House Democrats press FBI on Russia, possible link to Trump camp

Folks you just can't make this stuff up. GOP (GOVERNMENT OF PUTIN)

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, the law firm advising President-elect Donald Trump on handling his business conflicts, won the Russia Law Firm of the Year award in 2016.

Burning BushJAN. 15, 2017 - 07:03AM JST Regardless of who the hacker/leaker of the emails was, who's to blame for "influencing" the election? The hacker or the American media that spread that information to millions of Americans?

I love how in alt-right double-think logic the dreaded Mainstream Media can somehow simultaneously be a vast liberal conspiracy and also responsible for Trump's election. It's like how Obama was simultaneously a ruthless, authoritarian tyrant and a weak leader incapable of doing anything, how he was a secret Muslim at the same time as being a godless communist. We have a whole political movement founded apparently on anything being true the moment it feels useful for it to be true.

Good. We can sideline Trump and his supporters on the hacking issue if they do not want to participate, but they cannot stop us from going forward.

bass4funkJAN. 15, 2017 - 11:19AM JST Lol, sorry both sides play this game and that's brutally honest.... And so do the right.

No, the right has conspiracy theories. When Trump drove the birther movement into the spotlight, he didn't have a single piece of evidence that Obama was not born in America. Not one. He and so many other bigots just decided it was true because it felt good to believe it was true.

When the right went bananas over Benghazi, there was no evidence that Hillary Clinton had done anything criminal. But Trump and cheerleaders like you chanted "lock her up" for years. You didn't have suspicions, you had a conspiracy theory that you wanted to believe was true because you can't handle a woman in charge.

The possibility that Trump may have been compromised by Russia is not a conspiracy theory just because you don't like it. There are reasonable suspicions which demand we take it seriously. There is Trump's vocal admiration for Putin. His abrupt dropping of criticism of Obama's handling of Russia's takeover of the Crimean. The opinion of 17 US intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in our election to put him into power. There is his outrage at Obama's expulsion of Russian intelligence assets. And of course, there are the Buzzfeed documents.

None of these things of course individually prove that Trump definitely is a Russian pawn. But they merit investigation. Trump, his minions, and you however have been demanding that no one even talk about this potential serious treason against the US until it's proven - a transparent technique for silencing investigations before they can even begin. When it's your conspiracy theories, nothing needs vetting from you and you try to pretend it's our job to prove everything you say wrong. When it's our suspicions, you try to pretend that it's our job to prove everything we say right before we even say it. It's a hypocritical double standard that proves without question that this:

Actually, I can stomach anything the left can dish out,

...is not remotely true. People who can stomach criticism let the critics criticize.

@brbush The hacker or the American media that spread that information to millions of Americans?

Is your point that if the 'American media' had info, regardless how questionable, about the hacker that they should have said nothing? Do you think the 'American media' should function like Russia's (i.e. Putin's) state owned media and only report info filtered and approved by the state?

People claiming that a story must be 'proved' before publication cannot also say they want a free press. Let a country's media print what they want, how they want. If Russians want to have the state control their media, that's the Russian way.

Media in the US can't legally slander or libel. Let individuals decide for themselves which media they choose to read and which stories they want to believe. If someone wants to believe tabloid stories about being snatched by aliens, let them.

That the media should always be held accountable and should accurately report all stories is a given. That fake news, especially fake news coming from a country like Russia, needs to be stopped is also a given.

But Russians and US rightists who want to constantly demonize the press are contributing to the ongoing undermining of US institutions, helping pave the way for demagogues. Re-read 1984 and Brave New World. Can you suggest some Russian novels with similar themes?

@yamashi 'We' by Eyvgeny Zamyatin.

Thanks. I just ordered it.

bass4funkJAN. 15, 2017 - 10:41AM JST Hmmm.....I'll say this, the left and right have both their conspiracy theories where does the truth rest?

No. The right has conspiracy theories. The left has suspicions. The truth rests with facts. We find facts by investigating them. Your team spend 4 years and millions of dollars investigating Benghazi again and again, never finding a single bit of evidence that Clinton committed any criminal acts, but after each failure vowing to use the wheels of government to abuse the figure you hate again. But you can't even stomach one investigation into your anointed one when there is a legitimate reason to do so.

bass4funk: "But actually, it really doesn't matter anymore, so you gonna celebrate Trump's inauguration with wine or Champagne. I prefer a California Red myself."

It 'doesn't matter anymore' says the guy who has posted half the comments on this thread, contradicting himself on several -- the most partisan poster on this board.

"Actually, I can stomach anything the left can dish out,"

Except that you can't, at all. Hence when you get caught in an obvious contradiction you need to deflect and ask everyone to stop talking about the things you couldn't for almost a decade.

@PTownsend "Re-read 1984 and Brave New World. Can you suggest some Russian novels with similar themes?"

'We' by Eyvgeny Zamyatin.

Hopefully the investigation can shed some light on the issue of Trump's behavior towards Russia. I think we are all a bit confused by his actions, including his supporters who have mostly avoided the issue rather than give their own opinions.

So then what is the opinion of Trump supporters? Do you think Trump is lying when he says the Russians were behind the hack? What should his response be?

You go first, I'll match it, and double it.

You claimed first. You go first.

But I already won, because millions trumps tons.

And so do the left and if you want, I can give you a ton of examples, so please don't go that losing argument route.

And so do the right, and if you want, I can give you a MILLION examples, so please don't go that losing argument route. Because you already lost.

So then what is the opinion of Trump supporters?

I think most have some slight concerns about Russia, but waiting to pass any judgment without knowing the facts.

Do you think Trump is lying when he says the Russians were behind the hack? What should his response be?

If I were Trump, I wouldn't say anything other than, it could be possible, I'll look over the intel and decide at the proper time of my choosing how to best deal with thyroid possible hack and that's it.

No, most of us gave our opinions and theories, but you guys on the left dismiss it as dodging or deflection because it doesn't fit to your viewpoints.

At least for now, the entire nation is not only aware but cognizant that the entire government system including the justice system and the supreme court has become politicized and must be scrutinize not by elected politicians, but by the people themselves.

However, there is major problem which must be addressed. It appears that much of the general public is not aware nor knowledgeable nor properly educated to know and understand as well as appreciate the system and process available to correct the political system now dominated by a fraternity of organized political elites hast not only has power but the wealth and manpower to keep such a system in their favor. To begin with the educational system has made sure that only a limited number of the population actually has a proper unbiased and nonpolitical view of the system to begin with. On top of all that there are too many immigrants that do not understand English and do not even recognize and respect the USA and or its system.

Given that scenario and situation, connecting Russia to any political party is nonsensical. They are already fully connected and working behind the scenes any way. The bigger issue is the "divisiveness" of the entire effort now being put forward by the progressive Democratic party which by that effort invites not only foreign atrocities but even war.

We must see who is benefiting from all this. It is certainly NOT the people of the USA or even the rest of the world. That is especially so when the world is already in turmoil.

So who benefits from all this call for moire conflicts via protests?

Who benefits?

Folks you just can't make this stuff up.

Oh, but they can. And they do.

It 'doesn't matter anymore' says the guy who has posted half the comments on this thread, contradicting himself on several -- the most partisan poster on this board.

Oh, yeah? How so Smith?

Except that you can't, at all.

Yeah, I can, I survived 12 years at NBC, grew up in THE most liberal State half of my adult life, if I can survive them, I can survive anything. Lol

Hence when you get caught in an obvious contradiction you need to deflect and ask everyone to stop talking about the things you couldn't for almost a decade.

I never deflect, but then again, libs live in their own theoretical world. You guys believe Hillary was the best thing since sliced bread, and that shoving spinach in your car is the best thing for the country and world, pluuulease! ROFL

@SuperLib "So then what is the opinion of Trump supporters? Do you think Trump is lying when he says the Russians were behind the hack?"

He is joking at army of plain fools from Liberal camp.

No. The right has conspiracy theories.

Lol, sorry both sides play this game and that's brutally honest.

The left has suspicions.

And so do the right.

The truth rests with facts. We find facts by investigating them.

I get that and what are the facts that you guys on the left seem to claim? Oh, please tell me

Your team spend 4 years and millions of dollars investigating Benghazi again and again, never finding a single bit of evidence that Clinton committed any criminal acts,

Uhhhh, you do know that Comey is being investigated, just to let you know both sides are questioning his ethics and handling of this election as well as Hillary's email case. Try again.

but after each failure vowing to use the wheels of government to abuse the figure you hate again.

Something that the left are trying to do now, good luck.

But you can't even stomach one investigation into your anointed one when there is a legitimate reason to do so.

Actually, I can stomach anything the left can dish out, they can spin their wheels, please, I want them to, I am begging them to do it and waste as much time as possible. LMAO.

Good. We can sideline Trump and his supporters on the hacking issue if they do not want to participate, but they cannot stop us from going forward.

Spinning wheels. Yawn.....

I love how in alt-right double-think logic the dreaded Mainstream Media can somehow simultaneously be a vast liberal conspiracy and also responsible for Trump's election.

They could be both?

Trump… the Manchurian candidate from Moscow? How ridiculous, even he is being the one he still with love over Americans. All Democrats were hypocrites!

And so do the right

As well as the left.

, and if you want, I can give you a MILLION examples

You go first, I'll match it, and double it.

But actually, it really doesn't matter anymore, so you gonna celebrate Trump's inauguration with wine or Champagne. I prefer a California Red myself.

No, the right has conspiracy theories.

And so do the left and if you want, I can give you a ton of examples, so please don't go that losing argument route.

When Trump drove the birther movement into the spotlight, he didn't have a single piece of evidence that Obama was not born in America. Not one. He and so many other bigots just decided it was true because it felt good to believe it was true.

Not every Republican jumped on that bandwagon, actually, most didn't. It was a few, but some of his supporters thought so.

When the right went bananas over Benghazi, there was no evidence that Hillary Clinton had done anything criminal.

So then what you are saying is, all the Wikileak mails were just bread crumbs the Russians put out there to get people to think that Hillary actually had something to do with it?

But Trump and cheerleaders like you chanted "lock her up" for years.

Yup! No apologies here!

You didn't have suspicions, you had a conspiracy theory that you wanted to believe was true because you can't handle a woman in charge.

Knowing Hillary and how she and her husband were socially and their conduct over the last 35 years, nope, not a shred of doubt! Not even a smidgen.

The possibility that Trump may have been compromised by Russia is not a conspiracy theory just because you don't like it. There are reasonable suspicions which demand we take it seriously.

Oh yeah, like how? Tell me.

There is Trump's vocal admiration for Putin.

Obama admired the Mullahs, the Castro brothers, Rev. Wright, the Black Lives Matters, so I fail to see where you are going with this...

His abrupt dropping of criticism of Obama's handling of Russia's takeover of the Crimean. The opinion of 17 US intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in our election to put him into power.

Maybe if Hillary wouldn't injected herself in the 2011 Russian election that would have never happened, but then she got involved with the Arab Spring, pushed to oust Mubarak and Gaddafi (we all know what happened to him) and then the WH spin story of Ambassador Stevens and his death and the other 3 men and the testimony of the soldiers that tried to help them, the refusal to meet with the families of 3 Benghazi grief stricken families, but were given a stand down order and arresting and jailing a Coptic Christian film maker and turning him into a fall guy over something he wasn't involved with and let's not forget Loretta Lynch netting with Bill just coincidentally and being on the same plane and a few days later, she's deciding NOT to prosecute Hillary, so it fell on the shoulders of Comey to issue an indictment which he refused to do, took himself out of the election process and later we find out subsequently that a few FBI agents resigned because they knew based on the evidence that Hillary was guilty and couldn't believe their boss wouldn't issue one. Not even close to a conspiracy theory, but the people were watching and decided they have had enough.

There is his outrage at Obama's expulsion of Russian intelligence assets. And of course, there are the Buzzfeed documents.

ANYONE that takes Buzzfeed as a legit News source needs serious mental attention.

None of these things of course individually prove that Trump definitely is a Russian pawn. But they merit investigation. Trump, his minions, and you however have been demanding that no one even talk about this potential serious treason against the US until it's proven

When you talk about treason, how about when Obama secretly went over congress head to get a deal passed with Iran, which we now know deeply backfired like a Cuban exlodng cigar.

a transparent technique for silencing investigations before they can even begin.

The left tried that with Louis Lerner and the IRS scandal and then with Benghazi, so that was accceptable?

When it's your conspiracy theories, nothing needs vetting from you and you try to pretend it's our job to prove everything you say wrong.

Actually, I want to say the same thing to you guys on the left.

When it's our suspicions, you try to pretend that it's our job to prove everything we say right before we even say it.

Yes, for the reason you guys have one slight advantage, you have 88% of the media, Hollywood, silicone valley, so more or less, the people really have some deep and valid reasons as to being skeptical and need further verification of the facts.

It's a hypocritical double standard that proves without question that this: