Senate Judiciary Committee interviews figure behind Trump dossier

Source: CBS News

Last Updated Aug 22, 2017 8:37 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- The co-founder of a Washington opposition research firm that produced a dossier of salacious allegations involving President Donald Trump spoke behind closed doors to congressional investigators.

Glenn Simpson appeared privately Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a transcribed interview, CBS News' John Nolen confirmed.

[snip]

In his statement, Levy said that Simpson "cleared the record on many matters of interest to congressional investigators." He went on to say that the investigation involved Simpson because of "a desperate attempt by the Trump campaign and its allies to smear Fusion GPS because of its reported connection to the Trump dossier," which contained lurid allegations about Mr. Trump that the president has described as "phony." Fusion GPS still stands by the dossier.

Simpson's lawyer said that the Judiciary Committee has a copy of the transcribed interview, but Simpson is not permitted to have one. He also mentioned in his statement that the committee can disclose the transcript if it wishes.



Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-judiciary-committee-interviews-figure-behind-trump-dossier/

I've looked at Nazis from both sides now, From "Right" to "Alt-Right", and still somehow

by doncjesuis, in a comment at Atrios' Eschaton blog this evening:


doncjesuis • 30 minutes ago

Rows and flows of hate-filled freaks
Of Neo-Nazi "Alt-Right" geeks
Who get aroused when Hitler speaks
I've looked at American Nazis that way

But now they murder just for fun
Then say, "There's blame on everyone!"
And, "What else could we all have done?
The protestors got in our way..."

I've looked at Nazis from both sides now
From "Right" to "Alt-Right", and still somehow
It's their delusions I recall
At least until they kill us all

Dudes with 'tudes and swastiki torches
Who sit with shotguns on their porches
And stoke their rage until it scorches
I've looked at them that way

While the news is just another show
Repeat some tweets and then you go
Toward cocktail weenies and merlot
Or maybe chardonnay...

I've looked at news from both sides now
From Real and Fake, and still somehow
It's news' collusion I recall
Our "Free Press" isn't "free" at all

Cheers and beers and feeling proud
To say, "Heil Hitler!" right out loud
And plow a car into a crowd
And take a life that way

And now these fiends are more deranged
They shake their fists, say the country's changed
Since they'd prefer black people chained
Just like the Good Ol' Days

I've looked at them from both sides now
From Lee to Trump and still somehow
They find new swamps from which they crawl
They're terrorist traitors one and all

http://www.eschatonblog.com/2017/08/what-day.html#comment-3470106597

Will Trump pay the legal bills for James Fields, like he promised he would?

Mr. President, what have you been able to do to reassure South Korea given the recent tensions?

Q Mr. President, what have you been able to do to reassure South Korea given the recent tensions?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think as far as reassurance, they probably feel as reassured as they can feel. Certainly, they feel more reassured with me than they do with other Presidents from the past because nobody has really done the job that they're supposed to be doing.

. . . So I think South Korea is very happy. And you don't mention Japan, but I think Japan is very happy with the job we're doing. I think they're very impressed with the job we're doing

Trump Campaign Turns Over Thousands of Documents in Russia Probe

Source: Bloomberg

By Steven T. Dennis
August 8, 2017, 6:04 PM CDT

Donald Trump Jr., Manafort also send data to Judiciary panel

Committee may hold public hearings on Russia in late September

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, his son Donald Trump Jr. and former campaign manager Paul Manafort have started turning over documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the panel’s expanded investigation of Russian election-meddling.

The Trump campaign turned over about 20,000 pages of documents on Aug. 2, committee spokesman George Hartmann said Tuesday. Manafort provided about 400 pages on Aug. 2, including his foreign-advocacy filing, while Trump Jr. gave about 250 pages on Aug. 4, Hartmann said. The committee had asked them last month to start producing the documents by Aug. 2.

A company the Judiciary panel says has been linked to a salacious "dossier" on Trump, Fusion GPS, and its chief executive officer, Glenn Simpson, have yet to turn over any requested documents, Hartmann said.

The committee asked for all records regarding any attempts or interest in obtaining information about Hillary Clinton from Russian government or affiliated sources, including the June 2016 meeting of Trump Jr., Manafort, Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner and a group of Russians including lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.



Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-08/trump-campaign-turns-over-thousands-of-documents-in-russia-probe

Trump Wanted Cheaper Air Force One So the USAF Is Buying a Bankrupt Russian Firm's Undelivered 747s

President Donald Trump said the projected cost of new Air Force One aircraft was too high, so the U.S. Air Force found a way to lower it: by buying a pair of Boeing 747 jetliners abandoned by a bankrupt Russian airline.

Air Force officials are now finalizing a contract with Boeing for the two planes, according to three defense officials with knowledge of the deal. The Pentagon could publicly announce the deal as soon as this week.

“We’re working through the final stages of coordination to purchase two commercial 747-8 aircraft and expect to award a contract soon,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement.

The Air Force is not expected to disclose the specific value of the contract, but officials said that the military is getting a good deal on the planes. Boeing lists the average sticker price of a 747-8 as $386.8 million; the actual amount paid by airlines and other customers varies with quantities, configurations, and so forth.

http://www.defenseone.com/business/2017/08/russian-air-force-one-boeing-trump-747/139872/