President Donald J. Trump

[smccomas69]

Where, exactly, did the Russians get the information they used to try to ''influence the election''?  Where did they get it, if not from Hilary's emails taken from her server? 

None of the email "leaked" were lifted from her server the Russian's probably do have those. All the email came from the DNC and Podesta some may have originated from her server but they were sent else where DNC, Podesta. IF we had seen the emails from her server i.e. from one mail recipient to another never leaving the server then yeah someone hacked it (Russian's ISIS someone) we never saw those.

The Russian's had nothing to do with Wiki Leaks.   

[Jackstar]

[Meister_000]

Well, if I'm so ''uninformed'' let me repeat the questions you didn't respond to in your post: 

Where, exactly, did the Russians get the information they used to try to ''influence the election''?  Where did they get it, if not from Hilary's emails taken from her server?  Isn't the release of Hilary's embarrassing emails exactly what we're talking about?

Since Evelyn Farkus and Susan Rice have both admitted collecting and spreading information gathered on Trump, and it found its way into the Democrat Media, please explain how that isn't due to spying and illegal leaking.  Really, I'd like to know.


We know Obama spied on the media, on the Congress, on our allies.  He tried to make the case for collecting every phone call, internet message, even front and back photos of all our mail.  But you think he would draw the line on the Trump campaign and transition team?  Even though officials in his administration admitted having the info and spreading it? 

Go ahead, lets have another frantic, emotional post, instead of an actual answer.

The Russian Active Influencing and Disinformation campaign and strategy was carried out via multiple avenues, means, and platforms -- hacking being only one type used within the overall cyber-front.

Of those (hacking only) means, the most significant 2 hacking events were:
- the DNC servers
- and also (separately) the private email account of John Podesta.

Both of those hacks were exicuted by Russian operatives and (select prefiltered batches of same) were then passed to Wikileaks for mass distribution (with release content and times calculated to do maximum damage as well).

These Wikipedia links are provided as a courtesy -- you must do your own f-ing homework:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee_cyber_attacks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podesta_emails

As for the balance of your bloviatory post -- drop dead (fool).

[GravitySucks]

None of the email "leaked" were lifted from her server the Russian's probably do have those. All the email came from the DNC and Podesta some may have originated from her server but they were sent else where DNC, Podesta. IF we had seen the emails from her server i.e. from one mail recipient to another never leaving the server then yeah someone hacked it (Russian's ISIS someone) we never saw those.

The Russian's had nothing to do with Wiki Leaks.   

None of the emails from the HRC server on WikiLeaks were the result of hacks. They were all released due to FOIA requests and simply indexed and republished on WikiLeaks.

I have no doubt that the Russains hacked her server, but they didn't release them to WikiLeaks. If the had, there would have been 90,000 or so (including the 1000 that the DoD has between her and Petraeus).

[smccomas69]

The Russian Active Influencing and Disinformation campaign and strategy was carried out via multiple avenues, means, and platforms -- hacking being only one type used within the overall cyber-front.

Of those (hacking only) means, the most significant 2 hacking events were:
- the DNC servers
- and also (separately) the private email account of John Podesta.

Both of those hacks were exicuted by Russian operatives and (select prefiltered batches of same) were then passed to Wikileaks for mass distribution (with release content and times calculated to do maximum damage as well).

These Wikipedia links are provided as a courtesy -- you must do your own f-ing homework:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee_cyber_attacks

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podesta_emails

As for the balance of your bloviatory post -- drop dead (fool).

ok prove it.

Do not post Wikipedia, show me in the intelligence report where the definitively states who the actors were and the method they used. I have read the report point out what I missed.

[PB the Deplorable]

The Russian Active Influencing and Disinformation campaign and strategy was carried out via multiple avenues, means, and platforms -- hacking being only one type used within the overall cyber-front.

Of those (hacking only) means, the most significant 2 hacking events were:
- the DNC servers
- and also (separately) the private email account of John Podesta.

Both of those hacks were exicuted by Russian operatives...

I have to say, I've sent a lot of email in my life.  Some were confidential, but there wasn't a single one I'd be embarrassed about if for some reason it was hacked and leaked to the media. 

What is it about Hilary Clinton and the DNC that they have thousands of emails so embarrassing they think by being discovered by the voters it would cause them to lose elections?  What kind of admission is that?  If they are that dishonest and lacking in ethics, why is it such a bad thing they were exposed?  Why should Hilary get a pass for accepting questions to a debate in advance?  Why are you so intent on defending this?

[PB the Deplorable]

... As for the balance of your bloviatory post -- drop dead (fool).

You mean the part about Obama's police state tactics of spying on the opposition during the campaign?  Or the general spying he conducted on everyone he could think of for the eight years of his regime?  Both?

Or the part about after all this time where is there any evidence of Trump collusion with the Russians?

What is it about these questions you don't wish to answer?

[Meister_000]

I have to say, I've sent a lot of email in my life.  Some were confidential, but there wasn't a single one I'd be embarrassed about if for some reason it was hacked and leaked to the media. 

What is it about Hilary Clinton and the DNC that they have thousands of emails so embarrassing they think by being discovered by the voters it would cause them to lose elections?  What kind of admission is that?  If they are that dishonest and lacking in ethics, why is it such a bad thing they were exposed?  Why should Hilary get a pass for accepting questions to a debate in advance?  Why are you so intent on defending this?

Shut the fuck up and begin your studies.
(and you're welcome -- for the pimer, a-hole)

[PB the Deplorable]

Vote For Hilary!  Sure she's a criminal, but you weren't supposed to know that.

[albrecht]

You mean the part about Obama's police state tactics of spying on the opposition during the campaign?  Or the general spying he conducted on everyone he could think of for the eight years of his regime?  Both?

Or the part about after all this time where is there any evidence of Trump collusion with the Russians?

What is it about these questions you don't wish to answer?

What I don't get is that Obama's NSA admits to spying just about everybody, including members of Congress, and our intelligence agencies brag about our surveillance and data-mining capacities, even down to the local PD using things like STINGRAY etc and the media complaining about all the Russian hacking etc but nobody can find all the Clinton emails that were on the unsecured, illegal server? How is that all data-mining and etc done NSA, DIA, foreign intelligence agencies, giant corporations, ISPs, etc can find just about everybody else's activity (or so we are told) but Hillary's can "disappear?"

And drip by drip all of the claims that Obama targeted the Trump team keep coming out. But now, since the media has determined that instead of a Russian agent Trump is now a Putin opponent and wants to start a war with him, all the past is forgotten? It is pretty simple: if the government under Obama, and before but he simply ramped it up, is spying on Congress and an average citizens why would we presume that it wouldn't be spying on a billionaire who does international deals and is running for President against their chosen candidate. The very fact that many, if not all, Americans are being surveilled to some extent would mean certain Trump, and his staff, would be.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-obtained-fisa-warrant-to-monitor-former-trump-adviser-carter-page/2017/04/11/620192ea-1e0e-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html?utm_term=.8f03510c7234

[Kidnostad3]

Great. With that money made from exporting coal we can give China back even more to import their solar systems, since they dominate the clean energy industry. Trump's vision is not sustainable.

In the levelling of global CO2 emissions, we can now see the results of domestic action. China is the world leader in renewable energy investment, with $102.9 billion in 2015. In 2013, China banned construction of new coal plants in three industrial regions, and in 2014, the country set new targets to reduce or limit coal use in 12 provinces for the period of 2014 to 2017.
In China, the shift to low-carbon energy is helping to address the air pollution crisis, and renewable energy employed 3.5 million workers at the end of 2015, more than the oil and gas industry. Recently, China announced investment of $360 billion in renewable energy through 2020, which is expected to create 13 million more jobs.

http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/01/china’s-decline-coal-consumption-drives-global-slowdown-emissions

“They [China] fundamentally changed the economics of solar all over the world,” said Amit Ronen, director of the Solar Institute of George Washington University, one of many scholars following the intense competition in the emerging $100 billion industry that supports the world’s growing solar energy demands.
China dominates the solar market in PV installation as well as total installed capacity, with the United States a distant third and fourth, respectively.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-china-is-dominating-the-solar-industry/

You are a true student of Obama tactics.  With everything going on in the world at this moment, you want talk about solar panels.  We all can remember when ISIS was doing its worst how Obama told us that we should not be concerned with that lightweight JV squad but that the immediate threat was global warming or was it climate change by that time since it had already been shown that the globe wasn't warming.

I sincerely believe that you are a troll working in a boiler room with 100 other trolls.  Your posts are so rediculously party line and repetitive that we all could recite them verbatim like we can the refrain from We Will Rock You.  You only engage until, as so often happens, your argument fails.  At that point you attempt to change the subject with another canned talking point.  You are a boring one trick pony who shows every sign of being an obsessive compulsive slave to your hero worship of Obama and the unquestioning acceptance of the left wing dogma that such devotion demands.  Most of us are capable of looking at both sides of a question and objectively weighing the merits of each side.   If I have missed a post of yours that would give any indication that you are capable of doing that please advise.

[Meister_000]

[Repost from March 5th 2017 -- for PB's remediation]

Recorded Interview from Feb 22, 2017
Interviewed is Malcolm Nance, retired United States Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer in naval cryptology, and author. His book, and this 75min interview, details Russia's successful effort to help Donald Trump win the election.

The first part of the talk covers Russia's hacking of the DNC's servers and then how things got passed to Wikileaks from there, and how this was designed (by Russia) to split the Dems and thus ultimately help Trump. Much-then on Trump's tainted circle of influencers, and finally Trump himself. Near the end we also hear a bit about the 7 (now 8 as of last night) Russians connected with the Steele Dossier (UK spy) who've managed to "pass on" just recently. Really _really_ good. Strikes me as the real-deal "spook" insider, i.e. authentic, convincing, very.

Facinating thing; this guy's book was published back in Sept 2016, two months _before_ the election win that shocked/stunned the world.

P.S. There's little about Sessions discussed -- was probably just trying to get attention to his show (but don't let that stop you, I'm just forewarning you of that detail I just noticed in his tweet txt).

{mp3 show podcast audio link embedded in tweet}

Interview 1:15 hrs Malcolm Nance: Author of "The Plot to Hack America" Feb 22, 2017

[tweet]837139563340521472[/tweet]

[Spy]

What do we have here? Sean Hannity complaining about Obama playing golf after recommending military action against Syria in 2013. House Republicans and Trump thought military action then was a really bad idea.  Now it's a good thing - and Trump's almost weekly trips to Florida are a good thing. 

[GravitySucks]

[Repost from March 5th 2017 -- for PB's remediation]

Recorded Interview from Feb 22, 2017
Interviewed is Malcolm Nance, retired United States Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer in naval cryptology, and author. His book, and this 75min interview, details Russia's successful effort to help Donald Trump win the election.

The first part of the talk covers Russia's hacking of the DNC's servers and then how things got passed to Wikileaks from there, and how this was designed (by Russia) to split the Dems and thus ultimately help Trump. Much-then on Trump's tainted circle of influencers, and finally Trump himself. Near the end we also hear a bit about the 7 (now 8 as of last night) Russians connected with the Steele Dossier (UK spy) who've managed to "pass on" just recently. Really _really_ good. Strikes me as the real-deal "spook" insider, i.e. authentic, convincing, very.

Facinating thing; this guy's book was published back in Sept 2016, two months _before_ the election win that shocked/stunned the world.

P.S. There's little about Sessions discussed -- was probably just trying to get attention to his show (but don't let that stop you, I'm just forewarning you of that detail I just noticed in his tweet txt).

{mp3 show podcast audio link embedded in tweet}

Interview 1:15 hrs Malcolm Nance: Author of "The Plot to Hack America" Feb 22, 2017

[tweet]837139563340521472[/tweet]

Poor Seth Rich died for nothing then?

You are naive. They decided to hack the DNC servers to split the Dem's?  How did they know there was anything substantive that would "split the Dems"

The Rusiinas may well have hacked the DNC and the Clinton server, but they didn't leak anything to WikiLeaks. The more plausible scenario is tha they were holding on to it (in addition to Clinton Foundation server contents) expecting that HRC would have been elected.  Much more valuable holding on to it and using it for leverage.

[Meister_000]

. . . I sincerely believe that you are a troll working in a boiler room with 100 other trolls.  Your posts are so rediculously party line and repetitive that we all could recite them verbatim like we can the refrain from We Will Rock You.  You only engage until, as so often happens, your argument fails.  At that point you attempt to change the subject with another canned talking point.  You are a boring one trick pony who shows every sign of being an obsessive compulsive slave to your hero worship of Obama and the unquestioning acceptance of the left wing dogma that such devotion demands.  Most of us are capable of looking at both sides of a question and objectively weighing the merits of each side.   If I have missed a post of yours that would give any indication that you are capable of doing that please advise.

Reminder: you impress no-one, Kidnostad3.

[Meister_000]

Poor Seth Rich died for nothing then?

You are naive. They decided to hack the DNC servers to split the Dem's?  How did they know there was anything substantive that would "split the Dems"

The Rusiinas may well have hacked the DNC and the Clinton server, but they didn't leak anything to WikiLeaks. The more plausible scenario is tha they were holding on to it (in addition to Clinton Foundation server contents) expecting that HRC would have been elected.  Much more valuable holding on to it and using it for leverage.

Have you ever been "right,  here? -- asking for a friend.

[PB the Deplorable]

...

[tweet]837139563340521472[/tweet]

FYI, Sessions didn't ''lie'' about contact with the Russians.  He was responding to Frankenstein's question about Trump surrogates having discussions with the Russian government regarding the campaign.  Sessions knew he hadn't done that.  He met with the Russian ambassador in his role as a Senator. 

Lots of Senators meet with lots of diplomats, on a variety of issues.  There is no reason to believe he's lying, especially in the absence of any other evidence anyone in the Trump campaign was involved with the Russians on any of this. 

This is remarkably flimsy ''evidence''.  Compare this to what the Democrat Fake News Media lets slide when its some Democrat accused of something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-BEMIgdxQ

[smccomas69]

What I don't get is that Obama's NSA admits to spying just about everybody, including members of Congress, and our intelligence agencies brag about our surveillance and data-mining capacities, even down to the local PD using things like STINGRAY etc and the media complaining about all the Russian hacking etc but nobody can find all the Clinton emails that were on the unsecured, illegal server? How is that all data-mining and etc done NSA, DIA, foreign intelligence agencies, giant corporations, ISPs, etc can find just about everybody else's activity (or so we are told) but Hillary's can "disappear?"

DING DING DING. Those are the ones the Russian's have not the DNC or Podesta. They are not going to waste resources on a political hack and a has been come on.

This from a legit report  ICA 2017-01D 6 January 2017 "Putin most likely wanted to discredit Secretary Clinton because he has publicly blamed her since 2011 for inciting mass protests against his regime in late 2011 and early 2012, and because he holds a grudge for comments he almost certainly saw as disparaging him"

Someone on the Govt payroll actually wrote that and got paid for it FML.  Think about it, the Head of Russia, a world power, a former super power, who was a member of the KGB was butt hurt because Hill dog said bad things about him. That man has killed lots of people BUT Hillary got under his skin.

This is comic gold "We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic
process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency."

The Russian's did not write ANY of the emails, someone in the DNC said "Time to air the dirty laundry" they were probably pissed at what was done to Bernie, they were on the inside and in the know. The Russian's don't care. I do remember one email form Chelsea Clinton bitchin to a reporter or someone about an article. Something about the foundation "looking" like pay to play. When I read that I literally laughed, I was on a customer site. The VP heard me and asked what was so funny and I showed him and he laughed also. Yeah it was those Russian's they had got to him it was all their fault.

Great Meme War Veteran.
A free people don't ask to post dank meme's   

         

[Dr. MD MD]

You are a true student of Obama tactics.  With everything going on in the world at this moment, you want talk about solar panels.  We all can remember when ISIS was doing its worst how Obama told us that we should not be concerned with that lightweight JV squad but that the immediate threat was global warming or was it climate change by that time since it had already been shown that the globe wasn't warming.

I sincerely believe that you are a troll working in a boiler room with 100 other trolls.  Your posts are so rediculously party line and repetitive that we all could recite them verbatim like we can the refrain from We Will Rock You.  You only engage until, as so often happens, your argument fails.  At that point you attempt to change the subject with another canned talking point.  You are a boring one trick pony who shows every sign of being an obsessive compulsive slave to your hero worship of Obama and the unquestioning acceptance of the left wing dogma that such devotion demands.  Most of us are capable of looking at both sides of a question and objectively weighing the merits of each side.   If I have missed a post of yours that would give any indication that you are capable of doing that please advise.

Impressive post. 

[smccomas69]

[Repost from March 5th 2017 -- for PB's remediation]

Recorded Interview from Feb 22, 2017
Interviewed is Malcolm Nance, retired United States Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer in naval cryptology, and author. His book, and this 75min interview, details Russia's successful effort to help Donald Trump win the election.

The first part of the talk covers Russia's hacking of the DNC's servers and then how things got passed to Wikileaks from there, and how this was designed (by Russia) to split the Dems and thus ultimately help Trump. Much-then on Trump's tainted circle of influencers, and finally Trump himself. Near the end we also hear a bit about the 7 (now 8 as of last night) Russians connected with the Steele Dossier (UK spy) who've managed to "pass on" just recently. Really _really_ good. Strikes me as the real-deal "spook" insider, i.e. authentic, convincing, very.

Facinating thing; this guy's book was published back in Sept 2016, two months _before_ the election win that shocked/stunned the world.

P.S. There's little about Sessions discussed -- was probably just trying to get attention to his show (but don't let that stop you, I'm just forewarning you of that detail I just noticed in his tweet txt).

{mp3 show podcast audio link embedded in tweet}

Interview 1:15 hrs Malcolm Nance: Author of "The Plot to Hack America" Feb 22, 2017

[tweet]837139563340521472[/tweet]

“This is a slow roll political attack on the entire political infrastructure of America. It is Watergate â€" it’s literally Watergate. They did what Nixon couldn’t do.”  Malcolm Nance, guy is brilliant.

So tell me about Watergate tell me what you know. Hell tell me about Nixon's impeachment. 

[Kidnostad3]

Reminder: you impress no-one, Kidnostad3.

Wouldn't that go without saying if it were true.  Yet you found it necessary to say it.  Don't worry though, I don't put you in the same category as Uhura.  Being a psychotic dyke is a whole different thing. 

[Meister_000]

“This is a slow roll political attack on the entire political infrastructure of America. It is Watergate â€" it’s literally Watergate. They did what Nixon couldn’t do.”  Malcolm Nance, guy is brilliant.
So tell me about Watergate tell me what you know. Hell tell me about Nixon's impeachment.

It's called a "metaphor" -- sorta like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. K?

[Meister_000]

FYI, Sessions didn't ''lie'' about contact with the Russians.  He was responding to Frankenstein's question about Trump surrogates having discussions with the Russian government regarding the campaign.  Sessions knew he hadn't done that.  He met with the Russian ambassador in his role as a Senator. 

Lots of Senators meet with lots of diplomats, on a variety of issues.  There is no reason to believe he's lying, especially in the absence of any other evidence anyone in the Trump campaign was involved with the Russians on any of this. 

This is remarkably flimsy ''evidence''.  Compare this to what the Democrat Fake News Media lets slide when its some Democrat accused of something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-BEMIgdxQ

We're not talking about Sessions, maggot, get back to your studies.

[JesusJuice]

.

[Lt.Uhura]

I think you mean this renewable energy.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Fuel-loading-starts-at-Chinese-demonstration-HTGR-0704175.html or was it this one?

http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/04/china-completes-tests-on-reactor-pressure-vessel-for-first-new-version-of-a-domestic-nuclear-reactor-design.html

I want to save the environment...

Also they are going to be the first to cure lung cancer   

We are polluting the planet unnecessarily. In too many instances fossil fuel corporate profits take precedence over environmental/health concerns. From early indications it appears Trump's emphasis is on the corporate side. Too bad. The workers and others who depend on the coal industry know what's up. To tell them he's bringing back their coal jobs is a lie. What we all need is a leader with a vision for developing clean energy alternatives and the jobs, growth, and optimism that go with such a path.

Indeed, it's quite possible China may be "first" with breakthroughs in medicine and science as well, such as a "cure for lung cancer"...

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/16/520390147/trump-administration-proposes-big-cuts-in-medical-research

[Meister_000]

Wouldn't that go without saying if it were true.  Yet you found it necessary to say it.  Don't worry though, I don't put you in the same category as Uhura.  Being a psychotic dyke is a whole different thing.

Yes, it goes without saying to/for those assembled. The reminder was directed at you and for your consumption -- lest you kid yourself further (every time you post one of those similar projectionisms which also just happen to include allusions to your own personal would-be widely know and accepted, assumed "high standing and regard" within the group -- or some such sillyness). This time you were fancying yourself a model of "objectivity" and "rationality, and also implying that you have "contributed much" here (?!)  Thus, "spare us" was my message to you -- you are fooling no-one who's been around here for any length of time seeing you in action. Clear now?

[mikuthing01]

.

I am torn on Korea... Sojung or Tea girl, why must i choose?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9HWLuhSPjQ

[GravitySucks]

We are polluting the planet unnecessarily. In too many instances fossil fuel corporate profits take precedence over environmental/health concerns. From early indications it appears Trump's emphasis is on the corporate side. Too bad. The workers and others who depend on the coal industry know what's up. To tell them he's bringing back their coal jobs is a lie. What we all need is a leader with a vision for developing clean energy alternatives and the jobs, growth, and optimism that go with such a path.

Indeed, it's quite possible China may be "first" with breakthroughs in medicine and science as well, such as a "cure for lung cancer"...

The Navajo and Hopi hope that the Trump administration keeps their mine open.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/02/23/arizona-kayenta-coal-mine-hopi-navajo-tribes-power-plant/98144914/

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2017/03/30/navajo-nation-officials-want-president-donald-trump-subsidize-kayenta-mine-power-plant/99782464/

[Meister_000]

CNN Exclusive: (Re Susan Rice)
Tue April 11, 2017
Classified docs contradict Nunes surveillance claims, GOP and Dem sources say

Republican and Democratic lawmakers and aides have so far found no evidence that Obama administration officials did anything unusual or illegal

Their private assessment contradicts President Trump's allegations that former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice broke the law by requesting the "unmasking" of US individuals' identities

After a review of the same intelligence reports brought to light by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers and aides have so far found no evidence that Obama administration officials did anything unusual or illegal, multiple sources in both parties tell CNN.

Their private assessment contradicts President Donald Trump's allegations that former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice broke the law by requesting the "unmasking" of US individuals' identities. Trump had claimed the matter was a "massive story."

However, over the last week, several members and staff of the House and Senate intelligence committees have reviewed intelligence reports related to those requests at NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland.

One congressional intelligence source described the requests made by Rice as "normal and appropriate" for officials who serve in that role to the president.

And another source said there's "absolutely" no smoking gun in the reports, urging the White House to declassify them to make clear there was nothing alarming in the documents.

Still, some members of Congress continue to have concerns about the justification given for the unmasking requests and the standards for the intelligence community to grant such requests, which reveal the private data of US persons mentioned in intelligence reports based on routine intelligence collection aimed at foreign nationals. Such collection regularly targets officials and nationals from Russia, Taiwan, Israel and other countries.

The lawmakers' assessment comes after Trump, in a New York Times interview last week, accused Rice of breaking the law.

Trump has not revealed which intelligence reports he is relying on to make his charge that Rice may have acted illegally.

"I think it's going to be the biggest story," Trump said. "It's such an important story for our country and the world." He also called it "truly one of the big stories of our time."

Asked by the Times if he believed Rice's actions were criminal Trump responded, "Do I think? Yes, I think."

Sebastian Gorka, a Trump foreign policy aide, cast Rice's actions as worse than the Watergate scandal that felled President Richard Nixon in an interview with pro-Trump Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Rice defended her actions last week on MSNBC, saying her requests were "absolutely not for any political purposes, to spy, or anything."

"There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a US person was referred to -- name not provided, just a US person -- and sometimes in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report, and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out, or request the information as to who the US official was," Rice said.
"The notion that some people are trying to suggest, is that by asking for the identity of a person is leaking it, is unequivocally false," she said. "There is no connection between unmasking and leaking." . . .

[TigerLily]

Donald Trump’s Lifestyle Could Cost Taxpayers Nearly $1 Billion

Of the 82 days of Trump’s presidency, 21 of them have been spent at Mar-a-Lago. Seventeen of them have been spent on the golf course. As CNN reported, these trips have cost roughly $21.6 million. (That number does not include the substantial sums the Secret Service spends to protect the president’s children when they travel overseas for business trips, as Eric Trump did in January when he flew to Uruguay to promote the Trump Organization. Nor does it include the unknown cost to taxpayers when nearly 100 Secret Service agents escorted the president’s extended family on a spring break trip to Aspen last month.)

Shuttling the president back and forth to Palm Beach isn’t the only expense weighing on the Secret Serviceâ€"not to mention the Palm Beach police department, which is reportedly spending $60,000 a day in overtime when Trump is in town. According to The New York Times, the agency is shelling out money to rent space in Trump Tower and pay for hotel rooms, transportation, and living expenses in order to accommodate the First Family’s lifestyle. Agents from across the country are being diverted from their normal work on criminal-investigation duties in order to protect the Trump family. The agency is tasked with protecting Trump’s wife, five children, three of their spouses, and a handful of his top aides like Kellyanne Conway and Reince Priebus, at the president’s request. In fact, the Secret Service reportedly had to request $60 million in additional funding for next year in order to keep up with the Trump lifestyle. - VF