BREAKING: Chait calls spy theory completely insane!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018

Forgets to say what happened:
The headline on Jonathan Chait's post this morning said this:
Trump's FBI Spy Theory Is Completely Insane
For a good time, click there.

Almost everything Trump says and does tends to lean toward the insane. (Chait, of course, is using the term in its pleasing, metaphorical sense. As far as we know, he's never taken a stand on whether the press corps should discuss the possibility that Trump's behavior reflects actual mental illness.)

If it's ever fully fleshed out, Trump's "spy theory" will make little or no sense. Here's something else that doesn't make a boatload of sense:

In a fairly lengthy post, Chait doesn't describe the part of the FBI's conduct which most needs explanation and justification. Like everyone else on our lazy, floundering team, he blows past the basic facts of the FBI's conduct. Having blown past the shakiest facts, he's free to say that the other guy's reaction to the facts is completely insane. Pleasing!

Why did the FBI go surreptitious in its approach to Papadopoulos (and Page)? Was it a good idea to adopt this technique within the context of a presidential campaign?

We'd like to see someone like Chait speak to these simple-minded questions. But as our panicked pseudo-liberal culture keeps trending toward the totally tribal, people like Chait grant themselves the right to disappear the possibly inconvenient facts which they'd otherwise have to explain. In this way, the basic facts about the FBI's conduct in this matter have been disappeared.

Chait used to be a smart policy analyst who was considered a bit of a squish on the left. In the past year, he has turned himself into a hackneyed, hysterical anti-Trump blogger. No obvious snark left behind!

He now spends the bulk of his time in the land of useless bashing of Trump. It's probably good for his career. It seems to us that it isn't real good for basic American interests.

37 comments:

  1. Why is it such a popular narrative that it's "insane" to suspect FBI misbehavior? IMHO it's because Democrats fear there WAS some FBI misbehavior.

    If there were nothing to the theory of FBI misbehavior, then Democrats would be happy to see Republicans making fools of themselves by pursuing it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Republicans don't make fools of themselves. They make fools of their voters (and any member of the media who takes them serious).

      Delete
    2. Hey look, a shiny squirrel!

      Meanwhile, http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/trump-tower-kushner-saudis-uae-qatar-nader-20180520.html

      Delete
    3. David - my answer is that the way Trump and the Republicans are acting right now is really bad for the country. They're not interested in the truth, but rather seem to want only to confuse things. That's a bad thing.

      Delete
    4. As usual, DinC, you have everything ass backwards. The only one afraid to have the facts come out is the lying sack of shit orange shitstain chickenshit coward, President Pussygrabber, who is pissing his pants right now trying to figure out a way to plead the 5th without losing his hardcore robotic base supporters. He needn't worry, you dumbfuck, anything he says will work with dishonest pricks like yourself.

      Delete
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  2. "Almost everything Trump says and does tends to lean toward the insane..."

    Really? He certainly has a large group of very powerful people and media outlets backing him up on his claims. Have you considered the possibility that he knows exactly what he's doing, Bob?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any nitwit can play the media.

      Delete
  3. "whether the press corps should discuss the possibility that Trump's behavior reflects actual mental illness."

    Somerby has stated this odd notion before, that Trump may be mentally ill, and that journalists are shirking their duty by not discussing this so-called possibility. I'd like to know how Somerby suggests they should go about this. Tell the public that Trump's statements about his inaugural crowd size were wacko? Well, they did that. Focus on his unhinged tweets? They do that too, but get accused of obsessing over Trump's tweets and allowing him to set the narrative. Does Trump's behavior with women, including not using condoms when obsessively sleeping with models and porn stars then drafting NDA's to keep them quiet show some form of mental disorder? Some might say yes, but Somerby despises the media for even reporting such things.

    How about pointing out the craziness of Trump's notion that the FBI, under Obama's direction, spied on Trump in order to help Hillary win ? Nope. That is just Chait's hysterical anti-Trump rant.

    Bottom line, it won't matter, and would be counterproductive to opine about Trump's mental state. His followers will be told the opposite and will condemn it as fake news.

    Ultimately, it isn't possible for journalists to "prove" that Trump is mentally ill. So they have to report on what he says and does, and whether he broke or is breaking laws. Except, when they talk about that, Somerby derides them for obsessing on "The Chase", and claims that liberals just want to see him arrested. So, we mustn't discuss possible lies or corruption, cause that upsets The Others and makes us seem like losers. And it suggests the rather unsettling possibility that Trump is quite deliberate in what he does.

    So come on, Bob. Put your money where your mouth is. How would you argue that Trump is mentally ill?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Clarity is indeed needed. But you're not helping...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Four things to understand about SPYGATE;

    1) There was no spy in the Trump campaign.

    2) The spying that did NOT happen was totally justified.

    3) It would be bad for national security to identify the spy who doesn't exist.

    4) His name is Stefan


    Scott Adams

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stefan was not in the Trump campaign. He asked a guy who WAS in the campaign a few questions.

      Stefan worked in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations.

      He was born two days before the "D-Day" invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies during the Secobd World War.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Halper

      I don't know if revealing his name has affected national security. I hope he makes a public statement soon.

      Delete
    2. Hey look, a shiny squirrel!

      Meanwhile, http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/trump-tower-kushner-saudis-uae-qatar-nader-20180520.html

      Delete
    3. David,
      I, for one, appreciate you not repeating the nonsense that there was no collusion between Trump and Russia, today.
      Let's see if you can keep the streak going tomorrow.

      Delete
  6. Just Another Block-Quoting BlockheadMay 23, 2018 at 9:49 PM

    Even Trump knows he made up "Spygate."

    [From AP]

    President Donald Trump has branded his latest attempt to discredit the special counsel’s Russia investigation as “spygate,” part of a newly invigorated strategy embraced by his Republican colleagues to raise suspicions about the probe that has dogged his presidency since the start.

    Trump now is zeroing in on — and at times embellishing — reports that a longtime U.S. government informant approached members of his 2016 campaign during the presidential election in a possible bid to glean intelligence on Russian efforts to sway the election. He tweeted Wednesday morning that the FBI has been caught in a “major SPY scandal.”

    It remains unclear what, if any, spying was done. The White House has given no evidence to support Trump’s claim that the Obama administration was trying to spy on his 2016 campaign for political reasons. It’s long been known that the FBI was looking into Russian meddling during the campaign and that part of that inquiry touched on the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian figures.

    Trump has told confidants in recent days that the revelation of an informant was potential evidence that the upper echelon of federal law enforcement has conspired against him, according to three people familiar with his recent conversations but not authorized to discuss them publicly. Trump told one ally this week that he wanted “to brand” the informant a “spy,” believing the more nefarious term would resonate more in the media and with the public.

    He went on to debut the term “Spygate” on Wednesday, despite its previous associations with a 2007 NFL scandal over videotaping coaches.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trump no doubt thinks the whole investigation is a conspiracy to get him. That doesn't mean we have to think so too.

      Delete
  7. Sharyl Attkisson is an honest reporter, and AFAIK not conservative. In this link she lays out 8 suspicious circumstances that point to the possibility of a counterintelligence operation deployed against Trump's campaign. Anyone who wants to understand more fully what it's about is invited to read the whole thing. http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/388978-growing-signs-of-a-counterintelligence-operation-deployed-against-trumps

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The word counterintelligence refers to efforts to combat intelligence gathering and subversion by a foreign country (spy v spy). It does not refer to political opposition research, nor does it refer to political ratfucking. To the extent that Trump was being co-opted or run by foreign agents, it was appropriate for our own intelligence forces to seek information and oppose such activity. This is why people like Carter Page and Michael Flynn, who were both involved with foreign governments and agents before joining Trump's campaign, both raised concerns and continued to be surveilled after joining the campaign. There were already legitimate suspicions about their activities related to foreign espionage, subversion, money-laundering, etc. Raising this in the context of non-spying by a non-agent, civilian person who was asked to speak to Papadopoulos is mistaken, and more likely a deliberate attempt to create confusion and conflate an innocent activity with actual, legitimate efforts to keep Russia from interfering in our electoral process via Trump's campaign.

      Anyone who thinks our government doesn't have the right and the duty to oppose foreign interference in our elections is a traitor, in my opinion, and deserves everything mm has said about him, ever negative syllable. This means you, David.

      Delete
    2. I fully agree 10:27. If Trump was being run by foreign powers, it was appropriate an necessary for the FBI and CIA to investigate him and his campaign. OTOH if the goal was to use the CIA or FBI to oppose Trump's candidacy, and the alleged foreign powers thing was just a phony excuse, then this is a huge scandal. I hope there will be an adequate investigation, so we will know which of these things actually happened.

      Delete
    3. Just Another Block-Quoting Blockhead.May 23, 2018 at 11:19 PM

      Attkisson, currently running far-right propaganda on Sunday mornings for Sinclair Broadcasting, an ultra right-wing network currently trying to outflank Faux. Attkisson also is a prodigious contributor to Breitbart News and the Daily Caller. Although previously an award-winning investigative reporter, she is now a go-to shill for conservatives regarding all things Clinton, Obama, and the Department of Justice.
      [Wikipedia]:
      In May 2013, while still employed at CBS, Attkisson alleged that her personal and work computers had been "compromised" for more than two years. CBS News stated that it had investigated her work computer and found evidence of multiple unauthorized accesses by a third party in late 2012. The U.S. Department of Justice denied any involvement. In her 2014 book, she reported that a forensic examination revealed that her personal computer was hacked with keystroke logging spyware, enabling an intruder to read all her e-mail messages and gain access to the passwords for her financial accounts.

      In late January 2015, Attkisson appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee during a confirmation hearing for Loretta Lynch, President Obama's nominee to replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder. As part of her appearance in front of that committee, a report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) was released stating that "their investigation was not able to substantiate... allegations that Attkisson's computers were subject to remote intrusions by the FBI, other government personnel, or otherwise" and the deletion seen in Attkisson's video “appeared to be caused by the backspace key being stuck, rather than a remote intrusion". "CBS News told the OIG that they did not conduct any analysis on her personal computer."

      In February 2015, The Washington Examiner clarified that the OIG did not examine the CBS News computer that Attkison claimed was compromised, but only inspected Attkisson's personal devices. "The IG did not rule out computer intrusions. It did not substantiate but neither did it rule out."

      In March 2015, Attkisson and her family filed a suit against Holder, Patrick R. Donahoe and unnamed agents of the US Department of Justice, the US Postal Service and the United States in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia claiming to have been subject to illegal surveillance activities.

      Delete
    4. You keep fucking that rat, David.
      If the goal was to use the CIA or FBI to oppose Trump's candidacy they could have just announced they were investigating his money-laundering during the campaign.

      Delete
    5. "I hope there will be an adequate investigation, so we will know which of these things actually happened."

      There was a meeting about this a couple of days ago, and there have been no indictments as of yet, so obviously, there's no crime here.
      DavidinCal told me that's how it works.

      Delete
  8. OT: I am reading Shirer's Berlin Diary, which is about Hitler's days in power between 1933 and 1941. The similarities are evident and I've only just begun the book.

    For example, the author says Hitler was beloved by the German people because he promised to restore Germany's greatness, to make Germany great again. These are words written 78 years ago, but they are echoed in Trump's promise to make American great again, and the enthusiastic response of his supporters who have similar inchoate needs that resonate to such a promise, fulfilled or not.

    The purge has just occurred and Hitler has ordered his enemies shot. Just prior to that Shirer describes the efforts of French dissidents to overthrow the French government. The demonstrations consist of fascists and communists working together but they are foiled by machine guns fired into the crowd indiscriminately. Then the French President resigns because he had issued a permit for the demonstration and didn't use sufficient force against it. Shirer calls him a pussy (in so many words).

    Meanwhile, in Germany, visitors leave the street in order to avoid saluting passing Nazi trucks or being seen not saluting them, which would bring retaliation. I see this as similar to the position of press and never-Trump Republicans, who exert effort to avoid confronting the things that are wrong for fear of reprisal.

    I believe Trump read books about Hitler as how-to manuals. If he starts getting tough, we need to step up and stop him before he gains traction, but I am worried no one will do that. Certainly not Somerby and his ilk, too busy pretending that Sanders is a real politician while Nero fiddles and the rest of us burn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ... press and never-Trump Republicans, who exert effort to avoid confronting the things that are wrong for fear of reprisal.

      But, that's not the case. Trump is widely, viciously criticized all the time, sometimes validly, sometimes exaggerated. It's hard to imagine what criticism of Trump is not being promulgated due to fear of reprisal.

      OTOH, it's the Trump supporters who need to fear reprisal. Here are some quotes and headlines

      -- Antifa thugs brutally assault a Trump supporter in Portland, Oregon.

      -- Teen girl says she was brutally beaten for supporting Trump

      -- Berkeley Teaches Students How to Drive Trump Supporters Off Campus

      -- Man Arrested For Assaulting Trump Supporter Near UC Berkeley

      -- Two people who drove through Wellesley College on Wednesday waving a Donald Trump flag were removed by campus security

      -- Campus police escorted two Trump supporters from the premises of the University of Southern California when a mob threatened their safety

      -- Cheesecake Factory: Employees accused of harassing Trump supporter for MAGA hat

      Delete
  9. Rather than to list all the incidents in which Trump supporters physically assaulted Trump protesters in countering snowflake @11:19's cherry-picking few, let's just go to the horse's mouth:

    https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-incitement-violence/

    ReplyDelete
  10. "Almost everything Trump says and does tends to lean toward the insane."

    Quite the contrary, Bob. Almost everything he does makes sense in the context of rebuilding the American economy. Unlike your globalist/neocon establishment and their minions a-la Jonathan Chait.

    Categorizing American national interests as "insane" doesn't reflect well on you, Bob, I'm sorry to say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rolling back Dodd-Frank to reward the elite bankers screams anti-Establishment, amirite?

      Delete
    2. Extreme oversimplification Mao

      Delete
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