Published on Jun 7, 2019
House Democrats plan mental health panel to diagnose Trump in absentia
House Democrats are planning a meeting to showcase “concerns” about President Donald Trump‘s sanity from psychiatrists who’ve never examined him, doubling down on years of insistence that he is too crazy for the office.
Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY) is bringing a panel of psychiatrists to Washington in July for a “town hall” to weigh in on the president’s mental health. While psychiatric associations strongly discourage their members from speculating on the sanity of patients they haven’t personally examined, the event’s leader, Yale School of Medicine’s Dr. Bandy Lee, insists she’s not actually diagnosing the president because anyone can tell he’s crazy.
Trump says impeachment-obsessed Dems are ‘getting NOTHING done’
“The president’s condition has been visibly deteriorating to the point where there’s a lot of talk right now about his mental state beyond mental health professionals,” Lee told the Washington Examiner. “It no longer takes a mental health professional to recognize the seriousness of the current presidency.”
The town hall will tentatively include a highlight reel from a March event that featured 13 “experts” from the mental health, philosophy, journalism, and history fields opining on Trump’s unfitness for command, Lee said. Every member of the House will be invited, and Congress, the media, and the public will have the opportunity to question her and other experts – though she hastened to add that they’d leave the question of whether to invoke the 25th Amendment or merely impeach Trump up to the Congress.
The anti-Trump #Resistance has fixated on his health from the beginning of his presidency, clinging to the 25th Amendment, which allows for the removal of a president whose cabinet has deemed him unfit to serve, as a possible silver bullet in case the dozens of probes and investigations underway don’t succeed in dislodging him from the White House. Democrats have scrutinized his medical exams, obsessed over the slightest expansion of his waistline, and picked apart his tweets and public statements, seeing dementia behind every “covfefe” and “big red button” tweet. No doctor’s clean bill of health is ever enough; a verdict of “insane,” on the other hand, is accepted even in absentia.
Yarmuth defended Lee and her colleagues’ long-distance diagnosis, insisting that “when they see patterns of behavior that are endangering people, that they have a professional obligation to go public and alert the people who are threatened, and in this case it’s the American people.”
Lee hopes to set up a “medical panel” that would evaluate not only Trump’s mental capacity but that of the numerous Democratic presidential candidates. She co-authored a report urging the president to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation absolved Trump of charges he had conspired with the Russian government to steal the office; when he chose to ignore the psychiatrists, they declared him unfit for command, claiming he “lacks basic mental capacity for duties of office” and suggesting he be cut off from access to nuclear weapons and war-making capabilities. “This is really a national emergency,” Lee declared.
Lee has been predicting the president’s mental collapse for the better part of two years. “He’s going to unravel, and we’re seeing the signs,” she warned Yarmuth and 12 other members of Congress in December 2017, two months after publishing ‘The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump’ in collaboration with 27 other psychiatrists. Lee has stopped just short of calling for Trump to be involuntarily committed, acknowledging that restraining him against his will for the “urgent evaluation” he needs would “really look like a coup.”
The American Psychiatric Association adopted the so-called “Goldwater Rule,” forbidding members to give diagnostic opinions on public figures they had not actually examined, in 1964 after Senator and Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater sued the publishers of a magazine piece polling psychiatrists over their opinion of his fitness to be president.
Lee said she would reconsider holding the town hall if no Republicans expressed interest in attending.
Hannity: Mainstream media ‘smear machine’ in full gear on Trump’s UK visit
Published on Jun 6, 2019
PLOT TWIST: Christopher Steele Will Meet With U.S. Officials, Report Says
By Hank Berrien
According to The Sunday Times, former British Intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who was responsible for the infamous Trump “golden showers” dossier, will meet with U.S. investigators in London to speak of his relationship with the FBI.
Steele has been adamantly refusing to meet with U.S. intelligence officials; the House Intelligence Committee, which was examining the origins of the dossier when it was under Republican control last year, requested for him to meet with them, but he would not. In the Senate, Senate Intelligence Chairman, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) has been trying for two years to interview Steele; that has not eventuated.
The Hill reported:
Republicans have long alleged it was Steele’s dossier that improperly led to an FBI inquiry, which ultimately morphed into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. The Justice Department’s internal watchdog is investigating aspects of the Mueller probe, including whether officials abused their power when they ordered surveillance of a former campaign aide partially based on information from Steele’s dossier.
CBS News reported in February that the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation was a three-pronged effort: to review the intelligence buttressing an estimate of Russia’s actions during the 2016 election; to examine the “active measures,” including cyber activities, Russia used, and to look into possible links between Moscow and the campaigns.
CBS News continued:
One key witness whom the committee had been unsuccessful in engaging, Burr said, was Christopher Steele … Last February, the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, sent a letter to a Washington-based lawyer acting as an intermediary for Steele asking whether Steele may have been indirectly on the payroll of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin. The implicit suggestion of Grassley’s inquiry was that the dossier contained purposeful misinformation intended to help Russia. It is not a view, or a suspicion, that Democrats share. Burr would only say that Steele remained of interest, but out of reach.
Burr added, “We’ve made multiple attempts,” to get an answer from Steele.
The New York Times explained, “Fusion GPS was hired on behalf of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign and the D.N.C. by their law firm, Perkins Coie, to compile research about Mr. Trump, his businesses and associates — including possible connections with Russia. It was at that point that Fusion GPS hired Mr. Steele, who has deep sourcing in Russia, to gather information.”
The Daily Mail reported that the investigation headed by special counsel Robert Mueller included references to the Steele dossier:
“Comey’s briefing included the Steele reporting’s unverified allegation that the Russians had compromising tapes of the President involving conduct when he was a private citizen during a 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe Pageant,” according to the report. “During the 2016 presidential campaign, a similar claim may have reached candidate Trump. On October 30, 2016, Michael Cohen received a text from Russian businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze that said, ‘Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there’s anything else. Just so you know… .’ … Rtskhiladze said ‘tapes’ referred to compromising tapes of Trump rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group, which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Russia. … Cohen said he spoke to Trump about the issue after receiving the texts from Rtskhiladze. … Rtskhiladze said he was told the tapes were fake, but he did not communicate that to Cohen,” according to the report.
Pelosi: Public Not Smart Enough to Understand Impeachment
By Hannah Bleau
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently expressed concerns that the American public is not smart enough to truly understand the impeachment process.
The California lawmaker has been hesitant to jump aboard the impeachment train alongside the more “energized” members of her party. Prior to the tumultuous 2018 midterm elections and Mueller report results, Pelosi promised impeachment was “off the table.”
“Going into the [2006] election, I said it’s off the table. I didn’t mean it’s off the table if you had some goods. If somebody has information, then we can act upon it,” Pelosi toldRolling Stone. “But from what we know now, it’s off the table.”
“Even with Trump. If you got something, show it,” Pelosi continued. “But I’m not going after it. What we’re going after is the economic security of America’s working families.”
Pelosi seemed to have a change of heart last month and accused Trump of being involved in a “cover-up.”
“We do believe that it’s important to follow the facts. We believe that no one is above the law, including the president of the United States. And we believe the president of the United States is engaged in a cover up,” she said after emerging from a meeting with House Democrats.
Fellow Democrat members are desperately trying to build a pro-impeachment coalition– one Pelosi would be unable to withstand. A number of House Democrats have been settingup a series of meetings in an effort to recruit and beef up their pro-impeachment movement, according to a report from the Daily Beast.
Despite Pelosi’s subtle shift in tone, there’s still an element of hesitancy for pursuing impeachment. It’s seemingly rooted in her concern for the American people’s mental capacity, or lack thereof.
Pelosi reportedly made the remarks during a closed-door members’ meeting following Memorial Day weekend, according to the Daily Beast, who reported:
The Speaker, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting, expressed concerns that the public still doesn’t understand how the process of impeachment would play out. She noted that in her time over the recess in California well educated voters didn’t seem to understand that impeachment proceedings would not necessarily result in Trump’s immediate ouster from office.
An internal struggle continues to exist between House members who want to impeach Trump and those who fear ruffling the House Speaker’s feathers.
Daily Beast reporter reveals ‘shocking’ truth that disinformation ‘isn’t purview of Russia alone’
A Daily Beast reporter has dashed the illusions of Western journalists everywhere by revealing on Twitter the shocking and grim reality that disinformation and fake news are not exclusively Russian concepts.
Reporter Sam Stein tweeted about the reaction to a Daily Beast effort to dox and harass a private citizen for the crime of posting a doctored video of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when he decided to philosophize on the nature of propaganda, concluding that “disinformation isn’t the purview of Russia alone.”
Who could ever have guessed?
Stein was “shocked” by the fact that readers weren’t totally delighted by his colleague Kevin Poulsen’s fearless report exposing the political misdeeds of a day laborer and sports blogger from the Bronx, who dared to make fun of Pelosi — and who actually denies posting the viral video at all.
On Twitter, reaction to Stein’s tweet was split between those wondering why he thought attempting to ruin the man’s life was a solid editorial decision — and those stunned that Stein had, until now, apparently believed disinformation was something uniquely Russian.
The only people who ever believed disinformation was “the purview of Russia alone” are “self-aggrandizing, sleazy, click-chasing Daily Beast journalists,” tweeted journalist Michael Tracey.
“Thank you for showing us that moronic Russophobia is very much the purview of Daily Beast journalists,” wrote reporter Aaron Mate.
Many felt a tad uncomfortable with the idea of major media outlets using their resources to attack and harass citizens for posting political content that they don’t agree with on social media.
This is far from the first of the Daily Beast’s rather flimsily-founded hit pieces. Last month, the website ran an article claiming Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard was being “boosted” by Russia after digging up three donations she had received from so-called “Putin apologists.”
Twitter suspends anti-Trump stars the Krassenstein brothers for fake accounts
The Bronx man continues to maintain his innocence regarding the Pelosi video, even launching a GoFundMe page to open a legal case against the website. Meanwhile, Stein is presumably furiously researching the history of propaganda and having his mind blown by the results.
25 Progressive Orgs Petition Nancy Pelosi to Begin Impeachment
By Joshua Caplan
Over 25 progressive groups have signed a letter once again demanding House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
“As Speaker of the House, you have the power to ensure Congress exercises its constitutional obligation to hold this president accountable, but instead of using your power, you are giving us political excuses for why you shouldn’t,” the letter reads from far-left groups such as the Justice Democrats and the Women’s March.
“Instead of leading, you and your colleagues have asked us to wait — wait for the Mueller report, wait for the unredacted Mueller report, wait for Mueller’s testimony about the Mueller report, wait for more investigations, wait for bipartisan consensus, wait for impeachment to poll better, or wait for the 2020 election,” it continues.
The letter sent Tuesday comes as Pelosi continues to face immense pressure from dozens of Democrats on Capitol Hill to support impeachment. Over 50 congressional Democrats now say they support a measure to oust the president — as do several White House hopefuls, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).
The coalition of far-left organizations also cited the Trump administration’s policies on immigration and LGBTQ rights in their plea for impeachment proceedings to begin.
The letter states: “Waiting is not a privilege available to the families separated by his deportation force or his Muslim ban, or the asylum seekers languishing in Mexico, or people threatened by his embrace of white supremacy, or the LGBTQ people whose rights he is taking away, or the women whose bodies he is trying to control or the communities threatened by his denial of the climate crisis.”
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s statement last Wednesday ignited a flurry of calls for impeachment despite reiterating his report’s key finding: Investigators determined the Trump campaign and Russia did not commit criminal conspiracy during the 2016 presidential election. Though the special counsel did note several episodes of potential obstruction of justice, Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined that the president had not done so.
Former UK spy and author of dossier that sparked Russiagate to give US testimony – report
The former British intelligence agent who authored the infamous dossier on President Trumpler’s alleged Russia ties has agreed to speak to American authorities, according to a UK media report.
Christopher Steele, the retired UK spy who now runs his own private intelligence firm, seems to have changed his mind since last week, when reports suggested he would not agree to speak to US officials. On Monday, however, the Times reported that Steele has since consented to the inquiry, and will meet with investigators from the US Attorney General’s office “within weeks.”
According to a source at Steele’s firm Orbis Business Intelligence, Steele decided to speak to US investigators in order to clear his name. Trump supporters have claimed it was inappropriate for the FBI probe into Trump’s Russia ties to rely on intelligence gathered by Steele, since that data was originally compiled while on retainer for a firm working for Hilary Clinton, then Trump’s political opponent for the office of US president.
Ex-MI6 spy who compiled Trump-Russia collusion dossier says it’s ‘70 to 90% accurate’
In 2016, Steele authored his 17-memo report on Trump’s alleged Russia ties on behalf of the firm Fusion and the dossier apparently formed the basis for a request by the Obama administration to wiretap a Trump campaign adviser, on suspicion of being a Russian agent. The dossier claimed Trump could be blackmailed by Moscow.
Steele’s compiled report spurred the FBI in May 2017 to launch an inquiry into Trump’s ties to Russia, a two-year-long investigation headed by special counsel Robert Mueller, which eventually “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
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