Enjoy President Trump, Courtesy of The Kremlin

[Brian Peacock]

Donald Trump Jr posts emails of Russian offer to provide material on Clinton

Donald Trump Jr on Tuesday posted what he said was the full text of the emails setting up a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The emails show music promoter Rob Goldstone telling the future US president’s son that “the crown prosecutor of Russia” had offered “to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father”.

Goldstone adds: “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr Trump”.

“If it’s what you say I love it,” replies Donald Trump Jr.

In a later email Goldstone describes Veselnitskaya as a “Russian government attorney”....

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... _clipboard

[Forty Two]

MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign denied in an exclusive interview with NBC News that she had any connection to the Kremlin and insisted she met with President Donald Trump’s son in 2016 to discuss sanctions between Russia and the U.S., not to hand over information about Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

“I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,” Natalia Veselnitskaya said.

The New York Times on Monday reported that Trump Jr. was told in an email before the meeting that the information Veselnitskaya had was part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s candidacy.

But Veselnitskaya flatly denied any connection to the Russian government. Kremlin officials said on Monday that they were unfamiliar with the lawyer.

Veselnitskaya explained she has questioned for many years a story that became the basis for a claim against her client, Russian businessman Denis Katsyv. She sought an investigation by the U.S. Congress into the allegations.

That claim led to a U.S. law called the Magnitsky Act, which enabled the U.S. to impose sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations. The Magnitsky Act also led the Kremlin to ban the adoption of Russian children by Americans at the end of 2012.

Part of the information she put together for her client included details about a company run by a former U.S. citizen. She believes this company didn’t pay taxes in either Russia or the U.S. and may also have made donations to the D.N.C.

These details are what may have sparked the interest of Trump’s campaign, she said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russi ... ve-n781631


All the hype aside, so? We're back to - there is nothing wrong, illegal, or unethical about Trump Jr. meeting with this lawyer, who is not part of the Russian government, even if Trump Jr. was salivating over possible damning Clinton info being in the offing. So what? If the roles were reversed, and Huma Abedin met with the same lawyer and Huma was "longing" for damning info about a Trump organization not paying taxes or some other damning info about Trump, this would not be an issue.

1. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - having a preference for or against an American candidate
2. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - working, within the law, to help an American candidate.
3. There is nothing 'wrong' with Trump Jr. having met with this particular lawyer.

Soooo, what's the scandal?

[pErvinalia]

MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign denied in an exclusive interview with NBC News that she had any connection to the Kremlin and insisted she met with President Donald Trump’s son in 2016 to discuss sanctions between Russia and the U.S., not to hand over information about Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

“I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,” Natalia Veselnitskaya said.

The New York Times on Monday reported that Trump Jr. was told in an email before the meeting that the information Veselnitskaya had was part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s candidacy.

But Veselnitskaya flatly denied any connection to the Russian government. Kremlin officials said on Monday that they were unfamiliar with the lawyer.

Veselnitskaya explained she has questioned for many years a story that became the basis for a claim against her client, Russian businessman Denis Katsyv. She sought an investigation by the U.S. Congress into the allegations.

That claim led to a U.S. law called the Magnitsky Act, which enabled the U.S. to impose sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations. The Magnitsky Act also led the Kremlin to ban the adoption of Russian children by Americans at the end of 2012.

Part of the information she put together for her client included details about a company run by a former U.S. citizen. She believes this company didn’t pay taxes in either Russia or the U.S. and may also have made donations to the D.N.C.

These details are what may have sparked the interest of Trump’s campaign, she said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russi ... ve-n781631


All the hype aside, so? We're back to - there is nothing wrong, illegal, or unethical about Trump Jr. meeting with this lawyer, who is not part of the Russian government, even if Trump Jr. was salivating over possible damning Clinton info being in the offing. So what? If the roles were reversed, and Huma Abedin met with the same lawyer and Huma was "longing" for damning info about a Trump organization not paying taxes or some other damning info about Trump, this would not be an issue.

1. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - having a preference for or against an American candidate
2. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - working, within the law, to help an American candidate.

Well that's the point of contention, I believe. Robert Reich wrote this on facebook today: "It's illegal to solicit election contributions -- defined as "anything of value... for the purpose of influencing any election for Federal office" from foreign nationals."

I don't know the veracity or accuracy of this, but I assume it is possible for someone who could be bothered to look into it.

[Brian Peacock]

All the hype aside, so? We're back to - there is nothing wrong, illegal, or unethical about Trump Jr. meeting with this lawyer, who is not part of the Russian government, even if Trump Jr. was salivating over possible damning Clinton info being in the offing. So what? If the roles were reversed, and Huma Abedin met with the same lawyer and Huma was "longing" for damning info about a Trump organization not paying taxes or some other damning info about Trump, this would not be an issue.

I completely agree, there is nothing illegal about meeting and talking to a Russian in the US. Russians aren't a special category, they're not forbidden non-persons or official undesirables or subject to particular or specific laws such that meeting and talking to a Russian is problematic in and of itself.

Donald Trump Jr was eager to meet a Russian who he had been told was operating under instruction from Moscow and who could furnish him with information on Trump Snr's presidential opponent that would be useful to the Trump campaign. Really, that is the beginning and the end of the story: That DTJ was ready, willing, and able -- at least in principle -- to collude with the Russian government to undermine his father's political opponent.

42. Do you still think this Russia-Trump thing is purely a partisan issue?

[Hermit]

MOSCOW — The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign denied in an exclusive interview with NBC News that she had any connection to the Kremlin and insisted she met with President Donald Trump’s son in 2016 to discuss sanctions between Russia and the U.S., not to hand over information about Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

“I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,” Natalia Veselnitskaya said.

The New York Times on Monday reported that Trump Jr. was told in an email before the meeting that the information Veselnitskaya had was part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s candidacy.

But Veselnitskaya flatly denied any connection to the Russian government. Kremlin officials said on Monday that they were unfamiliar with the lawyer.

Veselnitskaya explained she has questioned for many years a story that became the basis for a claim against her client, Russian businessman Denis Katsyv. She sought an investigation by the U.S. Congress into the allegations.

That claim led to a U.S. law called the Magnitsky Act, which enabled the U.S. to impose sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations. The Magnitsky Act also led the Kremlin to ban the adoption of Russian children by Americans at the end of 2012.

Part of the information she put together for her client included details about a company run by a former U.S. citizen. She believes this company didn’t pay taxes in either Russia or the U.S. and may also have made donations to the D.N.C.

These details are what may have sparked the interest of Trump’s campaign, she said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russi ... ve-n781631


All the hype aside, so? We're back to - there is nothing wrong, illegal, or unethical about Trump Jr. meeting with this lawyer, who is not part of the Russian government, even if Trump Jr. was salivating over possible damning Clinton info being in the offing. So what? If the roles were reversed, and Huma Abedin met with the same lawyer and Huma was "longing" for damning info about a Trump organization not paying taxes or some other damning info about Trump, this would not be an issue.

1. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - having a preference for or against an American candidate
2. There is nothing 'wrong' with Russians - or anyone else - working, within the law, to help an American candidate.
3. There is nothing 'wrong' with Trump Jr. having met with this particular lawyer.

Soooo, what's the scandal?

Ha ha haaa. I fucking knew you'd spin it like that.

[Brian Peacock]

Can you do my lottery numbers Hermy?

[Tero]

[Animavore]

Can you do my lottery numbers Hermy?

I wonder if he can guess the texture of the water in this glass?

[Hermit]

Can you do my lottery numbers Hermy?

Certainly. Just tell me which week you want them for and attach sufficient cash to cover the cost of polishing my crystal ball to the note. Polishing quality crystal balls is not cheap, but I give you mate's rates. €500,000 will do fine, and you'll still become a multi-millionaire.

[pErvinalia]

All the hype aside, so? We're back to - there is nothing wrong, illegal, or unethical about Trump Jr. meeting with this lawyer, who is not part of the Russian government, even if Trump Jr. was salivating over possible damning Clinton info being in the offing. So what? If the roles were reversed, and Huma Abedin met with the same lawyer and Huma was "longing" for damning info about a Trump organization not paying taxes or some other damning info about Trump, this would not be an issue.

I completely agree, there is nothing illegal about meeting and talking to a Russian in the US. Russians aren't a special category, they're not forbidden non-persons or official undesirables or subject to particular or specific laws such that meeting and talking to a Russian is problematic in and of itself.

Donald Trump Jr was eager to meet a Russian who he had been told was operating under instruction from Moscow and who could furnish him with information on Trump Snr's presidential opponent that would be useful to the Trump campaign. Really, that is the beginning and the end of the story: That DTJ was ready, willing, and able -- at least in principle -- to collude with the Russian government to undermine his father's political opponent.

42. Do you still think this Russia-Trump thing is purely a partisan issue?

Of course he does. He's so hyper-partisan that he can't imagine that other people can be reasonably impartial about these sorts of issues. Politics in the US must be so incredibly toxic.

[Brian Peacock]

Can you do my lottery numbers Hermy?

Certainly. Just tell me which week you want them for and attach sufficient cash to cover the cost of polishing my crystal ball to the note. Polishing quality crystal balls is not cheap, but I give you mate's rates. €500,000 will do fine, and you'll still become a multi-millionaire.

I'd polish your balls for a lot less than that.

[JimC]

[Hermit]

Can you do my lottery numbers Hermy?

Certainly. Just tell me which week you want them for and attach sufficient cash to cover the cost of polishing my crystal ball to the note. Polishing quality crystal balls is not cheap, but I give you mate's rates. €500,000 will do fine, and you'll still become a multi-millionaire.

I'd polish your balls for a lot less than that.

I'd let you do it for a lot less than that too. You'd get a €25,000 discount.

[Forty Two]

Donald Trump Jr was eager to meet a Russian who he had been told was operating under instruction from Moscow and who could furnish him with information on Trump Snr's presidential opponent that would be useful to the Trump campaign. Really, that is the beginning and the end of the story: That DTJ was ready, willing, and able -- at least in principle -- to collude with the Russian government to undermine his father's political opponent.

42. Do you still think this Russia-Trump thing is purely a partisan issue?

I do, because the meeting was not with the Russian government or anyone with the Russian government. The lawyer in question says she was not representing or involved with the Russian government. Since she's admitted in the US, making that false representation would be grounds for disbarment. Also, the Russians say they know nothing about her and this was not someone representing them. And, the lawyer said she never had any information to give to Trump Jr.

Being willing to meet with a lawyer, and being willing to see if that lawyer has damaging information on a political opponent is small potatoes. Are you willing to believe that Hillary Clinton has never met with a foreign person, "associated" with a foreign government, with a view toward damaging or obtaining damaging information on political opponent? I would be surprised if it wasn't commonplace.

"To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016. The first email on June 3, 2016 was from Rob, who was relating a request from Emin, a person I knew from the 2013 Ms. Universe Pageant near Moscow. Emin and his father have a very highly respected company in Moscow. The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was political opposition research."

"I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didn't work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet," he continued. "I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official. And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue. As Rob Goldstone just said today in the press, the entire meeting was the 'most inane nonsense I ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it.'"

http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-t ... sia-2017-7

[Forty Two]

Interesting chronology here - http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/10/nyt-r ... cy-theory/

And, http://www.independent.co.uk/News/world ... 34541.html Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr linked to investigation group behind salacious Steele Dossier

In a statement, Mark Corallo added: “Specifically, we have learned that the person who sought the meeting is associated with Fusion GPS, a firm which according to public reports, was retained by Democratic operatives to develop opposition research on the President and which commissioned the phony Steele dossier.”

Fusion GPS, which is based in Washington DC and was established by former Wall Street Journal reporters Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, found itself in the spotlight earlier this year after it emerged it was behind an “oppo research” dossier containing unproven and often salacious allegations about Mr Trump.

The company had originally been hired by Republican rivals of Mr Trump during the primary campaign. After he secured the party's nomination, the company was instead paid by Democratic financial supporters of Ms Clinton.

Mr Veselnitskaya has for several years been leading a campaign to have the act overturned. As part of her effort she allegedly hired GPS Fusion. A complaint filed last year claimed that GPS Fusion headed the pro-Russia campaign to kill the Magnitsky Act.

Earlier this year, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley asked the US Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Fusion GPS.