Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Innocent people do not delay justice.

The revolution will be supervised.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

In after Baud. Damn.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Consistently wrong since 2002

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

You are here: Home / Politics / America / Breaking: Senator Feinstein Has Released The Transcript of Glenn Simpson’s Testimony To The Senate Judiciary Committee

Breaking: Senator Feinstein Has Released The Transcript of Glenn Simpson’s Testimony To The Senate Judiciary Committee

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Senator Feinstein has released the transcript of Glenn Simpson’s, of Fusion GPS, testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. You can find all 312 pages at this link. Or access it below in case Senator Grassley throws a tantrum and it get’s removed from Senator Feinstein’s outward facing Senate page. I haven’t had a chance to read through this and won’t get to it till at least tomorrow, if not later in the week, but enjoy!

Simpson_Testimony

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

171Comments

  3. 3.

    Cheryl Rofer

    From the previous thread…

  4. 4.

    MJS

    I thought someone would leak this. I never expected a Senator to simply say, “Here it is. Now you can see for yourself how much bullshit Grassley’s been spewing.”

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    @MJS: When someone like Feinstein reaches the no-more-fucks-to-give point, we’re definitely through the looking glass.

  7. 7.

    Cheryl Rofer

    When Steele got to the FBI, they said that his information corroborated info they had from a whistleblower inside the Trump campaign.

    The NYT article is this one, which many of us have had big questions about. It appears that Trump supporters inside the New York FBI office were the source.

  8. 8.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Cheryl Rofer: The “severing ties to the FBI” thing makes a lot of sense. It will also probably be used by the Right to insinuate that this whole testimony is a lie, since obviously the FBI was in the tank for Hillary. >_>

    @germy: To be fair, the Russians probably hadn’t hacked this, so why would WikiLeaks have it?

  9. 9.

    kindness

    I usually have not nice things to say about my Senator DiFi. Today….Good job Senator. Please keep doing a good job as we need all our (Democratic) representatives to keep fighting for us.

  10. 10.

    BCHS Class of 1980

    @dmsilev: Oh yeah. If a lion in winter like Feinstein does this, open partisan warfare in the Senate has begun. And not a minute too soon IMO.

  11. 11.

    the Conster, la Citoyenne

    @dmsilev:

    yes indeed. the question on twitter is whether Trump will call her names based on her gender or religion first.

  14. 14.

    Barbara

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne: Gender. Without a doubt. Let me revise: He might go after the California connection first. A liberal b**ch from the commie state of California where everyone gets high all the time and thinks brown people are real people.

  16. 16.

    Served

    Looks like a Trump campaign staffer with a very long last name is referenced by Steele as an FBI source. Who oh who could it be? Makes you think!

  20. 20.

    The Simp in the Suit

    Further makes me wonder why Comey did what he did when he did it wrt the the BS about Hillary’s email non-story. I just don’t see the logic, other than he apparently just wanted to make sure that Hillary started off as weakened as possible, never considering for an instant that all the other BS might hand the win to Trump.

  22. 22.

    germy

    @Barbara:

    Don’t think Reince was part of the Trump campaign.

    Oh yeah, that’s right. For some reason he was the first person I thought of.

    @ruemara: I guess they’re not all about complete transparency.

  23. 23.

    Patricia Kayden

    @germy: Interesting only from the perspective that Assange is a fascist who supports authoritarians and bigots. Shame on anyone from the Left who let that jerk fool them.

  26. 26.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jay S`: Interesting point that the Republicans came in with a plan to make this whole investigation look criminal. I mean, we knew that… but Jesus Christ, these fucks are treasonous assholes.

    One party wants to actual examine the very real evidence that Russians conspired with Trump, or at the very least conspired with others to get Trump elected and damage our elections. The other party wants to pretend none of it happened and literally forget that a foreign country tried to (and continues to) screw with our elections, because it benefited them this time.

  28. 28.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    It appears that Trump supporters inside the New York FBI office were the source.

    The New York office… Oh, Rudi… have Judi tell the servants to get your best teeth ready, the Meuller team will want to have a loooooong conversation.

  31. 31.

    Patricia Kayden

    @MJS: Good for her since Grassley and Graham are trying to get Steele investigated by the FBI. They are such frauds.

  32. 32.

    Roger Moore

    @the Conster, la Citoyenne:

    the question on twitter is whether Trump will call her names based on her gender or religion first.

    I’m betting gender, specifically about how old and ugly she is, which he would never say about a man of the same age.

  34. 34.

    germy

    CIA’s Pompeo Says Russia and Others Trying to Undermine U.S. Elections

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the Central Intelligence Agency said on Sunday that Russia and others are trying to undermine elections in the United States, the next major one being in November when Republicans will try to keep control of Congress.

    U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to try to help President Donald Trump win, in part by hacking and releasing emails embarrassing to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and spreading social media propaganda.

    CIA Director Mike Pompeo told CBS that the Russian interference is longstanding, and continues. Asked on “Face the Nation” if Moscow is currently trying to undermine U.S. elections, Pompeo responded: “Yes sir, have been for decades.”

  37. 37.

    The Simp in the Suit

    anyone know exactly what norm Feinstein broke in releasing this?

    I think, but probably am wrong, that the unwritten rule is that Senators from both sides of the aisle abide by the requests of the committee chair wrt “work product” of the committee. For other “deliberative bodies,” this wouldn’t be a huge deal, but for the Senate, this is serious pissing into your chair’s morning cuppa, in public, then publicly handing it to the chair and asking whether cream and sugar are needed.

  39. 39.

    Jeffro

    @BCHS Class of 1980:

    Oh yeah. If a lion in winter like Feinstein does this, open partisan warfare in the Senate has begun. And not a minute too soon IMO.

    Seconded. It’s long past time for Dems in the House and Senate to tell the country what they know, norms and comity and secrecy be damned. Good luck explaining yourselves, Republicans!

  40. 40.

    Lyrebird

    @HeleninEire:

    Look forward to it.

    Yer darn tootin! (“that’s right” loosely speaking)

    Was it Betty Cracker who said, “Alexa, please buy all the popcorn” ?

    @kindness: And yep, credit where credit is due… Thank You DiFi!!!

  42. 42.

    sacrablue

    The inside source information in the transcript has been walked back by Simpson. He was referring to the discussion between Papadpoulous and the Australian ambassador.

  46. 46.

    germy

    @The Simp in the Suit:

    this is serious pissing into your chair’s morning cuppa, in public, then publicly handing it to the chair and asking whether cream and sugar are needed.

    Excellent description.

  47. 47.

    LAO

    what is stunning is the degree to which the FBI sat on the information during the campaign. If anything they put finger on the scale FOR Trump— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) January 9, 2018

  48. 48.

    Lyrebird

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Three cheers for neo-liberal shills!

    Hurrah
    Hurrah
    Hurrah!!!

    And speaking of, I am hoping there might be a thread later from anyone to respond to this bilge from M. Kelly’s show:

    “Think about the 2016 campaign,” Kornaki said. “And think about Hillary Clinton’s struggles as a candidate. One thing Hillary Clinton never successfully did in 25 years on the public stage was tell a story.”
    “Was inspire anybody!” Kelly interrupted, finishing Kornaki’s sentence.

    Not looking to hate on Kelly – she’s got her own problems, and I don’t care to dwell on them. I just thought, what a GREAT opportunity to write some more comments about ways HRC has inspired many of us, including those of us who were Obama-bots from the get-go and not necessarily in HRC’s camp.

  49. 49.

    Jeffro

    FYI: Fox is already going with “Fusion GPS founder says ‘someone’s already been killed’ as a result of the Steele Dossier” as their top story. THAT’s their takeaway from everything DiFi just revealed. Unbelievable. Tomorrow it’ll just be plain old “Feinstein abetting killers”

    Of course in fairness, their 2nd story is “Juanita Broaddrick (yes her) slams Clinton pal Oprah after Golden Globes speech”.

    Fox staff must have to shower in straight iodine when they get home. Jesus.

  50. 50.

    trollhattan

    Grassley needs to follow his BFF Hatch into retirement, although I’d have a really hard time typing Senator Steve King.

  53. 53.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jeffro: FYI: Fox is already going with “Fusion GPS founder says ‘someone’s already been killed’ as a result of the Steele Dossier” as their top story.

    IIANM that’s the guy Rachel Maddow talks about a lot, a high ranking Russian intel guy who was taken out of a meeting with a bag over his head

  54. 54.

    Roger Moore

    @sacrablue:

    The inside source information in the transcript has been walked back by Simpson. He was referring to the discussion between Papadpoulous and the Australian ambassador.

    That doesn’t really matter in the big picture. The key takeaway is that the FBI was already investigating before they knew about the Steele dossier, so nothing about the origins of the dossier is relevant to the validity of the investigation. This undermines a whole lot of Republican talking points, which is why they don’t want it coming out.

    A very interesting quick comment seen on Twitter:

    I've now speed-read half of the Glenn Simpson transcript and I'll tell ya this…1) This one is gonna take a lot of unpacking2) Democrats were investigating Trump-Russia3) Republicans were investigating Fusion GPS1/— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) January 9, 2018

    Points 2) and 3) are obviously highly relevant. The Democrats want to investigate Trump/Russia, and the Republicans are doing their best to derail the investigation. That should be a key take-home.

  55. 55.

    Kay

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    which many of us have had big questions about. It appears that Trump supporters inside the New York FBI office were the source.

    Ah, so the NYtimes helped the FBI mislead Americans about Donald Trump on the eve of the election.

    The wild-eyed conspiracy theorists pretty much nailed that one – it is exactly what it looked like.

  56. 56.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: the one-two punch of the Comey grand-standing (even broken demagoguing clocks are right once in a while) and the Lichtblau story, both reasonably traced to that NY office, and Jason Chaffetz

  57. 57.

    trnc

    @germy:

    Good point. Takes the heat off 45

    Except the successful this time was due to the inside help from DT’s campaign.

  58. 58.

    JMG

    @Kay: Don’t say things like that, you’ll make Maggie Haberman go on a very sad tweetstorm about how people just don’t understand.

  61. 61.

    Yarrow

    @Kay:

    Ah, so the NYtimes helped the FBI mislead Americans about Donald Trump on the eve of the election.

    The wild-eyed conspiracy theorists pretty much nailed that one – it is exactly what it looked like.

    Yes. Yes, they did and yes the “conspiracy theorists” were pretty much right.

  62. 62.

    Kay

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    They should release all of it. The whole point of congressional hearings is to inform the public. There’s no other reason to hold them. You would have had to be blind not to see that law enforcement were pissed at Obama for insisting they follow laws in policing. It was never a secret that Trump exploited fear and racism and he got plenty of high level help. We’re not in 2nd grade. They don’t need to protect us from reality. There’s whole documentaries on FBI corruption. Maybe all these fairy tales need to end. This country could use some growing up.

  63. 63.

    Another Scott

    Somebody’s butthurt. TheHill:

    […]

    In a statement, the spokesman, Taylor Foy, said that Feinstein’s decision to release the transcript without first consulting Grassley compromises the Judiciary Committee’s ability to conduct its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

    “Her action undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony relating to the independent recollections of future witnesses,” Foy said.

    He noted that no other congressional panel had released transcripts of private interviews related to the Russia investigations, and suggested that Feinstein’s decision may discourage potential witnesses from testifying before the Judiciary Committee.

    Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, posted the 300-page transcript of the committee’s interview with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, breaking with Grassley, who had opposed the release of the transcript.

    Fusion GPS had demanded that the transcript be released.

    The private research firm commissioned the 2016 dossier, which includes salacious and unverified allegations about President Trump. The document was compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence official, who was hired by Fusion GPS.

    Grassley and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have referred Steele to the Justice Department for criminal investigation.

    Emphasis added. Yeah, before the transcript was released. (groucho-roll-eyes.gif)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  64. 64.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s long seemed to me that the obvious thing for Mr. Integrity James Comey to have done was to announce that the FBI was investigating both candidates. It would be like offsetting penalties. Democrats and Republicans would both be annoyed at him and he’d look like he was leading a disputatious agency with an even hand. “Both sides are mad at me, must be doing something right, /wink.” It would soothe any questions about his reputation for integrity and whatnot, which apparently he cares immensely about. The fact that _he didn’t do that_ is another thing that cries out for explanation.

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    @Kay:

    Maybe all these fairy tales need to end. This country could use some growing up.

    No more Skywalkers! It’s time for the Jedi to end! Hear, hear!

    I wish someone WOULD give me a lightsaber…

  68. 68.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @FlipYrWhig: it’s my firm belief that as much as he was pushed by the NY office and fear of Chaffetz– who as a committee chair had the power to ruin his life and drive him into bankruptcy– part of Comey’s motivation was to scold Clinton publicly

  70. 70.

    Kay

    @Another Scott:

    In a statement, the spokesman, Taylor Foy, said that Feinstein’s decision to release the transcript without first consulting Grassley compromises the Judiciary Committee’s ability to conduct its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

    There isn’t a person in this country who believe Congress will do anything about “Russian meddling”. Mueller might get something done. He’s it.

    The one and only reason to hold hearings is to inform the public. If they won’t do that they should stop wasting our time. They had enough time. They got nothing done. Just release the information and see if the public can use it.

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Speaking of the Judiciary Committee

    Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Ca.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) added to Senate Judiciary Committee in wake of Franken resignation/Doug Jones win. Number of black Dems on the committee goes from zero to two.

  73. 73.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    The whole point of congressional hearings is to inform the public. There’s no other reason to hold them.

    That’s not quite true. The point of Congressional hearings is to inform Congress so they can make good decisions. Since Congress works for the public, we should generally be given access to the information Congress finds in its investigations, but there are legitimate times when this stuff needs to remain secret, e.g. when investigating classified national security matters.

  74. 74.

    Barbara

    @Another Scott: I suspect that Feinstein was driven over the edge by the fact that Grassley is disclosing snippets he likes but refusing to allow general disclosure. This is why Hillary Clinton insisted that she be questioned in public, so Trey Gowdy couldn’t keep distorting information about Benghazi. Feinstein might also be out of patience because of the transparent desire of the Republican Party to harm her state and her constituents. But of course, the committee will try to use it as an excuse to shut down the investigation. I assume she understood that, but the fact that it raises so many questions might make that step harder for them to take.

  77. 77.

    Roger Moore

    @Another Scott:

    He noted that no other congressional panel had released transcripts of private interviews related to the Russia investigations, and suggested that Feinstein’s decision may discourage potential witnesses from testifying before the Judiciary Committee.

    Except for the part where the witness in this case specifically asked for the transcripts to be made public. If anything, refusing to release transcripts when the witness asks for them to be released is a lot more likely to scare off potential witnesses. Not to mention referring witnesses to the FBI because you don’t like what they’re telling you.

  78. 78.

    Raoul

    @catclub: Oh, think of the Comity! How will Chuck ever be able to walk thru the Senate lunchroom with his tray of soup, knowing DiFi might backstab him. Sad!

  79. 79.

    trollhattan

    @Barbara:
    IIRC it was Feinstein who finally published the torture documents. “I have had enough of your shenanigans” comes to mind.

  81. 81.

    Gravenstone

    @MJS:

    If I have the timing right, Feinstein was actually meeting with Trump when she dropped this.

    Oh to imagine her glancing at her watch, looking Trump square in the eye informing him about the release of this testimony. Not that I imagine he has any direct understanding of the import – but his handlers will quickly explain it to him.

  82. 82.

    LAO

    @MJS: I actually snorted. I can’t believe I follow her on twitter and how frankly spot on she’s been about Trump.

  83. 83.

    Barbara

    @trollhattan: Based on what I have heard, Wolff seems to be nothing so much as a stenographer. So if someone told him something that was questionable, he might have used some ordinary diligence to test the truth of the statement, but he was willing to frame something as “I was told,” without necessarily getting to the bottom of it. Which makes sense to me because of the kind of book it was — if Jared Kushner bragged about a conversation that he had with Tony Blair, and that shows up in the book, and Blair says BS, I never told him that, that’s really not on Wolff so much as it is on Kushner. The problem is how Wolff presents the information, or whether he is claiming something happened versus someone told him it happened. If the second is the case, then he is telling the truth — he was told X — and not making the claim that X happened. The fact that someone said X can be newsworthy even if it turns out X was a complete falsehood.

  85. 85.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    There isn’t a person in this country who believe Congress will do anything about “Russian meddling”.

    I believe Congress will do something– once the Democrats retake control.

  86. 86.

    mike in dc

    60 pages in so far. GOP interviewers fixated on process: who hired Fusion GPS, what was the work they did for Prevezon, who paid them, etc. Not far enough in to get a sense of Democratic interviewer focus, but Simpson’s answers on the Prevezon work actually tend to strengthen his credibility, since he revealed some damaging stuff about Bill Browder.

  87. 87.

    Raoul

    My larger question is, does this indicate in any further, more substantive way what McConnell knew or was likely to have known when he met with Obama to quash the Russia – Trump rumblings before the election?

    It seems to me we know more and more why the GOP is trying to kneecap Mueller and throw shade on anything TrumpRussia. It’s that the GOP knew before the election and let the shit roll downhill, in hopes it would help get a GOP president.

  89. 89.

    Roger Moore

    @mike in dc:
    As I retweeted above, it sounds as if the Republicans were far more interested in investigating- and discrediting- Fusion GPS than they were in investigating Trump/Russia.

  92. 92.

    Gravenstone

    @germy: Other than the dossier being published by Buzzfeed some time ago. Has zero bearing on Feinstein releasing Simpson’s testimony today.

  93. 93.

    Paula

    Give Feinstein some positive feedback: on Twitter, Facebook, by calling her office — we need to support our Dem leaders when they do good things!

  95. 95.

    different-church-lady

    @Barbara:

    So if someone told him something that was questionable, he might have used some ordinary diligence to test the truth of the statement, but he was willing to frame something as “I was told,” without necessarily getting to the bottom of it.

    Which is the utterly lame excuse so many “journalists” use nowadays to “stand by” stories that are basically nothing more than instruments of rumor distribution. “A person really did tell me this, and so my job is done and I’ve met my moral obligations.”

    But this time it’s nice to finally see the bad guys burned by this crap.

  97. 97.

    Barbara

    @different-church-lady: The question is whether it is clear that is what they are doing. Sometimes it’s not, which is a problem. Usually they are unwilling to say outright that “I am so and so’s mouthpiece here, I have not corroborated what they told me . . .”

  98. 98.

    different-church-lady

    @Served:

    Looks like a Trump campaign staffer with a very long last name is referenced by Steele as an FBI source.

    Corey Jacobjingleheimerschmit?

  99. 99.

    SteveNKY

    Sen. Feinstein finally stands up from her extremely safe Blue Wall state for the American people. If safe Blue state Dem’s don’t fight RED state fascists, what is the point being in this government?!?!?! Now where’s Bernie? Hiding from the gun lobby?

  101. 101.

    trollhattan

    @Barbara:
    Yes, seems to be that sort of book but what Greenwald and other Good Republicans will try to do is attack the source and pretend everything the book says doesn’t fit the Trump narrative to a T. And good luck with that.

    It’s hilarious when Possum Queen says “fake book” at the same time Trump is busy attacking Bannon over quotes in the book.

  102. 102.

    HeleninEire

    Second day at the new job was just as good as the first. Cept for one interesting comment from a little boy who was offended by all my experience – I’ll tell you more if he persists.

    But, once again, very tired after more than a year of pissing around all day and having to get up OH MY GOD before 11 am.

    Thank goodness for “The Crown.” Its 8:30pm here and I can sit here and eat my doughnut (shut up, what diet??l) and just veg. Second series, episode 1. Liz is telling Philip that she hates him. Yeah, Liz; I hate that fucking Nazi, too!

  104. 104.

    rikyrah

    @Barbara:

    I suspect that Feinstein was driven over the edge by the fact that Grassley is disclosing snippets he likes but refusing to allow general disclosure.

    That, and those muthaphuckas asking the DOJ to go after STEELE.

  108. 108.

    Jeffro

    @rikyrah:

    That, and those muthaphuckas asking the DOJ to go after STEELE.

    That really was a wake-up moment in a year (or two) of them: “you’re going after who, again? The guy who tried to alert the FBI to Russian interference and hacking and ‘ownership’ of one of the two candidates for president??!?”

    Also, on a mostly unrelated note, can I just say once again, fuck James Comey. I think he saw a blowout coming and was trying to make sure that if Hillary was going to win, she barely got across the finish line (and with no majorities in either house either). The least-bad explanation was he was trying to cover his own butt w/ the nuts in the House, consequences to the nation be damned.

  110. 110.

    Cheryl Rofer

    “Someone has been killed” –

    I’ve just gotten back to the computer and haven’t had time to read much of the transcript or the comments on Twitter. The fall and winter of 2016 there were a number of Russians who were arrested or found dead. I’ve got links somewhere and have intended to try to match them up to a timeline of what was going on here, and what the Steele dossier says. If the dossier is correct, there are people in Russia whom Vladimir Putin felt, um, irritated at. That can lead to death from multiple bruises from slipping in the bathtub and other unfortunate circumstances.

    I never got around to working through that timeline in my paltry 24-hour days, and I haven’t seen anyone else do it.

    Just saying that it’s not implausible.

    Edited for clarity.

  111. 111.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    sting Miller @ justinjm1
    NEW: FBI had a “walk-in” whistleblower from the Trump campaign, Glenn Simpson testified

    could this be Papadopolous? He didn’t “walk in” did he?

  114. 114.

    Roger Moore

    @trollhattan:
    It occurred to me that the big impact of Fire and Fury is less that it’s telling anything new and more that it’s gathering stuff together in one place. One of the things we’ve been worried about is normalization of Trump’s dangerously abnormal behavior and way of running things. Part of the way that happens is for things to come out in individual pieces rather than as a bigger narrative. It both decreases the impact of each event and inures one to them. By lumping a whole bunch of the Trump Administration’s awfulness in one place, it undoes that. Seeing everything wrong gathered together in one place highlights its wrongness, and the repetition hammers it home. People who have gradually fallen for normalization can see just how abnormal Trump is.

  115. 115.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: Susan Hennessy @ Susan_Hennessey
    Probably a reference to Oleg Erovinkin. If so, they’re only speculating his death is linked but (maybe?) confirming he was in fact a source for dossier.

    from Wiki

    Following Erovinkin’s death, media sources speculated that Erovinkin was an unnamed informant for the Donald Trump–Russia dossier, a document created by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele detailing connections between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian agents. The dossier describes Erovinkin’s involvement with the Rosneft promises beneficial to Trump, represented by campaign staffer Carter Page.[1][9][10][6] Russia expert Christo Grozev of the Bulgarian think tank Risk Management Lab reported that Erovinkin was described as “Sechin’s treasurer” and concluded that Erovinkin was the source for much of the information in the dossier.[6] However, in interviews with Luke Harding “Steele was adamant that Erovinkin wasn’t his source and ‘not one of ours.’ As a person close to Steele put it to me: ‘Sometimes people just die.'”[11]

  116. 116.

    Mnemosyne

    @Barbara:

    The fact that someone said X can be newsworthy even if it turns out X was a complete falsehood.

    It used to be that a politician or political operative lying was newsworthy in itself. Apparently not anymore.

  119. 119.

    Mnemosyne

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Imagine being that whistleblower. You went to tell the FBI that a presidential candidate was conspiring with a foreign government, and the FBI helped him get elected anyway.

    Jaysus.

  121. 121.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: No worries at all. I was like, “There’s ANOTHER guy Hannity is trying to slime post-mortem with his nonsense?” Why I would have found that shocking, even for a moment, I’ll never know…

  125. 125.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Cheryl Rofer: How much American help do you think the Russians had. We know Flynn was on their payroll. Then there is Snowden but who is showing the troll factories how to precisely push hot button issues that will cause splintering.

  127. 127.

    geg6

    @Adam L Silverman:

    She really is an interesting figure. Attached at the hip to the Dolt. Refuses any media availability for herself (a total anomaly in Trump World). Parents are both liberals who are, reportedly, very upset with what is going on with her. You have to wonder what goes through her mind. Would it ever be epic if she turns out to be the mole.

  128. 128.

    Cheryl Rofer

    @schrodingers_cat: There is no direct evidence, but the most helpful source to the Russians would have been Cambridge Analytica. I think most of the investigations are looking at this possibility. I believe this also points to Jared and probably a few others.

  130. 130.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: NY Field Office in regard to the Russian mob makes the Boston Field Office’s relationship with Whitey Bulger look like they just met for coffee. Once. And maybe texted a couple of times.

  131. 131.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: somebody tweeted last week, someone thinking this was a defense of the trump operation, IIRC, that NOTHING happened in the trump digital operation without Jared and Eric knowing about it.

    Imagine thinking Erick knows anything?

  132. 132.

    mike in dc

    Nearly halfway through. So far the Republican interviewers have zero interest in the Steele dossier’s findings re Trump or in Fusion GPS findings re Trump. In their second go around they were trying to establish a link between Veselnitskaya’s visit in June and the Trump meeting(indirectly implying this was some kind of trap engineered between the Russians and Fusion GPS to “get” Trump).

    I would really like for the Democrats on House Intel and Senate Judiciary to leak ALL of the private interview transcripts. I believe they would show that the Republicans are making a mockery of the process and only the Democrats are actually trying to do any fact-finding.

  133. 133.

    Mnemosyne

    @trollhattan:

    It’s hilarious when Possum Queen says “fake book” at the same time Trump is busy attacking Bannon over quotes in the book.

    “Everything in the book is a lie! And everyone quoted in the book needs to apologize for what they said!”

    Someone needs to Photoshop the Possum Queen into a Queen of Hearts costume (from “Alice in Wonderland”). But she might take it as a compliment, unfortunately.

  134. 134.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Ken Dilanian‏Verified account @ KenDilanianNBC
    A source close to Fusion GPS tells me there was no walk-in source — that was a mischaracterization by Simpson of the Australian diplomat tip about Papadopoulis.

  136. 136.

    different-church-lady

    @Kay:

    Ah, so the NYtimes helped the FBI mislead Americans about Donald Trump on the eve of the election.

    If they get the casting right, “All The President’s Men 2016” is gonna be an epic sequel, but with the twist of the journos being the bad guys.

  137. 137.

    gvg

    @Barbara: the problem with expecting journalists to corroborate things like Russia is trying to influence our elections is it’s too big for even a big institution like the NYT or WaPo to check out. However if it’s about a big Presidential issue or maybe even Congress, the publishing of the info can get it checked out. On the other hand if they publish every bad rumor they hear which turn out not to be true but published just before an election shifted voters a few significant points, we we will quit reading them…..so normally we expect them to check stuff out.
    They can’t figure out when the rules need to be different. In this case they just can’t and don’t have the connections. It has to be the CIA and FBI. And also sitting on the info is shifting the election too.

  138. 138.

    The Moar You Know

    Now where’s Bernie? Hiding from the gun lobby?

    @SteveNKY: Not answering the door. If there is any justice in the universe, a subpoena with his name on it will shortly be appearing from Mueller.

  139. 139.

    The Simp in the Suit

    @SteveNKY: Bernie just published on a WaP op-ed about how the Republicans are going to shutdown the government because they’re idiots. And he made it clear that this has nothing to do with Democrats, that it is entirely being done by the Republicans.

    I’m not a Bernie Bro (I’m ambivalent), I’m just answering your question about “where’s Bernie?”

  143. 143.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: @Mnemosyne: @clay: Ken Dilanian from NBC/MSNBC has just reported that Fusion GPS has reached out and clarified that Steele misspoke. That he was referring to Papadapolous meeting with the Australian High Commissioner in London at the pub.

    Apparently Steele was told by the FBI that they had a human (intelligence) source.

  145. 145.

    clay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Apparently Steele was told by the FBI that they had a human (intelligence) source.

    Just to clarify this doesn’t necessarily mean that the human is aware that they’re a source?

  147. 147.

    trollhattan

    @Roger Moore:
    Well put. We don’t have TDS so much as TFS, given low much fatigue the cumulative loss of sleep since November ’16 has created.

  149. 149.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I keep telling you guys, I really think that Rubin is on the path to a full Cole or LGF style 180 degree flip. She’s not there yet, but she’s inching closer day by day.

  150. 150.

    PST

    @MJS:

    I’m starting to want to date Jennifer Rubin.

    Yeah, when she appears on MSNBC my wife just shouts, “Get in here. Your girlfriend’s on TV.”

  151. 151.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Mnemosyne: I think that’s a permanent formation, they’re just all afraid to draw and aim at one person because it would mean taking their eyes off all the other and leave their backs exposed.

  152. 152.

    clay

    61/ Simpson also implies he quickly discovered indications Trump was committing Tax Fraud and hiding his cash and assets. Think hard, now, about how many lies Trump had to tell American voters to avoid releasing his tax returns like every other presidential candidate for decades.— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) January 9, 2018

    Well, by my count — only one lie: “I can’t release my taxes because I’m under audit” — with a corollary lie: “I’ll release them when I’m no longer under audit.”

    Of course, he had to repeat them again and again and again and again…

  153. 153.

    SteveNKY

    @The Moar You Know: The first subpoena will be for his wife and the scam should pulled at Burlington College. Bernie’s will be after Weaver’s plea deal announcement regarding what Weaver worked out with Russian handlers and the Ukrainian bots.

  154. 154.

    trollhattan

    @Mnemosyne:
    The Ruben test forthcoming: girlish squeals if Mittens announces his senate candidacy, or the cold Jen shoulder? Inquiring minds want to know.

  155. 155.

    Adam L Silverman

    @clay: Correct. Since this appears to be Papadapolous, it is clear he was unaware he was providing raw, but actionable intel to an Australian official.

  156. 156.

    Ruckus

    @Kay:
    This country could use a lot of growing up.
    In an earlier thread people were discussing moving to other countries, like Norway or Canada. Those might not be considered fully adult but comparatively we are still in short pants.

  157. 157.

    Patricia Kayden

    @mike in dc:

    I would really like for the Democrats on House Intel and Senate Judiciary to leak ALL of the private interview transcripts. I believe they would show that the Republicans are making a mockery of the process and only the Democrats are actually trying to do any fact-finding.

    Excellent suggestion. Wonder why Democrats haven’t thought to do this by now. Republicans aren’t interested in the truth of Russia’s interference in our last presidential election. They’re only interested in pushing a conservative agenda and using Trump to advance their policies. Democrats need to stop playing along with this game. Trump is not a legitimate President and there is no reason to treat him as such.

  158. 158.

    Mnemosyne

    @trollhattan:

    It depends on when her Schiavo moment finally happens. It hasn’t happened yet, so she could still be drawn back to the Dark Side.

  159. 159.

    Ruckus

    @Barbara:
    It can be very useful to find out that someone is full of shit. And the more times you find that out the easier it is know that is all they are full of.

  160. 160.

    Spanky

    @Ruckus:

    In an earlier thread people were discussing moving to other countries, like Norway or Canada. Those might not be considered fully adult but comparatively we are still in short pants.

    This country isn’t even potty trained. And don’t get me started on its daddy issues.

  161. 161.

    Another Scott

    @geg6: LOL. Yup, that would be epic.

    I’ve thought, and said, for quite a while that: Women are going to save the world, if we’re smart enough to let them.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  162. 162.

    Another Scott

    @Cheryl Rofer: Ding, ding, ding.

    That is indeed what makes the most sense as a way to affect the election.

    But I assume that Mueller is also looking at the money laundering and all the rest of the financial stuff, and the messing with the voter rolls, as well.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  163. 163.

    Captain C

    Seth Abramson
    ‏Verified account @SethAbramson
    10m10 minutes ago

    65/ Breaking in for BREAKING NEWS: Mother Jones reports Grassley now says the transcript shows Simpson was “uncooperative, colluding with Russia and colluding with the Democrats.” I ask everyone reading this thread to click on the link to the transcript and confirm this is a lie.

    This makes me wonder just what the Russians have on Grassley, since this is blatantly false.

    Of course, Republicans will eat it up like it’s pizza, not tire rims in anthrax sauce.

  164. 164.

    SRW1

    @MJS:

    Feinstein probably hoped to witness the explosion of his Trumpiness first hand. Alas, as usual Trump probably did not look at and digest the messages handed to him while he was in his best bloviating mode about his own greatness. Sad.

  165. 165.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Captain C: The real tell is if the media actually calls him on it. Hint: They won’t. They’ll let it go, just like they do everything else. And then they’ll blame Democrats for releasing the info and take Grassley’s word for it that this disclosure hurts the possibility of future people coming forward… and forget to note that this is complete bullshit, as FusionGPS had asked repeatedly for the disclosure.

  167. 167.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah:

    That, and those muthaphuckas asking the DOJ to go after STEELE.

    Yes! They are so used to playing dirty that they couldn’t even see the huge red line they were crossing when they did that. At that point, all bets are off, motherfuckers!

  169. 169.

    mike in dc

    Okay, finished skimming it. There’s some stuff at the very end about some linkage between Trump and Russian organized crime figures who tended to launder money into the US and elsewhere. The entirety of the GOP questioning was focused not on the content of Fusion GPS findings and Steele’s dossier, but on essentially trying to impeach, impugn and smear them by implication. I’d guess that virtually the entirety of Republican questioning in House Intel and House Judiciary is focused on impeaching the credibility of witnesses potentially damaging to Trump and exculpating/treating with kid gloves witnesses with direct connections to Trump(like Erik Prince). They are essentially acting as defense counsel for Trump, his campaign, and…well, Russia/Putin.

  171. 171.

    Mohagan

    @dmsilev: She’s up for reelection this year and she’s 83 years old and for the first time in a long time, reelection is not a given. CA is Democratic, but she has tended to be moderate, as opposed to liberal Democrat, and a lot of people want her to step aside. Several recent moves, especially this one, shows she is awake and fighting for her seat. Good for her. I just left a comment on her website thanking her for the release.

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