China is showing it's true nature in the detention of Canadian nationals, there is strength in unity and China may be unifying the world against them with this move. Much as M.B.S. has done for Saudi Arabia.

So the Saudis, in collusion with the Russians are going to cut oil exports to the US...........which is now the largest producer of oil in the world? Who is that going to hurt?

Can't wait to see that play out.

---

"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

China is showing it's true nature in the detention of Canadian nationals, there is strength in unity and China may be unifying the world against them with this move. Much as M.B.S. has done for Saudi Arabia.
So the Saudis, in collusion with the Russians are going to cut oil exports to the US...........which is now the largest producer of oil in the world? Who is that going to hurt?
Can't wait to see that play out.

Saudis, in collusion with the Russians?
Hmm...
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-arabia-is-the-top-buyer-of-u-s-weapons/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_United_States%E2%80%93Saudi_Arabia_arms_deal
That's nice:) If you are living in the US that is...

NOW HEAR THIS
POTUS placed in room when felony payments were being discussed!
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/13/politics/trump-hush-money-meeting/index.html

Donald Trump attended an August 2015 meeting that federal prosecutors believe was central to a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws to help Trump win the presidency, according to a source familiar with the matter.
According to court filings, Trump was joined by Michael Cohen, who was his attorney at the time, and David Pecker, the chairman of American Media Inc., parent company of the National Enquirer.
During the meeting, the group discussed a plan to shield Trump from potentially damaging stories. Prosecutors say this amounted to illegal donations to Trump's campaign.
Trump's attendance was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in a November article. The meeting returned to the spotlight Wednesday when federal prosecutors announced that they agreed not to prosecute AMI for campaign finance violations in exchange for its cooperation.
The newspaper reported that Trump asked Pecker what he could do to help his presidential campaign.

Now the coverup after the fact ...
plea agreement wrote:

In January 2017, Cohen in seeking reimbursement for election-related expenses, presented executives of the Company with a copy of a bank statement from the Essential Consultants bank account, which reflected the $130,000 payment Cohen had made to the bank account of Attorney-1 in order to keep Woman-2 silent in advance of the election, plus a $35 wire fee, adding, in handwriting, an additional "$50,000." The $50,000 represented a claimed payment for "tech services," which in fact related to work Cohen had solicited from a technology company during and in connection with the campaign. Cohen added these amounts to a sum of $180,035. After receiving this document, executives of the Company "grossed up" for tax purposes Cohen's requested reimbursement of $180,000 to $360,000, and then added a bonus of $60,000 so that Cohen would be paid $420,000 in total. Executives of the Company also determined that the $420,000 would be paid to Cohen in monthly amounts of $35,000 over the course of 12 months, and that Cohen should send invoices for these payments.

I suggest you process this https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/press-release/file/1089516/download and understand what happens when you undertake an active violation of campaign finance laws.

<ed>typo

HATE WILL NOT MANIFEST into an Outcome of AnyONEs Liking.

HATE is ALL AROUND and BUILDING.

NO ONE WILL WIN.

REASON WILL NOT Win Out.

TRUTH, Different fO EVERYONE WILL NOT OVERCOME.

SUFFERING WILL ALWAYs Result.

PAIN WILL BE dA GAIN.

APEWorld SELF-DESTRUCT MODE is 'ON'

GAME OVER Man. GAME OVER.

OrangORANGe YAPe

---

May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Oh, the apes are not rational.

---

Election Law Violations Compared: Obama 2008 vs. Trump 2016
Alex Kasprak
Published 22 August 2018 - by - Snopes

On 21 August 2018, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and self-described “fixer”, pled guilty to eight criminal charges, two of which were election law violations concerning the facilitation of hush money payments made in the run-up to the November 2016 general election to women who allegedly had affairs with Trump.

During a hearing in a Manhattan federal courthouse, Cohen stated under oath that he committed these election law crimes “at the direction of” Donald Trump while the latter was a candidate for president, leading some commentators to classify Trump an “unindicted co-conspirator” (although he has not yet been charged in any crime). One defense against such charges, articulated by President Trump on Twitter the following morning, was that Barack Obama also committed campaign finance violations that were just as bad in 2008, but he was let off much easier:

In this tweet, President Trump attempted to compare:

the criminal charges brought against Cohen by the

US Justice Department

with a series of civil violations brought against the Obama campaign by the:

Federal Election Commission

a separate, independent body which cannot prosecute criminal cases

While it is true that President Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined a significant amount of money by the:

FEC, those fines covered civil violations that were different than the criminal infractions admitted to by Cohen.

In late 2012, President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined $375,000 by the FEC for reporting violations. The major issue concerned the timely documentation of donations made in the 20 days prior to the election, a window of time during which the FEC requires official notice of contributions exceeding $1,000 to be submitted no more than 48 hours after receipt of those donations:

The major sticking point for the FEC appeared to be a series of missing 48-hour notices for nearly 1,300 contributions totaling more than $1.8 million — an issue that lawyers familiar with the commission’s work say the FEC takes seriously. The notices must be filed on contributions of $1,000 or more that are received within the 20-day window of Election Day …

The document outlined other violations, such as erroneous contribution dates on some campaign reports. The Obama campaign was also late returning some contributions that exceeded the legal limit.

While the fines leveled against the Obama campaign were among the largest in the FEC’s history, so too was the amount of money raised by that campaign. Speaking to Politico in 2013, Republican election lawyer Jason Torchinsky said that “$375,000 is a huge fine” but added that the Obama campaign was also the first billion-dollar presidential campaign in history, making the fine “proportionally … not out of line.” In the same story, former FEC commissioner Michael Toner said “that the infractions were relatively minor, given the scope of the campaign.”
Speaking to us by phone, Ann Ravel, a former FEC commissioner who served from 2013 to 2017, told us that “the FEC does not have criminal capabilities. All of the criminal cases have to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice.” For a criminal violation of election law to be enforced by the Department of Justice (which was the case in the Cohen matter), she told us, the violation must be considered both intentional and serious:

Not only does the matter have to be something that is purposeful, but it [also has to be] a major violation. People often have reporting violations [and] that’s what the Obama ones were determined to be.
In [Cohen’s] case, what [the Department of Justice] determined is that there was a criminal intent to hide a campaign contribution … and so, it falls within a criminal violation, as opposed to just a civil one to be enforced by the FEC.

From a legal standpoint, the Department of Justice has already proved that Cohen intentionally acted to facilitate and hide an illegal contribution for the purpose of affecting the election, because that is what he formally admitted to. In a document produced by the Southern District of New York whose accuracy was affirmed by Cohen under oath, Cohen agreed that he:

Knowingly and willfully caused a corporation to make a contribution and expenditure … to ensure that Woman-1 did not publicize damaging allegations before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.
[and]

Knowingly and willfully made and caused to be made a contribution … in excess of the limits of the Election Act … to Woman-2 to ensure that she did not publicize damaging allegations before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.

The infractions committed by the 2008 Obama campaign were not alleged to be intentional, and the FEC did not consider the campaign’s documentation lapses as rising to the level of a “serious” offense prosecutable by the Department of Justice.

“There are always reporting violations in campaigns. Many of them minor, many of them substantive,” Ravel told us. “But in this case … what was admitted to by Cohen was that there was a clear intent to use campaign money for the purpose of keeping the individuals quiet right before the election for campaign purposes.”

Trump’s assertion that Cohen broke no law is in conflict with his own Justice Department, who secured multiple guilty pleas related to the commission of violations of federal election laws. Specifically, Cohen admitted to intentionally violating portions of the following federal election laws on behalf of Donald Trump:

•52 U.S. Code § 30116 – Limitations on contributions and expenditures

•52 U.S. Code § 30118 – Contributions or expenditures by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations

Obama’s civil FEC infractions, while they resulted in a large fine, are legally distinct from

what Cohen pled guilty to, which is the intentional commission of felonies intended to affect the outcome of a federal election.

Sources:

Rashbaum, William K. et al. “Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction.”
The New York Times. 21 August 2018.

Liptak, Adam and Jim Rutenberg. “Cohen Implicates President Trump. What Do Prosecutors Do Now?”
The New York Times. 21 August 2018.

Federal Election Commission. “About.”
Accessed 22 August 2018.

Haberman, Maggie. “Obama 2008 Campaign Fined $375,000”
Politico. 4 January 2013.

Jureic, Quinta. “Document: Michael Cohen Plea Agreement.”
Lawfare. 21 August 2018.

Bravender, Robin, and Dave Levinthal. FEC Audits Obama ’08 Camp.”

Politico. 19 April 2012.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/22/election-law-violations-compared-obama-2008-vs-trump-2016/

Snopes About Us:

Snopes is the internet’s definitive fact-checking resource.When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.
Snopes got its start in 1994, investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore. Founder David Mikkelson, later joined by his wife, was publishing online before most people were connected to the internet. As demand for reliable fact checks grew, so did Snopes. Now it’s the oldest and largest fact-checking site online, widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and readers as an invaluable research companion. Snopes.com is an independent publication owned by Snopes Media Group. Explore our FAQ to learn more about us, or consider supporting us with a direct contribution. If you have any questions, please let us know.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/22/election-law-violations-compared-obama-2008-vs-trump-2016/

By Alex Kasprak

Published 22 August 2018

Filed Under barack obama, donald trump, federal election comission

Thanks for posting that.
I had read it earlier, but forgot where, and hadn't got round to searching for it.

Election Law Violations Compared: Obama 2008 vs. Trump 2016
Alex Kasprak
Published 22 August 2018 - by - Snopes

On 21 August 2018, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal attorney and self-described “fixer”, pled guilty to eight criminal charges, two of which were election law violations concerning the facilitation of hush money payments made in the run-up to the November 2016 general election to women who allegedly had affairs with Trump.

During a hearing in a Manhattan federal courthouse, Cohen stated under oath that he committed these election law crimes “at the direction of” Donald Trump while the latter was a candidate for president, leading some commentators to classify Trump an “unindicted co-conspirator” (although he has not yet been charged in any crime). One defense against such charges, articulated by President Trump on Twitter the following morning, was that Barack Obama also committed campaign finance violations that were just as bad in 2008, but he was let off much easier:

In this tweet, President Trump attempted to compare:

the criminal charges brought against Cohen by the

US Justice Department

with a series of civil violations brought against the Obama campaign by the:

Federal Election Commission

a separate, independent body which cannot prosecute criminal cases

While it is true that President Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined a significant amount of money by the:

FEC, those fines covered civil violations that were different than the criminal infractions admitted to by Cohen.

In late 2012, President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign was fined $375,000 by the FEC for reporting violations. The major issue concerned the timely documentation of donations made in the 20 days prior to the election, a window of time during which the FEC requires official notice of contributions exceeding $1,000 to be submitted no more than 48 hours after receipt of those donations:

The major sticking point for the FEC appeared to be a series of missing 48-hour notices for nearly 1,300 contributions totaling more than $1.8 million — an issue that lawyers familiar with the commission’s work say the FEC takes seriously. The notices must be filed on contributions of $1,000 or more that are received within the 20-day window of Election Day …

The document outlined other violations, such as erroneous contribution dates on some campaign reports. The Obama campaign was also late returning some contributions that exceeded the legal limit.

While the fines leveled against the Obama campaign were among the largest in the FEC’s history, so too was the amount of money raised by that campaign. Speaking to Politico in 2013, Republican election lawyer Jason Torchinsky said that “$375,000 is a huge fine” but added that the Obama campaign was also the first billion-dollar presidential campaign in history, making the fine “proportionally … not out of line.” In the same story, former FEC commissioner Michael Toner said “that the infractions were relatively minor, given the scope of the campaign.”
Speaking to us by phone, Ann Ravel, a former FEC commissioner who served from 2013 to 2017, told us that “the FEC does not have criminal capabilities. All of the criminal cases have to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice.” For a criminal violation of election law to be enforced by the Department of Justice (which was the case in the Cohen matter), she told us, the violation must be considered both intentional and serious:

Not only does the matter have to be something that is purposeful, but it [also has to be] a major violation. People often have reporting violations [and] that’s what the Obama ones were determined to be.
In [Cohen’s] case, what [the Department of Justice] determined is that there was a criminal intent to hide a campaign contribution … and so, it falls within a criminal violation, as opposed to just a civil one to be enforced by the FEC.

From a legal standpoint, the Department of Justice has already proved that Cohen intentionally acted to facilitate and hide an illegal contribution for the purpose of affecting the election, because that is what he formally admitted to. In a document produced by the Southern District of New York whose accuracy was affirmed by Cohen under oath, Cohen agreed that he:

Knowingly and willfully caused a corporation to make a contribution and expenditure … to ensure that Woman-1 did not publicize damaging allegations before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.
[and]

Knowingly and willfully made and caused to be made a contribution … in excess of the limits of the Election Act … to Woman-2 to ensure that she did not publicize damaging allegations before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.

The infractions committed by the 2008 Obama campaign were not alleged to be intentional, and the FEC did not consider the campaign’s documentation lapses as rising to the level of a “serious” offense prosecutable by the Department of Justice.

“There are always reporting violations in campaigns. Many of them minor, many of them substantive,” Ravel told us. “But in this case … what was admitted to by Cohen was that there was a clear intent to use campaign money for the purpose of keeping the individuals quiet right before the election for campaign purposes.”

Trump’s assertion that Cohen broke no law is in conflict with his own Justice Department, who secured multiple guilty pleas related to the commission of violations of federal election laws. Specifically, Cohen admitted to intentionally violating portions of the following federal election laws on behalf of Donald Trump:

•52 U.S. Code § 30116 – Limitations on contributions and expenditures

•52 U.S. Code § 30118 – Contributions or expenditures by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations

Obama’s civil FEC infractions, while they resulted in a large fine, are legally distinct from

what Cohen pled guilty to, which is the intentional commission of felonies intended to affect the outcome of a federal election.

Sources:

Rashbaum, William K. et al. “Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction.”
The New York Times. 21 August 2018.

Liptak, Adam and Jim Rutenberg. “Cohen Implicates President Trump. What Do Prosecutors Do Now?”
The New York Times. 21 August 2018.

Federal Election Commission. “About.”
Accessed 22 August 2018.

Haberman, Maggie. “Obama 2008 Campaign Fined $375,000”
Politico. 4 January 2013.

Jureic, Quinta. “Document: Michael Cohen Plea Agreement.”
Lawfare. 21 August 2018.

Bravender, Robin, and Dave Levinthal. FEC Audits Obama ’08 Camp.”

Politico. 19 April 2012.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/22/election-law-violations-compared-obama-2008-vs-trump-2016/

Snopes About Us:

Snopes is the internet’s definitive fact-checking resource.When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.
Snopes got its start in 1994, investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore. Founder David Mikkelson, later joined by his wife, was publishing online before most people were connected to the internet. As demand for reliable fact checks grew, so did Snopes. Now it’s the oldest and largest fact-checking site online, widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and readers as an invaluable research companion. Snopes.com is an independent publication owned by Snopes Media Group. Explore our FAQ to learn more about us, or consider supporting us with a direct contribution. If you have any questions, please let us know.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/08/22/election-law-violations-compared-obama-2008-vs-trump-2016/

By Alex Kasprak

Published 22 August 2018

Filed Under barack obama, donald trump, federal election comission

+1 Byron. ;-)

Finally, some more commonsense. It has been sadly lacking for a few years.

US Senate defies Donald Trump to condemn Saudi Arabia over Yemen war, Khashoggi killing.

The same should be done with Israel, but no one seems to care about the genocide going on over there by the jews either.

Trump Attended Meeting About Hush Money Payments With Tabloid Publisher: Reports

Trump, his then-attorney Michael Cohen and the publisher of the National Enquirer met to discuss payments to two women in 2015, according to multiple reports.

edit] Another story. BREAKING: Trump plans 16-day holiday visit to Mar-a-Lago
How many golf rounds can he fit in?

Another investigation. Trump Inaugural Fund and Super PAC Said to Be Scrutinized for Illegal Foreign Donations

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are examining whether foreigners illegally funneled donations to President Trump’s inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC in hopes of buying influence over American policy, according to people familiar with the inquiry.

The inquiry focuses on whether people from Middle Eastern nations — including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — used straw donors to disguise their donations to the two funds. Federal law prohibits foreign contributions to federal campaigns, political action committees and inaugural funds.

The line of questioning underscores the growing scope of criminal inquiries that pose a threat to Mr. Trump’s presidency. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is focusing on whether anyone in the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to tip the 2016 presidential election in Mr. Trump’s favor, while prosecutors in New York are pursuing evidence he secretly authorized illegal payments of hush money to silence accusations of extramarital affairs that threatened his campaign.

The inquiry into potential foreign donations to the inaugural fund and the super PAC is yet another front being pursued by multiple teams of prosecutors. Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a billionaire financier and one of Mr. Trump’s closest friends, raised money for both funds.

Why do I have the feeling Flynn et al have sung and those songs are producing results?

Why do I have the feeling Flynn et al have sung and those songs are producing results?

What I would like to see, or reports of what is in them, are his tax returns. Lets hope the House looks sometime soon after January 3.

And another story breaking, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/12/14/republican-jon-kyl-plans-to-leave-senate-says-ariz-governor-who-will-now-appoint-another-mccain-successor/?utm_term=.1d53ab214f1f

edit] spelling mistake.

I just have the feeling that Watergate is going to be microscopic compared to Rumpgate when the full measure is brought into the light.

.......lot's of speculation, ..........sells lot's of Newspapers and TV commercials......

.........what's the truth?........

We'll have to stay tuned until November of 2020 if Mueller and the never ending attorney fees have anything to say about it.

Lots of nice 'fat checks' coming in regularly for a lot of 'fat cats'.......

.....only the lawyers and talking dead win........

.........meow?

---

"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>

.....only the lawyers and talking dead win........

You got that right USA loses!

Bon voyage. Could you make a week at least?

Trump Names Mick Mulvaney Acting Chief of Staff, because he has failed to find a sucker willing to sacrifice their ethics.

December 14, 2018 / 6:56 PM / Updated an hour ago

Federal judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional

(Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge in Texas ruled on Friday that the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is unconstitutional, a decision that was likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
.........
“Once again, the president calls on Congress to replace Obamacare and act to protect people with preexisting conditions and provide Americans with quality affordable healthcare,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

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"Sour Grapes make a bitter Whine." <(0)>