All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[Tami]

Barr’s handpicked prosecutor tells inspector general he can’t back right-wing theory that Russia case was U.S. intelligence setup

The prosecutor handpicked by Attorney General William P. Barr to scrutinize how U.S. agencies investigated President Trump’s 2016 campaign said he could not offer evidence to the Justice Department’s inspector general to support the suspicions of some conservatives that the case was a setup by American intelligence, people familiar with the matter said.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s office contacted U.S. Attorney John Durham, the prosecutor Barr personally tapped to lead a separate review of the 2016 probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, the people said. The inspector general also contacted several U.S. intelligence agencies.

Among Horowitz’s questions: whether a Maltese professor who interacted with a Trump campaign adviser was actually a U.S. intelligence asset deployed to ensnare the campaign, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the inspector general’s findings have not been made public.

But the intelligence agencies said the professor was not among their assets, the people said. And Durham informed Horowitz’s office that his investigation had not produced any evidence that might contradict the inspector general’s findings on that point.

Spokespeople for the inspector general’s office, Durham and the Justice Department declined to comment.

[Tami]

Joe Biden: 'Laughed At' | Campaign 2020

[Tami]

After listening to her speak, I think Nancy Pelosi could have made a good President, even if only for a short time.

[Mister Mets]

Joe Biden: 'Laughed At' | Campaign 2020

That's an excellent ad that plays to Biden's strengths in the primary.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if Trump suspected skullduggery from Biden and/or Hunter, he could gone through official channels and had DOJ launch an investigation if he felt one was warranted. Sure, there would've been plenty of whining from Dems and the left, however, the process would've been legal and aboveboard, though perhaps not entirely proper. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dolt45 had to do things the hard way (and the stupid way) by going behind everyone's back to strongarm a foreign power into playing detective, leading to the impeachment clusterfuck that's currently playing out. And for what? Because Trump feared Biden as an opponent in next year's election, even though it's a year away, and there's no way of knowing if Biden will even BE the Democrat candidate. What a steaming mess!

[Tami]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if Trump suspected skullduggery from Biden and/or Hunter, he could gone through official channels and had DOJ launch an investigation if he felt one was warranted. Sure, there would've been plenty of whining from Dems and the left, however, the process would've been legal and aboveboard, though perhaps not entirely proper. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dolt45 had to do things the hard way (and the stupid way) by going behind everyone's back to strongarm a foreign power into playing detective, leading to the impeachment clusterfuck that's currently playing out. And for what? Because Trump feared Biden as an opponent in next year's election, even though it's a year away, and there's no way of knowing if Biden will even BE the Democrat candidate. What a steaming mess!

The DOJ is in his back pocket, so there is no thrill in wheeling, dealing, and stealing that give Trump his adrenaline rush.

[Gray Lensman]

So, I read the section in that link about Burisma several times, and I can't see how that information in any way debunks the claim. If anything it lends significant credence to it... It makes it clear that:

- Hunter Biden was given a lucrative job with a corrupt company in a country he knew nothing about, doing a job he knew nothing about, but they were paying him $50,000 per month to do a job he's never been able to properly detail... This even raised eyebrows in the Obama administration, as the article correctly notes.

- The company was being investigated by Viktor Shokin (Ukraine’s former prosecutor general) who vowed to keep investigating Burisma.

- Joe Biden (then vice president) strong-armed Ukraine by withholding money from them until Viktor Shokin (the man in charge of investigating Burisma) was fired. (Biden then bragged about it on video with a surprisingly Trump-like level of arrogance, unequivocally stating he withheld money in a quid pro quo until Mr. Shokin was fired.)

- The prosecutor who replaced Shokin swiftly cleared Burisma of wrongdoing and dropped the investigation.

If that doesn't sound fishy as hell to you, I know a few Nigerian princes that need your bank account information...

You must have missed this line in the article.

"But the investigation went dormant under Shokin."

The guy may have been claiming he would investigate, but away from the cameras he was not only not doing anything, he was preventing anyone else from doing anything either. Bursima was under suspicion in other countries, and none of them could get any cooperation from Shokin.

"The investigation went dormant under Shokin."

Again, Joe Biden, by removing a prosecutor who was refusing to investigate the company Hunter worked at, actually exposed his son to risk that wasn't there before. Which sounds like the opposite of corruption.

[Tendrin]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/infowa...a=twitter_page

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/m...gtype=Homepage

The former Infowars video editor said that he made up lies about Islamberg, a Muslim community north of New York City, and accused it of harboring terrorists. After being told in interviews that the people of Islamberg were “kind, generous neighbors,” Owens writes that they decided to lie. “The information did not meet our expectations, so we made it up, preying on the vulnerable and feeding the prejudices and fears of Jones’s audience,” he wrote. “We ignored certain facts, fabricated others and took situations out of context to fit our narrative.” The fabrications led to headlines such as “Shariah Law Zones Confirmed in America,” “Report: Obama’s Terror Cells in the U.S.,” and “The Rumors Are True: Shariah Law Is Here!” Owens writes that he quit soon after the Islamberg assignment.

[Tami]

North Korea threatens to resume calling Trump ‘dotard’

North Korea threatened Thursday to resume insults of U.S. President Donald Trump and consider him a “dotard” if he keeps using provocative language, such as referring to its leader as “rocket man.”

Choe Son Hui, the first vice foreign minister, issued the warning via state media days after Trump spoke of possible military action toward the North and revived his “rocket man” nickname for North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.

The comments came as prospects dim for a resumption of nuclear diplomacy between the two countries. In recent months, North Korea has hinted at lifting its moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests if the Trump administration fails to make substantial concessions in nuclear diplomacy before the end of the year.

Choe said Trump’s remarks “prompted the waves of hatred of our people against the U.S.” because they showed “no courtesy when referring to the supreme leadership of dignity” of North Korea.

[Malvolio]

Joe Biden: 'Laughed At' | Campaign 2020

The only thing missing from that ad is Joe Biden saying that "Trump is full of malarkey!"

[Tami]

We're up to 11 edits of the Washington Examiner's Wikipedia page from a White House IP in the last 15 minutes.

Twitter Link

Someone working from a White House IP address changed the Washington Examiner's Wikipedia description from "has been described as conservative" to "has a conservative-leaning opinion section."

Washington Examiner Wikipedia article edited anonymously from Executive Office of the President

Twitter Link

[Malvolio]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but if Trump suspected skullduggery from Biden and/or Hunter, he could gone through official channels and had DOJ launch an investigation if he felt one was warranted. Sure, there would've been plenty of whining from Dems and the left, however, the process would've been legal and aboveboard, though perhaps not entirely proper. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dolt45 had to do things the hard way (and the stupid way) by going behind everyone's back to strongarm a foreign power into playing detective, leading to the impeachment clusterfuck that's currently playing out. And for what? Because Trump feared Biden as an opponent in next year's election, even though it's a year away, and there's no way of knowing if Biden will even BE the Democrat candidate. What a steaming mess!

Trump never really wanted Biden investigated because he knew there was nothing there. He simply wanted to plant the seed in voters' minds that Biden is dirty. It doesn't have to be true, or even plausible, as long at keeps voters from voting for your opponent.

[Malvolio]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/infowa...a=twitter_page

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/m...gtype=Homepage

So Alex Jones blatantly lied about a Muslim community? The hell you say!

[BeastieRunner]

Kamala is out and Bloomberg bought his way in. What a load.

Bloomberg jumped in and immediately hit 4% in the polls nationally according to RCP. That puts him ahead of Harris (3.4%), Yang (2.8%), Klobuchar (2.4%), Booker (1.8%), Steyer (1.6%). Castro (1.4%), Gabbard (1.0%), Bennet (0.8%).

Honestly all those candidates should drop out if a guy with decent name recognition can jump in and instantly poll over people who have been in it and been on stage for months.

My last little note on Harris.

I was looking forward to voting for Harris because I believed in her legal acumen and leadership as well as the strength of her convictions. Unfortunately, I felt her campaign was weakened by a kind of "desperate to be relatable" persona that reminded me of that one clip where her opponent in a prior campaign suddenly dabbed at her debate podium in an attempt to stand out. I am hoping she reclaims her authentic, confident voice again and finds a campaign team that won’t mess with it.

[Tami]

My last little note on Harris.

I was looking forward to voting for Harris because I believed in her legal acumen and leadership as well as the strength of her convictions. Unfortunately, I felt her campaign was weakened by a kind of "desperate to be relatable" persona that reminded me of that one clip where her opponent in a prior campaign suddenly dabbed at her debate podium in an attempt to stand out. I am hoping she reclaims her authentic, confident voice again and finds a campaign team that won’t mess with it.

I think she shoudl consider trying again in the future. Some people just need to do a 'practice run', then they do better the next time.