Intelligence officials warned House lawmakers last week that Russia was interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get President Trump re-elected, five people familiar with the matter said, in a disclosure that angered Mr. Trump, who complained that Democrats would use it against him. The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, Mr. Trump berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Mr. Trump cited the presence in the briefing of Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who led the impeachment proceedings against him, as a particular irritant.
So, wait. We will now have a career Internet troll running the intelligence community because the guy who was running it before held a meeting with the proper constitutional officers and warned them that the Volga Bagmen were at it again, which we all knew because none of us are stupid, and because Bob Mueller warned us about it months ago, and the president* went batshit crazy at the whole notion of it's being discussed with people he doesn’t like?
Yep.
During the briefing to the House Intelligence Committee, Mr. Trump’s allies challenged the conclusions, arguing that Mr. Trump has been tough on Russia and strengthened European security. Some intelligence officials viewed the briefing as a tactical error, saying that had the official who delivered the conclusion spoken less pointedly or left it out, they would have avoided angering the Republicans.
Telling the truth on a matter of national security is now a “tactical error.” I don’t want to live in San Marcos .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubFgTk7m9f4 .. any more now that the revolution has succeeded.
ReminderReading Between the Votes: 53 Senators Say Trump Guilty on the Facts
"ForReal, Mueller Warns of Russian Sabotage and Rejects Trump’s ‘Witch Hunt’ Claims"
by Ryan Goodman
February 5, 2020
With Rep. Justin Amash’s (I-Mich.) vote in the House and Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) vote to convict in the Senate, the historic impeachment of President Donald Trump ended with a bipartisan tenor. But there’s an even broader bipartisan “vote” underlying the final Senate vote. It should not be missed or underestimated. A bipartisan majority of senators — including at least six Republicans – concluded that the House Managers proved their central case and that what the president did was wrong. As a result, Trump’s claim of “Exoneration!” should ring hollow.
Remember this: A bipartisan majority found that the factual allegations for Trump’s impeachment were proven. That includes: Senators Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, and Ben Sasse.
We collected the statements of the six Republican senators in the chart below. Contact us if we are missing anything or anyone (e.g., if you think Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) or others should be added).
But what about the fact that a majority of the Senate voted to acquit? Is that not a “win” for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as so many commentators will say? There is good reason to see it otherwise. As I commented .. https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1209111591897255936 .. before the Senate trial began, McConnell faced a no-win situation. If the Senate held a fair trial, it would be devastating for Trump. If the Senate held a sham trial, it would mean that the acquittal would be best understood as illegitimate, and no rightful claim could be made for “exoneration.”
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R. Ky.), aided by White House liaisons, exercised a behind-the-scenes campaign in the chamber to keep his members from panicking and breaking en masse from Mr. Trump. Mr. McConnell’s office even advised the president’s legal team throughout the process on which arguments were important to be made on the floor to resonate with certain undecided senators. -
If this were a regular courtroom, it would be deemed a mistrial and the verdict void.
But the more important point is the overwhelming evidence presented showed that President Trump did it: He wrongfully conditioned military assistance to Ukraine on a commitment to announce an investigation into Joe Biden. He was guilty as charged according to a clear bipartisan majority of the Senate. Yes, a majority did not support invoking the penalty of conviction and automatic removal from office, an outcome for which they can claim an immoral victory if they like.
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
