Thursday, September 26, 2019

For the third straight year, elite hackers from around the world who spent a long weekend hacking into voting equipment have released a report detailing vulnerabilities in machines still in use across the country


"Rudy Giuliani really ought to stop talking and get a lawyer."@KamalaHarris calls for an investigation into whether the President's personal lawyer used government resources for political gain, saying also that Giuliani should be investigated by the New York State Bar.


Opinion: On latest scandal, a split between Republicans and White House insiders


U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, who Giuliani briefed on his efforts to pressure Ukraine Pres Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, covertly donated $1M to Trump's inaugural fund before Trump nominated him to an ambassadorship.


Trump's mood has swung between hope for a resolution and desire for vengeance. A senior aide, however, says there won’t even be a “war room” at the White House for now


Pelosi taps Adam Schiff and House Intelligence panel to lead impeachment push


Banner day for NY Times, which passed hard core Trumpers off as independents, then partially doxxed the whistle blower.


Tick Tock


Senate confirms No. 2 military officer following bruising nomination process


Haven't had time to read the whistleblower complaint yet? Here it is as a professionally-produced audio file, read very well. You can listen on your drive home, or while you do the dishes tonight


Chairmen Engel, Schiff, and Cummings: "The President's comments today constitute reprehensible witness intimidation and an attempt to obstruct Congress' impeachment inquiry. We condemn the President's attacks, and we invite our Republican counterparts to do the same."


Spotted in McConnell’s office: Jared Kushner.


Rudy Giuliani is currently starting to post personal text messages


NEW: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials are planning to change all references of the term ‘foreign national’ to ‘alien’ in the agency’s policy manual, according to a Department of Homeland Security official with knowledge of the plans


Trump compares whistleblower's sources to ‘spies’, makes reference to executions like the old days


This is ... amazing. Paul Ryan apparently thinks that now that he's a Fox board member, as opposed to SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, he's now in a position to "do something" about Donald Trump.


This president will do everything he can to distract us w his garbage. He & his enablers will tell us to reject the evidence of our own eyes and ears. Our focus should always remain on the facts: & the fact is that this is a corrupt president who has violated his oath of office.


We’ve come to the posting text messages on twitter part of the nervous breakdown.


Trump’s other Ukraine problem: New concern about emoluments raised by Zelensky's mention of his stay at Trump's NY hotel


Chaos inside Fox News as impeachment looms. Mgmt told Smith to stop attacking Carlson. Hannity privately says whistleblower is really bad for Trump. Paul Ryan has told Lachlan to plan for a post-Trump future


Hillary Clinton: Trump is an "illegitimate president"


Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman are offering a $50,000 reward to out the govt employee who filed a whistleblower complaint against President Trump.


Thank you, Mr. President. I’m always flattered when I’m attacked by someone of your character.


In the wake of Wednesday's release of a rough transcript of a July conversation between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine, Republicans have rallied around the President with a very strange -- and weak -- defense


INBOX: Senator Feinstein demands a copy of the "official word-for-word transcript of the call" that the whistleblower alluded to in the complaint. Not just the memo released yesterday


Amen! Trump was caught flat-footed with his pants around his ankles. You don't squander a gift like this. Congress should work 3 shifts, 24/7 till Trump is gone.


Lankford: "Didn't read it." Hoeven: "Didn't read it." Braun: "Didn't read it." Alexander: "Didn't read it." Portman: "Didn't read it." Cotton: "No comment." Blunt: "Ask me later." Rubio: "(nonanswer)" Risch: "Nothing there" Rounds: "(nonanswer)" Ernst: "Didn't read it."


'This is unprecedented': Intel chief defends withholding whistleblower complaint


Have you funded a billboard lately? Going mobile in New Hampshire with this.


Adam Schiff says White House ‘hijacked’ House Russia probe transcripts


So GM blinked. It seems the company didn't enjoy being a Medicare for All talking point, and will fund striking workers' health care for now, without a break in coverage. But GM won't say whether that will continue if the strike drags on.


They all need to go down. It’s a conspiracy to destroy American democracy, led by the President of the United States. I can’t believe I just wrote that and it’s not hyperbole. It’s fact.


Watch the bouncing ball. There was a reason Trump mentioned Crowdstrike in his call to the President of Ukraine


Here is the NPR/PBS/Marist poll trend on impeachment. April: 39% support, 53% oppose Today: 49% support, 46% oppose


A photo op with sheriffs to tell us how great the border is being policed! No questions. Just a statement.


Surprise pool call to the Oval. Here we go . . .


NYT mostly outing a CIA whistleblower is irresponsible and unethical. Probably leaked by those implicated


I heard some choice expletives when reporting on the whistleblowers' claim that the Trump White House is using a codeword classified computer system to store records of conversations with foreign officials. In summary: It's very weird. And probably bad


Newsflash for @deanbaquet - no self-respecting, loyal, patriotic member of the intelligence community would source sensitive information to a paper with your track record. Only seditious co-conspirators would. And I suspect that's the only sources the Times gets - or wants.


The unspeakable arrogance that the outlet which didn't vet its "FBI sources" that found "no" Russia connections to Trump can vet a whistleblower's credibility is beyond comprehension.


It’s like the president of the United States doesn’t understand what words mean.


Lewandowski reportedly took a meeting at the White House on Thursday to discuss a “crisis management type role” for Trump's looming impeachment


Staffers have courage to do wat traitorous GOP will not! Trump is facing the biggest firestorm of his presidency because his own staffers blew the whistle on him


Analysis: William Barr has some explaining to do


AUDIO OF TRUMP THREATENING BOTH THE WHISTLE-BLOWER AND EVERYONE WHO TALKED TO THE WHISTLE-BLOWER ABSOLUTE DEPRAVITY.


Subpoena fights over Trump's tax returns got the attention this summer, but a lawsuit about Dems' demand that former White House counsel Don McGahn testify suddenly has new relevance as Dems launch an inquiry into Trump's Ukraine call, and who knew what


Saudi crown prince on Khashoggi killing: "I get all the responsibility because it happened under my watch."


#BREAKING US to send 200 troops, Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia, Pentagon says


CIA concludes Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination


Now, if @realDonaldTrump could just understand the law as it relates to protecting whistleblowers and obstructing justice by threatening witnesses.


JUST IN: Senate confirms Trump No. 2 general accused of sexual assault


We always knew that it would come to this: a patriotic🇺🇸American within the intelligence community bravely stepping forward to expose the thuggish, criminal behavior of @realDonaldTrump and his cabal.


Note the Steele dossier reference to Russia allies in the DNC. We stand by our reporting on Alexandra Chalupa and FARA


Given the President's newfound passion for politicians whose children make money abroad, he's going to be so upset when he learns that his own sons are running an international business *he still profits from*


The point of the whistleblower statute is to provide a mechanism where government officials can report misconduct without fear of reprisal. Identifying them not only puts them in danger, but chills potential future WBs from coming forward — this is not in the public interest


Breaking via NYT: Trump told staff from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations that he wants to know who provided info to the whistleblower, saying that whoever did so was "close to a spy" and that "in the old days," spies were dealt with differently.


NEW: Former Trump official confirms that WH started placing Trump call transcripts into NSC’s codeword system—effectively concealing them—sometime after Mexico, Australia transcript leaks in 2017. Experts say doing that poses whole host of natsec risks.


Rudy Giuliani was nearly shouting in my phone call with him. “It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I’m not. And I will be the hero! These morons—when this is over, I will be the hero,” he told me.


If Trump was looking for his intelligence chief to defang the Democratic rush to impeachment he didn’t get it: “As I said several times so far this morning, I believe that the whistleblower complied with the law,” Joseph Maguire said


RUSSIA IS PREPARING A 'SURPRISE' FOR THE U.S. TO RETALIATE FOR UNITED NATIONS VISA REJECTIONS


Cipriani, for those who don’t know New York City well, is a long-time hangout for white working class coal miners and laid-off factory workers and such.


Schiff: "I just want to say to the people of Ukraine, we support you in your fight with Russia, we support you in your struggle for democracy, we support in your efforts to root out corruption, and what you are witnessing ... in the actions of this president is not democracy."


Clearly, the leadership of the Justice Department cannot be relied on to defend our elections from outside interference. Barr must be impeached.


“I think the whistle-blower did the right thing. I think he followed the law every step of the way,” acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire said


I know Dan Coats, and Joseph Maguire is no Dan Coats.


Fox News’ Napolitano: Trump ‘Walking Into the Area of Bribery’ Is an Impeachable Offense


The House should cancel its break and start impeachment proceedings now. As the whistleblower made clear: Every day Trump is in office, our democracy is less safe. We can’t wait to act.


And how does he not know whether Giuliani has security clearance or not?


Schiff is revealing something terrible and threatening about the acting Director of National Intelligence: He is unwilling to call foreign interference in our democracy a national security threat when invited by the President.


Joseph Maguire is completely unqualified for the job of DNI.


Devin Nunes is out here doing the Leslie Nielsen "nothing to see here, please disperse" defense of Trump


ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's governor has become the first Republican chief executive to support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump but cautions that he wants to know more before any further actions are taken.


BARR: "I have investigated myself and found myself incredibly innocent."


Acting DNI Maguire: "To the best of my ability, I do not think that either Director Coats or our Principal Deputy Sue Gordon had any sense whatsoever about this whistleblower complaint."


Breaking: the gofundme for the whistleblower posted by their attorney has now raised $59,000 and counting


Joseph Maguire... YOU JUST GOT SWALWELL’D


Maguire violated executive privilege earlier today (when it was good for him) but now again invokes executive privilege to not disclose a conversation he may have had with Trump about complaint. He should have just been consistent .


CNN: Corey Lewandowski has had conversations with White House officials in recent days about potentially taking a position inside the administration to help Trump confront a looming impeachment fight.


Former Ukraine prosecutor says Hunter Biden 'did not violate anything’


OMG SHE'S WEARING TRUMP'S BALLS AGAIN

.@SpeakerPelosi discusses her phone conversation with President Trump. "The president didn't seem to see what was wrong."


Asked whether soliciting or accepting foreign election assistance is illegal, the acting Director of National Intelligence says "I don't know about that, I'm not a lawyer."


What did they all know about the whistleblower complaint, and when did they know it?


The Maguire Doctrine: I work for the president and therefore should refer all accusations about the president to the White House. (Oh, and even though the AG is named in the complaint, let's throw in the department he runs too.) Chilling? This would freeze justice in its tracks.


Congressman Ratcliffe just suggested that the president had the right to seek help from a foreign government for an ongoing investigation. Does that mean that the US government (FBI/DOJ) is investigating Hunter Biden? I’m confused. (I’m not a lawyer)


Maguire received an urgent and credible whistleblower complaint directly implicating the President. He didn't provide it to Congress as required. He consulted the White House, the subject of the complaint. The same WH the complaint alleges sought to conceal Trump's misconduct.


Acting DNI Maguire: "How the White House, the executive office of the president and the national security council conduct their business is their business." Rep. Swalwell: "Well, it's actually your business to protect America's secrets, is that right?" "It's all of ours."


Three days after the Ukraine call, Trump announced that DNI Dan Coats had resigned


Far from deterring, Trump is empowering Putin


Maguire keeps using the referral of the complaint about the President to DOJ for criminal investigation as a shield. Two things: - criminal investigations are kept secret even from Congress - no criminal investigation of the President can result in a prosecution, per DOJ policy


Are you responsible for preventing interference in an election by a foreign govt? A: YES


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says it isn't acceptable that acting DNI Joseph Maguire withheld the whistleblower complaint: "I think what the DNI did was broke the law... the DNI shall convey the complaint to the intelligence committee."


DNI: "I saw the President standin' over the dead body continuin' to pull the trigger on an empty clip, but I thought it was expedient to first consult with the President about whether I should call the cops."


Hell yes, impeach Trump. But never forget about the complicity of McConnell and the GOP. History will not be kind to the party and its cowardice.


DNI Maguire says the greatest challenge we face is protecting the sanctity of our election process during a hearing about the President seeking foreign interference in the 2020 election.


Rep. Swalwell: "The first people that you go to after you read that allegation are the W.H. lawyers who are telling the W.H. officials who see this transcript and move it into a secret compartmentalized system... Is that yes or no?" Acting DNI Maguire: "Yes."


"I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election." Every American should read this whistleblower complaint


HURD: Can DOJ Office of Legal Counsel override laws? MAGUIRE: No, but they tell the Executive Branch what to do, and we have to. (EG note: uhhh...they can tell you to override the checks and balances of a co-equal branch? I doubt it.)


Jon is correct, as usua


Quigley: "To your knowledge, does [Giuliani] have security clearance?" Maguire: "I don't know." Q: What's your understanding Giuliani's role? Maguire: "My only knowledge of what Mr. Giuliani does ... I get from TV & news media. I am not aware of what he does for the President."


Carson: "This appears to be the first intelligence community whistleblower complaint that has ever, ever been withheld from Congress. Is that right, sir?" Maguire: "I believe that it might be…it is in fact, as far as I'm concerned, unprecedented."


An American president cancelled a visit from the Vice President and withheld aid in order to get Ukraine to "play ball" - and fabricate non-existent dirt on his


Acting DNI Maguire on his reaction after reading the whistleblower complaint: "I realized full and well the importance of the allegation. And I also have to tell you, congresswoman, when I saw that, I anticipated having to sit in front of some committee some time to discuss it."


Trump’s other Ukraine problem: New concern about his business


Trump called the whistleblower a "spy" who was spying on him and an enemy of the US. Acting DNI Maguire refutes this. Again, Trump's top intel officer says Trump is spreading falsehoods and smears. A freckin' big deal.


Maybe I just haven’t noticed it before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a member of Congress who’d been a physician (or a podiatrist, as in this case) insist on his/her nameplate reading “Dr.”


Trump made a big deal of this prisoner swap on Sept 8th between Russia & Ukraine. Problem is, one of the prisoners Ukr handed over was a suspect in MH17. Australia lodged a formal protest with Ukr over his release to Russia


The argument that “credible” is not the same as “proven true” must be in the talking points email that the WH sent out to GOP this morning.


Looks like the Office of Legal Counsel in the White House is in serious trouble. Also, let’s talk about Bill Barr’s son, who was oddly given a job in the White House as Barr became AG. I think


DNI taking an urgent credible complaint to the subject of the complaint FIRST, when he's not required to, is clearly a political cover-up


Nunes seems unaware he is basically outlining how the Ukraine whistle blower case gives credence to The Mueller Report, and that he is merely serving to outline the pattern by Trump etc established now w/ Russia and Ukraine. I hope the Mueller testimony is replayed everywhere.


Maguire told House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff the whistleblower "did the right thing,” and that he “followed the law every step of the way”


We should now add obstruction of justice to the long list of potential crimes for POTUS & people around him.


Republican Rep. Mike Turner on Trump's conversation with Ukraine: "Concerning that conversation, I want to say to the president, this is not OK. That conversation is not OK. And I think it's disappointing to the American public when they read the transcript


Devin Nunes’s attempt to defend Trump backfires after president’s acting intel chief slaps down his question


oh those White House officials... ‘The whistleblower said that in the days after the call, White House officials "intervened to 'lock down' all records of the call, especially the word-for-word transcript."


GOP are really going down with trump, aren't they? Wow.


#WhistleblowerComplaint is a damning portrayal of the abuse of power by @realDonaldTrump & his enablers to put his interests over America's interests. Foreign govts are reading this. We CANNOT have foreign powers believe they can leverage @POTUS by helping his political campaign


Here is Devin Nunes' complete opening statement for the Maguire hearing, but be warned-he makes full use of the Trump talking points that were accidentally emailed to Pelosi yesterday.


Revisiting this @timkmak scoop esp because there were some Serious Reporters doubting its accuracy in real time until it was ultimately proven correct in like 40 hours


Analysis: All the president’s lawyers. Four government attorneys find themselves embroiled in Trump's Ukraine mess.


NUNES says "The White House probably didn't leak this out." DNI: Individuals in the White House might have. REALITY: This is one of the leakiest White House in history.


If Maguire did NOT speak to the president about the whistleblower complaint, he would have said so in a heartbeat.


Rep. Jim Himes: "Did you ever speak to the president about this complaint?" Acting DNI Maguire: "My conversations with the president, because I'm the Director of National Intelligence, are privileged."


I'm reading Section III - to me, it appears Trump was working with a shadow State Department to get Ukraine to accept Russia's annexation of Crimea. Explains his comment yesterday in front of Zelinsky... What do you think?


Nunes is trying really hard — and failing miserably — to make this about leaks


Meanwhile, @VP is getting the hell out of dodge for the next two days, per VP pooler


In typical fashion, @DevinNunes more concerned with the leaking of Trump’s conversation with Zelensky than what actually happened. He’s suggesting intel community is out to get Trump. More Deep State BS.


Devin Nunes trying to play poker when he's holding a Go Fish deck.


Devin Nunes says “the media is here and wants to report this story” — as though this is a crime on the media’s part


Maguire’s testimony—in which he’s already called the whistleblower complaint credible and urgent—can’t be explained away easily by Trump. After all, Trump appointed him himself on August 15, 2019. He’s Trump’s own pick.


An impeachment inquiry isn't for healing or tearing a country apart. It seeks to end a clear & present danger to America. POTUS soliciting a foreign attack on our election risks more than political strife. It jeopardizes our continued existence as a republic. That's the priority


I think we've heard enough about Devin's fetishes.


Schiff gets Maguire to acknowledge that he went to the White House first when his office received the whistleblower complaint. Maguire says he had to determine whether the WH would invoke executive privilege, but also acknowledges after much pressing that they never did.


A truly shocking set of allegations against the president from the Trump-appointed intelligence community inspector general


According to the whistleblower, *a dozen* admin officials listened to the call. The whistleblower even names one. That could prove handy for investigators.


Executive privilege being blamed for delay #Whistleblower


Harris demands Barr testify after memo ties him to Trump's call with Ukraine leader


Joseph Maguire is talking extensively about his service to the country and honor in his opening statement...about his integrity-let's see if he means it.


Rep. Adam Schiff: the whistleblower "has shown more dedication to country, more of an understanding of the president's oath of office, than the president himself."


History will not be kind to @DevinNunes


Serious Question: What do we do with Trump after he leaves office? He knows classified information, cares only about himself, can’t keep his mouth shut, and will remain a threat to national security until the day he dies.


Fox News is now working overtime to spin the impeachment inquiry narrative positively for the president.


It's not the crime. It's the cover-up. Dumbass Watergate is on.


Watch live: The acting director of US intelligence testifies about a whistleblower complaint on President Trump


More on Kurt Volker and US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland’s alleged involvement...


Multiple US officials said Ukrainians had to agree to ‘play ball’ with Giuliani to get Trump phone call: Whistleblower