The Politico article is worth reading in its entirety although that is a good summary.
As I told my friend. “Putin has 20 years of experience meeting leaders and 50 IQ points on Trump, what possibly could go wrong with the two of them meeting.” Now we know.
In June 2016 in Trump Tower, Kushner, Manafort, DJT Junior met with a Kremlin lawyer working specifically against the Magnitsky Act (i.e. US sanctions). Their lawyers now claim the meeting was “primarily about an adoption program”. Note that the Russians cut off adoptions in retaliation vs this US sanctions law (which is anti-Russian corruption/kleptocracy).
I kinda doubt they talked about adoptions - but even if they did, the most likely discussion is a quid pro quo about removing the Magnitsky Act in exchange for Russia allowing adoptions (and who knows what else.)
In other words, even their cover story stinks to high heaven.
All this shit about Russia meddling in the US election is exactly that, meddling. It’s a non-issue in the greater scheme of things, and the immediate fallout between Putin and Trump over Syria showed those conspiracy theories up as the bunkum they were. Tho of course new ones are immediately invented in their place, and this frenzy of twitter reposts and grasping at any straw will continue until there is an outcome. It becomes an enjoyable distraction, from the mundane reality of life.
In that twitter post you have something of real substance, the Syrian civil war. You are now in a situation where you have the US and Russia sponsoring different sides - which can only ever prolong the war and the suffering of the populace.
For Russia and the US to come to an agreement over Syria will save countless lives. Tens of thousands, at least. A lot of kids have died, and many more will follow. If you consider yourself politically progressive, surely this is orders of magnitude more importance in comparison to email hacking. What the heck does Putin generating some bad press for Clinton matter? It is hard to think of anything more trivial. The election was fair and she lost, end of story.
All wars cause mass civilian casualties, catastrophic displacement and untold destruction. If the fractured rebel groups had the airpower they’d be doing the same thing. The longer it goes on, the more people are maimed or die. Ultimately they will probably have no choice but to back Assad, and the US will be relieved to let the Russians do it - stabilising the Syrian\Iraqi border and reducing ISIS to a terrorist group instead of a pseudo-state.
ShivaX
3644
We should totally let Russia destroy our electoral process so that… they can intentionally bomb more children and first responders.
Sorry, your logic isn’t even from the same planet as me.
Please explain how Russia destroyed our electoral process.
My understanding is that they engaged in a campaign of disinformation about HRC that a large subset of the American populace devoured with gusto and decided that voting for an orange buffoon was a better alternative.
That’s on us, in my opinion.
There’s plenty of blame to go around and the list of those at fault is long. No need to pick just one.
[quote=“BadSport, post:3643, topic:127454”]
All this shit about Russia meddling in the US election is exactly that, meddling. It’s a non-issue in the greater scheme of things,[/quote]
Why? Why is a hostile foreign power meddling in US elections a non-issue? Or are you content with the idea that control of the US government will be sold to the international power willing to spend the most? (If so, I hope you’re working on your Chinese.)
Quite the reverse. As the whole world saw, the meeting showed that Trump will bend over backwards to give Putin whatever he wants. This reinforces Trump’s well-documented reputation as Putin’s plaything rather than contradicts it.
(So does the fact that Trump offered Putin a shiny new set of burglar’s tools - the joint cybersecurity panel - as a reward for trying to steal the election.)
There’s this crazy notion that a US election is supposed to be about US voters determining their own destiny, and not just selling our government to the foreign country with the largest budget to blow on election interference.
The second part of your post is every con man’s self-justification: It’s fine that I constantly lie and cheat, because the people who are really to blame are the suckers who let me get away with it.
The election was fair and she lost, end of story.
Come on, man. They said “end of story”. rolleyes
You guys are delusional.
It was a free election, she lost, and it is the end of the story.
He said “end of story” twice, guys. In the face of such conclusive evidence, no counter-argument is possible.
Both/and, IMO.
Russia, if our intelligence services be to be believed, meddled in our election. And the electorate is wholly to blame for being so stupid as to fall for it. (Assuming no actual vote-hacking occurred, and the meddling was limited to disinformation.)
Russia’s action should be investigated to the fullest possible extent, internal security improvements and diplomatic consequences should be applied as necessary, and the American electorate should get a fucking clue.
We may end up 0/3, but one can dream.
ShivaX
3655
I didn’t say they did. But if we just let them do whatever they want without repercussion AND put them in charge of shit, they certain will.
And that’s exactly what Trump said he was going to do.
Daagar
3656
I just love that now that it is generally agreed that Russia did something, the goal posts have once again shifted. Latest story seems to be that it is the Dems fault that Trump Jr. had meetings with them. But hey, they no longer deny it happened!
Timex
3657
It seems as though trying to minimize the issues with Russia, while multiple people affiliated with the Trump campaign seem to have likely broken the law by meeting with Russians and failing to disclose h those meetings, and while then Trump repeatedly sucks up to Putin, is weird.
Quaro
3658
Trump could have rallied the world around North Korea at the G20. Something to get everyone behind. Instead he tweets how amazing Putin is and how Putin told him he didn’t mess with the US, so that’s the end of that. Oh in a meeting where he insisted on not taking in McMaster or anyone else that people actually have any trust in.
How could he possibly act more suspicious holy crap.
I almost wonder if Trump really is ‘innocent’, or at least doesn’t realise (is too stupid to realise) he’s done anything wrong.
The rest of his crew are guilty as all hell and know it.
