Trump's Card

[Gerontophile]

???? Why is he still talking?

[ursus arctos]

He's the senior DOJ official in charge of the investigation.

Why shouldn't he announce the indictments?

[Gerontophile]

Fine. What was all the shit about "we will continue with our... against America".

a) why is he doing this when 45 is away, and b) why is he doing this when 45 is away? If it is so relevant, why isn't 45 saying it? I thought Rosenstein was a baddy?

It smells like a shit sandwich.

(If it was to instill confusion, it worked.)

[Ginger Yellow]

?

[Gerontophile]

?

See?

[Ginger Yellow]

That was addressed to you

[ursus arctos]

Rosenstein is far from blameless in all of this, but he has been a relatively straight shooter when it comes to the investigation.

[Gerontophile]

That was addressed to you

If you mean me, yes, I know, and if you didn't, their name is ursus.

It's a diversion.

[Ginger Yellow]

I'm confused as to what you're confused about.

[Gerontophile]

The substance of the message "12 more guys etc" was fine. Why was he babbling on at the end about how America is taking on the world etc?

Doesn't matter, Just smells like "look over here. Nothing going on over there."

[ursus arctos]

Cable TV news will rot your brain, man.

I've been telling Tubbs that for years.

[Gerontophile]

So, why was it on CBS?

[ursus arctos]

Because there is only so much Price is Right that any sentient being can watch?

[ursus arctos]

WaPo story on the indictment

The 11-count indictment spells out in granular detail a carefully planned and executed attack on the information security of Democrats, implanting hundreds of malware files on Democrats’ computer systems, stealing information and then laundering the pilfered material through fake personas and others to try to influence voters’ opinions.

Rosenstein's prepared remarks

This seems to be the bit that got Gero, but strikes me as rather unremarkable and largely bereft of substance (as is the case with almost all such statements)

In my remarks, I have not identified the victims. When we confront foreign interference in American elections, it is important for us to avoid thinking politically as Republicans or Democrats and instead to think patriotically as Americans. Our response must not depend on who was victimized.

The Internet allows foreign adversaries to attack America in new and unexpected ways. Free and fair elections are hard-fought and contentious. There will always be adversaries who work to exacerbate domestic differences and try to confuse, divide, and conquer us. So long as we are united in our commitment to the values enshrined in the Constitution, they will not succeed.

The partisan warfare fueled by modern technology does not fairly reflect the grace and dignity of the American people.

The blame for election interference belongs to the criminals who committed election interference. We need to work together to hold the perpetrators accountable, and keep moving forward to preserve our values, protect against future interference, and defend America.

[Ginger Yellow]

Yeah, it's pretty clearly trying to ward against the inevitable dismissal by Republicans because of tribalism. It's also better spin than "We done fucked up and let foreign intelligence subvert our elections, and the president is at best actively undermining our attempts to fix the mess."

[Amor de Cosmos]

Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani said in a Tweet after the indictments were unveiled: “The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent.”

Sure... absolutely...

[WOM]

Tough to see how you'd reach any other conclusion....

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

https://twitter.com/pattymo/status/1017807100158906368

Someone, somewhere is going to be sweating nervously over this

[Heliotrope]

People have already figured out who it is: Brian Mast of Florida.

[Cal Alamein]

Some other possibilities are Matt Gaetz and Nebraska's Don Bacon.

https://twitter.com/Robillard/status...41388090810368

[ursus arctos]

Mast's campaign previously admitted using some of the leaked data, but he has now denied that they were ever in contact with the Russians.

[San Bernardhinault]

Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani said in a Tweet after the indictments were unveiled: “The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent.”

Sure... absolutely...

Is it too much to hope that someone in the media might point out -when interviewing someone like Giuiliani - that even if Trump is completely innocent, the Mueller probe into Russian interference should continue. It's not the Mueller probe into Trump corruption. It might find Trump corruption, but that's not its raison d'etre. And that even if there was no conspiracy or complicity, the Russians might still have helped get Trump elected.

[Lang Spoon]

The media are craven bastards. Who is controlling NYT editorial policy when they are coming out with effusive bullshit for his Supreme Court pick? Normalizing evil, one leader and op-ed at a time.

[ursus arctos]

Giuliani has been pretty careful about not appearing anywhere he would be subject to such questioning, and refusing to answer/talking over uncomfortable questions when he’s been challenged.

They are increasingly devoted to producing “content” that only “works” in the alternative universe of Fox and the rest of the Hard Right Fever Swamp.

[San Bernardhinault]

But even in the left and centrist media, nobody seems to be interested in pointing out that it's not explicitly a Trump investigation, nor explicitly a collusion investigation, that it should exist even if not a single US person had met a single Russian person in the entirety of 2016.