Trump Justice Department Subpoenaed Apple for Data From House Intelligence Committee Democrats (cnn.com) 101
Prosecutors in the Trump administration Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for data from the accounts of House Intelligence Committee Democrats -- including Chairman Adam Schiff -- along with their staff and family members as part of a leak investigation, an Intelligence Committee official and a source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. From a report: Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, another Democrat on the committee, told CNN's Don Lemon on Thursday evening that he was notified that his data had been seized as part of the probe as well. The prosecutors, the New York Times first reported, were looking for the sources behind news stories about contacts between Russia and Trump associates. The leak hunt began with the FBI sending a subpoena to Apple in February 2018, which included a gag order, seeking metadata on more than 100 accounts as part of an investigation into the disclosure of classified information, the person familiar with the matter said.
The gag order was renewed three times before it expired this year and Apple notified the customers. The House Intelligence Committee determined that along with members of the panel and staff, the dragnet collected the records of family members, including at least one minor, the person said. Records seized included those from staff members who had nothing to do with issues related to Russia or former FBI Director James Comey, including Schiff's personal office staff, a House Intelligence Committee source told CNN. Democratic committee leadership is relying on self-reporting to know who has been impacted at this point -- both members and staff, the source said. Swalwell confirmed to CNN that records of family members and a minor had been obtained.
The gag order was renewed three times before it expired this year and Apple notified the customers. The House Intelligence Committee determined that along with members of the panel and staff, the dragnet collected the records of family members, including at least one minor, the person said. Records seized included those from staff members who had nothing to do with issues related to Russia or former FBI Director James Comey, including Schiff's personal office staff, a House Intelligence Committee source told CNN. Democratic committee leadership is relying on self-reporting to know who has been impacted at this point -- both members and staff, the source said. Swalwell confirmed to CNN that records of family members and a minor had been obtained.
Show empathy to SORE LOSERS. (Score:5, Funny)
Show empathy to SORE LOSERS.
If one thing's clear in the wake of President-elect Joe Biden's presumptive victory over President Donald Trump, it's that liberals like me need to reach out to people who spent the past four years dehumanizing us and show empathy.
Immediately.
I'm told this cannot wait and it's wholly incumbent upon us, the liberals, to spend time trying to better understand the millions of Americans who voted for Trump and who reacted to every tweet we ever posted with a photo of Trump and the words, "CRY HARDER LIB!!"
I feel bad that I have yet to begin my search for common ground with the people who chanted breathlessly for jailing Trump's political opponents, but I guess I was waiting for them to first accept the results of the presidential election. That was rude of me to think acknowledging reality should be a prerequisite for me to feel deeply concerned about the emotions of people who think Democrats rigged an election but forgot to rig it well enough to win back the U.S. Senate.
I apologize, and I hope that with time, the people who still believe former President Barack Obama is a Muslim will forgive me and let me into their lives so I can gain knowledge and understanding.
After all, I can count on no hands the zero times over the past four years Trump supporters reached out to me in an attempt to bridge the political divide between us. And thank goodness for that, as it might have torn them away from tweeting "HAH! TRIGGERED!" at liberals who were feeling truly hurt by or worried about the actions of the Trump administration.
What's important now is that I, a liberal, reach out to the person who emailed the day after the election to call me "a worthless pile of human garbage." I must recognize that that person is hurting. I must take the first step, and that person should certainly not need to engage in any self-reflection. It is my fault he called me human garbage. Hopefully time can heal that wound.
Some might argue it's impossible to find common ground with people willing to believe there was massive voter fraud when the only evidence presented is conspiratorial word salad served by Trump's bug-eyed attorney, Rudy Giuliani, outside a Philadelphia lawn care company next to a porn shop.
And some might cynically suggest it's hard to take people seriously when they insist the media can't call an election, since they raised no such objection when Trump won in 2016.
But I'm told it would be just like an evil liberal to think such things. Clearly I must do my part, surrender some of my firmly held beliefs and appeal to people who think I should leave the country because all my beliefs are un-American.
So please, to the people who, in the wake of Trump's 2016 victory, told me to "suck it" and offered a mug in which to place my "Liberal Tears," I want to comfort you in this difficult time. Perhaps there's a way I can modify my views on family separation to accommodate your hatred of immigrants? It seems abandoning my disgust that the Trump administration orphaned more than 500 children is the least I can do for people who believe I and other liberals are part of a network of satanic pedophiles.
Would it help if I hit myself in the face a few times? If that's what it takes to find a middle ground in which I feel pain and you feel none, I will certainly start the face-whacking immediately. It's only fair.
Your feelings are extremely important to me, person wearing a pro-Trump T-shirt that says "(EXPLETIVE) Your Feelings." It is up to me to understand you, and I will be happy to start on that as soon as you're done composing an email that calls me "the enemy of the people" and shouting "FAKE NEWS!" while trying to intimidate my colleagues.
Take your time. I'll wait. This is entirely my responsibility, and any suggestion that Biden winning by 5 million votes suggests otherwise is absurd.
I feel bad that I caused you to hate me. Totally my fault. And I don't want you to feel like you need to do a single thing to bette
Re:Show empathy to SORE LOSERS. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: Show empathy to SORE LOSERS. (Score:2)
Re: Show empathy to SORE LOSERS. (Score:1)
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Ah, that's the SlashDot I remember, when sarcasm was an art form and flame wars could outshine the sun.
Beau of the fifth Column has a good video (Score:2)
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to reach out to people who spent the past four years dehumanizing us
Um, what? What kind of bizarro world do you live in anyway?
The truth about Obama (Score:3)
Re: The truth about Obama (Score:2)
Everyone I live around thinks he's a Muslim.
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I think Gaetz will fall pretty hard. His buddy made deals with the prosecution.
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It's true that we don't publicly know much, but we do know that the FBI doesn't cut deals with people that have nothing to offer. If the fuckery ended with some sleazebag county tax collector, then there would be no deal to make. Now if they can roll a sleazebag county tax collector up into an indictment of a sitting shitbag Congressman, there's probably some room to wiggle on sentencing - but the sleazebag county tax collector is still going to see the inside of a jail cell for multiple years because he'
Moscow Donald is a Russian Agent (Score:5, Informative)
OK Russia [washingtonpost.com]
On Tuesday, the Republican-chaired Senate Intelligence Committee released a report with damning details of the extent of cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence operatives.
The Post reports: "The long-awaited report from the Senate Intelligence Committee contains dozens of new findings that appear to show more direct links between Trump associates and Russian intelligence, and pierces the president's long-standing attempts to dismiss the Kremlin's intervention on his behalf as a hoax." These include a determination "that a longtime partner of Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was, in fact, a Russian intelligence officer."
Also according to The Post:
The report also for the first time cites evidence that that alleged operative, Konstantin Kilimnik, may have been directly involved in the Russian plot to break into a Democratic Party computer network and provide plundered files to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. . . .
It offers new proof that former national security adviser Michael Flynn lied about his conversations with the Russia's ambassador to the United States, raises troubling questions about Manafort's decision to squander a plea agreement with prosecutors by lying to Mueller's team, and accuses Blackwater founder Erik Prince of 'deceptive' accounts of his meetings with a Russian oligarch in the Seychelles weeks before Trump was sworn into office.
Just as Norman Eisen, former counsel for the House impeachment managers, detailed in his book "A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump," the intelligence committee report suggests, according to The Post, that there was evidence Trump had lied about discussions concerning Roger Stone and the WikiLeaks release of stolen Democratic emails. "Collusion simply means Trump and those around him wrongly working together with Russia and its satellites, and the fact of that has long been apparent," Eisen told me. "Indeed, it was clear to anyone with eyes from the moment Trump asked, 'Russia, if you're listening.' " Eisen added, "The Senate report is a valuable contribution advancing our understanding, including explaining former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort's nexus to Russian intelligence. The report further elucidates our understanding of collusion via WikiLeaks, which acted as a Russian cut-out."
In addition, the Trump Tower meeting on June 9, 2016, with Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. included Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian attorney and, according to the report "part of a broader influence operation targeting the United States that was coordinated, at least in part with elements of the Russian government."
That Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the acting committee chairman, declared there was no evidence of collusion is belied by the mounds of evidence in the bombshell-filled report. Eisen tweeted, "I said it was collusion at the time and I have not wavered. Every additional piece of evidence that has come in has only proved it more."
Max Bergmann, who runs the Center for American Progress's Moscow Project told me, "He did it. He colluded with Russia during the 2016 election." He added, "The bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee should erase any lingering doubt that Trump and his campaign deliberately sought out and coordinated with Russia and its influence operations during the election." Moreover, "the report also demonstrates that the president of the United States is a clear counterintelligence threat to the country. He is not only compromised by his close contact with the Kremlin but he eagerly sought out covert Russian support in 2016." Bergmann warns that "Trump is certainly willing to cheat again in 2020, and there is no doubt the Kremlin will do what it can to help him."
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) acknowledged proof of the "alarming lengths to which Donald Trump and his campaign welcomed and relied on a hostile foreign power's interfere
Re:Moscow Donald is a Russian Agent (Score:5, Informative)
And don't forget about his awesome statement yesterday where the former President of the United States took Russia's side in an upcoming summit between the United States and Russia. Because that's not the loudest signal yet that the only twice-impeached Florida retiree is right in Big Daddy Putin's pocket:
"as President, I had a great and very productive meeting in Helsinki, Finland, with President Putin of Russia. Despite the belated Fake News portrayal of the meeting, the United States won much, including the respect of President Putin and Russia.”
“Because of the phony Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, made-up and paid for by the Democrats and Crooked Hillary Clinton, the United States was put at a disadvantage — a disadvantage that was nevertheless overcome by me”
"As to who do I trust, they asked, Russia or our ‘Intelligence’ from the Obama era, meaning people like Comey, McCabe, the two lovers, Brennan, Clapper, and numerous other sleezebags, or Russia, the answer, after all that has been found out and written, should be obvious. Our government has rarely had such lowlifes as these working for it.”
He left a few "lowlifes" and "sleezebags" off his list, namely most of his cabinet and most of his advisors and aides, definitely most of the senior staff, every single one of this compulsive liar press secretaries, and everyone with a last name of Trump. If it wasn't apparent that this guy is actually working against the interests of the country, then you're just not paying attention.
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I don't have to. Read the quotes.
Could this guy suck up to Putin any more if he put his shoulder into it?
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"Because of the phony Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax"
The only thing more painful than listening to that man talk is trying to read transcripts of his talks.
I go cross-eyed every time... and I only have one eye.
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Yes, because pointing out the obvious logical fallacies in the greatest conspiracy theory of the 21st century* is "-1, troll".
*you might disagree, but how many others have engrossed an entire country from 2016 to the present (it continues with new corollary accusations just last week), been the focus of countless DOJ, FBI, and congressional enforcement and investigative efforts, been the focus of the entire world's media for 5+ years all without generating a single. shred. of. evidence?
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Probably because he didn't do anything wrong? None of the reports say she slept with him.
Re:Was this before or after sleeping with ChiCom S (Score:5, Informative)
So, was the probe taken before or after Swallwell was sleeping with the Chinese spy?
Trick question, Swalwell never slept with the Chinese spy.
The spy apparently slept with other politicians, including a couple of mayors, but her contact with Swalwell amounted to being a fundraiser who managed to place an intern in his office.
Which could be a serious breach, assuming that intern turned out to be a spy and they had access to sensitive data.
But at this point there's no evidence that Swalwell did anything wrong or even showed poor judgement.
I still don't know how the fuck that guy is not only still in congress, BUT still occupies seats on very sensitive committees?
Oh, you mean the committee where the ranking Republican is Devin Nunes, the dude who shared confidential information on the Russia investigation with administration officials who were targets of the investigation? Who got caught working with the White House and Russian agents in order strong arm the Ukrainians into investigating Hunter Biden?
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This is also the same swalwell who multiple times claimed he had 100% provable evidence that Trump was acting on behalf of russia.
Cite?
A few minutes of googling didn't turn up any quotes like that.
Re:Was this before or after sleeping with ChiCom S (Score:5, Insightful)
So, was the probe taken before or after Swallwell was sleeping with the Chinese spy?
How is that remotely relevant? Trump was using the power of the state for his personal political benefit. That is a scandal. It's what happens in a tinpot dictatorships. It shows once more that he is unable to differentiate the office of president (with its power and its limitations) from the person of the president.
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Trump was using the power of the state for his personal political benefit.>
And don't forget that he was using it for his personal financial benefit as well.
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Trump was using the power of the state for his personal political benefit.
Investigating a leak is not an abuse of power.
Illegally monitoring the communications and activities of a rival party's politician's campaign however is. But that was the Obama/Biden administration, against Trump.
That is a scandal. It's what happens in a tinpot dictatorships. It shows once more that he is unable to differentiate the office of president (with its power and its limitations) from the person of the president.
Precisely.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
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The focus of outage regarding this should not be on the impropriety of the potential motivation, but in the fact that this was possible under the current burden of proof requirements. If it's wrong to be able to do this to a representative then it's wrong to do this to any American.
A secondary focus, maybe.
But an Administration spying on elected opposition politicians should definitely remain the primary focus.
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"Once you've built the big machinery of political power, remember you won't always be the one to run it."
-- P. J. O'Rourke
I'm a big enough man (Score:2)
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This story is everywhere and it didn't originate from CNN:
Hunting Leaks, Trump Officials Focused on Democrats in Congress [nytimes.com]
Even Fox can't pretend this one doesn't exist DOJ inspector general launches review of Trump-era seizure of members of Congress' communications [foxnews.com]
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So you are accusing the 4 NYT reporters who broke this story of lying and speculation based on what? Also apparently this story of "lies and speculation" has resulted in an IG investigation and the congress members involved were notified of this independently from the DOJ itself.
I'm not saying to blindly trust the media but you also cannot just blindly write off reporting like this because you have an issue with them or the story.
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That's a serious accusation.
Do you have any evidence of this conspiratorial plot?
Just kidding, I know you don't because the truth is the news networks are not so much biased or paid by "the Party" but simply lazy and get fat off ad dollars from conflict and rote sensationalism. If anything Fox has become the model they must emulate since they have become so successful at it. But hey, continue to defend the worst aspects of capitalism with your votes.
I know you'll never admit it but realize these opinions
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So Fox never uses anonymous sources?
I don't watch Fox new but I'm sure they use their fair share of anonymous source. Maybe not in this story but I'm sure overall all new outlet are about even in using unnamed sources.
Re: Everything I need to know (Score:2)
The people who fed you the excuse to call CNN un-credible are the same ppl who get paid via ads when you come back for a other serving of outrage. Shouldn't credibility be a factor here, too?
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We all know what he was doing (Score:3, Insightful)
It's not that we don't all know this. Question is does America love Trump so much that they're okay with this? From what I can tell about 45% of voters do. So in other words they're willing to trade democracy for Trump. And I guess like Trump said, what do you got to lose? Of course after you've lost it it's too late to find out....
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Maybe it's not that Americans love trump as much as hate the opposition. Seems to me for a number of elections now the winner is the least hated overall, not the most beloved. How is it the best a party can do to combat this perceived existential threat of Trump is a Hillary and a Joe, seems rather pathetic?
I don't think so. (Score:4, Insightful)
What's happened is these people are consuming media from only one source, specifically Fox News or oan or Newsmax. This is giving them a distorted view of the world. This is also how you get people who are vehemently opposed to Obamacare but love the affordable Care act.
This is that post truth society academics like to talk about. And it's really bad news for all of us except a handful of oligarchs.
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Want pathetic? Both Chelsea Clinton and George P. Bush (Jeb's hellspawn) are getting into politics. I wouldn't be surprised to see yet another Clinton/Bush election in the future. [barf]
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I just shudder to think of how bad a third George Bush presidency will be. Once upon I time I thought there would never be a worse president than Reagan, rarely have I been so, so wrong.
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The first one really wasn't bad. He just got tarnished by his association with the Reagan administration. I at least respected the elder Bush. This new crop of Republicans, not so much.
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I think he was well-tarnished by his supporting drug smugglers, terrorists, and genocidal mass murders, especially in Central America. Not surprising for a former CIA Director though.
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The first one really wasn't bad. He just got tarnished by his association with the Reagan administration. I at least respected the elder Bush. This new crop of Republicans, not so much.
Um, the first one was pretty bad. He was vice president during the Iran Contras affair, then when he became president, he pardoned all the leaders of the scandal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Too bad for you (Score:3)
As the saying goes, it's a big club but you ain't in it. They have no intention of including your input in those changes. That's why they keep passing laws making it harder to vote. Or are you so naive you think those laws won't apply to you personally? Trust me, as soon as
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Know who else represented "real change"? Pol Pot. Mussolini. Henry VIII. Mobutu Sese Seko. Change is not always good.
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It's the inflection of arrogance and ignorance to posit that "We", some nebulous group of "real Americans" built America. Which America did you prefer? 2020? 1980? 1955? 1820?
Everything changes whether you want it to or not. The hope to keep the world static around yourself is a child's mindset.
Re: We all know what he was doing (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah, the middle class was better before Regan basically gutted them and put in motion many of policies that have caused the current economic issues we have been in. The top tax marginal bracket in 1979 was 70%. The social safety net was stronger to. I sure would love to get back to those days.
Biden is only 4 years older than Trump. Hillary is a year younger. Why would you want to elect Trump at all or again? He's also barely coherent.
And again, who is "we" and what did you "build". You have no more claim to those terms than any person so maybe adjust your thinking.
WTF??!!! (Score:1)
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Ahh, the "establishment". The smooth brained man's nemesis. Vague, shadowy, indescribable, undefinable. A perfect foil to cast my anger about the world at.
Trump sure did represent change, a change I certainly did not want to see. You never seem to be able to define the change Trump was bringing, or what you want to see. Action for action's sake is the realm of the fascist.
Stop pretending to be American revolutionaries and praying for a civil war you blithely presume you'll be on the winning end of.
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They could have imitated Schiff (Score:1)
I wonder why they didn't just publish what they found the way Adam Schiff did?
For those who may have "forgotten": https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/devin-nunes-exploring-legal-remedies-after-adam-schiff-released-phone-records
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The Examiner? Really?
You need to re-examine your news feed choices.
Hypocrites (Score:5, Interesting)
Schiff was among those voting in support of H.R. 6172, which extended the PATRIOT Act until 2023.
Seems a bit hypocritical for him to now be sobbing about having his data snooped. What's the matter - I thought only terrorists were the ones with stuff to hide? Maybe you shouldn't have been on the train to normalize warrantless surveillance in the first place, bud.
Re:Hypocrites (Score:5, Insightful)
Schiff was among those voting in support of H.R. 6172, which extended the PATRIOT Act until 2023.
Seems a bit hypocritical for him to now be sobbing about having his data snooped. What's the matter - I thought only terrorists were the ones with stuff to hide? Maybe you shouldn't have been on the train to normalize warrantless surveillance in the first place, bud.
On the one hand, you're right. On the other hand, I think Congress does have reason to believe that the act won't be misused in such a foolishly-partisan way, if for no other reason than the shoe will soon be on the other foot. Schiff clearly failed to comprehend the depth of the stupidity, recklessness and shortsightedness of the Trump administration.
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Congress does have reason to believe that the act won't be misused
No. The opposite. Congress know full well that it will be abused and misused. US administrations are very willing to break the fucking law, you can bet they'll take every opportunity they can that the law actually permits.
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I think Congress does have reason to believe that the act won't be misused in such a foolishly-partisan way
LOL. ROFLMAO. LOL ROFLMAO
You. Seriously. Just said that? THAT? Dude, seriously, you are killing me here.
Shit, I think I just broke a rib. I am suing your ass. Fuck. It hurts. I can't stop laughing.
Seems reasonable to me (Score:3, Insightful)
For the last two years of President Trump's tenure in office, the House Intelligence Committee was leaking privileged information to the newspapers steadily. It seems entirely reasonable that the Justice Dept would investigate to discover the source of the leaks. Those guys took an oath and the leakers broke it, along with breaking the law.
Duplicity (Score:2)