Stunning. The ranking member is a fact witness and he hid it from the committee. Unethical and frankly beyond dumb. https://t.co/4TaKuwTmdF
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) November 23, 2019
Unethical and dumb is his brand, to be fair.
In other news, the White House has discovered that they were in on the cover-up:
A confidential White House review of President Trump’s decision to place a hold on military aid to Ukraine has turned up hundreds of documents that reveal extensive efforts to generate an after-the-fact justification for the decision and a debate over whether the delay was legal, according to three people familiar with the records.
The research by the White House Counsel’s Office, which was triggered by a congressional impeachment inquiry announced in September, includes early August email exchanges between acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House budget officials seeking to provide an explanation for withholding the funds after President Trump had already ordered a hold in mid-July on the nearly $400 million in security assistance, according to the three people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House deliberations.
Woopsie! Apparently not everyone got the memo to use whatsapp. Obligatory Stringer Bell clip:
And then there is this:
The House Intelligence Committee is in possession of audio and video recordings and photographs provided to the committee by Lev Parnas, an associate of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who reportedly played a key role in assisting him in his efforts to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The material submitted to the committee includes audio, video and photos that include Giuliani and Trump. It was unclear what the content depicts and the committees only began accessing the material last week.
That should be fun to listen to! Finally, I will not be happy until this motherfucker and his buddies Derek Harvey and Kash Patel are not only out of jobs, but doing time:
Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking Republican member on the House Intelligence Committee, spent nearly $57,000 on a trip to Europe for him and his staff to allegedly investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, records show.
The figures seem to confirm allegations made by Lev Parnas—a Ukrainian-born American who worked as a “fixer” for Rudy Giuliani before being indicted on criminal charges—who said that he helped Nunes arrange meetings with various Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Biden.
Intelligence is a select committee, and the moment there is hard proof in the hands of the house, Pelosi should remove Nunes, as is her right.
I’m sure there is more, but that is just from this weekend.
ThresherK
From the Newsweek article:
Wait, there’s a Trump Hotel there?
Turgidson
Unless ol String is in whiteface and really let himself go, I don’t think that’s the right clip. :P
Villago Delenda Est
Nunes is intimately tied into the treason.
Tumbrel ride for him.
Spanky
So far.
Mike in NC
Nunes ought to be censured and forced to repay that $57K.
zhena gogolia
I guess Nunes’ m.o. is to sue every journalist who tries to investigate him. That’s what lies behind his hint that CNN is engaged in “criminal activity.”
I keep thinking we’re found the most despicable member of the Trump mob, but they keep crawling out of the woodwork.
dmsilev
I guess the cows are coming home to roost.
ChrisH
Wrong clip, you have Kevin Smith talking instead
Ruckus
@zhena gogolia:
He hinted that there is criminal activity.
We know that, CowNunes is involved.
Nothing good is happening when CowNunes is involved.
New movie title, for the worst movie ever:
The Gang That Could Shoot In Every Direction But Straight.
hells littlest angel
@zhena gogolia: It’s like they’re having a contest amongst themselves.
Villago Delenda Est
@Ruckus: The Gang That Couldn’t Figure Out How To Mount The Magazine
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mike in NC:
Baud
@Villago Delenda Est:
Fixed?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@dmsilev: LMAO, you got there before I could.
OldDave
Everything Trump touches turns to shit.
GC
The Kevin Smith clip is great though.
Tony Jay
I’ve thought about this quite a lot over the last (checks watch) five minutes, and all I can say is that Devin Nunes is clearly so stupid that I’d like to make him a chicken and lettuce sandwich so that I can watch him saw his own head off with it.
What a colossal plonker.
TS (the original)
@Mike in NC: A google on “Nunes secret trip” highlights all the times Nunes has attempted to find some truth in the conspiracy theories of trump and the GOP. As noted by Vanity Fair (August 2018)
Villago Delenda Est
@OldDave: #ETTD
Mary G
You know the bigwigs at the WH Counsel’s office didn’t OK releasing all this. The example set by Fiona Hill and other professionals has got some other lower level lawabiding professional who’s not willing to put up with this bullshit going out on a limb. Hopefully it’s contagious all over government and we get a flood of evidence about all kinds of criming.
zhena gogolia
@hells littlest angel:
Somebody linked to that Cleveland Plain Dealer article that called Gym Jordan something like the “second most despicable person in the Republican party.” Not even close!
dmsilev
Also, from that linked article Nunes claimed $57k in expenses for four round-trip tickets from DC to Vienna, or about $14k each. Clearly he isn’t flying cattlecar-class with taxpayer money.
Baud
@Mary G:
I think there’s a big decision expected tomorrow about the McHagn subpoena. A good decision could open the floodgates.
mad citizen
@OldDave: Time again for the excellent Peter Kuper New Yorker “Five Stages of White House Employment”. I would link, but the most valid link seems to be a new yorker facebook page.
Villago Delenda Est
@OldDave: Gallagher could not recieve “a fair shake”?
Gallagher is a fucking war criminal. Those he murdered didn’t get much of a fair shake.
Esper is dogshit.
zhena gogolia
This is despicable. And terrifying.
clay
@zhena gogolia: It’s like a 58-way tie for second place.
MattF
I posted this comment off-topic earlier today— it’s actually relevant here:
There’s an extraordinary statistic tucked into a book review by WaPo reporter David Fahrenthold. In his battles with just about everybody, Donald Trump has initiated 3500 lawsuits. 3500!! That’s about 100 a year, over his adult life. Suing people is clearly a fundamental element in how he deals with the world. He deals constantly with lawyers.
If anyone imagines that Trump’s response to the impeachment process is a spur-of-the-moment improvisation, guess again.
Chetan Murthy
@Turgidson: I wonder which clip was meant? “Is you takin’ notes on a criminal conspiracy, motherfucker?” Or another one?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@dmsilev:
Mooooo!
Mary G
The results so far from the Hong Kong election are stupendous. 71% turnout and pro-democracy candidates (the Democratic Party) are beating the pants off the pro-mainline China candidates in a big blue wave. Well, I don’t know if it’s blue, but it’s big.
Patricia Kayden
@Mike in NC: He ought to go to jail too. Let’s hope that he goes down hard.
khead
If RBG dies, we are in a world of hurt.
zhena gogolia
@zhena gogolia:
I guess this is even more complicated than it looks at first glance.
What a mess this country has become in three short years.
zhena gogolia
@khead:
Didn’t she get out of the hospital?
Renie
If a democrat on the committee did what nunes did and the speaker was gop, the democrat would have already been thrown off the committee. don’t see that happening with nunes
bmoak
@ThresherK:
No, but Dmitri Firtash is holed up there.
Gin & Tonic
@zhena gogolia: There’s some hinky shit going on. According to the reports, Spencer tried to cut some deal with the WH without Esper’s OK? Trying to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL? Doesn’t match at all with what he said publicly. There is more to this story.
zhena gogolia
Why is there a picture of Tunch attached to this post on John’s twitter?
dmsilev
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Lot of low-hanging fruit to pick, ‘‘tis true. The sad thing, though, is that shenanigans like this most likely just increase his popularity in his district.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
She’s out.
Aleta
zhena gogolia
@Gin & Tonic:
I guess Adam and Cheryl are working on it.
zhena gogolia
@Baud:
You scared me for a minute!
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
I was confirming what you thought.
m0nty
I don’t know who the Watergate equivalent is, but Nunes’ role in this impeachment reminds me of Newt Gingrich, in that he is exactly guilty of the very thing he is accusing the other side of doing.
mad citizen
tried a test–never mind. Need to learn how to do the fancy posts.
The Dangerman
@dmsilev:
When your preferred source of Golden Showers is a Holstein, it takes a lot of Eastern European hookers to serve the man.
JPL
@khead: We are already there, since he has stacked the courts.
sdhays
@Mary G: There’s very little power at this level, but given these are the only real elections in Hong Kong and they are typically extremely low turnout, it’s a political earthquake. It gives the protesters a lot more legitimacy and makes the task of crushing them harder.
khead
@zhena gogolia:
She’s out. I’m still holding my breath.
JPL
Hoarse Wisperer has Spencer’s resignation letter. It adds more confusion to a volatile situation.
https://twitter.com/HoarseWisperer
Ruckus
@Villago Delenda Est:
The Gang That Couldn’t Figure Out Clip/Magazine
The Gang That Couldn’t Figure Out Not To Look Down the Barrel To See How Fast The Bullet Goes
The Gang That Spanky’s Was Smarter Than
Cheryl Rofer
@zhena gogolia: Because we need something good in our lives.
patrick II
@GC:
Yeah, I ended up watching the whole Kevin Smith video. He is a very funny man.
debbie
@m0nty:
There is no equivalent from Watergate. Only Nixon’s staff were the sleazeballs.
debbie
@Gin & Tonic:
Here’s the resignation letter.
jl
Can’t read the WaPo link, but I read someplace that the WH cover up docs were uncovered with a freedom of info act request. No wonder Barr put in an unhinged rant against FOIA a few weeks ago when he gave his undemocratic authoritarians R us speech.
Baud
@debbie:
In a Democratic administration, that alone would have been the basis for impeachment.
dmsilev
@debbie: Going out with a polite raised middle finger towards Trump.
I wonder who the ‘acting’ replacement Secretary will be.
Keith P
@zhena gogolia: Nunes is trying to become a billionaire, one quarter-of-a-billion-dollar lawsuit at a time.
japa21
I am positive Trump believes that his recent moves will ensure an increase in his support with the military, active and retired. Probably because Jared told him so. I think that is probably not gpoing to be the case.
And Esper is becoming as horrible as Barr.
debbie
@dmsilev:
There’s plenty of room in Jared’s portfolio. //
Aleta
?BillinGlendaleCA
@debbie: Well he brought peace to the Mid East, so he’s not got much to do.
debbie
@Aleta:
Sounds to me like Nunes wants to be Trump’s favorite son. Look out, DJTJ!
chris
57K? 14k apiece for four people for four days. Where do I sign up?
Aleta
Dennis Herring Replying to @Susan_Hennessey
While I agree wholeheartedly w your characterization, is there any legal way to thwart these kinds of lawsuits?
Susan Hennessey
Anti-SLAPP laws are critical. Unfortunately they don’t exist in all jurisdictions, so people are able to exploit the loophole by suing in places like Virginia.
Elle Bee Are
Taking a page right out of Trump’s book—using lawsuits as a bullying tactic. There is no way Nunes will win his cow lawsuits. They are frivolous. He is trying to intimidate people into silence. Here, he has not sued yet, bc CNN and Buzzfeed are less likely to be scared off.
Russell C. Lakey
True. For individuals, yes. He brings those merely to intimidate and bring financial hardships. Against CNN, they have the money and lawyers to battle. But the rich abusing the courts has been a thing forever. This was Trump’s MO as well.
MaterialMat[REDACTED]
Following the Don Trump of Queens litigation model, he will vigorously pursue the case right up to discovery, then drop it.
——————–
guy knoller @guyknoller1
Nunes threatens to sue over allegation he met Ukrainians.
Page out of Trump/Cohn playbook.
David Sorenson @CredibleHulk277
Replying to @BenSFletcher
Makes me wonder if it would be possible to reverse SLAPP Nunes. Create so many potential lawsuits that his lawyers are tied up in court for ages.
phein60
@Aleta:
Some background: According to the Joint Travel Regulations per diem rates, the total per diem for Vienna is $332/day (as of today; it may have been more in the summer months). That means for hotels and meals, each person would have received that much per day, if they were regular military or Feds. How much Congress critters get is another matter. If three people went, they were wasting $1k/day just being oxygen thieves. https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm
tobie
I thought this little tidbit in the Post Article was interesting. It looks like the CIA’s general counsel (Courtney Simmons Elwood) spilled the beans to the White House in early August that she had just received a complaint from a whistleblower. Are such complaints confidential?
WaterGirl
@Aleta: Thanks for that!
Loved the whole thing, ended up laughing out loud at this:
P.S. Does anybody else sometimes click link when you intend to do a blockquote?
Chetan Murthy
@phein60:
Decades ago, a co-worker suggested an insult even more brutal than this one: “waste of protoplasm”.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@phein60: Hookers and blow ain’t cheep.
WaterGirl
@Aleta: I hope you took out the blockquote and it didn’t just disappear for now reason. ??
edit: never mind, I see that it’s a completely different comment.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: Yes.
tobie
@tobie: I hit send to soon. Apparently the CIA’s general counsel Courtney Simmons Elwood made a criminal referral to the DOJ regarding the call. Bill Barr must have leaked the news to the White House while quashing the referral.
WaterGirl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I am not alone!
Another Scott
@JPL: It’s a doozie. Thanks for the pointer.
One almost never sees a clear statement of the reason for the resignation/firing in situations like this. Donnie is going to regret making an example of convicted criminal Eddie Gallagher.
What else was going on, I have no idea. But this was a good letter.
Cheers,
Scott.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@WaterGirl: At Balloon Juice you’re never alone.
Aleta
@phein60: Thanks. Do you think the GOP, or else T’s reelection fund, will be made to reimburse the expenses to the DOD ? Will the individual MOCs be fined for reporting it as gov’t travel? I wonder what exactly they wrote on the expense account forms to bill it as a Congressional expense.
sukabi
I don’t understand how McCaskill can be stunned by Nunes being a fact witness since from the very beginning he was running to the WH in the dead of night to cock up evidence he passed off as legit.
It’s been evident they’re all a bunch of treasonous idiots from the very beginning.
trnc
Every accusation is a confession. I’d have a tough time naming any currently serving republican who does not behave that way.
mrmoshpotato
? It’s
beginning tolook(ing) a lot like treason everywhere you go. What with all of this Trump trash sucking Kremlin ass on your front door*?*might as well be on your front door with how obvious the Russthuglicans have been
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Aleta: “It’s an Intelligence matter, I could tell you but then I’d have to shoot you”.
sukabi
@?BillinGlendaleCA: or cheap.
Aleta
@WaterGirl: I stripped out the link verbiage, because there were too many. Then put that one in for the legal fund.
Still figuring out how to keep block quotes separate though.
mrmoshpotato
@trnc: Sorry, but Bill Clinton’s wife wasn’t dying of cancer when he was cheating on her.
Newt: I’ll see your Oval office blowjob and raise you a cheating-on-your-dying-wife blowjob.
Ilieitz
@dmsilev: you do know that government employees need to fly on -refundable tickets. Which is the stupidest thing on earth. Twice the price of any ticket you would buy
Chetan Murthy
Oops, shoulda waited. deleted.
mrmoshpotato
@sukabi: Out of the goodness of my heart, I hope she didn’t hit her head when she fainted.
Aleta
@?BillinGlendaleCA: It’s OK if you do. My roof is leaking tonight after a summer of home owner catastrophes.
Aleta
@WaterGirl: Oh, I see what you mean! Yes I do.
Another Scott
@chris:
It looks like $14,000 isn’t [out] of line for similar trips. See the March 4, 2019 Congressional Record.
Dunno why it costs so much.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
mrmoshpotato
@dmsilev: Moo-a-doodle-do!
sukabi
@mrmoshpotato: welp you’re nicer than I am…I hoped she bounced.
rikyrah
Another Scott
@phein60: Per diem is a separate line item in the report that’s in the Congressional Record. See my previous post for a link.
Dunno why it’s so expensive. It says it’s “Commercial Airfare” so it’s not hitching a ride on a C-17 or something, I assume.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
Kathleen
@Gin & Tonic: My first thought was that Esper is lying.
Starfish
@?BillinGlendaleCA: <a href=https://twitter.com/RexChapman/status/1198643420782383112>This</a> is an adorable video of a baby that is completely relevant to your thread.
mrmoshpotato
@Ruckus: The Gang That Couldn’t….No, Wouldn’t Stop Shooting Themselves In The Dick
rikyrah
@rikyrah:
Ilieitz
@Another Scott: Again not to defend Nunes government employees need to fly on refundable tickets which are twice the price of regular tickets
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Aleta: I got one better, my neighbor recently moved and they’re cleaning the yard, they cut the lock off my storage shed to “clean” it. The landlord will be getting a bill for the replacement items.
mrmoshpotato
@sukabi: Bwhahahahha…. you’re terrible….hahahahaha.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Another Scott:
Hookers and blow.
aliasofwestgate
Nice to see the stupidity, if only the sheer brazenness of it wasn’t so terrifying.
Another Scott
@Ilieitz: Er, I don’t think you’re right about the price difference. An, er, little bird told me that refundable government fares are often substantially cheaper than commercial coach fares.
I was on a vacation trip to Austin once and Sen Cornyn was on the flight. The only perq he got was sitting in the exit row (with more leg room).
I understand that there are rules that government employees must fly the cheapest way (and can’t fly first class, etc., usually). There are even DOD rules that employees cannot fly at all unless the “mission” cannot be satisfied any other way.
Dunno if the House has carved out exceptions about first class flights, etc. But the fact that most of the other foreign flights listed in the Congressional Record that day have similar prices make me wary of accusing Nunes of malfeasance on the trip expenses. (I’m not accusing you or anyone else here of doing so.) People need to be careful, and remember that Twitter doesn’t do nuance.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
mrmoshpotato
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Nunes took his whole herd with him.
Kent
I flew many hundreds of thousands of miles on government tickets when I worked for the federal government in Alaska. The government negotiates bulk rates with the airlines which are arranged through government travel offices. The fares are always fully refundable and fully changeable as they pretty much need to be. Meetings run long, get canceled, and changed. Half the time I’d be flying home on a different flight than the one originally booked. I expect a lot of business travel is the same. If you pay attention, the tickets cost more than the cheapest discount tickets you can buy yourself, but they are cheaper than last minute full fare tickets.
That said, I know nothing about Congressional travel.
lgerard
@Aleta:
I don’t think there is much to fear from Devin’s lawsuits, largely because his attorney Steven Biss (who also seems to be Kash Patel’s lawyer in his suit against Politico) is an absolute loon.
Let’s meet some of Biss’s other clients
There is Robert David Steele, head of the Earth Intelligence Network. He is a grade Z Alex Jones wannabe most famous for his discovery that NASA runs child slave colonies on Mars. He has a number of websites so densely packed with buzzwords and bullshit that it will make your eyes hurt trying to read them.
He is suing a microscopically obscure You Tube personalities named “Queen Tut” and some of her friends. Evidently they said mean things about him on the internet.
Then there is conspiracy nut and pizzagate truther Timothy Charles Holmseth. Holmseth fights a lonely battle against the satanic forces that have enmeshed the FBI, CIA, the Deep State and everyone else you have ever heard of in a vast child abuse network. Or something. He managed to get involved in a child abuse case a thousand miles away by harassing a Florida child welfare attorney to the point where she got a restraining order against him. Naturally he is suing her and everyone else in the Florida legal system.
On the plus side, he once wrote a letter to then Attorney General Jeff Sessions detailing how Mike Pence ran a secret child sex ring, so maybe he is not all bad.
Biss seems to have picked up the baton from Orly Taitz, filing absurdly frivolous lawsuits on behalf of certifiable lunatics, which brings us right back to Devin Nunes.
burnspbesq
As difficult as it is to imagine, the folks in Fresno fucking love Nunes. He could run for re-election from ADX Florence (the Federal Supermax) and win handily.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@lgerard: Maybe Orly went back to dentistry.
Ilieitz
@Another Scott: I was a government employee and traveled on the government dime and the airplane ticket cost twice as much as a ticket that you would buy that is nonrefundable. So a ticket to Europe cost you 700.00 the government ticket would be around 1400.00
planetjanet
@Another Scott: The GSA schedule for airfare from Washington Dulles to Vienna is $923 each way, for $1,846 round trip.
GSA City Pairs
Felixmoronia
@?BillinGlendaleCA: When you are in London doing James Bond shit onme has to have a DB9 for each 00 and those aren’t cheap to rent!
John Revolta
Strange thing is, this Spencer at first glance seems to be just another flunky Trump appointee who
previously spent 15 years on Wall Street. How he suddenly grew a pair and got in trouble with the other flunky Trump appointee is puzzling.Hopefully Adam or Cheryl will make it all clear.
Baud
@burnspbesq:
2018 was relatively close.
Ilieitz
@planetjanet: maybe the travel rules for the USDA are different but our travel was arranged in house and we had to buy refundable ticket = twice the price
?BillinGlendaleCA
@burnspbesq: I see a new book on the horizon, “What’s the Matter with Fresno?”. Most of Fresno is actually represented by Jim Costa, Devin’s Cow only represents the north and eastern parts along with Clovis, Visalia and Tulare.
planetjanet
@Ilieitz: I am agreeing with you. United is posting airfares from $1024. So yes, twice the price.
Another Scott
@planetjanet:
Thanks.
House Ethics rules on Official Travel:
I don’t see any requirement to use Government Rate fares, or to only fly Coach, for them if they’re on Official Travel. Maybe it’s in the separate Handbooks referenced on that page.
So, maybe that explains it – maybe they’re flying full-fare first class or something. Dunno.
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
chris
@lgerard:
Wow! Nunes is in excellent company. I must go and subscribe to those newsletters.
Ilieitz
@Kent: you were a Peace Corps volunteer right? Me to. 3 years in Jamaica(I know I know) hence my nym. 38 years in the govt. total
Rand Careaga
@mrmoshpotato:
Although the first Mrs. Newt was indeed suffering from cancer during their divorce, which became final in 1980, she actually lingered on for another thirty-three years after that, so “dying” isn’t really descriptive here.
All is forgiven, Newt! /s
MaryLou
@burnspbesq: Is it because he’s bringing home those sweet sweet Benjamins?
TS (the original)
@Kathleen: I was pleased to find this because none of it was making sense to me
chris
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
There’s an ad for her practice on her website. The rest of it is as batshit crazy as you’d expect.
Kathleen
@TS (the original): Agreed. Thanks for this tweet – it’s good to know I’m not the only one who is puzzled.
artem1s
Obligatory
calling Nunes stupid would be an insult to Otto.
https://youtu.be/2j3adcbEwSM?t=40
cain
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Maybe the consensus will change the maps.
SFAW
@burnspbesq:
I’m really hoping we get to test that hypothesis.
...now I try to be amused
@clay:
So the second-most despicable person in the Republican Party is like the #2 in Al Qaeda, eh?
Warblewarble
Wait ,wait a minute Cohen had tapes, Parnas has tapes,what kind of people do these guys associate with. Can they not be trusted or something?
Freemark
@m0nty: isn’t that always true with Republicans? They should all have jobs at cineplexes because the only thing they are actual masters at is projection.