FM123
FM123's JournalToobin: Cohen's Plea Deal Means Trump Trusted A 'Credentialed Criminal'
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin weighed in on Michael Cohen entering into a plea agreement Tuesday with federal prosecutors from the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office.
Toobin, who stated that the plea deal is an “enormous development” in Trump’s presidency, said “no one was closer” to Donald Trump before his presidency.
“No one knows more or almost no one knows more of his secrets and the fact that he’s pleading guilty, apparently, to a wide range of felonies in many different areas suggest that Donald Trump placed his trust in someone who was a very elaborately — a very extensively credentialed criminal,” Toobin said.
Toobin argued that the biggest question out of Cohen’s plea deal is whether he will “cooperate in a way that is at all damaging to Donald Trump.”
(On Twitter) CNN Newsroom @CNNnewsroom
"The fact that Michael Cohen is pleading guilty is just an enormous development in the history of the Trump Presidency... Almost no one knows more of his secrets" says @JeffreyToobin
Oooh Cohen is really going to flip!
Trump Taunts Brennan, 'Worst CIA Director': 'I Hope' He Sues Me!
After stripping former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance over his criticism of the President and his role in the “witch hunt,” President Donald Trump continued taunting Brennan on Twitter Monday, daring him to file a lawsuit.
"I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue!"
"Everybody wants to keep their Security Clearance, it’s worth great prestige and big dollars, even board seats, and that is why certain people are coming forward to protect Brennan. It certainly isn’t because of the good job he did! He is a political hack."
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-taunts-brennan-hope-he-sues
One thousand GAO recommendations to remedy cybersecurity shortcomings remain unaddressed
(Article from The Hill)
With one click of a mouse, could an enemy of the United States black out major parts of the country or shut down the nation’s electronic communications? Could a hacker access a major bank and gain your personal information, and then clean out your accounts or steal your identity? Or send the stock markets into a tailspin, disrupting the economy?
Since 2010, GAO has made over 3,000 recommendations to agencies aimed at addressing cybersecurity shortcomings in each of these action areas. However, as of this month, about 1,000 have not been implemented. Until these shortcomings are addressed, federal agencies’ information and systems will be increasingly susceptible to the multitude of cyber-related threats that exist. There is much work to do to protect the public by both government and the private sector.
Read More
http://thehill.com/opinion/cybersecurity/402343-one-thousand-gao-recommendations-to-address-cybersecurity-shortcomings
Judge Rules That Mistake In Trump NDA Makes It Void, Could Apply To Others
Judge Arlene Bluth of the New York State Supreme Court ruled Thursday that errors in the wording of a nondisclosure agreement between President Donald Trump’s team and a former campaign staffer make it much smaller in scope, thus not preventing the case from going to open court, according to a Thursday Yahoo News report.
The initial lawsuit was filed by Jessica Denson, a former campaign aide who said that she experienced “harassment and sexual discrimination” while working on the 2016 bid. Per Yahoo, she is suing for $25 million for being subjected to “severe and pervasive slander, aggravated harassment, attempted theft, cyberbullying, and sexual discrimination and harassment” at the hands of staffers including Camilo Sandoval, her supervisor then and the current acting chief information officer at the VA.
Campaign lawyers countered by demanding $1.5 million in damages, alleging that she broke the signed agreement by publishing “confidential information and disparaging statements.” They then moved to take the case to private arbitration, claiming that she agreed to that when she signed the contract. As opposed to a normal trial, records from arbitration can be sealed.
Bluth ruled that, due to various wording errors and incorrect phrasing in the NDA, it did not prevent Denson from taking her case public.
This could have far-ranging effects, as the NDA Denson signed seems to be similar to the one Trump uses in the White House and at the Trump Organization, along with his campaign.
The ruling could be especially topical, as the Trump administration is currently trying to silence former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman by claiming that she violated the terms of the NDA.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/judge-rules-that-mistake-in-trump-nda-makes-it-void-could-apply-to-others
Papadopolous' Wife Wants Him To Scrap Deal With Mueller
Hmmm, why would she say this? Now?Simona Mangiante, the wife of former President Trump campaign official George Papadopolous, reportedly wants her husband to stop cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, according to MSNBC.
Mangiante told MSNBC on Thursday that she no longer trusts the government and that “shady individuals” with a “specific agenda” were “targeting” her husband.
“I trusted these institutions until they proved me wrong,” she said, adding there is “exculpatory evidence that fully justifies him to drop off his plea agreement.”
Papadopolous pleaded guilty in October 2017 to charges of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials and has been cooperating with Mueller’s team ever since. He is set to be sentenced next month.
Do you need a good laugh? At Mike Pence?
So last night a fellow DU'er posted that Mike Pence's official website had been hacked - it still hasn't been corrected this morning and it is the funniest thing ever! It starts with "are you a homosexual?" and ends with "this is a reminder to kill all your tiny dogs"
http://www.officialmikepence.com/
Elizabeth Warren has a plan to save capitalism
According to Vox, Elizabeth Warren has a big idea that challenges how the Democratic Party thinks about solving the problem of inequality.
Instead of advocating for expensive new social programs like free college or health care, she’s introducing a bill Wednesday, the Accountable Capitalism Act, that would redistribute trillions of dollars from rich executives and shareholders to the middle class — without costing a dime.
Warren’s plan starts from the premise that corporations that claim the legal rights of personhood should be legally required to accept the moral obligations of personhood.
Warren wants to create an Office of United States Corporations inside the Department of Commerce and require any corporation with revenue over $1 billion — only a few thousand companies, but a large share of overall employment and economic activity — to obtain a federal charter of corporate citizenship.
(Read More)
https://www.vox.com/2018/8/15/17683022/elizabeth-warren-accountable-capitalism-corporations
John Brennan responds!
Just now on MSNBC Nicolle Wallace, he called in and Wallace read this tweet:
"This action is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to suppress freedom of speech & punish critics. It should gravely worry all Americans, including intelligence professionals, about the cost of speaking out. My principles are worth far more than clearances. I will not relent."
Roger Stone Posts, Deletes Swastika-Filled Image Of Trump Crew
Trump confidante Roger Stone on Tuesday posted on Instagram, and then deleted, a photoshopped image prominently showing him and other Trump affiliates wearing swastikas.
The caption reads: “I love this — proud to be in this crew — but the only lies being told are by the liberal scumbags #maga #republican #infowars”
From left to right, the image shows Stone, House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA), White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Fox News host Sean Hannity.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/roger-stone-posts-deletes-swastika-filled-image-of-trump-crew
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