Friday, December 23, 2022

[The Washington Post] Skepticism before a search: Inside the Trump Mar-a-Lago documents investigation



How Justice Department and FBI leaders decided they had to search Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago, and the steps they took to try to minimize legal risk and avoid mistakes. 

By Devlin Barrett, Jacqueline Alemany, Perry Stein, Josh Dawsey, Ann E. Marimow and Carol D. Leonnig


From the article:

Three days later, deliberately dressed down in khakis and polo shirts to try to lower their profile, agents showed up at Mar-a-Lago with the warrant. They spent hours combing Trump's storage room, residence and office, finding 103 classified documents — some in Trump's desk, according to court papers. They also took about 13,000 nonclassified documents as part of the investigation.
Combined with the documents previously recovered from the boxes sent to the Archives and the envelope turned over in June, the former president had kept at least 325 classified items at his private club and resort. Sixty were marked top secret, according to court papers. Some included highly classified information about a foreign country's nuclear capabilities, Iran's missile program and U.S. intelligence-gathering aimed at China, according to people familiar with their contents.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/12/21/trump-doj-garland-mar-a-lago-january-6/

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Your Right to Take Photographs and Make Video and Audio Recordings


Taking photographs and videos of things that are plainly visible from public spaces is your constitutional right. That includes federal buildings, transportation facilities, and police and other government officials carrying out their duties. Unfortunately, law enforcement officers often order people to stop taking photographs or video in public places, and sometimes harass, detain or even arrest people who use their cameras or cell phone recording devices in public. This sheet explains your rights.


https://acluva.org/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/2016-07-21_KYR-PhotoandAVRecording-FINAL.pdf


Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Monday, September 12, 2022

Capital One Joins Open Source Security Foundation


"Today some of the most ground-breaking digital experiences created for customers are based on open source software. As a company that widely adopts this technology, Capital One is incredibly proud to join the OpenSSF and the world's technology leaders as we collaborate to strengthen the software security supply chain," said Chris Nims, EVP of Cloud & Productivity Engineering at Capital One. "As a highly-regulated company, we are seasoned in managing compliance and governance and advocate for standardization, automation and collaboration. We look forward to working together to identify solutions that advance the OpenOSSF mission and give back to the open source community."

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Sunday, August 28, 2022

Trump Inquiry Fueled in Part by Concern Over Intelligence Sources - The New York Times


Gee, I wonder why they saw a spike in informants being captured or killed?  

Surely it has nothing to do with the $2 Billion that Jared received from Saudi Arabia…  🙄

From the article:
Last year, a top-secret memo sent to every C.I.A. station around the world warned about troubling numbers of informants being captured or killed, a stark reminder of how important human source networks are to the basic functions of the spy agency.

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Subpoena Preceded Search Warrant in Push to Retrieve Material From Trump


Donald had MONTHS to return the boxes of documents. They asked nicely, via subpoena. He ignored the request. Some things don't just go away when you ignore them. 

From the article:

Trump received a subpoena this spring in search of documents that federal investigators believed he had failed to turn over earlier in the year, when he returned boxes of material he had improperly taken with him upon moving out of the White House, three people familiar with the matter said.


Sunday, August 7, 2022

best of craigslist: 1999 Toyota Corolla - Fine AF


You want a car that gets the job done? You want a car that's hassle free? You want a car that literally no one will ever compliment you on? Well look no further. 

The 1999 Toyota Corolla. 

Let's talk about features. 
Bluetooth: nope
Sunroof: nope
Fancy wheels: nope
Rear view camera: nope...but it's got a transparent rear window and you have a fucking neck that can turn. 

Big Pharma costs are NOT driven by Research. They spend more on Sales & Marketing than Research.


New Study: In the Midst of COVID-19 Crisis, 7 out of 10 Big… - AHIP
New Study: In the Midst of COVID-19 Crisis, 7 out of 10 Big Pharma Companies Spent More on Sales and Marketing than R&D

Everyone should be able to get the medications they need at a price they can afford. But drug prices are still out of control, driven by high launch prices and price hikes that Big Pharma alone control. And a new analysis from AHIP shows that in most cases, more of the dollars spent by drug manufacturers go toward selling and marketing costs than toward research and development (R&D) for new treatments, cures, or expanded indications and uses of existing drugs.

The AHIP analysis examined the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies by revenue in 2020. Using pharmaceutical companies' own annual reports and other financial filings, AHIP compared spending on research and development with a combination of selling, general, and administrative costs. In the analysis, selling and marketing costs constituted the bulk of spending for selling, general, and administrative costs.

Of the 10 drug manufacturers examined, 7 of them spent more on selling and marketing expenses than they did on research and development. For this group of 10 companies alone, selling and marketing expenses exceeded R&D spending by $36 billion, or 37%. Moreover, this use of dollars occurred during a year dedicated to the development of new treatments and vaccines to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

Of particular note:

  • Abbvie, which manufactures branded drugs like Humira®, spent $11 billion on sales and marketing in 2020, compared with $8 billion on R&D.
  • Bayer, which manufactures branded drugs like Xarelto® (codeveloped with Johnson & Johnson) and Eylea®, spent $18 billion on sales and marketing, compared to $8 billion on R&D.
  • Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures branded drugs like Xarelto® (codeveloped with Bayer) and Stelara®, spent $22 billion on sales and marketing, compared to $12 billion on research and development.

Drug manufacturers offer many important medicines that people need and deserve, but patients and our health care system should not be priced gouged for them. Big Pharma's practices clearly show that their growth strategy is based on selling a greater volume of drugs to patients – not on creating groundbreaking new therapies and delivering more value to patients. We do not have to choose between innovation and the affordability of prescription drugs. With thoughtful solutions that encourage private-market competition and end pharma's gaming of the system, we can have both.

https://www.ahip.org/news/articles/new-study-in-the-midst-of-covid-19-crisis-7-out-of-10-big-pharma-companies-spent-more-on-sales-and-marketing-than-r-d


Saturday, August 6, 2022

Trump's Save America PAC paid $60K to Melania Trump's fashion designer


Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suckers!!

The fund affiliated with former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election paid $60,000 to a fashion designer known for styling Melania Trump's wardrobe when the couple was in the White House.

The Save America political action committee distributed the money to Hervé Pierre Braillard in four paymentsstarting April 7 and going through June 24, according to records filed with the Federal Elections Commission.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/08/05/save-america-melania-trump-designer/10130359002/

Thursday, August 4, 2022

Upset over LGBTQ books, a Michigan town defunds its library in tax vote | Bridge Michigan


Voters in Jamestown Township, a politically conservative community in Ottawa County, rejected renewal Tuesday of a millage that would support the Patmos Library. That vote guts the library's operating budget in 2023 — 84 percent of the library's $245,000 budget comes from property taxes collected through a millage.

Without a millage, the library is likely to run out of money sometime late next year, said Larry Walton, library board president.

https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/upset-over-lgbtq-books-michigan-town-defunds-its-library-tax-vote

Thursday, July 14, 2022

IRS Form 13909 - Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral)


Form 13909 (December 2016)
Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service
Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral)

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf


Friday, July 8, 2022

Elon Musk files to pull out of Twitter deal




Musk said he's done with trying to buy Twitter, but it's unclear if he can just walk away without a massive legal fight. 

By Gerrit De Vynck, Faiz Siddiqui and Rachel Lerman


https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/07/08/musk-deal-sec/

Saturday, June 25, 2022

But he was just a tourist /sarcasm



Intelligence contractor, alleged Nazi sympathizer charged in Jan. 6 riot

A Navy reservist described by prosecutors as a heavily armed Nazi sympathizer with top-level U.S. government security clearance was arrested.

By Spencer S. Hsu


FTA:

They cited his alleged statements to an undercover FBI employee in which he "espoused the use of violence to further his anti-government and anti-Semitic ideologies," and his firearm-related purchases totaling over $50,000 after the Capitol attack in a bout of "panic" buying that included a dozen pistols, revolvers, shotguns and rifles.
U.S. prosecutors did not ask to jail Speed, but they requested a judge detain him until court authorities could find and remove weapons that were not seized in a search of his home and storage unit when he was arrested. An FBI search found 13 firearms, seven silencers, evidence of three more unrecovered suppressors and 25 firearms belonging to housemates, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis J. Loeb wrote.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/24/hatchet-speed-jan6-arrest/

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Sign the Sedition Petition NOW



18 U.S. Code § 2384 - Seditious Conspiracy

If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Column: Trump’s push for higher gas prices is misguided - Chicago Tribune



For decades, American presidents and American consumers have complained when oil prices rose and rejoiced when oil prices fell. But this week, President Donald Trump helped forge an agreementwith Russia, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing nations to raise prices by slashing production. Then he bragged about it.

"The big Oil Deal with OPEC Plus is done," he tweeted. "This will save hundreds of thousands of energy jobs in the United States. I would like to thank and congratulate President Putin of Russia and King Salman of Saudi Arabia … Great deal for all!"


https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/steve-chapman/ct-column-trump-oil-deal-gas-pricesi-chapman-20200415-iwwn3cpegngo5krsm6tfdycqvy-story.html

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Line 6 - Bass Pod - User Manual


QUICK START GUIDE
or:
"MANUAL? I DON'T NEED NO STINKING MANUAL!"
1. Turn the POD OUTPUT LEVEL control down to zero.
2. Plug the POD AMP MODEL OUTPUT into your recorder or mixer's input, or plug the AMP MODEL OUTPUT into your amplifier's effects loop return. Or connect headphones to the POD's PHONES jack.
2. If you're plugged into an amp, set A.I.R. switch to 'AMP.' Otherwise, set it to 'DIRECT.'
3. Plug the power adapter into the POD POWER CONNECTOR, then plug the other end into an AC wall socket.
4. Connect your bass to the POD INPUT JACK.
5. Flip the POWER switch near the POD power connector to fire up.
6. Select an AMP MODEL.
7. Set the CHAN VOL to max and the BASS, MID, and TREBLE to your heart's desire. OUTPUT LEVEL sets the output level (duh).
8. Pick an EFFECTS setting and adjust the COMPRESS (compressor) and EFFECTS TWEAK so you're happy with the sound.
9. Browse pre-programmed settings using the UP/DOWN arrows. You can press the MANUAL button for a "Manual Override" that gives you where-the-knobs-are-is-how-it-sounds operation.
10. What number 10?You're already up and running!
But wait, before you go any further, flip to the inside back cover of this manual and notice that it folds out. The idea is to have this handy pictorial reference always opened out while you're thumbing through the manual. If you photocopy the back of it, you'll have a handy template for making a note of your favorite POD settings. Now then, before you run off....




Monday, March 21, 2022

WTAF? “Only the best people” my ass. Trump is disgusting.


Ashley Biden's Diary Was Shown at Trump Fund-Raiser. Weeks Later, Project Veritas Called Her.

A month before the 2020 election, Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s daughter, Ashley, received a call from a man offering help. Striking a friendly tone, the man said that he had found a diary that he believed belonged to Ms. Biden and that he wanted to return it to her.

Ms. Biden had in fact kept a diary the previous year as she recovered from addiction and had stored it and some other belongings at a friend's home in Florida where she had been living until a few months earlier. The diary's highly personal contents, if publicly disclosed, could prove an embarrassment or a distraction to her father at a critical moment in the campaign.

She agreed with the caller to send someone to retrieve the diary the next day.

But Ms. Biden was not dealing with a good Samaritan.

The man on the other end of the phone worked for Project Veritas, a conservative group that had become a favorite of President Donald J. Trump, according to interviews with people familiar with the sequence of events. From a conference room at the group's headquarters in Westchester County, N.Y., surrounded by other top members of the group, the caller was seeking to trick Ms. Biden into confirming the authenticity of the diary, which Project Veritas was about to purchase from two intermediaries for $40,000.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

[The Washington Post] Plane carrying Donald Trump made emergency landing in New Orleans after engine failure over Gulf of Mexico



Trump is a Billionaire, huh?  


Sure he is 🤣🤣🤣🤣


He can't even afford to get his own flight???


From the article: 

Trump advisers worked to secure another donor's plane, which was brought to the airport in New Orleans to meet him. Trump eventually returned to Palm Beach on the plane of Craig Estey, a GOP donor and founder of Nevada Restaurant Services. 


https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/03/09/trump-plane-engine-failure-gulf-mexico-new-orleans/

The hidden billion-dollar cost of repeated police misconduct | The Washington Post



About 8:30 one Thursday evening in Detroit, Tony Murray was getting ready for bed ahead of his 6 a.m. shift at a potato chip factory. As he turned off the final light in the living room, he glanced out of his window and saw a half-dozen uniformed police officers with guns drawn approach his home.

As the officers banged on the door, Murray ordered Keno, his black Labrador retriever, to the basement. As Murray let the officers in, one quickly pushed him to the floor and at least two others ran to the cellar, he said. "Don't kill my dog. He won't bite you," Murray pleaded. The sound of gunshots filled the house. Keno's barking, the 56-year-oldrecalled, morphed into the sound of "a girl screaming."

Officers searched Murray's home for nearly an hour, flipping his sofa and emptying drawers. Outside, Murray approached the officers standing by their vehicles. One handed him a copy of the search warrant, which stated they were looking for illegal drugs. Murray noticed something else: The address listed wasn't his. It was his neighbor's.


Sunday, February 27, 2022

Shame On Those Who Defended Trump’s "Perfect Call" - The Bulwark


Shame On Those Who Defended Trump's "Perfect Call" - The Bulwark

Shame On Those Who Defended Trump's "Perfect Call"

Never forget that as president Donald Trump led an organized campaign to withhold military aid and blackmail the Ukrainians. And that Republicans let him get away it.

Shame On Those Who Defended Trump's

It's worth remembering now, as so many Republicans pin "Stand with Ukraine" images to their profiles, how little most of them cared when Donald Trump withheld critical military assistance from the country in 2019 as he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to do his political dirty work.

At the time, Trump's bold attempt to get Zelensky to announce sham investigations into the Biden family and 2016 conspiracy theories were primarily viewed as a domestic affront. But the sight of Russian rockets raining down on Kyiv this week was a reminder that this obscene "drug deal" had real-world consequences. At the center of the Ukrainian scandal was a sickening truth: Trump did not see the Ukrainians as the heroes we see today; he saw them as pawns to be used for his benefit.

When Zelensky spoke with Trump in that "perfect" 2019 phone call, the newly-elected 44-year old Ukrainian President didn't want much. Just two things: the military aid Congress had already approved and a White House meeting to show the world that America stood with Ukraine against Russian aggression. Both would have been so easy to give. But Trump never gives anything unless he gets his beak wet, so he tried to use his leverage over the Ukrainian people to coerce Zelensky into doing him a favor.

Trump didn't care about the people of Ukraine—their lives or their democracy. He simply understood that he had power over them and could abuse this power to help his re-election.

And his fellow Republicans, almost to a person, either helped him with this blackmail or defended it once it came to light.

I wonder how they feel about that now.

Because it was two impeachments ago, let's do a quick recap on Trump's quid-pro-quo attempt.

Trump's scheme was a far-reaching, elaborate shakedown championed by Rudy Giuliani. The House's December 2019 300-page impeachment report carefully lays out the details.

Some initial dates of importance:

  • Zelensky was elected on April 22, 2019.
  • Biden declared his candidacy for president on April 25.
  • On May 9, the New York Times reported that Giuliani was headed to Ukraine to push the incoming government to pursue investigations to help Trump.

In this, Giuliani's intentions were clear:

Mr. Giuliani said he plans to travel to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, in the coming days and wants to meet with the nation's president-elect to urge him to pursue inquiries that allies of the White House contend could yield new information about two matters of intense interest to Mr. Trump.

One is the origin of the special counsel's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The other is the involvement of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s son in a gas company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.

Remember: This is contemporaneous reporting.

Giuliani ended up canceling the trip, blaming "bad people" around Zelensky. Vice President Pence was supposed to attend Zelensky's inauguration but Trump sent his "three amigos"—Energy Secretary Rick Perry, European Union Ambassador Gordon Sondland, and Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker instead. They returned with a favorable impression of Zelensky and advocated for the White House meeting that Zelensky wanted. Trump told them to "talk to Rudy."

Why would high-level government officials have to talk to someone outside the government about their recommendations to the president? Because people in Trump's circle came to understand that Giuliani was coordinating Trump's Ukraine policy, which caused a rift with National Security Ambassador John Bolton who later described Giuliani as a "hand grenade that was going to blow everyone up."

On June 18, the Department of Defense said via press release it was preparing to send $250 million in security assistance funds to Ukraine, so long as all the necessary anti-corruption conditions were met. But then Trump's appointees blocked the money.

The impeachment report summarized:

By July 3, the Office of Management and Budget blocked a Congressional notification which would have cleared the way for the release of $141 million in State Department security assistance funds. By July 12, President Trump had placed a hold on all military support funding for Ukraine. On July 18, OMB announced the hold to all of the relevant agencies and indicated that it was directed by the President.

All of the money was blocked against the wishes of Congress and national security experts. Conveniently, ahead of Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelensky.


Those close to Trump knew exactly why the money was withheld.

Ambassador Sondland publicly testified to what he told investigators behind closed doors. "I know that members of this committee frequently frame these complicated issues in the form of a simple question: Was there a quid pro quo? As I testified previously with regard to the requested White House call and the White House meeting, the answer is yes."

Sondland would know; he was a crucial player in the entire affair. At a July 10 White House meeting, Sondland told other officials he had worked out an "arrangement" with Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to give Zelensky his White House meeting after Zelensky started the investigations. Bolton ended the meeting, but Sondland carried on. He worked closely with Volker and Giuliani to make the July 25 call happen and prep everyone accordingly.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Mulvaney, and Perry were all aware, too.

The report stated:

Ambassador Sondland spoke with President Zelensky and recommended that the Ukrainian leader tell President Trump that he "will leave no stone unturned" regarding the political investigations during the upcoming presidential phone call. Ambassador Sondland emailed several top Administration officials, including Secretary of State Pompeo, Acting Chief of Staff Mulvaney, and Secretary Perry, stating that President Zelensky confirmed that he would "assure" President Trump that "he intends to run a fully transparent investigation and will 'turn over every stone.'" According to Ambassador Sondland, he was referring in the email to the Burisma/Biden and 2016 election interference investigations. Secretary Perry and Mr. Mulvaney responded affirmatively that the call would soon take place, and Ambassador Sondland testified later that "everyone was in the loop" on plans to condition the White House meeting on the announcement of political investigations beneficial to President Trump.

Volker sent Zelensky talking points: The report said:

On the morning of July 25, Ambassador Volker sent a text message to President Zelensky's top aide, Mr. Yermak, less than 30 minutes before the presidential call. He stated: "Heard from White House—assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate / 'get to the bottom of what happened' in 2016, we will nail down date for visit to Washington. Good luck!


It seems like Zelensky tried to walk a fine line on the call. The readout, which is not an official transcript, shows that when Zelensky mentioned his desire to "buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes," Trump immediately replied with what he wanted.

"I would like you to do us a favor, though," Trump said. Then, he mentioned a conspiracy theory about a Ukrainian server supposedly responsible for the 2016 election meddling instead of Russia. "I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people, and I would like you to get to the bottom of it," Trump said.

Zelensky, perhaps diplomatically, said he was ready to begin a "new page on cooperation in relations between the United States and Ukraine." He said he would meet with Giuliani if he came to Ukraine. He emphasized that the United States and Ukraine were "friends" many times.

Then, Trump turned to the Bidens. Zelensky said he could "look into the situation" and "I would kindly ask you if you have any additional information that you can provide to us, it would be very helpful for the investigation." In other words: Show me what you have, and we'll see. 

Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served as the director of European affairs on Trump's National Security Council and was sitting in on the call, later recalled:

As head of state for a vulnerable and dependent country, Zelensky was giving it everything he had: trying to build a rapport with the president, flattering a notoriously egotistical character, steering the conversation toward the military aid, and gently trying to elicit the personal White House visit that he and his country so desperately needed.

As a follow-up, an advisor to Zelensky met with Giuliani in Madrid. The report stated:

There, they agreed that Ukraine would issue a public statement, and they discussed potential dates for a White House meeting. A few days later, Ambassador Volker told Mr. Giuliani that it "would be good" if Mr. Giuliani would report to "the boss," President Trump, about "the results" of his Madrid discussion so that President Trump would finally agree to a White House visit by President Zelensky. On August 9, Ambassador Volker and Mr. Giuliani spoke twice by phone, and Ambassador Sondland spoke twice to the White House for a total of about 20 minutes. In a text message to Ambassador Volker later that day, Ambassador Sondland wrote, "I think potus [sic] really wants the deliverable," which Ambassador Sondland acknowledged was the public statement announcing the two political investigations sought by President Trump and Mr. Giuliani.

Sondland kept pressing and looping people such as Pompeo in on the plans. The Ukrainians didn't like it, though. Zelensky's aide apparently "balked at getting drawn into U.S. politics and asked Ambassador Volker whether the United States had inquired about investigations through any appropriate Department of Justice channels."

It had not.

Ultimately, Zelensky never announced an investigation. And, by coincidence, he never got his White House meeting with Trump, either. He did, however, get the money.


There was talk about Zelensky making his public announcement about investigations in a CNN interview sometime in September 2019. This interview never happened, though, because, on August 28, Politico reported Trump's hold on the money. Then all hell started breaking loose, and impeachment talk started.

By September 9, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committees on Oversight and Reform, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs announced investigations. The same day, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) notified Congress that a whistleblower had filed a related complaint on August 12.

Trump finally relented on September 11 and released the money.

The impeachment report noted:

By the time the President ordered the release of security assistance to Ukraine, DOD was unable to spend approximately 14 percent of the funds appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2019. Congress had to pass a new law to extend the funding in order to ensure the full amount could be used by Ukraine to defend itself.

Even after all this, Zelensky was reportedly still interested in the interview. Because even though the money was flowing, he still wanted that White House meeting for the symbolism it would provide. Then-Ambassador to Kyiv William Taylor—not one of the three amigos—told Zelensky an interview was not a good idea. Zelensky took his advice. Zelensky wrote in a May 2020 op-ed, "The impeachment story was not comfortable for me. It took American and international attention away from the issues that mattered most to Ukraine and turned our country into a story about President Trump."


It's important to remember today that Trump's desire to manipulate Zelensky and the security of Ukraine for his personal ends was deemed entirely acceptable by Republican officeholders and elites.

Trump's then-chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, aggressively confirmed and defended Trump's actions in an October 17 White House briefing. He told reporters the conspiracy theory about the Ukrainian server was "Why we held up the money." He said there was nothing wrong with Trump's quid-pro-quo: "We do that all the time with foreign policy." He said: "I have news for everybody: get over it. There is going to be political influence in foreign policy."

Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany belittled Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who testified to Trump's behavior and was later fired in retaliation as a "former junior employee." Other Trump aides gleefully joined in smearing the Ukrainian-born U.S. National Security Council expert.

Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said it was "laughable to think this is anywhere close to an impeachable offense."

Justin Amash, a libertarian who left the GOP in July 2019, was the only member on the right side of the aisle in the House of Representatives to vote to impeach Trump for squeezing Ukraine. Mitt Romney was the only Republican in the Senate who voted to convict Trump.

The list of Republicans who alibied Trump's treatment of Ukraine is long and distinguished. They hope that their yellow and blue Twitter icons will make you forget that they excused it.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Some Trump records taken to Mar-a-Lago clearly marked as classified, including documents at ‘top secret’ level - The Washington Post


Lock Him Up, right?

The markings were discovered by the National Archives and Records Administration, which last month arranged for the collection of 15 boxes of documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. Archives officials asked the Justice Department to look into the matter, though as of Thursday afternoon, FBI agents had yet to review the materials, according to two people familiar with the request.