Clinton campaign paid to 'infiltrate' Trump Tower, White House servers to link Trump to Russia: Durham

 Fox News   "First on Fox: Lawyers for the Clinton campaign paid a technology company to "infiltrate" servers belonging to Trump Tower, and later the White House, in order to establish an "inference" and "narrative" to bring to government agencies linking Donald Trump to Russia, a
filing from Special Counsel John Durham says.

"Durham filed a motion on Feb. 11 focused on potential conflicts of interest related to the representation of former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman, who has been charged with making a false statement to a federal agent. Sussman has pleaded not guilty.". . .

Full article here.  Clinton campaign paid to 'infiltrate' Trump Tower, White House servers to link Trump to Russia: Durham | Fox News

Declassified Trump-Russia probe docs to date: What to know  | Fox News

House intel transcripts show top Obama officials had no 'empirical evidence' of Trump-Russia collusion | Fox News  "Video: Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff is reportedly in 'panic mode' as House transcripts appear to contradict claims on collusion evidence in the Russia probe; Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe and former D.C. Democrat Party Chair Scott Bolden debate."

. . ."Newly released transcripts of interviews from the House Intelligence Committee’s long-running Russia investigation reveal top Obama officials acknowledged that they knew of no “empirical evidence” of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, despite their concerns and suspicions."

Fox News first reported Wednesday night that the transcripts would show this. The officials' responses align with the results of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation—which found no evidence of criminal coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, while not reaching a determination on obstruction of justice.". . .

'White supremacy' is the left's hammer, and you're the nail

  What to do about those Trump people?  Easy: Accuse them all of being white supremacists.  That will stick.  So the talking points were distributed, and in the blink of an eye, all Trump supporters were and are white supremacists. 

Patricia McCarthy  "The Trump presidency sent the left into paroxysms of hysterical terror.  How could that self-made billionaire beat their beloved and prototypically corrupt Hillary?  Everyone knows they cheated in 2016, too, but they seriously underestimated Trump's popularity.

"Thus, the Russia hoax , begun during the campaign, was escalated.  It was an entirely fabricated story they were certain that it would take Trump out hopefully before his inauguration.  That didn't happen, so they kept it up for years until the truth of their grand plan emerged.

"In the meantime, they perfected their systems of perpetrating election fraud by 2020.  The fix was in.  The perpetually nasty Biden was installed by a cabal who knew well that he was suffering from dementia but thought they could manage him as they moved ahead with the Obama agenda: destroy America as founded.  Eric Hoffer was prescient when he observed long ago that "nowhere at present is there such a measureless loathing of their country by educated people as in America."

"Along the way, though, far too many of the American people refused to go along with their carefully crafted plans.  Millions never believed the Russia hoax or any of the other invented tales of suspect criminality with which the left tried to malign President Trump.  They knew better, in part because common sense still prevails in some quarters outside the D.C. swamp and both coasts.  What to do about those Trump people?  Easy: Accuse them all of being white supremacists.  That will stick.  So the talking points were distributed, and in the blink of an eye, all Trump supporters were and are white supremacists.  The defund the police campaign relied on the false meme that all cops are white supremacists, even those who are black.  Larry Elder, a beloved California conservative, was labeled "the black face of white supremacy" as he ran to unseat the loathsome Gavin Newsom.  That was the L.A. Times!". . . 

Why Biden Will Pick a Radical Replacement for Breyer

  RealClearPolitics  "The Democrats are facing a grim November if they can’t find some way to energize their increasingly disillusioned base. Consequently, they regard the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer from the Supreme Court as a golden opportunity to rekindle enthusiasm among their voters. President Biden, having already committed to replacing Breyer with an affirmative action hire, is all but certain to nominate a far left radical in order to provoke a confirmation brawl with the GOP as the midterms approach. The Republicans, however, have little to gain by trading punches in such an altercation. They would be wiser to employ a “rope-a-dope” strategy.

"Biden will come out swinging with a nomination from the “Demand Justice” shortlist of leftist nominees — probably D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson — and Senate Democrats will respond to the most innocuous questions with cries of “racism.” If the Republicans take the rope-a-dope route, the Democrats will fail to land a serious political punch, and the ideological balance of the Court will remain static. It will nonetheless require restraint to remain this passive, particularly if Biden does choose Jackson, whose record includes a 2019 ruling (later reversed) wherein she gratuitously attacked then-President Trump:"Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings.… Rather, in this land of liberty, it is indisputable that current and former employees of the White House work for the People of the United States, and that they take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.… It is hard to imagine a more significant wound than such alleged interference with Congress’ ability to detect and deter abuses of power within the Executive branch for the protection of the People of the United States." . . .

Biden faces conflicting pressures as he closes in on a Supreme Court nominee (yahoo.com)

. . .The first Black federal judge in Alabama, U.W. Clemon, sent a letter to Biden on Feb. 4 urging him not to consider appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, according to a copy obtained by NBC News.

"Clemon, a retired chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, argued there are "several exceptionally well-qualified black female aspirants," but that Jackson isn't one of them and "should not be appointed" to the court."

Update:  Alabama's first Black federal judge asks Biden not to tap Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court (msn.com)  . . ."The first Black federal judge in Alabama sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to pass over a leading contender for the US Supreme Court, NBC News reported on Friday.

"U.W. Clemon — a former state lawmaker who served as a federal judge in Alabama from 1980 to 2009 — petitioned the president not to consider Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the vacancy that will be filled upon the departure of Justice Stephen Breyer later this year. Jackson, who has been a frontrunner for the seat, currently sits on the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. ". . .

Biden leads in another crisis

Biden Announces Americans Won't Be Rescued if Russia Invades  . . ." Good news for China and bad news for America, he's got a few more years in office.

"You don't simply declare that you won't help Americans because it's too dangerous. Even if it's true, it signals weakness to the world and tells the other side that they have a blank check to do anything they want.

"The strategy here is absolutely terrible. 

"But don't underestimate Biden. There is a strategy here.

"Biden has learned from Afghanistan. These comments incorporate his two lessons.". . .

Now the White House Says Putin Will Invade Ukraine ‘Any Day Now’ (legalinsurrection.com)  

Oil Spikes To $95/Barrel Over Fears Of Ruso-Ukraine War… | Weasel Zippers   "Oil prices jumped in afternoon trading Friday amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia.

"With about 2 hours left to the trading day, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a White House briefing that there were signs of Russian escalation at the Ukraine border and that it was possible that an invasion could take place during the Olympics, despite speculation to the contrary.

"We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border. As we’ve said before, we are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time,” Sullivan said Friday." . . .

Opinion | Biden Is the Biggest Weakness in America's Russia Pol - The New York Times (nytimes.com)  This commentary begins with a positive outlook on Biden's role in this current issue. But then takes us to this more somber view:

. . ."Despite these successes, Russia still looks poised to invade Ukraine. Mr. Putin is still threatening to use military force, whereas President Biden is sending the message that the United States is afraid of confronting Russia militarily. Even if the United States is unwilling to fight alongside Ukrainians, it’s a big bargaining advantage for Russia if it’s telegraphing willingness to go to war and we’re ultimately reassuring it that it doesn’t need to worry about us.

"The real problem in administration policy is President Biden. The insular nature of his decision-making, including his reliance on like-minded advisers, lacks rigorous thinking and fuels a kind of arrogance that can lead to unforced errors. His casual suggestion last month that “a minor incursion” by Russia might not draw a tough response required mopping up by the administration. It also drew a bitter rebuke from Ukraine’s president. Most egregiously, Mr. Biden let Russia know it need not fear the prospect of U.S. troops fighting to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine and postwar order, saying publicly that “there is not going to be any American forces moving into Ukraine.' ”. . .

Olympics Jerk Watch: The Snowboarding Judges Who Disrespected Ayumu Hirano

 Slate

Olympics Jerk Watch  is a long-running feature that subjectively rates the jerkiness (or lack thereof) of the biggest stars of the Summer and Winter Games.

"Candidates: Olympic snowboarding judges

"Known for: Issuing oddly low scores, issuing oddly high scores, angering the Todds

"Why they might be jerks: On Friday morning in Beijing, Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano stomped the men’s halfpipe with one of the best runs that NBC commentators Todd Richards and Todd Harris had ever seen. “Ayumu Hirano is from another planet!” yelled Harris. “That was the most difficult halfpipe run in the history of halfpipe that has ever been done,” said Richards. “It’s all about setting momentum. It’s a puzzle. Ayumu Hirano just put together one of those 15,000-piece puzzles you get at Christmas and you never get a chance to open it up because you’re too intimidated. He destroyed this halfpipe.”

"As viewers at home marveled at the destruction and at that extended puzzle metaphor, Hirano awaited the verdict from the judges—who, Richards predicted, would give him a score “that’s gonna be just … out of this world.” They certainly did, though not in the way that Richards expected. Hirano’s run got awarded a 91.75, leaving him in second place, behind Australian snowboarder Scotty James.

"What sort of jerks would give such a low score to such a great run? The Todds were at a loss for words. “Explain that to me,” said Harris. “Uhhhhh, what? What? Is there a mistake?” said Richards. “How did that … wait a minute. There’s no way. There is no way! A 91.75?” And with that, NBC went to commercial, giving Richards, Harris, and all the rest of us a few minutes to process what those (potential) jerks had done.". . .

In the end, the judges’ potential jerkiness was mitigated by Hirano’s third run, which, per the Todds, was “even more perfect”: “the heaviest run that has ever been done in halfpipe.” (A 30,000-piece puzzle?) This time around, the judges saw what the Todds saw, scoring the run at a 96, giving Hirano the gold, and weakening the argument that they are, in fact, jerks. True jerks don’t make amends; true jerks double down on their mistakes.

CNN Poll: 57% of Americans Consider Biden’s First Year a Failure

 Legal Insurrection

"A CNN poll conducted by SSRS in January and February found that America doesn’t like Biden.

"The articles about the CNN poll concentrate on the 56% who do not approve of anything Biden has done during his presidency.

"The buried lede: 57% of Americans consider Biden’s first year in office a failure.

"It doesn’t surprise me because the “disapprove” column came out on top for every question:

When Biden loses CNN they hit the bottom. This generally pro-Biden article does not approve of Donald Trump yet rates him higher than Biden.

Analysis: A grim portrait of Biden's unhappy America - CNNPolitics

The sense of turmoil was captured in a new CNN/SSRS poll released Thursday that showed waning faith in US elections and found that most of the nearly 60% of Americans who disapprove of how Biden is handling his presidency were unable to name one single thing they like that he has done. "He's not Donald Trump. That's pretty much it," one despondent respondent said. Another answered: "I really like his new cat, Willow Biden.". . .

. . ."But Biden may also have done too little to rally the nation behind him. He lacks the steadying and sunny confidence of President Franklin Roosevelt, who piloted his nation through the great crises of the Great Depression and World War II. Some Americans also saw the ambition of Biden's social spending plan as a betrayal of the moderate image he had cultivated on the campaign trail. The pandemic's refusal to loosen its grip over the first year of his presidency hammered his reputation for competence. The US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which should have been a political winner, was instead a parable of presidential incompetence when it descended into bloody chaos. High inflation has been responsible for ending countless political careers in the last century, and the White House's repeatedly wrong comments downplaying the seriousness of price hikes for basic goods haven't helped." . . .

Relax: Biden puts an LGBT activist, gender-fluid drag queen 'pup' fetishist in charge of the nuclear waste that could be used for terror bombs

Chalk up another glass ceiling broken by the Biden administration and sleep easy.

 Thomas Lifson   . ."Terrorists wishing to construct "dirty bombs" that could contaminate entire cities, rendering them uninhabitable, would love to get their hands on some of this stockpile.  So the handling and ultimate disposition of this lethal accumulation, the responsibility of the deputy assistant secretary of spent fuel and waste disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy for the Department of Energy, requires a person of scientific/technical erudition, good judgment, and responsible character.

"Meet Sam Brinton, hired by the Biden administration for that role.

This is the Biden’s new Dept of Energy hire: gender fluid with a background in having sex with animals, “kink,” and drag. Even in Weimar, this kind of perverted degeneracy was kept underground. One can only think what the eventual counterreaction will be. pic.twitter.com/C2POkwOwUa

— JON MILLER (@MillerStream) February 10, 2022

. . ." If you don't recognize Sam's name, perhaps you know them (not him — show some respect!) by their drag queen alter ego name, "Sister Ray Dee O'Active."

"You can take comfort in Sister Ray Dee O'Active's technical credentials.  They has a master's degree!  From MIT.  A "dual master's degree in engineering systems and nuclear science and engineering."

"I gather that they is part of the + in "LGBTQ+" as what is called a "pup handler," which seems to involve people dressing up as puppies and then engaging in some sort of sexual behavior, but which may also involve sex with animals, previously known by judgmental people as bestiality.  I admit that I can't tell.  See what you make of the interview quoted below:. . ." Read about it here

This Is The Freak Biden Just Hired To Work At The Dept of Energy - Galleries -

 VidMax.com

Biden Admin: Photos have emerged revealing that the new Deputy Assistant Secretary of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition in the Office of Nuclear Energy, has taken part in the sexual "kink" community called "puppy play."    Meanwhile, adversaries who are serious at what they do and know how to run their government oppose a silly America with the goal of destroying our economic system.

What To Do With the Left After Their Coming Spanking

 Being a pessimist, I worry about claiming triumph before the contest. If the thing comes out close, the left will declare victory and even a mandate. And don't count out those Democrat voters newly arrived from south of the border. TD

Conrad Black

The day is now not far off when wokeness, American self-hate, foreign appeasement, and the indulgence of criminal and corrupt organizations like Black Lives Matter will end.

 "Even as the giant Potemkin village of Democratic Trump-hating self-righteousness crumbles week by week, the last gasp is audible: the grotesquely overstaffed January 6 committee investigating the events at the Capitol on that day last year is full of belligerent former prosecutors who, in interviews with the New York Times and others, acknowledge that they are pursuing their task as if they were after prominent alleged gangsters. The Congress has no power to indict and all it can do is claim to unearth facts that would justify an indictment from  Attorney General Merrick Garland. Garland claims to believe that parents concerned about critical race theory and other subjects taught to their children are a principal threat to public order in the United States. Though he is in lock-step with the far-Left policy agenda of the administration, even he might not be prepared to indict a former president on such a weak set of facts as this case presents.

"The FBI director, Christopher Wray, reported shortly after January 6, 2021 that there was no evidence connecting those who had trespassed and vandalized the Capitol with the Trump campaign. They’ve detained hundreds of alleged Capitol trespassers without trial for many months, presumably subjecting them to the customary American prosecutor’s interrogations designed to extort useful evidence with threats of indictments or release and immunity from perjury charges, (with reckless disregard for accuracy). 

"The entire impetus to attack Trump is inspired by the desperate partisanship of a failed Democratic administration and Congress awaiting a severe electoral rebuke in November, and facing an array of apparently well-founded investigations themselves. The Trump-haters have been trying desperately to create the necessary ambiance of righteous unction; reputable commentators like George Will and Peggy Noonan refer to the incident at the Capitol as “1/6” to confer upon it the infamy of 9/11 and to confirm the George Will view that he and his staff were in physical danger on that particular January 6, even though they were miles away from the Capitol. The even more lapidary Thomas Friedman at the New York Times is of the opinion that January 6, 2021 ranks with Pearl Harbor and 9/11, as well, of course, as the imaginary Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election that he endlessly touted.". . . 

The “defund the police” movement and the election of pro-crime district attorneys in major cities are now fixed around the neck of the Democratic Party like a mighty, rancid albatross.

The breakdown of law and order, the press, and American political culture

What Does the Corporate Media Mean When They Say ‘There’s No Evidence of Voter Fraud?’ › American Greatness (amgreatness.com) ’ By David Keltz — February 10, 2022 When one candidate “wins” three swing states by fewer than 50,000 votes, with serious problems verifying hundreds of thousands of those votes, that is not evidence of a free and fair election.". . .

Unless we figure out what exactly happened, why it happened and how to fix it going forward, then the American people will never have confidence in our elections again.

  Lucianne.com News Forum

                                                           

Serial NYC purse snatcher has 59 busts — and still avoids jail (nypost.com)   "The system is working — in this alleged crook’s favor. "A robbery suspect with 59 busts under her belt has been through a revolving door of arrests — and avoided jail again this week for yet another mugging, cops say.". . . 

The Disaster at Our Southern Border

When I say that the Biden administration methodically undid every meaningful border security policy that it inherited, what specifically do I mean?

Imprimis (hillsdale.edu)  "In just a few short months, the Biden administration has created a disaster on the southern border of the United States. It did so by methodically—and by all indications intentionally—undoing every meaningful border security measure that had been in place. As a result, we have had five straight months of over 170,000 illegal immigrants apprehended at the border. The number in June was the highest in over 20 years. And Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been effectively shut down.

"Our national discussion of border security is generally misleading, and it is designed to be misleading by those who favor open borders. They frame the issue as if the American people face a binary choice: either let all immigrants in because they are “looking for a better life” or close our borders completely and inhumanely. But this is a false choice. The unspoken alternative is to enforce the law, taking in immigrants who enter the U.S. legally while securing our borders against those who attempt to enter illegally—particularly those meaning to do us harm.

"Illegal immigration is, of course, nothing new. It has been a problem in our country for many decades. What is relatively new is the total lack of concern we see in the Biden administration, especially in terms of the national security aspect of border control.

"Unbelievable as it may seem to us today, it was only 15 years ago—with the 9/11 terrorist attacks still fresh in our minds—when Congress came together in a bipartisan effort to pass the Secure Fence Act of 2006. The Secure Fence Act directed the Department of Homeland Security to take appropriate actions to achieve “operational control” over U.S. land and maritime borders to “prevent unlawful entry.” It defined operational control as the prevention of all unlawful entries into the U.S., including terrorists, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband. And it specifically set the goal of “provid[ing] at least two layers of reinforced fencing, installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors.” It added thousands of Border Patrol personnel, mandated the acquisition of new technologies, and resulted in the construction of more than 650 miles of physical barrier along the southern border of the U.S. between 2006 and 2011. ". . .

Genocide Barbie: US-Born Freeskier Who Won Gold for China, Calls Herself an ‘Ally’ of BLM, Remains Silent on China’s Genocide

 Breitbart

"After shunning her native country and choosing to compete for China, many have questioned US-born Olympic freeskier Eileen Gu’s true allegiances. However, there is one group that Gu proudly associates with, Black Lives Matter.

"In March of last year, the California native gave an interview to the South China Morning Post, in which she called herself an “ally” of Black Lives Matter. In the article, Gu lamented the rash of anti-Asian hate crimes occurring across the country. Gu said that she and her grandmother had fallen victim to such an attack.

“ 'I remember at the beginning of the pandemic, I was with my grandma in a Walgreens in San Francisco and this haphazard, haggard man runs in screaming profanities about Asian people and how they were bringing the virus in and how it was super dangerous. I don’t think I’ve ever felt fear like that in my entire life.

“ 'This was in San Francisco – supposed to be the liberal bubble within California, which is the most liberal state, in the most liberal country in the world. This was supposed to be the safest place and I felt physically in danger. I grabbed my grandma and we ran out. I was so scared. That moment was definitely a reset because I realized how close to home it hit.". . .

. . ."Ahead of the start of the Beijing Olympics last week, other American skiers expressed discontent with Gu’s decision to compete for China.

"It is not my place to judge, but Eileen is from California, not from China, and her decision [to ski for China] seems opportunistic,” Jen Hudak, a former Winter X Games gold medalist for the USA women’s team, told the New York Post. “I can’t speak to what Eileen’s Chinese heritage means to her and she has every right to do what she believes is best for her career.”

"Hudak added that Gu “became the athlete she is because she grew up in the United States, where she had access to premier training grounds and coaching that, as a female, she might not have had in China.”

“I think she would be a different skier if she grew up in China,” she continued. “This makes me sad. It would be nice to see the medals going to America.”

And then there was this ex-American:

Chinese Mercilessly Heckle Figure Skater Who Defected from U.S. After Olympic Fall (breitbart.com)  "Chinese social media users, who typically echo the sentiments of the Communist Party lest they be censored, have mercilessly heckled 19-year-old figure skater Zhu Yi – born in America but competing for China – after she fell on the ice on Sunday and finished in last place at the Beijing Winter Olympics.". . .

#WalkAway campaign founder: 'Feds tried to destroy me over Jan. 6'

 Gazette.com

Straka says he was then placed in a concrete cell with a metal door that didn't open for two days. A tiny vertical sliver passed for a window to the outdoors, and a flap in the door allowed food to pass through.

"On Jan. 6, 2021, social media influencer Brandon Straka ran a thriving nonprofit organization with a massive following, had a game plan for red-pilling Democratic minorities, and was personally invited by President Donald Trump to attend a rally.

"It all came crashing down when Straka was seen standing on the East Lawn of the Capitol filming people, out of view from the violence and chaos seen around the world. Straka unwittingly became one of the event's most famous defendants when he was arrested two weeks later by a SWAT team that he says treated him as a terrorist.

"He is now confined to his home, claims he has been placed on a terror watchlist, and is on federal probation for the next three years. Straka says the experience has left him shaken.

"'The unchecked power of the federal government to come after American citizens who support a man the government establishment hates is terrifying," Straka told the Washington Examiner. "They have unlimited power and resources to destroy people who reject their politics.' "