They Lied: McConnell And Ryan Just Blocked Expanded Russia Probe To Shield Trump From Impeachment

[CousinIT]

Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan’s early announcement that they were calling for a formal investigation of the Russian interference of the election made a big splash on Monday, but as the day developed it became clear that it was a lie. The Republican leaders were actually blocking any effort to expand the investigation, and the reason is truly disturbing.

In an effort to shield Donald Trump from a potentially impeachable scenario, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are rejecting growing calls for a wide-ranging special congressional panel to investigate Russian’s interference with the 2016 elections, and were instead simply endorsing their narrower and meaningless oversight work being performed by the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, reported Politico.

. . .

According to Politico, McConnell told reporters on Monday evening the Senate Intelligence Committee “is more than capable of conducting a complete review of this matter,” and made it clear that he will not support any kind of formal review aimed at producing a final report — like the one that resulted in the committee’s 2014 investigation of the Benghazi attacks.

This approach offers no guarantee that final investigative reports will ever be released to the public — and shields President-elect Donald Trump from a deeper congressional investigation looking into Russia’s motives.

Over in the House, Paul Ryan released a statement rejecting calls for a larger investigation. Instead, he cited the House probe would have a narrow focus on cyber threats.

http://politicaldig.com/gop-leaders-just-blocked-expanded-russia-probe-order-shield-trump/

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

1. How do we impeach Ryan and McConnell?

They aren't doing their jobs. Who can impeach them?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Only one Senator has ever been impeached, and no Congressmen.

The Senator was William Blount, in 1797. He was accused of conspiring to assist Britain in capturing Spanish territory, but the rest of the Senate refused to try him on the basis of the House's bill, and instead expelled him on its own authority. It is theoretically possible to impeach a member of the House but it has never happened and would probably have to be based on a charge of a crime. The GOP house is not going to impeach its own member.

So, it's not likely to happen.

[bdamomma]

8. They are up to eyeballs in this.

McConnell and Ryan are in this so deep they need boots.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Of course they did.

[Raster]

3. Is anyone surprised? Both Comrades McConnell and Ryan were part of the top secret...

..."Gang of Twelve" briefing where President Obama and the American Intelligence Services laid out their concerns about the Russia/Putin/Trump* connection. Both did everything they could at that time to shut down any further action. Both publicly conceded to any type of investigation ONLY AFTER PUBLIC OUTRAGE and pressure came to bear. Now both are rejecting calls for any larger, formal investigation. Why? Perhaps both Comrades McConnell and Ryan could possibly be implicated in deliberately HIDING evidence of tRump*'s involvement with Russia and Russia's involvement with the American election.

[bdamomma]

9. The information is going to come out

even the threads here have been coming out with some thought provoking stuff.

[2naSalit]

24. Ever since that

dossier story came out I have been saying that they and everyone inside the WH know about the putin factor and are complicit enablers if not co-conspirators. They are all guilty and we need to clean them out of government right away or we're toast.

[Raster]

39. And when you consider that the guy in the Russian agency...

...that *probably* provided the information to the ex-MI6 operative for the dossier, was in a PUBLIC MEETING when a group of -we can only assume- KGB/FSB enforcers entered the meeting, put a bag over his head and drug him out of the meeting. He was charged with TREASON, and recently his body was found in the trunk of his car. Cause of death: to be determined.

In summation: The person in Russia that passed along the tRump* information to the ex-MI6 agent that assembled the tRump* dossier --a secret source, known only to high-level US intelligence-- was MURDERED in classic Russian KGB enforecer style. That information could have only come from someone high up in the tRump* administration and/or US Intelligence.

[2naSalit]

40. Further implications...

If this is true, which I wouldn't doubt:

"there was no readout of the Trump-Putin call bc WH turned off recording"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028583486

[TrekLuver]

5. We are not going to let this go away.....................SORRY FUCKERS.

[notdarkyet]

20. If rump tries to drop sanctions on Russia you will really see some

Anger, protests and suspicion break out We need a deep throat or ? Who was it that leaked the pentagon papers? Ellsberg. Help, we need help. There must be someone out there who cares.

[Raster]

41. Rex Tillerson -former CEO of Exxon (world's largest petroleum conglomerate, and...

...one of the world's richest corporations which most of the time acts as it own nation-state, even when contrary to US national interests), was just confirmed as the tRump* Secretary of State. Exxon has agreements with Russia to develop potential Russian petroleum reserves valued at multiple billions of dollars. The United States imposed sanctions on Russia for hostile actions, including threatening AND ATTACKING it's neighbors. So sanctions in place, no Exxon petroleum dollars.

Russia, whose economy is ENTIRELY DEPENDENT on it's petroleum revenues, needs to develop its petroleum reserves in the worst way to alleviate its cash flow problems. Russia is broke. Set aside for the moment that Russian probably WOULD NOT HAVE its current cash flow and monetary issues had Putin and his accomplices NOT STOLEN THE WEALTH OF RUSSIA. Forensic accounting experts estimate that in reality, Bill Gates is not the world's richest man. It's Vladimir Putin, whose purloined fortunes are rat-holed around the world in hidden bank vaults, secret accounts and dummy corporations.

Long story short: Expect sanctions to be lifted as soon as possible. Tillerson's appointment to SofS serves a higher purpose, and that purpose IS NOT THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

[Achilleaze]

6. The Republicans are turning their back on American

i'm getting tighter with the evil Empire Russia

[dem4decades]

7. The comments to that story

were from 2016, am i missing something.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. You got that right. The OP posted a Dec. 2016 article as if it were yesterday: "just". . nt

Last edited Wed Feb 1, 2017, 11:40 PM - Edit history (1)

[WePurrsevere]

22. The OPs use of the word "just"...

Was because it's in the title of the article. They may not have noticed the dates of the comments and I don't see a date on the article itself (something I see all too often and find annoying as heck).

It is a bit confusing but I hadn't seen the story before so found it interesting even if from 1 1/2 months ago (it seems like an eternity now).

[WePurrsevere]

17. True, it's from mid December 2016 but...

not everyone has heard about it yet or there's been a recent story (that I haven't seen yet) that puts this one in a different light.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. OP wrote "just", as if it were today or yesterday. Maybe the OP made a mistake but

If it is a legitimate mistake (from not following the news), the OP should immediately self-delete it, unless they've posted and gone AWOL.

[adigal]

10. I just can't believe that more than 1/2 the country hates Trump

and we have ZERO ways to stop him. How can this be? How can we have gotten 3 million more votes, but still lost the Senate? Why is this happening???

[C_U_L8R]

11. Journalists and citizens

It's up to us. We only have each other.

[marybourg]

12. That's about it. But there are

320 million of us and we can make a mighty roar if we get angry enough.

[C_U_L8R]

18. Yes indeed. We outnumber them.

We just need to stick together and organize.
If the idiot teabaggers can do it, we can do it bigger and better.

[pangaia]

34. trumpo has the canons,,,

[calimary]

29. Seems to me what we have to do is take back the House and Senate IN THE NEXT MIDTERMS.

New leadership in the Senate and House means OUR side sets the agenda and decides what happens and what comes up for a vote and what's discussed and debated and put on the schedule.

WE NEED THAT POWER BACK! Because if we ever needed an independent prosecutor on the job, it's for this!

And we all need to vote. No excuses.

[Rex]

13. Of course they did. They are lying sacks of shit - traitors to America.

Worthless the lot of them. I hope they all are forced to rot in Siberia.

[AlexSFCA]

14. this is horrible

Trump is pursuing policies in Purin's national interest supporting his neo-Eurasian expansion. His policies are against the US.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Please DO NOT post Dec. 12, 2016 articles as if they happened yesterday. Don't waste our time.

This is old OLD news.

It is over seven (7) weeks OLD.

[Fast Walker 52]

28. thanks... kind of an important point

[Glimmer of Hope]

36. Thanks for pointing this out. I was mad the first time it read and now I am mad again.

[leanforward]

21. Do we need a national march?

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

He needs to be impeached. National marches are needed, everywhere.

We have to return to people power. Not, corporate power. Corporations are not people, just greedy.

I'm a loyal American in opposition. The Senate Leader and the House Speaker are not looking out for our best interests. On top of that they are not looking out for our future or our kids future.

[Fast Walker 52]

27. national strike is Feb 17

http://seattle.carpediem.cd/events/2445076-general-strike-against-trump-at-the-united-states-of-america/

[elementstew]

44. Many marches

I think we need at least one good march every month. I have a whole list of proposed dates that correspond to significant historical events in our historic struggle to form a more perfect union. I call them Deep Demonstration Dates

[SunSeeker]

23. Traitors to America. nt

[Turbineguy]

25. Snowden.

He leaked classified info. Look where it got him.

Somebody in the security services has to be in a protected position before releasing this type of info.

[Fast Walker 52]

26. good god, we are up to our fucking eyeballs in TREASON

[FailureToCommunicate]

30. Pitchforks and torches time!

[cstanleytech]

31. Question is are they really covering for Trump or for themselves?

After all it might not have been Trump or anyone in his campaign who was colluding with Russia to interfer but rather it could have been someone higher up in the GOP which could explain their wanting to neuter any investigation before it gets started.
Plus if it was Trump himself I doubt they would bother to much with blocking it because then Pence becomes President unless Pence was involved with them in colluding with Russia as well.

[Wounded Bear]

32. Surprise, surprise, surprise...

[pansypoo53219]

33. traitors all.

[lutherj]

35. Gives us ground for impeachment. Everything they do and are can be undone. N/t.

[Doitnow]

37. There must be so many corrupt Rethugs

in the Senate and tRump, having the goods on all of them, appears to be threatening disclosure if they step out of line. What will happen when they start crossing each other? Right now they are like a gang, each one having something to hide and they are all protecting each other. But sooner or later they will turn on each other just because they are so rotten so we'd better watch out when that happens.

[keithbvadu2]

38. "It turns out that United Russia won the elections in America,"

"It turns out that United Russia won the elections in America," Viktor Nazarov, the governor of Omsk, Russia, declared in a radio interview.

http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/news/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/news/world/make-russia-great-again-if-trump-lifts-sanctions-putin-could-finally-establish-his-country-as-an-equal-to-u-s&pubdate=2016-12-03

[BSdetect]

42. K&R

[elementstew]

43. In Contempt of Constituency

Wouldn't you like to see a law passed that made it a crime for our paid representatives to knowingly lie to or mislead the public? I call it a Contempt of Constituency law or The Honest Politician Act. I incorporated it into The People's Plan to Restore American Democracy.

[IamFortunesFool]

45. Tar and feather the bastards!

This sort of accountability is what once made our nation great...