Thanks to Senator ‘Shakedown’ Shelby, who seems to be trying to upgrade his place in history from grifter to traitor…
US, Russia ‘do not need to be adversaries’, says head of US congressional delegation
ST. PETERSBURG, July 2. /TASS/. Russia and the US need to improve the relations that are considered tense at the present time, both countries do not have to be rivals even in light of all existing differences, Head of the US Congressional Delegation to Russia and Senator for Alabama Richard Shelby stated during a meeting with Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko.“Right now, we have a strained relationship,” he said. “A lot of us believe it is important to have a better relationship with Russia. And obviously, that is the current thought of President Trump.”…
The US delegation consists of Alabama Senator and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Richard Shelby, Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven, South Dakota Senator John Thune, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, Montana Senator Steve Daines, as well as member of the US House of Representatives from Texas Kay Granger.
The US congressional delegation arrived in Russia on Saturday. Their first visit has been to St. Petersburg. They will then come to Moscow, where they will stay until July 5. In Moscow, the delegation members have set out to meet with Russian officials from the Federation Council (upper house of Russian parliament) and the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Who wants to spend Independence Day hanging around *Americans*, after all, celebrating the overthrow of tyrants and the equality of people who are not “super-elites”?
.@margbrennan asks @AmbJohnBolton if, on AF1, @POTUS left the door open to recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea:
BOLTON: That's not the position of the United States.
BRENNAN: Right. But saying we'll see suggests might be.
BOLTON: Well we'll see. pic.twitter.com/jmFR6B3Vhz— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 1, 2018
DO NOT CAPITULATE https://t.co/fBUz6YUIrA
— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 30, 2018
I think it could be much worse. Trump owes Putin. https://t.co/nGVJiN0w1v
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 29, 2018
'What trouble did we cause? We just elected Trump, that's all,' a Russian news presenter says, just days before Trump is set to meet with Putin https://t.co/yaLvw1I4mT
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) June 30, 2018
I think the question is what kind of ask from Putin would be so outrageous Trump would risk his personal comfort to deny him. I'm not sure there is such a threshold.
— Schooley (@Rschooley) July 1, 2018
Since Trump has already signed off on Russia's annexation of Crimea, we'd better keep a close eye on Alaska during the summit with Putin.
— ConservativeLA (@ConservativeLA) June 28, 2018
This is a confession, isn't it? https://t.co/kqxw7sodZD
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) July 1, 2018
(((CassandraLeo)))
It certainly reads that way, but in the president*’s defence, he is extremely stupid and a pathological liar, so I’m not even sure a confession is credible evidence one way or the other. I think odds that top-level officials in the administration conspired with Russia are approximately 99.9995%, but I’m still on the fence about whether the president* himself even wanted the presidency*. There’s a certain amount of circumstantial evidence suggesting that it was a publicity stunt that ballooned far beyond his control. But again, he is extremely stupid, so it’s entirely possible that he thought he could get elected and not actually have to do any work.
In any case, he doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt, because he and his supporters certainly wouldn’t have done likewise were the roles reversed. He’s (in colloquial if not legal terms) a traitor. In efgoldman’s immortal words, fuckem.
david
“Since Trump has already signed off on Russia’s annexation of Crimea, we’d better keep a close eye on Alaska during the summit with Putin.”
2 fewer Republican Senators, takes count to 49-49. Sounds good from here!
nymofnyms
If I hear ONE more Trump voter say: “Well, the Democrats shoulda run a better candidate…”
They’re so proud of voting in this asshat — right up to when they feel the need to absolve themselves of all responsibility for the ongoing train wreck.
lamh36
This may be old, but damn…these kids are smart as hell…and so far, they’ve got the NRA on it’s heels a bit.
https://twitter.com/davidhogg111/status/1013593013203894272
lamh36
Is this is at all true…explains why so many of the GOP are targetting Maxine Waters…
My question…when/if Dems take back the House and/or Senate…who are the ranking members who will take over the committees?
Gin & Tonic
@lamh36: Here you go.
Roger Moore
@lamh36:
And the head of the HPSCI will be Adam Schiff. Vote.
Mike in NC
These Republicans went to Moscow to sign a blood oath to support Putin. They’re all soon to be FSB/GRU assets.
Trump handed the Crimea to Putin in exchange for a bunch of loans from oligarchs. Next will be the remainder of eastern Ukraine, followed by the three Baltic republics. Also, too, NATO to be severely weakened.
All in keeping with the “Shart of the Deal”.
(((CassandraLeo)))
@david: Always look on the bright side of life, I guess. *whistles*
@lamh36: @Roger Moore: …I’ll be in my bunk.
jacy
Knowing how pathological narcissists work, the fact that Trump has never, ever, not once said anything untoward about Putin means that they have something huge on him, whether it’s blackmail or money. It’s something huge enough that it short-circuits the narcissism, and that’s nearly impossible to do. That’s the thing that leads me to believe that there is some kind of a tape and it’s more horrifying that most people want to contemplate.
Or it could be that Trump is just crazy and there’s no earthly reason why he loves Putin. But that doesn’t seem probable.
lamh36
(((CassandraLeo)))
@jacy: The three likeliest explanations seem to me to be concrete proof of incest, sex with an underage girl, and/or sexual assault – possibly all three. Russia’s kompromat file is probably a lot deeper than any of us realise. But I don’t have any inside sources for this; I’m just speculating here, because it is irresponsible not to.
(((CassandraLeo)))
Comment got sent to moderation hell; I must’ve used a forbidden word. Halp plz.
Roger Moore
@jacy:
He does seem to love just about any authoritarian strongman: Putin, Kim, Duerte, Erdogan, you name it.
L85NJGT
They are over there begging for a 2016 redux come November. Problem is, once you are compromised, the price goes way up.
Mandalay
@jacy:
In the absence of any hard evidence supporting that argument, a plausible alternative explanation is that Trump sees Russia as a way to make a pile of money, and Putin has promised him the moon.
The talk from the Administration about dropping opposition to the annexation of Crimea is not an end itself. It is a means to an end: the dropping of sanctions against Russia. Once that is done American oil companies and banks will be free to do business with Russia. And so will the Trump family.
Chip Daniels
I’m calling the Republicans Velveeta-eating surrender monkeys.
Roger Moore
@L85NJGT:
I don’t know if that’s true in this case. Think about what position Putin is in if the Democrats take power. He has every reason to keep spending the comparatively modest sums he’s spent on electoral ratfucking in the West.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: Provided Pelosi didn’t decide to shuffle who was on what committees, it is correct.
sukabi
If those Repubs weren’t already compromised by Russia or others, they will be after this trip. Nothing like a bunch of self righteous, holier than thou types when they’re out of sight of their families…
RedDirtGirl
@lamh36: I just ordered myself a tee-shirt, and one for my 16 yo niece!
RedDirtGirl
@Chip Daniels: Nice. Or maybe even Cheez-Wiz…
sukabi
@jacy: what they have on him likely involves money laundering, that I can see him playing off as “just business”…I think it also includes his penchant for young girls that look surprisingly like Ivanka, and his treatment of them if they don’t comply.
Pee tape wouldn’t even make a dent in his self regard, unless it involved him brutally beating them after.
Tokyokie
I agree with Mike in NC. When der Trupenführer meets with Putin, he will recognize Russia’s seizure of the Crimea and lift the sanctions, and probably recognize the Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic as well, paving the way for eastern Ukraine to be absorbed by Russia. And at some point, if he hasn’t already done so, the orange fartcloud will let Putin know that Russian military invasions of the Baltic states, all NATO members, would not raise any U.S. interests, thereby finishing off NATO. And, somehow, he’ll call all that a victory for himself and the country he leads.
piratedan
@Adam L Silverman: to be honest, I can’t see Nancy moving someone like Waters or Schiff off of those assignments. Maxine is like Nancy Smash (imho) in that she has no fucks left to give. Schiff appears to have kept track of all of the necessary receipts. What Nancy will likely need help with is enough motivated sausage makers in place to rebuild our Constitution and laws, and I have little doubt that the last 8 years of GOP shunning will mean that the likely only place that the GOP will be speaking is in front of cameras on every network just like they always do now.
Tokyokie
@sukabi: Sigh. My Congress critter is among them, occupying former Speaker Jim Wright’s seat. She’s one of those who claims to be a moderate, then always votes hard right. Vamos Vanessa Adia!
Roger Moore
@piratedan:
Schiff made a name for himself as AUSA by sending a Russian spy to prison; I’m sure he’d like to repeat the process with an even more prominent one.
Shalimar
@(((CassandraLeo))): I think it is entirely likely that Trump thought he could get elected and not do any work. He did in fact get semi-elected, and he does in fact spend 90% of his day watching Fox.
lamh36
@Adam L Silverman: I see a few CBC members on that list. IDK…I guess Pelosi could “punish” Waters since she been seemingly chastizing her lately.
But IDK, I think it’d be a mistake
laura
Has anyone done a wellness check in onCondoleeza Rice? Not that I’m suggesting anything positive about W’s work wife, but she the Russia expert -or considered to be so?
Jay
@RedDirtGirl:
Chez Whiz in Canada’s made with real cheese, aged cheddar. The ‘Murkin product’s a fake. When we visit friends and family, it’s one of the products we are always asked to bring. That and OHenry bars.
Mnemosyne
@lamh36:
I suspect that Nancy Smash and Auntie Maxine understand each other very well and know how the game is played. You never tip your hand to the other team ahead of time, and you bluff as hard as you can to mislead them.
Mnemosyne
@laura:
She was considered one until the Georgia crisis hit at the end of the W years and everyone realized that she didn’t actually understand WTF was going on there post-Berlin Wall.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
@(((CassandraLeo))):
Have you seen this guy? He isn’t doing any work.
Chris T.
@(((CassandraLeo))): If I could +1 comments, this is one I would +1.
(How much plus would a plus one plus if a plus one could plus one?)
Steeplejack
@Mnemosyne:
I seem to remember from my reading that Rice’s expertise turned out to be classic Soviet era with no subsequent updates.
Just checked her Wikipedia entry. She left the government in 1991 to go back to Stanford and didn’t come back until she got involved in Dubya’s campaign in 2000. She might have let her chops get a little rusty. Regardless, she was not a stellar national security adviser or secretary of state. But certainly not the worst member of a dismal administration.
Mike G
@nymofnyms:
“…I still wouldn’t have voted for the Democrat.”
Like all the Trumptards who whine, “She called us Deplorables.”
Right, you were totally going to vote for Hillary until she said that.
Procopius
I’m not clear on this. Are you saying that advocating for avoiding war with Russia is treason? I don’t think that’s a position I want to support. I know my position is unpopular, but I think Russia’s claim to the Crimea makes sense historically while the NATO push to make Ukraine a member is suicidal idiocy. I think we’ve been making foolish foreign policy choices since 1990 and we would have been better off developing a competitive partnership with Russia. I understand the neocons need an enemy, but can’t they be satisfied with Yemen?
barb 2
Putin is still KGB — he runs Russia like a Mafia King. He cannot be trusted.
Anyone that holds such dumb a**ed mythology is a fool.
Trump is an agent/asset working for Putin. Whatever Putin wants Trump is delivering — breakup and weakening of NATO – check. Trade wars – check. Killing the US State Dept – check. Trump has given away and weakened the US. This is WAR.
Got that? We are at war. There are a lot of traitors – GOP, Trump voters, Trump and his family.
Trump is giving away everything- including the future of our next generations.
(((CassandraLeo)))
@Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.):
Oh, come on, he tweets very hard, and he spends a lot of time doing hard research for his position (watching Fox & Friends).
…OK, fine, he isn’t actually doing anything that qualifies as work, even though he complains about the work load constantly.