Trump finally pins the blame on Putin in new bid to stay out of jail

[Tom of Temecula]

For years, former President Donald Trump has avoided agreeing with intelligence assessments that Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered on his behalf during the 2016 presidential election. Most infamously, Trump rejected the American intelligence community's assessment about Russia's actions at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland where he stood next to Putin and said, "President Putin says it's not Russia, I don't see any reason why it would be."

But it seems that Trump will actually blame Putin for 2016 election interference if doing so will help keep him out of prison. Politico's Kyle Cheney flags a legal filing by Trump's attorneys this week in which they dispute special counsel Jack Smith's claims that Trump has damaged Americans' faith in the electoral system by essentially arguing that Putin did it first.

"The Special Counsel's Office falsely alleges that President Trump 'eroded public faith in the administration of the election,'" the filing states. "The 2016 [Intelligence Community Assessment] uses strikingly similar language to attribute the origins of that erosion to foreign influence -- that is, foreign efforts to 'undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process.'"

The filing went on to argue that "President Trump is entitled to the detailed information supporting the conclusions in the 2016 Election ICA... in order to demonstrate to a jury that he did not create or cause the environment that the prosecution seeks to blame him for." What Trump's lawyers leave out is the fact that Trump openly encouraged Russia to hack political rival Hillary Clinton's email server and release her private communications.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-putin-2666375855/

[underpants]

1. Sounds like Trump wants the ICA report

or rather Putin wants it and Trump is his errand boy.

[yardwork]

2. Absolutely. Trump has given Putin everything else.

[dalton99a]

7. +1

[CrispyQ]

3. Russia's been our foe for ages. Putin's our adversary. Of course he's going to malign democracy!

As president of the United States, your job was to stand up to the little tyrant, not let him put a leash on you & parade you around the world as his pet.



They are grasping at straws.

[yardwork]

8. Biden should use that photo in campaign ads.

It demonstrates how weak Trump is. Focusing on Trump's weakness is the way to win.

[KPN]

22. Yes, definitely. As the old saw goes, a picture is a thousand words.

[Irish_Dem]

9. This picture says it all.

Putin let Trump know in no uncertain terms it was time to pay the piper.

[k55f5r]

13. comment of the day!!!n/t

[erronis]

15. I've always wondered if Donnie was standing on his knees in that photo

He should be several inches above pute's head. Guess he just finished a "job".

[canuckledragger]

17. I like this pic better.

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. Uh-oh. El Cloaca's gonna get called to the boss' office.

"I am distressed that you blame me for your own inadequacies," said the CEO of Putin, Inc. "Come, let's enjoy a cup of tea and discuss it."

[lame54]

6. Meet me on the top floor

[dweller]

5. What did Mueller say ? Oh yeh ...

Report doesn't exonerate Trump, Mueller testifies, and he could be charged after leaving office
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-counsel-robert-mueller-testify-capitol-hill/story?id=64508660
Key moments included Mueller saying his report did not exonerate the president as Trump has claimed and contending he could be charged after leaving office.

But he also did not answer many questions, frustrating both Republicans, who tried to discredit his probe, and Democrats who pressed him on whether he had left it to Congress whether to pursue impeachment, believing that Justice Department policy prevented him from indicting a sitting president.


Getting there …



✌🏻

[Thunderbeast]

10. This has nothing to do with the Smith investigation.

TFG is using discovery in this case to expose the people that implicated him in the Mueller investigation. His fever dream is to use his re-gained Presidential power for retribution against any disloyal players in that chapter of his criminality.

[Wounded Bear]

11. Gonna be fundraising on his need to hire a food taster...

and somebody to open doors for him.

[Attilatheblond]

19. and a 'window opener'

Can't be too careful, doncha know

DU needs a 'falling out window' smilie

[bucolic_frolic]

12. So ... collusive non-collusion in the midst of non-espionage espionagism

Got it. This whole case is one for the Ages because it tests, exploits, erodes, questions the very notion of nation-State sovereignty as it has evolved since the late Middle Ages. It's almost unmaking history in order to remake history.

[democrank]

14. What gives?

I thought Putin was one of Trump’s most favorite totalitarian love interests.

[Attilatheblond]

20. Maybe the checks didn't come in the mail?

[republianmushroom]

16. ..."he did not create or cause the environment"... but he sure has embellished it.

And IMO he did cause a lot of it.

[Aviation Pro]

18. Unmask the Mueller Report

That’s all that’s needed, Motherfucker.

[Martin Eden]

21. The case against TFG is about false claims of a stolen election;

the conspiracy to overthrow election results; and inciting a violent insurrection to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

The Big Lie of a stolen election has become a core belief propagated by the Republican Party and "conservative" media.

The rhetoric and actions of Trump and his Party MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE is responsible for undermining faith in our elections and democratic (small d) institutions.

The attempt to pin that on Putin should be laughed out of court by any honest judge, with severe admonishment.