First charges filed in Mueller investigation

Discussion in 'Political Discussions' started by Abner, Oct 30, 2017.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  2. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    I guess Manafort was told to surrender to federal authorities.
     
  3. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    In this particular case, I wish him a long and harsh punishment. Deep from my heart. May he rot in jail. The only regret is Ukrainian authorities are too inept and corrupt to jail his clients (the main one hides in Russia though).
     
  4. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

  5. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member


    So Manafort backed a candidate for President of Ukraine who was a "pro-Russian" candidate? Is that correct? Where do his ties in the Ukraine stop?
     
  6. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    You know full well it's impossible to tell where anyone's ties to anything STOP; only what we know so far. On Ukraine, it is widely known Manafort was the one who come up with the name "Opposition Bloc" for the Party of Regions rump left when Yanukovych fled; the indictment states that he laundered money coming from services to them until "at least 2016". Also, e-mails surfaced showing he worked for Oleg Deripaska (Russian aluminum billionaire who, like all Russian billionaire who're not murdered or exiled, is tight with Putin; actually he's in the top 5) directly, proposing a plan to "greatly advance" Putin's interests in US. Of course, this does not show whether it was Manafort who hooked Trump with Putin, or Trump decided to help out Vlad the Shirtless on his own. Important for me, Manafort was on Yanuk's side in 2014 when they massacred protesters in Kyiv, and did not leave their employ until after Yanuk fled. Screw this guy with industrial tools.
     
  7. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member


    What help?
     
  8. 03310151

    03310151 Active Member

  9. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Try to keep up. Bashing NATO allies is help enough, if you appreciate how central NATO is to Putin's paranoia. Straight out asserting moral equivalency between "killer" Putin and the US. Sabotage on sanctions. Repeated lavish praise (again, you need to appreciate how the severely insecure KGB major craves "respect" in the West). Those two compounds. Chaos at State Department. Who knows what kind of intelligence Flynn may have given the Russians. Secret meetings with the Saudis pushing Rosatom's business interests (Flynn again). Thanks God the Russia scandal impedes the White House delivering more to Kremlin.
     
  10. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Good. No indication that a Podesta did anything but legal work for hire, but that should be damaging enough. By all means, drum him out of town. If there's something indictable, indict.
     
  11. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

  12. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

  13. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Not much? I guess we have to agree to disagree here. It is true that Manafort's deeds he's charged for do not involve Trump; this can be seen as a rhetorical boon to him. On the other hand, it keeps the story in the news: ask Hillary if actual substance of news perpetuating a scandal matter or not. This boon will prove short-lived.
    On the other hand, some guy named Papadopoulos is charged for, and plead guilty, conduct during the campaign. This may or may not amount to much, but the plot keeps thickening.
    Some reading on Manafort:
    https://www.thedailybeast.com/heres-how-donald-trumps-paul-manafort-helped-create-chaos-in-ukraine?via=twitter_page
    Those of us following what passes for politics in Ukraine (and, I suppose, in various places he peddled his "services" to criminals) know of Manafort for a long time. Know and do NOT wish him well.

    Anyone curious as to why Trump hired a hack specializing in helping murderers and tyrants as his campaign manager? Are they in habit of requesting resumes and doing background checks? My take is he was hired precisely for his special skills and shady contacts. Including with Kremlin's innermost circle.
     
  14. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member


    Then it's your emotional needs versus McCarthy's expertise.
     
  15. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    My new hope is Republicans start insisting Manafort's conduct is "no big deal". By all means, defend the guy who bought 1.3M worth of clothes with undeclared income (earned by working against America for a Russia-linked tyrant) using a foreign shell company to pay for it. Political ads will just write themselves.

    Come to think of it, what about US banking system facilitating these wire transfers. No money laundering alarms sounded? Elisabeth Warren should push a reform to make sure this doesn't happen.
     
  16. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member


    The U.S. banking system is what people of Elizabeth Warren's stripe have made of it for the past 80 years.

    As for Manafort, well: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/10/30/paul-manafort-indictment-foreign-lobbying-russia-probe-215764
     
  17. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Sorry, can't resist.
    People of what stripe? Liberal legal academics? A bit far fetched if you ask me.

    Again, this brings me to the most fascinating aspect of the Trump phenomenon: how it makes its supporters act. This article is an indictment of toothless enforcement of FARA. Yep, this is but one example of how the West falls short of its own ideas and screws over the emerging democracies and the 3rd world: by enabling and aiding that world's indigenous corruption, crime, and tyranny. The only way to twist it into minimizing Manafort's offenses is the "everyone does it" defense; and this defense is remarkable to hear from a grown man about another grown man. Most people know better by the end of elementary school.

    Quote:
    A bit weird figure to lead future U. S. President's campaign, isn't he? But then again, it's the Trump campaign, so maybe it's appropriate after all. Manafort's last client and Trump share taste in friends (including mutual connections to Putin and, more directly, Dmytro Firtash), as well as identical (lack of) taste in interior decoration.
     
  18. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Why did the Trump Administration miss the deadline to enforce the new sanctions on Russia? This was supposed to happen on October 1st.
     
  19. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    Why did the Trump campaign insist on weakening the Ukraine plank in the GOP platform - the only thing in the whole document they took interest in? The move didn't make any sense. It's as if they are indebted to Russian regime for something and go out of their way to signal goodwill. Oh wait...
     
  20. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Heads are starting to role and people are flipping like Pappadopouls.
     

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