Robert Mueller indicts 13 Russians for election meddling

[Rewind]

BuzzFeed reporter Anthony Cormier spoke with CNN today. The link below will take you to video of Cormier's interview and CNN editor Chris Cillizza's complete essay. Here is an excerpt:

This may be the smoking gun in the Russia investigation
Chris Cillizza, Jan 18 2019 2:43 PM

For much of the past 20 months, President Donald Trump and his administration have insisted that, for all of the smoke surrounding his 2016 campaign, there was no fire. A lot of people in Trump's orbit engaging in conversations and relationships with Russian officials but no evidence of collusion and certainly nothing that linked Donald Trump to any wrongdoing.

That very well might have changed Thursday night, with this report from BuzzFeed: "President Donald Trump directed his longtime attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, according to two federal law enforcement officials involved in an investigation of the matter. Trump also supported a plan, set up by Cohen, to visit Russia during the Presidential campaign in order to personally meet President Vladimir Putin and jump-start the tower negotiations. 'Make it happen,' the sources said Trump told Cohen."

The BuzzFeed story also claims Cohen confirmed this information to special counsel Robert Mueller after "the special counsel's office learned about Trump's directive for Cohen to lie to Congress through interviews with multiple witnesses from the Trump Organization and internal company emails, text messages, and a cache of other documents." It's hard to overstate what a big deal that is. No other major outlets have confirmed the BuzzFeed report but if the report is right, then the President of the United States directed an underling to lie under oath -- which is, in and of itself, a crime.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/18/polit...sia/index.html

[Rewind]

Every major news outlet is covering the explosive BuzzFeed report. That tells me they don't think the story is "fake." CBS News noted: "White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley would not explicitly deny the report that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress, when pressed repeatedly by Fox News this morning. 'I'm not going to give any credence or credibility to Michael Cohen,' Gidley said. After the interview on the White House North Lawn, Gidley walked past a swarm of reporters asking why he wouldn't simply deny the report." Hmmm.

Trump had Michael Cohen lie to Congress about Moscow Trump Tower project: Report

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-h...ject-buzzfeed/

[Rewind]

Business Insider reports that 16 members of Trump's campaign team made a combined 101 contacts with Russian agents or Russian government officials between November 2015 and January 2017. That includes 23 meetings and phone calls. At least nine other Trump associates knew about these contacts. But there was no collusion -- Trump says so.

Here are all the known contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian government-linked people or entities

https://www.businessinsider.com/trum...imeline-2018-7

[Rewind]

While Donald Trump was singing love songs to his BFF Vladimir Putin in an effort to gain approval to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, Putin was probably singing the Green Acres theme song to Trump: "I just adore a penthouse view!"

Giuliani: Discussions on Trump Tower in Moscow were 'active' throughout 2016
NBC News, Jan 20 2019, 7:26 AM PST

President Donald Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said today that plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow remained an "active proposal" as late as November 2016, leaving open the possibility that Trump’s family-led company continued to pursue the business deal up until the Presidential election, months later than previously known.

Appearing on NBC's Meet The Press, Giuliani said the President has told him he can "remember having conversations" with his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, about the project well into 2016. Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the timeline of his involvement in that proposal, admitting that he worked on it through June of 2016 after initially saying it ended at the beginning of that year.

"It's our understanding that they went on throughout 2016," Giuliani said of the discussions, adding that there "weren't a lot of them, but there were conversations. Can't be sure of the exact date. Probably could be up to as far as October, November — our answers cover until the election," he said, referring to written questions Trump and his lawyers have answered from special counsel Robert Mueller's office.

"That is news to me and that is big news. Why, two years after the fact, are we just learning this now when there's been this much inquiry?” asked Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also appearing on Meet The Press.

"I would think most voters — Democrat, Republican, independent, you name it — that knowing that the Republican nominee was actively trying to do business in Moscow, that the Republican nominee had offered, if he built this building, a free penthouse apartment to Vladimir Putin, and if those negotiations were ongoing up until the election, I think that's a relevant fact for voters to know," Warner said. "And I think it's remarkable we are two years after the fact and just discovering it today."

The Moscow tower project is part of separate investigations by the special counsel and lawmakers into links between Trump's campaign and Russia's interference in the 2016 election.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/mee...ection-n960701

[Rewind]

Emin Agaralov, the son of Azerbaijani-Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov, performed at Donald Trump's Miss American pageant in Moscow in 2013 and helped arrange the infamous Trump Tower meeting in 2016. In the video for his single Got Me Good, he makes fun of Trump, Ivanka and Stormy Daniels -- and his Соединенные Штаты гастроли is отменен.

Emin Agalarov cancels US concert tour after not reaching testimony deal with Mueller and Congress
CNN, Jan 21 2019 4:30 PM ET

Emin Agalarov, the Russian pop star who initiated the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with members of Donald Trump's campaign, canceled his upcoming US tour after failing to reach a deal with the special counsel's office and Congress over the contours of his testimony.

Agalarov was set to launch a four-city tour Saturday in New York. Looming over the impending engagement was the prospect of his being on US soil and subject to US law enforcement. Agalarov attorney Scott Balber said talks broke down at the end of last week and the decision to cancel the tour was made today. "It's the only choice we had," Balber said. "I've been endeavoring to engage with the special counsel's office as well as various congressional committees and despite our best effort we haven't been able to reach an agreement on the terms."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/21/polit...our/index.html

[Rewind]

In a 1971 hit, the Osmonds sang, "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch." In 2019, Senator Whitehouse is hoping "one bad email" will spoil the GOP.

Senator says "one bad email" could show House GOP worked to obstruct justice
Newsweek, Jan 21 2019 4:26 PM

Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse alleged that Republicans in the House of Representatives could have worked to obstruct justice in the ongoing probe by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.

"Whether it amounts to criminal conduct, clearly the efforts of the House Republicans were designed to impede and throw sticks into the spokes of the Mueller investigation," Whitehouse, who represents Rhode Island, said today on Yahoo News' Skullduggery podcast. The Senator alleged that Republican representatives tried to "discredit" the investigation while providing "alternative narratives." He further suggested that GOP members of Congress "potentially even tried to communicate to potential witnesses or jurors their alternative narratives and thereby influence the proceedings."

"The only thing that stops that being a crime is the contact with Trump's lawyers and the corrupt intent. The other elements are all there," Whitehouse argued. "You can show in abundance that they tried to interfere with the Mueller investigation. Whether they did that with the requisite corrupt intent, we're one bad email away from finding out. It definitely needs to be investigated."

Five former Trump advisers, 26 Russian nationals, three Russian companies, one California man and one London-based lawyer have been indicted or have pleaded guilty as a result of Mueller's probe. Earlier this month, it was revealed through court filings that Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to investigators about sharing confidential polling data with an associate linked to Russian intelligence. Last week, BuzzFeed reported that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, was allegedly instructed by Trump to lie about plans for Trump Tower Moscow. GOP members of Congress have been accused by Democrats of hindering the investigation into allegations against the President.

https://www.newsweek.com/senator-one...ustice-1299436

[Rewind]

When I heard Robert Mueller is investigating Trump's relationship with the NRA, I though NRA must stand for "National Russia Association." It turns out it's the National Rifle Association. However, a Russian agent, Maria Butina, did infiltrate the NRA and attempt to influence US-Russia relations. We also know several Russians donated to the NRA. We also know the NRA spent $30,000,000 trying to get Trump elected -- but none of that $30,000,000 came from the Russians, the NRA says. Umm.....okay.

Mueller wants to know about 2016 Trump campaign's ties to NRA

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/polit...nra/index.html

[Rewind]

Donald Trump -- remember when he vowed to start acting more "Presidential"? -- insults, slanders and/or threatens everyone whom he perceives as a critic or opponent, whether it's Hillary Clinton, Jeff Flake, John McCain, Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, Jeff Bezos, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Democrats, world leaders -- anyone and everyone. The person whom Trump is threatening now, well, I can't see this turning out very well for Trump.

Michael Cohen postpones House testimony, citing 'threats against his family'
CNN, Jan 23 2019 5:18 PM

President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen announced he is postponing his public Congressional testimony that was scheduled for February 7, citing "ongoing threats against his family" from the President and his attorney Rudy Giuliani. Democrats are now considering whether to subpoena Cohen to compel his testimony before he reports to prison next month. At least one senior Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said he expects Chairman Elijah Cummings of Maryland to issue a subpoena.

"Due to ongoing threats against his family from President Trump and Mr. Giuliani, as recently as this weekend, as well as Mr. Cohen's continued cooperation with ongoing investigations, by advice of counsel, Mr. Cohen's appearance will be postponed to a later date," Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis said in a statement. "Mr. Cohen wishes to thank Chairman Cummings for allowing him to appear before the House Oversight Committee and looks forward to testifying at the appropriate time." Davis added, "This is a time where Mr. Cohen had to put his family and their safety first."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/polit...ned/index.html

[Rewind]

Section 1512 of the US Code mandates a fine and/or prison sentence of not more than 20 years for anyone who uses threats or intimidation to influence, delay or prevent the testimony of a witness in a legal proceeding. The Washington Post's Deanna Paul takes a close look at whether Trump's threats against Michael Cohen amount to witness tampering. Of course Trump -- who tells an average of 15 lies a day -- keeps calling Cohen a liar. Are there not any mirrors in the White House?

Michael Cohen says Trump and Giuliani threatened him. Does that amount to witness tampering?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...ing/ar-BBSEx0J

[Rewind]

It is unclear how Cohen will respond to this subpoena. Maybe Trump and Giuliani, who are threatening Cohen and his family, could be placed under house arrest until after Cohen testifies.

Michael Cohen subpoenaed by Senate Intelligence Committee

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/01/24/pol...tee/index.html