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Donald Trump Espionage Foreign Policy Russia Trump-Russia

Trump Allowed Russia To Steal The ‘Crown Jewels’ Of U.S. Intelligence: Report

As if it wasn’t bad enough that failed, one-term former President Donald Trump repeatedly kowtowed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, it turns out that Russian hackers also managed to steal what is being called the “crown jewels” from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Associated Press (AP) reports that hackers from Russia managed to steal emails from top officials in the DHS, which could have serious implications for U.S. national security:

“Suspected Russian hackers gained access to email accounts belonging to the Trump administration’s head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the department’s cybersecurity staff whose jobs included hunting threats from foreign countries, The Associated Press has learned.

“The intelligence value of the hacking of then-acting Secretary Chad Wolf and his staff is not publicly known, but the symbolism is stark. Their accounts were accessed as part of what’s known as the SolarWinds intrusion, and it throws into question how the U.S. government can protect individuals, companies and institutions across the country if it can’t protect itself.”

The Biden administration is trying to decide exactly what sanctions to impose on Russia for the DHS hack, but based on the AP’s reporting, it seems fair to surmise the punishment will be severe.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) says targeting the DHS allowed Russia to have access to some of the most carefully guarded secrets in the world:

“The SolarWinds hack was a victory for our foreign adversaries, and a failure for DHS. We are talking about DHS’s crown jewels.”

Since Homeland Security is tasked with overseeing several important agencies — including the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Customs Service, the Russian hack means Russian intelligence may have obtained information that could directly impact the security of the United States.

Though it remains unclear exactly how harsh the White House will choose to be with sanctions, it has already become clear to Russia that relations between the two nations will continue to be strained. When Biden was recently asked if he thought Putin was a “killer,” he quickly replied that he did.

Trump, on the other hand, tried to suggest there were many killers in the United States, trying to excuse Putin’s murderous actions.

One thing is certain: Russia and Putin will no longer be coddled by the American head of state. And based on their actions, they damn well shouldn’t be.

 

Categories
Crime Donald Trump

Latest Indictment Against Ghislaine Maxwell Could Spell Big Trouble For Donald Trump

A superseding indictment filed against Ghislaine Maxwell is the strongest proof yet that the case against her is growing and could wind up ensnaring others if she chooses to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for leniency.

Reuters reports that federal prosecutors in Manhattan continue to add charges against Maxwell as new evidence and victims come to light:

“An amended indictment against Maxwell now covers alleged crimes stretching from 1994 to 2004 in New York and Florida, including accusations that she paid the girl, known as Minor Victim-4, hundreds of dollars for each sexual act with Epstein.

“Maxwell, who was Epstein’s longtime associate and former girlfriend, faces new charges of sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor in the eight-count indictment, as well as earlier charges that include perjury.”

Both Maxwell and Epstein were longtime friends and associates of former President Donald Trump, who has been accused of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl with Epstein in 1994. And Trump’s ties to the two could wind up sending him to prison.

Prosecutors continue to stack up criminal charges and indictments against Maxwell because they want to pressure her into cooperating with them and telling what she knows about some of the powerful men she helped acquire underage girls for. That list is said to include Trump and Prince Andrew of the British royal family.

Even if Maxwell doesn’t agree to cooperate with prosecutors, her upcoming trial, which is scheduled to begin in July, could also wind up revealing information that will both embarrass Donald Trump and also place him in legal jeopardy. If Trump’s name comes up in association with Maxwell or Epstein during the trial, it seems safe to assume the same Manhattan U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting Maxwell will also seek to charge Trump, especially since the former president no longer controls the Department of Justice with his handpicked puppet, William Barr.

The news about the superseding indictment against Trump comes on the very same day that it was revealed the Donald is also being investigated by two grand juries in Georgia for his attempts to change the vote totals in that state.

Everywhere he looks, Donald Trump can see the authorities closing in on him. Hopefully he’ll soon be charged, put on trial, and locked up for this many crimes.

 

Categories
Elections GOP Polls

Ron DeSantis’ Political Future Looks More Uncertain Than Ever

There was a time not so long ago when Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was seen by many in the GOP as a rising star who might even have a chance at one day becoming president of the United States.

But those days are long gone. DeSantis has repeatedly mishandled the COVID pandemic in his state, causing his support among senior citizens (a key voting block in the Sunshine State) to wane right as he’s gearing up to seek a second term in office next year.

And now more bad news has arrived for DeSantis in the form of a poll from St. Pete Polls which shows him running dead even with the likely Democratic nominee, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried.

According to the poll — which was commissioned by Florida Politics — DeSantis looks vulnerable:

“The poll found the incumbent Republican Governor and the potential Democratic challenger both taking about 45% of the vote. A close look shows DeSantis winning 45.2% to Fried’s 44.6%, a difference far smaller than the survey’s 2.2% margin of error.

“The poll finds DeSantis holding 76% Republican support, while Fried has less than 72% among Democrats, showing the incumbent performing better with his own base. But 46% of independents favor Fried, compared to 42% who prefer DeSantis.”

In a closely divided state like Florida, independent voters are the key to winning, and they favor Fried, which is very bad news for DeSantis, who has also been an ardent and vocal supporter of failed, one-term former President Donald Trump. Trump is not seen positively in much of the country, especially among independent voters or the elderly. That raises a larger question: With Trump now calling Florida his home and holed up at Mar-a-Lago, could DeSantis’ connections to the former president be politically detrimental to him as he seeks reelection?

If Fried does indeed announce a run for governor and become the Democratic nominee, she would be a formidable opponent for DeSantis, whose popularity is falling.

Even though the 2022 election is still over a year and a half away, polls are clearly showing that DeSantis can be beaten. And given his own propensity for making the wrong decision no matter the issue, his popularity will likely continue to decrease.

Florida may be on the verge of turning blue. That’s very bad news for the entire Republican Party.

 

Categories
GOP History Racism

Mitch McConnell Gets Taken To The Woodshed For Trying To Paper Over The GOP’s Racist History

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thought he’d try and rewrite the history of his party on Tuesday, but he immediately got smacked down by the facts about the GOP which are written in bigotry and hatred.

During a debate on whether or not to eliminate the filibuster in the U.S. Senate, McConnell said the procedure — through which one senator can bring all business in the upper chamber to a screeching halt — had not been used in the past (by Republicans) to delay passage of civil rights legislation in the 1950s:

“It has no racial history at all. None. There’s no dispute among historians about that.”

That’s a lie, and McConnell said it knowing damn well it was a lie.

History shows that the longest filibuster ever held in the Senate was made by the blatantly racist GOP Sen. Strom Thurmond in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, speaking continuously for 24 hours and 15 minutes to prevent black Americans from having the same rights as whites.

Steven S. Smith, a political scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, explained the use of the filibuster by Republicans during the bad old days:

“The histories of the filibuster, civil and voting rights, and race in America are intertwined.”

How racist is the history of the Senate filibuster? It was once used to block anti-lynching bills. That is the shameful past of the procedure McConnell tried to paper over.

Fortunately, however, former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance of Alabama was quick to counter McConnell, noting:

When he started getting criticism, McConnell’s office tried to walk back what he’d said:

For those who aren’t familiar with the full history of the Republican Party, it was once the Party of Lincoln. But then Richard Nixon was elected, followed by Ronald Reagan (who railed against “welfare queens” in a blatant attack on African-American women), and later was the party of choice for Donald Trump, who called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and suggested that anyone who dared to protest was a hoodlum or an “animal.” The GOP has become the party of bigotry and racial hatred. And the filibuster is part of that legacy, despite what McConnell or any other revisionist historian tries to assert.

How can you tell when someone is a racist? When they deny their own past, their support of bigots, and their cozy relationship with neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and white separatists.

Nice try, Mitch, but you’re just as full of shit as ever. And you’re also a terrible liar.

Categories
Social Media

Cardi B Outrages Conservatives By Posting Lewd Photos Of Melania Trump On Twitter

Perhaps you heard about how deeply upset some right-wingers were with a performance by Cardi B when she performed the song “WAP” at an awards show in a manner that some found objectionable, even though it was well within the parameters of what’s allowed on television.

However, rather than turn the channel and mind their own business, people such as Candace Owens took to social media and began whining as if someone had just plunged hot daggers into their eyes and then danced in celebration. Owens posted this:

And that, according to The Independent, is where things got really interesting:

“Naked photos of Melania Trump published on Twitter by Cardi B during a clash over her Grammys performance don’t violate the company’s terms of service, according to a company spokesperson.

“The rapper posted a full-frontal nude photo of the former first lady as her clash with conservative commentator Candace Owens spilt over from Fox News onto Twitter.

“A spokesperson for Twitter told The Independent that while the company has a non-consensual nudity policy that would see an account immediately suspended, images previously published with the person’s consent would not be against those rules.”

In response, Cardi B wrote this:

No! Candy, men treat women on how a woman allows a man to treat them.I mean look at Melania she was a porn star however she didn’t allowed Trump to treat her as so or shame her for her passed and made her into a First Lady & the mother of his child

I don’t know why candy is so bothered by WAP.I was just inspired by our former First Lady ?. Anyways congrats on your new show I hope you speak more about WAP I need it to reach a new Audience to go 6x platinum. Any exposure will help .Love you candy 

Here’s a sample of the photos Cardi B posted:

https://twitter.com/iamcardib/status/1371970277152727040?s=20

Melania Trump once worked as a nude model. That’s just a fact. And yet you don’t hear conservatives raising holy hell about that, do you? But when a grown woman (who also happens to be African-American) dares to dance or perform in a suggestive way, suddenly a different standard applies.

It’s hard to know which to be more upset about, the hypocrisy or the blatant racism. Conservatives specialize in both.