TrumpPutingate III: the beginning of the end

[Mick]

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has obtained evidence that calls into question Congressional testimony given by Trump supporter and Blackwater founder Erik Prince last year, when he described a meeting in Seychelles with a Russian financier close to Vladimir Putin as a casual chance encounter “over a beer,” sources tell ABC News.

Well-connected Lebanese-American businessman George Nader, a key witness given limited immunity by Mueller, has been interviewed seven times by prosecutors on a wide range of subjects. He told investigators that he set up a meeting in the Seychelles between Prince and Russian sovereign wealth fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, mere days before Trump was inaugurated, sources familiar with the investigation said this week.

Nader says he then facilitated and personally attended the meetings, including one between Prince and Dmitriev, at a resort owned by MBZ off the coast of East Africa, the sources told ABC News. One of the primary goals of the meeting, Nader told investigators, was to discuss foreign policy and to establish a line of communication between the Russian government and the incoming Trump administration.

Mueller has evidence that Trump supporter's meeting with Putin ally may not have been a chance encounter: Sources - ABC News

 

[Mick]

Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors revealed Thursday night that they're using information related to the searches of Paul Manafort's belongings for their ongoing investigation, according to documents they filed with the court in his case.

The office even used a warrant from March 9 to get information related to five AT&T phone numbers -- and that search involves information related to "ongoing investigations that are not the subject of either of the current prosecutions involving Manafort," according to the new special counsel filings.

Special counsel using information related to searches of Manafort's belongings - CNNPolitics


Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office moved to seize bank accounts at three different financial institutions last year just one day before former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was indicted, prosecutors disclosed in a court filing Thursday.

The previously unknown move against the bank accounts was revealed in a list of search and seizure warrants prosecutors submitted to a federal court in Washington after Manafort's defense team complained that the government was withholding too many details about how the warrants were obtained.

Mueller moved to seize bank accounts in Manafort probe - POLITICO

 

[TennTom]

No wonder Manafort's attorneys are getting so desperate... Tick tock...

Mueller got a new warrant against Manafort in the Russia investigation - Business Insider

 

[TennTom]

When your lawyer's lawyers are hiring lawyers....

 

[hog88]

No wonder Manafort's attorneys are getting so desperate... Tick tock...

Mueller got a new warrant against Manafort in the Russia investigation - Business Insider

When the prosecutor is allowed to redact discovery, it's the prosecutor that looks desperate and dishonest. Watch for Muller's team to claim national security in refusing to turn over evidence and ask for a postponement in Manaforts trial.

 

[NorthDallas40]

When the prosecutor is allowed to redact discovery, it's the prosecutor that looks desperate and dishonest. Watch for Muller's team to claim national security in refusing to turn over evidence and ask for a postponement in Manaforts trial.

That does align with what you were saying a couple of days ago. They have information pointing to “new evidence” that they need to digest and will thus need more time.

 

[TennTom]

When the prosecutor is allowed to redact discovery, it's the prosecutor that looks desperate and dishonest. Watch for Muller's team to claim national security in refusing to turn over evidence and ask for a postponement in Manaforts trial.

Manafort is dirtier than your browser history, 88. It's time for you to realize that the guy is a treasonous, toxic, poisonous, criminal, mercenary piece of trash that is soon going to throw Trump in front of the bus. Mercenaries have zero loyalty. I wish Mueller would revoke his bond before he pulls a disappearing act and escapes like Snowden to Moscow.

 

[hog88]

That does align with what you were saying a couple of days ago. They have information pointing to “new evidence” that they need to digest and will thus need more time.

I was reading some of this at breakfast and my MIL asked what about it so I showed her. This is a dyed in the wool Dem that has never voted for an R in he life, she said "she was sick of all of this, all they're trying to do is destroy that man and his family and not run the country".

Mid you, she is no Trump fan but when you have a life long Dem tired of it and sympathizing with him, you are losing.

 

[hog88]

Manafort is dirtier than your browser history, 88. It's time for you to realize that the guy is a treasonous, toxic, poisonous, criminal, mercenary piece of trash that is soon going to throw Trump in front of the bus. Mercenaries have zero loyalty. I wish Mueller would revoke his bond before he pulls a disappearing act and escapes like Snowden to Moscow.

I have no doubt that he is dirty, the DOJ knew he was dirty in 2014 but decided not to pursue him. Odd that now he is public enemy #1 isn't it?

 

[NorthDallas40]

I have no doubt that he is dirty, the DOJ knew he was dirty in 2014 but decided not to pursue him. Odd that now he is public enemy #1 isn't it?

They used their prior knowledge as the starting basis this time no doubt. They had a deep file on him before the Trump campaign connect.

The pure conjecture that this point is he somehow tainted the campaign and Trump himself during his short, drive by time at the helm. When it went down I was scratching my head. We get some clarity now that I think means they realized he was a liability and had to distance themselves

 

[TennTom]

I have no doubt that he is dirty, the DOJ knew he was dirty in 2014 but decided not to pursue him. Odd that now he is public enemy #1 isn't it?

When you take jobs that raise your scrutiny level to unprecedented levels, the microscope becomes laser focused. Trump is going to find this out too, if he hasn't already. Manafort was on the edge of financial disaster and suicide before taking the campaign chairman job. He has a deep, dark past that's coming to light.

Professionally, Paul Manafort's life was a mess. He'd been a very powerful political consultant and lobbyist, but he'd bet everything in his career on his work in Ukraine. He'd become the chief political adviser to Viktor Yanukovych, who had been president of Ukraine, and they developed a very personal relationship and they developed a very lucrative relationship for Paul Manafort. But after spending nearly 10 years in Ukraine, revolution had swept that government for power, and Manafort was deprived of his primary source of income and he was struggling to find anything to replace that. Financially, Paul Manafort was struggling. He owed a Russian oligarch nearly $20 million, and that Russian oligarch wasn't going to let go of that debt. And then finally, personally, Paul Manafort was struggling. He'd had an affair which his family had uncovered. And despite telling him to go into therapy and to break off that affair, the affair continued and he was caught a second time. And he had what his daughter described as a fairly massive emotional breakdown.

Paul Manafort Joined The Trump Campaign In A State Of 'Despair And Desperation' : NPR

Here's some more:

Paul Manafort, American Hustler - The Atlantic

 

[hog88]

When you take jobs that raise your scrutiny level to unprecedented levels, the microscope becomes laser focused. Trump is going to find this out too, if he hasn't already. Manafort was on the edge of financial disaster and suicide before taking the campaign chairman job. He has a deep, dark past that's coming to light.



Paul Manafort Joined The Trump Campaign In A State Of 'Despair And Desperation' : NPR

Here's some more:

Paul Manafort, American Hustler - The Atlantic

Great, I'm sure you think the millions Muller's investigation is costing us is worth it. Why didn't Holder's DOJ take him down in '14, '15 or '16?

 

[NorthDallas40]

Great, I'm sure you think the millions Muller's investigation is costing us is worth it. Why didn't Holder's DOJ take him down in '14, '15 or '16?

Think about it another way. Where is all of this “breaking news” coming from? The majority seems to be coming from prosecutor’s responses to Mueller legal teams right? And most of this has been in place for some time and is just forced to light in those legal disclosures.

Yet even with all that Mueller tells Trump he isn’t a target. Manafort may be the biggest fish Mueller can land and that basis was largely given to him by prior research. If that’s what winds up happening the hell to pay cost will be high in the post investigation dissection of it all. Since they had plenty of info on him before why did they wait to act? It will be another black eye on DOJ.

 

[hog88]

Think about it another way. Where is all of this “breaking news” coming from? The majority seems to be coming from prosecutor’s responses to Mueller legal teams right? And most of this has been in place for some time and is just forced to light in those legal disclosures.

Yet even with all that Mueller tells Trump he isn’t a target. Manafort may be the biggest fish Mueller can land and that basis was largely given to him by prior research. If that’s what winds up happening the hell to pay cost will be high in the post investigation dissection of it all. Since they had plenty of info on him before why did they wait to act? It will be another black eye on DOJ.

Muller is still going after Trump, no doubt about that. My guess is Muller knows the collusion angle is dead but he's not going to just walk away. Muller's team is harassing just about anyone and everyone that's been associated with Trump looking for a crime. And I'm sure at one point or another Trump has done something.

 

[TennTom]

Great, I'm sure you think the millions Muller's investigation is costing us is worth it. Why didn't Holder's DOJ take him down in '14, '15 or '16?

I'm curious if you were this outraged about the multiple Benghazi probes that cost 3 times as much with zero indictments? (snickers at the hypocrisy)

 

[hog88]

I'm curious if you were this outraged about the multiple Benghazi probes that cost 3 times as much with zero indictments?

No, but of course nobody is trying to coverup the reason Americans died including our Ambassador.

There's a wee bit of a difference.

 

[Vol_Doc]

They used their prior knowledge as the starting basis this time no doubt. They had a deep file on him before the Trump campaign connect.

The pure conjecture that this point is he somehow tainted the campaign and Trump himself during his short, drive by time at the helm. When it went down I was scratching my head. We get some clarity now that I think means they realized he was a liability and had to distance themselves

I think Trump's lack of experience and emphasis on brownnosing and loyalty over experience hurt him early on. He's learned a hard lesson. In retrospect, Manafort and several others were never properly vetted and should never have been let near the campaign. That's really what has gotten him in trouble. I really don't believe he personally had any nefarious intentions.

 

[TennTom]

No, but of course nobody is trying to coverup the reason Americans died including our Ambassador.

There's a wee bit of a difference.

So you're saying staunch anti-Clinton Republican Trey Gowdy was covering things up when he assigned no culpability to Clinton? Interesting.

 

[NorthDallas40]

Muller is still going after Trump, no doubt about that. My guess is Muller knows the collusion angle is dead but he's not going to just walk away. Muller's team is harassing just about anyone and everyone that's been associated with Trump looking for a crime. And I'm sure at one point or another Trump has done something.

Even if by blind luck he lands something that can be somehow populist labeled “collusion” show me anywhere in the US code that it is a crime. It isn’t. It isn’t a good look but it isn’t a crime. And he cannot indict a sitting president.

The libtards are wanting impeachment basis from this whole thing. And to do that they have to win the house back.

So if they win the house back, and if Mueller’s blind squirrel finds a nut, then they can attempt impeachment proceedings. But even then without a crime committed (again collusion isn’t a crime, Slick Willy broke two laws he was impeached on) it’s a long shot they get impeachment in the House. But if somehow they do it, it dies in the Senate. It’s still born at the door even. Because the Senate isn’t turning blue. And even if he’s somehow impeached they still have no crime to then indict him on.

Trump needs to tell them to f-off. No reason not to. The burden is on them why the hell should he cooperate.

Again, it completely comes back to this and only this.

 

[NorthDallas40]

I think Trump's lack of experience and emphasis on brownnosing and loyalty over experience hurt him early on. He's learned a hard lesson. In retrospect, Manafort and several others were never properly vetted and should never have been let near the campaign. That's really what has gotten him in trouble. I really don't believe he personally had any nefarious intentions.

And I think that’s a pretty reasonable estimate of what happened.

 

[Darkman]

US imposes new sanctions on oligarchs tied to Putin ...

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Trump Administration Imposes New Sanctions on Putin Cronies

Trump Administration Imposes New Sanctions on Putin Cronies - The New York Times

 

[NorthDallas40]

So you're saying staunch anti-Clinton Republican Trey Gowdy was covering things up when he assigned no culpability to Clinton? Interesting.

Totally went right over your head huh?🙄

Edit: nope! You actually twisted it into a non sequitor! My bad!

 

[hog88]

So you're saying staunch anti-Clinton Republican Trey Gowdy was covering things up when he assigned no culpability to Clinton? Interesting.

Pulled that one out of your ass didn't you?

But since you went there, the whole thing was a coverup to keep our gun running operations to the Syrian "rebels" quite. So yes even Gowdy got on board.

 

[hog88]

Even if by blind luck he lands something that can be somehow populist labeled “collusion” show me anywhere in the US code that it is a crime. It isn’t. It isn’t a good look but it isn’t a crime. And he cannot indict a sitting president.

The libtards are wanting impeachment basis from this whole thing. And to do that they have to win the house back.

So if they win the house back, and if Mueller’s blind squirrel finds a nut, then they can attempt impeachment proceedings. But even then without a crime committed (again collusion isn’t a crime, Slick Willy broke two laws he was impeached on) it’s a long shot they get impeachment in the House. But if somehow they do it, it dies in the Senate. It’s still born at the door even. Because the Senate isn’t turning blue. And even if he’s somehow impeached they still have no crime to then indict him on.

Trump needs to tell them to f-off. No reason not to. The burden is on them why the hell should he cooperate.

Again, it completely comes back to this and only this.

We are stuck with Muller until 2020 is my thinking. As we get closer to the mid-terms the leaks will become more often and more outlandish. Muller will get more aggressive in going after Trump associates and watch him make an attempt at deposing Trump.

 

[NorthDallas40]

We are stuck with Muller until 2020 is my thinking. As we get closer to the mid-terms the leaks will become more often and more outlandish. Muller will get more aggressive in going after Trump associates and watch him make an attempt at deposing Trump.

Yep. Sounds about right.