quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
While I'm incredibly disheartened by this bullshit bill, as all of us are I suspect, we have to remember that POTUS is a master negotiator and probably has something more positive in the works.
Don't despair my friends. Let's see what our guy has up his sleeve.

No he doesn’t. He got played.

quote:

Originally posted by justjoe:
Why publish photos of Schumer and Pelosi gloating? They are crowing about their victory-- why help them by moaning about how badly we were screwed? Their whole intent is to peel away Trump supporters by making us feel defeated and humiliated. Don't help the totalitarians in any way, shape, or form.

The midterms are approaching. If the Democrats win the House, they will-- as they have promised repeatedly-- immediately impeach Trump. Whatever would happen with that, think about how it would further hamper his efforts to enact his agenda.

If you can't say anything positive about the importance of bringing our military back to formidable strength-- at least do not help the Democrats in their attempt to dispirit us.

Since that photo of Schumer and Pelosi is up there anyway, have a good look at it. A good long look.

You can't even agree with yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
While I'm incredibly disheartened by this bullshit bill, as all of us are I suspect, we have to remember that POTUS is a master negotiator and probably has something more positive in the works.
Don't despair my friends. Let's see what our guy has up his sleeve.

No he doesn’t. He got played.

You are right, he did get played. He will continue to get played as long as he thinks he can take McConnell, Ryan, et al at their word. They (Congressional swamp critters) are not honorable men, none of them.

I've been a Trump supporter since early in the primary season, and still am, but he IS capable of making mistakes. To not acknowledge that fact is foolish. Sessions was a mistake, as was signing this bill. Trump lost this round.

Let’s focus on something happier...

Giddy Up – DOJ Admits They Have a Grand Jury Empaneled in FBI and DOJ Investigation…
Posted on March 22, 2018 by sundance

Today chairman Bob Goodlatte sends a formal subpoena to the DOJ (Inspector General Michael Horowitz) for documents regarding the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, potential abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommendation to fire former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

However, it’s not the subpoena that should make the news. Pay close attention to the DOJ response.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) is one of the top three people throughout the entirety of congress with a comprehensive knowledge of the events surrounding the investigations of the FBI and DOJ. Chairman Goodlatte is one of only four people outside the DOJ who have read the full DOJ FISA application used for a Title-1 Surveillance warrant of Carter Page.

The House Judiciary Committee holds the primary statutory oversight over the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, Chairman Goodlatte is the congressional office working closest with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. In short, Goodlatte is the center of all ‘oversight’ information circling the investigations into the DOJ and FBI.

However, all of that said, even Chairman Bob Goodlatte doesn’t, and shouldn’t, know what criminal investigations are underway. We’ve explained this dynamic of disconnect numerous times. We really began emphasizing this when AG Jeff Sessions admitted he brought in a prosecutor from outside Washington DC to work with Inspector General Horowitz.

You can read the Goodlatte Subpoenas – HERE – along with the letter that accompanies his demand. However, more important is the response from the DOJ as communicated by Fox News journalist Chad Pergram (emphasis mine):

Oh, what’s that? Yes, the DOJ has to review the demand for evidence because release of those documents might conflict with ongoing Grand Jury information (evidence). Yes, that means a Grand Jury is impaneled, exactly as we expected.

Yes, that also means there are “law enforcement actions” currently ongoing as a result of the prosecutor assigned to reviewing the evidence discovered by Inspector General Horowitz.

Are there still those who doubt?

There has been a great deal of consternation, directed toward AG Jeff Sessions surrounding the ongoing FISA abuse scandal and the larger issues of unlawful DOJ and FBI conduct in their political investigation of candidate Donald Trump. It is a matter of great division amid people who follow the details. Yet there is overwhelming evidence he assigned a prosecutor to conduct a criminal investigation of the FBI and DOJ “small group” a long time ago. Now we know, with certainty, a GRAND JURY is empaneled.

… I have appointed a person outside of Washington, many years in the Department of Justice to look at all the allegations that the House Judiciary Committee members sent to us; and we’re conducting that investigation.

Evidence of this prosecutor, and the Grand Jury, was also visible within the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. We’ve been talking about this since it became obvious someone was giving information to congressional investigators.

♦. First, the question: If Jeff Sessions has appointed a prosecutor to work with Inspector General Horowitz, why do congressional reps keep asking for a second special counsel?

The answer is a lot simpler than we might think: They don’t know.

The legislative branch of the government doesn’t know what the criminal investigations are of the executive branch of government; AND AG Jeff Sessions has repeatedly said his intention is to restore the proper, appropriate and professional standards of the U.S. Department of Justice. (ie. no talking about criminal investigations)

Within this specific investigation there is a triple role. ¹A DOJ Inspector General conducting an internal investigation; ² Appropriate congressional oversight; and ³ the collection of evidence that might also be used in criminal indictments.

Within the IG collection of evidence there are two competing issues: #1) Evidence of misconduct and political bias (shared openly with congress and oversight); and #2) evidence of illegal activity (retained from congress to preserve integrity of evidence for later used in criminal proceedings); this is where the “outside DC prosecutor” comes in.

Which brings us to point #2

♦. Accusations of DOJ hiding evidence from congress.

Several congressional representatives have stated the information about Judge Rudolph Contreras was not readily know because his association with Peter Strzok was redacted within text messages sent from DOJ to congress. Therefore the DOJ is trying to hide damaging information. That claim is not the correct framework/context.

Congress as a whole (reps, staff and investigators) can go to the DOJ and look at ALL unredacted text messages. However, if congressional staff wish to take copies with them the copies must be redacted. Why? Because, just like the Contreras issue within the Strzok and Page text messages, there’s a possibility specific texts are evidence of a crime.

Go back to December 2nd, 2017, when the first reports of the IG investigative findings were hitting the news media and you’ll note IG Horowitz said he has no issues with congressional oversight getting his investigative evidence with the approval FROM the DOJ. In this example the “prosecutor”, working with Horowitz, has to make a determination if a potential criminal case would be compromised by allowing the release of specific information/evidence gathered by the Inspector General.

♦. Lastly, where all this appears to be going. It is not likely there will be a ‘second special counsel’ per se’. With a prosecutor already working with Inspector General Horowitz that person already has a thorough knowledge of all the evidence. As soon as the IG publishes his report, the prosecutor can begin subpoenaing witnesses. And now we know there’s already a Grand Jury seated somewhere hearing the criminal evidence he/she has carved out from the overwhelming IG evidence as collected.

You and I might be frustrated with the pace of the activity for a myriad of righteous reasons. However, we must also remind ourselves of the scale and scope of the corruption here that is inherent within the BIG PICTURE. All of this was done on purpose. None of this was accidental.

The prosecutor could, likely would, be having to outline the biggest political conspiracy in the history of politics. It is entirely possible officials within the CIA, NSA, DOJ, FBI, State Department, ODNI, and national security apparatus along with the Obama White House, Clinton campaign officials, politicians, career bureaucrats and possibly judges are all entwined and involved.

Add into this likelihood the complicit ideological media who will go absolutely bananas about any single member of their team being indicted; and a better than average chance the media will follow instructions from their leadership and send tens-of-thousands of low-info sycophants into the streets in protest, and well… you see the picture.

The left only know one narrative: “Jeff Sessions is doing Trump’s evil bidding.” That’s it. That’s the drumbeat. 24/7/365 That’s the narrative pushed over and over.

Just look at the media reaction to Andrew McCabe’s simple firing, which Trump had nothing to do with, and think about what their response would be to indictments?

https://theconservativetreehou...igation/#more-147287

No, let's fucking piss and moan and whine and complain. Let's forget that the ONLY reason Hillary Clinton is not in the White House right now is because of the courage and can-do attitude of Donald Trump. No other Republican candidate could have beaten her. You know this is true.
Let's take this man to task for everything that he does that we think is wrong. Let's forget what he's done for this nation and shall continue to do for this nation.
Let's all act like we're Goddamned political experts and behave as if we understand why President Trump signed this mess, and how you would have done so much better in this situation and how very disappointed you are.

Oh, President Trump is going to ban bump stocks! Just what in the fuck do you guys think would be going on right now with your Second Amendment rights if Hillary Clinton were POTUS?

How shortsighted and ungrateful do you have to be to come in here and bitch and piss and moan about the only guy doing anything for us?

I am SICK OF IT.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I am SICK OF IT.

I absolutely understand you. For whatever my vote is worth, though, I hope we can keep this thread open because nuggets are still being presented among the turds, and I’m learning things I would have no knowledge of otherwise.

feersum dreadnaught: Thank you for that!

Para, thank you for keeping us focused in a positive direction.

I may not be excited about something PDJT has done or appears to have done, but it will be a long wait to hear me criticize him. I’ve seen enough instances of him playing four dimensional chess to realize that if something he has done looks like a mistake to me, I probably just have to wait a bit to learn what I am missing in the big picture. Heck, I still think he did America a tremendous service beating the witch. If he’d said, “Just kidding, let Pence run it.” we would still owe him a huge debt of gratitude. All the wonderful things he’s done since taking office are a huge bonus.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
No, let's fucking piss and moan and whine and complain. Let's forget that the ONLY reason Hillary Clinton is not in the White House right now is because of the courage and can-do attitude of Donald Trump. No other Republican candidate could have beaten her. You know this is true.

I was really pissed for about 10 minutes after I saw he signed the bill. Then I had the thought what Para just expressed. Calmed me right back down. We'd be fucked without Trump in the White House. The Supreme Court would be way different right now. That appointment will last for my lifetime. This budget ends in September. Think about that for a minute or two and you'll come around.

quote:

Originally posted by feersum dreadnaught:
Let’s focus on something happier...

>>>>>>>>

♦. Lastly, where all this appears to be going. It is not likely there will be a ‘second special counsel’ per se’. With a prosecutor already working with Inspector General Horowitz that person already has a thorough knowledge of all the evidence. As soon as the IG publishes his report, the prosecutor can begin subpoenaing witnesses. And now we know there’s already a Grand Jury seated somewhere hearing the criminal evidence he/she has carved out from the overwhelming IG evidence as collected.

You and I might be frustrated with the pace of the activity for a myriad of righteous reasons. However, we must also remind ourselves of the scale and scope of the corruption here that is inherent within the BIG PICTURE. All of this was done on purpose. None of this was accidental.

The prosecutor could, likely would, be having to outline the biggest political conspiracy in the history of politics. It is entirely possible officials within the CIA, NSA, DOJ, FBI, State Department, ODNI, and national security apparatus along with the Obama White House, Clinton campaign officials, politicians, career bureaucrats and possibly judges are all entwined and involved.

Add into this likelihood the complicit ideological media who will go absolutely bananas about any single member of their team being indicted; and a better than average chance the media will follow instructions from their leadership and send tens-of-thousands of low-info sycophants into the streets in protest, and well… you see the picture.

The left only know one narrative: “Jeff Sessions is doing Trump’s evil bidding.” That’s it. That’s the drumbeat. 24/7/365 That’s the narrative pushed over and over.

Just look at the media reaction to Andrew McCabe’s simple firing, which Trump had nothing to do with, and think about what their response would be to indictments?

https://theconservativetreehou...igation/#more-147287

Between this and the “Sessions isn't doing Trumps evil bidding...” carping, it’s been hard to stay up with what is really happening.

It’s been my feeling that Sessions is doing what he is supposed to be doing, investigating, examining, building cases where the facts suggest, convening grand juries. With no leakers, how is a man to know what is going on?

As I said months ago, there is going to be more shit here than one fan can handle. I just hope I live to see some of it.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
... Let's forget that the ONLY reason Hillary Clinton is not in the White House right now is because of the courage and can-do attitude of Donald Trump...

^THIS^

I wake up every morning with a smile knowing that the wicked bitch is not in our house. That was DJT's bigglyest accomplishment of his presidency. If he went golfing for the rest of his term(s), I am good with it!

Since DT is the only thing even remotely standing between us and the swamp, what choice do we have other than to support him. Who's your second choice for anti-swamp crusader?

I sent an email as well. The spending bill sux, but it is only 6mo, perhaps this was just not the right time to do that battle. On the bright side, an Army course I'm scheduled for at least will happen...

The grand jury for DOJ abuse is awesome! The "winning" far outpaces the losing. Buckle up and get a helmet, it will remain a bumpy ride.

It has been said that President Trump should have vetoed this bill, much like President Reagen did many times, come to the people in a speech to give us the reasons why, sent it back to be redrafted. We cant lay blame for it on him as there is a huge, much needed chunk of money for our military. I dont understand the no reading of over 2,200 pages of importance. Our leaders seem to not even know what they are voting on.

Conclusion about Grand Jury might be premature.

Here is the tweet relied on:

quote:

DoJ on Hse Judiciary Cmte's subpoenas: We are individually reviewing the remaining documents to ensure that they do not include grand jury information, information about ongoing law enforcement actions involving American citizens, or privileged attorney-client communications.

There are three categories of materials, one of which is grand jury information. This suggests there might be a grand jury, or that one may be eventually, or this may be merely a listing of the categories, no inferences whatsoever.

Sorry.

So I am reading this omni bus stuff was not a budget but a bill. The funds appropriated for example 80 billion for defense has no discretion where funds need to be spent. So all the talk about protecting the country amd defnense. Couldnt trump use the 80B to have the army corps of engineers to build the wall?

So goes the rumor I heard on twitter anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:
So I am reading this omni bus stuff was not a budget but a bill. The funds appropriated for example 80 billion for defense has no discretion where funds need to be spent. So all the talk about protecting the country amd defnense. Couldnt trump use the 80B to have the army corps of engineers to build the wall?

So goes the rumor I heard on twitter anyway.

I wish. I think omnibus simply refers to bundling the 12 appropriations bills (budgets) into one massive suck.

I’m hoping DJT spends as he wants, and tells congress to pound sand.

Bolton Expected to ‘Clean House’

The incoming national security advisor aims to ax dozens of White House officials as he dismantles McMaster’s NSC.

BY JANA WINTER, ELIAS GROLL, COLUM LYNCH | MARCH 23, 2018, 8:49 PM

Incoming National Security Advisor John Bolton and people close to him are expected to launch a massive shake-up at the National Security Council, aiming to remove dozens of current White House officials, starting with holdovers from President Barack Obama’s administration, according to multiple sources.

Those targeted for removal include officials believed to have been disloyal to President Donald Trump, those who have leaked about the president to the media, his predecessor’s team, and those who came in under Obama.

“Bolton can and will clean house,” one former White House official said.

Another source said, “He is going to remove almost all the political [appointees] McMaster brought in.”

A second former White House official offered a blunt assessment of former Obama officials currently detailed or appointed to the NSC: “Everyone who was there during Obama years should start packing their shit.”

On Thursday evening, just hours after Trump tapped him for the job, Bolton held a call with longtime advisors, including Matthew Freedman, a Republican consultant who once advised Bolton at the State Department and the United Nations. Freedman is currently helping manage the transition, according to a source familiar with the call.

“Freedman is a very political guy that Bolton likes,” one Republican source said. “He is overly ambitious about cleaning house.”

Freedman disputed that account, saying he was not aware of the Thursday phone call. “I can tell you there is no list,” he said.

Another source close to Bolton said it was premature to be talking about personnel changes.

Trump and Bolton see eye to eye on a more hawkish foreign policy, especially when it comes to North Korea and Iran, and are equally averse to multilateral diplomacy, whether that means the U.N. or working with the European Union.

That has veterans of the Trump administration predicting that Bolton will quickly seek to install his own team at the NSC, which functions as a clearing house for policy advice and is supposed to integrate the different perspectives of U.S. government agencies.

Among the officials Bolton’s allies are urging him to fire is Nadia Schadlow, currently the deputy national security advisor for strategy. Schadlow was the primary author of the administration’s recently released National Security Strategy, which was viewed as a surprisingly mainstream document that reaffirmed many traditional U.S. foreign-policy positions. Another official likely to be targeted in a Bolton purge is McMaster’s deputy, Ricky Waddell.

It wouldn’t be the first purge to follow a change in Trump’s national security advisor. When Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster replaced retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn in the job last year, McMaster systematically eliminated officials seen as loyal to his predecessor. According to four sources close to the White House, those so-called “Flynnstones” — advisors loyal to Flynn — are believed to be plotting their return to the NSC.

Whether Bolton will sign off on the staff purge his allies and advisors are pushing is less clear, though he has been insistent about ousting so-called Obama holdovers. “You could easily say that people close to Bolton want these people to go,” one source said. Other sources stress that Bolton, a veteran bureaucratic infighter, makes his own decisions.

A source close to Bolton cautioned that any staffing changes would take time, given the need to process security clearances. That means Bolton will likely be stuck with his current staff for the May summit meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Bolton is a known quantity for Trump, who has for years watched the former George W. Bush administration official on Fox News. He enters the White House with Trump’s ear, the source close to Bolton said, which promises to further raise tensions with chief of staff John Kelly. Whether Kelly and Bolton are able to forge a working relationship will mark an early test for both men’s ability to run a well-functioning staff.

Another question concerns Bolton’s traditionally hard-line stance toward Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is at odds with Trump’s. Two sources familiar with Bolton’s relationship with Trump said one of the big unknowns was how Bolton’s approach to Russia will go over with the president or if he’s even aware of those differences.

Trump and Bolton have discussed staffing changes since at least last July, when Bolton was offered the job as McMaster’s deputy, the position currently held by Waddell. Trump told Bolton that the deputy job would lead to the top post, but Bolton declined, saying he’d rather wait until he was offered the national security advisor job, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

McMaster’s departure may have been hastened by leaks emanating from the White House. Two sources familiar with the matter said McMaster was going to stay on until early summer.

But when the Washington Post reported this week that Trump had congratulated Putin in a phone call on his fraudulent election win — after receiving written briefing materials from the NSC instructing him not to congratulate Putin — the president reacted furiously and blamed McMaster. The story caused Trump to speed up McMaster’s departure, the sources said.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2018/...cted-to-clean-house/

There was really no question in my mind that the President would sign that spending bill once it passed both houses. It was pretty much a done deal at that point, so I was fully expecting Trump to sign it. And i can't really blame him.

However, President Trump did say that he will never sign another spending bill like that again. I believe him.

I mean for chrissakes, this bill gives tens of millions of dollars to China in aid. Whoever snuck that little turd into the bill should be shot on the White House lawn.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v...6001/?#sp=show-clips

Deficit spending is the glue holding together Democrats, GOP: Rep. Gaetz

Mar. 21, 2018 - 6:06 - Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) discusses the $1.3 trillion spending bill being pushed by Congress to avoid a government shutdown.

Lou Dobbs got it right!

For all of those complaining about the bill, I have been reading a lot of encouraging things from people who know more about these things than I do.

For those thinking Trump got played, you may be in for some surprises.