hmmm...TPM - Marshall "Bannon, Jared and Russia"

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/bannon-jared-and-russia

By JOSH MARSHALL Published AUGUST 18, 2017 5:06 PM

Here’s one thing to consider as Steve Bannon leaves the White House. There’s hardly anyone in the close Trump orbit who hasn’t been tripped up in some way by the Russia investigation. There’s one big exception: Steve Bannon.

Obviously I don’t know all the ins and out of the Russia probe. The Mueller operation has been extraordinarily tight. But I keep pretty close tabs. Look at all the stories. Bannon’s name basically never comes up. As far as I know he hasn’t even hired a lawyer in the probe. Why is this? My best guess is the most obvious one: for whatever reason he just wasn’t involved. There has been a persistent claim that Russian operatives were amplifying far-right news memes through the election. They also clearly seeded a number of stories into the far right news stream. But absent some kind of tangible coordination that’s not going to be something a criminal probe can take any real cognizance of.

What I do know is that long before most of us (I include myself) had much idea that Jared Kushner might end up being a key figure in the Russia probe, Steve Bannon seemed to know he would be. Indeed, way back when it briefly seemed that Trump might fire Bannon in the Spring, Bannon seemed to know that reports of Kushner consolidating power in the White House were greatly exaggerated and that he’d be fine. Why? Again, because of Russia. To paraphrase Roger Stone, he seemed to know that it would soon be Jared’s time in the barrel.

How did he know? I got no idea. But he did. I figure people in the close, close inner circle all knew. That’s just a surmise on my part. But if he knew that I bet he knows a lot more. Maybe he doesn’t know what happened back in 2016 – remember, he joined the campaign pretty late. But there’s quite a lot that’s gone on during the presidency – covering up, business deals, Oval Office meetings. There’s a lot.

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last paragraph

If that’s still his way of looking at it – and some initial reports are not inconsistent with that read – we could all be in for a pretty bumpy ride.

[BigmanPigman]

1. I have been hearing the two different sides of this.

Will he be interviewed by Mueller and flip?

Some say "Of course he would and that is why he hasn't been fired already". While others are saying, "No, that isn't his mission. He wants to harm the GOP and Jared and Ivanka, not 45".

[Barack_America]

2. If he's been turned loose that means there's nothing left to save.

Or this was an ultimatum from the GOP, with impeachment threatened.

Maybe a bit of both.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. War.

What is odd is that Trump did not say or tweet a word about Bannon today. They can say what they want, but Bannon is going to try to bury the White House. This is in fact war.

[Xolodno]

4. Bannon is the useful idiot.

He brought the racists into the fold to vote for Trump and got a spot on the team if he kept his mouth shut. He didn't. So he's out. Bannon believes his own bullshit that their is a silent nationalist majority and thinks he was instrumental in organizing it. In reality, he's just a schmuck, probably by the advice of Russia to garner extra votes.