White House says Trump stands by claim Obama wiretapped him

[esprit]

On ‎18‎/‎03‎/‎2017 at 5:10 PM, Credo said:

Spicer reminds me of  Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf,  the Iraqi Minister of Information during the US-led invasion of Iraq.   

Now he was the real master.  Tanks , what tanks ?

[boomerangutang]

                As long as Trump continues his one-man crusade to bad-mouth Obama based on lies, he's succeeding in diverting some attention away from the probe into his and his buddies' law-breaking and possible treason.   I guess in that way, Trump is smart.

 

          While listening to the FBI/NSA congressional hearing last night on a Youtube live-stream, I noticed some of the live-streaming of commentary on the right column.  Hundreds of comments per minute.  Many of them die-hard Trump supporters, who (probably no surprise) are busy attacking anyone/everyone seeking truth.  

 

                 This will likely end badly for the US, with armed violence in the streets.   Trump fans have most of the guns and will enjoy opportunities to use them.  They're the type of folks who cheer an old white man taking a flying blindsided sucker punch at a young black man who was being forcefully escorted from a Trump rally with guards holding him on each arm.  To put it another way:  Similar to how Trump won the election by playing dirty, Trump fans will want to win battles in the streets by playing dirty.   Not a pretty picture for Trump's America.

[Godolphin]

I wonder what mental trapeze work Spicer et al will perform to try and throw a smokescreen over these damning findings.

 

It is hard to think of a period of American government so chaotic, so immersed in controversy, so polarising as this one. And he was only inaugurated in January!

 

In my view this poisonous administration may very well try and cook up a military confrontation to divert the nation's critical eye from this raft of lies, incompetence, corruption and arrogance. I hate to say it but I think it would be a tempting move for the narcissistic POTUS and the various "Dr Evil's" guiding him.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

          While listening to the FBI/NSA congressional hearing last night on a Youtube live-stream, I noticed some of the live-streaming of commentary on the right column.  Hundreds of comments per minute.  Many of them die-hard Trump supporters, who (probably no surprise) are busy attacking anyone/everyone seeking truth.  

                 This will likely end badly for the US, with armed violence in the streets.   Trump fans have most of the guns and will enjoy opportunities to use them.  They're the type of folks who cheer an old white man taking a flying blindsided sucker punch at a young black man who was being forcefully escorted from a Trump rally with guards holding him on each arm.  To put it another way:  Similar to how Trump won the election by playing dirty, Trump fans will want to win battles in the streets by playing dirty.   Not a pretty picture for Trump's America.

I watched yesterday a movie AmeriGeddon. Didn't know what to expect. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4059702/

It was quite horrible, but I wanted to watch it until end as it gave a glimpse of alt-right mentality.. US government having a plot with United Nations to kill most of the human population, starting from the US. Snowflakes stupid, preppers and para-military groups good and smart.. 

I thought there were just few loonies out there, but if they now have own movies, I guess there is more support than I initially thought.  

[Berkshire]

On 3/17/2017 at 3:17 PM, Gramps said:

I can't help feeling that continually forcing the CIA and FBI to respond to/investigate these paranoid fantasies is not a smart move for a President  who wants to remain in power.

Paranoid?  Maybe just a bit....

 

http://www.theonion.com/article/aides-wrestle-drill-trumps-hands-he-tries-remove-o-55576

 

[boomerangutang]

25 minutes ago, oilinki said:

I watched yesterday a movie AmeriGeddon. Didn't know what to expect. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4059702/
It was quite horrible, but I wanted to watch it until end as it gave a glimpse of alt-right mentality.. US government having a plot with United Nations to kill most of the human population, starting from the US. Snowflakes stupid, preppers and para-military groups good and smart.. 
I thought there were just few loonies out there, but if they now have own movies, I guess there is more support than I initially thought.  

Similarly, Bannon (who many consider the acting president) is obsessed by a fictional book titled, 'The Camp of Saints.' He refers to it often, in conversations.  It's also a favorite book for white supremacists in the US and Europe.

 

carbonated.tv/news/racist-french-camp-of-saints-novel-explains-stephen-bannon-worldview

excerpt from review; "The Camp of the Saints” is not a historic event — it is an incredibly racist 1973 French novel, which did not get much mainstream appreciation (or acknowledgement, for that matter) but its appalling and horrific depiction of the non-white population made it cult classic among far-right wingers and ultra-conservatives. It is revered among people like Bannon, the holy warmongers and the fundamentalists, who treat it like some sacred scripture and cite it to rationalize their nationalism."

 

Boomer's comment;  just as there are the types of guys who like to hang out late at night, drunk as skunks, on the sidewalk when bars close - in order to pick fights for the fun of it, ......there are white supremacists like Bannon who are itching for class warfare which he knows he will win, because his best buddy has control of the most awesome military arsenal the world has ever known.  Bannon enjoys military conflict.  I say that in all seriousness.

[Godolphin]

13 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

Similarly, Bannon (who many consider the acting president) is obsessed by a fictional book titled, 'The Camp of Saints.' He refers to it often, in conversations.  It's also a favorite book for white supremacists in the US and Europe.

 

carbonated.tv/news/racist-french-camp-of-saints-novel-explains-stephen-bannon-worldview

excerpt from review; "The Camp of the Saints” is not a historic event — it is an incredibly racist 1973 French novel, which did not get much mainstream appreciation (or acknowledgement, for that matter) but its appalling and horrific depiction of the non-white population made it cult classic among far-right wingers and ultra-conservatives. It is revered among people like Bannon, the holy warmongers and the fundamentalists, who treat it like some sacred scripture and cite it to rationalize their nationalism."

 

Boomer's comment;  just as there are the types of guys who like to hang out late at night, drunk as skunks, on the sidewalk when bars close - in order to pick fights for the fun of it, ......there are white supremacists like Bannon who are itching for class warfare which he knows he will win, because his best buddy has control of the most awesome military arsenal the world has ever known.  Bannon enjoys military conflict.  I say that in all seriousness.

I've just finishing It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. It was written in 1935 and imagines an America taken over by its own style of fascism. There are so many parallels in this book to what is happening now that it is eerie. From the blurb:

 

"A vain, outlandish, anti-immigrant, fear-mongering demagogue runs for President of the United States - and wins ... the story of Buzz Windrip, who promises poor, angry voters that he will make American proud and prosperous once more, but takes the country down a far darker path."

 

Sound familiar?

[Andaman Al]

What I do find funny about all these 'leaks' and 'wire tapping' is a factor that nobody in the US has even discussed yet. For 650K USD I can buy an extremely good GSM Interceptor and I can sit in a car, a hotel room and intercept away. Most companies only sell these interceptors to government and law enforcement agencies but there are a few countries that make very good high tech systems that are only interested in your dollars not your credentials. Consequently many many news organisations around the world have them, some individuals use them, specialists requiring trading information use them. They are all illegal but so what. London is swarming with them so why not New York? With one of those you can get any info you want from any call and 'leak' it to anyone.

 

There are also a number of software trojans that can be used to take all the information from a phone including calls. You just need the owner of a device to open a message or email or download certain apps  (all of you with flashlight apps, check it and ask why it is 30mb! when you only need 256kbs to turn on your flash light - clue there is more in the app than you bargained for!! ) There will be no audit trail for the Republican hunt for the leakers to follow. The leakers in this case may not even be Government.

[iReason]

Fox benches Andrew Napolitano over wiretapping claim

 

"Fox News Channel has pulled legal analyst Andrew Napolitano from the air after disavowing his on-air claim that British intelligence officials had helped former President Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump."

 

"Napolitano’s report last week on “Fox & Friends,” saying he had three intelligence sources who said Obama went “outside the chain of command” to watch Trump, provoked an international incident."

 

"Fox’s Shepard Smith, on the air Friday afternoon, quickly walked the network away from Napolitano’s claim.

“Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way,” Smith said."

 

http://nypost.com/2017/03/21/fox-benches-andrew-napolitano-over-wiretapping-claim/

 

A benched judge. 

"Legal analyst" my ass...

 

Fox and Friends; the Clown in Chief's favorite show and his source for "news".

Edited March 21, 2017 by iReason

[boomerangutang]

         Fox News cans a commentator for telling lies on-air.  

A Hollywood TV show cans a Bush for listening to Trump talk about grabbing pussy.

 

        The standards for doing menial work in a media company are higher than the standards for being President of the US.  Trump can broadcast scurrilous lies a mile a minute, but no one can fire Trump.  Indeed, Republicans in Congress think he's superb - as proven by the multiple standing ovations they gave him when he addressed Congress 3 weeks ago.  

 

                      When Trump gets thrown out of DC, all those Republicans who stood clapping and yelling their unbridled enthusiasm for all things Trump, will be embarrassed to admit their prior support.  At the least, they'll downplay it in the future, when everyone admits the Trump name is toxic.

 

 

[boomerangutang]

What's the biggest lie Trump has told in the past 20 months?  Hard to say, because there've been so many whoppers.   If the following is not the biggest lie, it definitely gets honorable (or dishonorable) mention:

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . >>>>>    "I PICK THE BEST PEOPLE"   <<<<<

 

            When Trump publicly says something ridiculous like that, he will put both his hands up, index fingers pointed upward, and his eyes will half close - to emphasize what a marvelously insightful person he is.

 

                 Let's see who the 'best people' are, in Trump's estimation:  Along with unquestioning loyalty to Trump, every one of them has to lie.  Those are the top 2 job requirements.   Nearly every one of his 'best people' are involved with Putin/Russian agents in some nefarious ways - to the detriment of the USA.  The list goes on.

 

              Trump insiders never tire of mentioning how Trump 'TRUMP VALUES LOYALTY.'

Yet, the past two days, Spicer and others have been distancing Trump from many of his former close associates.  Manafort was Trump's campaign manager for awhile, but now Trump and his sheeple are acting like they barely ever knew him.  

 

                 During the campaign, when Trump was asked about David Duke, he said he didn't know who he was or anything about him.   Yet months earlier, Trump was gushing with opinions about The Grand Wizard of the KKK.   Similar with Putin.   Half of the 30 public comments Trump has made about Putin, he says what a great guy he is, and how they've met and get along great (and he's a better leader than Obama).   The other half of the times, Trump acts like he barely knows anything about Putin and that they've never met.  

[iReason]

Just now, boomerangutang said:

 Similar with Putin.   Half of the 30 public comments Trump has made about Putin, he says what a great guy he is, and how they've met and get along great (and he's a better leader than Obama).   The other half of the times, Trump acts like he barely knows anything about Putin and that they've never met.  

 

[funandsuninbangkok]

On 3/17/2017 at 8:27 PM, craigt3365 said:

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/justice-department-wiretap-congress/index.html

 

 

Trump is a fool and a liar.  Sad there's no way to get rid of him.

 

Oh my. Does it hurt when proven wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html

 

 

 

[Andaman Al]

35 minutes ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

 

Oh my. Does it hurt when proven wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html

 

 

 

What is your point? That is true

 

Quote

Members of the intelligence community "incidentally collected" communications from the Trump transition team during legal surveillance operations of foreign targets, a top Republican lawmaker said Wednesday afternoon.

Flynn was picked up as an incidental during the auto wire tap of the Russian Ambassador. As Nunes says it was legal. What was not legal was unmasking him.

 

That is NOT ANYTHING to do with Trump saying Obama had wiretapped him bad (sick) man. Get with the program for God's sake and stop clutching at straws.

[Gene1960]

 
Oh my. Does it hurt when proven wrong?
 
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html
 
 
 

Love the language "incidentally collected intelligence," Nunes said.

[craigt3365]

4 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

 

Oh my. Does it hurt when proven wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html

 

Please read the OP.  And perhaps follow the news a bit more closely.  They've always admitted some members of the Trump campaign team might have had surveillance.  Especially since they've had an investigation ongoing with them for almost a year! LOL

 

What this OP is about: Trump claims Obama wiretapped him per his order.  That has been proven to be false.  Your article doesn't change that fact.  Keep up...

[craigt3365]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/devin-nunes-trump-communications/index.html

Quote

The comments by Nunes do not appear to support Trump's claims, debunked by FBI Director James Comey, that he was wiretapped by his predecessor President Barack Obama. Rather, they appear to relate to conversations between Trump or associates and people who were targeted by FISA warrants -- that Nunes said did not appear to be illegal.

..................

At that hearing, Comey confirmed for the first time that his agency is investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign and whether any crimes may have been committed during last year's election campaign as part of a wider probe into the hacking of Democratic servers and the Clinton campaign.

 

You reap what you sow.  Probably much more to come.  Sadly.

[craigt3365]

5 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

 

Oh my. Does it hurt when proven wrong?

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/22/trump-team-communications-captured-by-intelligence-community-surveillance-nunes-says.html

This one must hurt Trump supporters a bit.  It should.  More lies from the Trump team.

 

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/122ae0b5848345faa88108a03de40c5a/manaforts-plan-greatly-benefit-putin-government

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/devin-nunes-trump-communications/index.html

 

You reap what you sow.  Probably much more to come.  Sadly.

The wiretaps may have been legal, but not masking US citizens and leaking the information definitely is illegal.

The questions that I want answered is if Obama was briefed on the wiretaps  by the intelligence service and who authorised the unmasking and disemination of illegal information. I'd say there are some in the intelligence services that are becoming very concerned about their future.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

This one must hurt Trump supporters a bit.  It should.  More lies from the Trump team.

 

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/122ae0b5848345faa88108a03de40c5a/manaforts-plan-greatly-benefit-putin-government

How does it hurt Trump? The information supports Trump's contention that his team was illegally wiretapped.

[craigt3365]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The wiretaps may have been legal, but not masking US citizens and leaking the information definitely is illegal.

The questions that I want answered is if Obama was briefed on the wiretaps  by the intelligence service and who authorised the unmasking and disemination of illegal information. I'd say there are some in the intelligence services that are becoming very concerned about their future.

Agree about the leaks.  Not good.  But kinda like Snowden.  Many are happy they were leaked.  Can't have leaks go both ways.  Either they are all OK or they are all not OK.

 

A mess for sure.  And one created by Trump and his dodgy deals and lies.  I do remember his saying it was good for Russia to do the hacks.  That comment and others do seem to be coming back to bite him.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Agree about the leaks.  Not good.  But kinda like Snowden.  Many are happy they were leaked.  Can't have leaks go both ways.  Either they are all OK or they are all not OK.

 

A mess for sure.  And one created by Trump and his dodgy deals and lies.  I do remember his saying it was good for Russia to do the hacks.  That comment and others do seem to be coming back to bite him.

I'm all for leaks as long as we have governments that try to cover their incompetence/ crimes with secrecy.

I just think that these leaks support Trump's contention that he was being bugged, so really bad for all those saying he made it up.

If Obama was briefed and did nothing to stop it he is in the doo doo too.

[craigt3365]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm all for leaks as long as we have governments that try to cover their incompetence/ crimes with secrecy.

I just think that these leaks support Trump's contention that he was being bugged, so really bad for all those saying he made it up.

If Obama was briefed and did nothing to stop it he is in the doo doo too.

Isn't that what this administration is trying to do?  Cover up their incompetency/crimes with secrecy and lies?  Same same IMHO.

 

So what if he was bugged.  He's already fired 2 who were close to him due to serious potential issues.  The details of which are coming out now.  And can, potentially, be a really big deal.  Time will tell.

 

As for the wiretap, Obama never approved a tap for Trump specifically in Trump Towers, as alleged. Trump made that up and it's been proven.  Obama probably knew Manafort and Flynn were being bugged, along with whoever they were communicating with.  Maybe Trump got caught in one of those conversations also?  Hmmm.....

 

Don't blame Obama for this.  The root cause is Trump and his team trying to play by a different set of rules.

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Isn't that what this administration is trying to do?  Cover up their incompetency/crimes with secrecy and lies?  Same same IMHO.

 

So what if he was bugged.  He's already fired 2 who were close to him due to serious potential issues.  The details of which are coming out now.  And can, potentially, be a really big deal.  Time will tell.

 

As for the wiretap, Obama never approved a tap for Trump specifically in Trump Towers, as alleged. Trump made that up and it's been proven.  Obama probably knew Manafort and Flynn were being bugged, along with whoever they were communicating with.  Maybe Trump got caught in one of those conversations also?  Hmmm.....

 

Don't blame Obama for this.  The root cause is Trump and his team trying to play by a different set of rules.

It's not masking US citizens that is illegal. If Obama knew illegal information was being disseminated and did nothing then he committed a crime.

Can't justify a crime by saying Trump did stuff too.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's not masking US citizens that is illegal. If Obama knew illegal information was being disseminated and did nothing then he committed a crime.

Can't justify a crime by saying Trump did stuff too.

Thus if US president knows that intelligence community is investigating US citizens of being Russian, or any other country's, spies, the president is obligated to yell the world about it? Is this what you are saying?

[craigt3365]

29 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

How does it hurt Trump? The information supports Trump's contention that his team was illegally wiretapped.

The taps were legal.  Do some research.  Even the Trump administration admits this. 

[stevenl]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

The taps were legal.  Do some research.  Even the Trump administration admits this. 

Which is why Manafort is the next fall guy. Ties have been loosened already, after all he was never important for Trump or the Trump campaign.

[craigt3365]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's not masking US citizens that is illegal. If Obama knew illegal information was being disseminated and did nothing then he committed a crime.

Can't justify a crime by saying Trump did stuff too.

Obama knew dodgy things were going on.  Thus the wiretaps on Trump's team, Flynn's resignation, Russian spies were kicked out of the country.  Come on...why are you blaming Obama when the crimes were committed by others?  I don't get it.  Either an ardent Trump supporter or an Obama hater?

[craigt3365]

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Which is why Manafort is the next fall guy. Ties have been loosened already, after all he was never important for Trump or the Trump campaign.

Manafort was massively important to the Trump campaign.  He was the manager!!!!!!!!!!!  And organized the convention.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Manafort#Chairman_of_Donald_Trump.27s_2016_United_States_Presidential_campaign

Quote

 

In March 2016, he joined the presidential campaign of Donald Trump to lead Trump's "delegate-corralling" efforts. In April 2016, Trump terminated campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and promoted Manafort to the position. Manafort gained control of the daily operations of the campaign as well as an expanded $20 million budget, hiring decisions, advertising, and media strategy.^{[11][12][13][14]}

 

In August 2016, Manafort's connections to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions drew national attention in the USA, where it was reported that Manafort may have illegally received $12.7 million in off-the-books funds from the Party of Regions.^[15] On August 17, 2016, Donald Trump received his first security briefing.^[16] Also, on August 17, 2016, the New York Times reported on an internal staff memorandum from Manafort stating that Manafort would "remain the campaign chairman and chief strategist, providing the big-picture, long-range campaign vision".^[17] However, two days later, Trump announced his acceptance of Manafort's resignation from the campaign after Stephen Bannon and Kellyanne Conway took on senior leadership roles within that campaign.^[18][19]

 

 

[stevenl]

1 minute ago, craigt3365 said:

Manafort was massively important to the Trump campaign.  He was the manager!!!!!!!!!!!  And organized the convention.

 

I know that, but the administration disagrees, see Spicer's statements. I can't think of a clearer indication he is the next fall guy.

Edited March 23, 2017 by stevenl