Althouse: "Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence during a monthslong investigation that the Trump campaign aided Russia’s election meddling..."

April 27, 2018

"Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence during a monthslong investigation that the Trump campaign aided Russia’s election meddling..."

"... the lawmakers concluded in a 250-page report released on Friday that assails President Trump’s political rivals and criticizes the F.B.I. and the intelligence community for their responses to Moscow’s interference," the NYT reports. "In their own dissenting views, Democrats on the committee accused the Republicans of prematurely closing the investigation out of a desire to protect Mr. Trump and asserted that eagerness by Trump campaign associates to accept offers of Russian assistance suggest 'a consciousness of wrongfulness, if not illegality.' The strikingly divergent conclusions...."

Whoa! That's not "strikingly divergent"! That's strikingly on the same page: No evidence of collusion. Yes, there is a difference of attitude, but it's so predictable, and so solidly based on our deeply rooted 2-party system that it sings a song of eternal American harmony.

246 comments:

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Achilles said...: Original Mike said...

What I don’t get is why she does this. Inga’s obsessed with the Trump collusion narrative. Surely she most know the most basic facts.

At some point you people will realize that basic facts don't matter to these people. The rule of law doesn't matter.

These people started working on taking Trump down the day they got done whitewashing Hillary. The. Exact. Same. People.

They were caught texting each other about insurance policies.

This is a coup in progress and these people will have to be defeated or they will destroy this country.; 4/27/18, 3:40 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Inga at 2:49 PM
Boom, there it is...

“The Russians stole documents. ...

They lied about every step.

That’s a conspiracy. And every step of that conspiracy is now public knowledge.”

That line of reasoning is compelling to you, but not to me.

Every step is dubious, in my opinion. When you have a long line of dubious steps, may people will abandon your argument along the way.

For the sake of argument, they will go along with steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 -- and then give up on step 5. (I am speaking abstractly, not about your particular list.)

I no longer find the conspiracy theories about Russian meddling in our 2016 Presidential election to be an entertaining mental exercise.

We should try to live civilly. An important element of civility is restraint in dealing with suspicions and accusations about democratically elected officials.

I myself drift into incivility many times -- especially in this particular controversy. Nevertheless, I preach that all of us should try to be more civil in our political lives.; 4/27/18, 3:42 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: "They promised documents to Trump."
This has a very different meaning than "Trump sought their promise to deliver documents."

From the majority report issued today:

(U) The June 9 meeting lasted as little
as 20 minutes. Kaveladze testified that
he believed Trump Jr. started the meeting
and then turned it over to Veselnitskaya.
Interviewed meeting attendees agreed that
Veselnitskaya presented information
concerning-the Magnitsky Act and the Ziff
Brothers, including their alleged role in
evading taxes in Hussia and political
contributions to the DNC and/or Clinton
campaign. Several attendees also
recalled discussion of Russian adoptions,
which the Russian government suspended
in retaliation for the Magnitsky Act.213
(U) Goldstone further testified that
Kushner, Manafort, and Trun1p Jr. seemed
visibly uninterested In the Ma3nltsky Act
briefing provided by Veselnitskaya.

Manafort, according to Goldstone, "never
looked up from his cell phone from the
moment we began the meeting until the
moment we ended." Manafort and
Kushner complained to one another via text
message during the meeting that the
meeting was a "waste of time." Kushner
asked his assistants to call and give him and
excuse to leave, which one of them did
shortly after the text. At the end of the
meeting, Goldstone apologized to Trump Jr.
for the "bait-and-switch ta!k about
something which we knew nothfng about,
which was, again, Russian adoption and the
Magnitsky Act."; 4/27/18, 3:45 PM
Original Mike said...: ”At some point you people will realize that basic facts don't matter to these people.”

That doesn’t speak to why Inga comes to a blog which has no influence or power and posts things that she knows, and she knows we know, are false.

What is the point?; 4/27/18, 3:48 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Now, the majority report published today is certainly a partisan document, but it provides direct quotes of testimony. There might be a sin of ommision here, where some of the testimony was held back by the majority because it tended to make the June 20 meeting look bad for Trump, but then the minority could highlight that in their report.
They did not. The minority report tends to make its case with adjectives and adverbs, not evidence and testimony.; 4/27/18, 3:48 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Following up my comment at 3:42 PM

Inga, I always have considered you to be quite civil -- and informative and amusing -- in your comments here.

I think that many suspicions about political situations should be investigated.

At some point, however, some restraint must be exercised. Some investigations eventually become vicious, ruinous, poisonous, self-indulgent and futile.

Individual people can continue to investigate, study, discuss and debate the controversies, but government officials with police powers, acting secretly, should not be allowed to run wild forever. This is especially true if such officials have lost the trust of much of the citizenry.

In my opinion, this RussiaGate investigation now is motivated largely by a desire to cause problems maliciously for our elected President.; 4/27/18, 3:55 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/27/18, 3:59 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: Why didn’t the Republicans want to know whose phone number this was?

“According to the Democrats’ report, Trump Jr. exchanged calls about the meeting with Emin Agalarov on June 6 at Goldstone’s request. The first call was at 4:04 pm. At 4:27 pm, prior to Trump Jr.’s second call with Emin, Trump Jr. received a call from a “blocked” number. Trump Jr. told the committee last year he did not know who had called him. The Democrats note, however, that Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, told the committee that Trump Sr.’s “primary residence has a blocked [phone] line.”

Democrats say they made “repeated efforts to obtain the home or cell phone records for then-candidate Trump to determine whether the blocked call was Trump Jr.’s father.” But, they note, “the Majority was unwilling to pursue the matter.”; 4/27/18, 4:02 PM
Achilles said...: Mike Sylwester said...

Inga, I always have considered you to be quite civil -- and informative and amusing -- in your comments here.

Especially when she is calling her political opponents racists and nazi's and cheering when they get shot and violently attacked by DNC funded mobs.

Calling the NRA child murderers was a particularly civil touch.; 4/27/18, 4:15 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Inga at 4:02 PM
Why didn’t the Republicans want to know whose phone number this was? ... Trump Sr.’s “primary residence has a blocked [phone] line.

Inga, the next time when a Democrat is elected to be the US President, do you want him too to be subjected to such an absurd investigation?; 4/27/18, 4:16 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: CNN lies for The Party are acceptable.; 4/27/18, 4:23 PM
Original Mike said...: Inga, since you’re still here, what was this about?

”Trump operatives had advance knowledge of both contents and timing on WikiLeaks releases.”; 4/27/18, 4:25 PM
Chuck said...: Lewis Wetzel said...
How could Chuck have voted for Trump if he believed Trump was guilty of committing crimes sufficient to remove him from office?
Mind boggling.

1. First, I do not know that Trump committed any crimes.
2. I believe that the Mueller/Special counsel investigation will result in numerous indictments, guilty pleas and convictions. Whether Trump will be a defendant, I have no knowledge and no informed belief.
3. When I voted, there was no Mueller investigation.
4. When I voted, what I knew and/or believed about Trump was that he was a sleazy, ugly, disreputable, sociopathic liar. Notwithstanding all of that, I thought that the Republican candidate was preferable to the Democratic candidate. The lesser of two evils.
5. And now, if Trump were to be impeached/removed from office, forced to resign or otherwise hounded from office for personal impropriety, Mike Pence -- not Hillary Clinton -- would be president. And my Trump vote would still be meaningful.; 4/27/18, 4:27 PM
Pookie Number 2 said...: I have no knowledge and no informed belief.

No character or integrity, either.; 4/27/18, 4:43 PM
Original Mike said...: I’d like to know from where Inga got her unfounded list.; 4/27/18, 4:54 PM
Birkel said...: I would hope to be in the room when Chuck makes Achilles day very bad.

My money would not be on the "attorney" who "knew" Michigan would vote for Hillary.; 4/27/18, 5:13 PM
Chuck said...: Pookie Number 2 said...
I have no knowledge and no informed belief.

No character or integrity, either.

Go fuck yourself.

I haven't been a serial adulterer; I never had an ex-wife who accused me of raping her, or dozens of women who accused me of sexual misconduct; I never posed as somebody else like "John Miller" to talk to reporters; I've never been accused by the federal government of racial profiling in business; I haven't been party to a $25 million civil fraud suit; I haven't filed any frivolous litigation like Trump's libel claim against Tim O'Brien; I never said anything as gross as that I only want "little guys wearing yarmulkes to count my money"; I never lied about my taxes; and I haven't been fined -- for millions -- in connection with wrongdoing in everything from casino operating rules, to lobbying, to the operation of the "Trump Foundation."; 4/27/18, 5:33 PM
Birkel said...: A lot of jealousy in the things you haven't done.; 4/27/18, 5:42 PM
walter said...: Blogger Chuck said...
Kevin said...
Mueller has also found nothing in his yearlong investigation.
That also won't be enough for Chuck and Inga.
--
You fucking asshole. If you are going to attack me, you should start by accurately paraphrasing me.

I have said many times before,

--
Old school Chuck returns.
Another walnut sphincter cracked.; 4/27/18, 5:48 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Inga at 4:02 AM
... Trump Jr. exchanged calls about the meeting with Emin Agalarov on June 6 at Goldstone’s request. The first call was at 4:04 pm. At 4:27 pm, prior to Trump Jr.’s second call with Emin, Trump Jr. received a call from a “blocked” number. Trump Jr. told the committee last year he did not know who had called him. The Democrats note, however, that Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, told the committee that Trump Sr.’s “primary residence has a blocked [phone] line."

I haven't studied this particular issue, but I assume easily that Trump Jr perhaps was called by Trump Sr.

So what?

Do you intend to spend the rest of President Trump's administration obsessing in such trivia?

If the Democrats refuse to enforce immigration laws, then they will lose again in 2020. It won't matter who made that phone call.

I hope that the House Committee will begin investigating that $500,000 payment that some Russians made to Bill Clinton for giving one speech.; 4/27/18, 5:58 PM
Drago said...: One waits in vain for any laundry list of democrat transgressions from "Jen Rubin republican" Chuck.

But then why would Dick Durbin's and CNN's biggest fanboy want to list those?
Someone correct me if I missed it, but has "True Conservative" (LOL) Chuck demanded that Jake Tapper of Chucks beloved CNN disclose that he worked for dems, Handgun Control Inc AND received the leak from Clapper regarding Trump being briefed on the hoax lefty/LLR fake dossier?; 4/27/18, 6:00 PM
Unknown said...: The comment section here are heading down the path they did years ago (back when I posted here as AustinRoth and was part of the problem) that led to her tuning them off for a while.

The person, hateful attacks should be stopped. Go set up your own blogs and pummel yourselves silly there please.; 4/27/18, 6:00 PM
Jim at said...: Inga, I always have considered you to be quite civil...

Calling another commenter a 'whiny, little, Nazi bitch' falls outside of my idea of civility.

Your mileage may vary.; 4/27/18, 6:17 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: “Calling another commenter a 'whiny, little, Nazi bitch' falls outside of my idea of civility.”

After having myself, my father and my family being called Nazi’s. Plus the person who did this then self identified as a “white nationalist” who went on to denigrate Jews, Blacks, and Mexicans. Well, duh. It’s always kind of amazing how folks here don’t think you have a right to defend yourself. I blame their hypocrisy and their stupidity, but not all of them.; 4/27/18, 7:04 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Blogger Mike Sylwester said...
Inga at 4:02 AM
... Trump Jr. exchanged calls about the meeting with Emin Agalarov on June 6 at Goldstone’s request. The first call was at 4:04 pm. At 4:27 pm, prior to Trump Jr.’s second call with Emin, Trump Jr. received a call from a “blocked” number. Trump Jr. told the committee last year he did not know who had called him. The Democrats note, however, that Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, told the committee that Trump Sr.’s “primary residence has a blocked [phone] line."
This is what I mean, the majority report about the meeting consists of witness testimony, the monority report is insinuation and speculation. You can insinuate and speculate about anything. It isn't data.; 4/27/18, 7:04 PM
Original Mike said...: Hey Inga, when did this happen?

”Trump operatives had advance knowledge of both contents and timing on WikiLeaks releases.”; 4/27/18, 7:12 PM
Ken B said...: Clapper, who now works for CNN, leaked to CNN and lied about it. So this is not just more lies from an Obamacare official, it’s another example of CNN fishing for a way to push the dossier, and the kind of insider trading that went on.; 4/27/18, 7:13 PM
Inga...Allie Oop said...: McClatchy first reported this.

“The National Rifle Association is gearing up for investigations into the conservative political organization’s interactions with Kremlin-linked banker Alexander Torshin, CNN reported Friday.

Torshin, a lifetime NRA member, was among 17 top Russian officials recently slapped with sanctions by the Treasury Department.

Officials at the NRA are setting aside years of documents and “anxiously preparing as if they were already under investigation.

“True believers to the cause are getting very antsy,” a source told CNN. “They were definitely preparing, they were bracing themselves.”

In January, McClatchy reported the FBI was investigation potential Russian donations to the NRA to bolster Donald Trump’s candidacy.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/04/national-rifle-association-bracing-investigations-top-russian-alexander-torshin-report/; 4/27/18, 7:21 PM
Original Mike said...: So Inga realizes the claim is false, though she’s not honest enough to admit it.; 4/27/18, 7:34 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: Well, if rawstory published info from an unnamed source, you've got to believe it!
I wonder what influence the oligarchs were buying from the Clinton Global Initiative?; 4/27/18, 7:45 PM
Drago said...: Original Mike: "So Inga realizes the claim is false, though she’s not honest enough to admit it."

Precisely.

Now she's regurgitating the same Collusion 3.0 (!!!! This time for sure!) nonsense that McClatchy was peddling 5 months ago and now recycling the same stories.

This has become the tactic on the left and LLR's to create the illusion of New And Incredible And Ever Increasing Breaking News Regarding Collusion!!eleventy!11!111!!1!

The NYT and the rest of the media have been recyclying stories from over a year ago to accomplish the same thing.

Same old same old.

Not that it won't get LLR Chuck's heart to go pitter patter.; 4/27/18, 7:46 PM
Drago said...: Remember, Inga and her LLR pals are claiming the Russians were spreading cash around and that's a "Big Deal", but they are strangely incurious about a cool $145 Million funneled to the Clintons by russian oligarchs who just happen to be Putin's pals.; 4/27/18, 7:47 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: The NRA is, of course, America's oldest civil rights organization. It's a shame that there are Russians more interested in preserving the civil rights of Americans than America's political class. More than a shame, it's disgusting.; 4/27/18, 7:47 PM
Original Mike said...: I don’t even get this latest charge. The Russians aided Trump by contributing to the NRA? Good grief.; 4/27/18, 8:06 PM
Drago said...: Original Mike: "I don’t even get this latest charge. The Russians aided Trump by contributing to the NRA? Good grief."

LLR Chuck's lefty allies are simply trying to criminalize Trump (and later any republican) from exercising their authority as Commander in Chief in the same way that the left has spent decades attempting to criminalize policy differences against republicans as well as criminalize any conservative/republican who simply wishes to exercise their constitutional rights.

Just like every other leftist has done in any other nation where the left gains power.

But only every single time in every single place.; 4/27/18, 8:19 PM
Michael K said...: Now, you guys have to stop beating up on poor Inga. chuck can take care of himself but Inga is "differently abled"

She thinks the leftist conspiracy theories are real and true. When Comey and Strzok and a few others go to prison, she will blame the Russians. Who else ?

I think it is hilarious, by the way that "Red State" fired a bunch of NeverTrumpers, including Patterico where Inga goes to harvest nasty comments about me by Patrick.

Oh the pain !; 4/27/18, 8:23 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: I've seen "journalists" hype the Russki hysteria by claiming that over a million twitter and facebook page views were paid for by the Russians!
That must have cost, what, $5000? Clinton spent a billion, Trump spent half that much, but a few thousand dollars worth of Russki internet ads flipped the election?
Delusional. They really are insane.; 4/27/18, 8:39 PM
Original Mike said...: ”That must have cost, what, $5000?”

The amount spent in Wisconsin pre-election, was a literal pittance.

”Delusional. They really are insane.”

My belief is not that they are delusional, but rather malevolent. At least the leaders. People like Inga? Who knows.; 4/27/18, 8:48 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: 3:17 Matthew Sablan -

Excellent; 4/27/18, 9:30 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Chuck,

The beyond-despicable part is hoping someone has done wrong! What kind of a moral monster are you, that you can't see that?

I abominate Hillary Clinton's political actions with the heat of a million suns, but I'm not glad she did what she did, and became the "why am I not 50 points ahead" wretch she has become.

We would all be better off if she had done the right thing and not set up a private (and illegal) mail server, not mishandled classified documents, going the way back to not lying on national TV about her husband's affairs, not lying about the folks in the White House travel office so it looked like they were being fired "for cause", etc ad nauseum.; 4/27/18, 9:32 PM
Kirk Parker said...: O'Mike:

"... a blog which has no influence or power "

Hey, wait a minute!!!; 4/27/18, 9:33 PM
narciso said...: Sarah Carter points out one of the largest problems with this report, names in the index large blocks of text, even footnotes are redacted.; 4/27/18, 9:57 PM
Kevin said...: There might be a sin of ommision here, where some of the testimony was held back by the majority because it tended to make the June 20 meeting look bad for Trump, but then the minority could highlight that in their report.

They did not. The minority report tends to make its case with adjectives and adverbs, not evidence and testimony.

Remember when the Majority's report came out on the FISA warrant?

And the Dems screamed "coverup", "lies", and "critical omissions"? And then their report was so bad not even CNN could run with it?

We find ourselves here once again. The Dems have nothing but the hope that a never-ending investigation will eventually yield something.

The House is taking a stand. They know if Mueller has a bunch of bombshell evidence they're going to look like fools and yet they said "enough".

They know far more than we do, and they are saying "enough".; 4/28/18, 5:52 AM
Kevin said...: Remember, Inga and her LLR pals are claiming the Russians were spreading cash around and that's a "Big Deal", but they are strangely incurious about a cool $145 Million funneled to the Clintons by russian oligarchs who just happen to be Putin's pals.

Tinfoil hats block some signals while making others stronger.; 4/28/18, 5:53 AM
Gk1 said...: The longer this drags on the more likely the whole Mueller "investigation" is going to collapse under its own weight. The soft coup has failed, can we just move on with our lives? Face it you are going to have to win votes at the ballot box to get rid of trump. There are no short cuts in a democracy.; 4/28/18, 4:35 PM
Lewis Wetzel said...: I hope that the dems wait until after Trump has brought peace to the Korean peninsula before they impeach him. Please, guys, hold off a little bit, will you?; 4/28/18, 8:09 PM