Senate Intelligence Committee

Donald Trump Revives Barack Obama Hatred With Crazy Charges Of Treason Regarding Presidential Elections Of 2016 And 2020!

Donald Trump is attempting to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal, which has caused an uproar among MAGA Republicans.

His latest tactic is to have Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic Hawaii Congresswoman with a controversial record on foreign policy issues, and appointed Director of National Intelligence by Trump, to conjure up almost a decade later that President Barack Obama was involved in a conspiracy to destroy Trump’s election in 2016 over Hillary Clinton, and even making claims about the Presidential Election of 2020, which Trump still contends was “fixed” by the Democrats.

This ploy is being utilized, despite Marco Rubio, presently Secretary of State, and head of the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2019, asserting back then that Trump was assisted in winning in 2016 by Russian collusion.

It is a shock that Trump and Gabbard are claiming that Barack Obama has committed treason, a charge never labeled by a sitting President against a former President, who has been subjected to constant attack by Trump going back as far as 2011 onward.

This diversion from the damage and harm that Donald Trump is waging against the American people, and his willingness to do anything to take attention away from the Epstein Scandal, is stunning.

But no matter what Trump, Gabbard, and Attorney General Pam Bondi work to accomplish, there will be no actual charge of treason, as it has no basis, and just further proves how far Donald Trump is willing to go to promote retribution and revenge against so called “enemies” of his criminal activities.

Trump Promoting Revenge And Retribution Against James Comey And John Brennan!

Donald Trump is following through on his campaign of revenge and retribution against his critics, most notably now with the announcement that the Department of Justice is pursuing an investigation of former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, both of whom were fired by Trump early in his first term.

One can certainly find fault with some of the actions or policies of any government agency, but this is a direct attack on the intelligence agencies, which should never be politicized.

The fact that both the FBI and CIA engaged in investigation of the close association between candidate Trump and Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation during the Presidential Election campaign of 2016 is the center of Trump’s wrath.

The Senate Intelligence Committee headed by, of all people, Florida Senator Marco Rubio in 2019, demonstrated that there WAS a connection between Trump and Putin, that affected the election results, and led to the defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016.

And it was Comey who created a controversy just less than two weeks before the election regarding Clinton, which, ironically, helped Trump to pull out a victory despite losing the national popular vote by more than a half million votes!

Unqualified And Controversial Trump Appointments Abound In Early Selections!

When one observes Donald Trump’s early appointments, one concludes that he has decided to name unqualified individuals to a multitude of major positions.

When one can say that Florida Senator Marco Rubio becoming Secretary of State is the “best” appointment of a horrendous list, that summarizes what a disaster the nation is facing!

Rubio has 14 years of Senate experience, and is on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and while no great intellectual, he meets the minimum requirements to lead our foreign policy establishment, but is no star in any sense.

But then, one looks at other appointments:

Pete Hegseth, a Fox News Host, as Secretary of Defense
Kristi Noem, South Dakota Governor, as Secretary of Homeland Security
Elise Stafanek, NY Congresswoman, as United Nations Ambassador
Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas Governor, as US Ambassador to Israel
Tulsi Gabbard, former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii as Director Of National Intelligence
Lee Zeldin, former NY Congressman, as head of the Environmental Protection Agency

Pete Hegseth is a total surprise to the Pentagon with no real credentials to head the Pentagon.

Kristi Noem has ZERO experience to head Homeland Security, and has been an embarrassment as Governor of a very small state, South Dakota.

Elise Stefanik is an ultimate example of an individual who transformed, conveniently, from being a moderate Republican to a MAGA Republican, as a way to advance her career.

Mike Huckabee is a Christian Zionist, whose ultimate aim is to convert Jews to his radical brand of Christianity, the last thing that American Jews would support, but may be acceptable to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he works to take over the Palestinian territories.

Tulsi Gabbard is a former Democratic Presidential contender, who has gone over to the Republican Party, after going off the rails in her foreign policy views, and now will be more powerful over intelligence gathering than anyone else .

Lee Zeldin has no desire to promote environmental protection, so can be described as a fox put into a chicken coop.

It seems clear that the major qualification to be in the Trump Cabinet is to be slavishly loyal to his agenda, with no concept of considering what is constitutional and legitimate!

Add to this list Robert F. Kennedy Jr. possibly being Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Billionaire Elon Musk everywhere, trying to have a major influence.

This list will become even more controversial as the days pass, and fireworks are possible on some of the appointments.

And now, as I am writing, controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has been chosen to be Attorney General, which would seem extremely divisive.

It also means now THREE Republican House members, including Mike Waltz of Florida as National Security Adviser, along with Stefanik and Gaetz, will be removed from that chamber, endangering, at least for the short term, having a Republican majority, which seems a lunatic move!

The last 24 hours have been shocking, and will continue to be in the coming hours and days!

Loss Of A True Statesman: Florida Governor And Senator Bob Graham!

The state of Florida and the nation has lost a true statesman, former Governor and Senator Bob Graham, who passed away at the age of 87.

Graham was a class act as Florida Governor from 1979-1987, and as a US Senator from 1987-2005.

A leader who was of Presidential stature, he was on the short list for Vice President for Bill Clinton in 1992 and Al Gore in 2000, and briefly sought the Presidency himself in 2004.

He was a very effective governor of the Sunshine state, a true star when compared to recent Republican governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. His emphasis was on promotion of the environment and advancement of education.

Graham was Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee from 2001-2003, and worked to oppose the Iraq War under George W. Bush as based on faulty intelligence.

A half brother with the same last name, Phil Graham, came to own the Washington Post.

Florida has not been the same politically since Democrats such as Bob Graham left office, and as Republicans took over state government and domination of Congressional seats.

Senators Marco Rubio And James Lankford Call For Giving Joe Biden The Transition Funding And Intelligence Briefing He Is Entitled To

Late last week, Republican Senators Marco Rubio and James Lankford of Oklahoma called upon President Trump to allow the General Services Administration bureaucrat who must sign off on intelligence briefings for President Elect Joe Biden to do so, and to give the President Elect necessary transition funding.

And yet four days later, no such action has been taken, and it undermines US National Security that could be very dangerous.

Fortunately, Vice President Elect Kamala Harris is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and can get such briefings for that reason.

Trump is acting very irresponsibly, as his time in office ticks down to just nine more weeks from this Wednesday, and he is clearly showing he has no concern about the loss of life from COVID 19, and the danger to the nation of a potential attack!

Donald Trump Is A Traitor To America, And Promoting Terrorism By White Nationalists And White Supremacists!

It is not a pleasure for this blogger and author to write that President Donald Trump is a traitor to America, having worked with the Russians in 2016 to defeat Hillary Clinton, as made clear in the Mueller Report in 2019, and the Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee Report a month ago! So he is as much of a traitor, if not more, than Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution, and some are already calling him “Benedict Donald”!

But also, Donald Trump is a terrorist, inciting and promoting attacks by white nationalists and white supremacists, with such despicable followers of those philosophies murdering people in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Portland, Oregon just in the past few days, and Trump today defending the young man who came across state lines, driven by his mother, and killing two and wounding one in Kenosha!

Trump is attempting to promote a racial war, and caravans of white power people, young toughs who see Trump as their leader, have been looking for trouble and violence, ironically, recently, in mostly white cities (Portland, Seattle, Kenosha) where most demonstrators for Black Lives Matter are WHITES, with some now becoming victims!

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is promoting reconciliation, and blaming Trump rightfully for claiming that only he, Trump, can overcome so called racial violence and crime, when it has been incited by his supporters going after those who protest police brutality, with most victims being whites!

Black Lives Matter protesters do not bring firearms to their demonstrations, only white supremacists and white vigilantes, encouraged by Trump.

Crime in America had reached a 50 year low before Trump took office, and much of that crime that has occurred now is due to these right wing hatemongers, as well as the human suffering going on in the midst of the Second Great Depression and CoronaVirus Pandemic, along with the growing level of police misconduct against African Americans.

It is amazing that the young man who murdered in Kenosha was not stopped by police for having a firearm being wielded by him, and try to imagine an African American man in the same circumstance!

Trump is sowing chaos in order to try to gain white suburbia and women by fear, but it will not succeed. He even tried to defend today the young man who killed two in Kenosha!

The time of George Wallace in 1968 is back, but it seems clear that Joe Biden will overcome the hate and the chaos, and is still far ahead in public opinion polls, even after the Republican National Convention.

Donald Trump will have to be held to account once he leaves office, as he is the most lawbreaking President in American history by far, much more than Richard Nixon, who looks by comparison to be a “choir boy”!

Could North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr Be Thorn For Donald Trump And His Son?

Republican Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina may be a thorn for Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump, Jr., but who would have guessed that?

Burr is a soft spoken member of the Senate since 2005 and served in the House of Representatives for the ten years from 1995 to 2005.

Burr has been Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and has been engaged in investigation of the Trump scandals, and has worked well with Ranking Member Mark Warner, Senator from Virginia.

To decide to call Donald Trump Jr. back for further questioning after having done so in 2017 is causing an uproar from many Republicans who want to drop the issue and move on, and are willing to cover up for Trump.

But Burr is a traditional conservative, and his voting record offers no hope of an open mind on most issues, and yet, he could now cause grief for Donald Trump and his son, hard to explain, but still welcome.

Three Potential Democratic Presidential Contenders In 2020 From Virginia: Terry McAuliffe, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner

As the 2020 Presidential campaign begins, there are three potential candidates who come from Virginia, which has become a very “Blue” state.

Former Governor Terry McAuliffe has hinted he plans to run. He is probably the most controversial of the three Virginians, having been the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee during the first George W. Bush term, as well as Chair of the Hillary Clinton 2008 campaign for President, and co-chairman of the reelection campaign of President Bill Clinton in 1996. He is certainly the most hard nosed politician of the three Virginians.

Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s Vice Presidential running mate, may run, but does not seem drawn to the idea of running at this point. Many observers feel that Kaine did not help Hillary Clinton, and was a lackluster campaigner. Also, Kaine is seen as moderate in a party moving to the left rapidly.

Senator Mark Warner, also seen as a moderate, and about the wealthiest member of Congress, has long been thought of as a potential candidate, and he has been very active in pursuing the Russian Collusion investigation in the Senate, as the ranking member or Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Interesting point is that all three Virginians have been Governors of their state, and all three have been seen as successes in that position, leading to Kaine and Warner being elected to the Senate.

But none of these three seem at this point, even if they announce, to be likely to win the Democratic nomination.

The one who might have the best chance is Warner, but although he is a more dynamic person than Kaine, it still seems unlikely that he will get very far in the various primaries and caucuses in 2020.

But of course no one can be sure what will happen in any Presidential campaign, so it will be interesting to see if any of these three Virginia politicians move forward toward the nomination in 2020.

Independence Day 2018: The Greatest Crisis In American History, With Evidence Of Russian Collusion In Our Government

Today is Independence Day, the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

America has gone through many crises and challenges over those 242 years.

But now we face the reality of what is the greatest crisis in our years of independence, with evidence of Russian collusion in our government, and likely continuing into the future.

This is not a conspiracy theory, but reality, as even the Republican controlled Senate Intelligence Committee, under the leadership of North Carolina Republican Senator Richard Burr, asserts, with the entire committee unanimous in its conclusion that the intelligence agencies and national security apparatus has been accurate in its assessment.

Donald Trump is clearly a traitor, undermining our democracy and our history of proud independence, and ready to sell America down the river.

And yet his party, with a few exceptions, remains unwilling to face the challenge presented by Donald Trump, and the damage he is doing to our national security, foreign policy, and alliance system with the nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has promoted a stable world since the end of World War II.

There are widespread feelings of despair and hopelessness being expressed, including when this blogger gives lectures on public affairs and history to groups all over South Florida.

Many feel the country is being destroyed by a vehement base of ignorant, prejudiced, and clueless people who fail to see the damage that has been done by Donald Trump in the three years since he announced his candidacy.

But the nation and its good majority cannot give up, must resist in every way possible, and restore our democracy and heritage, so that our children and grandchildren can live in a land still affected by the vision of the Founding Fathers in the 18th century!

The Constitutional Crisis Has Arrived: Trump’s Direct Interference With Mueller Investigation, Justice Department, And FBI

Here we are on May 21, 2018, Day 486 of the Trump Presidency, and Donald Trump has gone off the deep end, with his challenge to interfere directly with the Robert Mueller investigation, and the role of the Justice Department and the FBI in that controversy.

Robert Mueller, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and FBI Head Christopher Wray are now presented with a crisis that requires total courage, principle, and dedication to the rule of law.

And Republicans in Congress, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, and the members of the Senate who are involved in the Intelligence Committee and Judiciary Committee, as well as those in the House of Representatives committees, have a reckoning with history.

if they choose to bend to Donald Trump’s will, they will be condemned forever in history, and there is no more room for concessions.

It is time for Congress to join the responsible news media and demand the resignation of Donald Trump, or a rapid move toward impeachment.

No person matters more than the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and Donald Trump must be brought down to avoid a potential move toward an authoritarian government that could lead to the end of the American nation as we know it.

There is no room now for weak, unprincipled people in our government, but rather a time for all principled people to come forward and say to Donald Trump: YOU ARE FIRED!