The media over the past few years has reported a false narrative that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia during his 2016 campaign to steal the election.
That narrative was proven false after a lengthy special counsel investigation found no evidence of such collusion. Media outlets and their Democrat supporters refused to acknowledge that they got the story wrong or that they were biased in their reporting. They are continuing that behavior now that the Department of Justice dropped its charges against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.
FBI agents, in handwritten notes, questioned what the goal was of their January 24, 2017 interview with Flynn, writing: “What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe (fired for lying to the FBI) would later say the interview with Flynn was “very odd” because “it seemed like [Flynn] was telling the truth.”
But even though Flynn appears to have been vindicated and the victim of FBI entrapment, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell had a different take: That Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the DOJ’s charges being dropped.
Seriously.
As Newsbusters <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/alex-christy/2020/05/09/msnbc-claims-putin-why-doj-dropped-flynn-case">reported</a>, Mitchell was interviewing former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and current MSNBC contributor Frank Figliuzzi about the charges against Flynn being dropped. Mitchell said the decision to drop the charges was “stunning” and “unprecedented,” even though the documents showing the FBI interviewed Flynn with the goal of getting him fired were released weeks earlier. Mitchell then connected the dropped charges to President Donald Trump’s phone call with Putin on Thursday, the day the charges were dropped.
&#8220;Frank, first, all of the implications here, and the fact that he then called Vladimir Putin yesterday, and according to the White House announcement of this and description of it, there was no mention of the Russia probe and the election probe. But the president himself discussed that with Vladimir Putin, and the facts that in his view now that the Russian hoax was dispelled, they could get back to business,&#8221; Mitchell said, according to Newsbusters.
Figliuzzi was all too happy to agree that Putin was behind the DOJ’s decision.
&#8220;Yeah, I think they&#8217;re actually linked. The dismissal of charges against Flynn and conversation by the president with Vladimir Putin, stone cold adversary of the United States on the very same day, that&#8217;s not a coincidence,&#8221; Figliuzzi said.
The contributor went on to claim that the investigation into Flynn was important for national security.
“The Flynn interview that is at issue here by the FBI was all about resolving the question of whether Mike Flynn was a counterintelligence threat to the nation as he entered into the national security adviser role. It was about figuring out how to neutralize, resolve and counter that threat. So when the president gets on the phone with Vladimir Putin and the topic comes up in the same conversation, the concerns have not yet been resolved,&#8221; he said.
Documents revealed the FBI had no basis to interview or investigate Flynn. Further, Trump’s phone call with Putin occurred the same day the charges were dropped, yet U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen recommended those charges be dropped a week earlier.

Vladimir Putin

It Never Ends: Now MSNBC Suggests Vladimir Putin Was Behind DOJ Dropping Case Against Michael Flynn

Andrea Mitchell

Donald Trump

Media Bias

Michael Flynn

MSNBC

On Wednesday, the Kremlin announced that Russian president Vladimir Putin, 67,  will “work remotely” after he met a doctor who later tested positive for coronavirus. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin “prefers these days to work remotely” and is “taking all precautionary measures,” according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8176123/Vladimir-Putin-work-remotely-coronavirus-fears.html">The Daily Mail</a>. A Kremlin spokesman said, &#8220;Now, of course, everyone keeps a social distance, everyone does it,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://tass.ru/obschestvo/8132817">Tass News Agency</a>. The spokesman continued: &#8220;Thank God there are such technical and technological capabilities. Everyone sees that the president is working remotely, everyone has seen the president remotely participate in the G20 summit. Now these days, the remote format will be used as widely as possible in the work of the president.&#8221;
Peskov added, &#8220;Usually the president does not take indicative measures at all, he takes effective measures.&#8221;
Putin, 67, is staying at the presidential residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow; he was scheduled to hold a cabinet meeting by video conference on Wednesday. Putin had met last Tuesday with Dr. Denis Protsenko, the head of the country&#8217;s main coronavirus hospital, at Kommunarka hospital in Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and other representatives of government agencies also attended the meeting.
Peskov stated, “All of those who were with the president at Kommunarka are being tested daily for the coronavirus … everything is fine.”
The Daily Mail reported, “Putin wore a bright yellow hazmat suit at the hospital, but was also seen talking to Protsenko without any protective gear.”
In Moscow, a QR-code system is going to be implemented in which every resident who registers online will be assigned a unique code that can identify them to police officers if the citizens have to leave their homes.
According to <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/04/01/coronavirus-in-russia-the-latest-news-april-1-a69117">The Moscow Times</a>, “There have been 2,777 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 24 deaths. Russia <a href="https://xn--80aesfpebagmfblc0a.xn--p1ai/#operational-data">confirmed</a> 440 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases up to 2,777 … Moscow residents will only be allowed to leave their homes to seek emergency medical care, shop for food or medicine, go to work, walk pets or take out the garbage. The self-isolation order will apply to all residents regardless of age.”
The Moscow Times added, “Russian lawmakers on Tuesday swiftly passed legislation imposing severe punishment — including up to five years in prison — for people convicted of spreading false information about the coronavirus. The proposals are part of a package of draft legislation that also aims to impose tough punishment — including up to seven years in prison — for people breaking coronavirus quarantine rules.”
<a href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/01/coronavirus-russia-sends-military-plane-with-medical-gear-to-us/">The New York Post</a> reported on Tuesday that Russia reached out to the United States to offer aid:
<blockquote>A Russian military transport plane loaded with medical equipment took off early Wednesday from an airfield outside Moscow and headed for the US, following a <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/30/trump-says-hell-discuss-coronavirus-pandemic-with-vladimir-putin/">conversation between President Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin</a>, according to a report. Putin offered supplies to help fight the coronavirus pandemic during a phone call with Trump on Monday, which focused on how to respond to the outbreak, Reuters reported.</blockquote>

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Sevastopol

Putin Will ‘Work Remotely’ After Meeting Doctor Who Tested Positive For Coronavirus

Coronavirus

The following is satirical.
The two sides are making their closing arguments in the impeachment of Donald Trump for whatever the hell they’re accusing him of this time.
Acting for the prosecution, Congressman Adam Schiff told the Senate that if Trump were not removed from office, &#8220;he could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and leave Jared Kushner to run the country, delegating to him the decision whether they go to war.&#8221;
Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Oh, Klavan you rambunctious, irrepressible dispenser of delight and hilarity, where do you come up with your zany satirical ideas? And how do you keep your skin so soft and beautiful?”
But no, the truth is: those are actually Adam Schiff’s exact words. He actually said if Trump wasn’t convicted, he might give Alaska to the Russians.
As Schiff’s words spread around the country, patriots rushed to the Alaskan border to defend the state from being handed over to Putin. These were just brave, ordinary Alaskans, including a guy who moved up there to escape the upcoming invasion of Earth by the planet Kleptar, a Japanese soldier from World War II who hadn’t heard the big news about Hiroshima and a black bear who thought Adam Schiff said Trump would be giving away salmon because, being only a bear, he couldn’t imagine someone would say anything as idiotic as what Schiff actually said.
Embarrassed to be called out by one of the lower mammals, Schiff later admitted he had meant to say that if Trump was not removed from office he might give Putin a Baked Alaska in return for support in the next election, although Schiff acknowledged Trump might not need Russian support in the next election given all the new jobs and stuff.
Meanwhile, Jared Kushner, hearing Schiff’s remarks, did in fact declare war on Mar-a-Lago but his invasion was turned back when a volley of golf balls dented his Lincoln Town Car.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-bump-presidents-approval-rating-rockets-to-personal-best-amid-impeachment">Trump Bump! President’s Approval Rating Rockets To Personal Best Amid Impeachment</a>

Brown Bear

Two Lunatics And A Bear Rush To Defend Alaska After Schiff Says Trump Might Give The State To Putin [Satire]

Adam Schiff

Russia

Satire

On Wednesday morning, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and the entire government resigned as President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional changes to potentially extend his rule.
&#8220;Russian President Putin on Wednesday proposed a nationwide vote on sweeping constitutional changes that would shift power from the presidency to parliament and the prime minister, a move that could allow him to extend his rule after leaving the Kremlin, Reuters reports,&#8221; NBC News reported.
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BREAKING: Russian President Putin on Wednesday proposed a nationwide vote on sweeping constitutional changes that would shift power from the presidency to parliament and the prime minister, a move that could allow him to extend his rule after leaving the Kremlin, Reuters reports.
&mdash; NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1217445574116630529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Following the breaking news, Tass state news agency reported that Medvedev submitted his resignation to Putin. &#8220;Russian news agencies said Putin thanked Medvedev for his service, but added that the prime minister’s Cabinet failed to fulfill all the objectives set for it,&#8221; noted NBC News.
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BREAKING: Tass state news agency reports that Russian PM Medvedev has submitted his resignation to President Putin.
Russian news agencies said Putin thanked Medvedev for his service, but added that the prime minister’s Cabinet failed to fulfill all the objectives set for it.
&mdash; NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1217446166243299328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Of course these are very serious changes to the political system,&#8221; Putin said during his annual state-of-the-union address.
&#8220;It would increase the role and significance of the country&#8217;s Parliament &#8230; of parliamentary parties, and the independence and responsibility of the prime minister,&#8221; the Russian president said, adding a proposal for a nationwide vote on such changes.
According to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-prime-minister-medvedev-cabinet-submit-resignation-11579095839?mod=e2tw">The Wall Street Journal</a>, &#8220;Mr. Medvedev will stay on as prime minister until the new government is formed, Mr. Putin said on state television. He added that Mr. Medvedev would be offered the newly created post of deputy chairman of Russia’s security council.&#8221;
&#8220;The prime minister and government’s approval ratings have fallen steadily over the past five years, during which Mr. Putin took credit for most foreign policy decisions and the government was responsible for domestic policy. Over the same period, Russians’ living standards have fallen and <a class="icon none" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/putin-blames-sanctions-energy-prices-for-declining-russian-incomes-11561035133?mod=article_inline">economic growth has slowed</a>,&#8221; the outlet noted.
&#8220;What’s happening here? Putin appears to be changing the constitution, including shifting powers to PM, to allow him to continue to rule Russia after term limit as president is up,&#8221; CNN&#8217;s Jim Sciutto reacted to the news.
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What’s happening here? Putin appears to be changing the constitution, including shifting powers to PM, to allow him to continue to rule Russia after term limit as president is up. <a href="https://t.co/YaYseaBLh9">https://t.co/YaYseaBLh9</a>
&mdash; Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1217456415343771648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Putin has been president or prime minister for nearly two decades, noted NBC. The Russian leader &#8220;was due to finish his fourth presidential term in 2024, after which the constitution would bar him from immediately running for president again.&#8221;
Putin&#8217;s latest announcement confirms speculation from Russian media outlets that the president would try to stay in power past 2024.
“The main point of Putin’s message: what kind of idiots (and/or crooks) are all those who said Putin will leave in 2024,&#8221; posted anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny in response to the news. &#8220;Remaining the sole leader for life, taking ownership of an entire country, and appropriating wealth to himself and his friends is the only goal of Putin and his regime.&#8221;
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Главный итог послания Путина: какие же олухи (и/или жулики) все те, кто говорил, что Путин уйдёт в 2024 году. Оставаться пожизненным единоличным лидером, захватив в собственность целую страну, присвоив себе и своим друзьям её богатства &#8211; единственная цель Путина и его режима.
&mdash; Alexey Navalny (@navalny) <a href="https://twitter.com/navalny/status/1217401962175459328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi&#8217;s daughter tied the developments to President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Putin dissolved Russia’s government to keep himself in power. Jealous as you may be [President of the United States], you can’t do this here,&#8221; wrote Christine Pelosi via Twitter. 
&#8220;You are <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" role="link" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImpeachedForLife?src=hashtag_click" data-focusable="true">#ImpeachedForLife</a>,&#8221; she added, &#8220;and will be voted out of office within a year &#8211; one way or anothe[r].&#8221; 
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Putin dissolved Russia’s government to keep himself in power. Jealous as you may be <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, you can’t do this here. You are <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImpeachedForLife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ImpeachedForLife</a> and will be voted out of office within a year &#8211; one way or anothe <a href="https://t.co/duS3w0Pu8P">https://t.co/duS3w0Pu8P</a>
&mdash; Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfpelosi/status/1217455638659252225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Speaker Pelosi has long accused President Trump and the GOP of having nefariously ties to Putin and Russia. On Tuesday, Pelosi &#8220;continued to play up claims that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is beholden to Russian interests during a caucus meeting,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/pelosi-continues-to-suggest-russians-hold-sway-over-mcconnell/">National Review</a> noted.
&#8220;Pelosi told her colleagues in private that Mitch McConnell is acting like a rogue Senate leader, as she’s said before. She mused that sometimes she wonders whether McConnell has Russian connections, per attendees,&#8221; reported CNN’s Manu Raju.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Entire Russian Government Resigns As Putin Moves To Extend His Rule. Pelosi’s Daughter Takes Trump Jab.

Nancy Pelosi

On Monday, a Russian court ordered the detention of two men arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack during the New Year holidays in St. Petersburg. Russian authorities made the arrests Friday after getting tipped off about the planned attack by the U.S.
&#8220;The Federal Security Service (FSB), the main KGB successor agency, said in a statement that the suspects detained on Friday confessed to plotting the attacks. It added that it also seized materials proving their guilt,&#8221; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russian-court-jails-terrorism-suspects-arrested-us-tip-67989106">ABC News</a> reports. &#8220;The FSB didn&#8217;t elaborate on their alleged motives or targets, but Russia&#8217;s state television reported that the suspects had recorded a video swearing their allegiance to the Islamic State group.&#8221;
The FSB says the suspects &#8220;intended to carry out terrorist acts in crowded places in St. Petersburg during the New Year holidays,&#8221; as reported by the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7836799/Putin-thanks-Trump-intelligence-helped-Russia-foil-New-Years-terror-attack.html">Daily Mail</a>. &#8220;Evidence proving preparations for staging the terror attacks has been seized from the detained persons,&#8221; the agency said.
Russian officials credited information provided by their &#8220;American partners&#8221; for the uncovering of the plot and the arrest of the two alleged ISIS terrorists.
The two suspects have been identified as Nikita Semyonov and Georgy Chernyshev. On Monday, a court in St. Petersburg ordered that they should remain in custody until their trial.
Video footage published by the Daily Mail appears to show the dramatic moment that armed FSB agents arrested the two suspects, uncovering what appear to be knives and shotgun shells. &#8220;The men appeared to resist arrest but later the FSB said that they had started &#8216;confessing&#8217; to plotting terrorism attacks,&#8221; the outlet reports.
On Tuesday, Trump posted a statement on social media noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had called him to thank him and the U.S. for helping prevent the attack and celebrating the &#8220;important coordination&#8221; between the U.S. and Russian intelligence agencies.
&#8220;President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great &amp; important coordination!&#8221;
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President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great &amp; important coordination!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1212012065440894976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
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A spokesman for the Kremlin says Putin called Trump Sunday to thank him for intelligence &#8220;transmitted through the special services that helped prevent terrorist attacks in Russia,&#8221; as reported by ABC. The spokesman pointed to the sharing of the information as &#8220;vivid proof of the efficiency&#8221; of the two countries&#8217; counter-terrorism coordination.
&#8220;The Kremlin said Putin passed on his gratitude to Trump for the tip from US special services during a phone call on Sunday. It gave no further details,&#8221;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/29/putin-thanks-trump-for-tip-russia-says-foiled-terror-attacks"> The Guardian</a> reports, noting: &#8220;Diplomatic ties between Washington and Moscow are fraught over disagreements concerning Ukraine and Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the US presidential election, but Trump and Putin have kept personal lines of communication open.&#8221;
The White House  has since <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/30/white-house-confirms-trump-phone-call-with-putin-that-foiled-terror-plot/">confirmed</a> the Kremlin&#8217;s report on the call between the two leaders; Trump first addressed the call about the foiled plot in his tweet Tuesday.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-iran-behind-attack-on-u-s-embassy-in-baghdad-will-pay">Trump Threatens Action Against Iran After Attack On U.S. Embassy In Baghdad</a>

Putin Trump

U.S. Helps Foil New Year’s Terror Plot In Russia; Trump: ‘Many Lives Saved’

Islamic State (ISIS)

Terrorism

Democratic Rep. Norma Torres (CA), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Friday that she believes Russian President Vladimir Putin may have blackmail on President Donald Trump – a conspiracy theory that is so fringe that even CNN repeatedly challenged her on the claim.
CNN&#8217;s Brianna Keilar asked, &#8220;I wonder how concerned you are that Putin was able to influence not just through sort of Russian meddling and trying to persuade voters or Americans, but actually to influence the president in a way that has him picking what Putin’s saying over his own Intel community?&#8221;
&#8220;I think after the 2016 elections, the gloves were really off when it came to Vladimir Putin’s influence with President Trump and the GOP,&#8221; Torres responded. &#8220;Because let’s not forget, the GOP continues to parrot, not only on the floor, but also going onto Fox News, all of the things, the lies that Putin continues to spread, blaming and deflecting everyone else on his interference in our U.S. Elections.&#8221;
&#8220;Why do you think the president was such an easy target for Putin here?&#8221; Keilar pressed.
&#8220;I am afraid that Vladimir Putin may have something on the president, and it is the reason why the president has continued to play the handmaid to Vladimir Putin, inviting him to the White House and opening the doors and not having any advisers present, taking the notes from the interpreter and continuing to talk to him and continuing to parrot everything that he tells him,&#8221; Torres responded. &#8220;Russia is no friend of the U.S. They have never been a friend to us. They continue to compromise us internationally; they continue to attack our friends and our allies overseas. So, we have to be very careful, and we have to keep a close eye on how this continues to evolve.&#8221;
&#8220;You said you think that Putin may have something, meaning compromising information – Kompromat, as it’s said in Russia – on President Trump? Do you have proof of that?&#8221; Keilar pressed. &#8220;Is there something specific that you’re thinking of when you say that?&#8221;
&#8220;Well, there is no other reason why President Trump continues to capitulate to what Putin is telling him. He doesn’t do that with anyone else,&#8221; Torres responded. &#8220;He doesn’t do that with his advisers. He doesn’t do that with his American ambassadors who are providing him information, who have told him time and time and time again, national security advisers, that this is nothing but Russian propaganda that he continues to not believe our own intelligence over Putin.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Democrat Rep. Norma Torres of California, who is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, promotes a conspiracy theory on CNN that Putin has blackmail on President Donald Trump. <a href="https://t.co/oghB1NNYJY">pic.twitter.com/oghB1NNYJY</a>
&mdash; (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) <a href="https://twitter.com/jasonrantz/status/1208192734093135872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Keilar continued to press Torres by falsely suggesting that Trump&#8217;s election victory might not have been “legitimate,” and asked if that could be a reason to explain Trump&#8217;s behavior. Keilar failed to note that the Trump administration has been more aggressive toward Russia than any administration in recent memory and that Trump has repeatedly provided lethal weapons to Ukraine.
&#8220;No, I think it was – we are beyond 2016’s election,&#8221; Torres said. &#8220;I was present on January 20th to see President Trump take the oath of office. And I was there because I believe in the rule of law, because I believe in a peaceful transfer of power. So we are beyond 2016. The fact that this President of the United States continues to depend on Russia to win the next election that he has coming, asking not only Russia, but asking Ukraine and China openly on TV to investigate his political opponents who could be challenging him, and who absolutely have an opportunity to win in this next election, I think is unconscionable. We have to work toward securing our elections, and not only has President Trump blocked us from securing our elections, Republicans in Congress have also done that.&#8221;

Norma Torres

WATCH: Democrat Peddles Such A Wild Trump Conspiracy Theory That Even CNN Pushes Back

On Tuesday’s episode of “The Andrew Klavan Show,” Klavan talks about how Adam Schiff has played into the hands of Putin by falling for the Russian collusion conspiracy theory. Video and partial transcript below: 
The Republicans are basically threatening to turn the tables on this entire investigation. Bill McGurn has a terrific column in [The Wall Street] <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-job-for-adam-schiff-11576540574">Journal</a> [Tuesday,] saying:
<blockquote>Now that his impeachment work is over, here&#8217;s a new assignment for Adam Schiff: to investigate whether the bad intel in the Christopher Steele dossier was there because the former British spy was a sloppy partisan — or because he was the patsy in a Russian disinformation campaign.
As chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Schiff is plainly the man for the job. Such an investigation fits comfortably with his oft-stated complaint that Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 presidential election and will do so again in 2020 if we don&#8217;t stop it. Meanwhile, the allegation that the Steele “dossier” was a product of Russian disinformation comes from one of Mr. Schiff&#8217;s own star witnesses, Fiona Hill.</blockquote>
&#8230; The myth that the Democrats spread around and that [former Special Counsel Robert] Mueller helped spread was that Vladimir Putin was trying to get Trump to win and Hillary to lose — I said from the very beginning, that is absolutely absurd. Everyone knew, including me, everyone knew Hillary Clinton was going to win. There was no way Vladimir Putin had any idea that Donald Trump could win because nobody had any idea Donald Trump could win. So I speculated, “Well, what was he doing?” He&#8217;s obviously just screwing around with our election and their own witness, Fiona Hill, said the same thing. Here she is:
<blockquote>HILL: The Russians interests, frankly, to delegitimize our entire presidency. So one issue that I do want to raise and I think that this would resonate with our colleagues, some on the committee from the Republican Party, is that the goal of the Russians was really to put whoever became the president by trying to tip their hands on one side of the scale under a cloud. 
So if secretary, former first lady, former Senator Clinton had been elected as president, as indeed many expected in the run up to the election in 2016, she too would have had major questions about her legitimacy. And I think that, you know, what we&#8217;re seeing here as a result of all of these narratives, is this is exactly what the Russian government was hoping for. If they seed misinformation, they seed doubt, they have everybody questioning the legitimacy of a presidential candidate being President Trump or potentially President Clinton, that they would pit one side of our electorate against the other, that they would pit one party against the other. </blockquote>
See, this is the thing, and I said this from the very beginning, because it has to be true as the only way the story makes sense. Vladimir Putin has been messing with our elections forever. They do all this kind of — they take out ads and they do whatever they can to disrupt things. He doesn&#8217;t care whether Donald Trump is president. This whole mythology that Donald Trump was a Russian asset, [which] Brennan and Clapper were selling on TV to cover up their own bad behavior in the Obama administration, it just doesn&#8217;t make sense. 
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There was simply no way for Vladimir Putin to know there was any chance of Donald Trump winning. He went after Clinton because it was obvious she was going to win — that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s mostly targeting Clinton, not Trump. But if it had been clear that Trump was going to win, he would have targeted Trump. It&#8217;s America that he&#8217;s after — it&#8217;s us — he wants us at each other&#8217;s throats. 
So who are the Russians&#8217; assets? Because this is Putin&#8217;s success that he couldn&#8217;t even have dreamed of, Adam Schiff going on TV and convicting Trump for two years of Russian collusion, falsely, of lying about it. Adam Schiff lying about his relationship with the whistleblower in the Ukraine affair, Adam Schiff lying now about whether he could have known that the FBI FISA warrant process was out of control when Devin Nunes knew two years ago. Why didn&#8217;t he know? Because he was lying. 
Adam Schiff is a Russian asset. I don&#8217;t think on purpose, I just think he&#8217;s a patsy who [has] played into the Russian plan to make us to turn us against each other. James Comey, another guy who went after Trump with a vengeance, who made it sound as if it were possible that Donald Trump was some kind of colluding with the Russians — I think it was Lindsey Graham [who] recently said Donald Trump doesn&#8217;t collude with anybody. He doesn’t collude with his own government, why would he collude with the Russians? It&#8217;s nonsense. 
Of course, Jerry Nadler, who just does whatever that [he’s] told, I&#8217;m sure, who&#8217;s bumbling around trying to make this impeachment thing sound like it&#8217;s a constitutional emergency. These are the three Russian stooges, these are the guys who either the Moe, Larry, and Curly of Russia&#8217;s attempt to fiddle with our country, and they have just been patsies for this guy, who is very good at this information and who sent that disinformation through Christopher Steele and through this — now we know, bogus, dossier. Who fell for it? I didn&#8217;t, they did. 
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House Intelligence Committee Holds Hearing On Impeachment Inquiry Of President Trump

KLAVAN: Adam Schiff: The Unwitting Russian Asset

Ukraine

<div>
Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the Syrian Civil War to strengthen his strategic position against NATO and expand Russian influence in the Middle East.
Why is Russia Involved in the Syrian Conflict?
Since taking office, Vladimir Putin has been intent on restoring Russia as a great world power.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian military radically shrank and decayed. A strong navy is essential to project power and protect commerce but, despite 23 million miles of coastline, Russia does not have a single warm water port. Ports that are not frozen year-round are very shallow. In order for a Russian ship to access a world ocean, it must go through a chokepoint controlled by either a NATO member country or Japan, a close ally of the United States.
Putin has prioritized rebuilding the armed forces and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1356788000662?journalCode=tstc20#_i4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1356788000662?journalCode%3Dtstc20%23_i4&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841640000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHkWX4yQlDDZ0qE8UQxx_q8gARJQA">restoring</a> the Russian navy’s ocean-going capability in order to deter NATO, which he views as the greatest threat to Russia.
The Kremlin’s military strategy is designed to break out of “perceived NATO encirclement,” <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2015/10/06/us-russia-building-arc-of-steel-from-arctic-to-med/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2015/10/06/us-russia-building-arc-of-steel-from-arctic-to-med/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841640000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEvmaf9ato1RTP6xN3yYmV1AHODRA">according</a> to Adm. Mark Ferguson, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and the Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, by creating an “arc of steel from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.” In <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013/december/russian-navy-rebalances-mediterranean" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013/december/russian-navy-rebalances-mediterranean&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841640000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGy8X8ILTtYdhkU31jtSUCowetvOg">2013</a>, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu similarly stated the “Mediterranean region was the core of all essential dangers to Russia’s national interests” and established a naval department task force in the region on a “permanent basis.”
Tartus
During the Cold War, advanced ships from both the United States and Soviet Union were <a href="https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013/december/russian-navy-rebalances-mediterranean" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2013/december/russian-navy-rebalances-mediterranean&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841640000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGy8X8ILTtYdhkU31jtSUCowetvOg">present</a> in the Mediterranean Sea. More recently, American ships have been focused in the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific.
Russia’s only naval base outside the former Soviet Union is in Tartus, Syria. After the Soviet collapse, it was only used occasionally by Russian ships, but the Kremlin expressed renewed interest in the facility in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/08/syria.russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/08/syria.russia&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841640000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGp1pPoaYKG_By5IRaBoVsLH4OBIQ">2005</a>. Tartus is used for maintenance and is capable of holding 11 warships at a time, including nuclear submarines. In 2017, Syria and Russia signed a new lease for 49 years, with plans for <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-russia-turning-syria-major-naval-base-nuclear-warships-19813" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-russia-turning-syria-major-naval-base-nuclear-warships-19813&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841641000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG5F5GWbWVrYyupsXG2FlxxEpz_qg">expansion</a>.
Without Tartus, all Russian ships must sail through the Bosporus Strait, which is controlled by NATO member Turkey.
Putin began providing weapons to Assad to “fight terrorism” in 2011. However, the anti-ship cruise missiles and advanced air-defense systems the Kremlin <a href="https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/the-new-cold-war-in-the-mediterranean" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/the-new-cold-war-in-the-mediterranean&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841641000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHX4sHEqDhcMJmRYVIaCZEfLZmRgg">provided</a> were not to fight ISIS — a group with no ships or planes. “These systems are aimed at denying NATO the ability to operate freely in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as helping to crush all opposition to Assad,” Frederick Kagan and John Miller <a href="https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/the-new-cold-war-in-the-mediterranean" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/the-new-cold-war-in-the-mediterranean&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841641000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHX4sHEqDhcMJmRYVIaCZEfLZmRgg">wrote</a>. “Russian submarines can threaten both seaborne and land targets and if they range the entire Mediterranean, no NATO capitol is safe,” Kagan and Miller continued.
The Kremlin has benefitted from the Syria conflict in a number of ways. Putin has used this regional instability to establish working relationships with Iran, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan; in every case, backing the status quo, as Leonoid Bershidsky <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/08/putins-russia-is-a-middle-eastern-country-a67624" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/08/putins-russia-is-a-middle-eastern-country-a67624&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841641000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEyaCEjEof3gn0W7B_1L2YQfb7zpQ">points out</a>. “Such a record endears Middle Eastern leaders to Putin: They can be reasonably certain he won’t pull a fast one on them. With the U.S., they can’t be so sure, since Washington has backed or directly performed several regime changes in the region,” Bershidksy <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/08/putins-russia-is-a-middle-eastern-country-a67624" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/08/putins-russia-is-a-middle-eastern-country-a67624&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1571413841641000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEyaCEjEof3gn0W7B_1L2YQfb7zpQ">writes</a>.
Continued U.S. presence in Syria will not alter Russia’s strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean. However, it is worth nothing that as U.S. credibility has decreased in the region, Russian credibility has actually increased.
&nbsp;
</div>
<div>
Morgan Wirthlin is Chief of Staff at the Center for Security Policy, located in Washington, D.C.
</div>

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Nizhny Novgorod

WIRTHLIN: Russia’s Strategic Gain In Syria

Foreign Policy

Kurds

Middle East

Syria

Turkey

As former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani finds himself <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/465168-giuliani-associates-who-aided-ukraine-investigation-arrested-on">squarely engulfed</a> in the Ukraine scandal and impeachment inquiry surrounding President Donald Trump, one piece of the puzzle simply does not seem to fit.
If anything is a given about contemporary Republican Party foreign policy, it is a hawkish stance on Iran. That unified front is led by a president who pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal and continues to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/20/world/middleeast/trump-sanctions-iran.html">impose new sanctions against Tehran</a>. Giuliani, too, talks tough towards the Iranians — most recently <a href="https://en.radiofarda.com/a/giuliani-says-i-am-for-regime-change-in-iran/30182912.html">backing regime change and declaring “down with the tyrants in Iran”</a> when he spoke at a rally outside U.N. headquarters in September.
Yet Giuliani was on the cusp of making a paid appearance at the Armenian-hosted conference of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a gathering held October 1st–2nd amid the <a href="https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150676/Iran-to-join-Eurasian-Economic-Union-EAEU-from-October">formalization of Iran’s future membership</a> in that Russian-led trade alliance that consists of five former Soviet republics. Although Giuliani <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/giuliani-set-to-make-paid-appearance-next-week-at-kremlin-backed-conference/2019/09/27/a15ab242-e133-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html?outputType=amp">ultimately cancelled his 2019 EAEU appearance</a>, he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/giuliani-headlines-conference-promoting-russia-organized-2018-10">attended the same conference last year</a> and is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/democratic-senators-renew-questions-about-rudy-giuliani-s-apparent-work-n1058686">coming under rising scrutiny</a> for his <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-rudy-giuliani-mystery-trips-to-russia-armenia-and-ukraine?utm_content=bufferf7573&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">mysterious overseas travel — including to Armenia</a>.
Created to counter the influence of the European Union, the EAEU’s anti-Western approach is particularly apparent through its embrace of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. After the Moscow-based EAEU <a href="https://eurasianet.org/armenia-hopes-to-benefit-from-new-iran-eurasian-union-free-trade-deal">reached a free trade deal with the Iranians last year</a>, EAEU member Armenia this past April signed a <a href="http://www.iran-daily.com/News/251511.html">memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation</a> with Iran in which the two countries agreed to exchange information on the value of goods and vehicles transported through their shared border. In other words, commerce between Tehran and Yerevan flows without restrictions.
On a broader strategic level, both the free trade and customs deals were envisioned as pillars of a bridge linking Iran, the EAEU, and the EU. The final pillar will be cemented on October 27th, when Iran formally joins the EAEU and gains the ability to have its goods “exported to [Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia] with almost zero tariffs,” according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Simultaneously, Iran is prepared to increase the natural gas its supplies to Armenia, Rouhani <a href="https://en.radiofarda.com/amp/iranian-president-again-offers-closer-ties-to-armenia/30193900.html?__twitter_impression=true">said at the EAEU conference</a>.
It should come as no surprise that the rapid growth of EAEU-Iran ties is spearheaded by Armenia, the only EAEU member which shares a border with Iran. Armenia is also the only EAEU state which maintains a “Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement” with the EU, meaning that the warm economic ties between Tehran and Yerevan could have a domino effect throughout Europe.
Further, Armenia has a long and ongoing history of offering Iran an escape route from international sanctions. Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-sanctions-armenia/exclusive-iran-looks-to-armenia-to-skirt-bank-sanctions-idUSBRE87K05420120821">has reported</a> that Armenian banks help the Iranian regime “obfuscate payments to and from foreign clients and deceive Western intelligence agencies trying to prevent it from expanding its nuclear and missile programs.” In August, the U.S. <a href="https://mirrorspectator.com/2019/08/15/us-sanctions-two-armenian-firms/">levied sanctions</a> on two Armenian companies over their business ties with Iran. And upon meeting with Rouhani at the EAEU gathering, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan affirmed that despite U.S. sanctions, Armenia’s “relations with Iran must be beyond geopolitical influences.”
All of which brings us to the recent EAEU conference, where Giuliani was set to participate in a panel led by Sergey Glazyev, a longtime adviser to Russian President Vladimiar Putin who has been subjected to U.S. sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Giuliani had been the only American scheduled to speak at the gathering.
How did this former Republican presidential candidate make his way onto an anti-Western conference’s agenda this year, while actually attending the same summit last year? <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-rudy-giuliani-mystery-trips-to-russia-armenia-and-ukraine?utm_content=bufferf7573&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">According to ProPublica</a>, Giuliani’s 2018 EAEU appearance was funded by Ara Abramyan, chair of the Union of Russian Armenians and president of the World Armenian Congress.
Abramyan also sits on the advisory board of TriGlobal Strategic Ventures, which has been organizing trips to Russia and Ukraine since 2004 for the ex-mayor’s Giuliani Partners, and has been described by The New York Times as “a company that provides image consulting to Russian oligarchs and clients with deep Kremlin ties.”
Before he cancelled his 2019 EAEU appearance, Giuliani had quipped in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/giuliani-set-to-make-paid-appearance-next-week-at-kremlin-backed-conference/2019/09/27/a15ab242-e133-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html?outputType=amp">comments to The Washington Post</a> that he would “try to not knowingly talk to a Russian until this is all over.” Yet it is no laughing matter. By opening the door to free trade, the EAEU has set in motion a slippery slope that may lead Iranian businesses directly to the EU. It is a nightmare scenario in which anti-West meets West, and shockingly, one of its enablers is a high-profile Republican who is presumably aligned with his peers when it comes to cracking down on Iranian aggression.
That is why despite his eventual pullout from the EAEU conference, the question remains: Why would Giuliani even consider attending?
&nbsp;
<a href="http://jessebogner.com/">Jesse Bogner</a> is an author and journalist. His memoir and social critique, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Egotist-Memoir-Jesse-Bogner-ebook/dp/B0174UNI66/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1452620828&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=the+egotist">The Egotist</a>, has been translated into five languages. His work has been featured in The Daily Caller, MSN, and The Huffington Post.

Rudy Giuliani

BOGNER: The Curious Case Of Rudy Giuliani, Iran, and Armenia

Armenians

Europe

Impeachment

Iran

United Nations

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) revealed on Tuesday that the Russian government has officially denied him a visa to travel into the country as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation scheduled over the summer recess.
&#8220;While I&#8217;ve been a tough critic of the Kremlin, I also believe it&#8217;s important to maintain dialogue especially during moments of tension,&#8221; Murphy wrote <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-statement-on-russia-visa-denial">in a statement</a>. &#8220;As the owners of the world&#8217;s two largest nuclear arsenals with the capacity to destroy each other many times over, we have a responsibility to keep the world safe and prevent conflict between the U.S. and Russia.&#8221;
&#8220;Unfortunately, the Russian government is further isolating their country by blocking our visit and several others in recent months,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;With the collapse of recent arms control agreements and significant domestic opposition to Vladimir Putin&#8217;s authoritarian rule, this is potentially a perilous moment for our two nations&#8217; fragile relationship, and it&#8217;s a shame that Russian isn&#8217;t interested in dialogue.&#8221;
The Russian government&#8217;s decision to deny entry to the Connecticut senator comes less than 24 hours after the country announced that it has also blocked Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) from entering the country as part of the same delegation.
Both Johnson and Murphy sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee&#8217;s Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation and were scheduled to meet with a variety of Russian officials, businessmen, and civil organizations. The two senators were ultimately barred from entering the county over legislation they promoted that holds the Russian government accountable for its aggression in Ukraine and its targeting of dissidents.
Murphy has been an outspoken critic of Russia&#8217;s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and he has further supported sanctions against the country.
Johnson, who chairs the subcommittee, slammed Russia&#8217;s decision to deny him entry as a &#8220;petty affront&#8221; and further accused the country of playing &#8220;diplomatic games.&#8221;
&#8220;The path Vladimir Putin has chosen for Russia is a tragedy of historic proportions,&#8221; Johnson wrote in his own statement. &#8220;Instead of holding free and fair elections, respecting the rule of law, and integrating Russia&#8217;s economy with Western democracies, Putin has invaded Georgia, attempted to illegally annex Crimea, conducted war in eastern Ukraine where thousands have died, and supported a barbaric regime in Syria that has used chemical weapons on its own people in a war that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands.&#8221;
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is scheduled to go on the aforementioned trip and confirmed with <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/08/27/russia-denies-visas-ron-johnson-chris-murphy-visit-moscow/2131191001/">USA Today</a> that he was, in fact, granted a visa and still plans on traveling to Russia with the delegation.
Russia blocked Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) from visiting the country in 2017, which ultimately resulted in the bipartisan congressional delegation canceling their scheduled trip into the country. However, roughly a year later, eight Republican senators, including Johnson, successfully visited Russia.

Senators Franken And Murphy Discuss The Affordable Health Care Act Case Being Heard At Supreme Court

Second U.S. Senator Blocked From Entering Russia

Chris Murphy

According to a transcript released from the <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61057">Kremlin,</a> Hollywood film director Oliver Stone, who won an Oscar for “Platoon” and has a long history of leftist rhetoric, spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin and told him he would have liked him to be the godfather to Stone’s daughter.
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7269729/Oscar-winning-director-Oliver-Stone-asks-Vladimir-Putin-22-year-old-daughters-godfather.html">The Daily Mail</a> reports that Stone spoke to Putin on June 19 about Putin being the godfather to the children of Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, prompting Putin to note that according to Russian Orthodox tradition a person cannot refuse a request to be named a child’s godfather. Stone reportedly responded, “Oh, you cannot refuse it? I thought it was a big honor for you to be the godfather of his daughter. I would ask you to be the godfather for my daughter.” The two men then allegedly discussed the possibility of Stone’s daughter Tara becoming an Orthodox Christian and Stone remarking, “We&#8217;ll make her that.”
In the interview published by the Kremlin, Stone is quoted saying: “As you know, I&#8217;ve been very rebellious all my life. Still am. And I have to tell you, I&#8217;m shocked by some of the behaviors and the thinking of the new generation. It takes so much for granted. And so much of the argument, so much of the thinking, so much of the newspaper, television commentaries about gender, people identify themselves, and social media, this and that, I&#8217;m male, I&#8217;m female, I&#8217;m transgender, I&#8217;m cisgender. It goes on forever, and there is a big fight about who is who. It seems like we miss the bigger point.”
In the interview Putin reportedly stated, “When these lands that are now the core of Ukraine joined Russia … nobody thought of themselves as anything but Russians.” He allegedly protested Russia’s innocence in interfering in the 2016 election, asserting, “And whichever our bloggers &#8211; I don&#8217;t know who works there in the Internet &#8211; had expressed their point of view on the situation in the USA in this or that way, this had not been able to play a decisive role. This is nonsense … But we had sympathized with him (Trump), because he said that he wanted to restore normal relations with Russia. What&#8217;s bad in this? And of course, we couldn&#8217;t unwelcome such a position.”
Near the end of the interview there was this exchange:
<blockquote>Stone: I am very worried about you.
Putin: Why?
Stone: I can see there are so many problems. It weighs you down. It is sad to see. It is a tough situation.</blockquote>
Stone has a history of praising left-wing dictators; in 2013 he <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/matt-hadro/2013/01/04/joke-cnn-lets-oliver-stone-defend-magnanimous-warm-hugo-chavez">said</a> of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez that he was a &#8220;magnanimous, warm, warm man, big man.&#8221; He added, &#8220;They want him. He&#8217;s popular. The people love him. Well, the majority of people, because the living standards have gone up, and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s ignored in so much of the reporting on Venezuela.&#8221; After Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died, Stone <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/confidential/oliver-stone-praises-castro-blames-obama-hole-article-1.2891768">lauded him</a> this way: &#8220;I saw him as a great leader,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He fulfilled so much for the Cuban people. He brought them a revolution, which changed their lives, and he fought a giant for 60 years. He symbolizes what independence is.&#8221;

Hollywood’s Oliver Stone To Putin: I Wish You Were Godfather To My Daughter

Oliver Stone

After the two presidents made some brief comments about the goals of their upcoming meeting at the G-20 Summit on Friday, President Donald Trump turned to Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him jokingly, &#8220;Don&#8217;t meddle in the election.&#8221; The moment has sparked strong reaction from Trump&#8217;s critics.
The comment came during an initial meeting among Russian and American dignitaries at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on Friday. Trump offered a brief summary of the key topics he planned to discuss with his Russian counterpart in their upcoming private meeting. Putin followed up with an even briefer summary. When reporters asked Trump if he planned to warn Russia against election meddling — as U.S. intelligence concluded occurred in 2016 — Trump responded by turning to Putin and giving him a mock mini-lecture.
The two presidents were seated next to each other in a conference room in which representatives from both sides, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were seated on either side of the room. After some cross talk in the room, Trump addressed reporters.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a great honor to be with President Putin,&#8221; he said, in comments reported by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/06/28/trump-tells-putin-dont-meddle-in-the-election-at-g20-summit/">New York Post</a> (video below). &#8220;We have many things to discuss, including trade, and including some disarmament, a little protectionism, perhaps, in a very positive way. We’ve had great meetings, we have had very very good relationship, and we look forward to spending some very good time together. A lot of very positive things are going to come out of the relationship. So Vladimir, thank you very much.&#8221;
After the translator finished giving Trump&#8217;s comments in Russian, Putin responded. &#8220;I do not but agree with Mr. President: We have something to discuss here.&#8221;
Putin&#8217;s concise statement completed, reporters began asking questions, including one directed to Trump: &#8220;Mr. President, will you tell Russia not to meddle in the election?&#8221;
&#8220;Of course I will,&#8221; said Trump. &#8220;Don&#8217;t meddle in the election, president,&#8221; he said, turning to Putin with a smirk. &#8220;Don&#8217;t meddle in the election,&#8221; he repeated, pointing his finger.
The line got a chuckle out of Putin.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">WATCH: President Trump can be heard telling Russia&#8217;s Putin not to meddle in the upcoming U.S. election <a href="https://t.co/THyCggUA5Z">https://t.co/THyCggUA5Z</a> <a href="https://t.co/EbfOcKBna6">pic.twitter.com/EbfOcKBna6</a>
— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/bpolitics/status/1144480799040794625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
As <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trumps-jokes-to-putin-dont-meddle-in-the-election">Fox News</a> notes, the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/60b877521eec4667b64190b77bbf9136">Associated Press</a> described the moment as an exchange that &#8220;would seem to do little to silence questions about Trump&#8217;s relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller&#8217;s conclusion that his campaign did not collude with Russia in 2016.&#8221;
One of those questioning Trump&#8217;s relationship with Russia is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who promptly accused the president of giving Putin &#8220;a green light to interfere in 2020.&#8221;
&#8220;President [Donald Trump] is joking with Putin about interfering in our elections, but the joke is on us and Putin’s the only one laughing,&#8221; Schumer tweeted Friday. &#8220;President Trump is basically giving Putin a green light to interfere in 2020.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> is joking with Putin about interfering in our elections, but the joke is on us and Putin’s the only one laughing.
President Trump is basically giving Putin a green light to interfere in 2020. <a href="https://t.co/iuTZsSxKMY">https://t.co/iuTZsSxKMY</a>
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1144578902855233542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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CNN also decried Trump&#8217;s actions, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/28/politics/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-election-interference/index.html">Chris Cillizza</a> penning a piece excoriating Trump for making &#8220;a total mockery of Russia&#8217;s election interference&#8221;:
<blockquote>Are. You. Kidding. Me.
The dismissiveness is dripping in Trump&#8217;s comment. You want me to say the little thing to the nice man? I&#8217;ll say it. You happy now? (Pats collective media on head).
He wants the media &#8212; and everyone watching &#8212; to know that he&#8217;s just going through the motions, that he doesn&#8217;t really believe that he needs to tell Putin not to involved Russia in future elections. He&#8217;s checking a box, in the most sarcastic way possible.</blockquote>
Fox News provided a more even-handed retake: &#8220;Trump&#8217;s supporters will likely say the reporter&#8217;s question was awkward and the serious discussion should not play out in the public eye. Trump&#8217;s critics will likely conclude that he refuses to see the seriousness of defending U.S. elections from a foreign government, hence his offhanded response.&#8221;
Below is the footage published by AP followed by Fox News&#8217; lengthier cut of the raw footage:
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WATCH: Trump Tells Putin Not To Meddle In The 2020 Election; Dems, Media Erupt

Trump Administration

OK, now it might be time to start worrying about Hillary Clinton&#8217;s sanity (she does fall down and konk her head a lot).
Last week, the 71-year-old suggested she ran &#8220;the best campaign&#8221; in 2016 (although somehow she forgot to go to Wisconsin), but that she had the election &#8220;stolen&#8221; from her.
On Wednesday, she took that up a notch.
The two-time loser popped up to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire Wednesday evening, where she made an even more outrageous claim &#8212; that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the foreign military intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) decided the last presidential election.
&#8220;If you are an American, the idea that our election is being trifled with, being impacted and maybe being determined by Putin and the Kremlin and his Intelligence service in the military &#8212; the GRU, all of their assorted allies and agents,&#8221; Hillary said. &#8220;That should give us heartburn.&#8221;
Clinton has never explained exactly how Russia &#8220;determined&#8221; the election, although the mainstream media runs her claims weekly. She lost Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Florida and Pennsylvania &#8212; which former president Barack Obama won twice &#8212; and got shellacked in the Electoral College, 304-227. She did win the popular vote, but Trump won 2,626 counties nationwide to Clinton&#8217;s 487 counties &#8212; another landslide.
Apparently, her claim is that millions and millions of voters saw &#8220;fake news&#8221; stories posted by Russian bots and decided to vote for Donald Trump.
In her Dartmouth speech, Clinton offered an anecdote about what she called &#8220;conspiracy fetishizing&#8221; in the 2016 campaign, recounting what she heard from some lifelong friends who were out knocking on people&#8217;s doors.
&#8220;They&#8217;d say they were there to ask the person to vote for me, and the person might say, &#8216;I couldn&#8217;t do that; she&#8217;s a murderer&#8217;,&#8221; Clinton said. &#8220;I mean, friends from grade school saying, &#8216;no, she&#8217;s not.&#8217; &#8216;Oh, yeah; I saw it on the internet.&#8217; Well, wouldn&#8217;t you think I&#8217;d be, as they used to say, locked up by now if that were the case?&#8221;
On Saturday, Hillary appeared with husband Bill Clinton at The Forum in Los Angeles for another installment of their national tour, &#8220;An Evening With the Clintons.&#8221; Actor Ted Danson, who played host for the evening, asked Hillary what advice she would give to the slew of 2020 presidential candidates now running for the Democratic nomination.
&#8220;Keep your eye on the whole landscape as it is moving forward,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s also critical to understand that, as I&#8217;ve been telling candidates who have come to see me, you can run the best campaign, you can even become the nominee, and you can have the election stolen from you.&#8221;
The crowd ate it up. &#8220;And that, my friends, has nothing to do with the economy, does it?&#8221; added Clinton. &#8220;And so part of our challenge is to understand what it will take to put together not just the popular vote but the electoral college&#8221; as well.
Hillary said the report from special counsel Robert Mueller &#8220;not only decisively proves, but goes chapter and verse about how the Russians &#8212; in the words of the report &#8212; conducted &#8216;a sweeping and systemic interference in our election.&#8217; And then you wake up and your president is spending an hour on the phone with Vladimir Putin, who was the mastermind of the interference and attack on our election.&#8221;
Clinton is still surprised that she lost in 2016, but then again, she is easily surprised.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="720" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eeZQ5VROfBE" width="1280"></iframe>

Hillary’s Latest Delusion: ‘U.S. Elections … Determined By Putin And The Kremlin’

Hillary Clinton

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un used luxury stretch limousines when President Donald Trump visited and in a separate meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The limos were made by German automaker Daimler, yet the company says it does not know how Kim acquired the vehicles, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/automaker-daimler-says-it-doesnt-know-how-kim-jong-un-got-his-luxury-limos.amp">according to Fox News</a>.
&#8220;We have absolutely no idea how those vehicles were delivered to North Korea,&#8221; Daimler spokeswoman Silke Mockert told the outlet in response to an Associated Press report on the vehicles. &#8220;For Daimler, the correct export of products in conformance with the law is a fundamental principle of responsible entrepreneurial activity.&#8221;
Kim also apparently used a Mercedes Maybach S600 Pullman Guard and a Mercedes Maybach S62 for both of his summits with Trump. At the summit, Kim reportedly discussed ending the U.S. ban on selling luxury goods to North Korea. As Fox News reported, Trump denied the request and other demands from Kim.
In another statement to Fox, Mockert said Daimler &#8220;has had no business connections with North Korea for far more than 15 years now and strictly complies with EU and US embargoes.&#8221;
&#8220;To prevent deliveries to North Korea and to any of its embassies worldwide, Daimler has implemented a comprehensive export control process,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Sales of vehicles by third parties, especially of used vehicles, are beyond our control and responsibility.&#8221;
The most recent use of the limousines was on Thursday, when Putin met with Kim in Russia, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/putin-hosts-kim-for-talks-on-north-korean-nuclear-standoff">reported</a>.
&#8220;We welcome your efforts to develop an inter-Korean dialogue and normalize North Korea&#8217;s relations with the United States,&#8221; Putin told Kim at the summit.
Earlier, Putin had said the visit from the North Korean leader would &#8220;help better understand what should be done to settle the situation on the Korean Peninsula, what we can do together, what Russia can do to support the positive processes going on now.&#8221;
Two months before this meeting, Kim had his second summit with Trump, where discussions failed over U.S. sanctions on the reclusive country.
&#8220;It wasn&#8217;t a good thing to be signing anything. We had some options, and at this time we decided not to do any of the options, and we&#8217;ll see where that goes,&#8221; Trump said after the summit fell apart, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/44048/north-korea-summit-falls-apart-heres-what-happened-ryan-saavedra">reported previously</a> by The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times,&#8221; Trump also said.
Trump added that Kim wanted all sanctions lifted in exchange for ending its nuclear program.
&#8220;[Kim] wants to de-nuke, but he wants to just do areas that are less important than the areas that we want. We know the country very well, believe it or not, we know every inch of that country,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;You always have to be prepared to walk. I could have 100 percent signed something today &#8212; we actually had papers ready to be signed &#8212; but it just wasn&#8217;t appropriate. I want to do it right: I&#8217;d much rather do it right than do it fast.&#8221;

How Did North Korean Dictator Get Limos? Automaker Says It Doesn’t Know.

North Korea

Amid reports that the Justice Department is preparing to receive Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#8217;s report on his nearly two-year-long investigation into alleged &#8220;collusion&#8221; between the Trump campaign and Russia as early as next week, CNN is preparing its viewers to be deeply disappointed.
Asked by &#8220;New Day&#8221; host Alisyn Camerota Wednesday if he believed the Mueller investigation would find &#8220;enough&#8221; to take down Trump, former National Intelligence Director and rabid anti-Trump CNN analyst James Clapper attempted to temper the audience&#8217;s expectations.
&#8220;That&#8217;s the big question,&#8221; Clapper said, in comments noted by <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/430720-former-director-of-national-intelligence-mueller-report-may-be-anti">The Hill</a> (video below). &#8220;I think the hope is that the Mueller investigation will clear the air on this issue once and for all. I&#8217;m really not sure it will, and the investigation, when completed, could turn out to be quite anti-climactic and not draw a conclusion about that.&#8221;
Having expressed clear reservations about the Mueller investigation finding much, Clapper said the next question is what the House committees might do on their own.
Before his &#8220;anti-climactic&#8221; comments, Clapper was asked by Camerota what he thinks about fired former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe declaring on Friday that it&#8217;s &#8220;possible&#8221; that Trump is a &#8220;Russian asset,&#8221; whether &#8220;witting or unwitting.&#8221;
Clapper responded by noting McCabe&#8217;s &#8220;important&#8221; caveat that Trump might be an &#8220;unwitting&#8221; asset, which he noted would &#8220;soften&#8221; the over-the-top charge &#8220;somewhat.&#8221;
&#8220;I do think that it is sort of an institutional obligation or responsibility of the FBI to at least consider that a possibility,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Given the track record and the behavior through the campaign and into the early part of the administration, culiminating in the firing of Jim Comey.&#8221;
Clapper failed to mention the aggressive actions taken by the administration against Russia since early on in Trump&#8217;s presidency.
Asked directly if he sees &#8220;evidence of some kind that Trump is an unwitting asset of Russia,&#8221; Clapper responded with some apparent hesitancy. &#8220;Well, the strange thing I think that bothered a lot of people, both in and out of the intelligence community, is this strange, uh, personal deference to Putin by the president,&#8221; he said.
Clapper then suggested that Putin treating Trump &#8220;as an &#8216;asset'&#8221; makes Trump guilty of being an asset. &#8220;I&#8217;ve speculated in the past that the way Putin behaves is to treat President Trump as an &#8216;asset&#8217;,&#8221; said Clapper, noting that he &#8220;put that in air quotes.&#8221;
Pressed on how exactly that was the case, Clapper said, &#8220;Becuase &#8230; you consider Putin&#8217;s background, as a trained, experienced KGB agent, and how he would approach somebody that he is trying to coopt or influence or gain leverage over, and in this case, appeal to ego. And so in that sense, in that context, is what I think of when I mean an &#8216;unwitting asset.'&#8221;
But, of course, what Clapper described is simply one international leader &#8220;playing&#8221; another international leader &#8212; not creating an &#8220;asset.&#8221;
Asked what a &#8220;witting asset&#8221; would look like, Clapper admitted he &#8220;rather doubt[s]&#8221; that that&#8217;s the case with Trump. A witting asset is a &#8220;recruited asset,&#8221; he went on to reluctanctly explain, &#8220;who is responding to direction of a &#8216;case officer.'&#8221;
&#8220;I really don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s the situation here,&#8221; he reiterated.
Video below via &#8220;New Day&#8221;:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper hopes that &#8220;the Mueller investigation will clear the air,&#8221; but also cautions the results might be &#8220;anti-climatic, and not draw a conclusion&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/fCl8eRvh3D">https://t.co/fCl8eRvh3D</a> <a href="https://t.co/DYYuEOqKt2">pic.twitter.com/DYYuEOqKt2</a>
&#8212; New Day (@NewDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1098203152271245318?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/43511/limbaugh-media-trying-convince-us-we-havent-heard-james-barrett">Limbaugh: Media Trying To Convince Us We Haven&#8217;t Heard What We&#8217;ve Heard For Last Two Years</a>

WATCH: CNN Prepares Viewers For Bad News About Mueller’s Russia Report

James Clapper

The Women&#8217;s March has had a rough month.
First, the Tablet <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/276694/is-the-womens-march-melting-down">published an article</a> that confirmed the leaders of the group <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39245/report-first-time-womens-march-leaders-met-two-hank-berrien">are anti-Semites</a>. This caused a serious backlash against the organization, with the Washington state chapter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39425/womens-march-group-disbands-after-shocking-report-emily-zanotti">dissolving</a> in the wake of the news. Next, a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/us/womens-march-anti-semitism.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&amp;smid=nytcore-ipad-share">article</a> giving some of the Women&#8217;s March organizers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39657/womens-march-leader-yeah-jews-are-white-hank-berrien">a chance to defend themselves</a> and deny the Tablet article managed to again prove that leaders of the group are anti-Semitic, with one claiming &#8220;white Jews, as white people, uphold white supremacy,&#8221; which targets &#8220;ALL Jews.&#8221; The internal turmoil caused by these statements led the Chicago Women&#8217;s March <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39674/womens-march-takes-another-hit-time-obamas-james-barrett">to cancel their march</a>. A march scheduled in California also cancelled &#8212; because those planning to attend the rally were &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/39782/californias-womens-march-rally-canceled-being-kassy-dillon">overwhelmingly white</a>.&#8221;
But don&#8217;t worry, supporters of the March, because there&#8217;s a new defender of the group: Karen Fleshman. The founder of Racy Conversations &#8212; an antiracist organization &#8212; <a href="https://medium.com/@karenfleshman/why-i-stand-united-with-womens-march-leaders-tamika-mallory-linda-sarsour-carmen-perez-and-bob-7cf73a1a2e3b">wrote on December 28</a> that she had interacted with some of the Women&#8217;s March leaders who have made anti-Semitic statements, including Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour. Fleshman said she didn&#8217;t witness &#8220;a single act of anti-Semitism or exclusionary behavior the entire time&#8221; she was with these members or at protests organized by the group.
Fleshman then submitted an &#8220;analysis&#8221; of who is really &#8220;behind the campaign to fracture the Women&#8217;s March,&#8221; because, as Fleshman wrote, &#8220;powerful interests seek to splinter us.&#8221;
What &#8212; or who &#8212; is really causing the group to fall apart? It&#8217;s apparently not the rampant anti-Semitism, but actually Russian President Vladimir Putin.
&#8220;I firmly believe Vladimir Putin is behind the campaign to tear apart the Women&#8217;s March,&#8221; Fleshman wrote, linking to an opinion article from The Washington Post claiming Russians targeted black voters in 2016.
She claimed this tactic must be getting used against the Women&#8217;s March.
&#8220;Right now, we see messaging to white women seeking to divert our political energy away from feeling angry at Republicans and towards feeling angry about anti-Semitism, but not the anti-Semitism expressed in Charlottesville, Pittsburg, and the countless other anti-Semitic attacks by white nationalists,&#8221; Fleshman wrote. &#8220;Instead, we are directed to feel angry about the anti-Semitic views expressed by Minister Louis Farrakhan, and allegedly by Women&#8217;s March leaders Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour.&#8221;
Fleshman&#8217;s post predictably received a backlash, so she added an &#8220;<a href="https://medium.com/@karenfleshman/addendum-to-my-december-28-post-on-why-i-stand-behind-the-womens-march-leaders-1317623a2e27">addendum</a>&#8221; that didn&#8217;t make things any better.
&#8220;It was never my intent to portray Jewish critics of the Women&#8217;s March leaders as Russian agents, and in so doing, play into the canard that Jewish people are foreign agents who are disloyal to America, but that was clearly my impact, and I am sorry. I hear you that my theory is particularly unwelcome at a time of rising anti-Semitism. As you point out, I have a lot to learn about anti-Semitism, and it&#8217;s hard to accurately capture what is happening in this situation without an understanding of anti-Semitism,&#8221; Fleshman wrote.
But she then doubles down on her Russia theory, though she admits she has no evidence.
&#8220;My theory is that, following the patterns above, Russians are fomenting anti-Semitic violence through social media, while simultaneously trying to fracture the Women&#8217;s March along perhaps the biggest fault line in our society, between women of color and white women, to shore up support for Trump and Republicans and break up our coalition,&#8221; she wrote.
But don&#8217;t worry, she wrote she&#8217;s not saying Jewish women&#8217;s &#8220;claims of anti-Semitism among Women&#8217;s March leaders lack legitimacy.&#8221;
Too bad that&#8217;s exactly what her theory does.

Women’s March Anti-Semites Have A New Defender Who ‘Firmly’ Believes THIS MAN Is Behind The Backlash

Anti-Semitism

Linda Sarsour

Women's March

<a href="http://time.com/5475133/time-person-of-the-year-2018-shortlist/">Time magazine</a> named Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin the Man of the Year in back to back years in the 1930s.
So without further ado, here&#8217;s their list of nominees for 2018, this time for Person of the Year (the title changed in 1999).
The 10 finalists are:
Separated Families
&#8220;More than 2,000 families were separated at the U.S. border this year under a Trump Administration policy aimed at deterring illegal immigration. Prompting backlash, the &#8220;zero tolerance&#8221; policy was announced in April and formally ended in June, and resulted in thousands of children being held in federal government facilities while their parents were sent to jail,&#8221; <a href="http://time.com/5475133/time-person-of-the-year-2018-shortlist/">Time writes</a>.
Christine Blasey Ford
The loopy California psychology professor blasted onto the scene when she alleged that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh groped her 36 years ago. She quickly became a cause celeb &#8212; even though none of her allegations were ever corroborated by anyone, including those she said attended a drunken high school party where the groping allegedly happened. A GoFundMe page collected more than $700,000 for her and she&#8217;s reportedly being courted to write a book.
March For Our Lives Activists
&#8220;After 17 people were killed on Valentine&#8217;s Day in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., students from the school organized the #NeverAgain movement and the March for Our Lives demonstrations across America, campaigning for gun-control reforms to prevent similar tragedies,&#8221; Time writes.
Jamal Khashoggi
&#8220;A prolific commentator and critic of Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering the country&#8217;s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Believed to have been murdered on the orders of the Crown Prince, his death prompted international outcry and scrutiny of the Saudi regime,&#8221; Time says.
Robert Mueller
The former FBI director has been conducting an investigation for nearly 18 months into allegations that President Trump and Russians colluded to influence the 2016 presidential election. So far the probe has turned up nothing to indicate Trump was involved, but since special counsel Mueller is still at it &#8212; and because he was runner-up for Time&#8217;s 2017 Person of the Year &#8212; he makes the list again.
Vladimir Putin
See above. If the mainstream media is going to keep hyping the alleged Russia-Trump collusion, then they need a boogeyman. And Putin, the president of Russia, is the Baba Yaga of boogeymen.
Moon Jae-in
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has made news by meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in three historic summits and brokered the meeting between Kim and Trump. Moon has kept the pressure on North Korea, saying in October that &#8220;if it breaks the agreement, it will not be able to afford the retribution from the U.S. and the international community.&#8221;
Ryan Coogler
&#8220;Director Ryan Coogler, 32, created this year&#8217;s phenomenally successful Marvel film Black Panther. The superhero movie, set in the fictional African country of Wakanda, featured a largely black cast and had the third-highest grossing U.S. release of all time,&#8221; Time writes.
Meghan Markle
She married a prince. &#8216;Nuff said.
President Trump
&#8220;The 45th president of the U.S., and TIME&#8217;s 2016 Person of the Year, marked his second year in office through navigating crises involving both himself and his staff, attacking an encircling investigation implicating people close to him, and enacting several controversial policies, ranging from separations at the border to an international trade war with China,&#8221; Time writes.
But you might know him as the guy who infused confidence in the U.S. markets, pumped the economy to record highs and the unemployment rate to record lows, who stood fast in the face of pressure to join the globalizers and who is battling to secure America&#8217;s borders. Maybe Time just forgot to mention all that.
&#8220;Since 1927, TIME has identified the Person of the Year, recognizing the person or group of people who most influenced the news and the world &#8212; for better or for worse &#8212; during the past year,&#8221; Time writes.
The 2018 Person of the Year will be unveiled on &#8220;The Today Show&#8221; on Tuesday in the 7 a.m. EST hour.

Time Magazine Announces Top 10 Nominees For ‘2018 Person Of The Year,’ And The List Is Even Dumber Than You’d Expect

Christine Blasey Ford

Illegal Immigration

Robert Mueller

Time Magazine

We&#8217;re in the home stretch.
The country awaits the final investigative report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller regarding alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government to impact the outcome of the 2016 election. Those who have been watching this slow-rolling dumpster fire of leaks and counterleaks, accusations and counteraccusations, can wait for that report to actually see the light of day.
Not so for the pre-motivated.
On the one side, we have Representative Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), a man who has reportedly set up a pup tent complete with electric generator and portable outhouse just outside the doors of the CNN studios. On Tuesday, he declared in a column in USA Today that Mueller would undoubtedly uncover material that would make Trump susceptible to Russian pressure. &#8220;What else does he have to hide and, more urgently, who else knows about it?&#8221; Schiff wrote. &#8220;Was the effort to consummate a deal in Moscow the only financial leverage the Russians had over the president, or is there more?&#8221; Schiff then went on to speculate that Trump&#8217;s obeisance to the Saudi regime could be based on financial interests, too.
Needless to say, there&#8217;s no evidence of any of this.
<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/12/mueller-investigation-collusion-allegations-partisan-politics/">Read the rest here</a>.

Shapiro At ‘National Review’: Jumping The Gun On Collusion

Defying Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday Interpol <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/21/asia/interpol-new-president-intl/index.html">elected</a> acting head South Korean Kim Jong Yang president of the organization over Russian candidate Alexander Prokopchuk, a former Russian Interior Ministry official. After his election to what is largely a ceremonial position, Kim <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46286959">stated</a>, &#8220;Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety. To overcome them, we need a clear vision: we need to build a bridge to the future.&#8221;
Scuttlebutt had projected Prokopchuk to be the winner, but those opposed to the idea said Russia had utilized Interpol&#8217;s systems to target and pursue its supposed enemies. As Interpol&#8217;s Moscow bureau chief, Prokopchuk had been accused of abusing the red notice system to target enemies of Putin. He has been serving as one of Interpol&#8217;s four vice-presidents.
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators released a letter condemning the idea of electing Prokopchuk, asserting, &#8220;We continue to call on our administration to use its voice, vote and influence to ensure that Interpol can no longer be co-opted by Putin and other dictators for their own nefarious purposes.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=6FECA1C7-7EED-42A4-A0BA-6C8B601B60F8">letter</a> stated:
<blockquote>
Interpol electing Major General Alexander Prokopchuk as its new President is akin to putting a fox in charge of a henhouse. Russia routinely abuses Interpol for the purpose of settling scores and harassing political opponents, dissidents and journalists. Alexander Prokopchuk has been personally involved in this intimidation strategy which ultimately seeks to weaken democratic institutions and embolden Putin&#8217;s authoritarian regime. If elected as President by the members of Interpol&#8217;s General Assembly on Wednesday, we have no doubt that Mr. Prokopchuk will further institutionalize the abuse of Interpol red notices and block ongoing efforts at meaningful reform.
Further, the potential access he would gain to sensitive law enforcement data will bolster the Kremlin&#8217;s ability to harass critics living outside of Russia and aid other authoritarian regimes seeking to do the same. For these reasons, we urge all 192 members to stand for the integrity of Interpol as a legitimate international law enforcement mechanism and vote against Mr. Prokopchuk. We continue to call on our administration to use its voice, vote and influence to ensure that Interpol can no longer be co-opted by Putin and other dictators for their own nefarious purposes.
</blockquote>
After Russia&#8217;s defeat, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated: &#8220;It&#8217;s a pity, of course, that our candidate did not win, but on the other hand, if you look at a number of statements from a number of countries on the eve of the elections impartially, then, of course, the pressure was strong, it&#8217;s obvious.&#8221;
Kim will serve until 2020. Interpol&#8217;s former president, Meng Hongwei, visited China in late September and went missing. The Chinese government authorities announced Meng was being held and investigated for alleged corruption. Interpol&#8217;s Secretary General Jürgen Stock wrote that Interpol had asked China for &#8220;clarification,&#8221; adding, &#8220;Interpol&#8217;s General Secretariat looks forward to an official response from China&#8217;s authorities to address concerns over the President&#8217;s well-being. The very next day Interpol confirmed Meng had resigned.

Interpol Defies Putin, Elects South Korean President

According to a new report, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu revealed on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that U.S. sanctions on Iran be eased in return for removing Iranian forces and proxies from Syria. Netanyahu made his remarks at a hearing of the foreign affairs and security committee of the Knesset, Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/iran-syria-withdrawal-for-sanctions-russia-netanyahu-419511bd-545f-484e-b813-9a919c72572d.html">reported</a>.
Russia has previously condoned Iran&#8217;s forces in Syria because the Iranians were invited by Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Axios stated, &#8220;Lawmakers who attended the hearing said Netanyahu did not say whether the Russian proposal was made during his short conversation with Vladimir Putin in Paris last Sunday, but that it definitely seemed that way from the prime minister&#8217;s comments. They said Netanyahu spoke favorably about his meeting with Putin, and said the Russians cannot push the Iranians out of Syria on their own, but need help from other world powers.&#8221;
But Netanyahu also said Israel has not taken a position vis-à-vis the Russian position. When Axios contacted the State Department, a senior State Department official only said, &#8220;We remain engaged with the U.N. &#8206;and other parties, including Russia, to encourage all possible efforts to advance the political track as called for in UNSCR 2254. We do not however discuss the substance of these diplomatic discussions.&#8221;
In August, the Russian foreign ministry website <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/07/russia-slams-us-sanctions-against-iran-promises-to-save-nuclear-deal.html">published a statement</a> asserting that Moscow was &#8220;deeply disappointed by U.S. steps to reimpose its national sanctions against Iran,&#8221; adding, &#8220;We will do everything necessary in the interests of preserving and fully implementing the SVPD (Iran nuclear deal).&#8221; Slamming the U.S. for its continued efforts to scuttle the infamous iran nuclear deal, the ministry continued, &#8220;That is a glaring example of Washington&#8217;s continued practice of violating UNSC resolution 2231 and its trampling on international law.&#8221;
In October, a senior Trump administration official stated, &#8220;Iran might be pushing the idea of Russia selling their oil on the world market to evade sanctions. I would discourage Russia from even considering this. It would be in Russia&#8217;s best interests not to facilitate Iranian evasion of US sanctions.&#8221; <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/441d66e4-d480-11e8-a854-33d6f82e62f8">Financial Times</a> wrote, &#8220;Oil traders and analysts say it would be relatively easy to spot any large-scale transfers of oil from Iran to Russia, however. The pair shares no pipelines, so any movement would almost certainly rely on seagoing oil tankers, perhaps across the Caspian Sea, which would be relatively easy to track through satellite signals and imagery.&#8221;
Roughly two weeks ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/russia-turkey-promise-defy-donald-trump-iran-sanctions-1203960">said</a> Russia would circumvent the sanctions the U.S. has placed on Iran, as The Moscow Times <a href="https://themoscowtimes.com/news/us-sanctions-against-iran-are-not-legitimate-lavrov-says-63412">reported</a>. He stated, &#8220;Mechanisms are being currently hammered out within the framework of the joint group of participants in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [for the Iranian nuclear program], which will make it possible to continue performing provisions of this document, primarily with respect to economic ties with Iran, and without U.S. participation. Experts are vigorously dealing with this matter, and they have quite a stable understanding that this is possible and that such measures will be found.&#8221;

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