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Compromise: Sally Yates' Warning about Vulnerability to Blackmail Applied to Trump Even More than Mike Flynn

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January 15, 2019

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When -- the day before Trump fired Jim Comey -- Sally Yates laid out how lying about his conversations about sanctions with Sergey Kislyak made Mike Flynn vulnerable to blackmail by the Russians, she did not know that that applied even more to Donald Trump.

Graphic: Quino Al via Unsplash (mod by Rayne)

Congress, Trump Administration

The Shutdown, Day 23: An Apology, A Prod, and a Call

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January 14, 2019

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There are very few people who deserve this mess. None of them are so-called non-essential employees of the U.S.

2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

William Barr Falsely Denies His Mueller Memo Makes the Case for Impeachment

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January 14, 2019

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William Barr has released his opening statement for his confirmation hearing tomorrow. While it surely is tailored to address the biggest concerns about his nomination, there's a lot to like about it. He suggests he's not as big of a hawk…

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

The Supreme Court Has Already Agreed that the Mystery Appellant Caused a "Direct Effect" in the United States

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January 14, 2019

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Assuming the Mystery Appellant really did challenge a Mueller subpoena, that means the Supreme Court has already agreed with a Mueller argument that a company owned by a foreign

2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

Trump's "Official Acts" to Pay Off a Russian Bribe Should Make Impeachment a Legal Issue, Not Just a Political One

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January 13, 2019

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Since Rashida Tlaib raised the stakes on impeaching Trump, both sides have treated impeachment as a political question. But if Mueller names Trump in a bribery conspiracy, it may make it clearer that it is also a legal one.

Football, Trash Talk

Divisional Playoffs 2019

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January 12, 2019

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Getting close to the home stretch in the NFL. There are four games this weekend, and the first one up is Colts at Chiefs. The weather looks to be very nasty, with below freezing temps and snow already accumulating. It will be interesting to…

2016 Election, Mueller Probe, Trump Administration

A Less Obvious Question about NYT's Reporting on Trump-Russia

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January 12, 2019

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Over the last several years, one thing has bothered me about The New York Times, something not immediately obvious in these related pieces of what may be the most important work the paper published since the early 2000s.

[Photo: Emily Morter via Unsplash]

Trump Administration

Stays: Another Reason for the Shutdown?

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January 11, 2019

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Footdragging. A means to buy time at the expense of federal employees, contractors, and everyone who is served by or serves them. Bah.

2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

Paul Manafort's Ongoing Conspiracy with Suspected Russian Agent Konstantin Kilimnik

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January 10, 2019

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It doesn't actually help Paul Manafort's story much that he was sharing data with pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs rather than a Russian one.

2020 Presidential Election, Congress, Trump Administration

21 People with the Power to Stop the Madness [UPDATE-2]

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January 10, 2019

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It's bloody annoying to hear ignoramuses who should know better blaming the wrong people for the mess we're in. 21 people could fix this right now.

Twitter Only Had SMS 2FA When Hal Martin's Twitter Account DMed Kaspersky

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January 9, 2019

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Kim Zetter has a story that explains the back story to FBI's interest in Hal Martin. But I wonder whether there isn't a back story to her back story?

2016 Presidential Election, emptywheel, Mueller Probe

Oleg Deripaska Met Sergei Millian at the St. Petersburg Forum Michael Cohen Would Have Met Putin

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January 9, 2019

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Oleg Deripaska met with Sergei Millian at the same St. Petersburg Forum where Michael Cohen would have negotiated a Trump Tower deal with Vladimir Putin.

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Manafort Claims He Can't Be a Witness to Trump's Conspiracy with Russia because He Managed the Campaign

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January 9, 2019

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Manafort is excusing his forgetfulness about anything that might show a conspiracy between him, while he was campaign manager for the Trump campaign, and Kilimnik, by saying his activities as campaign manager prevent him from remembering conspiring with Kilimnik while working for the campaign.

2020 Presidential Election, Trump Administration

There's No Crisis at the Border — There's a Crisis in the White House

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January 8, 2019

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There's no crisis at the border -- unless you are an asylum-seeking child fleeing violence, or an American citizen seeking lawful, competent leadership.

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Manafort's Redaction Fail Tells Trump that Mueller Caught Him Lying about His Russian Handler, Konstantin Kilimnik

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January 8, 2019

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Boy do I look stupid! This morning, I suggested that Robert Mueller had finally found a way to shut Paul Manafort up. Then I went away for a few hours, and come back to discover Manafort's filing on the lies he got caught telling about the information…

2016 Presidential Election, Domestic Policy, emptywheel

Trump's 200 Million Inauguration Visitors and $15 Million Net Worth: The Scale of His Border Lies

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January 8, 2019

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If Trump's two most famous lies were told on the same scale as his lies about terrorists coming across the southern border, he'd have had 200 million people at his inauguration but be worth only $15 million.

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Robert Mueller Finally Found a Way to Get Paul Manafort to Keep a Secret

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January 8, 2019

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Paul Manafort's failure to file an unsealed filing due yesterday may have as much to do with the reasons Mueller couldn't wait to obtain Roger Stone's House Intelligence transcripts last month as with any tardiness on his lawyers' part.

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

Will the Press Recognize They Also Deserve a Scolding for Parroting Eric Dubelier's Nude Selfie Stunt?

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January 7, 2019

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Judge Dabney Friedrich called Concord Management's trollish lawyers into today to yell at them for their recent trollish court filings. Will the press realize they, too, should be included in her accusations of unprofessional behavior?

2016 Presidential Election, Mueller Probe

It Is False and Defamatory to Accuse WikiLeaks of a Bunch of Things that Aren't the Key Allegations against It

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January 7, 2019

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WikiLeaks denies a lot in a list of things it says would be defamatory for journalists to print. None of those denials address the key charges against the organization.

2020 Presidential Election, Domestic Policy, emptywheel

On Narrating Donald Trump: "Shoot me like I’m shot on 'The Apprentice'"

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January 6, 2019

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Trump is still trying to maintain the image of power that a ton of editing produced on The Apprentice. “Shoot me like I’m shot on ‘The Apprentice.’” But he has no producer, not even a Chief of Staff, to make that happen now.