Resistance Journalism, Kerry The Shadow Secretary, And The Logan Act

From the Boston Globe we learn that former Secretary of State John Kerry won't let go:

Kerry is quietly seeking to salvage Iran deal he helped craft

WASHINGTON — John Kerry’s bid to save one of his most significant accomplishments as secretary of state took him to New York on a Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, where, more than a year after he left office, he engaged in some unusual shadow diplomacy with a top-ranking Iranian official.

He sat down at the United Nations with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss ways of preserving the pact limiting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. It was the second time in about two months that the two had met to strategize over salvaging a deal they spent years negotiating during the Obama administration, according to a person briefed on the meetings.

It's not just Iranian officials either:

Kerry also met last month with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and he’s been on the phone with top European Union official Federica Mogherini, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal the private meetings. Kerry has also met with French President Emmanuel Macron in both Paris and New York, conversing over the details of sanctions and regional nuclear threats in both French and English.

Now, wait - didn't we hear hyperventilating about the Logan Act during the Trump transition, when Michael Flynn spoke with the Russian Ambassador about sanctions? Indeed we did - this Times op-ed piece is a classic of the genre:

Why the Trump Team Should Fear the Logan Act

By Daniel Hemel and Eric Posner

The Logan Act makes it a crime for a United States citizen, “without authority” from the federal government, to communicate with foreign officials in order to “influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government” in a dispute with the United States or “to defeat the measures of the United States.” A conviction can result in a prison sentence of up to three years.

The statute, which has been on the books since the early days of the republic, reflects an important principle. The president is — as the Supreme Court has said time and again — “the sole organ of the nation in its external relations.” If private citizens could hold themselves out as representatives of the United States and work at cross-purposes with the president’s own diplomatic objectives, the president’s ability to conduct foreign relations would be severely hampered.

Oh, scary! Eventually the WaPo ran a "return to reason" piece explaining that the law is often cited but never used, and there is no reason to think Kerry's situation will be any different.

However, let's note the "Resistance Journalism" as the Boston Globe tackles this:

Kerry’s activities could raise questions if they are perceived as a direct effort to counter current administration foreign policy.

The Trump administration got entangled with controversy when Michael Flynn, the incoming national security adviser, tried to undermine Obama policies in the administration’s last few weeks. His actions appeared to some legal experts to violate the Logan Act, an obscure 18th century law meant to crack down on private citizens acting on behalf of the United States during a dispute with foreign governments.

The Logan Act prohibits US citizens from having private correspondence with a foreign government “with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government . . . in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States.”

Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas, said the law is a red herring — since it’s never been used to prosecute anyone — and almost certainly would not apply to anything Kerry is doing.

“The act only applies to conduct that is designed to ‘defeat the measures of the United States’ or influence the conduct of foreign governments,” Vladeck said. “If all Kerry is doing is working to keep in place something that’s still technically a ‘measure of the United States,’ I don’t see how the statute would apply even if someone was crazy enough to try it.”

Wow. Resistance Legal Advice is as bad as Resistance Journalism. The US is trying to enlist its European allies in an effort to twist Iran's arm into agreeing to a tougher supplemental deal. Here is NBC News, Apr 30:

European officials have been negotiating for weeks with State Department officials to try and craft a compromise that would keep deal alive. They were close enough that Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Ford told reporters at a nuclear conference in Geneva that the U.S. was not “aiming to renegotiate [the deal] or change its terms. We are seeking a supplemental agreement.” Macron visited with hopes of nailing down the agreement reached at the working levels. Trump’s press comments seemed to undermine Ford's statement.

Just maybe Kerry is meeting with European leaders in coordination with the State Department. I would not rule that out and I can see why neither Kerry nor Pompeo would advertise it.

But if he is whispering to the Euros at cross-purposes to the State Department then the idea that the Logan Act does not apply is ludicrous, the Boston Globe and their legal advice notwithstanding. Clearly Kerry is attempting to influence foreign leaders with respect to a dispute with the US, to wit, whether and how to modify the current deal with Iran.

Kerry won't be charged, nor should he be - this law strikes me as absurdly broad, since Kerry surely has free speech rights. Wikipedia includes this:

There has been little judicial discussion of the constitutionality of the Logan Act. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Waldron v. British Petroleum Co., 231 F. Supp. 72 (S.D.N.Y. 1964), mentioned in passing that the Act was likely unconstitutional due to the vagueness of the terms "defeat" and "measures," but did not rule on the question.^[2]

Whatever. The history of the Logan Act is fascinating. Logan himself was a private citizen negotiating with a new revolutionary French government during our Quasi-War with the French. NO, this was not a war over the Quasi-stones; the war was undeclared. The US suspended repayment of our war loans from France, which we claimed were owed to a now-defunct regime. Two years of naval hostilities followed. 

Comments

[henry]

We have a war going on against Iranian forces in Syria, and Kerry tries to save Iran. Like his famed Nobel for negotiating peace with North Vietnam in Paris? Oh, he didn't get a Nobel for that? Mr MashedPotatoHead will do anything for a legacy (if not a Nobel), and the Iran Nuclear Enablement Treaty is all he has to show for his miserable career.

Logan Act? meh

Treason does what Treason does.

[GUS]

What is Kerry supposed to be good at??? Seriously, being a Senator is not an achievement. THe bumblefuk can't even ride a bike.

Mf'ing imagine a REPUBLICAN did what KERRY is doing.
Imagine the FREAKS on CNN and MSNBC, they would be turgid. Even the men.

[clarice feldman]

He's also reportedly talking to the Palestinians on how to avert Trump's policies involving them. He's a dumb shmuck and always has been.

[Pinandpuller]

Aren't you guys all friends with your exes? I'm just going to drop by and see what they are up to now.

Has he registered as a lobbyist or a foreign agent?

[Ralph L]

daddy, perhaps due to overexposure, you've gone nose-blind to your normal beer piss, which is just as bad as your wine-piss but different.

Or else your wine-piss smells like male moose urine and it excites your feminine side.

[clarice feldman]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/25/john-kerry-reportedly-coaches-palestinians-not-to-yield-to-trump-in-peace-talks-spurring-backlash.html

[Jim Eagle]

Hey. Great so far, Kerry still a traitor with a Dishonarble Discharge that they other idiot, Carter, changed to General, not Honorable. Not even within the CinC's powers, as I understant the UCMJ.

A real loser and a blight on the intelligence of Bay State voters except for our buddies here, who know better, unlike their couterparts.

Off to dinner.

[Tom]

What is Kerry supposed to be good at??

He is good at war hero stuff.

I think he was commended for saving the lives of his crew by bravely fleeing the scene of a firefight between other swiftboats and the NVA, bravely returning back to the scene of the firefight after it was over, and getting full credit for rescuing a sailor who was in the water.

[Ralph L]

Speaking of piss, maybe Obama wanted Kerry pissing out of his tent not in, plus he knew of his history of consorting with our enemies.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
15m15 minutes ago

Thank you Cleveland, Ohio!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/992880573025865729

Video 49 minutes long at link.

[Pinandpuller]

Hey, he needs a reality show with Gary Brooks Faulkner:

Faulkner made headlines in June of last year when he was arrested by the Pakistani police in Chitral District carrying a pistol, a knife, night-vision goggles, a night-vision camera, religious literature on Christianity and a samurai sword. When he was questioned after his arrest, Faulkner — who receives dialysis for kidney problems — revealed he was on a solo quest to find and capture Osama bin Laden.

When he was returned to the States, Faulkner enjoyed brief celebrity. But after the Klieg lights cooled — and Navy SEALs finished Faulkner’s job for him — he began spending his days in the more pedestrian pursuit of managing an apartment complex in Greeley owned by his brother, Scott.

https://www.wired.com/2011/12/gary-brooks-faulkner-jail/

[Extraneus]

lurkersusie linked this in the previous thread:

John Kerry reportedly coaches Palestinians not to 'yield' to Trump in peace talks

Former Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly tried to meddle in Middle East peace talks, allegedly telling a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to “yield to President Trump’s demands.”

Israeli news outlet Maariv reported on the apparent meeting between Kerry and Hussein Agha in London, where the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee also reportedly floated a possible encore bid in 2020.

But in the conversation, Kerry reportedly told Agha to share a message with Abbas – urging him to “hold on and be strong” during talks with the Trump administration and “play for time ... [and] not yield to President Trump’s demands.”

Kerry, who served as former President Barack Obama’s secretary of state during his second term, also reportedly told Agha that Trump would not be in office for long, suggesting he could be out in a year.

If true, I think we can rule out the idea that Kerry is working in coordinateion with the State Dept.

[narciso]

I mentioned the back story to one of the players

http://.nybooks.com/articles/2001/08/09/camp-david-the-tragedy-of-errors

[Ralph L]

a blight on the intelligence of Bay State voters
He was actually one of their better efforts.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://pagesix.com/2018/05/05/author-junot-diaz-withdraws-from-festival-amid-allegations/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

1. I never heard of this guy.

2. Note how he turns his aggressive behavior into a symptom of his victimhood.

[GUS]

I don't know Tom, maybe VIET NAM is where John Kohn Kerry Heinz lost his balls.

[Tom R]

Bringing this over from the last thread.

The transcript from the Manafort hearing points out Manafort was under investigation by the DOJ for his lobbying efforts in Ukraine before Mueller was appointed SC. When did this DOJ investigation of Manafort start? Under Obama or under Trump?

If it started under Obama, I wonder how many people knew Manafort was under DOJ investigation back during the campaign when Trump hired Manafort? Manafort was hired because of his reported expertise that would help ensure Trump had enough delegates to secure the nomination. I’ve always considered Manafort to be a traditional DC Swamp creature.

If Manafort was under DOJ investigation at the time Trump hired him, wouldn’t the Obama administration be under obligation to warn Trump about Manafort?

[GUS]

Tom R, the gist of MANAFORT is that whatever he was under investigation for ......HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUMP.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Tom R.,

This goes to my theory that they were trying to frame Trump for prosecution and destruction after the Hillary's expected win.

Manafort was a plant, although possibly unknowingly. Who recommended him to Trump?

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Elon Musk
‏Verified account @elonmusk

I’m starting a candy company & it’s going to be amazing

===================

I have never understood how this guy makes any money.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/992872643106816000.html

Vachel Lindsay's discussion of the broken chain of custody on the server.

https://twitter.com/_VachelLindsay_/status/992872643106816000

Original thread, which includes some interesting replies.

[Extraneus]

Just this week, his weird comments in a quarterly earnings call tanked Tesla stock over 5% overnight. (I think it recovered.) Then some shareholders announced a move to get him fired.

[Tom R]

Tom R, the gist of MANAFORT is that whatever he was under investigation for ......HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUMP.

That's not the point of my question. Miss Marple touched on it. Lot of speculation in social media that Manafort was a plant as part of the sting operation by Obama/Clinton to eventually destroy Trump.

If the Obama DOJ was investigating Manafort before he joined the Trump campaign, that opens up the door to some interesting conspiracy theory scenarios.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://amgreatness.com/2018/05/04/what-if-mueller-questioned-barack-obama/

Victor Davis Hanson.

I assume this article is on American Greatness because National Review wasn't interested.

[JM Hanes]

Repasting from last thread:

TomR:

"What part did I get wrong about Rosenstein being Constitutionally correct?"

Pretty much everything. The Attorney General is not even a Constitutionally mandated position. It is a statutory position, and the Executive Branch power to withhold information doesn't even have the "implied" Constitutional basis that Congressional oversight enjoys. Executive privilege, extrapolated from separation of powers doctrine, is still being regularly challenged and adjudicated. Even where invoked it is a tightly constrained power, limited to national security and White House work product. It is crystal clear that neither was at issue in the unredacted material we've seen so far.

All of which is essentially immaterial here, because the Russia Report was a Congressional document, not DoJ work product at all. It was essentially submitted to the Executive branch for precautionary, not constitutional, reasons. Rosenstein surely knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on. I suspect that he chose to distribute the material on Ryan as the lesser of possible evils, in terms of safe-guarding what is left of DoJ's institutional reputation.

[narciso]

Hes the south African version of tony stark, except he basically disowned his fathwr when he hit the big time.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Mitch Rapp liked
Rosie Memos
‏ @almostjingo
1m1 minute ago

🤡Why did the Office of Foreign Missions announce intent to rent 5 apartments in Trump Towers 3 days after @realDonaldTrump announced he was running for President?
cc: @whonosey
https://foia.state.gov/searchapp/DOCUMENTS/FOIA_Oct2017/F-2017-11464/DOC_0C06429683/C06429683.pdf …

===================================

Why indeed? I am telling you guys, they were going to use the David Plouffe modus operandi!

[anonamom]

Waiting for the derby;

listening to my husband read Elon Musk's tweets to Comfortably Smug.

Oh what a world!

[Captain Hate]

Why aren't more judges like Judge Ellis?

[Eye Doctor]

Tom R, do you see any conficts of interest with Mueller and the gang?

[Tom R]

JM Hanes,

My point was that the DOJ does not have to give information to Congress IF (keyword) that information is being used as evidence in criminal investigation. That was the point Rosenstein made in his speech this week. Everything else you just mentioned, while correct, doesn't have anything to do with what I was referring to.

[Eye Doctor]

Tom R, can the DoJ decide to leak it to the press instead?

[JM Hanes]

TomR:

I think Manafort was under investigation before Trump was elected. Judge Ellis mentioned allegations going back to 2005 and 2007 "and so forth."

[Extraneus]

Good questions by VDH, and no need for a special prosecutor to ask them. Huber could easily do it, or anyone else assigned to the cases. Just a matter of issuing subpoenas.

The only way this banana republic b.s. will end is if they feel some serious pain.

[Tom R]

Tom R, do you see any conficts of interest with Mueller and the gang?

Do you ever intend to provide the well documented history of Mueller's corruption in the Uranium One scandal?

You're not giving me the perception you are willing to engage in an honest discussion. Why would I bother taking the time to answer your questions in other areas when you evade answering mine? You kept mentioning Uranium One several times these past few days. Seems kind of odd you don't want to discuss it now.

[narciso]

The bureau interviewed manager in 2013 and gates in 2014, but it went nowhere.

[henry]

"if they feel some serious pain"

Getting fired, losing a pension top off at age 50 (McCabe) is inconvenience, not pain.

They all need prison time. Serious prison time, and not at a fed golf course either.

[JM Hanes]

TomR:

"My point was that the DOJ does not have to give information to Congress IF (keyword) that information is being used as evidence in criminal investigation."

My point was that he doesn't have the "perfectly Constitutional reason for not giving this evidence to Congress" as you asserted. He has no Constitutional reason at all. I doubt you'd even be able to find a statutory basis for claiming that Congressional work product lies within his purview.

[Eye Doctor]

Tom R, Mueller gagged William Campbell. Discuss that.

[Tom R]

I think Manafort was under investigation before Trump was elected. Judge Ellis mentioned allegations going back to 2005 and 2007 "and so forth."

I saw those dates too and assumed that meant the investigation started under Obama, or possibly even Bush Jr. Manafort's business connections with Tony Podesta are what lead me to believe he is probably a dirty crook himself. Knowing how the Podestas and the DC Swamp operate, its not a stretch to come up with a scenario on how they hooked Manafort up with Trump.

[Davod]

The Russian WWII shows I included in the previous Post.

Re. Foreign WWII films and TV. Amazon Prime has quite a lot of recent Russian films and TV shows about WWII.

One series I have watched is The Dawns here are quiet:
It is late spring of 1942, and the Great Patriotic War is in full swing. A long way off from the front-line, the Germans make an air landing operation in an attempt to get through to the Kirov railway and the White Sea - the Baltic Sea Canal. The only thing in their way is an anti-aircraft artillery unit of corporal Vaskov and five young women in training.

https://www.amazon.com/Episode-4/dp/B01MZ9D6L7/ref=sr_1_10?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1525556774&sr=1-10&keywords=russian+TV

Another is:

The Bomber: A Tale of Survival Behind Nazi Lines 2012:

"It's WWII. A Soviet aircraft crashes on Nazi-occupied territory. Pilot Grivtsov and his radio operator Katya survive, as well as flight navigator Linko, who gets ejected from the plane. Each must find their way, perform haunting military tasks, and simply survive. Complications arise when an act of sabotage committed pre-flight deems Grivtsov a traitor instead of a hero. He now faces execution."

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B073DQRZ3T/ref=pd_cbs_318_5

Another:

Battle for Sevastopol

"The war catches a young student Lyudmila Pavlichenko off-guard in Odessa. She volunteers in the army and is moved to the front line after a brief stint in the sniper school. Her natural marksmanship and ability to keep calm under duress make her a true sharpshooter. Her personal hitlist is over 309 names long. A biographical film about a woman who changed the course of history."

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Sevastopol-Yulia-Peresild/dp/B01M5HAAFN/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1525557658&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=russian+TV+sevastopol

[JM Hanes]

Out out damn spot! narciso's Camp David link. :-)

[henry]

Puppy update. Today he mostly nosed around my feet as I raised the tunnel height on my driveway. (Bat cave tree tunnel for half a mile, my Explorer was fine, but to get some work done the crews need 14' clearance. Fun with pole saw). He kicked up two rabbits that were annoying me. I saw the flock of bufflehead ducks again later, they went to a marshy area south of my pond / property line. Puppy did kick up a pair of drake mallards though. By mid afternoon, when puppy and I switched from work to chasing the stick, I noticed four turkey buzzards circling our heads. They were scanning the fields all around, but it was spooky. Perfect weather here. Hope the Derby gets the same.

[narciso]

I did it again, but you get the gist.

[clarice feldman]

Maybe instead of buying and moving to an island, we can just move to henry's and live off the fat of the land.

[Thomas Collins]

Justify!

[narciso]

That was the subject of at least one film and the David Robbins novel.

[henry]

Clarice, I think half of Foxconn is about to move next door.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Justify won the Kentucky derby. Jockey's first words: "I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Johnny Weir and Ashley Judd hardest hit.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

BuzzFeed News
‏Verified account @BuzzFeedNews
3m3 minutes ago

Justify was the first horse that didn't race as a 2-year-old to win the Kentucky Derby since Apollo won in 1882

[Tom]

Tom R, Mueller gagged William Campbell. Discuss that.

I will certainly do that but first I need you to provide a citation link to an article that backs up your assertion. In the articles I’ve read about Campbell I don’t recall seeing anything talking about Mueller getting a gag order against Campbell. I do know that anyone who has knowledge of Top Secret classified information (which is what Campbell possessed thanks to his undercover role) by default is permanently “gagged” because it’s a federal crime to divulge classified information without authorization.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://time.com/money/5261634/kentucky-derby-winner-2018-money/

How much money the winner and jockey get, plus assorted other information.

[narciso]

Enemy at the gates with Daniel Craig's future wife Joseph Fiennes and Scott glenn

[Eye Doctor]

Waste of my time Tom.

[narciso]

Rachel weitz who they replaced with Maria (lne) for the third episode of the mummy.

[Jim Eagle]

So, reading Elon's tweet, he has the Fanjul's on board. Need to ask them about that. We use the same facility in Sag Harbor during the summer. They are Blue Bookers here but use their two yachts as addresses:) Interesting guys. We built a bagass fired power plant for them a few years ago.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Daughter and I made soft bean tacos for supper. Iit's amazing how good refried beans, salsa, onions, cheese and sour cream taste.

I am not a gourmet. LOL!

[JM Hanes]

Davod:

I was glad to see that "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" and "Battle for Sevastopol" got your thumbs up. They're both on my Amazon watchlist, and I've added "The Bomber."

[Eye Doctor]

Tom R, Campbell went to Mueller with info that's different. And if you can't make that distinction perhaps you have an agenda.

[Comanche Voter]

Jean Fraud Kerry was a self glorifying traitor in the 70's, and it appears that old habits die hard. He's a traitor again.

He's not good for much, but he has had a decent track record as a gigolo.

[narciso]

Maria bello, I'm drawing blanks today,

Seeing as the unmasking story is likely to come out, the guardian mounts a,countermove.

[Momto2]

Audible (the company) offered a free download of American Pharoah if Audible (the horse) won the Derby. Just tweeted they are still giving away the book to celebrate his great effort at coming in 3rd!

(For my fellow book listeners - you don't have to be a member to download it)

[Bunky]

Trump has been surveilled since 2015
Romney was surveilled in 2012

[Jim Eagle]

Watched that mudder in Le Charlot. Only Mrs. JiB had any interest. Wine and food snobs, I guess. I didn't think he could handle the mud but he dd. My uncle Frank, who bet the ponies every damn day of his life, told me once that the horse with the fastest times will always win in mud.

Have no idea if that is correct since I have only bet on one horse in my life. But I do love to watch the race and athlectism of both horse and rider.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/04/mueller-russia-interference-election-case-delay-570627

This is interesting, but I haven't figured out the significance of this yet.

Arraignment of Russians is NOT delayed, per judge.

[Jim Eagle]

...only Mrs. JiB and I.....

[Momto2]

MM - I really like Mike Smith (the jockey) who is 52 years young! How great that he took that thrilling moment to acknowledge his faith.

I'm sure some eyes were rolling back in their heads...

[JM Hanes]

Thanks to whoever posted the Fox article on the Iran deal. I was a little disappointed in Netanyahu's presentation, because it did strike me as old news. It was like back to the future, remembering when Iraq's nuclear weapons morphed into the ability to jumpstart their nuclear programs as soon as sanctions were lifted. What I forgot, though, was this (emphasis mine):

The premise of the deal, which was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, was simple: Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear activities and said it would provide the International Atomic Energy Agency with a full accounting of its past military activities – meaning its secret efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

I was reassured to learn that the discovery of all that unrevealed documentation was, in fact, a legitimate deal breaker.

[narciso]

If they were any farther out of their depth they'd be in the Marianas trench or the laurentian abysssal.

[Tom]

Tom R, Campbell went to Mueller with info that's different. And if you can't make that distinction perhaps you have an agenda.

I didn’t think you would provide a link backing up your claim. I can’t speak to something where I have to take someone’s else word that it’s a fact when you could very well be just stating your opinion. If you want me to answer your question you are going to have to provide a link.

[GUS]

Don't be silly Marty, you've got lots of time.
Good to see you back.

[Eye Doctor]

Tom, you said you read articles about Campbell. What don't you understand? Do you know that Campbell went to the FBI to report the crimes he witnessed?

[henry]

Tom, Marty (aka eyedoctor) never provides links, except to himself. Don't get riled by him.

Separately Mueller is dirty on everything he's done. Look at the FBI. Comey hasd neither the talent nor the time to corrupt it that thoroughly. Mueller was the boss who weaponized it. See anthrax investigations etc.

[Buckeye]

Jr. has been sending daily reports from JazzFest in NOLA.

So far, best artist he didn't know is Leyla McCalla.

Gal has good pipes and plays the cello...

https://youtu.be/oM2oBVZOc0I

My KJOM tune for the early evening.

[narciso]

I think this was the more comprehensive overview:

https://saraacarter.com/fbi-informant-uranium-one-breaks-silence-today/

[narciso]

An earlier piece:

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/361276-fbi-informant-gathered-years-of-evidence-on-russian-push-for-us

Carter may have misidentified disk as American, he was actually a fmr south African diplomat, specialist in nuclear proliferation,

[Tom]

My point was that he doesn't have the "perfectly Constitutional reason for not giving this evidence to Congress" as you asserted. He has no Constitutional reason at all. I doubt you'd even be able to find a statutory basis for claiming that Congressional work product lies within his purview.

I think I get your point now. Still think we are talking about different things. With that said, I do have a security clearance and actually had annual security refresher training a couple weeks back that covered handling of classified information.

I think this is what is going on with this Congressional document that Rosenstein removed the redaction on.. The Congressional investigation included documents provided to them by the DOJ as well as personal testimony by members of the DOJ. If the DOJ provided Congress with classified information, the DOJ is the “owner” of that classified info. The only person who can declassify the information is the person who classified it in the first place or someone higher up the DOJ chain of command.

Before Nunes could release his report, he had to submit it to the DOJ for vetting. This is probably when Rosenstein redacted some of the document because it contained classified information that the DOJ (owners of the classified info) provided to Congress. Congress did not have the authority to declassify the information.

Hope that makes sense.

[JM Hanes]

That is interesting Miss Marple. Looks like we can give U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich a provisional white hat.

My first reaction was that Mueller et all, never really expected to go to trial with this one. They just wanted yet another sword-of-Damocles indictment and pending trial to hang over a potential source's head. They probably figured that they could postpone the arraignment as often and as long as necessary. Then they drew the wrong judge. Oops. Hope I can remember to lay in some popcorn for Wednesday.

[GUS]

Tom R, we are all getting to know you better, Marty is an old friend if TRUTH BE TOLD. He asks questions, but does not answer questions.

[Thomas Collins]

Celtics now up three games to zero on Sixers.

[Tom]

It looks like narciso is trying to bail eye doctor out with some citations. Let’s go with the Sara Carter article which is one of the ones I read when Campbell’s story became public. It doesn’t even mention Robert Mueller’s name once nor does it say anything about Mueller “gagging” Campbell. It does say Campbell’s FBI handlers were counter-intel types like Peter Strzok.

What corruption is Mueller actually accused of when it comes to Uranium One? I’m still not aware of anything.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Steph liked
Phil
🇺🇸 NRA
‏ @phil200269
6h6 hours ago

Also included in this example of how the DOJ/FBI tried to deceive Congress and the American people regarding Flynn:

Trump campaign wasn't notified about potential Nat Sec concerns about Carter Page (SOP)

Instead they used the opportunity to spy on all members of Trump campaign.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dcc1O9IUwAAWiRE.jpg:large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dcc1Rk2U8AAw49s.jpg:large
=============================

Links are to screen caps of documentation.
This is another example of how people with security problems were pushed into the Trump campaign while the Intelligence community failed to notify them, supporting my point that they were setting Trump up.

[Eye Doctor]

Tom, are you serious?

[Extraneus]

I am not a gourmet.

Me neither, but like the Captain and his wife, we sometimes cook together or otherwise alternate. Last night, we did two identical ribeye steaks from the same cut as an experiment.

Sous vide @ 129 for 1 hr, oven @ 200 for 45 minutes, then seared together in butter in the same pan.

Both came out medium rare with a good sear (not my station). The sous vide was perfectly preserved, same thickness along the entire surface. No volume loss. The oven-warmed steak had some shrinkage on the edges, but was better.

[JimNorCal]

Dallas anti-gun restaurant embarrassed.
https://townhall.com/notebook/bethbaumann/2018/05/05/dallas-restaurant-quickly-backpedals-support-for-gun-control-during-nra-annual-meeting-n2477851

[Tom R]

Tom R, we are all getting to know you better, Marty is an old friend if TRUTH BE TOLD. He asks questions, but does not answer questions.

Thanks that is good information to know, Makes it hard to have a back and forth discussion though.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

GITMO
🇺🇸
‏ @President1Trump
17m17 minutes ago

“The Democratic vote has virtually collapsed in eastern Ohio”! @LarrySabato #RedWaveRising2018
Fox News

https://twitter.com/President1Trump/status/992915003224285184

Video at link.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

FOX Business
‏Verified account @FoxBusiness
42m42 minutes ago

.@AndyPuzder: "The progressive left wants to stop this @POTUS no matter what. They're not afraid that he's gonna fail. They're afraid he's going to succeed. So, they will do anything they can to guarantee his failure."
===========================

How refreshing it is to have cabinet officers who speak the plain truth and stand up for the President!

[narciso]

I have to do all the heavy lifting as it was trying tomfigure whether laufman was part of the cabal based on his CV, he may have been marginally more enthusiastic in investigating
Red queen, Michael Waller can tell you how the fsb rang rings around mueller, hes as phone as a three dollar bill. I pointed out motive for dhillon to be a leaker based on his ties to comedy.

[Bubarooni]

What a day. My oldest graduated from Indiana University today. I'm do happy for her.

I'm happy for me. I've fought and struggled for this day. My parents couldn't do this for me and my 8 siblings. I think I've done good.

I've got two more to go so I gotta get back to it tomorrow.

[narciso]

Wonderful bubarooni.

[Extraneus]

Tom, I like your posts. You back stuff up. Just today, you informed me about Mueller's uranium delivery. Never knew it was a sample of stolen stuff, and I didn't even check your work. I'd rather assume you're right because I know you're serious about this stuff and more willing to deep dive than I am.

I will say, though, that some of the arguments you find yourself involved in are your own doing, and I think what people don't get is that you like it. You like to debate, and that's what you're trying to do here.

It doesn't bother me that much, but I don't personally come here to debate or spectate on debates, but maybe others do.

[narciso]

They would probably consider khaled an islamophobe:

https://mobile.twitter.com/JeffWhite25/status/992896183512297473?p=v

[henry]

Congratulations Bubarooni! That's a huge accomplishment for both you and your daughter.

[narciso]

Prologue for yesterday:

https://www.circa.com/story/2017/07/27/politics/a-top-fbi-lawyer-is-allegedly-under-an-investigation-for-leaking-classified-information-to-the-media

[JimNorCal]

Jeez.
From Instapundit

WEIRD THAT THIS HASN’T GOTTEN MORE COVERAGE: Woman Charged In Slashing Bus Passengers’ Throats: “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me. . . . Please apologize to them for me, will they survive? I hope Allah will forgive me.”

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/296049/

[GUS]

Congrats to you and your daughter Bubarooni. I look forward to that day for my Son.

[narciso]

Finally noticing:

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/04/the-united-states-should-seize-on-irans-currency-crisis

[Barbara]

My point was that he doesn't have the "perfectly Constitutional reason for not giving this evidence to Congress" as you asserted. He has no Constitutional reason at all. I doubt you'd even be able to find a statutory basis for claiming that Congressional work product lies within his purview.

JM Hanes

Point. Game. Set.

[JM Hanes]

TomR:

"Hope that makes sense."

Yes, I can see that.

The unredacted material we've seen so far, however, was not about an ongoing trial, because of course, Ryan had already been convicted, and posed no national security risk. In fact, IMO it only exacerbated suspicions that redaction is regularly used for political purposes, not legitimate reasons at all. So I certainly wouldn't say that there is any perfectly good reason for withholding exculpatory findings before a man was sentenced. Rosenstein doesn't get a pass from me for OKing it. I don't think it could possibly be worth the hit the DoJ is be taking in terms of public confidence to play the kind of chess that requires making good guys look like bad guys at this level of play in our core institutions. It seems like courting Pyrrhic victory bigly, when restoring trust is already going to be hard enough. It will take more than letting this cast of characters take a bow at the ex post facto curtain call.

I personally would like to know how they persuaded Flynn toi plead guilty, and who promised what to get it. I assume a judge has to approve a plea bargain; do you know if such documents are automatically sealed?