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    How Marco Rubio turned the Senate Intel Committee into a Trump defensive team

    Alison Greene, DC Report @ Raw Story
    March 20, 2021

    Thanks for your support!

    This article was paid for by reader donations to Raw Story Investigates.

    Marco Rubio pummeled for quoting the Bible at the worst possible ...
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    Alison Greene, DC Report @ Raw Story

    When Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) took over as acting chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the spring of 2020, he refocused the committee's long-running investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

    Rubio turned the committee away from dispassionately investigating the myriad connections between the Kremlin and Donald Trump's campaign into a Republican defense line between the compromised former president and the American public. Instead, Rubio aligned the committee with the Trump Administration itself, politicizing intelligence, downplaying Russian interference, white-washing Trump-Kremlin contacts and purposely deflecting attention from Russia to China.

    Soon, Rubio publicly sparred with the committee vice chairman, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), over how much to reveal to the people before the 2020 election. They issued a heavily redacted fifth and final 950-page volume of the committee's work on Aug. 18, just 77 days before Election Day.

    The report was presented as a confusing they-said-they-said hodge-podge of observations and conclusions pitting Republicans and Democrats against each other.

    But unlike the four previous reports issued with bipartisan agreement, the last volume was presented as a confusing they-said-they-said hodge-podge of observations and conclusions pitting Republicans and Democrats against each other.

    Upon the release of the report, Rubio and Warner even issued conflicting statements, as if characterizing two different investigations. Rubio and the Republicans on the committee asserted that they "found absolutely no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 election."

    This is the second of a two-part series. In Part 1, we examined how officials high in the Trump intelligence community hid evidence of Russian interference in U.S. elections.

    Warner, in marked contrast, said the investigators found "a breathtaking level of contacts between Trump officials and Russian government operatives that is a very real counterintelligence threat to our elections."

    Democrats, who claimed the Republicans redacted portions even more damaging to Trump, said: "Trump and his associates' participation in and enabling of this Russian activity, represents one of the single most grave counterintelligence threats to American national security in the modern era."

    So who was right?

    Actually, the facts are quite clear. Donald Trump and his campaign worked hand-in-glove with Kremlin interests. Just as former Attorney General William Barr lied about the findings of the Mueller Report and Trump's first impeachment defense team mischaracterized his infamous phone call to Ukraine's prime minister, Rubio and his fellow committee Republicans lied and denied the extent of the Trump-Kremlin connections—to the detriment of our democracy, but a great boon to the dictatorial regime of Vladimir Putin. Indeed, just last week, the U.S. intelligence community outlined Putin's efforts to influence the 2020 election—again in favor of Donald Trump.

    Lost in the News

    Released amid the Covid pandemic and the presidential election, the damning revelations of the Senate committee's report didn't register with many people. News accounts at the time didn't always give the full flavor of the report, relying on characterizations rather than the telling details establishing how thoroughly the Kremlin's agents and the Trump campaign coordinated.

    But a simple reading of the massive report shows documented connection after connection, coordination and, yes, collusion between the Trump inner circle and Putin's associates.

    • Trump's convicted and now-pardoned campaign manager Paul Manafort coordinated directly with Konstantin Kilimnik. The report states without equivocation that "Kilimnik is a Russian intelligence officer." At Manafort's direction, the campaign sent sensitive campaign strategy and polling data to Kilimnik every day. Manafort and Kilimnik hid their interactions through encryption apps, dedicated "bat phones" and clandestine meetings. Campaign and polling data was sent daily to Kilimnik and then deleted, using the Facebook-owned encrypted platform WhatsApp. (The FBI is seeking Kilimnik and is offering a large $250,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.)
    • Trump advisers Kellyanne Conway, pre-emptively pardoned Steve Bannon and convicted and pardoned Gen. Michael Flynn knowingly negotiated with Russian hackers to obtain Hillary Clinton's stolen emails. They conducted a multi-pronged approach to get the hacked information. Flynn was in close contact with Barbara Ledeen, a Senate staffer working for the Senate Judiciary Committee who was tasked with obtaining Hillary Clinton's emails.
    • WikiLeaks and Trump's campaign together weaponized the Democratic National Committee documents that Russia hacked as part of the Kremlin's strategy to damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. At the direction of "Trump and senior campaign," Roger Stone "took action to gain inside knowledge" from Wikileaks and "shared" this information with Trump. Trump and senior campaign officials coordinated the timing of the release of the documents with WikiLeaks through Stone, who was convicted of obstructing a Congressional investigation. Trump commuted his sentence.
    • Wikileaks was in contact with Donald Trump Jr. directly, even providing him with a username and password to a then-private website, putintrump.org, used by journalists investigating Trump-Kremlin links. Don Jr. also coordinated the June 9,
    • Trump Tower meeting between himself, Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with heavy ties to the Kremlin, and her entourage. Participants claimed they discussed adoption, but the report reveals that the subject line of Trump Jr's email invite was "FW: Russia—Clinton—private and confidential." Meeting notes from Manafort's phone included cryptic financial references to offshore accounts such as "Offshore - Cyprus/ 133m shares."
    • Trump regularly received 'gifts' from his Russian friends including a watch, artwork, and a gift from Putin to Trump—a decorative box and personal letter from Putin. The Putin gift, which the report even includes pictures of, was hand-delivered to Trump's Manhattan apartment after his infamous 2013 Moscow visit for Trump's Miss Universe pageant. The report indicates that in addition to gifts, messages were being transmitted. Days after the 2016 election, admitted Russian spy Maria Butina received a message that "Trump has already received a good letter from VVP [Putin]."
    • Kushner spoke to the Russian Ambassador, during the transition, about setting up a secret backchannel to communicate without detection directly with Putin's staff, a fact that had been known. There were various groups working to establish this backchannel for Putin. Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian oligarch who is head of the $10 billion Russian sovereign wealth fund RDIF, texted George Nader who was close to the Trump campaign that Putin had "emphasized that this is a great priority for us and that we need to build this communication channel to avoid bureaucracy." Nader was working with the campaign at that time and helping Dmitriev establish that channel.
    • Carter Page admitted to the FBI that he was "on the books" as a Russian intelligence source. Maria Butina, a Russian spy, sent a Twitter direct message to her Russian contacts asking about Page and saying that Page and Putin were together at a meeting in Moscow in 2015. Despite these obvious and significant security concerns, Trump put Page on his campaign's foreign policy team, and Page even obtained permission from the campaign to travel to Russia in June 2016. The campaign only distanced itself from Page after a news report that U.S. intelligence was investigating whether Page had private communications with senior Russian officials

    'No Collusion'

    The list of contacts and links goes on, but the overwhelming evidence of collusion was simply ignored by Rubio and his fellow Republican committee members. They wouldn't let the facts get in the way of their party leader's story: No collusion.

    While that was the Trump and the GOP line, until then it had not been the committee's narrative. That changed, however, when Rubio took over the committee chairmanship under most unusual and extraordinary circumstances.

    Before Rubio, the committee ran a bi-partisan three-year investigation under its chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Warner. In the nine months from July 2019 to April 2020, Burr and Warner jointly released four 100-page reports documenting the "irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling" in our elections. The reports were considered highly informative with no hint of partisanship. USA Today said the committee was "a rare symbol of unity on the divisive issue of Russia's role in the presidential race—quite a feat for a panel with members ranging from conservative Trump ally Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to liberal Trump critic Kamala Harris (D-Calif.)"

    Indeed, the Intelligence Committee, by design, is supposed to minimize partisanship. Established in 1976 in the post-Watergate era, the committee has a long history of serious, responsible oversight of the intelligence community and intelligence issues.

    Burr Booted

    But that all fell apart when FBI agents raided Chairman Burr's North Carolina home in May 2020, seeking evidence of insider stock trading based on information Burr had learned at closed-door briefings about the Covid pandemic. Burr stepped down from his chairmanship. Then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tapped Rubio for the job, and the fix was in.

    Sidelined, Burr was told on Jan. 19, Trump's last day in office, that the trading case would be dropped. Probably not insignificantly, Burr was one of seven Republican senators voting to convict Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Two other Intelligence Committee Republicans—Susan Collins of Maine and Ben Sasse of Nebraska—also voted to convict.

    Today, Burr remains a member of the committee, but Rubio sits in the vice chairman's seat. Warner is chairman.

    The Virginia Democrat has said he isn't interested in looking backward but wants to look forward at rebuilding the U.S. intelligence community, especially the Office of the Director of National Intelligence—which he said, emerged "decimated" and "in shambles" from the last four years. And Warner may well have summed up the challenge he will face in leading his committee going forward saying, "We don't want to go back to that non-fact-based world."

    This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.

    Enjoy good journalism?

    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.

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    … then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has slashed advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.

    Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

    Report typos and corrections to: corrections@rawstory.com.
    READ COMMENTS - JOIN THE DISCUSSION

    Should Trump be allowed back on social media?

    Seth Meyers takes down 'shameless' Kayleigh McEnany 'who's still on TV lying for a living'

    Sarah K. Burris
    April 21, 2021

    Americans just spent four years being gaslighted and lied to, and still, Republicans are still trying to do it, "Late Night" host Seth Meyers explained in Wednesday's "Closer Look" segment.

    Speaking out on the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, Meyers brought up former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who is now working for Fox News.

    "I mean, we just went through four years of bullsh*t liars trying to convince us that reality isn't reality," said Meyers. "They were like hypnotists, except instead of a pocket-watch, they used a meatball on a string."

    Doing his hilariously bad Trump impression, Meyers said, "Coronavirus isn't real!"

    "Yeah, no, it is," said Meyers in response to the fake Trump.

    "Racism doesn't exist," the fake Trump said, swinging the meatball.

    "Yes, it does and, also, you're like, getting sauce everywhere," said Myers. "Also how does meatball hypnosis on like 50 percent of the country? In fact, if sh*t hypnotists still want to be on TV lying for a living like former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who was shameless enough to go on Fox yesterday and criticize President [Joe] Biden for supposedly inflaming tensions by gently suggesting that it would be good if the jury agreed that murder should, in fact, be illegal."

    McEnany misquoted Judge Peter Cahill, who said that he wishes political officials wouldn't intervene in the judicial process, which he said he felt Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) did. Neither Biden nor Waters addressed the trial until after the jury had been sequestered from news and television. Cahill said as much in his statement to the defense attorney.

    "Right, of course, we wouldn't want a president inflaming tensions," said Meyers. "Who did you work for again? Oh, right. President flame thrower. But, sure, Biden's the one inflaming tensions. I mean, what's he going to do next? Gather a group of violent insurrectionists dressed like werewolves and Call of Duty cos-players down at the Capitol and tell them to fight? While his no-neck pasta-goblin of a lawyer calls for a trial by combat? Maybe he'll become best friends with a pillow salesman to claims the jury vote was rigged by Hugo Chavez and the CIA is part of a vast communist conspiracy. 'I saw Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez down at the courthouse using CIA computers to rig the verdict just like how they rigged the Superbowl against DA BEARS!'"

    Meyers confessed that he knows that Mike Lindell isn't from Chicago but, "I don't, what's the word, care."

    He went on to bash Republicans for their decision to not only support murder by Derek Chauvin, but now they're legalizing it in several states.

    See his attack on the GOP below:


    Chauvin Found Guilty in George Floyd Murder As Calls for Police Reform Grow: A Closer Look www.youtube.com

    Maddow: Al Qaeda used to instruct terrorists to ram their cars into crowds — just like GOP bills now legalize

    Sarah K. Burris
    April 21, 2021

    Oklahoma and Florida legislatures have legalized running a car into a crowd of people if one feels "threatened." It's being called a get-out-of-jail-free card for white supremacists and terrorists who want to commit murder during a Black Lives Matter rally.

    Ironically, Oklahoma experienced an incident in which a disgruntled student plowed into a crowd of people at the homecoming parade in 2015homecoming parade in 2015, killing two people. Oklahoma was also home to large, armed tea party rallies that could now be targeted thanks to the law. There are generally much larger and louder protests from the right-wing in Oklahoma than from Black Lives Matter protests.

    In Florida, they've essentially nullified the right to assemble when it comes to confederate statues, which will likely get the law thrown off the books. Still, an all-white Republican group of lawmakers cheered on the freedom they now have to kill Black Lives Matter activists.

    Speaking to Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, Maddow asked about the specifics of the bill, which he noted are flatly unconstitutional. But it was her comparison that brought in a striking comparison.

    "One of the things that is, I think so -- that is the most shocking about this bill, and we saw that it made the headline in The New York Times today, is this idea that this Republican bill, and now state law in Florida, singles out people who use their cars to run over protesters for a specially designated form of immunity," she began. "I mean, you know, the freaking Al Qaeda Magazine, when it used to exist, used to advise Al Qaeda adherents that a great way to terrorize lots of Americans is to use a readily available large tool, namely a car or a truck, to run down Americans as a way of committing terrorist attacks in this country. By putting such a spotlight on that and singling it out for immunity, are there concerns this is creating a clear and present current public safety threat around that type of way of hurting people?"

    Jones agreed, explaining that it happened in Miami, Florida last year during a George Floyd demonstration where someone drove their car into a crowd. Under the new law, killing someone there would be legal.

    "And let's be extremely clear, that the governor has created a piece of legislation that no one has asked for," said Jones. "Instead of the governor doing what needs to be done to protect the lives of Black people within this state who is included within the 22 million people in the state of Florida, to begin to create these penalties that do nothing but create more individuals in our criminal justice system and to continue to clog up our jails. So, it does nothing."

    See the discussion below:



    the dangers of the murder legalization law www.youtube.com

    WATCH: Tucker Carlson bursts out in maniacal laughter while pushing racist conspiracy theory

    Matthew Chapman
    April 21, 2021

    On Wednesday evening, after weeks of fierce pushback, Fox News' Tucker Carlson once again pushed the white nationalist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory — a narrative pushed by extremist groups that there is a deliberate plot to crowd white people out of Western nations and replace them with dark-skinned foreigners. And during the segment, he burst out in angry laughter, responding to criticism of the idea from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA).

    "Well, Ted Lieu is a member of Congress, he's a Democrat, he represents the state of California, he's really smart, he went to Stanford, so when you hear him speak, you're really hearing the Democratic Party's brain trust on display," said Carlson. "With that in mind, we wanted to bring you one of his more recent pronouncements, a tweet in response to one of his colleagues, Congressman Scott Perry. Now, Perry was making an argument we have often made, because it's true, and that is that Democrats are using mass immigration to transform the country to change who votes so they can control who wins."

    "Ted Lieu was VERY annoyed that Scott Perry said this," said Carlson. "And so he sent the following tweet, and he was clearly enraged as he did. Quote, 'Dear @RepScottPerry: Native-born Americans like you are no more American, and no less American, than an immigrant like me.' Good point, we agree with that. And then he said this: 'And with every passing year, there will be more people who look like me in the US. You can't stop it. So take your racist replacement theory and shove it.'"

    "In other words, you're being replaced, and there's nothing you can do about it! So shut up!" added Carlson, breaking out in sharp laughter.

    Watch below:

    Tucker Carlson reiterates the so-called "Great Replacement Theory" conspiracy theory, which has embraced by white s… https://t.co/877WKsaD6N
    — John Whitehouse (@John Whitehouse)1619052128.0
     
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