McCain Has The Best Laugh He’s Had In 80 Years When He’s Asked THIS About some rich asshole
It’s gotta be hard these days to be John McCain. Standing up to some rich asshole is pretty unpopular among Republicans these days, and we’ve seen the proof in how quickly the base turned on some otherwise solidly-conservative GOP Senators who have decided the age of the rich asshole is just too much for them.
First Tennessee’s Bob Corker then McCain’s fellow Arizona Senator Jeff Flake dropped out of the running for reelection, possibly dashing the GOP’s hopes for holding on to the Senate in the 2018 elections. But regardless of the fact that they’ve both been what old Mitt Romney might call “severely conservative,” red meat the rich asshole voters turned on the two like villagers with pitchforks.
That could be, however, because they don’t have the credentials John McCain has. When he trolled the rich asshole hard last week on the “bone spurs” he used as an excuse to dodge the draft with all of his silver spoon, private school pals, the rich asshole tried to clap back with a warning that “people have to be careful because at some point I fight back.”
McCain’s answer?
“I have faced tougher adversaries.”
Now, you might think some rich asshole is at least smart enough not to come at a former POW with some weak stuff like that, but you’d be wrong. Laughably wrong. In fact, go ahead and have a little laugh, because you’re in good company.
McCain thought it was hilarious.
Appearing on The View the following day, the panel gave the senior Arizona Senator a chance to expound a little on his short response to the president’s threat:
“He said he would ‘fight back’ and it wouldn’t be pretty. Are you scared?”
McCain didn’t answer immediately because he was busy laughing his ass off. No, I mean, almost with tears in his eyes. There he is, next to his daughter — who just landed the spot on this show — and this old man looks like he’s going to cry from laughing so hard. Every woman on the panel is cracking up. People offstage are howling.
I just want to know some rich asshole has seen this clip. I can die happy as long as I know Donnie Daycare has watched this octogenarian cry tears of laughter at the prospect of being scared of little old him.
Enjoy!
This Is What Fox News Considered ‘News’ As Everyone Else Covered Indictment Of the rich asshole Camp Manager
This morning, the rich asshole’s former campaign manager was indicted for conspiracy against the United States, a.k.a. treason (among other things – you can read the full list of charges here), and ordered to turn himself in to the FBI. As he did so, every news outlet was busy covering it, reporting on the situation as it developed. Except for Fox News. They must have needed some time to decide on their spin because they were reporting on candy and hamburger emojis while the story on Paul Manafort unfolded.
Seriously. They were reporting on Halloween candy and some kind of “hamburger emoji crisis” at Google as the first indictment in Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation was unsealed and handed down.
Also a good time for public to see which media outlets have been reporting the actual story vs which are obedient vassals of people in power
Everybody else is talking about the Paul Manafort arrest, @foxnews is talking about cheeseburger emojis. #MuellerMonday
They did start talking about Manafort, and even published an opinion piece from contributor Erick Erickson, who is trying to spin this news into nothing by saying that it looks like the charges against Manafort have nothing to do with the rich asshole. He is, of course, calling the whole thing a conspiracy in which Mueller comes up completely empty on the collusion story.
Har de har har. Manafort is a slimeball. Unless the rich asshole has something serious on him (and what could be more serious than the charges already against him?), Manafort will probably place his own ass above the rich asshole’s.
Guilty As Hell Paul Manafort And Rick Gates Enter ‘Not Guilty’ Pleas In Russian Collusion Scandal (TWEET/VIDEO)
The world is exploding right now due to the news that some rich asshole’s second campaign manager, Paul Manafort has been indicted on a litany of felony charges by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort, as well as his business associated and fellow the rich asshole campaign official Rick Gates have been taken into federal custody, but both have laughably entered pleas of not guilty to all kinds of high crimes – including really shady stuff like money laundering and conspiracy against their own country.
Of course, the the rich asshole White House is in all-out “nothing to see here” mode. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders spent her entire Monday briefing lying through her teeth with regards to the Manfort and Gates situation. As if this weren’t bad enough for Team the rich asshole, a third person in their orbit has been charged as well, foreign policy adviser George Padadopoulos. It also seems that this gentleman may be flipping on the rich asshole, because he was caught lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is a crime, and is being listed as a cooperating witness, according to former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara:
In short, the entire the rich asshole White House is in deep shit. Sarah Sanders can say all day long that this has nothing to do with the rich asshole’s campaign, and they had to go flipping it all back to Hillary, even though she is a private citizen:
These people are unbelievable. All I know is that this will continue to get closer to the rich asshole and his inner circle, and they’ll be removed in due course. Hopefully, the snakes in that pit continue to turn on each other in order to save their own skins, and we can take our country back from these treasonous squatters.
Preet Bharara: More charges likely coming in Mueller-Russia probe
BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 10/30/17 11:44 AM EDT
Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who was fired by President the rich asshole earlier this year, predicted there are more charges to come in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election interference.
"Special Counsel Mueller already has one criminal conviction. And this plea portends more charges to come," Bharara tweeted.
He shared a photo of a portion of a court filing on former the rich asshole campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, which said: "Through his false statements and omissions, defendant PAPADOPOULOS impeded the FBI's ongoing investigation into the existence of any links or coordination between individuals associated with the Campaign and the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election."
Papadopoulos earlier this month pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents investigating possible collusion between the rich asshole presidential campaign and the Russian government.
The Department of Justice unsealed the court filings shortly after it announced charges against two other high-ranking the rich asshole campaign officials: Paul Manafort and Rick Gates.
Prosecutors charged Papadopoulos with lying to investigators about his discussions with a foreign professor who told him that Russians had thousands of emails containing "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
Manafort is being charged with 12 counts — including conspiracy against the United States — in the first indictment to come from the Mueller's Russia investigation.
On Sunday, Bharara, who announced he was fired in March after refusing to resign when asked by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said it is important to watch the rich asshole's reaction to the first charges in the Mueller probe, noting the rich asshole's reactions could be used as evidence.
Five things to know about the Manafort indictment
BY JONATHAN EASLEY AND MORGAN CHALFANT - 10/30/17 11:57 AM EDT
President the rich asshole’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort surrendered to the FBI on Monday morning.
Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates are accused of money laundering and tax evasion on tens of millions of dollars they made while secretly lobbying for a political party in Ukraine.
Here are five things to know about the indictment:
Manafort was secretly lobbying for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.
Manafort and Gates are alleged to have conducted a multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign on behalf of a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine and its now-exiled leader, Viktor Yanukovych.
Manafort and Gates never registered with the Justice Department as foreign lobbyists, as is required by law. The indictment details the extensive foreign lobbying work they conducted over the course of a decade, as well as the lengths they went to keep their work shielded from public scrutiny.
The indictment says that Manafort’s foreign lobbying work continued through 2016, although the indictment does not mention the six months he spent running the rich asshole’s campaign.
In 2005, Manafort launched a political consulting group called Davis Manafort Partners with staff in the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. The group lobbied members of Congress and their staffs on Ukrainian sanctions and elections and briefed them on allegations against Yanukovych and his Party of Regions.
Yanukovych was elected president of Ukraine in 2010.
In 2012, a group called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine materialized in Belgium. The indictment describes the group as a “mouthpiece” for Yanukovych and his government, and claims that Manafort and Gates used it as a go-between for Yanukovych’s government and U.S. entities with interests in Ukraine.
Yanukovych fled Ukraine in exile in 2014 amid protests and allegations of widespread corruption.
All told, the Justice Department indictment claims that Manafort and Gates acted as unregistered foreign agents on behalf of Yanukovych and his Party of Regions — renamed the Opposition Bloc in 2014 — from 2006 to 2016. They allegedly used more than 30 entities in the U.S. and Cypress to hide their activities.
When confronted with the allegations of unregistered foreign lobbying, the Justice Department says Manafort and Gates lied or provided misleading statements about their activities.
Manafort allegedly used offshore accounts to launder money from his foreign lobbying.
Manafort and Gates made tens of millions of dollars lobbying on behalf of Yanukovych and his allies.
The indictment alleges that they funneled those gains — more than $75 million — through foreign bank accounts opened by themselves and their “accomplices” in Cyprus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Seychelles.
Manafort and Gates are alleged to have hidden the income from the IRS, reporting on their taxes that they did not hold foreign bank accounts.
The Justice Department lays out scores of specific transactions originating abroad that the government says Manafort used stateside to fund his lavish lifestyle.
He is also accused of using the offshore accounts to defraud banks by taking out mortgages that made him appear to have more liquid assets than he actually had, enabling him to obtain better interest rates on loans.
'Conspiracy against the U.S.' is among the 12 charges Manafort faces.
Manafort and Gates are both accused of committing “conspiracy” against the United States between 2006 and 2017 — a revelation that threatened to set off immediate alarm bells in Washington.
But the charge, as with the others laid out in the indictment, is related to their financial dealings, particularly the work that Manafort and Gates did overseas on behalf of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine and their effort to launder money and evade taxes.
The charge does not constitute an accusation of “collusion” with a foreign power and is not related to work either party did for the the rich asshole campaign.
According to the indictment, Manafort and Gates “together with others, knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of a government agency, namely the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury” — standard language used in federal tax crimes.
In addition to conspiracy and money laundering charges, the two also face charges of acting as unregistered agents of a foreign principal, making false and misleading statements about their overseas work, and failing to file the correct paperwork in connection with their foreign bank and financial accounts.
Manafort lived a lavish lifestyle.
The indictment explains how Manafort used his overseas income to support a “lavish lifestyle” in the United States that included multimillion-dollar real estate purchases, shopping sprees at luxury clothing stores, and high-end car purchases at Range Rover and Mercedes Benz.
In sum, Manafort is accused of laundering $18 million.
“Manafort, without reporting the income to his tax preparer or the United States, spent millions of dollars on luxury goods and services for himself and his extended family through payments wired from offshore nominee accounts to United States vendors,” the indictment states.
For instance, Manafort secretly wired more than $5 million to a company in the Hamptons for home improvement work between 2008 and 2014. He spent nearly $1 million on antique rugs at a store in Alexandria, Va.; more than $1.3 million at clothing stores in New York and Beverly Hills; and more than $800,000 on landscaping.
According to the indictment, Manafort used his overseas funds to purchase three properties in 2012, including a condo in New York, a brownstone in New York, and a house in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington. These real estate purchases totaled $6.4 million.
The indictment says Manafort borrowed millions of dollars from lenders using his properties as “collateral,” thereby allowing him to get cash in the U.S. without reporting his income or paying taxes on it.
“In order to increase the amount of money he could access in the United States, Manafort defrauded the institutions that loaned money on these properties so that they would lend him more money at more favorable rates than he would otherwise be able to obtain,” the indictment states.
There is no mention of the rich asshole campaign in the indictment.
Mueller is ostensibly investigating whether President the rich asshole’s campaign officials colluded with Russians during the 2016 presidential race, but the rich asshole and his campaign are not mentioned once in the indictment.
the rich asshole has already seized on the indictment as proof there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow, pointing to the fact that it deals with Manafort’s work prior to the campaign.
“Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the rich asshole campaign,” the rich asshole tweeted Monday morning. “Also, there is NO COLLUSION!”
Still, Manafort led the rich asshole’s campaign in some capacity from March through August 2016 and the allegations in the indictment indicate that Manafort is accused of illegal foreign lobbying on behalf of a pro-Russia political party from 2005 through 2016.
That has sparked speculation that Mueller is seeking to first build an air-tight case surrounding the financial crimes of the rich asshole’s associates with the hope of later squeezing them to dish about alleged collusion as part of a deal.
Mueller was given broad authority by the Justice Department to investigate not only potential links between the the rich asshole campaign and Moscow but also any matters that arose as a result of the probe.
As a high-level campaign associate, Manafort theoretically could provide valuable information to prosecutors as they seek to find evidence of collusion between the campaign and the Russian government.
Mueller makes a blockbuster move
BY BRENT BUDOWSKY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 10/30/17 11:20 AM EDT 676
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL
The indictments of Paul Manafort and Rick Gates that were brought and sealed on Friday and announced on Monday, including for conspiracy against the United States, begin a defining period of investigation and action that will ultimately decide the fate of the rich asshole presidency.
The announcement of the plea bargain of former the rich asshole foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, for lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, brings evidence of Russian interference in the election further into the foreign policy team of the the rich asshole campaign.
The charges brought are sweeping, dramatic and involve potentially substantial prison time if the accused are found guilty. Future charges against Manafort, Gates and others close to the rich asshole are possible and indeed likely as the investigations unfold.
There will now be huge pressure on Manafort and Gates to plea-bargain and seek lesser punishment in return for giving the government evidence involving other suspects in the case of Russian attacks against America.
Nothing in the blockbuster indictments of Manafort or Gates, or any other individuals who may be indicted, proves the innocence or guilt of those who are charged. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. There are no exceptions to this rule. Our political opinions are not relevant to innocence or guilt under the law.
Next, attention will soon turn to other high-level individuals close to the rich asshole and his campaign, especially former national security adviser Michael Flynn and close the rich asshole confidant and son-in-law Jared Kushner, though again this does not suggest innocence or guilt about them or anyone else.
After the big move of Robert Mueller and the special counsel office to bring blockbuster indictments against Manafort and Gates, here are the key points going forward:
First, above all, the indictments begin a red-hot phase of the investigation that will continue to escalate until the investigation is over, charges are filed and verdicts are rendered to clear or convict all who are charged.
Second, everyone associated with Team the rich asshole, including President the rich asshole and some GOP allies in Congress, should stop attacking Hillary Clinton as a diversionary tactic that is doomed to fail as real charges are brought against real defendants, offered by real prosecutors taking real evidence to real juries who will render real verdicts of innocence or guilt.
Third, President the rich asshole should unequivocally announce he will issue no pre-emptive pardons for anyone who is or may be charged and that he will take no action to remove Mueller from his leadership of the special counsel office.
Fourth, the smartest legal and political move for the rich asshole would be to state unequivocally that he now agrees with what our intelligence and law enforcement communities have forcefully stated, that Russia continues to engage in a concerted attack against American democracy.
It provides no benefit and significant danger to the rich asshole to suggest the Russian crimes against American democracy did not happen, when they did.
As the investigations of Russian attacks against American democracy reach radioactive intensity after the blockbuster indictments announced today, the rich asshole and Republicans in Congress should not only agree, but demand that congressional investigations should be thorough, honest and aggressive in getting to the truth of the matters involving Russia that are under investigation by the special counsel.
Robert Mueller is a good man, a Marine, a patriot, a brilliant lawyer who seeks the truth and a widely admired former FBI director who knows a lot about Russian attacks against America. He may ultimately clear the president.
the rich asshole’s widely respected attorney, Ty Cobb, has praised Mueller’s integrity and promised full cooperation with his investigation. This is wise advice that the president and his supporters should follow.
Brent Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was chief deputy majority whip of the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds an LLM in international financial law from the London School of Economics.
the rich asshole on Manafort indictment: 'This is years ago'
BY JORDAN FABIAN - 10/30/17 10:29 AM EDT
President the rich asshole on Monday insisted his team did not collude with Russia, adding that alleged crimes committed by former campaign chairman Paul Manafort occurred “years ago.”
In a pair of tweets, the president said the charges against his ex-campaign chief were related to his actions before he “was part of the the rich asshole campaign” and asked “why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????"
"Also, there is NO COLLUSION!" he tweeted.
Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????
The tweets were the rich asshole’s first response to the charges filed by special counsel Robert Mueller, a significant escalation of the Russia probe that has cast a cloud over the rich asshole’s presidency.
Manafort was charged with 12 counts, including conspiracy against the United States and money laundering related to his work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. His longtime deputy, Rick Gates, was charged as well.
The indictment did not include any references to the the rich asshole, the campaign or collusion.
But the special prosector accused Manafort of trying to hide his work in Ukraine
— and millions of dollars in payments from it— from around 2006 to 2017. That undercuts the rich asshole's claim the charges stemmed from actions that only occurred "years ago."
— and millions of dollars in payments from it— from around 2006 to 2017. That undercuts the rich asshole's claim the charges stemmed from actions that only occurred "years ago."
Many believe Mueller could use the charges to try and pry information from Manafort about whether the campaign colluded with Russia to meddle in the 2016 election.
the rich asshole allies and lawyers have expressed confidence Manafort will not reveal damaging information about the rich asshole or his team in a deal with prosecutors.
The president, however, has not responded to a guilty plea unsealed Monday made by former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos.
The 30-year-old aide pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his interactions with Russians.
A professor with close ties to the Russian government allegedly told Papadopoulos he could deliver "dirt" on 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gleaned from her emails.
The allegations are the clearest evidence yet of a connection between the the rich asshole campaign and Moscow's effort to interfere in last year's election.
Rebecca Savransky contributed
- This report was updated at 10:48 a.m.
Watch live: WH holds briefing after Manafort indictment announcement
BY THE HILL STAFF - 10/30/17 10:43 AM EDT
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will answer questions from reporters Monday afternoon.
Earlier Monday, President the rich asshole's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, turned himself in to the FBI on Monday after being indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the United States.
It is the first indictment to come from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The indictment includes Manafort’s former business partner Rick Gates, who was ousted from the pro-the rich asshole group America First Policies in April.
Manafort turned himself in at the FBI's Washington, D.C., field office on Monday morning.
The charges are related to work done by Manafort and Gates on behalf of a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. Mueller alleges they were paid tens of millions of dollars for that work and then laundered the money “in order to hide Ukraine payments from United States authorities."
The White House briefing is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m.
Watch live in the video above.
Court partially blocks the rich asshole's transgender military ban
BY REBECCA KHEEL - 10/30/17 01:00 PM EDT
A federal court has blocked President the rich asshole in part from changing the military's transgender policy as a case against his ban works its way through court.
However, the judge denied the plaintiff's motion to block the ban on funds for gender reassignment surgery.
However, the judge denied the plaintiff's motion to block the ban on funds for gender reassignment surgery.
In a 76-page memo accompanying the ruling, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their case arguing the transgender ban violates their Fifth Amendment right to due process.
“The court finds that a number of factors—including the sheer breadth of the exclusion ordered by the directives, the unusual circumstances surrounding the President’s announcement of them, the fact that the reasons given for them do not appear to be supported by any facts, and the recent rejection of those reasons by the military itself — strongly suggest that Plaintiffs’ Fifth Amendment claim is meritorious,” she wrote.
The plaintiffs in the case, the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), celebrated the injunction Monday as a "complete victory."
“This is a complete victory for our plaintiffs and all transgender service members, who are now once again able to serve on equal terms and without the threat of being discharged,” Shannon Minter, NCLR’s legal director, said in a statement.
“This court saw straight through the smokescreen the government tried to create to hide the bias and prejudice behind the rich asshole’s change in military policy," added Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD’s transgender rights project. "This clear, powerful ruling confirms that there is no legitimate reason to exclude transgender people from military service.”
In July, the rich asshole tweeted that he would ban transgender people from serving in the military in any capacity.
He made good on the tweets in August, signing a presidential memo that prohibits the military from enlisting transgender people and from using funds to pay for gender transition-related surgery. The memo also gave Defense Secretary James Mattis six months to determine what to do with transgender troops who are currently serving.
NCLR and GLAD sued in August on behalf of six unnamed service members and two recruits.
The government asked for the case to be dismissed, arguing that because Mattis is in the midst of the six-month review and has said no service member will be discharged in the interim, the plaintiffs have not been affected by the policy yet.
But Kollar-Kotelly ruled that while “perhaps compelling in the abstract,” the government’s arguments for dismissal “wither away under scrutiny.”
“The memorandum unequivocally directs the military to prohibit indefinitely the accession of transgender individuals and to authorize their discharge,” she wrote. “This decision has already been made. These directives must be executed by a date certain, and there is no reason to believe that they will not be executed. Plaintiffs have established that they will be injured by these directives, due both to the inherent inequality they impose, and the risk of discharge and denial of accession that they engender.”
But the plaintiffs did not establish that they would by harmed by the ban on funds for gender reassignment surgery, Kollar-Kotelly ruled. Therefore, she said, the court does not have jurisdiction to enjoin the aspect of the rich asshole’s policy.
Still, she wrote, the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their case against the accession and retention policies because the government’s arguments for the ban “appear to be hypothetical and extremely overbroad.”
“As far as the court is aware at this preliminary stage, all of the reasons proffered by the president for excluding transgender individuals from the military in this case were not merely unsupported, but were actually contradicted by the studies, conclusions and judgment of the military itself,” she added, referring to the military’s 2016 study done during the Obama administration that led to allowing open service by transgender troops.
Kollar-Kotelly also said the court has to consider the circumstances of the rich asshole’s announcement -- that is, the fact that it was made abruptly on Twitter.
“The President abruptly announced, via Twitter—without any of the formality or deliberative processes that generally accompany the development and announcement of major policy changes that will gravely affect the lives of many Americans—that all transgender individuals would be precluded from participating in the military in any capacity,” she wrote. “These circumstances provide additional support for plaintiffs’ claim that the decision to exclude transgender individuals was not driven by genuine concerns regarding military efficacy.”
Asked during a press briefing about the court's decision and whether the administration had a plan to move forward, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "Obviously this is something just announced. The Department of Justice has it, they’re reviewing it and I’d refer you to them for any specific questions."
Former the rich asshole adviser pleads guilty to lying about Russia contacts
BY BEN KAMISAR - 10/30/17 10:36 AM EDT
One of President the rich asshole's former campaign advisers has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents who are investigating possible collusion between the the rich asshole campaign and the Russian government, the Department of Justice said Monday.
George Papadopoulos, the 30-year-old foreign policy adviser, was arrested in July and pleaded guilty earlier this month, according to court filings unsealed on Monday. The Justice Department unsealed the documents shortly after it announced charges against two other higher-ranking the rich asshole campaign officials — Paul Manafort and Rick Gates.
The charges stem from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Prosecutors charged Papadopoulos with lying to investigators about his conversations with a foreign professor who told him that Russians had thousands of emails containing "dirt" on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
He allegedly lied about his contact with a Russian woman whom the Justice Department says he worked with "in an effort to arrange a meeting between the campaign and Russian government officials." Papadopoulos initially identified the woman as Russian President Vladimir Putin's niece, but later found out she was not related to Putin.
Papadopoulos allegedly told the FBI that those conversations happened before he joined the the rich asshole campaign, statements rebutted by the Justice Department's timeline.
Charging documents paint a picture of Papadopolous as eager to leverage his relationships with the professor and the Russian woman as part of his role with the the rich asshole campaign. He told a group of fellow foreign policy advisers and the rich asshole himself during a spring 2016 meeting that he could use his connections to broker a meeting between the rich asshole and Putin, authorities said.
To that end, Papadopoulos allegedly emailed a Russian with connections to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, forwarding information from the correspondences to a top campaign official not identified in the documents. On numerous occasions, he tried to negotiate a meeting with either the rich asshole or campaign officials and "members of President Putin's office" as well as the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials said.
Those meetings never occurred, but officials in the rich asshole campaign appeared to encourage his efforts.
When Papadopolous told one campaign official about his early attempts to work with the professor and the Russian woman to orchestrate a meeting, the supervisor told him in an email: "Great work."
The campaign supervisor also encouraged him to take an "off the record" meeting with Russian officials "if it is feasible," according to the emails
A second campaign official at one point said the rich asshole himself shouldn't take any trip to meet with the Russians; instead, "it should be someone low level in the campaign so as not to send any signal."
While Papadopolous disclosed the meeting with the professor to FBI agents during a January interview, he told them that they spoke before he joined the rich asshole's campaign, authorities said, adding that he sought to play down his own interest in the professor's claims because he thought the man was "BS'ing" him.
According to authorities, Papadopoulos told them about the professor: "This isn't like he's messaging me while I'm in April with the rich asshole."
"This was a year ago, this was before I even got with the rich asshole."
But the FBI found that the meetings happened after Papadopoulos had been told he would join the campaign and that the professor's interest in him only stemmed from his position with the rich asshole's campaign.
He also allegedly made a similar claim about his relationship with the Russian woman, arguing that he had only exchanged pleasantries with her when he had in fact emailed her about arranging meetings between the Russians and the rich asshole representatives.
Following his interview with the FBI, authorities say Papadopoulos deactivated the Facebook account that had information about his conversations with both the professor and the Russian with connections to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also changed his cell phone number.
Papadopoulos's name emerged in media reports back in August, after The Washington Post uncovered internal emails he sent offering to broker a meeting with the campaign and the Russians.
The Post reported at the time that the rich asshole aides didn't warm to the idea, with some top officials raising concerns that a meeting could either violate federal law or reflect poorly on the campaign.
The former the rich asshole aide faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release as part of a plea deal with the government. But the agreement notes that prosecutors estimate he'll serve no more than six months in jail and face a fine between $500 to $9,500 as long as he isn't found to have committed any additional crimes.
His plea deal could open the door for further cooperation with the special counsel's investigation, something noted on Twitter by former U.S. District Attorney Preet Bharara, a vocal the rich asshole critic who was fired by the president.
Special Counsel Mueller appears to have a cooperating witness, George Papadopoulos. That is significant. Time will tell how significant.
Manafort indicted on 12 counts, surrenders to FBI
BY KATIE BO WILLIAMS - 10/30/17 09:17 AM EDT
Former the rich asshole campaign chairman Paul Manafort is being charged with 12 counts, including conspiracy against the United States, in the first indictment to come from the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller.
The 12-count indictment includes Manafort’s former business partner and protégé Rick Gates, who was ousted from the pro-the rich asshole group America First Policies in April.
Manafort turned himself in at the FBI's Washington, D.C., field office on Monday morning.
The sprawling 31-page indictment, unsealed on Monday morning, makes no mention of Manafort’s work for President the rich asshole’s campaign, which began in March of 2016 and ended with his ouster in August.
Separately, however, prosecutors announced that former the rich asshole campaign aide George Papaopolous, 30, had pleaded guilty last month to lying to investigators about conversations he had with a foreign professor who told him he had thousands of emails containing "dirt" on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
He also allegedly lied about his contact with a Russian woman who the Justice Department says he worked with "in an effort to arrange a meeting between the campaign and Russian government officials."
Papadopolous allegedly emailed a Russian with connections to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, forwarding information from the correspondences to a top campaign official not identified in the documents. On numerous occasions, he tried to negotiate a meeting with either the rich asshole or campaign officials and "members of President Putin's office" as well as the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials said. Those meetings never occurred.
It is unclear whether Papadopolous is now cooperating with Mueller's investigation. The announcement of his plea was released an hour or so after new broke about Manafort and Gates.
Mueller has the authority not only to investigate any potential collusion between the rich asshole’s campaign and Moscow, but also any auxiliary matters arising from the primary probe — in this case, Manafort’s financial dealings.
According to the indictment released Monday, Manafort and Gates, “together with others, knowingly and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing, obstructing and defeating the lawful governmental functions of a government agency, namely the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury” — a common charge in tax cases.
The two have been charged with laundering tens of millions of dollars “through scores of United States and foreign corporations, partnerships and bank accounts,” according to the indictment.
More than $75 million flowed through various offshore accounts set up by Manafort — and he laundered more than $18 million, prosecutors allege. Gates transferred more than $3 million from offshore accounts to other accounts he controlled, according to the indictment.
In addition to the conspiracy and money laundering charges, Manafort and Gates also allegedly ran afoul of laws requiring individuals lobbying on behalf of a foreign principal to register with the U.S. government.
The two face charges for acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal, misleading the government about the nature of their foreign lobbying efforts and making false statements — as well as seven counts of failure to file the appropriate government documents for foreign financial accounts.
Beginning in 2006, according to the indictment, Manafort began to do work for the Party of Regions, a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. In 2010, its candidate, Viktor Yanukovych, was elected president. He was later forced to flee to Russia in 2014 in the wake of popular protests, effectively ending Manafort’s work.
During that period, Manafort and Gates allegedly created more than a dozen foreign financial entities in Cyprus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Seychelles, according to Mueller’s indictment.
But in his tax filings from 2008 to 2014, Manafort reported that he did not have authority over any foreign bank accounts, according to the indictment. He allegedly used his offshore accounts to purchase real estate in the U.S. on which he took out mortgages, thereby gaining tax-free cash in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Manafort used his hidden overseas wealth to enjoy a “lavish lifestyle in the United States, without paying taxes on that income,” spending millions on luxury goods and services through payments wired from his offshore accounts.
Questioned about these activities by federal investigators in 2016, Mueller claims, Manafort and Gates “responded with a series of false and misleading statements.”
During the same time period, Manafort and Gates also engaged in a “multi-million dollar lobbying campaign” in the United States “at the direction of Yanukovych, the Party of Regions and the government of Ukraine” without providing the appropriate disclosures to the federal government, prosecutors allege.
They solicited two unnamed Washington, D.C., firms to lobby members of Congress about Ukraine sanctions and the validity of the elections, among other things, providing the firms “a false and misleading cover story that would distance themselves and the government of Ukraine” from the two companies.
Manafort for months has been suspected to be one of the most high-profile targets of Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the election. In July, the FBI conducted a pre-dawn raid of a home that Manafort owns in Alexandria, Va.
Some legal experts have suggested that Mueller’s decision to move forward with an indictment of Manafort is a signal that he is trying to “flip” him — or convince him to act as an informant, potentially about the the rich asshole campaign.
“This is consistent with an early indictment to get Manafort to flip,” tweeted Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor who is running for Illinois attorney general as a Democrat.
“Indictment makes clear that Mueller is seeking *a ton* of forfeiture--I imagine that gives him some serious leverage over Manafort,” tweeted Carissa B Hessick, a criminal law professor at the University of North Carolina.
Or, others say, Mueller may also simply believe that he has sufficient evidence against Manafort to prove charges in court — or both.
The indictment also raised questions about how the president will respond.
the rich asshole has repeatedly characterized Mueller’s investigation as a “witch hunt” crafted by his political enemies, and speculation has roiled Washington that he could try to either fire Mueller or pardon anyone the special counsel indicts.
He drew scrutiny earlier in the year for his controversial pardon of Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio — and has reportedly explored with aides the breadth of his authority to immunize individuals from legal peril.
This story was updated at 10:25 a.m.
Manafort turns himself in to FBI after charges
BY REBECCA SAVRANSKY - 10/30/17 07:58 AM EDT
Paul Manafort, President the rich asshole's former campaign chairman, turned himself in to the FBI on Monday after being indicted on 12 counts, including conspiracy against the United States.
Other counts in the indictment include conspiracy to launder money, false statements and seven counts of failing to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
They appear to be the first charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
News cameras caught Manafort walking into the front door of the FBI's Washington, D.C., field office with his lawyers.
CNN first reported that Manafort would surrender to the authorities. The New York Times reported that Manafort’s business partner, Rick Gates, has also been advised to surrender.
The indictments were reportedly returned by a grand jury on Friday and were unsealed after the defendants were permitted to surrender themselves, according to a statement from the FBI.
Manafort and Gates could make an initial court appearance on Monday to hear the charges against them and to be advised of their rights.
Manafort’s surrender marks a turning point in Mueller’s investigation into whether the rich asshole campaign officials had improper contacts with Russia during the 2016 election.
The investigation has opened Manafort to scrutiny of his past business dealings and foreign lobbying.
Manafort has earned millions of dollars for work he did on behalf of a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.
The special counsel reportedly issued subpoenas over the summer to the lobbying firms involved in that public relations campaign, which Gates also worked on.
Manafort’s business interests span the globe, and media reports indicate that investigators are looking at everything from wire transfers through foreign banks and off-shore accounts to payments in real estate deals in New York City.
In July, FBI agents conducted a raid at Manafort's home. The agents had a search warrant to seize materials from his house in Alexandria, Va. The raid happened the day after Manafort had a meeting with staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Manafort was also present at a 2016 the rich asshole Tower meeting between campaign officials and a Russian attorney who has been linked to the Kremlin.
the rich asshole vented over the weekend about the political “witch hunt” surrounding the investigation into Russian election meddling. He will meet with Vice President Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the White House at 12:30 p.m.
On Sunday, the rich asshole said it isn't a coincidence that news surrounding Mueller's investigation was surfacing at the same time Republicans are pushing for tax reform.
"All of this 'Russia' talk right when the Republicans are making their big push for historic Tax Cuts & Reform," the rich asshole wrote on Twitter.
"Is this coincidental? NOT!"
Last week, the rich asshole said it is "commonly agreed" he didn't collude with Russia during the presidential race, instead accusing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton of working with the Kremlin.
the rich asshole has repeatedly referred to the Russia probe as a "witch hunt," and he and his aides have denied collusion.
This report was updated at 9:13 a.m.
Here’s What We ALL Need To Do If the rich asshole Moves To Fire Mueller And Shut Down The Russia Probe
Now that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is about to indict someone from Team the rich asshole, The rich asshole and his cronies are panicking. They are realizing that the Russia probe is reaching all the way to the top levels of the rich asshole World, and it might touch the rich asshole’s kids – or even the rich asshole himself. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise if the rich asshole moves to fire Robert Mueller in an effort to shut this probe down before more indictments start coming down. However, thanks to the good people over at MoveOn.org, there is a nationwide plan in place to respond to a Mueller firing within hours. Here is an image, via Twitter, of what that page looks like. You can even search by your zip code.
the rich asshole and his swamp creatures may believe that they are above the law. They are not. Nobody – not even and perhaps ESPECIALLY not the president – is above legal ramifications for operating in an unlawful fashion. These people are treasonous, and Robert Mueller is going to prove it. If Mueller is removed, we might as well hand the United States of America over to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin.
America, we must be the guardians of our own democratic republic. These incompetent authoritarians are destroying this country with their treasonous ways, and the only way to rid the nation of the scourge of white supremacy, homophobia, misogyny, xenophobia, and all other forms of dangerous bigotry and autocracy operating at the highest levels of our government is to remove and jail them all. Robert Mueller is key to that. He could save us – so if the rich asshole tries to fire Mueller, it is up to refuse to let that stand.
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