The GOP’s own star witness just blew up Trump’s ‘Hunterghazi’ smear

[Rogue Valley]

The GOP’s own star witness just blew up Trump’s ‘Hunterghazi’ smear

Trump with conspiracy-pusher Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).

9/23/20
President Trump has spent over two years trying to “prove” that Joe Biden’s activities in Ukraine were corrupt. He and lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani schemed over this for many months, with Trump ultimately trying to strong-arm the Ukrainian president into announcing an investigation into those activities, which got Trump impeached even as the smears they manufactured crashed and burned. Now Trump has been counting on Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to validate these narratives, via an inquiry conducted by the Homeland Security committee, which Johnson chairs. The goal was to use the official sheen of a Senate probe — one also conducted with the Finance Committee — to manufacture the impression of wrongdoing on Biden’s part. But as befits this cast of bumblers and incompetents, the star witness in the GOP’s own investigation has actually further undermined those smears. Johnson has now released his long-awaited (by Trump, anyway) report on his investigation. One of its big revelations is supposed to be that George Kent, a top State Department official, testified that he “raised concerns” inside the Obama administration about appearances of conflicts of interest surrounding the business activities of the then-vice president’s son Hunter. But, while that itself is true, there’s a big problem here: Kent also gave the committee testimony that completely undermines the larger narrative that Trump and Republicans have tried to spin into political gold for over a year.

But this “Hunterghazi” tale has been widely debunked. In reality, Burisma was not even being investigated at the time, and the vice president was working to oust that Ukrainian prosecutor because the prosecutor himself was corrupt. That was the actual Obama administration policy, and this goal was backed by international institutions precisely because they had a stake in a corruption-free Ukraine. GOP senators were briefed by Obama officials about this policy at the time, including about the conditioning of foreign aid, and had no objections to it. Kent himself — that would be the Republicans’ own star witness — has now confirmed much of this, in testimony to the committee as part of the GOP’s own investigation. In that testimony, as the Democratic response to the GOP report details, Kent knocked down every key pillar of the GOP story line. But the bottom line here is that the central holy grail that Trump and Republicans have been pursuing just isn’t there. Just as Trump subverted U.S. foreign policy to his personal gain by attempting to bulldoze a foreign ally under duress into helping validate his campaign messaging, the GOP report is yet another attempt to manipulate a government product for Trump’s benefit. It may be dressed up with vague insinuations and the imprimatur of an oversight committee, but it’s just one more crass, shameless misuse of official resources.

Now that the Johnson/Grassley smear attempt has failed, Trump is counting on a witch-hunt being conducted by John Durham, a lifelong Republican who Trump appointed to be US Attorney General for the District of Connecticut.

US Attorney General William Barr is furiously pushing Durham to produce something, anything, by October. Tired of this meddling, Durnam's top legal aide resigned on Sept. 11 due to political pressures from Barr.

Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be legally neutral, is instead compromising the integrity of the DoJ by "investigating" the son of Donald Trumps 2020 election opponent looking for dirt.

Related: Durham aide resigns from Russia probe amid concerns over pressure from Barr

 

[Cardinal]

Republicans are back to demanding that Hunter and Joe be investigated to get to the heart of the matter...as if that's not exactly what just happened. What they don't seem capable of realizing is that they're affirming that investigations have no part in changing their minds. In their world view, investigations have only one purpose: to confirm their conclusions. If the investigation fails to do this, then it wasn't a "real" investigation.

 

[Irwin Corey]

The GOP’s own star witness just blew up Trump’s ‘Hunterghazi’ smear

Trump with conspiracy-pusher Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).



Now that the Johnson/Grassley smear attempt has failed, Trump is counting on a witch-hunt being conducted by John Durham, a lifelong Republican who Trump appointed to be US Attorney General for the District of Connecticut.

US Attorney General William Barr is furiously pushing Durham to produce something, anything, by October. Tired of this meddling, Durnam's top legal aide resigned on Sept. 11 due to political pressures from Barr.

Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be legally neutral, is instead compromising the integrity of the DoJ by "investigating" the son of Donald Trumps 2020 election opponent looking for dirt.

Related: Durham aide resigns from Russia probe amid concerns over pressure from Barr

Trump and Barr aren't counting on Durham any more; their new plan is to throw out the Nov. 3rd election results ENTIRELY on grounds of fraudulant medaling by China (note Pompeo's remarks yesterday)and kick the final decision to the states.

I firmly believe Trump can't win the election and he doesn't even believe he can cheat out a win, so he and Barr are just going to steal it.



Our, Colorado, former Senator Timothy Wirth and Capitol Hill council Tom Rogers warned of the likely hood of this tactic months ago.

Trump is never going to leave! <--link

 

[Rogue Valley]

Trump has recently stated that SCOTUS needs a ninth judge to decide the election outcome.

Another Trump quid-pro-quo arrangement ... your lifetime Supreme Court appointment in exchange for your vote to keep me in power when I contest the election.

 

[Irwin Corey]

Trump has recently stated that SCOTUS needs a ninth judge to decide the election outcome.

Another Trump quid-pro-quo arrangement ... your lifetime Supreme Court appointment in exchange for your vote to keep me in power when I contest the election.

AbsaByGodLutely!

 

[SheWolf]

This entire investigation is dumber than Hillary’s emails. Hunter is not even running for office

 

[Rogue Valley]

This entire investigation is dumber than Hillary’s emails. Hunter is not even running for office

True enough. But Trump can and will attack Joe via Hunter.

All Trump needs is a thin veneer of Hunter wrongdoing, and Barr is trying to provide that through Durham.

It doesn't matter whether the smear is true or not. All that matters is attacking Joe's family integrity.

 

[tres borrachos]

Trump has recently stated that SCOTUS needs a ninth judge to decide the election outcome.

Another Trump quid-pro-quo arrangement ... your lifetime Supreme Court appointment in exchange for your vote to keep me in power when I contest the election.

This. The fool needs better handlers. I can't believe his Princess Ivanka didn't tell Daddy not to be so blatant with his quid pro quos.

The Republicans are allowing this corrupt bloated toad to wreck their party. I hope it was worth it.

 

[Middle_Ground]

And all Joe has to do on the debate stage is look Americans in the eye and say my only remaining son Hunter has had some problems because of the death of his mother and later his brother but none of that matters because he is my son and I will always love him.
Then let Republicans continue with the Hunter attack it will remind every mother and father that has a child with some problems who the Republicans really are.

 

[TomFitz]

Republicans are back to demanding that Hunter and Joe be investigated to get to the heart of the matter...as if that's not exactly what just happened. What they don't seem capable of realizing is that they're affirming that investigations have no part in changing their minds. In their world view, investigations have only one purpose: to confirm their conclusions. If the investigation fails to do this, then it wasn't a "real" investigation.

Don’t think for one minute that this meme will go away if Biden wins, either.

This is how conservative media works.

As you can see, the talk radio crowd already convicted Hunter Biden and his father in their minds, largely due to the constant repetition of AM talk radio types, trash blogs and troll farms. Facts are never relevant in these memes.

Just as the GOP spent 25 years, nonstop making up idiotic claims about the Clintons (which their audience clings to like a security blanket), they’ll give this one the same treatment.

After all. there are people working for Judicial Watch that have spent their entire careers pushing Vince Foster conspiracy theories and Comet Pizza (which is back, BTW, see this thread!).

In the absence of sound arguments and any sign of real policy, this carnival barker stuff is all they have to sell.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Trump and Barr aren't counting on Durham any more; their new plan is to throw out the Nov. 3rd election results ENTIRELY on grounds of fraudulant medaling by China (note Pompeo's remarks yesterday)and kick the final decision to the states.

I firmly believe Trump can't win the election and he doesn't even believe he can cheat out a win, so he and Barr are just going to steal it.



Our, Colorado, former Senator Timothy Wirth and Capitol Hill council Tom Rogers warned of the likely hood of this tactic months ago.

Trump is never going to leave! <--link

Wait;

{Trump and Barr aren't counting on Durham any more; their new plan is to throw out the Nov. 3rd election results ENTIRELY on grounds of fraudulant medaling by China (note Pompeo's remarks yesterday)and kick the final decision to the states.}

Isn't that EXACTLY what the Communist did in 2016 when they REFUSED the peaceful transfer of power to Trump, claiming Russia interfered?

The Communists ALWAYS accuse the other side of what they have done or are doing.,,,

 

[The AntiDonald]

Trump and Barr aren't counting on Durham any more; their new plan is to throw out the Nov. 3rd election results ENTIRELY on grounds of fraudulant medaling by China (note Pompeo's remarks yesterday)and kick the final decision to the states.

I firmly believe Trump can't win the election and he doesn't even believe he can cheat out a win, so he and Barr are just going to steal it.



Our, Colorado, former Senator Timothy Wirth and Capitol Hill council Tom Rogers warned of the likely hood of this tactic months ago.

Trump is never going to leave! <--link

I remember a comment that Trump made way back in 2016. Something about those 2nd Amendment voters, referring to a way to take care of HRC.

I am quite sure we have plenty of democratic 2nd Amendment voters that could maybe step in and take care of this problem.

 

[Irwin Corey]

Wait;

{Trump and Barr aren't counting on Durham any more; their new plan is to throw out the Nov. 3rd election results ENTIRELY on grounds of fraudulant medaling by China (note Pompeo's remarks yesterday)and kick the final decision to the states.}

Isn't that EXACTLY what the Communist did in 2016 when they REFUSED the peaceful transfer of power to Trump, claiming Russia interfered?

The Communists ALWAYS accuse the other side of what they have done or are doing.,,,

Well, last I knew the "Communists" in this country aren't that powerful; but if you say so. I doubt they had much affect though; with all the Trump generated divisiveness, I didn't notice any at least.

I really can't speak to how "Communists" opperate, but in his own words (again) Trump presents his plan to "throw out the ballots" and "peacefully continue his presidency. Your right, it's my assumption that he and Barr have lost focus on the Durham report; but a good one never the less.

 

[Irwin Corey]

Well, be that as it may, IMHO it would be a mistake to martyr the SOB. Better to take control of the Senate and impeach him, Pence, ALL of his Supreme Court Justices AND Mitch McConnel as well.

 

[SheWolf]

And all Joe has to do on the debate stage is look Americans in the eye and say my only remaining son Hunter has had some problems because of the death of his mother and later his brother but none of that matters because he is my son and I will always love him.
Then let Republicans continue with the Hunter attack it will remind every mother and father that has a child with some problems who the Republicans really are.

Trump’s son has to testify before a judge in a few weeks

 

[Bullseye]

The GOP’s own star witness just blew up Trump’s ‘Hunterghazi’ smear

Trump with conspiracy-pusher Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).



Now that the Johnson/Grassley smear attempt has failed, Trump is counting on a witch-hunt being conducted by John Durham, a lifelong Republican who Trump appointed to be US Attorney General for the District of Connecticut.

US Attorney General William Barr is furiously pushing Durham to produce something, anything, by October. Tired of this meddling, Durnam's top legal aide resigned on Sept. 11 due to political pressures from Barr.

Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be legally neutral, is instead compromising the integrity of the DoJ by "investigating" the son of Donald Trumps 2020 election opponent looking for dirt.

Related: Durham aide resigns from Russia probe amid concerns over pressure from Barr

LOL, a WaPo OPINION? You're staking your claim based on that?

 

[Irwin Corey]

LOL, a WaPo OPINION? You're staking your claim based on that?

Didn't they break the news on Nixon?

 

[Bullseye]

Didn't they break the news on Nixon?

That was in a different world. Back when journalists actually reported rather than propagandized.

 

[The AntiDonald]

That was in a different world. Back when journalists actually reported rather than propagandized.

Sorry dude, but recordings of Trump are not propaganda.

 

[Mr Person]

That was in a different world. Back when journalists actually reported rather than propagandized.

Moronic Trumpist evasion. The article is based on words that someone said. Unless you are claiming that different words were said and want to provide proof that different words were said, you are saying incredibly stupid things.

Besides, you take bullshit on the National Enquirer's level seriously just so long as it would reflect negatively on some target on the left were it true. It's not like you have some objection to dubious sources, not that WaPo is dubious.

 

[Bullseye]

Sorry dude, but recordings of Trump are not propaganda.

This isn't about those Recordings.

 

[Bullseye]

Moronic Trumpist evasion. The article is based on words that someone said. Unless you are claiming that different words were said and want to provide proof that different words were said, you are saying incredibly stupid things.

Besides, you take bullshit on the National Enquirer's level seriously just so long as it would reflect negatively on some target on the left were it true. It's not like you have some objection to dubious sources, not that WaPo is dubious.

Great post. Have you ANY clue how an "opinion" is constructed? The author chooses the quotes and facts that supports his point and ignores that rest.

 

[trblmkr]

There ought to a prosecuter somewhere with cause to bring Rudy up on something. After watching him globe trot, contacting known Russian agents, money changing hands, listening to him bark gibberish, I can't imagine him on the stand not incriminating himself, Trumps (all of them), and a couple dozen other people.

 

[Middle_Ground]

That means nothing to 40% of Americans no one named Trump can do any wrong.
But we need to re remind people who these folks really are.