Make no mistake. There’s plenty about Trump to criticize. Doing it with fabricated accusations is unconscionable - against him or anyone else. Politics is dirty business, notably in America, especially with one-sided media reporting, favoring one presidential candidate over the other.
During last year’s campaign, US major media operated as virtual press agents for Hillary, a shameful performance, suppressing her sordid record, the huge danger she’d pose as president, blasting Trump relentlessly, a daily onslaught, vicious and malicious by any standard.
Then it was uncalled for. Now it is for legitimate reasons, his deplorable policies, an issue I’ve covered in numerous articles, many more to come as long as he’s president, calling him out for unacceptable abuses of power.
The so-called Trump-Russia dossier was prepared by former UK MI6 intelligence operative Christopher Steele.
Christopher Steele, former British intelligence officer in London Tuesday March 7, 2017 where he has spoken to the media for the first time . Steele compiled an explosive and unproven dossier on Donald Trump’s purported activities in Russia. There's a lot of money to be made doing the dirty work of the empire. Steele is one of many spooks doing "private assignments" on behalf of the anglozionist Neocon mafia. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)
It contains spurious accusations without evidence, unverified rubbish alleging misconduct and collusion between Trump, his campaign and Russia during the presidential campaign - including phony accusations of Russian US election interference.
Trump correctly called the dossier “fake news” and “phony.” It was unjustifiable character assassination, along with fabricating claims of Russian interference in America’s electoral process. There was none!
In an earlier article, I asked who put Steele up to his dirty work? Who ordered it? Who hired him?
Outgoing DNI head James Clapper denied involvement by US intelligence agencies. He issued a statement saying:
“…I had the opportunity to speak with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss recent media reports about our briefing last Friday.”
“I expressed my profound dismay at the leaks that have been appearing in the press, and we both agreed that they are extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security.”
“I emphasized that this (dossier) is not a US intelligence community product, and that I do not believe the leaks came from within the IC.”
Steele didn’t confirm or deny producing the dossier. He refused to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
On Tuesday, a surprising neocon/CIA-connected Washington Post report headlined “Clinton campaign, DNC paid for research that led to Russia dossier,” saying:
Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias hired Washington-based Fusion GPS, a commercial research and strategic intelligence firm, to investigate Trump.
The company hired Steele to dig up dirt on him. WaPo’s sources are unidentified. Fusion GPS was retained in April. It continued its work through end of October, its material sent to Elias.
An unidentified GOP donor initially funded the company’s research into Trump’s background - while Republican primaries were ongoing.
WaPo: “When the Republican donor stopped paying for the research, Elias, acting on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC, agreed to pay for the work to continue. The Democrats paid for research, including by Fusion GPS…”
“The Clinton campaign paid Perkins Coie (Elias’ firm) $5.6 million in legal fees from June 2015 to December 2016, according to campaign finance records, and the DNC paid the firm $3.6 million in “legal and compliance consulting’’ since November 2015…”
It’s unclear how much of this was for digging up dirt on Trump, likely a considerable amount.
It’s also unclear whether the Clinton campaign and DNC were involved in directing Steele’s work. They denied it.
WaPo said the FBI agreed to pay Steele for information on Trump and Russia, but “pulled out of the arrangement after (he) was publicly identified in news reports.”
Congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried getting Fusion GPS to identify names of undemocratic Dems behind Steele’s dirty work. The firm claimed client confidentiality, its legal right.
Last week, its officials refused to testify before the House Intelligence Committee. Chairman Devin Nunes subpoenaed its bank records, the company contesting the order.
The dubious Trump dossier was a key part of the deplorable Russiagate scandal - a sinister plot to delegitimize Trump, including phony accusations of Russian US election interference.
The Clinton campaign and DNC used it for this purpose - fabricated rubbish to serve their interests, a way to assure Hillary’s election as president, a failed plot.
He won. She lost. Recriminations continue. There’s plenty about Trump to criticize without making stuff up.
STEPHEN LENDMAN was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. In 1956, he received a BA from Harvard University. Two years of US Army service followed, then an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. After working seven years as a marketing research analyst, he joined the Lendman Group family business in 1967. He remained there until retiring at year end 1999. Writing on major world and national issues began in summer 2005. In early 2007, radio hosting followed. Lendman now hosts the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network three times weekly. Distinguished guests are featured. Listen live or archived. Major world and national issues are discussed. Lendman is a 2008 Project Censored winner and 2011 Mexican Journalists Club international journalism award recipient. His new site is at http://stephenlendman.orgSTEPHEN LENDMAN—During last year’s campaign, US major media operated as virtual press agents for Hillary, a shameful performance, suppressing her sordid record, the huge danger she’d pose as president, blasting Trump relentlessly, a daily onslaught, vicious and malicious by any standard.
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