Posted on 10/30/2017 2:14:03 PM PDT by tjd1454
Shouldn't the title read The Deep State Strikes Back, you ask? No, unfortunately, because there is precious little to react to. After nine months of supposedly controlling all three branches of power, the much-heralded Trump Drain the Swamp revolution has scarcely managed to land a blow against the Deep State, which not only survives, but continues to thrive in the midst of the liberal cesspool inside the Beltway.
The problems began early on, as Trump failed to decisively clean house and remove high-level holdovers from the previous administration, something which his Democratic predecessors quickly and ruthlessly accomplished. It was a rooky mistake by someone who, despite his campaign rhetoric, governed like the businessman he was, seeking to build consensus. When a corporation is bought out, the new management typically retains much of the old administration simply because they know the ropes and thus are in a position to implement any new changes.
But here's the key difference: unlike corporate executives who are easily malleable so long as they retain their cushy jobs, Washington DC is a political battleground inhabited by ideologues committed to preserving and advancing the leftist, statist drift of the nation.
What MAGA cheerleaders fail to realize is that Trump is fundamentally not an ideologue, but a pragmatist albeit one with laudable goals. To be sure, much good has been accomplished, including the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as well as a growing number of conservative federal judges. Bureaucratic red tape has been rolled back, the energy sector is being unleashed, and efforts are ongoing to bring fundamental reform to healthcare and the tax code.
Yet all this has been accomplished without uprooting the Deep State, much of which has been allowed to remain in place in the vain hope that it would stand idly by as everything they have been working for is systematically dismantled. A prominent example is the Eric Holder appointment, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who stands accused of political conflicts in the Clinton email matter after it was revealed that his wife received nearly $700,000 in campaign contributions from longtime Clinton associates during her unsuccessful run for the Virginia state senate.
Preet Bharara, former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York an Obama appointee has noted regarding the Robert Mueller inquiry that it's odd and unusual that Rod Rosenstein is overseeing an investigation for which he is a witness. Indeed, Rosenstein is responsible for the catastrophe that is the so-called Russian collusion investigation, having given Mueller carte blanche to conduct an open-ended witch hunt fueled by a massive staff composed largely of die-hard liberals racking up tens of thousands of man-hours seeking evidence against Trump.
The fierce counterattack began today. Special Counsel Mueller has chosen to go after arguably the weakest link in Trump's chain of command over the past few years: Paul Manafort. Due to his questionable associations, Manafort should never have been hired in the first place. But Trump, ever the pragmatic businessman, saw Manafort as someone ideally situated to perform a specific task; namely, to head off a potential revolt against him at the convention. That threat failed to materialize, and two months later Manafort was fired after reports emerged about his undisclosed consulting work with Ukraine.
Earlier in the investigation, in an unusual action which the Washington Post said added huge intrigue to the Russia probe, Mueller took the unusual step of authorizing a pre-dawn no-knock raid of Manaforts home to execute a surprise search warrant. According to the Post, Manafort had become an increasingly major wild card in the inquiry.
Mueller played one of his trump (no pun intended) cards today. Manafort and his business associate, Rick Gates, were indicted on 12 counts in federal court, including conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, acting as an unregistered foreign agent for a foreign government, and making false and misleading statements. Revealingly, the indictment deals with issues dating from 2012, and contained no accusations regarding the alleged Trump-Russian collusion during the 2016 election.
No matter; it was soon apparent that the Manafort indictment was Muellers opening gambit against Trump, which also included news of the indictment of ex-campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who met with Russian contacts to discuss dirt on then presidential-candidate Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos reportedly pleaded guilty to misleading the F.B.I. regarding those conversations, which as the indictment itself admits were not authorized by the Trump campaign.
Manafort and Gates both plead not guilty in federal court Monday afternoon, and were released on bail of $10,000,000 and $5,000,000 respectively, on condition of being confined to home detention. Special Counsel Mueller has long experience in cornering his prey, and appears to be adeptly leveraging his considerable powers to compel Manafort to turn states evidence against the President. Muellers heavy-handed tactics have raised concerns by Harvard law professor emeritus and lifelong Democrat Alan Dershowitz, who dismisses them as the criminalization of political differences." "He has to go after somebody," said Dershowitz, "He can't just spend all the money and do nothing."
To the great relief of the mainstream media, the actions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller today effectively sidelined more legitimate and substantive scandals such as Uranium One, Fusion GPS, and the massive steaming pile that is the Podesta Group/DNC/Clinton/Russia connection. Instead, all eyes are on Paul Manafort. Faced with millions of dollars in fines and up to 40 years in prison, having been summarily dismissed after a scant two months service, only time will reveal the degree of loyalty he feels he owes his erstwhile employer.
“Its like trying to find someone to fight the mob in an Italian neighborhood.”
There’s no such thing as organized crime. My godfather said so.
Now there is disorganized crime ...
Just exactly what is Project Real News?
Nothing about it at site. Claims it scours news to post there but they do not attribute anything to where it was found
This article is more op ed or blog post than anything else
Trump is obviously, by far, the best chance we have of draining the swamp.
The swamp is where it is after perhaps 100 years of development. Some wise person (Bannon?) recently said we can’t reverse all that in one election or even several elections. It will take more than a full generation.
So those who are fed up after 10 short months need to face reality. Trump is doing a tremendous job and deserves our support and needs our prayers.
A sincere thank you, from all of us in my house, and CHEERS!
Wait, there be a few mid level republicans outted for some perceived wrong doing. Then we get into the battleships broadsiding each other.
Should fun to watch.
Trump has at the minimum 3 years to go. He needs to bring Christie and Rudy in to help drain the swamp. Either of those 2 can tell the public that McCain needs to seek the medical help he needs resign his seat and we get to work. McCain is hanging on as an obstructionist. Also, Kasick will run as an Independent 2020 (Ross Perot) to take votes from Trump.
It’s sad, so sad that some of our supposed allies work against us.
It got the part of Rosenstein’s wife receiving 700K while running for office wrong, it was the FBI guys wife. Article is crap.
Well thank you there, Bogie.
I try to offer a little levity in times like these...
Trump has at the minimum 3 years to go. He needs to bring Christie and Rudy in to help drain the swamp. Either of those 2 can tell the public that McCain needs to seek the medical help he needs resign his seat and we get to work. McCain is hanging on as an obstructionist. Also, Kasick will run as an Independent 2020 (Ross Perot) to take votes from Trump.
It’s sad, so sad that some of our supposed allies work against us.
So is the source. Where do people come up with this stuff?
In a strange sort of a way, McCain is a blessing. McCain gives us a clear view of the landscape. (a clear right verses wrong)
Once again, thanks.
President Trump is a fighter!
But Creep State sounds so much better, and it fits better as well.
You ever been on one of those floors? They're huge. You could drive a Smart car across one of them and run out of gas.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that every one of those Federal bureaucrats is practically un-fireable?
The site links to articles of interest that touch upon culture, politics, and faith. In addition to the daily linked articles, once or twice a week - like today - original articles/blogs are posted, written by ProjectRealNews staff. Such articles/blogs are posted in their entirety on FR so as to not be accused of “blog pimping.”
I dont think this is accurate, it was the FBI directors wife that ran for congross, not Rosensteins...?
Chances are that McCain will not be with us in a couple of years - although Jimmy Carter did prove the mortality stats wrong.
Agreed. For the life of me I cannot understand why a Deep State operative like Rosenstein is allowed to hold the position of Deputy Atty General.
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