The Big WaPo Story & Why Everyone Needs to Thank Marc Elias

[Madam45for2923]

The Big WaPo Story & Why Everyone Needs to Thank Marc Elias

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-big-wapo-story-why-everyone-needs-to-thank-marc-elias

The Big WaPo Story & Why Everyone Needs to Thank Marc Elias

Look back at almost countless articles on the so-called Steele Dossier and you’ll find the same basic account. The project began as an opposition research project funded by Republicans during the GOP primaries when, of course, there were Republicans with an interest in finding damaging information about Donald Trump. After Trump sealed the GOP nomination, Republicans had no desire or interest in funding this research. So Democrats agreed to start footing the bill.

Is this new? Not really. Here is I believe the first reporting on what we now know as the Steele Dossier. It’s an October 31st (2016) report from David Corn in Mother Jones, reporting how a veteran spy had provided information to the FBI about a Russian operation to cultivate Donald Trump.

In any case, there’s a big effort now to present this as somehow being a scandal in itself, or discrediting Steele’s sleuthing. That is ridiculous. Is it really a scandal that Democrats helped fund research into Donald Trump’s illicit ties to Russia after Republicans donors decided they didn’t care anymore?

Not really.

The Trump team wanted to deliver for Russia right out of the gate in January, a quick series of accommodations and a ‘grand bargain’ with Vladimir Putin. It was the investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia that got in the way and mainly prevented it. It’s clear that Steele’s research played a major role in that. Remember, the FBI found it so critical it agreed to continue funding Steele’s research. Without Marc Elias’s decision, that research may never have been conducted. The country owes him a debt of gratitude.

[Madam45for2923]

1. Thank You Mark Elias!

[angstlessk]

2. Those russian bots are deep in the comment section!

[certainot]

3. the problem is the same as always - what thinking americans/dems think of it is

pretty irrelevant.

when they do this shit they have 1500 radio stations to pound it and dems do nothing. just turn limbaugh on
(who is probably the best guy working for putin) and multiply by a few hundred other national and local blowhards and that is what the base is hearing and that is what they are screaming at their reps. reps who are desperately trying to save their asses and looking for any excuse. limbaugh has been saying for months the dossier is a hoax made up by a clinton/obama deep state cabal trying to take down trumpo and this is 'proof'. (like the russiian-hacked east anglia emails weere proof that global warming was a hoax).

truth and what thinking americans think is irrelevant as long as we ignore their giant buzz machine - all they need is to keep that near-captive audience trump base keeping their reps fropm breaking ranks long enough for trump to do more damage.

the grassleys and nunez and other republican shits in congress are going to be able to use this to help delay and obstruct even more and all because they have that talk radio advantage the left and dems stupidly give to them, merely by ignoring it.

to get trump out, americans merely need to start protesting all rw radio stations and the universities that broadcast sports on them until that monopoly/psyops thats short circuiting democracy falls apart.

[Glorfindel]

7. Yes. Exactly right, certainot.

[lostnfound]

8. It would be helpful if Buffett or other sane billionaires would buy up those radio stations.

The poisoned disinformation flowing into the weak minds on the right is the problem.

[certainot]

15. if the 88 + universities that broadcast sports on 257 limbaugh stations were pressured to stop

that shit we wouldn't have to wait for billionaires.

if one uni started looking for apolitical alternatives others would have to follow, and advertisers would head for the hills.

the monopoly couldn't last - they're already $20 bil in debt.

[KPN]

10. THIS

to get trump out, americans merely need to start protesting all rw radio stations and the universities that broadcast sports on them until that monopoly/psyops thats short circuiting democracy falls apart.

Yes, and media like Talking Points Memo need to either monitor and censor comments immediately when posted -- or follow MSNs lead and eliminate comment sections after stories -- to just fucking eliminate Russian bots and trolls.

[orangecrush]

4. Kick

The right is spinning out of control.

[Madam45for2923]

12. They are acting in a very obvious manner. If tables were turned they'd have HRC impeached already.

[orangecrush]

14. it is beyond belief

Fascism always seems to play itself out, it will not stand.

[bigbrother05]

16. While that's true, look at the damage done and the effort needed once entrenched

Tyranny will flourish when truth and reason are muted.

(Well known sentiment even if my turn of phrase isn't verbatim.)

[orangecrush]

17. Agreed

[karynnj]

5. Agree,

Opposition research is normal and they clearly refrained from putting things out that they could not verify. Note Republicans do not have a high ground here. In their case, they have supported groups and allied media just making stuff up.

The one quibble would be that as soon as asked, Elias should have confirmed they paid.

[CanonRay]

6. You know who's not paying any attention to any of this?

Mueller. That is all.

[L. Coyote]

9. Be sure to thank Louis Mensch and Claude Taylor too.

FBI has FISA warrant for Trump secret server connected to Russia.

And remind the naysayers that they were very, very wrong.

[Madam45for2923]

11. I don't care if others I like & respect don't like them! I will continue appreciating both of them.

[ATL Ebony]

13. K&R +1000 thanks for "Marc Elias"

[lagomorph777]

18. If anything, it makes me feel better about Dems that they had some clue about

how to run a campaign. I would prefer they be loud and proud about how patriotic it is to truly vet an opposing candidate, especially one who is clearly dangerous. That would really make me see our Dems differently.

[Lucinda]

19. KNR

[garybeck]

20. i'm not ready to say i trust the dossier

the dossier could be a trick or a red herring. if its credibility fails, the whole investigation goes down. how convenient.

[ucrdem]

21. He doesn't seem the type to appreciate a mess like that on his bed.

Where's the profit in it? And I imagine agent Steele will turn out to be Alexy Vladislavski of Peyerkhaski, Belarus . . .

[Hekate]

22. Very odd of both of you. Word is, nothing in the dossier has been disproven, and point by point...

...things have been proven to be true. They don't talk about the Kompromat, is all. Steele is known to have worked for the British CIA (MI6?) -- I trust Rachel's version of events.

As for the "mess" in Trump's bed -- he was in the Presidential Suite, so called because the Obamas had stayed in it and slept in that bed. For the price of a new mattress, the Russians got some priceless footage of Trump at least watching the show, and Trump got to enact a revenge fantasy of degrading and debasing the Obamas.

[ucrdem]

23. I haven't seen Rachel's discussions

and she is very credible but I have to say that everything about the Steele dossier sounded bogus from the get-go, including agent Steele, and nothing has surfaced to suggest otherwise. It's a campaign artifact and the campaign is over. In the big scheme it's not that important except that it has the effect of discrediting more urgent claims, and will surely be exposed as a hoax at some moment convenient to the Trump administration. So caveat emptor.