...

But, I’m not politically apathetic. I was a door knocker for a Republican congresswoman. I interned for the GOP get out the vote effort in 2004. I had a leadership position in College Republicans. More recently, as a lawyer and political consultant, I helped elect numerous Republicans in four states while flipping the State House in one and the State Senate in another.

On paper, I’m that “five for five” primary voter that steadfast party loyalist politics is built on — and I’m leaving the Republican Party.

That discrepancy, between paper and reality, is just one of those contradictions that defines modern American life.

I’m a well-educated, straight, white man from one of the whitest and politically reddest states in the country. I regularly (OK, semi-regularly) attend church. My wife is one of our deacons. I’m a small business owner who, without exaggeration, would likely have to close our business upon the passage of progressive policies.

...

This is a quote that I heard on MSNBC. I don't know the name of the man who said it.

"If Trump says he knows everything about it, he knows nothing about it, and if Trump says he knows nothing about it, he knows everything about it."

This is so point on. Remember this

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New billboards have popped up along the freeway which suggest restricting abortion rights is like rape.

The billboards along I-25 read, “Rape is about power and control, so are abortion bans.” The ads are the work of Progress Now New Mexico which works to keep the procedure legal and stop efforts to shame women for seeking abortions.

Jeanine: Do you have the evidence?
Rudy: 😳 I got the evidence
Jeanine: Can we see the evidence?
Rudy: You saw the evidence! It was on Fox. It was just on OAN! Go watch OAN and go watch my podcast!!!

CREW obtained records of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s March 18, 2019 “faith-based media” briefing, released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The records include a transcript of the call and reveal the exclusive list of media outlets that were allowed to participate. The call touched upon the topic of “Islamic radicalism,” yet it did not include any Islam-focused outlets.

The briefing was controversial because certain reporters were barred from the call and even disinvited after RSVPing, despite the fact that the purpose of the call was ostensibly to fill in reporters in advance of Secretary Pompeo’s diplomatic trip to the Middle East. It appears that even more reporters than originally known were excluded from the call after RSVP-ing. Several were told they were invited in “error.” Publications that were sent invitations but later excluded from the call include the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, AFP, Reuters, and Bloomberg.

At the time, State Department officials refused to answer questions about whether a range of religions were included. It appears that they were not, and that in fact, only journalists from Christian and Jewish outlets were allowed to participate. The records also confirm that a representative from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was set to participate in the call as late as the morning of March 18, but was apparently disinvited by 4:15 that afternoon, when the call took place.

...



Even State Department officials appear to have been baffled by the exclusivity of the briefing, calling it “strange,” “highly unusual” and even saying “I’ll keep scratching my head.” One staffer said that blowback from reporters and the public was the State Department Bureau of Public Affairs’s “mess to handle.”

1/
THREAD
#LevParnasAudio

Disclaimer: The entire audio was challenging to hear. Dinner happening. Lev left is phoned audio on (how he got away with that is amazing).
My comments are based on what I heard. Wrote.
Let’s get started.
@ZevShalev

#RightMatters
@SaysDana
Well, I just listened to the entire Lev Parnas Trump tape. The entire audio.
I also transcribed almost all of it, short of some points that weren’t important.
Once I clean it up, I’ll put together a THREAD.
Have a good #Caturday


2/The location is a hotel. Based on the convo from Trump, it’s the Trump D.C. location.
Context:
Dinner with donors (some I can name)
Before the midterms and the NK trip to meet KJU.
It’s wild and crazy

3/The opening minutes of the audio are someone calling out TEAM and lots of talk about golf. Introductions between people

Discussion with a couple who say they live outside of Columbus and live in Murray, OH. Mention an old golf club from 1916 they have there.

4/A comment that people won’t want their pictures taken to Lev Parnas (so it seemed). He spoke back OK with an accent
Lots of golf
Jack Nicklaus’s son and Grandson attended and pitched the JN golf course to Trump Songdo IBD coming up (later in the dinner)
jacknicklausgolfclubkorea.com

5/Trump enters everyone claps. They all talk golf.
Lots of talk about the great economy, talks about rhetoric and sanctions hard on NK. Talks about when you are $500B down in a Trade war, you can’t lose. Then says OFF THE RECORD
6/“If you own a baseball team and the other team scores 32 runs, what do you have to lose?”
$500B
$800B down per year
Globalists think it’s OK, they are wrong.
Then jumps to jobs going to MX. Steel is up in OH
U.S. Steel is opening 15 Plants in the U.S.
FACT CHECK
NO

7/. No they aren’t.

No, U.S. Steel is not opening six new mills
President Donald Trump has boasted about big growth in the steel industry at campaign-style rallies this summer. "U.S. Steel just announced that they are building six new steel mills," Trum…
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/aug/02/donald-trump/us-steel-not-opening-six-new-mills-donald-trump/


8/
They are upgrading another mill. Not ready until 2020.

U.S. Steel to spend $1 billion on Mon Valley Works
The 118-year-old Pittsburgh steelmaker said its new casting and rolling facility will allow it to better compete for decades to come.
https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2019/05/02/U-S-Steel-to-spend-1-billion-on-Mon-Valley-Works/stories/201905020023

9/. One person says he’s a steel producer and thanks Trump for the tariffs. Says that steel is at a healthy price and profit.
Complains about backdoor steel from China via Taiwan, SKorea, Thailand and Moscow.

Trump: “How stupid were they to get into a Korean War”.

10/ Laughing and clapping.
T - Who thought that was a good idea?
Laughing
Calls S. Korea the toughest traders. $32B deficit with them. Generals I asked said they don’t know. It is what it is.

11/ Person talks about Quotas and that it helped to throttle back. He said he was a steel buyer and has to compete to buy it. He wants steel to go up and throttling back helps everyone make money.


12/ Trump says when I do tariffs. The U.S. is taking in billions of dollars. The big thing is we are taking in billions and billions of dollars. Countries are begging to do business with us.
Clapping
Donor - We were the 1st Co. to ever beat China at the WTO. Throttle back more

13/ it brings in more jobs. If we throttle more I could hire 700-1000 people.
Trump - I have a theory - if we didn’t see Quotas China wins.
Aluminum has gone down. Pretty wild.
When China hears what we are proposing they won’t like it.
Lots of laughing.

14/ Cont’s - The WTO steals everything. Those deal makers aren’t smart people. Stupid people. China didn’t become great until the WTO.
Note; Woman in audience says that’s right.
It’s there fault China grew. They take advantage.

15/ Former leaders aren’t very smart people. They put $7Trillion into the Middle East. We borrowed it from China.
The WTO is the weapon that hurt the U.S.. Enriched others. Just like the EU and they are worse. Barriers. Just smaller.
Clapping

16/ Congress BEGGED me to terminate NAFTA. They are petrified. Farmers are great but they know what they have.
Shake it all up. Terminate some deals. NAFTA worst deal ever.
China killed us
HRC made a deal with SK. It gave 250K jobs to them. How stupid was that?
Pausing for a moment. Please wait to comment.

17/ Talking about the Ryder Cup, President Cup. How bad tournaments can be around the world.
(Horseshit talk)

Collusion in SK is off the charts
Nicklaus offers up the hotel when he goes there. Says Grandpa was happy to get his letter.
Mocks KJU

18/Now someone asks about a Nobel prize and how he should get it. Bashed Obama because he didn’t deserve it.
Claps.
Someone says they are supplying fencing to the border wall. Proud to do it. Used to work through Boeing (?) now Gulf and Steel fabricators.

19. This guy continued to say the he was glad Obama isn’t President. He never identified the problem.
Trump says it’s amazing they can shimmy up that wall though. Amazing how the do it. Then says drug dealers are so dangerous there...

20/ and throw 100 lb sacks of drugs over ther top and the land on the heads of people and kill them.
People laughed.....
Then he said, no it’s our guys...
More laughing.
That’s why they want to see through them.
Can’t shimmy with spikes on top.

21/Q - How are we going to win the mid-term elections? Trump says most times you don’t. The economy is good so maybe we’ll do better. Complacency. Win the Presidency that’s how we got it.
93% they lose the mid-terms. Economy is great. Stock up.

22/Then someone gives and analogy about real estate and immigration and water mains and repairs. (Like what?)
Dearborn MI gets mentioned. Unbelievable these cities are changing. Someone says “look at CA where I live”. Caravans are crazy

23/Don Jr - People need to wake up at the voting booth. Complacency. Part of our job is to make people know that he’s on the TICKET.
Trump - Won AZ - 22% by me 6% by her. Won special races - 6. Lost one.

24/ Then someone says “what’s wrong with working with your hands? Trump did it, right? Goldman Sachs got texts from me telling them. Best sporting event in history when you won.”
Talks about crazy press getting crazier.

25/ Trump - I think we’ll do better than people think. Low life. Maxine Waters. Low IQ Person (all men laughing, agreeing)/

Women speaks up: I want to talk about pop culture and Kanye stuff. Charlie Hersch (spelling problem). I travel with both of them. Brilliant. Then says:

26/ Dems are losing their hold on millennials. Kanye is brilliant. I’m from Canada and my kids in the U.S. They send me texts about his music.
More talk about the benefits of Natural Gas, Fracking. How they hate OPEC. West Texas BIG. Trump asks how big compared to Saudi?

27/ The guy says West Texas output around 60%.
How about VZ?
They said the problem is refining it. Need better refineries for VZ oil
@ThomasS4217

28/ Here’s where Parnas jumps in:
LNG would be a game changer. We could beat Putin. He’d be done.
Ukraine loves you. Great fighters. They are waiting your direction. Good opportunity. Javelin missiles. Yes they are getting it. Will Russia get Ukraine?

29/ He continues:
“They would love to, but are scared of you Trump”.
They want Ukraine. Ukraine is a sore throat in their throat.
Trump - Ukraine has oil?
UKRAINE?

30/Yes, lots of it. Someone chimes in that the geology of Texas is the same as Ukraine.

Parnas - Potential is incredible in Ukraine. They are waiting for your support Mr. Trump.
Says it’s too risky. They supported the Clintons and Biden is a big thing over there.

31/ Trump - How long would they last in a fight with Russia?
Parnas - Without us they would lose. Putin won’t push. Syria was a great job.
Trump - Ukraine? They support me? How’s the leader?
Parnas - He’s a good guy. They need the U.S. Germany has turned their back on them

32/KEY PART:
Parnas - We have to get rid of the Ambassador of Ukraine. She says “He’ll be impeached. Impeached”. (In part).
People seem to agree with him.
Trump then says “Get Rid of her”
Get her out tomorrow
Get her out tomorrow
Do it.
(In part)

33/ Pause. Thanks for staying with me.

34/Trump - It’s a deep state deal. The stuff they have is so bad about the other side (not sure what he was referring to here)
Someone asks: “Are you waiting for it?
Don Jr. (I believe) - Yes, the right time. Comey. Guilty. Clinton. Guilty.
Someone toasts something.

35/Trump back at the table with Parnas:
Lev asks about cannabis and banking and why can’t we do banking? Need a non-partisan committee to discuss it. People would like to see that. Need to get ahead of a good opportunity.
Trump says you think marijuana is good?

36/ Parnas says yes. Trump mumbles, It will all work out. We’re working on it.
Parnas - the reason why is that we need tor help with the mid-terms. ?
Marijuana thing is good . Trump mentions IQ problem with cannabis.
Laughing

37/ Someone say it’s good for opioids. Better. Audience member agrees.
Don Jr - alcohol does much more damage. (No one listened much)
Parnas asked for a committee. He has professionals, statistics and information he’d like him to look at. 30 states legalized it. It’s growing.

38/Parnas - I have friends in the business that could be helped.
I live in FL.
Trump - Will Rick Scott win? Parnas - think so.
Parnas - I met with Pam. Bondi. Met her last week.
Says, it’s complicated and controversial and a committee would look good to others.

39/
Trump - who is this?
Parnas - my partner in the Energy business, Igor Fruman.
Trump - You’re in the gas trade?
Parnas - yes. Turkey, Poland, Ukraine,etc.

40/ Trump moves back to Nicklaus kid and asks about Milstein helping Jack with the course. Says he’s hard headed but are trying to work together. 5 yr. non-compete.
Trump says. I know him well.

41/Moves on to cable TV? It’s OK, right?
If we ever lost an election it would be dead. If they had a normal candidate (HRC) would be 1/5 the viewers. Everyone knows me.
Someone yells:
“You are the only one who could beat her”!

42/ Person continues:
“Her lies. Her constant talking. No one else would have been that polite”.
Then something I didn’t quite get:
Trump says:
His mistake was in Boca with the Spanish tape. They rigged it. Bernie could have beat HRC. There was no hatred.

43/ He continues
KEY POINT HERE:
I got 20% of the Bernie Vote
He she picked Bernie it would have been tough for me.

Someone point out:
Democrats do well because they stick together. Bernie hasn’t gone crazy yet.

44/. Trump:
“I hope Biden runs.

Pivots to questions about wind/solar vs electricity and CNG.
Someone shits on Tesla. Wishes they could use Natural gas to run cars. CNG doesn’t work for big rigs, not enough power.

45/ Then:
“Tesla is broke. He ran out of money. They can’t produce the vehicles. Other companies have caught up to him. He’s subsidized $25K per vehicle. The carbon footprint on my phone is the same as a refrigerator.”

46/ Elon Musk is dead. Why is his stock price so high (trump)
That sock is history. He’s a very smart guy. Off socially, but the company is done.

My favorite part is coming up and we’re almost done.

47/One guy talks about his business and the CNG, Ford Trucks.
He says when asked by Trump:
“I haul mail for the postal service. You need diesel for that.
Trump asks: Why?
Compression, etc.

48/He cont’d to say that the problem is a shortage of drivers. We can’t hire enough people to do it.
We need drivers.
Someone says, “Oh, they are like pilots”
Truckers can’t work 24 hours, e-logs, etc.

49/ HERE”S THE FAV:
Don Jr. - “So, then people who want to work, can’t because they can’t work because of regulations. People used to want to work 14-18 hours a day. What a pain.”

50/ The owner of the business stops him and says:
“It’s about safety”.
Don tries again to suggest that if cars were autonomous they could sit for 14-18 hours and make money.
Only to be told it doesn’t work that way.
🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤷?♀️🤷?♀️🤷?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️🤦🏼?♀️

51/Trump asks about Amazon. Doing great. Someone complains about them taking over freight businesses, Trump suggests they are ripping of the USPS.
Someone tells him NO. It’s managed really well and doing really well. Trump tries to throw out his fav 40% number

52/ He’s told 2%. They wrangle and move on.
Autonomous is safe if we have roads to help.
Moves on.

ALMOST DONE. THANKS FOR STAYING WITH ME.

53/Parnas -
“The head guy in Ukraine and the head rabbi in Israel likes you. Something about how both Trump and the Messiah translate to the same number 424? People think he’s the Messiah.
Trump doesn’t get it.
Parnas said. Ask Jared.

54/ Talked about location in Jerusalem’s embassy they moved. Saved money and almost open. Everyone wants to move there now.
Trump says. THANKS FOLKS, gotta go

55/I’ll be back. Secret Service does a great job. 115 guards.
Rules again
Like this hotel? We love it too.
Good location.
Someone gives him a framed speech by Teddy Rosevelt that everyone will sign.
Mentions Karen and Tom Waver?

56/ Everyone stays in the room.
He leaves saying “don’t believe those idiots in the press”
People thank Johnny, Brian, Tom.
Don Jr for doing a great job.
Parnas says: That was good. Great
Hey Baby
C’mon johnny.
CUT TO END
57/ Thanks for listening if you’re still here.

END

trump could shoot someone in the senate and still get acquitted 53-47. unless he shot a republican, then it would be 52-47.

İyad el-Baghdadi | إياد البغدادي
@iyad_elbaghdadi
How did I get involved in the Bezos hack story? It starts in August 2018 when my late friend Jamal Khashoggi came to me with an idea for a disinformation monitor to track the propaganda output of Arab dictatorships, esp the Saudi regime's...

How did I get involved in the Bezos hack story? It starts in August 2018 when my late friend Jamal Khashoggi came to me with an idea for a disinformation monitor to track the propaganda output of Arab dictatorships, esp the Saudi regime's...


Unfortunately Jamal was killed too soon and the disinformation monitor as a formal project did not take off, but my team had already started closely monitoring Saudi propaganda output, especially after Jamal's murder

It was in mid October that we noticed some curious trends in the Saudi disinformation space re disparagement of Bezos. In November, this disparagement campaign escalated. There were videos, TV programming, newspaper articles, cartoons etc all attacking Bezos in Saudi media

The disinformation output had a few clear narratives, but the meta message was that Jeff Bezos was to blame for the WaPost's relentless reporting of the Khashoggi murder, and that Bezos should have stopped this reporting, given that he owns the WaPost

Then in January, when the National Enquirer revealed Bezos's affair, we also saw activity in the Saudi disinformation networks, essentially saying "this is what happens to whoever targets Saudi Arabia".

Still we didn't fully connect the dots until Jeff Bezos published a Medium blog in February 2019 saying that he was the target of a blackmail attempt. We proceeded to put together as much information as we could about what we thought happened, and we published it.

A couple days after we made that information public, I was contacted by the head of Bezos's security team. We established a working relationship and coordinated closely from then on. We were now able to ask Bezos's team about what happened on specific dates.

By March of 2019, we became convinced that there was indeed a hack. A full forensic report later convinced us further.

On 25 April 2019, Norwegian intelligence agents show up at my door and take me into protection. They tell me I'm the target of a threat from Saudi Arabia. I immediately knew what for.

And so we had our eyes on this months before Bezos's team contacted us. And we've been working on it for most of 2019 with coordination with Bezos's security team.

Random, but last night I was clearing out an old bag (I was asked to change apartments by Norwegian security authorities a few months ago). I found a bunch of cards, and among them, I found this...

And only then I realized that I never cried for my fallen friend. Since his death it's been blind rage and a solid determination to make them pay. But last night... I cried for my fallen friend.

Rest in peace and power, Jamal. We will never forgive, we will never forget, and we will never stop fighting.

While it has been previously shown that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent an email to the Department of Defense instructing them to withhold military aid to Ukraine roughly 90 minutes after the President's July 25 call, the new documents provide the first concrete evidence that the White House was preparing to withhold aid to Ukraine prior to the call. They also provide a road map of efforts led by Michael Duffey, the associate director of OMB, to coordinate the halting of the aid with the White House Counsel's office and the Department of Defense.

This revelation follows just days after the non-partisan General Accounting Office declared that the withholding of Ukrainian military aid by the White House was unlawful.

Tuesday night's evidence comes from almost 200 pages of heavily redacted documents turned over by the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request by a watchdog group, American Oversight.

...

They are something far more important as they show that the President's effort to bully Zelensky to "do us a favor" was premeditated, planned and timed to give the President a hammer to compel a foreign leader to do Trump's personal bidding for his personal gain. (Trump vehemently denies that this was his intent.)