Wiretapping allegations accomplished what Trump wanted -- but may backfire bigly

[DonViejo]

By James Hohmann March 6 at 10:10 AM

THE BIG IDEA: It is easy to pooh-pooh Donald Trump’s predawn Saturday tweetstorm – accusing Barack Obama of the worst political crimes since Watergate while offering no evidence – as an undisciplined rant from someone who has long embraced conspiracy theories.

That neither gives the president enough credit nor reflects the gravity of his unfounded accusations.

It is past time to dispense with the fiction that Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He is trying to distract us. And, at least this weekend, he succeeded.

-- The country’s chief law enforcement officer made a false statement to Congress, while under oath, about his contacts with one of this nation’s biggest adversaries. (Legal experts, including Republicans, note that others have been prosecuted for less.) When he got busted, the attorney general initially claimed through a spokeswoman that he couldn’t recall specifics of what had been said during his undisclosed sit-down with the Russian ambassador, except that it wasn’t political in nature. Then, with his job on the line, he miraculously remembered supposedly exculpatory details.

This is a big dang deal, no matter how hard Sessions tries to spin it. It’s such a big deal that, after weeks of refusing to do so and with the president publicly urging him not to, the AG agreed to recuse himself from any investigations related to the 2016 campaign.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/03/06/daily-202-wiretapping-allegations-accomplished-what-trump-wanted-but-may-backfire-bigly/58bca8bde9b69b1406c75d42/?utm_term=.b57b3a4d0f40&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1

[JEFF9K]

1. Am I right in saying that presidents CAN'T order wiretaps?

If so, Trump's accusations make no sense at all.

[randome]

3. You are correct on both counts.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[underpants]

4. Yes. It has to go through court most likely the FISA court

[underpants]

2. I don't get this distraction thing

Yes he tries to distract and he his team do so constantly but this wiretapping thing is like throwing gas on a fire. It directly has to do with the Russian issue (why doesn't it have a name?) adding a 7th or 8th level/story to it.

[randome]

5. Perhaps he already KNOWS the evidence is overwhelming and he will soon be ousted.

So his options are to accept the inevitable or try to throw shit everywhere, hoping something sticks.

If he was able to get the House to investigate, it's possible they could find something that can be crazily spun as another conspiracy theory and therefore put doubt in the minds of some.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]All things in moderation, including moderation.[/center][/font][hr]

[TheDebbieDee]

8. I think the wire-tapping allegations is Trump's

attempt to suss out whether or not the US Intell or Law Enforcemt Communities have recordings of his conversations with the Russians! Comey says the allegations against Obama are a lie/false which tells Trump that Law Enforcemt does not have any recordings. (Remember that flap abt the WH contacting the DOJ/FBI abt the status of some investigation 2 weeks ago that caused a dust-up?)

Now Trump's trying to make sure that the Intell Community doesn't have recordings of his conversations with the Russians before he starts spinning his web of lies abt his dealings with the Russians...

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. That's what I think too - but everyone poo-poo'd me:) We don't really know how close

the relationship is between BreitBart and Trump team. They could have floated it all only to have people reply that they didn't tap. But, could be just Bannon wanting to know what someone might have on him? Trump seems sincerely seriously mad - unless he's a great actor. Say, Bannon wanted to know if stuff he said in TT is captured somewhere - he plants the BB story - knowing full well Dipshit will over-react and people will immediately try to prove Trump wrong.

Strikes me that a number of Trump associates are "getting corrections/retractions on the record publicly" - JD Gordon, Sessions, Carter Page. Like they know shit's about to hit the fan.

[underpants]

10. Very interesting. Thanks.

I still think this keeps this story alive or more alive if that's possible.

[jmg257]

6. With his response to the comments & question Franken asked taken in context, he'll be fine...

Franken: "CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, ‘Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.’ These documents also allegedly say quote, ‘There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump's surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.’

"Now, again, I'm telling you this as it's coming out, so you know. But if it's true, it's obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?"

Sessions: "Senator Franken, I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn't have — did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it."

He will simply say that he was referring to Franken's opening comment re:CNN, and meant that he, WHEN HE WAS A SURROGATE, did not have conversations with the Russians.

Nothing will happen other then he'll put in a written explanation, and his recusion from future related investigaions.

[ooky]

7. Republicans love it, because the M$M will talk about it non stop while

they silently destroy Americans health care this week.

May is well turn off our TV sets because this is all we're going to hear now for the next week.