The Corruption Runs Deep: State IG passes out Giuliani Propaganda in Urgent Secret meeting

[berni_mccoy]

Last edited Wed Oct 2, 2019, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/dems-say-state-watchdog-gave-us-packet-of-propaganda/ar-AAIcu1n?li=BBnb7Kz

State Department Inspector General Steve Linick leaves a meeting in a secure area at the Capitol where he met with Senate staff about the State Department and Ukraine, in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democrats say the State Department watchdog used a closed-door briefing on Wednesday to give them "conspiracy theories" tied to Ukraine, former ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and former Vice President Biden.

Snip

Raskin said that if the documents did not come directly from the White House, he thought they might have come from Giuliani. He stressed that he was making a guess, and that the State Department watchdog did not mention Giuliani.
"If it really did not come directly from the White House I would guess that it was Giuliani. ...Giuliani's name is all over it," Raskin said. "Somebody should ask Giuliani if he knows anything about this."

This is so fucking sad and disappointing. Linick had a good reputation until now.

Update: Looks like Linick is just handing over documents with little context. Apparently he did offer that the documents came from the WH per Schiff’s updated statement (even though Schiff wasn’t in the meeting). Linick’s reputation is still in tact.

[guillaumeb]

1. Trump corrupts everyone he touches.

Sad.

[at140]

2. Yes, he is king Midas of corruption...eom

[Unbelievable]

3. Oh this could stick.

Evil King Midas.

[Newest Reality]

36. They used to call it

a reversed Midas touch. Everything he touches turns to shit.

[Unbelievable]

38. Bizzaro Midas

I don't care what we call him its spot on.

[madaboutharry]

4. I think you misunderstand.

The IG gave them information regarding conspiracy theories that The White House is trying to spread. He wasn’t spreading them, he was tipping them off and warning them of misinformation and conspiracy theories that Trump’s people are spreading.

[chowder66]

6. This! nt

[hlthe2b]

7. Exactly!

I think it is a good thing if some high-level employees are rethinking what they have seen and trying to be proactive... Even when it doesn't pan out as "new" it shows they are cooperating as they all should be.

[berni_mccoy]

8. Well, then the staffers were confused as well...

From the article:

A staffer who attended the meeting said that the State Department watchdog had simply handed them the stack of papers.

"Because everyone was confused," the staffer added when asked why that would take an hour. "It was a very strange meeting."

[cilla4progress]

14. Yes, this is my read -

not sure if it's playing this way? Pretty quiet about it on MSNBC after initial break. Maybe Chris Hayes is getting to bottom of it.

[UTUSN]

5. K&R

[tblue37]

9. ?? Linick was giving the committees concrete evidence of the administration's smear

campaign. He was helping their investigation.

[berni_mccoy]

10. It's not clear that he was

From the article:

A staffer who attended the meeting said that the State Department watchdog had simply handed them the stack of papers.

"Because everyone was confused," the staffer added when asked why that would take an hour. "It was a very strange meeting."

[DrToast]

11. Please delete this crap

This has been covered several times and you’re wrong.

[berni_mccoy]

12. Oh really?

Am i?

Two different articles state the IG just handed over the stack of propaganda WITH NO EXPLANATION OR CONTEXT.

This is a huge disappointment.

From the article linked (similar reporting from CNN):

A staffer who attended the meeting said that the State Department watchdog had simply handed them the stack of papers.

"Because everyone was confused," the staffer added when asked why that would take an hour. "It was a very strange meeting."

[DrToast]

16. Yes, really

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212538094


Now will you apologize for trying to smear the IG?

[berni_mccoy]

17. I'm not smearing him. He gave no context in handing over the documents

There is nothing the staffers or members of Congress can do with it.

[DrToast]

18. You're not smearing him?

You said he ruined his reputation in your post.

Now you’re going to double down on your post after being proven wrong?

Who does that reminds me of!?

[berni_mccoy]

19. Handing over propaganda with no explanation certainly does affect his reputation

He has a reputation of independence and doing the right thing. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. If the staffers were confused, then this information is not going to prove a damn thing.

[DrToast]

20. Adam Schiff seems to have no problem understanding the meeting

But hey, go ahead and put your faith in anonymous staffers.

Cut your losses. The truth shall set you free.

[berni_mccoy]

22. Schiff didn't attend the meeting.

But hey, go ahead and make baseless accusations even though you’ve been repeatedly proven wrong.

[ffr]

28. Dr. Toast is correct. OP's conclusion is WRONG.

Good call Dr. Toast.

[DrToast]

24. In case anyone wonders how people can believe stuff so easily proven wrong, here you go.

Textbook example of someone fitting the facts to their prior beliefs.

[berni_mccoy]

27. Let it go before you make further embarrassment of yourself

[dweller]

13. complete with

Trump Hotel folders
🤔

✌🏼

[GulfCoast66]

15. You are miss reading it. A statement was just released by Schiff and others.

He was warning about and showed evidence of the shocking collusion be the White House, State and others to use conspiracy theory garbage to undermine our Ambassador(who was removed) and Biden.

[ffr]

23. +1

OP, read the story, not just he first paragraph. You assumption is 100% incorrect.

[ffr]

21. Whoa there berni_mccoy! Linick...

told lawmakers that he interviewed Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl, Pompeo's counselor. Brechbuhl told the watchdog that "the packet 'came over,' and that Brechbuhl presumed it was from the White House."

A Democratic source familiar with the briefing said that the documents came from the White House to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM was IG Linick involved in spreading conspiracy theories. THIS WAS an effort on the part of Pompeo and the WH to spread such theories.

[DrToast]

25. But but but anonymous staffers were confused

Ergo, he’s corrupt!

[berni_mccoy]

26. Got a link for that

Because that’s not what is reported at the link or the CNN coverage of the meeting.

[ffr]

29. How about you read the story you posted, then see if your conclusion matches the story.

Don't be defensive about it. Your conclusion is wrong.

[berni_mccoy]

30. I did and what you are saying is not reported in that article.

It’s hard not being defense when you have a toaster flinging insults at you.

[ffr]

32. It is. I'll hightlight it for you. Change your conclusion!

"It's essentially a packet of propaganda and disinformation and spreading conspiracy theories. Those conspiracy theories have been widely debunked and discredited," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told reporters after an hourlong briefing with State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.

The closed-door, hour-long briefing was part of a hastily assembled meeting requested by the State Department watchdog.

... Democrats say the packet of documents handed over by the State Department watchdog mentions Biden and his son Hunter Biden, Yovanovitch and CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that investigated breaches at the DNC in the lead up to the 2016 election.

"They appear to contain long-debunked theories and false statements about the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and one of President Trump's political opponents," said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), whose staff attended the briefing.

"These documents provide further evidence of a concerted, external effort to conduct a disinformation campaign against a career U.S ambassador, who has been the subject of baseless attacks, including by the president himself," he added.

House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) released a joint statement on Wednesday evening saying the briefing and documents "raise troubling questions about apparent efforts inside and outside the Trump Administration to target specific officials."

"These documents also reinforce concern that the President and his allies sought to use the machinery of the State Department to further the President's personal political interests," they added.

It's unclear where the documents came from, though Democrats quickly made clear after the briefing that they suspected Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, was involved.

A Democratic source familiar with the briefing said that the documents came from the White House to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The paperwork was organized in multiple Trump Hotel folders and included together in an envelope labeled "White House."

"Those folders contained notes from interviews that took place at Rudy Giuliani's NYC office with various Ukrainians about debunked conspiracies related to Ukraine. This was just another attempt by the White House to peddle Rudy Giuliani conspiracy theories," the source added.

Republicans have doubled down on calls for an investigation into Biden's role in the ouster of a Ukraine prosecutor in 2016, despite no evidence of wrongdoing.

The material shared with staffers and Raskin, the only lawmaker in the meeting, arrived at the State Department in May addressed to Pompeo. It's unclear who beyond the inspector general that Pompeo shared it with.

Schiff, Engel and Cummings said in their joint statement that the inspector general told lawmakers that he interviewed Thomas Ulrich Brechbuhl, Pompeo's counselor. Brechbuhl told the watchdog that "the packet 'came over,' and that Brechbuhl presumed it was from the White House."

A spokesperson for the State Department watchdog didn't respond to a request for comment.

"We also need to understand Secretary Pompeo's role['b], given that it appears that he discussed these documents/b] with at least one of his top aides and that the documents were distributed at the highest levels of the State Department," Menendez said.

Raskin noted that the materials came in an envelope addressed to Pompeo with "White House" written on the front, but the lawmaker said it was unclear if it was actually from the White House.

"The real question is, where did it come from?" Raskin asked. "It's clear that whoever put it together was attempting to advance exactly the storyline that Mr. Giuliani would like to be advancing."

Raskin said that if the documents did not come directly from the White House, he thought they might have come from Giuliani. He stressed that he was making a guess and that the State Department watchdog did not mention Giuliani.

"If it really did not come directly from the White House, I would guess that it was Giuliani. ... Giuliani's name is all over it," Raskin said. "Somebody should ask Giuliani if he knows anything about this."

The briefing comes as House Democrats want to speak with five current and former State Department officials as part of their impeachment inquiry, including Yovanovitch.

The State Department inspector general told staffers that they were briefing them in light of the whistleblower complaint, though staffers appeared mystified about what the connection was to their ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Raskin characterized the documents as an "irrelevant distraction from the matter at hand."

A staffer who attended the meeting said that the State Department watchdog had simply handed them the stack of papers.

"Because everyone was confused," the staffer added when asked why that would take an hour. "It was a very strange meeting."

--Maggie Miller contributed

[berni_mccoy]

34. Yeah, Schiff was not mentioned in the article when I posted

The article was updated around the time I posted. I see that now.

[berni_mccoy]

31. Heh, they updated the article after I posted... that excerpt was not in there when I posted

[ffr]

33. So then, your conclusion should also too be updated. Please update.

[berni_mccoy]

35. Yep

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

37. K&R

[lindysalsagal]

39. I think I gettit. Tell me if It's wrong: IG was trying to stop morr

Conspiracy theories, and wanted to pin them on rudy.

[UniteFightBack]

40. The corruption runs deep and wide. nt