Fake News, Fake Leadership

Congress’s Democrat brain trust jumped on the news that former National Security Advisor Flynn had tweeted he was a scapegoat.

They were obliging enough to do it on video:

And who can blame ’em?  It was in the NYTimes and the WaPo.

Of course, it was fake news.  When it’s political and it’s in the Times or the WaPo, one should assume it’s fake, and verify.

It didn’t pass the stink test, of course.   When it comes to this administration, it almost never will.

30 thoughts on “Fake News, Fake Leadership

  1. Let’s not blame Trump’s choice constraints on “the anti-Trump establishment” and or vicious attacks. Trump’s venn diagram of candidates for critical government positions seems to exclude previous experience and preclude competence at governing.

  2. I find it more disturbing that people at the NSA/CIA leaked this stuff to the press. They need to find the leader and prosecute them for leaking classified data. And for good measure Trump should clean house in both agencies as much as possible.

  3. Emery I think if anything the intelligence agencies has proven that not only do they not support him, they are actively trying to destroy his administration. Do you not find that disturbing in the least that unelected bureaucrats are trying to silence and destroy our elected leaders?

  4. According to Russia scholar Karin Dawisha, the KGB considered itself a state-within-a-state, and the real guardians of the USSR and then the Russian nation. Politicians were window dressing and could be changed as they saw fit.
    Kinda like our own CIA, no?
    Bill Nighy starred as a spy named Worricker in a BBC2 series with the same theme. A Blairite prime minister was sucking up to the obnoxious Americans and turning Brit Muslim terrorists over to the yanks, and Worricker did his spy stuff to stop him. He was supposed to be a hero, but I found it creepy, but his undemocratic actions scared me. Who is some spy to say what public policy should be? Who elected him? If it bothers you, quit and do something else.
    A lot of the British media despises Blair as much as the American media despises Trump, though for different reasons.

  5. The bigger question is not what Flynn did or did not do, but why did FBI record his conversation? Which goes to Wooly’s point. And, why, oh why, did we not get a similar tempest from enemedia when 0bumbler’s campaign staff were caught talking to Hamas and Iran in ’08?

  6. Here is a sample of what Trump is up against.

    NYT lede

    Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence

    It’s a bullshit story tl;dr.

    But hey! Here’s a story about the Westminster dog show…everyone luvs teh puppiez, right? Right, Emery?
    Westminster Dog Show 2017: Rumor the German Shepherd Wins Best in Show

    Eh, wait…middle of the story…WTF is this?

    No More Trump Visit?

    For the past few years, the victory tour of the Best in Show winner has routinely included New York sights, morning television shows and, oddly, a photo op with Donald J. Trump.

    That is probably going to change this year, if only because Mr. Trump, now the president, is dealing with much bigger issues at the moment.

    Yes, that hyperlink is in the original story…
    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/sports/winner-westminster-dog-show-best-in-show.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

    This isn’t fake news fellas. It’s Clockwork Orange style, brainwashing.

  7. Mitch, when you take my comment out of moderation, please delete the first one with the bad hyperlink.

  8. I hope they didn’t use a private email server, because then they might lose our trust. Perhaps if some of this information had been on Anthony Weiner’s laptop, the country could have made a more informed decision.

  9. JPA, I’m guessing that the CIA, or one of the foreign intelligence agencies, is the actual bugger. But that said, the point is well taken; how did this intelligence travel so quickly among agencies that took weeks to “figure out” that the Benghazi attacks were not motivated by a video? It does suggest that the fix is in. POD is exactly correct that leakers need to be identified and punished.

  10. Hey! Here’s a story about the Westminster dog show…everyone luvs teh puppiez, right? Right Emery, you luv some puppiez don’t ya?

    “Westminster Dog Show 2017: Rumor the German Shepherd Wins Best in Show”

    Eh, wait…middle of the dog show story…WTF is this?

    No More Trump Visit?

    “For the past few years, the victory tour of the Best in Show winner has routinely included New York sights, morning television shows and, oddly, a photo op with Donald J. Trump.

    That is probably going to change this year, if only because Mr. Trump, now the president, is dealing with much bigger issues at the moment.”

    Hyperlink, yes, in the original story.

    This isn’t fake news fellas. It’s Clockwork Orange style, brainwashing.

  11. Liberals own the Praetorian Guard so naturally, they’re fine with them taking out the new Caesar, especially since he’s Literally Hitler.

    Hard on the republic, of course, when the voters are over-ruled by the bureaucrats, but it’s for their own good.

  12. The bigger question is not what Flynn did or did not do, but why did FBI record his conversation?

    Uhhhh, seriously? You wonder why the FBI might record any conversation it can with the Russian ambassador? Dude, that’s what I want them to do!

    The fact that the conversation leaked is more concerning, but not very surprising if you think about it. My guess is that the FBI reported the substance of the call to the President (Trump admitted he knew that Flynn lied weeks ago), and the fact that what had been reported to the President was at odds with what actually happened. When they saw no action and that someone they obviously no longer trusted was between them and the President, they leaked.

    How much of that was political and how much SoP? Looking at it from the CIA/FBI/NSA point of view, I can see why they may have been after Flynn’s scalp if they believed he acted without instructions from Trump since they would view Flynn as a loose cannon and blackmail target.

    None of my reasoning is connected to anything political. It’s more the nature of spying, spycraft, and securing “assets.” I think putting too much of this down to politics inside the CIA/FBI/NSA is reading too much into what’s gone on.

  13. The big question is when will sTrumpet clean judicial branch, ie fire all the 0bumbler holdovers and repopulate it with folks who actually uphold the constitution. To clean up DC, he will have to shut down most agencies first – there are simply not enough right-thinking people to take over the swamp that is DC bureaucracy.

  14. Can you imagine the consequences were Democrat/Media Party to take the attitude of shoot first, verify second in a home defense situation? “Your Honor, I heard a noise on the deck and brought out the Uzi and sprayed lead out the door. I only later found out it was the neighbor coming over to tell me he was trying to bring back my dog after he’d gotten out!”

    Too bad we can’t make them pay an appropriate penalty for their actions.

  15. To clean up DC, he will have to shut down most agencies first – there are simply not enough right-thinking people to take over the swamp that is DC bureaucracy.

    Come now, it’s even easier than that! And you can even sell it as a jobs program for states that supported him! All you have to do is announce that the IRS is now headquartered in North Dakota, with only a very small staff in DC. Move HHS to Ohio, EPA to West Virginia, etc. Why should only DC get the vast majority of jobs anymore? We have cheap telecommunications, so move the jobs to red states where it will be harder to pick up leftists as employees. The folks who are already in the DC area won’t move since in situations I’ve seen where companies pick up and move whole divisions they’re lucky to get 25% of the employees to actually move, so he’ll get a perfect chance to clean house.

  16. None of my reasoning is connected to anything political.

    I can follow your reasoning, however unless I am mistaken, that conversation was purveiw of CIA and not FBI. And more directly, State Department. What you are suggesting actually does fit shadow CIA/FBI/NSA government model Wooley brought up.

    Judging by leaks in the current environment, I must disagree with you that CIA/FBI/NSA actions are not politically motivated. Compare that to modus operandi during 0bumbler regime, when leaks should have led, but did not, to massive bleeding because of all the brazen lawless action by the Past Occupant.

  17. Uhhhh, seriously? You wonder why the FBI might record any conversation it can with the Russian ambassador? Dude, that’s what I want them to do!

    So, seriously? Yes. Yes, I can see why FBI would want to record. And no, I do not want them to do that. A lot of eggs are broken in making the scrambled mess that is international politics and I do not believe it is prudent to have politically motivated hacks question everything and everyone because they disagree with the current administration. Maybe, just maybe, if sTrumpet would have had his cabinet confirmed in expeditious manner and not obstructed by the vile democrat moonbats, we would not have had this situation.

  18. Come now, it’s even easier than that!

    I think you have something there! Totally agree. Let’s see if sTrumpet reads this blog and will follow your advice.

  19. One person’s “leaker” is another person’s “whistle blower.” I do admit to mixed feelings about disclosing intelligence through back channels, but when the Trump Administration would bury it and continue on with business as usual, this may be a special circumstance.

  20. I can follow your reasoning, however unless I am mistaken, that conversation was purveiw of CIA and not FBI.

    No, only the FBI is supposed to be able to do domestic surveillance and the CIA/NSA are legally forbidden to do surveillance here, and by definition the Russian ambassador is on American soil.

    Ok, I’m ignoring how it’s really done, but were this to come up in a court of law it’s far more likely that the NSA will have done the intercept, leaked the substance the FBI, then the FBI will “independently” have discovered the fact. It’s how the game is played these days to get around the laws involved.

  21. No, only the FBI…

    Well, if Ruski amb is at the Ruski embassy, he is not technically on American soil. But your follow up point is well made and taken. Regardless, illegal leak is illegal. This is not whistleblowing, much like Manning and Snowden actions are treason and not whistleblowing. Although some will argue until they are blue in the face because that is what their overlords told them to do – justify by any means possible, much like the peacefulness of Islam.

  22. All you have to do is announce that the IRS is now headquartered in North Dakota, with only a very small staff in DC. Move HHS to Ohio, EPA to West Virginia, etc.

    Nerd, that is an excellent idea. And, in the case of the IRS it is easier than pie because a large percentage of the IRS is already distributed in field offices. Just call Global and move the equipment, leave the people in DC.

    I’m sure Jezebel, or Slate, or Mother Jones will hire them given their proven creative writing skills.

  23. nerdbert on February 15, 2017 at 12:32 pm said:
    To clean up DC, he will have to shut down most agencies first – there are simply not enough right-thinking people to take over the swamp that is DC bureaucracy.

    Come now, it’s even easier than that! And you can even sell it as a jobs program for states that supported him! All you have to do is announce that the IRS is now headquartered in North Dakota, with only a very small staff in DC. Move HHS to Ohio, EPA to West Virginia, etc. Why should only DC get the vast majority of jobs anymore? We have cheap telecommunications, so move the jobs to red states where it will be harder to pick up leftists as employees.

    A&L Daily pointed me to this, by Peter Collier: http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/how-to-save-capitalism/

    It is astonishing that the TLS would print an essay that would actually print the following:

    In the decade preceding the demise of Communism there was an upsurge in books predicting the demise of capitalism, and memories have evidently receded sufficiently to support a revival. The ideological vanguard will find Wolfgang Streeck’s How Will Capitalism End? satisfyingly turgid and pretentious, while for the useful idiots I recommend Peter Frase’s Four Futures: Life after capitalism as engagingly inspirational. If you enjoy these books, you may also, as the phrase goes, enjoy Harry Potter.

    Collier recognizes the problem is that the elites, not the non-elites, are the threat to democracy (after all, the non-elites have the numbers). Some of Collier’s ideas are a bit loopy — the idea that economic rents should be taxed was popular back in the 1920s, and was not implemented then because telling the difference between an economic profit and a normal profit is not always easy, and you have to deal with existing property. Collier also fails to mentions that taxing rents would likely mean the end of usury, by law or by practice.
    Collier is the first Left intellectual I have read who openly states that multi-ethnic nationalism (“open nationalism”), is necessary to preserve democratic societies — ‘democracy’ in this case meaning that the government is accountable to the people it governs.

  24. One person’s “leaker” is another person’s “whistle blower.”

    Yeah giving away state secrets and leaking classified, not sensitive, classified data is the right thing to do. Tell me Emery if someone in intelligence tried to politically assassinate a Obama adminstration member would you feel the same?

  25. one person’s justified law breaking to take down a presidential administration is another’s treason

  26. One person’s “leaker” is another person’s “whistle blower.”

    One’s “freedom fighter” (in this case) is likely to become another’s inmate!

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