Patterico's Pontifications

12/10/2016

Report: Trump’s Secretary of State Is Rex Tillerson

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 11:45 am



Multiple outlets are reporting this, although it all traces back to NBC News at this point. Here is the Wall Street Journal from a couple of days ago talking about Tillerson’s ties to Putin:

Friends and associates said few U.S. citizens are closer to Mr. Putin than Mr. Tillerson, who has known Mr. Putin since he represented Exxon’s interests in Russia during the regime of Boris Yeltsin.

“He has had more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American with the exception of Henry Kissinger,” said John Hamre, a former deputy defense secretary during the Clinton administration and president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank where Mr. Tillerson is a board member.

In 2011, Mr. Tillerson struck a deal giving Exxon access to prized Arctic resources in Russia as well as allowing Russia’s state oil company, OAO Rosneft, to invest in Exxon concessions all over the world. The following year, the Kremlin bestowed the country’s Order of Friendship decoration on Mr. Tillerson.

The deal would have been transformative for Exxon. Mr. Putin at the time called it one of the most important involving Russia and the U.S., forecasting that the partnership could eventually spend $500 billion. But it was subsequently blocked by sanctions on Russia that the U.S. and its allies imposed two years ago after the country’s invasion of Crimea and conflicts with Ukraine.

Mr. Tillerson spoke against the sanctions at the company’s annual meeting in 2014. “We always encourage the people who are making those decisions to consider the very broad collateral damage of who are they really harming with sanctions,” he said.

I’m all for better relations with Russia. I’m less thrilled with Trump’s seeming personal admiration for Vladimir Putin, which seems to stem from a combination of Trump’s magnetic attraction to authoritarianism and his ridiculous susceptibility to obvious flattery.

Will reserve judgment on this.

UPDATE: It’s probably worth noting that the NBC News story has John Bolton as Tillerson’s deputy:

Tillerson will be paired with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as his deputy secretary of state, one of the sources added, with Bolton handling day-to-day management of the department.

I guess it will excite a lot of people to have The Mustache at Foggy Bottom.

UPDATE x2: Now that U.S. intelligence has concluded that Russia engaged in hacking for the purpose of electing Trump over Clinton, I guess Don owes Vlad a solid.

UPDATE x3: Wikileaks has released stuff on Bolton. A report emerges that Trump is going to pick the pro-Putin guy and the Russia hawk, and lo and behold there’s a leak on the Russian hawk.

Huh.

So very timely!

UPDATE x4: Streiff at RedState makes a pretty good argument here that the CIA is actually helping the Russians, as their real goal was not to affect the election but to discredit the process.

146 Responses to “Report: Trump’s Secretary of State Is Rex Tillerson”

  1. What’s good for Exxon is good for America. Comrade President Putin knows this and that’s why he wotked so hard to make Donald Trump American President. People who have problem with little invasion of Crimea need to consider collateral consequences on poor oil billionaires.

    nk (9faaca)

  2. John Bolton!

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  3. If true, Bolton overseeing day to day operations at State as deputy SOS is muy bueno.

    elissa (40e914)

  4. Tillerson is a very wise move.

    As noted on another thread, to the basic-minded, oil and gas make everything in the modern world go ’round.

    Some time back in a private email to Patterico (won’t go into the contents) oil executives at that corporate level deal with multi-dimensional issues daily involving governments, assets, liabilities and the cost-benefits of actions beyond the superficial optics of the politics of the moment. It’s part of the cost of doing business. “The world is a business…” as Network character Arthur Jensen cooed. For example, the globe was burdened with Qaddafi and his miserable antics for 35 years for many reasons; one of which was a persuasive argument from the CEO of Standard Oil. Deals were cut, stability reigned, resources flowed and governments as well businesses profited from same.

    This is, by far, Trump’s best choice of all.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  5. you just can’t see a simpering useless perv-daddy like Mitt Romney making these kinds of bold choices

    we really hit the leadership jackpot with Mr. Trump we really did

    failmerica’s whole future is not what it was mere weeks ago

    it’s a lot to absorb

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  6. Context is important, Obama had foreclosed arctic ocs right after the gulf spill. The bp head would rather face the rosneft oligarchs

    narciso (d1f714)

  7. UPDATE: It’s probably worth noting that the NBC News story has John Bolton as Tillerson’s deputy:

    Tillerson will be paired with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton as his deputy secretary of state, one of the sources added, with Bolton handling day-to-day management of the department.

    I guess it will excite a lot of people to have The Mustache at Foggy Bottom.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  8. lol i bet it tickles

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  9. Mr Donald is making America great again!

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  10. That thing could open a can of tuna

    steveg (5508fb)

  11. Bolton is for show; will do the ‘talk shows’ and the ‘flash/bang’ pressers but have minimal influence on policy; just keep the bureaucracy running– whether he realizes it or not– but it’s a bone tossed to the right.

    It’s Tillerson who’ll carry the message for Trump. Russian policy should smooth. More interesting is what China will make of this.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  12. Raise your hand if you believe that the nasty lying Hillary woman might have chosen Tillerson and Bolton as #1 & #2 at the State Dept.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  13. I’m getting a thrill up my leg.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  14. “more interactive time with Vladimir Putin than probably any other American with the exception of Henry Kissinger”

    Does that mean Kissinger is a Kremlin shill?

    Gabriel Hanna (9b1f4a)

  15. Running and housecleaning a far flung government bureaucracy is no small job. I don’t think Bolton is “for show” and I doubt Bolton himself thinks that either.

    elissa (40e914)

  16. Yes, cleaning out a federal bureaucracy, especially of those eager to undermine a non-Dem president is not for the faint of heart
    If one wishes to do that.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  17. Though this will no doubt help the story that Putin is behind Trump’s election.

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  18. MD in Philly, I left you a message last night over on the Trump is still a liar thread (comments #76 and 77). I hope you saw it.

    elissa (40e914)

  19. MD in Philly, despite what the MSM says, there’s really no story that Putin was behind Trump’s election.
    Besides, last week the story was that “racism!” helped elect Trump.
    The week before that, it was that the antiquated electoral college helped elect Trump.
    The left is always promoting a narrative that invalidates their opposition.

    Although, if the left wishes to focus on Russian hackers, we’ll be glad to discuss how the Russians’ knowledge of Hillary’s vulnerable private server was like a porchlight to moths at a summer lakehouse.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  20. Just like the October surprise, or a similar instance with Nixon , towel e years earlier that ferguson deducted.

    narciso (d1f714)

  21. Debunked, of course the real betrayal was to our ally, rsv

    narciso (d1f714)

  22. @15. Sure he is.

    What was his option- doing hits on Fox News and yucking it up on ‘Red Eye’ or getting back in the game? Who do you think Trump will actually consulte with, the most recent and successful CEO of Exxon-Mobil… or the “CEO” of Fox News’ comedy hour, ‘Red Eye’??

    He’s for show. That’s the media bait. And a lot of folks on the right will bite where there’s more heat than light.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  23. @17.Though this will no doubt help the story that Putin is behind Trump’s election.

    Oh my, yes. Just so compelled to vote for him. After all, Donald J. Trump is… “the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.”

    “Why don’t you play a little solitaire.” -Elanor Shaw [Angela Lansbury] ‘Manchurian Candidate’ 1962

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  24. Russia’s economy depends on oil and gas exports to Europe.

    China’s economy depends on oil imports from US, Canada, and Mexico.

    So Trumps Secretary of State is the Chairman of the largest oil company in the world.

    And his Deputy is the one guy who understands the career diplomats at Foggy Bottom better than anyone else.

    Pretty much a home run.

    Shipwreckedcrew (d1767a)

  25. DCSCA, John Bolton is often regarded as the smartest guy in any room he enters. “Yucking it up” on a few of the Fox News shows does not pay his bills. He’s long been a Senior Fellow at AIE, and he’s a highly paid attorney and consultant.
    Communication hasn’t always been the strong suit of Republican administrations, so if Mr Bolton does become a regular face in front of the media to explain Trump’s foreign policies, that’s fantastic!
    The man has probably never uttered, “um,” “well, you know,” or “57 states with three more to go” in his entire life. (LOL)

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  26. Man of mystery just phones it in, but tillerson’s existence is verboten even though medvev came from a similar position.

    narciso (d1f714)

  27. Shipwreckedcrew at #25,

    China’s imports come from Saudi Arabia, Angola, Russia and Oman as the top 4, at least in 2014. None of Canada, U.S. or Mexico is even in the top 14. See chart on page 14.

    JoeH (f94276)

  28. UPDATE x2: Now that U.S. intelligence has concluded that Russia engaged in hacking for the purpose of electing Trump over Clinton, I guess Don owes Vlad a solid.

    Patterico (2975ef)

  29. I never seem to manage to embed links properly. That last link came from energy.gov.

    JoeH (f94276)

  30. @26. John Bolton is often regarded as the smartest guy in any room he enters.

    Which speaks volumes about the low threshold in the Green Rooms at Fox. He’s more heat than light. But will placate the barking dogs on the Right and manage State’s bureaucracy which will free up Tillerson to do the smart work.

    Tillerson is by far the best choice Trump has made. Of personal interest to me is what finally enticed him to take leave of Exxon-Mobil. His presser at the reveal should be good; his confirmation hearings as well.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  31. lol failmerica’s incompetent cia-pooftertrash couldn’t frame themselves engaging in an all-night gay porn and frito pie party involving underaged third whirl hookerboys and a chinchilla named pepe – even if they’d already posted it on facebook

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  32. Better tell the electors to write Hillary in. Can’t let Vlad have his way.

    The media assured us in 2004 that Osama bin Ladin wanted Bush to win, and weren’t we sorry we didn’t listen.

    Gabriel Hanna (9b1f4a)

  33. If general magoo was part of the , Michael Waller has some words.

    narciso (d1f714)

  34. Assessment, belmont renders judgment.

    narciso (d1f714)

  35. UPDATE x2: Now that U.S. intelligence has concluded that Russia engaged in hacking for the purpose of electing Trump over Clinton, I guess Don owes Vlad a solid.

    I guess we all do.

    From now on it’s Russian porn for me.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  36. Used to be I’d just get Big Bang Theory reruns from the Ru.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  37. Yes Gabriela I don’t forget that, exercise in rocket surgery.

    narciso (d1f714)

  38. Sorry about the typo.

    narciso (d1f714)

  39. yes yes russian porn has the best aspect ratio any cia poofterboi can tell you that

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  40. Is this the same U.S. Intelligence that couldn’t figure out what was going on with Hillary’s private server and classified docs until it was too late? Doesn’t say much about the USA’s counter intelligence and cyber security if the orgs in charge of protecting us allowed the election to be influenced by Russia. So I call BS on the latest fake news offering from the media. That said, I have no doubt that the leaked Podesta emails in question opened a lot of eyes on both the right and the left. But none of those emails have been proved to be anything but authentic. And many think Podesta’s embarrassment was an inside job, not foreign.

    Some reports say RNC was “hacked” too, but RNC says “nope”.

    elissa (40e914)

  41. Yes the sourcing seemed very weak, no mention of sorm, the requisite outfit.

    narciso (d1f714)

  42. You know, even if Putin comes out and says yes he tried to get Trump elected I still don’t care. 60 million-ish people freely cast votes for Trump because they thought he was better than the alternative. They thought so for reasons having nothing to do with Putin and everything to do with Hillary Clinton.

    Gabriel Hanna (9b1f4a)

  43. I think the Podesta emails that so blatantly exposed the behind the scenes machinations and media compliance in the longstanding DNC plot to screw Bernie may well have caused some Bernie supporters (who might otherwise held their noses and voted for Hillary) to stay home instead. In that respect whomever was responsible for divulging the Podesta emails probably did help Trump. But I am not sure that was ever the original intent of releasing them, or that it actually changed the outcome of the Nov. election.

    elissa (40e914)

  44. cia report also says susan boyle lost so much weight she looked like a supermodel just seconds before tragedy struck

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  45. The treehouse in their own gonzo way, punctures the bubble.

    narciso (d1f714)

  46. The CIA said the same thing about Fat Amy from the Pitch Perfect movie.

    {Karaoke movie from a few years back – remember?}

    papertiger (c8116c)

  47. yes yes i got a ticket for the long way round

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  48. Yes Anna kendrick, even in substandard material with Sam rickwell she shines.

    narciso (d1f714)

  49. {there are no pictures of Skinny Amy. I looked. – Don’t waste your time}

    papertiger (c8116c)

  50. McCain, who has never really held a private sector job in his life– not even a paper route as a kid– opposes Tillison, a guy from a industry that put fuel in the planes we pid for that he crashed, tanked up the transport we paid for that flew him home from Hanoi and gassed up the SUV he drove out of the garage the day after Obama beat his butt in ’08.

    Trump was so right about him.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  51. Just like jlaw looks to ruin Jason Matthews great spy tale, red sparrow.

    narciso (d1f714)

  52. McCain is a sleazy disgrace-to-the-uniform coward

    he makes everybody sick it’s not just us

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  53. If the WaPo reported CIA findings that death and taxes are certain, I’d have to get a second opinion , right after the “We’re going to live forever!” party.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  54. The best piece of intelligence on Libya was ,a month before Benghazi by h

    narciso (d1f714)

  55. The pentagon working group, general flynn’s shop.

    narciso (d1f714)

  56. You know, even if Putin comes out and says yes he tried to get Trump elected I still don’t care. 60 million-ish people freely cast votes for Trump because they thought he was better than the alternative. They thought so for reasons having nothing to do with Putin and everything to do with Hillary Clinton.

    I don’t think Russia elected Trump. But unlike you, I am concerned by allegations that a foreign power tried to interfere in our election. I can state with confidence that I would be disturbed even if a candidate I liked had run and won. I’m mystified by people who shrug at this, or declare it a “fake news” story when our own CIA (not a media organization last I checked) are the folks that came to this conclusion. I guess I continue to be surprised on a daily basis at what people will accept in the name of partisan politics.

    Maybe it’s time for me to stop being surprised, and realize that history shows that the limits to what people will accept literally don’t exist.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  57. I want to see the evidence, all of it, but then again wouldn’t that compromise sources and methods, remember the same sources believed n Korea was behind the Sony hack?

    narciso (d1f714)

  58. But that includes the pulkovo village and the sherbank financing.

    narciso (d1f714)

  59. the slutty cia poofters, they do not know of this “proof” of which you speak

    they do not know of this “evidence”

    they do tilty puppy head at you

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  60. “I don’t think Russia elected Trump… I am concerned by allegations that a foreign power tried to interfere in our election…”

    Covertly or overtly, yes.

    But ‘foreign powers’ be not confined or defined as only ‘adversaries’ but ‘allies’ as well– and the usual suspects are always lobbying or peddling a position for influence. But if the CIA– or any of the seventeen intelligence agencies we pay for– have a finalized report with their letter head with clear, definitive evidence of direct involvement by a foreign power, they should release it immediately– not leak tidbits.

    Kennedy was forced to reveal a measure of sources and methods at the UN w/t photos of missile installations on Cuba to build support because many nations in the world were skeptical– a move the U.S intelligence community wasn’t keen on. But he did it.

    ‘Course the intelligence clan has factions with agendas and has been known to misread the tea leaves and get it wrong: Pearl Harbor… Bay of Pigs… 9/11… WMD…

    But if the outgoing administration or elements opposed to a GOP win in the government are going to try to infer HRC’s loss was due to ‘fake news’ or sinister, external forces, it’s a weak play.

    She lost because was just a straight out lousy candidate.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  61. I miss a trick.
    Meant to say if the Wapo reported the CIA had discovered death and taxes as certain, I’d get a second opinion right after I booked the auditorium for the April 15th “Flip the I.R.S. the bird because we’re going to live forever!” party.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  62. Except brugioni’s photo analysis made Kennedy admit what six months if exile reports already told him, hence the soviet’s had seeded anadyr with tactical nukes

    narciso (d1f714)

  63. I hope some of this is fleshed out on the morning programs with an actual person representing the CIA in attendance. The current headlines “Reports say CIA believes Russia sought to help Trump in Election” doesn’t quite do it.

    Here is what ABC has on their website:

    The Washington Post and The New York Times in separate reports late Friday said the CIA presented evidence to some lawmakers that Russia sought to help Trump win.

    Who were these lawmakers? What was the evidence?

    Continuing ABC”:

    U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence confirmed to ABC News that Russians hacked the computer systems of both Republican and Democratic organizations but leaked information only from Democrats’ accounts. However, intelligence officials told ABC News that the fact that only Democrats’ information was released isn’t enough to prove the motivations of the Russian actors.

    OK then. So they “believe” it but can’t prove it?

    One official told ABC News that in recent weeks U.S. intelligence uncovered information that “added a different layer” and “added clarity” to the government’s understanding of Russia’s role in hacking U.S. political institutions, but the official would not go so far as to say that Russia was motivated to get Trump elected.

    Uh huh. So what was that headline about again?

    elissa (5d7042)

  64. the slutty cia poofters, they do not know of this “proof” of which you speak

    Control-f shows the first use of the word “proof” appearing in your comment, in quotation marks, as if you were quoting someone, when you were not.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  65. UPDATE x3: Wikileaks has released stuff on Bolton. A report emerges that Trump is going to pick the pro-Putin guy and the Russia hawk, and lo and behold there’s a leak on the Russian hawk.

    Huh.

    So very timely!

    Patterico (115b1f)

  66. I will check, Elissa,
    Meanwhile,
    someone expects me to believe disinformation from the same CIA that covered for Plame???
    Nah, ain’t gonna do it if they say the sun is hot

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  67. Thanks, Elissa,
    I thought about going there once when I was in Ohio with my folks,
    But at the time they had not yet reopened
    I’m all for the government not telling gays what they can or can’t do on their own time,
    And I would like them to not mandate what events a cake must be made for

    MD in Philly (f9371b)

  68. Patterico,

    The issue that some folks are taking with this, is that it is “unnamed sources” in the CIA. The same sort of “unnamed” sources that folks like the LAT, NYT, WAPO hung their hats on to say that there wasn’t any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that the CIA director “cooked” the books. That the meme hung on for well over a decade now (and not longer if you believe some of the more radicals in the DNC and news rooms of places like NYT or LAT) that the CIA is full of stupid people that can’t tell jokes from reality, that also get orgasmic release by starting wars that kill women, children, and cripples. So just like we have seen with other recent movements that have destroyed the faith in institutional government (see the various articles over the last 8+ years about how all the racist DAs and Police that maintain White Patriarchal Oppression). This is where we are at now where people don’t care about the possibility that the Putins had hacked our elections. One we have done it to other places like Israel and the UK recently. Two how can we trust anonymous sources from the government when we have seen that the government doesn’t care about the people and only care about the folks that work for the government. Three, how can we trust a CIA source when CIA sources have “lied” about WMDs and lead to Casey dying (kid you not heard this phrase at work from a hardcore trumpkin).

    Personally, there might be a kernel of truth here, but just like the so called anonymous sources at the FBI who said that any day now the hammer would drop on HRC and she would do the perp walk, instead we saw who actually controls law and order. Similarly to a number of “conservative” bloggers who have taken up false stories about pizzagate, Harry Reid being beaten up by Legit Businessmen of Las Vegas or other similar stories that have been proven false over the years or spun out of control by mouth breathers in the blogging world. There maybe some evidence, but not enough to invalidate a whole election. This is just like the recent recount orgasms by the Greens and HRC, it is designed to give the left wingers a moment of hope and cast doubt that they can be bitter clingers to on this election (hell I have family friends who still bitterly cling to the FL recount that Bush paid for the SCOTUS to “steal” from Gore and that was almost 20 yrs ago now).

    So that is why we have folks that shrug about the news reports on foreign intelligence agencies trying to influence our elections and some even defend it. Total indifference about what to believe because the MSM has destroyed themselves with “fake news” and because they destroyed the government institutions they are depending on folks to believe in now.

    Charles (24e862)

  69. Its notable they never released the damage assessment on plame, the author revealed the conclusions in a letter to the post, Stephen Grey revealed curveball was a longtime bnd asset, chivers revealed there were trace AMD reports that were suppressed. James Mitchell what a piece of hackers the senate report on interrogations are; these are all counter narrative.

    narciso (d1f714)

  70. I’m old enough to remember back when the Obama campaign removed safeguard features designed to screen out foreign sources from credit card donations.

    Then O’s bank account bloomed, flowered, a veritable cornicopia, of exotic fauna from the world.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  71. @Patterico:I am concerned by allegations that a foreign power tried to interfere in our election.

    “Tried to interfere” covers a lot of territory. Planted Trump as a sleeper agent in the 60s: concerning. Hacked the voting machines to deliver votes to Trump: concerning. Leaked John Podesta’s emails because he got phished and gave out his email password–which any hacker anywhere could have done–and because of that we got all this news that the mainstream media would have buried, news about their revolting toadying: not concerning. Not one bit.

    And as Charles pointed out, the media is partisan and stoops at nothing, the FBI turned out be willing to misstate the law and do a token investigation in order not to convenience Hillary Clinton.

    And now we’re get “sources” who say a “secret briefing”–who leaked it and what were THEIR motives?

    No, I do not take this at face value. Forgive me but I would need to see some actual evidence.

    Gabriel Hanna (9b1f4a)

  72. The CIA need to put whatever they have on Putin on the table and compare it to Obama’s Failed Attempt to Oust Netanyahu. How dare damned furriners attempt to influence an election. The CIA might also want to toss in Obama’s “success” with Morsi in Egypt.

    Rick Ballard (764455)

  73. Flora. Fauna has hooves.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  74. Forty years of files about harry Reid’s mob tues, were released after it didn’t matter anymore.

    Re the first of stache files, he assumes the administration was smarter or more well intentined than they were.

    narciso (d1f714)

  75. Now take bob baer please, he’s as crazy as the abbott and costello of rt :
    Mcgovern and madsen

    narciso (d1f714)

  76. Putin might be a ruthless dictator, or not. Don’t really pay that much attention to him. He’s been around a while.

    The good thing about him, we don’t have to prop him up.

    Look on the bright side.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  77. I’m old enough to remember back when the Obama campaign removed safeguard features designed to screen out foreign sources from credit card donations.

    Then O’s bank account bloomed, flowered, a veritable cornicopia, of exotic fauna from the world.

    papertiger (c8116c) — 12/10/2016 @ 7:04 pm

    I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

    Sincerely, an O, greedily hoping my bank account will blossom.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  78. Just saw “Hacksaw Ridge”… quite a movie. Two thumbs up.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  79. There are 319 references to tillerson, about 79 documents

    narciso (d1f714)

  80. Flora. Fauna has hooves.

    papertiger (c8116c) — 12/10/2016 @ 7:07 pm

    “Kiss my aura . . . Dora . . .
    M-M-M . . . it’s real angora
    Would ya like some more-a?
    Right here on the flora?
    An’ how ’bout you, Fauna?
    Y’wanna?”

    — Frank Zappa

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  81. I’m old enough to remember when the lefties were insisting that hacking Hillary’s emails was no big deal. (LOL)

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  82. Apropos of nothing, or, maybe everything.

    There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion.

    Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  83. Mostly about intermingle (very long negotiation, pre climategate, he was receptive to carbon tax, but not much subsequently.

    narciso (d1f714)

  84. Even our #NeverTrump friends will have to admit that Tillerson & Bolton is a better tandem than anything that Team Hillary would have nominated.
    *crickets* (LOL)

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  85. The four of my paisans in the transition, including one slated for the nsc’s Latin American division.

    narciso (d1f714)

  86. I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

    Best wishes for you and your bank account as well, Steve!

    papertiger (c8116c)

  87. Yeah, my ideal Secretary of State is the CEO of the fifth biggest multinational who is a recipient of the Russian Order of Freedom and whose company has a $300 billion stake in the Putin kleptocracy.

    nk (dbc370)

  88. Russian Order of *Friendship*

    nk (dbc370)

  89. Mostly to borats homeland, kazakhstan,trying to reason with thE crazy venezuelans

    narciso (d1f714)

  90. You write nonsense about what you think Trump is. His affections for Putin is because he loves authoritarian figures and loves to be flattered? What nonsense! Trump just knows how to work over people and intends for Putin to show America the proper respect.

    Please stop acting like you know what you’re talking about when you describe Trump’s actions and beliefs. You’re delusional and know jack all.

    Lyle Smith (c4622f)

  91. putin’s a stupid gaywad

    I know it

    you know it

    Mr. Trump knows it

    this is why pooty poot doesn’t get any christmas cookies

    (duh)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  92. How to Trumpkin with only three sentences:

    1. Trump is smart and a self-made billionaire and he fights and he will make America great again.
    2. Give him a chance, he hasn’t even been sworn in yet.
    3. It coulda been Hillary.

    nk (dbc370)

  93. “Yeah, my ideal Secretary of State is the CEO of the fifth biggest multinational who is a recipient of the Russian Order of Freedom and whose company has a $300 billion stake in the Putin kleptocracy.”

    – nk

    Seriously. What an ankle-grabbing selection. Sorry, Ukraine. Your ports are more useful in Russian hands.

    Leviticus (70ca80)

  94. Trump was probably having trouble getting Romney – or almost anyone – to go along with some aspects of his currently intended Russian policy, and probably the biggst stuickking point is with regard to Syria, were lots ofpeople could get killed. Trump is known to want an alliance against ISIS.(There’s also Ukraine, but Puttin anyway os probably prepared to give up most of his ambitions and stop at the status quo, and end the fighting, too)

    UPDATE: It’s probably worth noting that the NBC News story has John Bolton as Tillerson’s deputy:

    Earlier, Dana Rohrabacher was pushing for something where he would Secretary of State and John Bolton would be deputy Secretary of State. Dana Rohrabacher is also very close to Putin.

    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/romney-fading-rohrabacher-bolton-rising-for-state-as-consensus-package/article/2608799

    According to the sources, Trump advisors Stephen Bannon and Peter Thiel have spent four hours on the phone with Rohrabacher and found that he agrees with all Trump top policy agenda items.

    If Trump wants somebody who agrees with him on everything, he’ll only get a liar.

    It seems like Donald Trump wanted somebody experienced at State. John Bolton is maybe willing to take it as long as he’s not responsible for whatever he disagrees with.

    Trump’s Russian policy may actually be still unsettled. Trump will probably not take kindly to be lied to, or winding being exposed as a liar (promises broken) to allies or the American public.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  95. Sorry, American shale, we have a $300 billion investment in Russia.
    Sorry, American nuclear power, we need to sell that Russian oil.

    nk (dbc370)

  96. @nk:Those are both pretty silly.

    American shale is only competitive when oil prices are high, a $300 billion investment in Russia has sweet F. A. to do with it.

    And nuclear power has already displaced oil in the US energy market, since the late 70s early 80s, and has never been competitive with coal.

    You can criticize the pick without being absurd, lots of people here are doing that with saying things that are silly.

    Gabriel Hanna (14083c)

  97. However, that Trump is an orange-skinned pansy of a New York buffoon has never been more obvious than in his response to the WaPo story that Russia tried to get him elected.

    As far as I can see, the story is only from WaPo from anonymous lawmakers who were allegedly anonymously sourced by the CIA.

    In other words, no more credible than Harry Reid’s allegation that Romney paid no taxes.

    Did the Badgerhead call out the WaPo and the DNC for propagating fake news?

    No, the f***head attacked the CIA.

    What a buffoon! What a b!tch queen!

    nk (dbc370)

  98. Pick the correct answer, and you win a case of petroleum jelly (made from genuine Siberian sweet crude) and a set of our home game:

    Thing that makes Putin happiest:
    1. A Russophile plutocrat for Secretary of State.
    2. Distrust of the American people in the electoral process.
    3. The next President of the United States in a b!tchfight of his own making with the intelligence services of the United States.

    nk (dbc370)

  99. The substance of press reports about a briefing to Congress on alleged Russian election interference if the administration was worried about the leak. One thing we know about intelligence reports is when they don’t care about exposing what or how they know, they don’t know much but they want somebody to think they do.

    crazy (d3b449)

  100. Oops my bad, the substance would be more believable if…

    crazy (d3b449)

  101. John Bolton was #notmypresident of Redeye.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  102. Greetings:

    (and with a bit of an apology to “happyfeet”)

    Oh, yes yes. Senator John McCain, still suffering from that bit of non-Arizona cactus that got shoved up his rectum during his many heroic appearances at the burgeoning joy that was Ukraine’s Maidan coup, somehow has found some usefulness in Mr. Trump’s perhaps selection because of his, how shall I say it, Russophobia, Putinophobia and perhaps some of those so very “au courant” concerns about nefarious Russian influence on our government with which has been Mr. Putin’s plaything for the last many years.

    Kind of makes a guy miss Mrs. Clinton. Senator McCain had misgivings about her nomination because of foreign influences too, no ???

    11B40 (6abb5c)

  103. It sounds like nk has a couple of spec scripts outlined for Oliver Stone.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  104. Speaking of Oliver Stone conspiracies, yesterday, Mr John Kennedy ran away with the runoff election in Louisiana for David Vitter’s Senate seat. Thank you for winning, Mr Kennedy. The last piece of the puzzle of the repudiation of that nasty lying lawyer Hillary woman fits nicely.

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  105. It doesn’t make a lick of sense to try to figure out what our enemies want and avoid doing that thing. For one reason, they lie. For another reason, they don’t always understand us well enough to have informed ideas about what they might want*.

    Our decisions should be based on what makes most sense for us given what we know at the time, and not baseless statements of “AHA! That’s what Putin WANTS us to do!”

    *When FDR died, Hitler thought the Allies would falter and come to the peace table, citing the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg.

    Gabriel Hanna (14083c)

  106. IMO its simplistic and sloppy to reach a judgment that Tillerson will have as his guiding policy principles the same issues that guided his thinking as Chairman and CEO of the fifth largest corporation in he world.

    His job with Exxon was to make money for its shareholders and employees. Where US gov’t regulations and sanctions hampered that, I would expect him to work to change them.

    He won’t be Chairman and CEO of Exxon when he is sworn in as SOS. The country has priorities with regard to Putin and Russia that are different from the priorities of Exxon. Putting in place a CEO who has, as a matter of necessity, dealt with Putin and Medvedev for 15+ years, seems a potentially shrewd move. Time will tell.

    But its also a recognition of what I think the proper order of concern is with regard to geopolitical priorities — an alignment with Russia against China. China is much more of a serious adversary on the world stage. The US and Russia share many policy concerns now across Europe and the Middle East, and some Russian policy positions (such as supporting Iran) are not necessarily in Russia’s best interest, but are meant more as an irritant to the US. Russia has suffered horribly at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists just as the US and Western Europe have suffered. And a stable European economy depends a lot on commerce between Russia and European states.

    The relationship between the US and China is papered-over with some diplomatic niceties and friendly state visits — but the relationship is strictly adversarial on many fronts. Economic, military, expansionism, etc. Between China and its client state North Korea, many US allies in Asia are suffering as a result of Chinese military control of its government. The weak hand played by Obama with regard to China for 8 years has made the problems worse, not better, and Bush wasn’t any better during his 8 years. Too much of US industry has focused on China as the solution for productivity gains, thereby increasing corporate profits. Just about every factory built in China to produce items designed and engineered in the West, is then reverse-engineered by the Chinese government, and knock-offs of the same items are then manufactured and sold from identical factories owned by the military or ChiComm party leaders.

    Trump’s choices have clearly shown his penchant for seeing past success in private industry as a foundation for successful leadership in government. Experience in government is taking a backseat to successful executive experience in his cabinet selections.

    This is shaping up to be a massive reorganization of government bureaucracy across many different departments — much more so than anything Obama has done in 8 years.

    Some of these choices are going to drive huge numbers of government employees out of their jobs. Justice will have mass resignations under Jeff Sessions. Right now there might be 300 attorneys in the Civil Rights Division, and another 200 attorneys in Environmental Crimes Division, and only 100 doing immigration cases. With a memo and his signature Sessions can say “On March 1, Civil Rights will have 75 slots, Environmental Crimes will have 75 slots, and Immigration Enforcement will have 400 slots”. The attorneys in the downsized divisions can move or leave. Simple as that.

    Same thing at EPA. Without disturbing any of EPA’s prior scientific findings about greenhouse gases, Pruitt can simply establish through a series of policy memos that programs put in place to reduce carbon emissions via a regulatory scheme are ineffective, overly burdensome on industry, and too costly. The bureaucrats who created and run those programs can go along, or leave.

    In the past, with mainstream President elects taking over — even when there was a party switch — the new political bosses coming into the departments tended to be well known former employees of those same departments who were politically active in the party taking over control of the executive branch. Some changes were made around the margins, but the overall structure was left in place. Each incoming administration had new priorities, but the mission was largely the same.

    I don’t see that happening this time when Trump has demonstrated a shocking willingness to put critics of various departments in charge of those departments.

    One funny line from SNL last night during the Weekend Update segment parodying Kellyanne Conway was when she was asked about the appointment of Scott Pruitt to EPA. She said “Yes, a great appointment who will work hard to protect us from the environment” — its the “Environmental Protection Agency” afterall.

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  107. Looking forward to the Syslov-Tillerson Pact.

    nk (dbc370)

  108. @nk:Syslov-Tillerson Pact.

    Do you think when a big company gets a new CEO, that CEO goes on secretly working for their last company?

    Do you think Marissa Mayer is still secretly working for Google?

    Did you think Cheney was still secretly working for Halliburton?

    Gabriel Hanna (14083c)

  109. The Democrats refused to confirm John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations (as a repprisal for his having not toed the Dem line on some foreign policy matters) and so he was klimited nly to a recess appointment.

    Now if they want some counterweight to pro-Russian favortism, they may have to, but who knows if they care. At least Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid are out.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  110. Gabriel Hanna (14083c) — 12/11/2016 @ 9:07 am

    Do you think when a big company gets a new CEO, that CEO goes on secretly working for their last company? …

    Do you think Marissa Mayer is still secretly working for Google?

    Did you think Cheney was still secretly working for Halliburton?

    Democrats and others maybe kept on accusing Dick Cheney of secretly workin for Halliburton, even though he had completely divested himself as much as he could of any conflict of interest, and they never made any assertion as to how he still had a conflict of interest. It was the BIG LIE.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/us/a-closer-look-at-cheney-and-halliburton.html

    Mr. Kerry asserted: “While Dick Cheney claims that he has gotten rid of all of his financial interests in Halliburton, he’s actually received $2 million in bonuses and deferred compensation from his former company since taking office in 2001. And the independent Congressional Research Service found that under federal ethics law, Dick Cheney did have a lingering financial interest in Halliburton.”

    I suppose to the extent maybe he would get harmed if it went bankrupt.

    Many people probably didn’t know he hadn’t always had an interest in Halliburton

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  111. Rick Perry to head DOE? Suhweeeeeet!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  112. Re: DOE

    West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) was being rumored as being under consideration for Secretary of Energy (and also Secretary of State) He was scheduled to meet Donald Trump on Friday – then that was postponed to Monday.

    Meanwhile, he conducted a mock filibuster or something, backed by Sen. Charles Schumer, against a continuing resolution because he said it did not permanently restore coal miners’ pensions and health benefits which were scheduled to run out on Dec, 31. He did this after the House had already left and the old continuing resolution was about to expire. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), also an old coal mining state by the way, promised they would be extended past April or whenever, but Manchin still wanted a little bit of grandstanding.

    He is up for re-election in 2018, unless Donald Trump takes him out of the Senate. The Governor is a Democrat, so any immediate successor would also be, but a Republican is likely to win an election for Congress. West Virginia is an old heavily Democratic state, but now Republicans win for president and Congress. It’s down to 3 members of the House of Representatives and now has fewer people in it than Nevada.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  113. Well, this would be a surprise, if accurate:

    Back from NY. Latest version of things has Trump giving State to Carly Fioini rather than cintroversial Tilkerson and France amb. To Romney.

    Dana (d17a61)

  114. Further:

    The “T-Rex Tillerson Terror” of rebellion from GOP senators has led to movement for alternative & Fiorina may be in rt. Place at rt. time.

    Dana (d17a61)

  115. 41. elissa (40e914) — 12/10/2016 @ 3:38 pm

    Is this the same U.S. Intelligence that couldn’t figure out what was going on with Hillary’s private server and classified docs until it was too late?

    They may be, in part, the same people who claimed Hillary’s server was successfully hacked into.

    (I’ve explained elsewhere why her server was more secure than just about any other e-mail account that ever existed: no backdoor password reset; very secure password, invulnerable to a dictionary attack and probably not even known to the end user; any phishing attack would be implausible; even if phished, software not publicly known, so an attack could not readily prepared; any illicit download activity becomes noticeable simply because of the strain it puts on the system; server locally guarded by the Secret Service; and if there was any trouble you could personally telephone the SYSOP in Chappaqua, and in addition it was secure against subpoenas, both from prosecutors and from Congessional committees; Freedom of Information Act requests; inquiries from any Inspector General – not that there was one at the State Department so long as Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, which was the longest any agency had gone without an Inspector Generals ever since they started having Inspector Generals, in the second half of the Carter Administration; and from any possible future inquiry by any commission appointed by a president of the United States.)

    Now if they say the proof of intent to elect Trump is that while the RNC was hacked into, nothing was turned over to Wiki-leaks, doesn’t then the failure to release any of Hillary’s deleted e-mails, even after Donald Trump sort of asked them to, prove that they didn’t have them?

    And you know Wikileaks kept on hinting that they did.

    So has anyone withdrawn that claim that Hillary’s server was hacked?

    Now I think they were protecting Hillary by saying that her server was hacked, because I think some classified information probably was communicated to outsiders by Hillary on purpose – probably over the telephone (mainly to Sidney Blumenthal) or in person. (to visitors) So if that was discoered it would be better for Hillary for people to think she was hacked.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  116. Well, Japan would probably like better to Romney as an Ambassador, but Romney himself would probably rather like France.

    Carly Fiorina also met Putin – for real – one time, but it was very much like a green room situation. In one Republican debate, Donald Trump claimed to have gotten to know Putin very well because they were on the same episode of 60 Minutes, and that probably fooled at least Marco Rubio, but later he claimed, mre truthfully, that he had never met Putin.

    The original claim went into the memory hole.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  117. An investigation should be conducted into the alleged hacking of the state of Georgia’s election database by the DHS. The DHS is already blaming “rogue” employees, much like the IRS did when evidence of its illegal suppression and persecution of conservative orgs came to light. How much of this Russian hacking conspiracy mongering is an attempt to deflect and distract?

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  118. Elissa:

    That said, I have no doubt that the leaked Podesta emails in question opened a lot of eyes on both the right and the left. But none of those emails have been proved to be anything but authentic. And many think Podesta’s embarrassment was an inside job, not foreign.

    No, that was Russia. He got an e-mail claiming to be from Google, claiming that attempts had been made to get into his account by someone in the Ukraine, and that his password needed to be changed. He, or an aide, forwarded taht e-mail to someone else at the DNC who told him (or his staffer) that the e-mail was genuine and he must change his password immediately, which he did, at the link provided by the fake e-mail.

    http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/28/politics/phishing-email-hack-john-podesta-hillary-clinton-wikileaks/

    The stolen email thread, released by WikiLeaks Friday, also provides the most direct evidence yet that the Russian government was behind the damaging hack into the Clinton campaign, according to a private cybersecurity company.

    The thread shows a Clinton campaign staffer writing that a phishing email sent to Podesta’s Gmail account on March 19, 2016, is “legitimate,” though the staffer advises him to go through Google’s official procedures to update his password. It’s not clear if Podesta gave hackers his password before he was advised by his staff, or if the email in question was the one that led to the hack.

    …On its face, the source of the potentially dangerous email is Google, but a closer look at the actual mailing address shows an unfamiliar or bogus-looking account: “no-reply@accounts.googlemail.com.”

    The subject line warns, “Someone has your password” and the body of the message says “someone” in Ukraine tried, but was stopped, from signing into Podesta’s account.

    “You should change your password immediately,” the email warns. The words “CHANGE PASSWORD” then appear — inviting Podesta to click on them — as a way to do just that. But the address did not link to a secure Google web page, instead directing the user blindly via bit.ly, a service used to shorten or conceal web addresses.

    This fake e-mail is known to be of the type that was done other times by Russian backed hackers, and his e-mail wound up at Wikileaks.

    This type of attack, would not have worked with Hillary Clinton while she was Secetary of State, even if someone could have constructed a semi-plausible fake e-mail. While John Podesta did not know how to get in contact with Gmail at Google, she knew how to get in contact with Justin Cooper, who was in charge of the server in Chappaqua. That’s one benefit of having the SYSOP working for you. On top of that, the password was probably set randomly by machine, with Bryan Pagliano at one end of the connection, and Justin Cooper at the other, and they needed to be in voice communication to set or reset the password. (I’m assuming)

    There was nothing, however, very revealing in the Podesta emails. Lots of information also came from FOIA request results obtained by Judicial Watch and the Republican National Committee.

    There’s another twist to that now:

    Starting in late October, there was apparently a lie claiming that somewhere in the Podeata e-mails there was evidence that a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., was holding very young children prisoner for purposes of pedophilia. That probably did come from Russia, because Michael Flynn’s son was circulating it and wouldn’t back off even after a man brought a rifle there.

    Sammy Finkelman (fbd892)

  119. Sammy,

    Your girl lost. You can stop covering for her and her criminal activity which would be gotten a mere mortal imprisoned.

    NJRob (08d91a)

  120. Most of it, the sanger piece didn’t mention sorm or opt 28, or any of the other supposed hacker front groups.

    narciso (d1f714)

  121. I don’t remember the New York Times or anyone on the Left voicing complaints when Barack went to the UK this past summer and publicly stumped against Brexit. He said a sucessful Brexit might risk seeing the UK at the back of the queue when it comes to future trade alliances.
    How is that not “interfering” with a foreign election?

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  122. Grey conelly makes a good observation, re prog attitude

    narciso (d1f714)

  123. Tillerson was a percussion section leader in the Longhorn Band at the University of Texas, but he was a few years ahead of me and our LHB tenures didn’t overlap. It’s fair to say, though, that many his fellow members in the Longhorn Alumni Band are rooting for his appointment.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  124. A thoughtful and necessary piece from Strieff at Redstate:

    An intelligence Agency is Interfering in U.S. Politics and it Ain’t Russian.

    http://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/12/10/intelligence-agency-us-politics-not-russian/

    elissa (5d7042)

  125. sometimes Meghan’s coward daddy likes to make pretendsies it’s *his* administration and he gets to pick all the peoples

    poor poor man

    #theydidsomethingtohisbrain

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  126. Greetings, Beldar (fa637a) — 12/11/2016 @ 12:26 pm

    Rooting and tooting, no doubt ???

    11B40 (6abb5c)

  127. NJRob (08d91a) — 12/11/2016 @ 11:12 am

    Your girl lost. You can stop covering for her and her criminal activity which would be gotten a mere mortal imprisoned.

    When was I for Hillary? I was #NeverHillary and but I was only #NotTrump. I felt the election came out better the way it did.

    I never believed though, that Hillary’s aserver was hacked, or that there was any reason to suppose that it was. It’a only these people in the FBI and so on who claimed that because that didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand, its built-in “natural” security features.

    Do you think any successful law breaker could get away with it for so long, so publicly, without paying attention to security? The Clintons know how to maintain secrets.

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  128. It should be mentioned that Khruschev claimed (I think in his memoirs) that they had tried to and successfully elected Kennedy (because of the small margin)

    I almost can’t find that online but I remember reading it.

    It is referenced here:

    https://books.google.com/books?id=ue5a_7Vzb8MC&pg=PA237&lpg=PA237&dq=khrushchev+claimed+election+kennedy+retirement&source=bl&ots=cZW6ROt_Sh&sig=_FtOIaMzq7FGCVxSC38xr7J6yKo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiOk6nsie3QAhUmllQKHezKDEcQ6AEIJDAB#v=onepage&q=khrushchev%20claimed%20election%20kennedy%20retirement&f=false

    Footnote 85:

    “In retirement, Khrushchev claimed that the Kremlin thwarted Nixon’s election to the presidency by refusing his request to release U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, a release which would have given Nixon an extra 500,000 votes because it “would have shown that Nixon could have established better contacts with the Soviet Union.”

    This actually makes the mistake also of assuming that the popular vote winner would win.

    Khrushchev deliberately cancelled the summit and made U.S. Russian relations look bad in the hopes of electing Kennedy.

    Then they had a summit in Vienna in 1961 and it didn’t go well for Kennedy.

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  129. On Meet the Press Reince Priebus said it was premature and the Secratry of State nonminaiton would probably be announced next week (meaning December 19-23?)

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  130. I never believed though, that Hillary’s aserver was hacked, or that there was any reason to suppose that it was. It’a only these people in the FBI and so on who claimed that because that didn’t understand, or didn’t want to understand, its built-in “natural” security features.

    Do you think any successful law breaker could get away with it for so long, so publicly, without paying attention to security? The Clintons know how to maintain secrets.

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd) — 12/11/2016 @ 1:16 pm

    I don’t think it matters if her server was hacked. She created the server to hide her activity from FOIA requests in direct violation of the law. She’s a criminal, just like Billy Ayers. And like him, she’ll get away with it.

    NJRob (43d957)

  131. Here also:

    https://books.google.com/books?id=jVMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA47&dq=khrushchev+remembers+election+kennedy&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjz3MHBje3QAhWmhlQKHQP8Bz4Q6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=khrushchev%20remembers%20election%20kennedy&f=false

    LIFE Magazine Dec 18, 1970:

    I joked with him (Kennedy, at the Vienna summit) that we had cast the deciding ballot in his election to the presidency…

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  132. I think there’s maybe anothwr place Khruschev said something like that too.

    Sammy Finkelman (643dcd)

  133. she’s such a pig even in defeat she’s exacerbating the corrupt disgusting sickness all up in failmerica’s joke of an intelligence community (CIA lol)

    she needs to go to some kind of pig-therapy 12 step program to be a better person

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  134. UPDATE x4: Streiff at RedState makes a pretty good argument here that the CIA is actually helping the Russians, as their real goal was not to affect the election but to discredit the process.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  135. the cia and the fbi both are disgusting corrupt sleazy-poofs what think they’re untouchable

    if i saw them in a restaurant i’d ask to be seated where i couldn’t smell them and i’m not a difficult person but jesus c’mon

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  136. How to Trumpkin with only three sentences:

    1. Trump is smart and a self-made billionaire and he fights and he will make America great again.
    2. Give him a chance, he hasn’t even been sworn in yet.
    3. It coulda been Hillary.

    4. If you criticize him you were for Hillary.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  137. Cruz Supporter

    I hope John Kennedy has his instrument rating.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  138. http://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-hackers-and-american-hacks-1481499091

    Somewhere in the Kremlin Vladimir Putin must be laughing. The Russian strongman almost certainly sought to undermine public confidence in American democracy this year, and as the Obama Administration leaves town it is playing into his hands.

    That was a theory that never made any sense to me. I said before the election that Putin was trying to elect Trump. So the CIA saying he was trying to do that is only going back to common sense.

    And what I thought also was that the hacking spying was done routinely, but the after the hacking got exposed, someone, presubably Vladimir Putin, made a decision to try to use the information to affect the election. And publicized material by creating a personage knownas Guccifer 2.0 – and I think they were behind what Guccifer 1 released too – and setting up a a webste or two, and most of all, turned material over to Wikileaks. As I said, anyone but a d*** fool would know it was Russia.

    I also thought that in mid to late October, when they were warned of consequences by the Obama Adminsitration – the Obama Adminsitration was thinking of trying to hack the unofficial </i. results. they pulled back, because they thought that Donald Trump was going to lose the election and they didn't want he Administration of President Hillary Clinton too angry at them. Few people expected Donald Trump to win. Donald Trump's own children didn't expect him to win. Kelly Anne Conway thought it was only a possibility, but it was a possibility. Hope was not lost. If they could pull away a few blue states like Michigan…

    Sammy Finkelman (1a8726)

  139. The hacking of the DNC was done first by the ex-KGB, also called Cozy Bear and APT 29 and then by the GRU, called Fancy Bear and APT 28. The GRU was less good at it, and they got caught, and when they got caught, the earlier penetration was also discovered. The two penetrations ad bene done independently by people who didn’t tell the otehr what they were doing, so Fancy Bear spoiled what Cozy Bear was doing.

    From the Wall Street Journal of tomorrow:

    The new information in these latest stories is less about new intelligence than it is a judgment about Russian motives. Other sources who have seen the intelligence say there’s strong evidence that actors linked to high-level Russian officials hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) website. The Russians then posted them on sites they set up or handed them to WikiLeaks, though even the WikiLeaks transfer isn’t known for sure. The Administration made public the conclusion about the DNC hack months ago.

    The difference now is that the intelligence community is said to have concluded with “high confidence” that the Russians did the hacking to help elect Mr. Trump.

    No, they didn’t. They only decided to help Trump after the hacking was detected amd most of it stopped. That’s probably when it ccame to Putin’s attention.

    But we’re told the evidence for this conclusion is far from definitive, and multiple intelligence services offered no such judgments when briefing the House Intelligence Committee on the election-related hacks last week.

    The New York Times cites claims from its sources that the Russians hacked the Republican National Committee website but then didn’t leak any documents. But other sources say that while it’s clear the Russians were probing the RNC website, it isn’t clear they penetrated it enough to grab emails. This is in contrast to the months the Russians spent roaming through the DNC site. We’re also told that there’s no definitive intelligence about who hacked Hillary Clinton campaign chief John Podesta. His emails posted on WikiLeaks were arguably more politically damaging than those from the DNC.

    Keep in mind that almost no one thought Mr. Trump would win the election, and it’s hard to believe the Russians were the sole prophetic exception. The hacking began last spring, and the Russian motive could have been to gather information to embarrass or blackmail Clinton officials once they were in office. The Kremlin could also merely have wanted to sow confusion and doubt on the election result.

    If the CIA really does have “high confidence” about Mr. Putin’s motives, this would also be the first time in recent history. These are the same seers who missed the Russian invasion of Crimea, missed the incursion into southern Ukraine, and missed Mr. Putin’s foray into Syria. The intelligence community also claimed “high confidence” in 2008 for its judgment that Iran had suspended its nuclear-weapons program. That judgment conveniently shut down any further Bush Administration action against Iran. But a year later, in the Obama Administration, our highly confident spooks disclosed Iran’s secret Fordo underground facility….

    ….U.S. intelligence services already know most of what they’re likely to learn. Release the evidence now. Let’s see if the Kremlin really did steal RNC emails, and let’s also hear from those who don’t share CIA Director John Brennan’s “high confidence.” The last thing Americans need is for an outgoing Administration that is still sore over losing an election to assist Vladimir Putin in poisoning the result.

    Sammy Finkelman (1a8726)

  140. Streiff at RedState makes a pretty good argument here that the CIA is actually helping the Russians, as their real goal was not to affect the election but to discredit the process.

    Who needs Langley when the Electoral College has been doing a pretty good job of that already. It’s a hard sell to other nations unfamiliar with the U.S. system explaining why a ‘democracy’ doesn’t award a candidate who gets the most popular votes the ‘win.’

    “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” – Jerry Seinfeld ‘Seinfeld’ NBC TV

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  141. They say that in the previous pieces like the globes xaammeh also the rid piece in esquire.

    narciso (d1f714)

  142. @DCSCA:It’s a hard sell to other nations unfamiliar with the U.S. system explaining why a ‘democracy’ doesn’t award a candidate who gets the most popular votes the ‘win.’

    If so, they are being deliberately obtuse. Most Western democracies are on parliamentary systems with coalition governments and there is no popular vote for the head of government; and of course the monarchs aren’t subject to votes either.

    Gabriel Hanna (64d4e1)

  143. It’s been reported that while the RNC wasn’t hacked, one local party, and one consulant were. Which is not the same thing.

    Sammy Finkelman (8b8667)

  144. I think I have to say that it is probably not a coincidence all this reporting about an OFFICIAL CONCLUSION that Russia trying to throw the ekection to Donald Trump [I mean it may be the most plausible motive, but what’s this official conclusion?] is coming out right before the Electoral College votes.

    Somebody actually probably has, or had, some hopes.

    Now 10 Electors, 9 Democrats and 1 Republican (is the Republican the faithless elector from Texas?) are asking for an intelligence brefing about this.

    Meanwhile Harry Reid says FBI Director Comey kept this a secret and should be fired; the Electoral College has a “tremendous responsibility” on its hands; and that the Trump campaign was in collusion with Wikileaks (although he’s not sure whether they told Trump).

    These people don’t give up.

    Harry Reid also notes Trump said he liked Putin better than Obama (did he? – buthe did negkect to criticize him and talked of an alliance against ISIS), which is a problem, and we’ll have to find out what all that means later.

    Harry Reid doesn’t mention that Hillary Clinton coould only really be hurt by the truth, and Wikileaks didn’t really provide anything except that the DNC was helping Hillary against Bernie, which we also knew before, and the most important revelations came as a result of the Benghazi committee’s subpoenas, and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits by Judicial Watch and the RNC.

    Sammy Finkelman (8b8667)

  145. There’s a report there may be an announcement of the nominee for Sece=retary f State tomorrow. That could mean it is Tillerson. If he is the nominee, theer will a lot of questions about Russia, and he could be rejected.

    Sammy Finkelman (8b8667)


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