Posted on 02/18/2017 5:07:32 PM PST by Para-Ord.45
...It was also secretive even by traditional standards: Although Comey was photographed leaving the meeting, committee members wouldn’t admit that he’d been there. And it seemed as though the briefing was urgent, with senators delaying their departure during a weekend recess to hear what Comey had to say.
The Senate Intel Committee considers all manner of intelligence matters so in theory the briefing could have been about anything. Most recently, though, the Committee’s been in the news because it’s leading the congressional investigation into Russian interference in last year’s presidential campaign. Three days ago, after Mike Flynn resigned, Mitch McConnell said he thought it was “highly likely” that the Committee would include Flynn’s interactions with the Russian ambassador as part of its broader inquiry. And now suddenly Comey’s on the Hill, amid unusual secrecy, addressing them in what seems to have been an especially important briefing.
Still, we need more than that to suspect that the briefing was about Flynn, Russia, and/or Trump campaign advisors’ “constant communications” with Russian officials during the campaign. Which … is where Marco Rubio comes in:
"I am now very confident Senate Intel Comm I serve on will conduct thorough bipartisan investigation of #Putin interference and influence"
The word “now” strongly suggests that something that just came to light has convinced him and the rest of the Committee to treat the Russia matter even more gravely than they had before. The word “bipartisan” is significant too, as Democrats were of course already gung ho to investigate. Rubio seems to be suggesting that whatever Comey told them was so serious that Republicans would be eager to get to the bottom of it too.
Has part or all of Comey’s information leaked to the media, with stories already in the works about the mysterious allegations? It didn’t occur to me at the time that there was anything more to Trump’s tweet yesterday about the media as “enemies of the people” than the president being in one of his peevish moods, but David Frum had some interesting speculation about the possible cause of that peevishness:
"Decoded: one or more of NYT, CNN or NBCNews has a very very damaging story in the pipeline …"
That’s just a theory, but if something big is about to drop, the papers may well have already contacted the White House for comment about it, alerting Trump that it’s coming and ticking him off. Could be that Frum’s wrong, of course, or it could be that he’s right but the big scoop has nothing to do with what Comey told the Intelligence Committee. We’ll probably know this week.
Update: Lo and behold, here’s Reuters with a new story this afternoon claiming that Comey’s FBI is running no fewer than three separate investigations into Russian hacking during the campaign. “This counterintelligence inquiry includes but is not limited to examination of financial transactions by Russian individuals and companies who are believed to have links to Trump associates. The transactions under scrutiny involve investments by Russians in overseas entities that appear to have been undertaken through middlemen and front companies, two people briefed on the probe said.”
I thought the meeting was late afternoon, after the rest of the Congress had left for recess? Maybe I misunderstood.
I don’t think the timing would matter. Rubio, like his mentors McCain and Graham, has been eager to gin up a new Cold War rather than wait to see if a new one is inevitable. So his story would be in that direction no matter what he’s seen or when he’s seen it.
Rubio was spouting off to influence public opinion, that’s the sole reason he would be making a statement like that at this point.
Someone said they saw a CNN thing on this that stated the committee is taking steps to keep the White House from destroying any documents anyone else see that?
Bbb
Steven Dennis tweets that Schumer was there for part of the meeting and that it was at least a couple of hours long and in the afternoon. Rubio’s tweet must have been his usual posturing.
If this was bad for Trump, the MenSeekingMen would be ****ing all over each other in pyrotechnic glee. They aren’t. They’ve gone rather silent on the matter.
DU would have picked up the scent, and they haven’t. Thus, thi s is most likely horrific for the RATS.
I could be wrong, this is just my instinct.
CNN? Did you mean to type: VFN? (Very Fake News)
I have raised this with my sources, and they are saying nothing. So
1) they obviously are aware, but because of classification issues or because of just wanting to shut up about it, they aren’t commenting.
2) I have at least tried to see if they trust Comey. I don’t but it’s unlike Trump to keep him unless it’s a “Godfather” thing with the mortician, if you remember that scene.
3) I really don’t like new comm director. The people they are talking to about replacing Flynn are really good, including Bolton (Yes, I like him despite some Freepers) and one of my faves, H. R. McMaster. I weighed in that he would be my choice and they asked why and I told them. We’ll see.
I see Bannon will speak at CPAC.
Bite your tongue! Lyin Ryan is a creep, though.
The senators were tight-lipped as they left the meeting to start their week-long recess, but one attendee said the closed-door briefing was about Russia. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who was at the meeting, would not comment afterward but later tweeted: “I am now very confident Senate Intel Comm I serve on will conduct thorough bipartisan investigation of #Putin interference and influence.”
I am now very confident Senate Intel Comm I serve on will conduct thorough bipartisan investigation of #Putin interference and influence
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 17, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/17/politics/comey-russia-senate/
That is from the CNN Story. Rubio made his tweet prior to the meeting. Why did CNN lie? To shade a story?
Watch the documentary on McAfee. You might not be so impressed with him.
If the three brothers were working for just democrats, then of course, it’s absolutely nothing./sarc
Well yes CNN=VFN I just wondered if anyone else saw it.
This is why I suspect FISA warrants. They get involved, even senators know to shut the heck up about it, against every leak instinct fiber in their body.
Really, the bigger Q is why isn’t CNN running this down? Because this thing is NOT going their way. Recall Tappers hydrophobia yesterday. That’s the behavior of the rotten gang the New Sheriff chases out of town, they shoot up the storefronts and people on their retreat, and hurl their own weapons when they run out of ammo.
It does seem like maybe he was rallying support.
______________________________
Showing the Senators that he, POTUS, has clout with the voters. As in political capital. Elections are coming.
In the article, it says the Russians used fronts and shells to invest. That clears POTUS and puts the onus on the Russians for deceptive tactics.
I’m hoping that if Pence’s friend is a pedo, Pence had no idea. It’s possible for close friends and family to have no idea, if someone is skilled at dissembling.
Finally, WHY were McCain and Graham absent? Arrogance? Guilt? They already knew what Comey had to say and it was their worst nightmare? They will use the holiday to arrange permanent vacations in far-off venues?
McLettuce was in Europe trashing Trump and Graham was saving the vote for Pruitt.
We shouldn’t be complacent.
There is an element of evil among the liberals and we would do well to keep a close watch on them all. We probably have no conception of the depth of their vile treachery.
One great approach would be to investigate all of THEM and tie up all their energies defending themselves. We could delve into their lives and publicize all their corruption.
W’s big mistake was that he wouldn’t defend himself and the whole GOP was too ladylike to get themselves dusty helping him.
Trump has shown us we have to fight back. It won’t be pretty. It will be distasteful. But we have to do it for our grandchildren. This is America’s last chance.
Those of you with the means to investigate and shine the spotlight on liberal hypocrisy and wrongdoing, please consider doing so.
Well since Graham was there for Pruitt why wasn’t he at the meeting? Or was he?
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