House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: I think Putin pays Trump

[milestogo]

Source: Washington Post

KIEV, Ukraine — A month before Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination, one of his closest allies in Congress — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy — made a politically explosive assertion in a private conversation on Capitol Hill with his fellow GOP leaders: that Trump could be the beneficiary of payments from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy.

Before the conversation, McCarthy and Ryan had emerged from separate talks at the Capitol with Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman, who had described a Kremlin tactic of financing populist politicians to undercut Eastern European democratic institutions.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

[LS_Editor]

1. The traitors knew and they went along with Trump. Party over country all the time with the GOP.

[countryjake]

2. Inappropriate joke, my ass!

"Ryan instructed his Republican lieutenants to keep the conversation private, saying: “No leaks. .?.?. This is how we know we’re a real family here."

The remarks remained secret for nearly a year.

How many times do these snakes get to change their story?


"We have tape."

I love it! KUDOS to the Washington Post!

[dalton99a]

3. This story deserves more exposure

[BumRushDaShow]

4. It was either CNN or M$NBC that did put it out there

I saw it yesterday evening as the media followed McCarthy through the halls of the Capitol.

[countryjake]

6. CNN covered it at least twice last night that I saw...

and for McCarthy to claim now that it was just a joke belies what the true crux of the story exposes. Their little tête-à-tête occurred in 2016 the very next day after news of the Russian hacking of the DNC had broken in the media...it was a serious meeting of top republicans.

When Ryan and McCarthy were informed that their little chat from last June was going to be published, first they claimed it never happened, "Fiction", then, upon learning that there was a written transcript, they claimed it was false, even made up, "Inaccurate", and finally, only after being told of the existence of a tape of that meeting of rethug leadership was it called an attempt at humor, "Inappropriate Joke".


Here's the CNN take on it from yesterday:

Kevin McCarthy: Comment that Putin is paying Trump was bad joke
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/politics/kevin-mccarthy-putin-joke/index.html

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Thanks!

I had been watching Wolf and then a little of Erin Burnett after that, so it was probably during that time. They were running non-stop with no commercials and there were so many segments/panels/interviews that stuff was starting to blur together. I eventually moved to M$NBC probably when Tweety came on @ 7.

[countryjake]

8. They're counting on things becoming blurry...

That's one of the reasons that this very telling exchange should be pertinent to the nation's situation (and investigations) today... a speculation which took place almost a year ago on Trump Campaign collusion by the rethug leadership, one of whom is in line for the Presidency.

Ryan's comment about "family" should be damning.

"I'll guarantee you that's what it is... The Russians hacked the DNC and got the opp (opposition) research that they had on Trump," McCarthy said with a laugh.

Ryan asked who the Russians "delivered" the opposition research to.

"There's... there's two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump," McCarthy said, drawing some laughter. "Swear to God", McCarthy added.

"This is an off the record," Ryan said.

Some lawmakers laughed at that.

"No leaks, alright?", Ryan said, adding: "This is how we know we're a real family here."

"That's how you know that we're tight," Scalise said.

"What's said in the family stays in the family," Ryan added.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Makes you wonder whether

McCarthy is as power hungry as Cantor was.

[tanyev]

5. The thing I want to know is who recorded this, kept it for a year, and just now released it?

Hmmm?