pecosbob

pecosbob's Journal

December 13, 2018

Zinke used Thanksgiving to sneak a Koch adviser and party loyalist into key public information role

Of the people, by the people and for the people?

The secretary gave control of incoming Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to former Koch Industries adviser and longtime Zinke consigliere Dan Jorjani in an order dated November 20 but first uncovered Monday afternoon by the Center for Biological Diversity.

As Zinke’s management of the department drew scandalous scrutiny — like so many other Trump cabinet secretaries, Zinke appears to play fast and loose with ethics rules governing travel costs — Jorjani wrote to a colleague that Interior staffers’ primary responsibility is to protect Zinke from negative press. He will now be the central gatekeeper of the agency’s documents when journalists, watchdogs, and other citizens seek insight into the conduct of their government.

December 12, 2018

"I'm probably the most ethical person you ever met." - Rudy Giuliani

Don't break your computer screen DUers. Yeah, he actually said it.

President Donald Trump’s personal attorney was referred to as the leader of a “high-level U.S. delegation” by Bahrain’s state-run news agency on Tuesday, though Giuliani met with the country’s king as a representative of his personal business, not the United States. The New York Times flagged the meeting Wednesday.

Giuliani stressed in an interview with the paper that he made no representations on behalf of the United States, and that he makes clear in consulting contracts that he will not lobby the U.S. government. He was in Bahrain to pursue a consulting contract, the Times reported.

“I’m probably the most ethical person you ever met,” Giuliani told the Times. “I follow all the rules. I have no desire to trade on anything.”

He added: “I can guarantee you, whether they think the picture is valuable, there is nothing I’m going to do to help them other than what they pay me for.”

Now I have to clean up all the vomit from my keyboard...

read more at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/bahrain-king-rudy-giuliani-meeting

December 12, 2018

After Slur Accusation, AOC Shoots Back: Conway's 'Engaged In A War On Facts'

The battle’s on.

After Kellyanne Conway accused Rep.-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — without mentioning her name — of tweeting a “slur” about White House chief of staff John Kelly and diminishing her intelligence on Fox News Tuesday, the soon-to-be congresswoman shot back, suggesting Conway has been “engaged in a war on facts” since President Trump took office.

Kellyanne Conway has been engaged in a War on Facts since Inauguration Day.

Leveraging those who belittle my capacity is exactly how I defeated a multi-generation, multi-million $ political machine. GOP is even weaker bc their bias has no self-control.https://t.co/QHA66XqInY

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 12, 2018

After Trump announced that Kelly would be leaving the White House at the end of the year, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that Kelly still owes an apology to Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), whom he disparaged earlier this year. She called Kelly’s actions “cowardice,” which Conway interpreted as a slur before she suggested that Ocasio-Cortez “doesn’t seem to know much about anything.”

read at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ocasio-cortez-kellyanne-war-facts

December 12, 2018

Disgraced Trump Fundraiser Tried to Use GOP Contacts to Score Billions in Africa

A convoluted trip through the swamp with David Corn at Mother Jones...

In late 2016, as Donald Trump was readying to move into the White House, Elliott Broidy, then one of the Republican Party’s top fundraisers, was working on a deal to gain control of what a business partner called billions of dollars in oil & gas, and mining assets in Angola. And while he was trying to pull together this gigantic venture—as well as mounting another project to provide intelligence services to the Angolan government—Broidy used his clout to hook up top Angolan government officials with members of the US Congress and the Trump administration. It was a swampy endeavor involving old-fashioned political influence, a Beverly Hills activist and realtor, and a Nigerian American businessman who had been a close friend of Michael Jackson.

After helping the GOP regain the White House, Broidy has become a poster child for Trump-era corruption. He has generated headlines about multiple controversies—personal, political, and business. And there could be more Broidy stories to come. But the Angola episode illustrates how Broidy, having used the Trump campaign and victory to establish himself as a force within the Republican Party, did business—and indicates there is a public interest in learning the full story of how Broidy put his Trump and Republican connections to personal use.

December 10, 2018

The Specials - A Message To You Rudy

December 7, 2018

White Nationalist Convicted Of First-Degree Murder In C'ville Car Attack

Source: Talking Points Memo

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A man who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia was convicted Friday of first-degree murder for killing a woman in an attack that inflamed long-simmering racial and political tensions across the country.

A state jury rejected arguments that James Alex Fields Jr. acted in self-defense during a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. Jurors also convicted Fields of eight other charges, including aggravated malicious wounding and hit and run.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/white-nationalist-convicted-murder-charlottesville-car-attack

Fine People

Late Edit...and a shout out to all of those that called for legislation decriminalizing driving over protestors, we remember who you are...

December 7, 2018

Fox Host: Giuliani Attacks Mueller To Convince Public Trump Shouldn't Be Indicted

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/fox-host-giuliani-attacks-mueller-convince-trump-not-indicted

Fox News analyst and columnist Andrew Napolitano wrote in a recent column that President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani has told his friends that the real reason he bashes special counsel Robert Mueller is not to change the outcome of the investigation, but rather to convince the public that Trump shouldn’t be indicted or impeached if that’s what it comes down to.

He has assumed two roles for his most famous client — as legal strategist and as cheerleader,” he wrote in an editorial Thursday. “As a legal strategist, he brings a wealth of experience in federal criminal procedure, but he has no serious experience defending a person accused by the feds — hence his morphing into the cheerleading role, in which he has candidly acknowledged to friends that his goal is not to dissuade the special counsel from pursuing his client but to influence public opinion so that if an indictment or impeachment of Trump were to come down, it would generally be unacceptable to the public.”

Can everyone now join me in a collective "Duhhh'?

December 7, 2018

WSJ: Prosecutors Are Scrutinizing Flynn Firm's Turkey Lobbying

A grand jury empaneled in Virginia is sorting through and seeking additional information about the Flynn Intel Group’s efforts to discredit U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to the Journal.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/prosecutors-scrutinizing-flynn-intel-group-turkey-lobbying

https://www.wsj.com/articles/prosecutors-looking-at-turkey-lobbying-by-michael-flynns-ex-firm-1544150269

Prosecutors are reportedly seeking information on the activities and involvement of the Turkish businessman who paid $530,000 for the Gulen project, Ekim Alptekin. They’re also interested in Flynn’s former partner at the firm, Bijan Kian. Neither man provided comment to the Journal.

December 7, 2018

GOP Sen: Stop Nominating People With 'Questionable Records On Race'

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/scott-stop-noms-quesiton-record-race

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) submitted a letter to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday in response to an editorial on judicial nominee Thomas Farr this week that argued Democrats should stop calling racism to advance their agenda.

Scott agreed that while a nominee’s history “should be seen through a wider lens, the solution isn’t simply to decry ‘racial attacks.'”

“Instead, we should stop bringing candidates with questionable track records on race before the full Senate for a vote,” he wrote. “What this means, regardless of the obvious issues the Democratic Party has on race, is that the Republican Party must strive to do better. We can build on the momentum of opportunity zones and criminal-justice reform to show we are serious about tackling real issues facing people of color. I know conservative solutions can transform lives, but if folks don’t trust us, implementing those solutions becomes impossible.”

December 7, 2018

So...it looks like McCabe opened an obstruction investigation of Trump before Mueller was hired

CNN reported tonight...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211521521

Maybe that's why 14 angry democrats just became 17...

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Number of posts: 7,537

About pecosbob

Don't take what I say too seriously...I'm a dumb-ass.

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