Sunday, October 29th open thread: ‘Wonderful Life’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, October 29th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
Last week we discussed 6 stories. Did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. I understand that all of you are busy and cannot always find the time to check the blog for updates so why not subscribe to America’s Watchtower and receive email updates whenever I write a new post? That is the easiest way to follow the blog to ensure you never miss another post.
In addition to subscribing you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. But you will get more than that for I often post links to articles probably will not be writing about so it is a great way to keep up with what is happening.
The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive. This widget updates my tweets in real time and allows you to respond to or retweet my tweets right from the blog. It also allows you to tweet me right from America’s Watchtower.
Here is Nick Cave performing “Wonderful Life” live in 2003.
frui diem
The big news of the day is CNN’s report that the first indictments in the Russia collusion probe will be handed down on Monday. You have all heard this news by now and at this point that is all we know so I will not be providing any links but rather I will just be throwing out a few thoughts (speculation) I have had today about this news. That is really all that everybody is doing today, including the “experts” in the mainstream media.
We do not know who will be indicted or for what they will be indicted. Popular opinion on social media believes it will be either Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, or both and that is where I would place my money as well so that is what I am going to assume for the sake of this post. I have believed both of these individuals could be in some trouble for awhile now.
This brings us to the question, what the charges will be?
I believe the charges will be related to the questionable business ties to Russia, failure to disclose them, and possibly money-laundering of some type and not necessarily related to collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. However these charges could be used to turn these individuals and get them to talk.
My next question is, what does this mean for the future of the investigation?
If Paul Manafort and/or Michael Flynn have information that can be used to further the investigation than the answer is obvious and the dam could be about to burst. Personally, I do not believe that is the case but I simply do not know.
If, however, neither of them have information and they are simply going to be charged for their personal business ties and money-laundering unrelated to Russian collusion what does this mean for the future of the investigation?
The reason I ask this last question is because I have been thinking back to the Valerie Plame investigation during the Bush era. It took that investigation about two years to finally charge Scooter Libby on a process crime not related to the original investigation, no other charges were ever brought forth.
With these charges, if indeed this is what the charges will be, coming so quickly when I compare it to the Plame investigation I have to wonder if Robert Mueller has already determined these are the only scalps he will be able to get or if all hell is about to break loose.
Of course all of my speculation is for naught if these are not the charges which are forthcoming on Monday. All we know right now is that Monday is shaping up to be an interesting day to say the least…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
We learned last week that the Russian dossier which was used as part of the justification to investigate the Trump campaign for collusion with Russia during the 2016 election–after James Comey saw it fit to leak documents in an attempt to influence the Department of Justice to assign a special prosecutor–was funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.
But we still did not know who the mysterious Republican was who was funding the original opposition research with Fusion GPS until it was picked up by the Democrats, but according to this story it was The Washington Free Beacon. Here is more: Read more…
The Department of Justice settles lawsuits with the IRS over Tea Party targeting scandal
In what is probably the most under-reported story of the day Jeff Sessions has announced a settlement with the IRS over the Tea Party targeting scandal, with the IRS admitting guilt and apologizing–there is also a cash settlement.
Here is more:
The Trump administration, after years of litigation, has settled lawsuits with Tea Party and other conservative groups who say they were unfairly targeted by the IRS under the Obama administration.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced early Thursday that the Justice Department had entered into settlements with Tea Party groups whose tax-exempt status was significantly delayed by the IRS dating back to 2013, “based solely on their viewpoint or ideology.”
Sessions said that groups with names involving “Tea Party” or “Patriots,” or those with specific policy positions concerning government spending, were subject to “inappropriate criteria” to “screen” applications.
“The IRS’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred,” Sessions said in a statement Thursday. “It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions.”
Here is the apology by the IRS:
The Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign funded the Russian dossier
Last week, in an attempt to determine who funded the Russian dossier at the center of the Trump/Russia collusion investigation, the Congress called representatives of Fusion GPS in to testify but they all took the Fifth. A couple of days later the group quickly filed an injunction to halt the Congress from subpoenaing its financial records.
It is obvious Fusion GPS does not want anybody to know who funded this research and many of us had a suspicion as to why this is. Last night our suspicion might have been confirmed when the Washington Post released a report which claims the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign paid nearly $10 million to the organization. Here is more:
House Republicans open up investigations into the Uranium One deal
The revelation from last week that the FBI had evidence of possible collusion between the Clinton Foundation and Russia during the time the Uranium One deal was being negotiated and covered it up has sparked new interest in the deal.
More nefarious stories have come to light since that time, most notably: Barack Obama’s Department of Injustice threatened and stopped the FBI’s informant from testifying in front of the Congress, and that the 10 Russian spies who were arrested and suddenly transferred back to Russia were originally arrested because they were getting too close to Hillary Clinton during the Uranium One negotiations.
This is turning into quite the incestuous relationship: In addition to the apparent pay to play scheme between Russia and the Clinton Foundation Robert Mueller, who is heading up the Russia collusion investigation, was the head of the FBI when this evidence was uncovered and Eric Holder was head of the Injustice Department. So, because he was the Attorney General at the time he had to have known the FBI was investigating the link between the Clinton Foundation and Russia but at the same time he was sitting on the committee which approved the deal.
In light of all of this the Republicans have announced they are launching investigations into both the Uranium One deal and the Injustice Department’s handling of the Clinton Foundation scandal. Here is more:
The FBI opens up a criminal investigation into the Podesta Group
I have mentioned in a few previous posts that I believe the Democrats could rue the day they pushed the Russian collusion scandal to the point where Robert Mueller was assigned as a special prosecutor to the case.
It now looks like something damaging to the Democratic party in general, and Hillary Clinton particularly, could be unfolding. Last week we learned several facts related to the FBI and the Uranium One deal: We learned the FBI was investigating Russia, The Clinton Foundation, and others, and had evidence of collusion with, and bribery from, the Russians before the Uranium One deal but did nothing to stop it. We also learned Barack Obama’s Department of Injustice threatened and stopped the FBI’s informant from testifying in front of the Congress, and we also learned that the 10 Russian spies who were arrested and suddenly transferred back to Russia were originally arrested because they were getting too close to Hillary Clinton during the Uranium One negotiations.
Sunday, October 22nd open thread: ‘Beverly Hills’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, October 22nd. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
Last week we discussed 5 stories. Did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. I understand that all of you are busy and cannot always find the time to check the blog for updates so why not subscribe to America’s Watchtower and receive email updates whenever I write a new post? That is the easiest way to follow the blog to ensure you never miss another post.
In addition to subscribing you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. But you will get more than that for I often post links to articles probably will not be writing about so it is a great way to keep up with what is happening.
The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive. This widget updates my tweets in real time and allows you to respond to or retweet my tweets right from the blog. It also allows you to tweet me right from America’s Watchtower.
Well, Hollywood has been in the news just a little bit recently so here is Weezer preforming “Beverly Hills” live in 2005.
frui diem
The group behind the fake Russian dossier files an injunction to keep its financial records hidden
Fusion GPS is the group behind the fake Russian dossier which was used to justify a FISA warrant against the Trump campaign and transition team, and is mostly responsible for the Russia collusion investigation.
It turns out that Fusion GPS is an opposition-research group with shady ties to the Democratic party. The House Intelligence Committee has been conducting an investigation into who was behind pushing this fake document and who paid for it. Fusion GPS has been stonewalling the investigation and two days ago the group’s representatives took the Fifth during their testimony in front of the Congress.
Now it is being reported here that the Congress has issued a subpoena for the group’s financial records and they are seeking a restraining order. Here is more:
The FBI arrested 10 Russian spies for getting close to Hillary Clinton during the Uranium One negotiations
I do not know how many people will remember this but back in 2010 10 Russian spies were arrested and then sent back to Russia in a prisoner exchange. Something always seemed fishy to me about this deal, especially how quickly after their arrest they were returned to Russia, but the story quickly disappeared and we heard nothing more about it. Until now…
It turns out, according to this story, these spies were getting close to Hillary Clinton during the Uranium One negotiations and they were arrested one day before Bill Clinton gave his $500,000 speech in Moscow. Here is more:
In 2010, the FBI arrested ten Russian spies as part of “Operation Ghost Stories.” According to a top FBI official, the agency had to act quickly because the “deep cover” agents had come very close to “a sitting US cabinet member.” They had already infiltrated then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s inner circle, befriending a Democratic fundraiser close to Clinton. Clinton’s Russian connections have attracted more scrutiny following recent revelations of an FBI investigation into Russian company Rosatom, which gained control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium in the 2010 Uranium One deal.
“We were becoming very concerned,” Frank Figliuzzi, the FBI’s assistant director of counterintelligence, told the BBC in 2012. “They were getting close enough to a sitting US cabinet member that we thought we could no longer allow this to continue.”
America's Watchtower 