Initial reaction by NYT to Mueller report

By Ray McGovern

Just back from Ireland, Ray has a few comments on the remarkable editorial by the NY Times Editorial Board on the Mueller report. See below.

Stay tuned for more dancing around and about by the scoundrels in charge of the Times, as well as by those still unable to make their peace with the reality that Hillary Clinton needed no Russian help to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory in 2016.

Now if Nancy Pelosi and Jerrold Nadler would do their Constitutional duty and begin impeachment proceedings regarding Trump’s real “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and prescind from what was a “red herring” (no pun intended) from the start, it might be possible — as the Founders intended — to get rid, or at least restrain — Trump in an orderly, constitutional way.  It is important that this be done before it is too late and the nativists become restless — and reckless.

Andrew Johnson, who became president after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, was impeached and, ipso facto, restrained from committing further crimes.  In other words, impeachment worked in that case; it can work again.  Most folks focus on the fact that the Senate failed by one vote to convict Andrew Johnson and evict him from office.  But that was of demonstrably secondary importance.

If today’s Senate failed to convict Trump — as seems almost certain — so what?  The impeachment of Trump might well hinder him from committing still more crimes — like attacking Iran or risking a military confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia, as he is being urged to do by “the crazies” he adopted, Bolton and Pompeo.  The oft-heard “Pence would be still worse,” is the wrong way to look at it, in my view. We are not likely to end up with Pence in any case. And, even in the unlikely case we did, he might well be restrained by what happened to his predecessor, even if, like Mike Pompeo, he actually believes in the Rapture.

In 2007, Pelosi prevented then-Judiciary Chair John Conyers from starting impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush, an unrepentant war criminal, because she did not want the Democrats to seem divisive and thereby risk loosing votes in the 2008 election. I had a ring-side seat watching Conyers obey orders. See:

https://www.opednews.com/articles/Don-t-Be-Afraid-Nancy-IM-by-Ray-McGovern-CIA_Democrats_Impeach-Trump_Nancy-Pelosi-190111-574.html

Pelosi is doing the same thing now — the Constitution that she also swore to support and protect — be damned.  And not a bleat from timid politicians in the Democratic “leadership” who know what’s going on. O Tempora, O Mores!

Comments on NY Times editorial:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/opinion/mueller-report-release.html

“The Meaning of the Mueller Report

“So far it’s a vindication of the rule of law. Now the public needs to read it.

“By The Editorial Board

“The editorial board represents the opinions of the board, its editor and the publisher. It is separate from the newsroom and the Op-Ed section.

“March 22, 2019

“Give President Trump this much: In the face of the biggest existential threat to his presidency, the special counsel’s Russia investigation, he checked himself where it mattered most.

“Yes, his near-daily campaign to mock and discredit Robert Mueller’s ‘witch hunt’ has now lasted longer than his campaign for the White House. His shameful, conspiratorial attacks on the ‘deep state,’ *** and on the integrity of those who have devoted their lives to upholding the rule of law, have damaged the institutions of federal law enforcement and may have gotten him in even deeper trouble.

[*** all the more “shameful” since we of the media have become an essential part of the “deep state”]

“… Mr. Trump even joined a remarkably bipartisan House of Representatives, along with a vast majority of the American public, in calling for the release of Mr. Mueller’s report. ‘Let people see it,’ he said on Wednesday. ‘There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. There was no nothing.’

“On the first point, we can all agree. William Barr, the attorney general, needs to release as much of Mr. Mueller’s work as he possibly can, and soon.

“We’ll reserve judgment on the second. It may prove that Mr. Trump has kept repeating his mantra of ‘no collusion’ because it’s true. *** [Emphasis added]

“But even if Mr. Mueller has found in the end that Mr. Trump did not knowingly conspire with Russia — and it is profoundly to be hoped that the report settles that question, one way or the other — that doesn’t mean this inquiry has been a witch hunt.

[*** and, if it’s true, that would mean we, the Establishment media, were trumpeting (no pun intended) evidence-less untruths yet again.  Sixteen years ago we reported WMD in Iraq as flat fact, but we were not held accountable for that, which played a key role in rallying support for the war of aggression on Iraq. Simili modo, we portrayed “Russian hacking into the Democratic National Committee” as flat fact, drinking from the same “intelligence sources” who encouraged us to slurp lies about Iraq.

Why do that again?  Because we have full deep-state status now.  The MIC has morphed into the MICIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-MEDIA-Academia-Think-Tank) complex, and there are billions to make from profiteering on war. It is, of course, an old story.  Thomas Paine summed put it this way: “That there are men in all countries who get their living by war, and by keeping up the quarrels of Nations is as shocking as it is true…” ]

…

“Whether or not a sitting president can be indicted is a long-running debate among lawyers, but either way, Mr. Trump is sure to be under investigation for the rest of his term in office, and probably in court for the rest of his life.” ***

[*** And we can ensure that, because we are the Establishment media.  The vestigial Fourth Estate is now dead We can act as stenographers for what “the intelligence community” tells us to publish, and a large segment of the alternative media will parrot the pap we put out, as well.  So who will dare to, who will be able to, hold us to account?

We’ve got Chelsea Manning in solitary confinement again; we hope to nab Julian Assange soon for publishing the unadulterated truth. And, of no less importance, if we can continue to prevent Trump from creating a more decent relationship with Russia, we will make it far easier for those of us who profiteer from war.  In sum, we might label it: “Mission Half-Accomplished”.]

Veterans For Peace Activists Still in Irish Prison

By Ray McGovern

Former Maj. Ken Mayers, USMC, and former Army paratrooper Tarak Kauf, part of a 7-person VFP Delegation to Ireland, were arrested and jailed Sunday for an imaginative protest against “neutral” Ireland’s timidity in allowing the U.S. to ship armed troops off to war through Shannon Airport.  Others on the delegation are Enya Anderson, Ellen Davidson, Mike Ferner, Mike Hanes, and Ray.  Ed Horgan of Ireland Veterans for Peace coordinated the visit.

Those with interest in the delegation’s experience (for some of us a continuing one) can be briefed in some detail at the following links:

VFP Delegation in Ireland
Two U.S. Veterans For Peace Refused Bail, Charged with Trespassing at Shannon Airport
Updates on Tarak Kauff and Ken Mayers

Ray spoke in Belfast on March 19 and speaks in Derry on Thursday evening, the 21st.

Ray Acting/Speaking in Ireland: 3 parts (like a 3-leaf shamrock)

1— Shannon: On St. Patrick’s Day Ray, together with other Veterans For Peace, will expose the snakes that St. Patrick’s clean-up of Ireland missed — the ones who are willing to slobber over U.S. presidents and let them send arms and troops with weapons through Shannon Airport, violating Ireland’s neutrality.  The lingering unctuous lizards are the Irish leaders — recent and current — who turn a blind eye and deny this.  The exposers include two U.S. Marine Sergeants on the current Veterans For Peace to Ireland delegation, who came through Shannon years ago, fully armed, headed off to make war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2 — Belfast: Tuesday evening, March 19, 7:15 PM, Ray will join UK Ambassadors Craig Murray, Peter Ford, and others in a program titled, “Imperialism on Trial.”  Balmoral Hotel, doors open 7.  Please click on:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/imperialism-on-trial-presents-the-state-tickets-54754836189

What can we expect in coming years from the until-now hegemon country and its vassal states?  Raise your hand if you think coercive diplomacy, sanctions, war, and threats of war are likely to sustain the Empire for very much longer.  And a pox on proxy war!  The focus in Belfast will be on the role of various state agencies in sustaining a unipolar world.

Ray will discuss MICIMATT, a new acronym for the incestuous amoral reality whose maiden name was the Military-Industrial-Complex (MIC); i. e., the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex.  He’ll also include remarks on “regime change” — as in Iran, Chile, Ukraine, Venezuela(?), Washington (?)

The speakers for Tuesday will be:
Danny Morrison, Former Sinn Fein Director of Publicity
Craig Murray, Former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan
Peter Ford, Former UK Ambassador to Syria and Bahrain
Ray McGovern, Former CIA Analyst
Michael Pike, Former British Soldier, Veterans For Peace (VFP)
Patrick Henningsen, 21st Century Wire

The event in Belfast is part of a series produced by Gregory Sharkey called “Imperialism on Trial in the North of Ireland.”  This Tuesday event, and the one on March 21 in Derry (see below) will be live-streamed on RT UK Facebook page.

3 — Derry: Thursday, March 21, 7:15 PM, Ray will join Amb. Craig Murray, Patrick Henningsen of “21st Century Wire,” and other journalists to discuss the Establishment media and demonization and censoring of alternative outlets and voices, fake news, and the war on journalism.  The Fourth Estate is dead; can we find ways to use alternative media to spread some truth around?  The event is called: “Fake News – Establishment Media & War On Journalism;” it will take place at the Guildhall, Derry, on Thursday.  (See here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/imperialism-on-trial-fake-news-establishment-media-war-on-journalism-tickets-56245143739

Topics include: ‘Russiagate’- can we really blame Trump’s election on the Russians? False narrative on the war on Syria; The Magnitsky Act; Iran, Saudi Arabia, and what’s not been reported on Yemen; Venezuela, and the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes); Media & false consciousness; and, last but not least, Julian Assange.

Thirty complementary tickets have been set aside for the families of those murdered and wounded on “Blood Sunday,” and a spokesman for the families has been asked to give remarks.  Derry’s City Councillors have also been invited to be our guests. 

Thursday’s speakers are:
Craig Murray, Former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan
Ray McGovern, Former CIA Analyst
Patrick Henningsen, 21st Century Wire
Catherine Shakdam, Writer & Commentator
John Wight, Journalist

For both Belfast and Derry events:

Tickets are £5 online with EVENTBRITE, Imperialism on Trial; or £5 at the door.

The Big Lie About ‘Russian’ ‘Hacking’

By Diana West, March 6, 2019
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-big-lie-about-russian-hacking_2825871.html

West’s commentary begins:
“Hearing Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) address former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in committee last week was another grating reminder of how unproven theories—fantasies, even—become big lies: through constant, brazen repetition. At a certain point, they cut channels through the public mind*** and run through history evermore as ‘conventional wisdom.’ 
“We now teeter at this point with the unproven theory—aka big lie—that ‘the Russians’ ‘hacked’ the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
“Something happened at the DNC in 2016, all right, and that ‘something’ led to the WikiLeaks publication of thousands of DNC emails, and the swift disgrace and resignations of top DNC officials, including DNC chair Wasserman Schultz, over revelations of DNC favoritism toward Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders.
“Nearly three years have passed, however, and no one has produced forensic evidence of a DNC ‘hack’ by “the Russians”—and that includes special counsel Robert Mueller, whose 2018 indictment of a dozen or so Russians presents zero evidence to support his accusations. Not even the FBI discovered evidence of any hack at the DNC because, in part, the nation’s federal law enforcement body never examined the DNC’s computer servers. …”Ray comment on “the hack that supposedly gave us Trump:”
Was Mrs. Clinton’s 2016 bid for president hurt when WikiLeaks on July 22, 2016 published those DNC emails?  Of course.  Were the emails authentic?  Yes.  Did they expose a cabal that sabotaged the candidacy of Bernie Sanders?  Again, yes.
But how did WikiLeaks get the DNC emails?

Did the Russians hack into the DNC, steal the emails, and give them to WikiLeaks?  Most Americans have been led to believe that, but there is no evidence to support it.  Bottom line: The hard forensic evidence that does exist points clearly not to a HACK but rather to a LEAK by a person with direct access to the DNC computers.

The forensics do not identify the leaker.  One surmise is that it may have been an erstwhile Bernie Sanders supporter shocked at reading emails revealing the DNC shenanigans that, arguably, cost Sanders the nomination.  The late Seth Rich and perhaps associates, of course, are leading candidates.

Russia’s alleged role in all this was conjured up — a la “Weapons of Mass Destruction” supposedly in Iraq — by analysts handpicked by former National Intelligence Director James (the-Russians-are-almost-genetically-driven-to-be-deceitful) Clapper and his kemosabe ex-CIA Director John Brennan.  A key supporting role was played by a shockingly negligent FBI Director, James Comey, who avoided examining the supposedly ‘hacked’ DNC computers/servers.  Comey chose instead to say: “Mother, may I?” and was refused access.  Unbelievable, literally.

When the intelligence directors tried to sell ‘A Russian-hack-to-Wikileaks’ story to former President Barack Obama, he was not buying it .  And he made a point of saying so publicly just two days before he left town. (Better-late-than-never, I suppose.)

In contrast to Comey/Brennan/Clapper, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) have examined forensic evidence — largely metadata — that show the leak of the DNC emails was an inside job AND that Guccifer 2.0 is an out-and-out fraud.  (Mueller take note.)
VIPS has been pointing to this for well over two years, and continuing forensic research has helped confirm VIPS’ conclusions.  Yet, VIPS can found no outlet — even among most “progressive” media — willing to even report on VIPS findings.  A notable exception was an excellent article by Patrick Lawrence in The Nation in August 2017, but even then the Editor of The Nation was browbeaten by “progressives” into including a “dissent.” (See: https://raymcgovern.com/2017/09/02/trying-to-hold-on-to-the-legend-of-the-russian-hack/ )

WANTED: Suggestions as to how to get word on VIPS’ findings to Special Counsel Robert Mueller before he “completes” an incomplete report marred by Comey-style negligence.  There more than a handful of key witnesses and technical specialists that he apparently has not yet interviewed.
*** The end goal is not to get you to parrot that 2+2=5. The end goal is to make it so you’d never even consider that 2+2 could equal anything other than 5. (Hat tip to “HelenofdesTroy.”

Sorry, Russia-gaters; WikiLeaks Got the DNC Emails From Insider, not Russia

VIPSers Binney & Johnson use the forensics that the FBI avoided doing.
http://theduran.com/why-the-dnc-was-not-hacked-by-the-russians/?mc_cid=ed71b42640&mc_eid=913e2dde99

Thinking back, President Barack Obama dropped a huge hint two days before he left office, using his last press conference to point out that the “conclusions of the intelligence community” regarding how WikiLeaks received the DNC emails were “inconclusive.”  The nerve!  Daring to say that just 13 days after the U.S. intelligence Gang of Four briefed Obama up and down on their evidence-free “assessment” that WikiLeaks got the DNC emails via a Russian hack.

This was one time Obama summoned the courage to face down James (the-Russians-are-almost-genetically-driven-to-deceive) Clapper and other intelligence chiefs.  After all, Obama is a lawyer.  He “does evidence.”  In contrast, ex-CIA Director John Brennan, told Congress that he does not “do evidence.”

Back in the day, the intelligence community “did evidence.”  As soon as the evidence-impoverished “Intelligence Community Assessment” was published on January 6, 2017, members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) smelled a rat.  That same day, former NSA Technical Director William Binney and Ray published “The Dubious Case on Russian Hacking,”
[ https://consortiumnews.com/2017/01/06/the-dubious-case-on-russian-hacking/  ].

Then came “The Gaping Holes of Russia-gate,”
[ https://consortiumnews.com/2017/05/20/the-gaping-holes-of-russia-gate/  ], and in July 2017 VIPS published their key forensic-based study “Intel Vets Challenge ‘Russian Hack’ Evidence,”
[ https://consortiumnews.com/2017/07/24/intel-vets-challenge-russia-hack-evidence/ ], followed by “More Holes in the Russia-gate Narrative.” 
[ https://consortiumnews.com/2017/09/20/more-holes-in-russia-gate-narrative/ ], by Binney and Ray.

Even Michael Cohen admitted yesterday that he had no “direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia.” But, he added, “I have my suspicions.”  We intelligence analysts, back in the day, did not “do suspicions.”

There are 1,001 other reasons to impeach President Donald Trump, if Nancy Pelosi had the courage.  But politics, not the Constitution, reigns supreme in the people’s House to which Founders bestowed an orderly political process to get rid of such a president.  Shame on them all.