pass tonight.

When I said die in the House, I meant to include a cancellation of the vote. This bill can't pass as written.

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:05 pm

The fundamental problem remains the one that I laid out two weeks ago here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17256&p=229474&hilit=senate#p229474

They're trying to find a "Goldilocks Zone" where no Goldilocks Zone exists...(even just among Republicans on The Hill)

There's only "the porridge is too hot"...

(Which would please the Daddy Bear Kamikaze Caucus Radical Randians, but lose the moderates)

Or "the porridge is too cold"...

(which would bring in the more moderate Mama Bear GOP members who fear retribution over the roll back of Medicaid, but lose the Radical Randians)

There is no porridge for this bill that is "just right"...

And if they can't even get this through the House, (and ultimately maybe they will come up with some version that will squeak by)

When in comes to the Senate,

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:38 pm

Guinevere wrote:Does a day go by where you don't speak negatively or disrespectfully of women? I don't think so.....

It is not fair to expect differently from someone who is 60-ish and has never been in a long-term relationship with a woman.

He has never had or, apparently, sought an adult male relationship with a woman. how would he know any better?

yrs,
rubato

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:40 pm

Beer Sponge wrote:
Bicycle Bill wrote: The only thing Trump had that Obama might have wanted to tap was Melania or Ivanka.
I doubt that, jackass. Obama is completely devoted to his wonderful wife, and as a happily married man, I can't see him even wanting to stray and cheat.

He is projecting his own fantasies on someone who has no motive to share them.

yrs,
rubato

Lord Jim · Post by **Lord Jim** » Fri Mar 24, 2017 12:21 am

He is projecting his own fantasies

You would certainly be the expert in that department...

Plan B Forum