Stonepounder
Stonepounder's JournalManafort trial Day 8: Judge concedes fault after Mueller protest, Airbnb exec takes the stand
Source: Politico
The federal judge overseeing the Paul Manafort trial conceded Thursday morning that he made a mistake in chastising special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors a day earlier in front of the jury.
Addressing the jurors before prosecutors called their first witness of the day, U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis said he “may well have been wrong” on Wednesday when he slammed the Mueller team for allowing an expert witness from the IRS to remain in the courtroom while other witnesses were testifying.
Typically, witnesses aren't supposed to hear anyone else's testimony in a trial so they don't influence each other, but Mueller’s team got Ellis’ permission during the trial’s opening arguments last week to have the IRS agent in the court on a regular basis.
<snip>
Mueller’s team has been frustrated by repeated slapdowns from Ellis during the Manafort trial — now in its eighth day. Before court started on Thursday morning, they filed a written motion to formally protest how they had been called out over the IRS witness.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/09/paul-manafort-trial-day-8-judge-ellis-769889
It may be time for the Gov't to request a mistrial over the judge's repeated and continuing criticism over the Prosecution attempts to put on their case and doing it in front of the jury. It is hard to un-prejudice a jury.
It's Alright Now (Parody of Rickey Nelson's 'Garden Party' - Parody Project)
&list=RDxzsNnAePx3E&t=3Found on Facebook: "You Trumpsters better pray"
You Trumpsters better pray that liberals never gain control of the WH againYou Trumpsters better pray that liberals never gain control of the WH again because we are going to pay you back so fucking hard for all of this shit. Planned Parenthoods on every damn corner. We're going to repaint Air Force One, pussy hat pink and fly it over your beloved Bible Belt 6 days a week, tossing birth control pills, condoms, and atheist literature from the cockpit. We're going to tax your mega churches so bad Joel Olsteen will need to get a job at Chik Fil A to pay his light bill. Speaking of Chik Fil A, we're buying all those and giving them to any LGBTQ you sick cult leaders tortured with conversion therapy. Have fun with your new menu you bigoted fucks. Try the McPence. It's a boiled, unseasoned chicken breast that you have to eat in the closet with your mother. ALL parks will be renamed Rosa Parks asap. We're replacing Confederate statues with BLM leaders and Mexican immigrants. Every single public school will be renamed after a child that was kidnapped by this regime. And after we fumigate the WH, we're repainting the whole thing rainbow. Fox News will be taken over and turned into a family refugee shelter. We're turning Hannity's office into a giant unisex bathroom with changing tables and free tampons. And every single time a Trumpster complains about any of the changes, we're adding an openly gay character to a Disney movie.
Republicans Accuse Rosenstein of Secretly Plotting to Uphold Constitution (Borowitz)
https://bit.ly/2Lpm8EKRepublicans Accuse Rosenstein of Secretly Plotting to Uphold Constitution
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—House Republicans on Thursday accused the Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, of “secretly and nefariously” implementing a plot to uphold the United States Constitution. In a joint press conference, Representatives Mark Meadows, of North Carolina, and Jim Jordan, of Ohio, said that they had “ample evidence” that Rosenstein was prepared to protect the Constitution “by any and all means at his disposal.”
“There is only one way to describe Rosenstein’s obsession with putting the Constitution before all other concerns,” Meadows said. “Conflict of interest.” “It is almost as if Rod Rosenstein had taken some kind of solemn oath to defend a centuries-old document,” Jordan said. “This should make every American very, very scared.”
Though the Republicans have shelved their articles of impeachment against Rosenstein for now, they hope that their impeachment threat will send a clear message to Rosenstein that his reckless allegiance to the Constitution will no longer be tolerated.
“If, going forward, Rosenstein uses his position at the Department of Justice to seek justice, he will be crossing a red line,” Meadows said.
Leaders of ISIS & Al Qaeda Puzzled Why DT Has Not Invited Them to White House (Borowitz)
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/leaders-of-isis-and-al-qaeda-puzzled-why-trump-has-not-invited-them-to-white-houseLeaders of ISIS and Al Qaeda Puzzled Why Trump Has Not Invited Them to White House
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The leaders of isis and Al Qaeda said on Friday that they were totally perplexed as to why Donald J. Trump had not yet invited them to the White House.
The terror chiefs said that, as sworn enemies of the United States, they had certainly attacked the country enough to warrant an invitation for an official visit, and possibly a state dinner.
“Maybe we haven’t done anything to directly undermine their democracy—I get that,” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of isis, said. “But we’ve been nemeses of America for years, and that ought to be worth something.”
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda, said that he also feels snubbed. “No invitation. Not even a save-the-date,” he said. “At this point, I’d settle for the White House Easter Egg Roll, but I’m not counting on anything.” Calling the absence of a White House invitation for Al Qaeda “the height of unfairness,” the evildoer added, bitterly, “The whole thing seems political.”
Hibatullah Akhundzada, the current leader of the Taliban, said that, like his terrorist colleagues, he was “dumbfounded” that Trump invited Vladimir Putin and not him to the White House. “At some point you have to wonder, what does Putin have on this guy?” he said.
It Can't Happen Here (Sinclair Lewis, 1935)
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here
Published during the rise of fascism in Europe, the novel describes the rise of Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, a politician who defeats Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and is elected President of the United States, after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and "traditional" values. After his election, Windrip takes complete control of the government and imposes a plutocratic/totalitarian rule with the help of a ruthless paramilitary force, in the manner of Adolf Hitler and the SS. The novel's plot centers on journalist Doremus Jessup's opposition to the new regime and his subsequent struggle against it as part of a liberal rebellion.
Reviewers at the time, and literary critics ever since, have emphasized the connection with Louisiana politician Huey Long, who was preparing to run for president in the 1936 election when he was assassinated in 1935 just prior to the novel's publication.
Fear and drastic economic and social reforms - Check
Promoting a return to patriotism and "traditional" values - Check
Takes complete control of the government - Almost there
Ruthless paramilitary force - ICE
In place of Huey Long insert Donald J Trump
I think Sinclair must have had a crystal ball.
I have a request. Can we please stop referring to "Russian meddling".
Def: meddle (vb) - interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern.
This was NOT meddling. This was an ATTACK, an act of war by a enemy attempting to destroy our Democracy, destroy our place in the world, destroy our economy, and install a puppet government.
So let's stop talking about meddling, let's call what it is, a Soviet Attack on our Sovereignty!!
And for the President to ignore his KNOWLEDGE about this attack and try and cover it up is giving 'aid and comfort to an enemy who has attacked us'.
Affidavit: 'key' Republican 'leaders' had secure back channel to the Kremlin in October 2016
From the affidavit against Mariia Butina a/k/a Maria Butina:
31. On October 4, 2016, U.S. Person 1 sent an email to an acquaintance. The email covered a number of topics. Within the email, U.S. Person 1 stated, “Unrelated to specific presidential campaigns, I’ve been involved in securing a VERY private line of communication between the Kremlin and key POLITICAL PARTY 1 leaders through, of all conduits, the [GUN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION].” Based on my training, expertise, and familiarity with this investigation, I believe that this email describes U.S. Person 1’s involvement in BUTINA’s efforts to establish a “back channel” communication for representatives of the Government of Russia.
(Page 11, Item 31)
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1080766/download
The affidavit makes clear that 'U.S. Person 1'is a United States citizen and a political operative.' and that POLITICAL PARTY 1' is the Republican Party. So, who were the 'key Political Party 1 leaders'?
Could this be part of the reason the GOP leaders won't do squat to stop Trump?
Maryland's election system has ties to Russian money
Source: AXIOS
The FBI told Maryland officials that ByteGrid LLC — the election system Maryland uses to handle statewide voter registration, online ballot delivery and more — has ties to a Russian oligarch, reports the Washington Post.
The big picture: States are working to secure their election systems in anticipation of cyber attacks by Russia or other foreign actors ahead of this year's midterms, but each state runs its own system — and there remain vulnerabilities across the board.
In 2015, AltPoint Capital Partners, whose fund manager is a Russian and largest investor is a Russian oligarch named Vladimir Potanin, funded ByteGrid LLC, per the Post.
-ByteGrid LLC has a $7.5 million contract with Maryland that ends in 2019, and the state's attorney general is looking into whether the deal can be terminated.
-"Even the appearance of the potential for bad actors to have any influence on our election infrastructure could undermine public trust in the integrity of our election system," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said.
-Hogan and other top state officials have sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security asking for technical assistance to test the state's election security.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/maryland-election-system-security-russian-oligarch-daa82c9f-5fdc-4a7a-9238-79be900abaa2.html
This should make your blood boil!
https://www.courthousenews.com/traveler-slams-seizure-of-dogs-by-ohio-authorities/Traveler Slams Seizure of Dogs by Ohio Authorities
CLEVELAND (CN) – A California man who was traveling through Ohio with his two adult dogs and 10 puppies claims in court that authorities seized the dogs, one of which is his registered service animal, because he did not have local dog tags.
John D’Angelo, represented by attorneys Michela Huth of Ohio and Richard Rosenthal of New York, sued the city of Middleburg Heights, two animal control officers, a police officer and Cuyahoga County in Cleveland federal court. The complaint was filed Tuesday night but was not made available by the court until Wednesday.
According to the lawsuit, Middleburg Heights police showed up at the Motel 6 where D’Angelo was staying with his two adult dogs – Sasquatch and Dazey, his registered service animal – and 10 puppies on July 4 of this year because friends who were visiting with D’Angelo had removed the smoke alarm in his room so they could smoke cigarettes.
Nothing further occurred with the police during that visit, but the following morning two Middleburg Heights animal control officers allegedly knocked on the door of D’Angelo’s motel room and claimed they could take his dogs because D’Angelo did not have Cuyahoga County dog tags.
Full story at link. The Cuyahoga authorities ended up taking his dogs, refusing to tell him where the dogs were taken or what process he needed to go through to get them back. They kept the dogs for a full week and finally returned them. D'Angelo and his attorney have filed suit in Federal Court seeking attorney fees and $100,000 in damages.
What the HELL is going on in this country? We have taken our dogs all over the country and have never had to 'register' them in the location we were visiting. Somebody just decided to fuck with this guy. Granted they probably could have cited him for disabling the smoke detector at the motel, but taking his dogs???
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