Part umpteen of lies and the lying liars
The Steele dossier was a lie.
Bruce Ohr told the FBI and DOJ at the outset that it was most likely a lie.
The FBI used the dossier anyway to apply for a FISA warrant, and did not disclose its shaky, suspect, and clearly biased origins and their specific knowledge of said origins, except in the most general and non-specific of ways.
After testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in which this was revealed, the Democrats (led by Schiff) issued a report supposedly debunking the Nunes (Republican) report. The Schiff report was loaded with lies and coverups.
This past Thursday evening, Buzzfeed issues a story alleging that Mueller has evidence that Michael Cohen was told by Trump to lie to Congress about certain financial dealings he had with Russia. The MSM (which has from the start been firmly in the “get Trump” camp) takes the extremely sketchy Buzzfeed story from the extremely sketchy Buzzfeed source and runs with it, giving it nonstop coverage for almost 24 hours. Their “if the Buzzfeed story is true” disclaimers don’t cause them to wait to see if it is true or to try to independently verify it, nor does it stop them from making it the centerpiece and focus of their constant speculation and condemnation, and airing of impeachment talk.
Mueller’s office takes the extraordinary step of issuing a statement specific to the Buzzfeed story, denying its accuracy. The most rabid members of the anti-Trump crowd tries to rationalize this away.
That’s about where we stand now. And what does the average voter think of it all?
Commenter “Michael” observes in the comments here that propaganda such as Buzzfeed’s often works, and I agree with that sentiment:
The point has been made…the President instructed his lawyer to lie under oath to the congress. That is all that matters.
The release of the retraction from Muller’s office was completely self serving. They had to release as the facts would have eventually come out and they had to get on top of it lest they look bad. But they let the speculation percolate for almost twenty four hours before issuing the denial on a late Friday afternoon thus projecting they image they are on the side of the angles while doing maximum damage to the President.
By Monday morning a whole new crisis will be in the forefront – perhaps it will be reported that due to the government shutdown Melania took the initiative to make the President a ham sandwich and the seven will go ape – and this incident will be nowhere to be seen.
But I guarantee that three weeks from now if asked the average person of democrat persuasion will assure you that the President ordered his lawyer to lie to congress under oath and is thus beyond evil.
However, I disagree with some aspects of that. I do think that Mueller’s denial was self-serving, but I also think it was extraordinary for him to issue it at all, and that it was issued in a fairly timely fashion. Mueller’s office isn’t supposed to comment on every news article that comes down the pike, or really any of them (also, it’s impossible to keep up with the volume). It was only after the MSM picked up on the Buzzfeed article and treated it as though it was the bombshell news of the day, with blanket and exhausting (and quite respectful) coverage, that Mueller’s office realized that this one was having an enormous effect. IMHO, they issued the statement fairly quickly, all things considered.
What the majority of people will take from this I don’t yet know. It wouldn’t surprise me if Michael is correct; I believe he’s most definitely correct about “the average person of democrat persuasion.” But what of independents, for example? What will they think?
It seems to me—and I realize I’m being optimistic here, perhaps foolishly so—that there’s at least a chance that with independents this will reflect very poorly on the MSM, who were given enough time to basically have made fools of themselves in an especially obvious and egregious way.
A person can hope, anyway.
We are way past the point of no return.
The National Anthem is racist and not permitted.
You would think that, by now, the MSM has thoroughly discredited itself, yet, CNN still blares from every TV in every airport in the land, the New York Times is still in print, and MSNBC is still on the air.
In these skeptical, wary times, how many people actually believe what they see reported by the MSM is hard to know, since I would imagine that most people, when contacted these days, will either refuse to be polled, or, if polled, will lie.
Habit, though, is a powerful thing, and if people grew up watching–and trusting–certain channels and newscasters, reading certain sources for their news, I’d imagine it would be hard for them to drop them, and to look for better, more honest reporting and commentary.
Would most people take the time to do this? I don’t know but, I suspect not.
The National Anthem is racist and not permitted.
Kneel on the memory and spirit of America’s human rights leaders that ended slavery at great cost of blood and treasure, and their descendants who still oppose diversity or color judgments including racism.
My family are very anti-Trump. They now laugh at the constant flow of “impeachable” offences he is supposed to have committed.
If a real one came, they would just assume it is another false one.
My daughter is particularly unamused at the Democrats and the media focus on impeachment, as she would rather Trump than Pence — who really is a conservative. I’ve never understood why impeachment would be a Democrat “victory”, when all it would be is a launching platform for Pence.
I’ve never understood why impeachment would be a Democrat “victory”, when all it would be is a launching platform for Pence.
Because in the Era of Trump, they’ve lost control of the public discourse. Trump and Steve King do not accept the moral framing of the left and do not pay any attention to their contrived and fraudulent p’s and q’s. A Republican of the modal type is Kevin McCarthy, who just shivved Steve King for offending his political enemies. I’ve seen no indication that SoCon politicians are free of McCarthy’s addle-pated poltroonery, and Pence would likely prove to be an apologizer as well. Trump enrages them because he flouts them. More Trump, please. No more apologies. Time to gift the left the upraised middle finger they’ve earned and deserve, and if Steve Cohen wants Trump impeached over it, sc!ew Steve Cohen.
The National Anthem is racist and not permitted.
It’s the Twittersphere. Sorry these people exist (including the deluded fool who fancies Colin Kaepernick is ‘fighting for black social justice’), but they are absolute no-accounts who don’t matter until someone in a gatekeeper position uses them as an excuse to do something he wants to do anyway. The problem is the gatekeepers.
If somehow Twitter was erased from existence society would immediately elevate an amazing amount. The twitter mobs and the search for peer validation on twitter leads to an immense amount of damage in today’s world.
Chester Draws:
Actually, I think the Democrats’ goal is not to impeach, but to create so much distrust and hatred of Trump that they will win the whole thing in 2020—presidency and Congress—and be able to reverse all his actions and neuter the right and the deplorables.
A Republican of the modal type is Kevin McCarthy, who just shivved Steve King for offending his political enemies.
Yes and Pence was weak on the RFRA when he was Governor.
I think the Democrats’ goal is not to impeach, but to create so much distrust and hatred of Trump that they will win the whole thing in 2020
The sane ones believe that. I don’t know what percentage they are. Less than 50 anyway.
Art Deco on January 19, 2019 at 2:38 pm at 2:38 pm said:
…they are absolute no-accounts who don’t matter until someone in a gatekeeper position uses them as an excuse to do something he wants to do anyway. The problem is the gatekeepers.
** *
Abstracting the important point.
I believe this can be seen in more than one historical situation.
Popular “sentiment” is roused until someone “authoritative” “is forced to respond” with whatever it was they wanted to do anyway (and they are usually behind the rousing of the popular sentiment).
Our current problem is that Republicans respond to the rousing of the leftists as if they were gatekeepers for the Left themselves; and Democrats totally ignore any sentiment that conflicts with their agenda.
Examples of the latter especially abound in this century.
I’m doubtful that the great majority of independents watch, listen to or even read conservative viewpoints. I think it highly likely that they get their news and opinion pieces from the MSM. Its just that much of that garbage doesn’t resonate with them, such as the memes that, the majority of cops are racist and that, today’s America is racist.
So yes, most independents are going to accept that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress. Evidenced by Trump’s declining poll approval #s, which is mostly independents losing confidence in Trump as the bad ‘proof’ emerges…
Chester,
A Pres. Pence will be far more easily demonized than Trump. Don’t you realize that as a committed Christian… he secretly wants to make Christianity the official State religion?
“thus projecting they image they are on the side of the angles”
angles – typo or no? You decide.
A Pres. Pence will be far more easily demonized than Trump. Don’t you realize that as a committed Christian… he secretly wants to make Christianity the official State religion?
How would demonising Christianity help keep the Hispanic vote? Black Americans are still pretty observant too. That line of attack is a complete loser.
Every day there is another story about Trump that will lead to his impeachment. Usually they come out in the morning and are forgotten about by supper. Does anyone pays attention at this point? In a few hours no one will remember it. The boy has cried wolf too many times.
Well I heard Mark Levin say that the only reason for the official public denial statement from Mueller was to avoid the certain leak investigation.
There probably needs to be a new Special Counsel to investigate the destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice with respect to the HR Clinton illegal email server, the FBI illegal coverup, and the conspiracies surrounding illegally unmasking American citizens and illegally leaking to the press.
The current one ain’t doin’ squat on the real collusion and conspiracy to do illegal acts as well as the doing of those illegal acts.
We need justice, but I doubt we’ll see many indictments of Deep State criminals.