We Pause For What I Think Is A 4Chan Moment

The old adage to never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity must be kept in mind as we look at this next story but... the behavior is so dumb and the sourcing so ethereal that a 4Chan type prank seems like a plausible alternative explanation to the Conventional Wisdom being offered by the usual suspects.

Let's start with NBC News:

Mueller refers sex misconduct scheme targeting him to FBI for investigation

"We immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation," said Peter Carr, spokesperson for the special counsel.

Say what?!?

Special counsel Robert Mueller last week asked the FBI to investigate a possible scam in which a woman would make false claims that he was guilty of sexual misconduct and harassment, after several political reporters were contacted about doing a story on the alleged misconduct.

Multiple reporters were contacted over the past few weeks by a woman who said she had been offered money to say she had been harassed by Mueller, the special counsel who is probing possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. After investigating, according to the political website Hill Reporter, the reporters each independently determined the allegations of misconduct and harassment were likely a hoax and that it was unclear if the woman had been offered money to make the claim. The reporters then contacted the special counsel's office to report that they had been approached about the scheme.

Do note the link to The Hill Reporter. We'll come back to that.

While investigating the possibility of a hoax, the Hill Reporter's Ed Krassenstein, who was one of the reporters contacted, said he received threats, including a text message reading, "You're in over your head…. Drop this" which included his and another editor's home addresses.

Around the same time reporters began to be contacted about the misconduct allegations, Jack Burkman, a Republican lobbyist and radio host, began promoting, via his Facebook page, that he is investigating sexual misconduct and alcohol-related allegations against Mueller. On Tuesday morning he tweeted that he would hold a press conference two days later to "reveal the first of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's sex assault victims."

Jack Burkman's infamous history of dramatic exposes that never materialized is reprised briefly in the Daily Beast:

Burkman has not any offered any evidence at all of his accusations and his previous “bombshell” press conferences on other stories have become notorious flops in Washington media circles. In July, he promised that he had a whistleblower who would prove the government killed Rich. But Burkman’s witness never showed in person, instead calling in anonymously via speakerphone — a stunt that enraged Burkman’s fellow conspiracy theorists.

This isn’t Burkman’s first attempt to get publicity for a sexual assault allegation either. In late 2017, with the MeToo movement kicking off, Burkman claimed that he represented a woman who would accuse a congressman of sexual assault. But with the press on hand for the revelations, Burkman had to concede that his client refused to appear. Instead, Burkman offered everyone a “big apology” for wasting their time.

Takeaway - the guy is not credible nor does he have much judgment. Back to NBC:

Krassenstein told NBC News he reached out to the special counsel's office on Tuesday telling them what he knew about the scheme.

He also gave NBC News the phone numbers used by the woman alleging she was offered money to make the allegations, which were both disconnected.

The woman allegedly worked at the law firm Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro at the same time as Mueller in 1974. Reporters say she said she was supposed to claim the misconduct took place during that period. NBC News gave the woman's name to a spokesperson for the law firm, which is now called Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. In a statement, the spokesperson said, "We have no record of this individual working for our firm."

Krassenstein and other journalists also pointed to Jacob Wohl, a disgraced hedge fund manager turned pro-Trump conspiracy theorist and Surefire Intelligence, a company connected to him, as being involved with Burkman's alleged plot. 

"I gave Burkman a call. I wanted to know who 'Surefire Intelligence' is. That's when he told me about Jacob Wohl," said Krassenstein. "To me, this was all a setup from somebody trying to discredit the media."

Let's pause for a moment. Notice that NBC is relying heavily on Krassenstein. The Daily Beast coverage of this story includes a link to background on the Krassenstein brothers. The gist: they are simultaneously Resistance "icons" and internet scammers. Hmm. But his notion that this is a plot targeting the media is a good one.

And who is Jacob Wohl? He is an internet presence frequently described as a 'troll'. NBC:

The allegations still took off as far-right news sites tied to Wohl and known for spreading fake news and disinformation published viral posts. Gateway Pundit, where Wohl is employed as a writer, touted their "exclusive documents" about a "very credible witness."

The Gateway Pundit put up and then took down some documents backing this story.

Surefire Intelligence had invoiced Burkman for some work they had done looking for abuse victims. Internet sleuthing done by Krassenstein links Wohl to Surefire by way of internet records found on Google, but... do note that 4Chan spoofers could make this work in the other direction: take public records associated with Wohl, build them into a new website, and let internet sleuths find the clues that lead to Wohl. NBC:

Wohl declined to comment on his involvement with Surefire Intelligence. However, his email is listed in the domain records for Surefire Intelligence's website and calls to a number listed on the Surefire Intelligence website went to a voicemail message which provided another phone number, listed in public records as belonging to Wohl's mother.

Wohl stopped responding to NBC News after being told Surefire's official phone number redirects to his mother's voicemail.

OK, embarassing. But wait!

The open-source intelligence group Bellingcat pulled apart the construction of the company's online presence. It found that someone with the email address [email protected] was involved in the domain registration of the Surefire Intelligence website and that many of the LinkedIn profiles of people who reportedly worked there used stolen, edited photos of models as their profile images. One featured a photo of Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli. In another case, a fictitious profile of a Surefire financial investigator in Zurich had a black and white image of actor Christoph Waltz as its profile photo.

Christoph Waltz is Quentin Tarantino's favorite Nazi in "Inglourious Basterds".

That wraps up NBC.

At The Atlantic, we learn that a second woman, Jennifer Taub, also received a request to provide damaging testimony against Mueller:

But she’s not the only woman who’s come forward: Jennifer Taub, an associate professor at Vermont Law School, received an email from a man using a Surefire Intelligence email address around the same time, on October 22. “It’s my understanding that you may have had some past encounters with Robert Mueller,” he told Taub, according to the email she forwarded me on Tuesday afternoon. “I would like to discuss those encounters with you.” (Taub told me she has never had any encounters with Mueller, though she does appear on CNN at times as an expert commentator on the Mueller probe.)

So put on your 4Chan prankster cap - what are the chances that a respected law professor with several books out and regular CNN gigs is so hostile to Mueller and so cavalier about her career that she will perjure herself for, say, $50,000. (The other woman was offered $20k plus coverage of her credit card bills).

There is no chance she would have ever said yes. She might however, have gone to CNN with a story idea. And since CNN is Trump's favorite target for Fake News, the Krassenstein idea of a media-targeted spoof might gain traction.

Let's cut to the first woman. Her letter is printed at the Krassenstein site, The Hill Reporter. Key excerpts:

A little over a week ago (Oct 18) several journalists, including myself, received an email from an individual claiming to have been offered money in exchange for alleging sexual misconduct on the part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

“I was contacted via phone call by a man named Bill Christensen, who had a British accent, and said that he would like to ask me a couple of questions about Robert Mueller, whom I worked with when I was a paralegal for Pillsbury, Madison, and Sutro in 1974 (now called Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman),” the individual claimed. “I asked him who he was working for, and he told me his boss was some sort of politics guy in Washington named Jack Burkman (or Berkman… Not sure how it’s spelled)…….

….He (Bill Christensen) then offered to pay off all of my credit card debt, plus bring me a check for $20,000 if I would do one thing. In more of an effort to get him to go away than anything else, I asked him what in the hell he wanted me to do. He said that we could not talk about it on the phone, and he asked me to download an app on my phone called Signal, which he said was more secure. Reluctantly, I downloaded the app and he called me on that app a few minutes later. He said (and I will never forget exactly what it was) ‘I want you to make accusations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment against Robert Mueller, and I want you to sign a sworn affidavit to that effect’.”

This individual said that they were a female living in Fort Myers, Florida, but she would not speak to any reporters over the phone.  Hill Reporter looked into this woman, as did many other journalists we have spoken with, and we all reached a conclusion that this was likely a hoax of some sort.  No one by the name provided lived in Fort Myers, Florida according to the numerous background checks which we ran.

Basically, at a minimum this contact gave a false name ("Lorraine Parsons") but did in fact work with Mueller at one time. More likely, her entire persona is false. In any case, no reporter was able to verify her name, Ft Myers residence, past employment at Mueller's firm, or any contact between her and either Surefire or Burkman. The reporters had an unverifiable email making unsubstantiated allegations. Media catnip!

OK, home stretch: Lorraine's email to the media was Oct 18. Taub was Oct 22. On Oct 19 Burkman posted at his Facebook site that he would be exposing Mueller as an abuser and a drunk.

So, what does it all add up to? The media is running variations on this Atlantic lead:

A company that appears to be run by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist offered to pay women to make false claims against Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the days leading up to the midterm elections—and the special counsel’s office has asked the FBI to weigh in.

At their Twitter sites both Wohl and Burkman are chanting "Fake News". Well, what else can they say?

And the truth? We may see. If Burkman and/or Surefire is going around suborning perjury that is a Big Effing Deal. On the other hand, I question the editorial standards at The Atlantic - they are making this charge against Burkman and Wohl on the basis of an unverified letter from an unknown source making uncorraborated allegations? How?

It appears that someone ("Lorraine Parsons") has been sending letters to the media reporting this outrageous conduct by, well, Surefire at Burkman's behest if we believe a word of it. And did Lorraine report this to the police? Well, uhh, not that anyone knows. No risk of a false statement charge there.

Per The Atlantic, Prof. Taub promptly forwarded her email to the Special Prosecutor. OK, she is a savvy law professor and Lorraine is whatever she is, but really - how could the Krassenstein instinct that this was an attempt to make the media look silly be totally off base?

MAYBE Burkman and Wohl really are this dumb. Or maybe someone's goal (Burkman? 4Chan?) was to make as many people as possible look ridiculous with an elaborate spoof.

A bright red flag is this: The Krassensteins live in Ft. Myers FL, the same hometown the un-findable Lorraine provided. Eerie coincidence? Or deliberate shout-out to (or by!) the Krassensteins, who have led the way in reporting on this.

I don't know. Burkman ought to be pounding on the FBI doors demanding an investigation to clear his name and he ought to be hiring lawyers to advise him whether The Atlantic or others crossed a libel line. Libel would be tricky for a public figure with such a dubious past, but this allegation is less substantial than air. We will see.

A SECOND RED FLAG: This indicates either a real problem with this story or with my tired eyes but I can't find a whisper of this Burkman and Mueller story at CNN.com.

Mediate, on the other hand, is teed up for a libel claim unless their buckpassing to the Daily Beast lets them off:

Here Are the Idiots Behind the Dumb Scheme to Accuse Robert Mueller of Sexual Harassment 

by Caleb Ecarma | Oct 30th, 2018, 5:32 pm

 

GOP lobbyist and Seth Rich conspiracy theorist Jack Burkman is working with the notoriously unintelligent pro-Trump Twitter personality Jacob Wohl to smear special counsel Robert Mueller with sexual misconduct allegations, according to a report from The Daily Beast.

Comments

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

What happens you don't trust kang (kressenstein) or kudos (burkman)

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Beyond sketchy and boring:

http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/10/19/the-deal-that-disappeared/

[Dave (in MA)]

wut

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Kraszeinstein is a top grishenko snipe hunt er about 1/2 mensch

If after 18 month the FBI still can't pinpoint who leaked the UK reporter on the Manchester attack, what's the point?

[rich]

wow that is alot of content ... so it was a media scheme targeting some goofballs.

wonder where the pea is being hidden?

[daddy]

TM,

How come you provided a link to a photo of actor Christopher Waltz as a Nazi, but not one to Israeli supermodel Bar Rafael?

I'd hate to think you're anti-semitic:(

[rich]

i question the timing?

[JimNorCal]

.

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Because the Saudi hates the west, and Chris Steven's did not.

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

The fellow I mentioned in an earlier thread prince Ahmed not good news for anyone.

[JimNorCal]

Willowed.
btw, TM appears to have caught a second wind. Frequent, very detailed posts. It's like being back in the Plame days ...

[jim nj]

http://www.hughhewitt.com/u-s-ambassador-richard-grennell-on-chancellor-merkels-announcement-that-she-is-stepping-down/

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

They think thet are on ceti alpha 6

https://babalublog.com/2018/10/30/two-earthquakes-in-south-america/#respond

[rich]

Posted by: JimNorCal | October 31, 2018 at 01:15 AM

nicely sums up the midterms.

[rich]

thanks everyone for the rundown.

[rich]

seems weird the media would not only dismiss but actively work with the fbi so as to declare the story a hoax ...

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

So burkman might be sketchy and wohl well an idiot, however krassenstein as a credible middleman, shirley you can't be serious.

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Well that doesn't surprise me at all, they cook up hoax stories and they bury the truth.

[jim nj]

http://www.hughhewitt.com/tone-setting/

John Schroeder

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Well that doesn't surprise me at all, they cook up hoax stories and they bury the truth.

[rich]

you can say that again narciso!

mostly goofing off for a back of the envelope conspiracy ... some dirt exists and Team Coup needed to get in front of it.

what better way than to produce a laughable hoax before the story comes out ...

...just sayin

Hillary getting rehearsed softball questions at a UN function regarding the news of her secret server ...

Lerner getting rehearsed softball questions about targeting conservative groups at a luncheon ...

any media appearance by Obama ...

you know, just sayin'

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

I referenced that non dirty harry vehicle fron the 70s, I've referenced the blacklist in the past when it comes to the cabal. Krassenstein is just a higher form than the denebian.

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Which is different than the denobulan.

[jim nj]

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/10/30/another-look-at-michael-crichtons-state-of-fear-part-1/
Excellent book! Gave a copy of the book to my therapist - a Bernie supporter and climate warming disciple. Next visit he declared I no longer needed counseling.

Damn, T should have given the book to him earlier and saved the state the cost of my treatment. Michael Chrichton cured me. Or was it Trump, since I made clear I voted for him?

[daddy]

Both Huge Hewitt links say "Unable 502" for me.

Maybe tomorrow.

[jim nj]

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/10/30/russias-sole-aircraft-carrier-damaged-as-floating-dock-sinks-brings-crane-crashing-down/

[daddy]

A good read as usual from Michael Goodwin, noting the swift change in the Dem's in playing politics with the Border: Why Democrats are staying silent about the migrant caravan

The change is striking. Four months ago, critics on the left wouldn’t shut up about the border and some, like Mayor de Blasio, made grandstanding trips to Texas detention facilities and held press conferences to denounce Trump in the harshest possible language. Now, despite the president’s tough talk and use of the military, leftist pols hardly make a peep, fearful that defending the caravan could be political suicide.

The stark turnaround serves as a reminder of how quickly the political winds can change direction...

[Pinandpuller]

At the risk of being pulled into a deposition with Bar Rafeli I'm pretty sure she's a draft dodger.

[Pinandpuller]

White-check
Male-check
Republican-check

Play Ball!!!

[Pinandpuller]

Posted by: jim nj | October 31, 2018 at 01:59 AM

I'm slowly reading an obscure Crichton book called Dragon Teeth. It's good but I don't feel compelled to cease all other activities till I finish it.

[jimmyk on iPhone]

So to summarize TM’s megapost: This is either a hoax, or a hoax about a hoax. Or maybe a hoax about a hoax about a hoax? Anyway, it makes the plot of “The Big Sleep” seem simple.

[jimmyk on iPhone]

And I should add: kudos to TM for wading into this morass and trying to sort it all out, as only he can do. Or only he and Clarice.

[Pinandpuller]

Twist: Gay Guys Twin Bris not Kosher

[daddy]

This is either a hoax, or a hoax about a hoax. Or maybe a hoax about a hoax about a hoax?

I suppose it could be worse, JimmyK.

[Another Bob]

I see that most of the angles are getting covered here.

Do know that if the Krassensteins are involved some scumbaggery is afoot. Didn’t know much about Wohl, but he seems a rough right side equivalent.

Might be nice if the autists were taking them both out.

[daddy]

Krassenstein, Burkman,and Wohl
a scammer, a fraud, and a troll,
either hoaxed or were hoisted
on petards they foisted
to finger Bob M, that A-hole.

[Pinandpuller]

ROCHESTER, Ind. – A 9-year-old girl and her twin 6-year-old brothers were struck and killed by a pickup truck as they crossed a northern Indiana road to board a school bus before sunrise Tuesday, police said. A fourth child was critically injured and airlifted to a hospital.

A Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. bus had stopped and lowered its stop arm around 7 a.m. on the road near Rochester just before a northbound pickup truck slammed into the children as they crossed the southbound lane, Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum said.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/3-siblings-struck-killed-by-truck-at-bus-stop-in-indiana

[Pinandpuller]

@benandjerrys
We are proud to announce that our newest flavor, Pecan Resist, supports the important work of @netargv, @womensmarch, @ColorOfChange, and @HonorTheEarth.

@TexasEmpire1
Replying to @benandjerrys @netargv and 3 others
I'm a simple man and don't ask for much in this life but why the fuck can't I live in a world where I can peacefully eat a dairy product without having a wave of mental midgets trying to force their shit down my throat and tell me what to think. Thank God I only eat BlueBell.

@americanzionism
Replying to @benandjerrys @netargv and 3 others
Apparently, it's okay to be antisemitic as long as you oppose other forms of racism. Shame on you Ben & Jerry for partnering with an organization that openly is hostile to Jews. Now I have to explain it to my family why we will never be purchasing your ice cream again.

[Pinandpuller]

Ben...Jerry...Linda Sarsour???

[JimNorCal]

Pointed out by InstaPundit: Dale Evans was married 4 times!
Not that there's anything wrong with that
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dale_Evans

[JimNorCal]

Mr PnP: "At the risk of being pulled into a deposition with Bar Rafeli I'm pretty sure she's a draft dodger."

Wearing a pair of dog tags around her neck though.

[JimNorCal]

Turns out you're right.
https://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/bar-refaeli-controversy-dodging-military-service/2013/03/26/id/496314/

[Pinandpuller]

But I don't wanna be right

I want to sit across from her in a deposition...

[Pinandpuller]

To quantify on the Reagan Amnesty (1986)

-The cutoff date was Jan 1, 1982

-Only 2 million (of 4 million) qualified and were amnestied, they recieved PERMANENT LEGAL RESIDENCY.

It's safe to assume that some, or many did not pursue citizenship once they achieved that status.

If those who were amnestied did not marry

A: A citizen

OR

B: Another Permanent Legal Resident

OR POTENTIALLY

C: Neither parent became a Citizen through Naturalization regardless of the date of live birth

Then their children (who would be Gen X/Y) would not meet the minimum criteria of Wong Kim Ark, and would NOT be Citizens.

If said children didn't marry a Citizen, then their children (Y/Z) ARE NOT CITIZENS

NOTE: Citizen would mean equivalence to the criteria set forth in Wong Kim Ark, the only legal interpretation of the lowest common denominator allowed for Birthed Citizenship - 2 permanent resident parents.

It would have to be retroactive, there would be concessions made, but the fact of the matter is millions in this country would be reduced to non citizens or legal residents, and none of them could vote

???

[Miss Marple]

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/curtis-houck/2018/10/30/it-was-bad-youd-think-heres-highlights-msnbcs-rabid-beto-town-hall

Gag-worthy questions, but rather hilarious. Leftists really do live in an alternative reality.

[Miss Marple]

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-31/hate-not-welcome-trump-visits-pittsburgh-thousands-protest

[James D.]

seems weird the media would not only dismiss but actively work with the fbi so as to declare the story a hoax ...

Because the media is openly and unapologeticslly an arm of the Democrat Party.

[Miss Marple]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/10/29/united-nations-trump-must-allow-caravan-migrants-into-america/

The UN is an active enemy, as far as I am concerned.

[Neo]

Alphabet's Google, Facebook and other tech firms will be hit by a world-first digital tax in the U.K. starting in 2020. Companies with global revenues of at least $640 million will face a 2% levy on sales of digital services in the country. The move, which could generate more than $500 million annually, comes amid increasing criticism that leading tech firms pay relatively little tax. Dozens of other countries are considering a similar tax.

[Miss Marple]

I am sorry it is taking so long to put links up. I have been in the habit of using Twitter as a sort of news fee, but over the last week I have been flooded with what they call "promoted tweets" which are in essence, advertisements.

I finally blocked Beto O'Rourke and Stan;ey McCrystal. O'Rourke had some bogus poll bumbbers and was asking for donations. McCrystal was touting his book on leadership, which I think is a ploy to run in 2020.

I am still dealing with gobs of ads for things like electric toothbrushes, gold investment, real estate investment, etc. etc. PLUS all of the political promotion by people who support the GOP and make their own graphics.

Back to searching.

[rse]

https://www.statnews.com/2018/10/29/alzheimers-research-outsider-bucked-prevailing-theory/ is fascinating for anyone else dealing with this tragic disease in a relative.

[Miss Marple]

http://www.tmz.com/2018/10/31/megyn-kelly-nbc-confidentiality-agreement-10-million-dollars/

[Miss Marple]

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/10/30/5-freed-from-gitmo-in-exchange-for-bergdahl-join-insurgents-in-qatar-taliban-says/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=Socialflow+MIL

Gee I am so surprised.

[hoyden]

MM, I hope your Twitter feed gets resolved soon. I appreciate your links. You do Twitter so that I don't have to. Dealing with spewing spam can't be fun.

[Miss Marple]

ᴄʜɪʟʟ
‏ @TheChiIIum
3m3 minutes ago

Mark Zuckerberg has officially been summoned to appear at a joint hearing by British and Canadian MPs to answer questions related to the issues of data privacy and disinformation.

[pj]

That's a shame she's a draft dodger, would have made a great addition to the "Hottest Women of the Israeli Military" click bait.

[Miss Marple]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-man-arrested-allegedly-plotting-kill-eat-child-n926291

[Miss Marple]

https://twitter.com/_ImperatorRex_/status/1057469350188265472

Rex's thoughts on this Mueller story.

[Miss Marple]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/10/30/republicans-confidently-move-closer-to-improving-senate-majority/

[Miss Marple]

Today at the WH. Pres updates his workforce development program before departing for Ft Myers, FL., and the first of 11 get-out-the-vote rallies between now and Election Day. Pres determined to buck historic trend and keep Congress in his party's hands. His 6-day rally map: pic.twitter.com/BOdT5iKV68

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) October 31, 2018

Link goes to map.

[Miss Marple]

https://nypost.com/2018/10/31/india-inaugurates-worlds-tallest-statue-to-honor-independence-hero/?utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=SocialFlow

The Statie of Liberty is 305 feet high, including the pedestal.

This thing is 597 feet high.

[Captain Hate]

Mueller is deep state trash and always will be but deserves the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. I'm as frustrated as everyone else is at how "our side" engages in asymmetrical warfare and won't fight nukes with nukes but that's how you got the French Revolution and we ain't them. At least not yet...

Help me out here: is 4chan as bad as the MFM in terms of gaslighting "our side" or is that more disinformation being sown by those shitheads? I hate being lied to and anyone claiming to be on my side doing it better prepare for bad things to happen.

Happy Halloween.

[Miss Marple]

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/guatemalan-official-caravan-used-babies-women-elderly-human-shields

[Miss Marple]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6336933/Saudi-King-Salmans-youngest-brother-returns-Riyadh-challenge-Crown-Prince.html

[rse]

https://spectator.org/is-it-hate-speech-to-tell-the-truth/ is quite on point.

I come across soros funding all the time without particularly looking for it.

[Miss Marple]

https://dwightlongenecker.com/cardinal-ouellet-church-needs-to-fight-extreme-masculinity/

[Miss Marple]

rse,

Thanks for that American Spectator article at 8:01. It's really good.

[Dave Seville]

Seems to me, given the cast of characters and circumstances, that Occam would tell us the Krassensteins went looking for a couple of the most gullible, eager to get their face in the spotlight, right wingish conspiracy nuts and sent them on a snipe hunt designed to be blown up at an opportune time.
In this case time will probably not tell and in the end who gives a rat's ass?
Just another sign of how unserious the barking dog media circus is.

[Miss Marple]

Breaking News
ADP Jobs Report
227,000 versus estimate 189,000
4,000 mining
17,000 construction
17,000 manufacturing#Winning Big Time pic.twitter.com/cuEXrurInJ

— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) October 31, 2018

Chart at link.

[Thomas Collins]

Still no Red Sox Rock or Who Rocked Whitey thread starter? I sense unconscious bias against Beantown, TM. How could neither of two great American institutions (Bosox and Whitey's Winter Hill Gang) in the news recently be ignored?

[Miss Marple]

Dave Seville,

I ran across a thread on Twitter which seemed to show an amazing coincidence between this Mueller story and Whitey Bulger's murder, which heavy coverage of would have drawn attention to Mueller's connection to him.

[Buckeye]

I think I want a ball cap with "White Nationalist" on it.

Particularly if it will trigger some libtard insanity.

[Marlene]

Good Morning! TC,Whitey was transferred to a new fed pen on Monday and killed on Tuesday. Not that we care about Whitey's demise. Howie Carr wants to know where all the money is...stashed in unknown safety deposit boxes?

[Marlene]

Hubby has a Thin Blue Line flag logo tire cover on his Jeep. The Pittsburgh Penguins honored law enforcement last night. The police chief was holding one of the flags. this morning I read that flag is racist?!

[Miss Marple]

Scott Adams recommended this article as an example of how our minds and senses can be manipulated.

The optical illusions are fascinating in themselves, but it also makes you think of how our perceptions can be manipulated.

http://nautil.us/blog/12-mind_bending-perceptual-illusions

[Miss Marple]

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-10-30/brief-history-leftist-political-violence-year

[Miss Marple]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
8m8 minutes ago

The Caravans are made up of some very tough fighters and people. Fought back hard and viciously against Mexico at Northern Border before breaking through. Mexican soldiers hurt, were unable, or unwilling to stop Caravan. Should stop them before they reach our Border, but won’t!

[Miss Marple]

Donald J. Trump
‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump
1m1 minute ago

Our military is being mobilized at the Southern Border. Many more troops coming. We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S. Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!

[Dave Seville]

Every time i read something like jimnj's Alzheimer's link or consider the history of plate tectonics I think of those pompous, smug climate scientist poseurs huffily brushing away any chance their "science" isn't settled

[Miss Marple]

https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/extremists-democrats-republicans/

Dems are the extremists, not Republicans.

[James D.]

MM, exactly.

But the article begins from its own false premise. It refers to Jonathan Chait as a "mainstream journalist."

What he is, is a lying, libelous, vicious, evil hack. And he's far from the worst in the MSM.

[Porchlight]

Help me out here: is 4chan as bad as the MFM in terms of gaslighting "our side" or is that more disinformation being sown by those shitheads?

/pol/ is not on anyone's side, really, and they have to deal with leftist infiltration/infestation too. They specialize in two things: investigation and disinformation. Sometimes it's difficult to tease them apart. But credulous self-promoting partisans such as Wohl and Hoft are most likely to be suckered by leftist disinfo.

[boris]

Good illusion from MMs link. Click to open:

[Miss Marple]

https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/border-patrol-rescue-bangladeshis-from-rio-grande

(Short article which I will copy here in its entirety.)

SA 3.0

LAREDO, Texas — Border Patrol agents rescued several people Monday trying to cross the Rio Grande.

Agents witnessed four people attempting to illegally enter the country at about 5:30 p.m. Two people disappear under water as the boat approached the area. Agents rescued pulled the people back to the surface and onto the boat. All four were safely taken to shore.

LAREDO, Texas — Border Patrol agents rescued several people Monday trying to cross the Rio Grande.

Agents witnessed four people attempting to illegally enter the country at about 5:30 p.m. Two people disappear under water as the boat approached the area. Agents rescued pulled the people back to the surface and onto the boat. All four were safely taken to shore.

Authorities said the four Bangladeshi nationals did not require any additional medical assistance.

[Bernardi Dr la paz]

Of course that perspective is not in the piece:

https://mobile.twitter.com/Sam_Schulman/status/1057460706692513793

[Miss Marple]

New thread!

[cathyf]

Well if the point was to reinforce with the voters, a week before the election, that voting for Democrats means voting for a world in which ANYONE'S life can be destroyed on ridiculous "evidence" -- seems to me that Mueller-as-object-lesson couldn't have happened to a nicer guy...

#ItCouldHappenToYourSon
#ItCouldHappenToYourFather
#ItCouldHappenToYourBrother
#ItCouldHappenToYou

[JMHanes]

rich:

"what better way than to produce a laughable hoax before the story comes out ..."

That was my very first reaction, when I heard that Mueller had immediately handed off to the FBI. It seems like that's actually the story that broke into the major media outlets "Special counsel Robert Mueller last week asked the FBI to investigate a possible scam in which a woman would make false claims that he was guilty of sexual misconduct."

I'm really not sure what this story is about, because it seems that what Kasserstein discovered was that the letters claiming that someone was willing to pay for dirt were hoaxes. I.E. no one was actually offering to pay for stories. Sounds almost like Burkman (& maybe Gateway) was a scammee not a scammer.

Kassenstein's article mentions the only accusation that apparently made it into print at the end of his piece, an alleged rape that allegedly took place on a day when Mueller was on jury duty elsewhere, but Kassenstein's link to the a Wapo article on same, turns up only an error message for me.