Prosecutorial Misconduct

For John, BLUF:  The Department of Justice is working hard to convict Presidential Candidate Donsald J Trump of somesthing.  Maybe too hard.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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If Alleged DOJ Misconduct Is True, A Judge Could Dismiss The Whole Case Against Trump

Here is the sub-headline:

The conduct claimed is perhaps unprecedented and certainly flagrant.  If proven true, the judge would be well within her rights to consider dismissal.

From The Federalist, by Former Federal Prosecutor Will Scharf, 5 July 2023.

Here is the lede plus two:

Lost in the breathless headlines over the indictment of President Trump for alleged violations of the Espionage Act is a story that deserves much more attention than it has received thus far: the allegation that a senior official at the Department of Justice attempted to shake down Trump’s co-defendant’s lawyer.  It is a scandal in the making that could result in the investigation of senior DOJ officials, which should lead to public congressional hearings, and that might even result in the entire case against Trump being dismissed.

Trump’s co-defendant is Waltine “Walt” Nauta, a Navy valet who served in Trump’s White House and who remained a personal aide to Trump after he left office.  Several weeks ago, Nauta’s lawyer, a distinguished, highly-regarded Washington attorney named Stanley Woodward, leveled accusations against senior members of the Department of Justice, including DOJ Counterintelligence Chief Jay Bratt, who is now a part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team of prosecutors.  According to news reports, Woodward claimed in a sealed letter to D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg that, in a meeting to discuss Nauta’s case, Bratt indicated that Woodward’s application to be a D.C. Superior Court judge could be impacted if he could not get Nauta to testify against Trump.

If true, and I see no reason why Woodward would make such a threat up — and especially no reason why Woodward would risk his career by making such a representation to a federal judge — Bratt’s alleged misconduct could result in heavy sanctions, and is a potential ground for dismissal of the entire case against Nauta and Trump.  Depending on what exactly was said, Bratt could even face criminal prosecution himself.

Presidential Candidate Donald J Trump has a lot of flaws.  I am reading about some of them in Commander in Cheat, a 2020 book mailed to me by my buddy, Juan.  However, it is up to the Voters to decide if Mr Trump's flaws are greater than those of his opponent.  In 2016 they said no.  In 2020 they said yes.

Comparing candidates is the job of the Voters  It is not the job of the US Department of Justice.  We went through that with Saint James Comey, who took it upon himself to save the nation and the world.  We, the Voters, do not need that kind of help.  If Mr Trump broke some law, fine, go after him.  However, let us have no DOJ intervention to "save" the nation (or President Joe Biden).

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Citizen Against Citizen

For John, BLUF:  Here is another sign that New York City Mayor Bill deBlasio should never have been considered for the Democrats Party nomination for President in 2020.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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De Blasio’s social distancing tip line flooded with _____ photos, Hitler memes

From The New York Post, by Reporters Tina Moore, Gabrielle Fonrouge and Bruce Golding, 21 April 2020.

Here is the lede plus two:

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s critics let him know how they really felt about him ordering New Yorkers to snitch on each other for violating social-distancing rules — by flooding his new tip line with crank complaints including “dick pics” and people flipping the bird, The Post has learned.

Photos of extended middle fingers, the mayor dropping the Staten Island groundhog and news coverage of him going to the gym have all been texted to a special tip line that de Blasio announced Saturday, according to screenshots posted on Twitter.

One user sent the message “We will fight this tyrannical overreach!” to the service and got an automated message that in part said, “Hello, and thank you for texting NYC311.”

Of course New Yorkers are going to respond with snark, ugly snark.  It is New York City, after all.

Asking Americans to snitch on each other, like this was the late and unlamented Deutsche Demokratische Republik, and its dreaded Staatssicherheitsdienst or Stasi, is asking too much.

What the hapless Mayor DeBlasio misses is that this isn't social responsibility he asking for, but turning citizens into snitches against each other.  Turning citizens against each other is irresponsible.

Thank Heaven.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Aggressive China

For John, BLUF:  While looking for the Russians hiding under the bed we are being overrun by China, North Korea, Iran and other spies.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Explain the Chinese spy, Sen. Feinstein

From The Washington Post, by Columnist Marc A. Thiessen, 9 August 2018

By way of introduction, here is the lede:

Imagine if it emerged that the Republican chairman of the House or Senate intelligence committee had a Russian spy working on their staff.  Think it would cause a political firestorm?  Well, this month we learned that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had a Chinese spy on her staff who worked for her for about 20 years, was listed as an “office director” on payroll records and served as her driver when she was in San Francisco, all while reporting to China’s Ministry of State Security through China’s San Francisco Consulate.  The reaction of the mainstream media? Barely a peep

Yes, they are everywhere.

And, it would be nice to see some generalized damage assessment from this case.  But, it might be a tough Senatorial race out in the Golden State.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Never Getting It Right

For John, BLUF:  With the Feds tell the truth or take the Fifth.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Jake Tapper Falsely Claims Scooter Libby "Leaked" Noted Anti-Semite Conspiracy Theorist Valerie Plame's Name to Press; Refuses to Correct

From the Ace of Spades, on 13 April 2018.

Jake is wrong.  Mr I Lewis Libby♠ didn't leak the name.  Just flat out wrong.♥

Incidentally, Mr Lewis was not convicted of "burning" Ms Valerie Plsme, but of lying to the FBI.♦

O F F E N S I V E   L A N G U A G E   W A R N I N G
Not here, but at the link at the top.

President Trump did give Mr Lewis a full pardon on Friday the 13th.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Full disclosure, while in the Pentagon for my second tour I interacted with Mr Lewis, a little.
♥  While Mr Lewis did get his law license back, it took President Trump to give him the pardon.
♦  Yes, it is OK for the Feds to lie to you, but not for you to lie to the Feds.  I think that is very un-American.

Back to Paper Ballots

For John, BLUF:  This is a move in the proper direction.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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State election officials across country returning to paper ballots

From The Boston Globe, a story by Mr Matt Viser, 19 February 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

Hoping to counter waves of Russian Twitter bots, fake social media accounts, and hacking attacks aimed at undermining American democracy, state election officials around the country are seizing on an old-school strategy: paper ballots.

In Virginia, election officials have gone back to a paper ballot system, as a way to prevent any foreign interference.  Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe this month ordered county officials to ensure new election equipment produces a paper record.  Georgia lawmakers are considering legislation to replace a touch-screen voting system with paper.

I am not sure how paper ballots will impact twitter bots or fake social media accounts, but in this time of Russiagate that is what passes for news reporting.

The good news is going back to paper ballots.  Kudos to the states that do it.

Incidentally, this is a theme that the InstaPundit hammers away at this frequently.

Regards  —  Cliff

Mr Corbyn Sides With the Other Side

For John, BLUF:  If only Ms Clinton had been elected this wouldn't have happened.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Seumas Sticks to Line, Refused to Condemn Russia

Here is the sub-headline:

May Slams Corbyn Over His Refusal to Condemn Russia.

This is from Guido Fawkes, at his Blog, Order-Order, on 14 March 2018.  It has embedded video of the Prime Minister condemning the Opposition Leader.

Here is the lede plus one:

Theresa May slammed Jeremy Corbyn for his lack of support over the Russian spy poisoning crisis. The Prime Minister told Jezza:

There is a consensus across the backbenches of this House. I am only sorry that this consesnsus does not go as far as the Right Honourable Gentleman, who could have taken the opportunity as the UK government has done to condemn the cuplability of the Russian state.

To his face.  It was, after all, Prime Minister's Questions.♠

But, back to Jessa (Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn).  He has refused to point a finger at Russian President Putin in the attempted murders of two Russian Expatriates and the incidental poisoning of a British Police Office.

There is this, further down the blog post:

In this type situation Guido would normally expect the leader of the oppostion’s spin doctor to back pedal in the Lobby briefing huddle that follows, he would “clarify” and nuance the wording. Emphasise the more conventional parts of the argument to soften the inevitably hostile headlines coming tomorrow. When that spin-doctor is Seumas Milne however it seems there was to be no compromising on Putin’s line. Under intense questioning he refused to say that the Labour Party’s leader accepted the Russian state was at fault:

The government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others don‘t. However, also there is a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly. So, I think the right approach is to seek the evidence to follow international treaties, particularly in relation to prohibitive chemical weapons.

The reference to "a history" refers to the run up to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, when the UK supported the United States Government regarding accusations of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.  There was, first, The Butler Review, and then in 2009, The Chilcot Inquiry.♠

There you have it.  The Labour Party in the United Kingdom is officially in President Putin's pocket.  There is a lot more evidence for that than there ever was for President Trump being in collusion with the Russians.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  President George H. W. Bush said, "I count my blessings for the fact I don't have to go into that pit that John Major stands in, nose-to-nose with the opposition, all yelling at each other."
♥  For those hoping to see Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrap up soon, the Chilcot Report started in 2009, with its appointment by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and ended in 2016 with a public statement by Sir John Chilcot.  Speaking of sinecures.

Going After Russia's Espionage

For John, BLUF:  We are taking actions against Russia, but it is a game that needs some deft action, less it spiral down into war.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This is interesting.  The EMail Alert is:

US imposes sanctions on 19 Russians for alleged interference in election

On the other hand, at the article itself, the headline writer gives us:

US accuses Russia of ongoing effort to hack US energy grid

This is an Associated Press item by Messers Matthew Lee and Josh Lederman, in the 15 March 2018 edition of The Boston Globe.

Here is the lede:

The Trump administration accused Russia on Thursday of a concerted, ongoing operation to hack and spy on the U.S. energy grid and other critical infrastructure, and separately imposed sanctions on Russian officials for alleged high-tech interference in the 2016 American presidential election.

By the way, there is a teaser at the right of the article, "US, France, Germany join Britain in blaming Russia for poisoning".

So, how does this fit into the Democratic Party narrative, the narrative of US Representative Adam Schiff?♠

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  That is to say, President Trump is President Putin's puppet.

Licensed to Kill

For John, BLUF:  So, James Bond lives, but he is a Russian.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Putin Gang Stunned by Theresa May’s Resolve

This is an Opinion Piece by Mr John R. Schindler, in The Observer (UK), 14 March 2018.

Here is the lede plus two:

For the past dozen years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has employed his spies as assassins in the West, beginning with the murder of the defector Aleksandr Litvinenko in London in late 2006.  Kremlin killers have left a trail of bodies in several Western countries, but above all the United Kingdom.  Although Russian spies have made only modest efforts to cover their tracks in these crimes, the consequences for Moscow have been distinctly limited.  No Western country has been willing to stand up to Putin and his increasingly gangster regime—until now.

In response to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, a 66-year-old former Russian military intelligence colonel, who, along with his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, received a near-lethal dose of a nerve agent on March 4 in Salisbury, England, the British government is finally showing resolve in confronting outrageous Russian crimes perpetrated on their soil.  As I explained a week ago, there is no serious doubt that the Kremlin stands behind the would-be hit on the Skripals:

Vladimir Putin has resumed wetwork in a fashion not witnessed in the Kremlin since the days of Joseph Stalin.  Putin’s assassinations abroad over the last 15 years have been more aggressive than anything done during the Russian president’s KGB career.  Moreover, his views on turncoats are well known:  “Traitors always end badly,” he famously explained.  In 2010, the year Skripal was swapped to Britain, Putin chillingly stated, “Traitors will kick the bucket.  Trust me.  These people betrayed their friends, their brothers-in-arms.  Whatever they got in exchange for it, those 30 pieces silver they were given, they will choke on them.”

It is obvious that Mr Putin wants what he wants.  One has the sense that he thinks that he is not going to let some woman, like British Prime Minister Theresa May, push him around.

This may not end well.

Regards  —  Cliff

Guarding State Secrets

For John, BLUF:  Hillary and Donald partisans live in different worlds.  And I live in a still different world.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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In an attempt to keep up with the current cultural leading edge I subscribe to W Magazine's on-line daily, "In and Out".  Yes, it is a bit snarky, especially in a bien-pensant sort of way.  For example, I offer up this sentence from a discussion of Game of Thrones.

Details of the last lap are guarded more securely than state secrets (which, okay, might not be saying that much in the Trump era, but still…).

As my oldest Son would say, "Really?"

Have these folks never heard to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her "home brew" server, the one in someone's home?  The one with classified information on it?  Some of which was SAP?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming

For John, BLUF:  It isn't just hacking voting machines, but messing with people's minds.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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ANOTHER ERRANT ANTI-TRUMP HIT PIECE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST

Posted on 15 December, by Mr Paul Mirengoff, at the Powerline Blog.

Here is the lede plus one:

Fresh off of its triumph in the Alabama Senate race, the Washington Post returns to its primary mission — taking down the President of the United States.  It does so in a piece called (in the paper edition) “How Trump’s pursuit of Putin has left the U.S. vulnerable to the Russia threat.”

The hit piece, by Greg Miller, Greg Jaffe, and Phillip Rucker, takes up five pages in the front section of today’s Post.  One searches in vain through the authors’ gossip and distortions for evidence of the article’s two themes:  (1) that Trump is leaving the U.S. vulnerable to the Russian threat in question, cyber-attacks on our election process and (2) that Trump’s policies tilt in favor of Russia.

Mr Mirengoff seems to disagree, but you will have to read the whole piece to see his reasoning.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

"I detest America"

For John, BLUF:  That is OK, probably Reporter Walter Duranty did also  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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'I Detest America': 148 Lost Documents by Alan Turing Accidentally Found in Old Storage

This is from Science Alert and Reporter Signe Dean, from 28 August 2017.

After not seeing the light of day for at least 30 years, a unique collection of letters by famous mathematician Alan Turing has been found in a storage space at his old university.

Well, apparently it isn't just the Antifa.  Way back when I was in Elementary School Noted Mathematician Alan Turing despised America, per a letter to a colleague.

Ouch!

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

How Deep Does "Awangate" Go?

For John, BLUF:  This would be an awkward time to start another Special Counsel, drilling in the opposite direction.  But…  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Imran Awan Case Needs Special Counsel 100X More than Russiagate

This is from PJ Media, by Writer Roger L Simon, Wednesday, 26 July 2017.

This is about former House Democratic Party IT person Imran Awan.  The Wikipedia Article takes the approach of his defense attorney, this is all about nothing.

However, Mr Roger Simon disagrees.  A few paragraphs down his article we have these two paragraphs:

For years, Imran Awan had access to the secret data and correspondence of many House committees, including foreign affairs.  What did he do with it?  As I said, that's the worst case scenario (I guess).  But I don't want to bury my own lede in a welter of ledes, so here it is:

Jeff Sessions should immediately appoint a special counsel in this case whose tentacles are so vast they reach the highest levels of our government.  The FBI, working unsupervised, has already been tainted by its heavily-criticized investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails, an investigation that actually may turn out to be related to this one.  It cannot be trusted to do this by themselves.  We need a special counsel.

And don't forget "the mysterious death of Seth Rich". Sure, all the conspiracy theories have been "debunked", but now might be a good time to dust them off and maybe add the Pakistani ISI to the mix.

When the ISI is involved one can never be sure who is being betrayed.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Foreign Influence in the Corridors of Power

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats should have left the Russia thing alone, when they had the chance  This could slip out of control  Their only hope is the Mainstream Media.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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UNDERSTANDING THE AWAN CONNECTION

Posted on The Powerline Blog by Mr Paul Mirengoff, on 26 July 2017.

No, this isn't about the extended Trump Family and campaign staff and Russia.

No, this is about Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, at one time the head of the Democratic National Committee, right up until the 2016 Convention.  And it is about a group of Pakistani IT experts who were running the computer systems for Ms Schultz and other Democrats in Congress.

And, about how DWS has given possible foreign agents access to information that they could then use to blackmail Members of Congress and others.  In the article these is a strong running from Mr Awan to Hezbollah.  That doesn't sound good.

Maybe we should appoint a special prosecutor?  Not likely, though, given that Mr Awan was arrested for fraud unrelated to what was going on on Capitol Hill.  Why was that?  Is the Deep Government covering up this obvious penetration of our Government by a foreign government or non-governmental actor?

Here is how the Powerline Post ends:

Clearly, I’ve entered the realm of speculation.  But if the mainstream media is going to speculate endlessly about President Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia, shouldn’t it also be speculating about the Awan connection?  And if Trump is to be investigated endlessly by the government, shouldn’t the Awan connection be investigated, as well?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Current Russia Meddling Story

For John, BLUF:  The story of Russian meddling in our presidential election seems built on shifting sands.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault

From The Washington Post, by Reporters Greg Miller, Ellen Nakashima and Adam Entous, on 23 June 2017.

Here are some excerpts, with comments:

In political terms, Russia’s interference was the crime of the century, an unprecedented and largely successful destabilizing attack on American democracy. It was a case that took almost no time to solve, traced to the Kremlin through cyber-forensics and intelligence on Putin’s involvement. And yet, because of the divergent ways Obama and Trump have handled the matter, Moscow appears unlikely to face proportionate consequences.

Really?  Maybe the Twenty-First Century, but surely within the last 64 years there have been other such actions.  The Iranian nation, or at least the Iranian Government, is patently unwilling to forgive us for the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh'S Government, back in 1952.  Then there is the overthrow of the Salvador Allende Government in Chile, which many see as the work of the US CIA.

“The punishment did not fit the crime,” said Michael McFaul, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia for the Obama administration from 2012 to 2014. “Russia violated our sovereignty, meddling in one of our most sacred acts as a democracy — electing our president. The Kremlin should have paid a much higher price for that attack. And U.S. policymakers now — both in the White House and Congress — should consider new actions to deter future Russian interventions.”

How high a price do we want Russia to pay?  If they think we are messing with their internal systems will they see it as tit-for-tat or as an act of war?  And planting hidden disruptive programs within their internet systems will surely disturb them..  The Obama Official quoted may like the punishment before the trial approach, but I find it to be disturbing.

Early drafts accused Putin by name, but the reference was removed out of concern that it might endanger intelligence sources and methods.

But, now it is OK to tie his name to this?  What changed to remove the concern about intelligence sources and methods?  I am betting nothing and this is just reckless leaking and journalism.  Ego before common sense.

… Putin, motivated by a seething resentment of Clinton, was prepared to go beyond fake news and email dumps.

Now here is an important motivating factor.  Why would President Putin have "a seething resentment" of Ms Clinton?  Could it be because as Secretary of State Mrs Clinton meddled in internal Russian politics?  The alternative would likely be that Mr Putin felt he was betrayed in some financial dealings.

This carcass is beginning to smell.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff

Edward Snowden Update

For John, BLUF:  Well, by the Clinton Rule, maybe we should back off.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Kremlin Admits Snowden is a Russian Agent

From John Schindler, on his XX Committee blog, 2 July.  Here is the yield:

In the three years since Edward Snowden landed in Moscow, his relationship with his hosts has been a source of much speculation and controversy.  The American IT contractor, who worked for the CIA and NSA until he fled Hawaii with more than a million purloined secret files, has not left Russia since he arrived at Sheremetyevo airport on 23 June 2013, on a flight from Hong Kong.

And here is how the author winds it up:

In truth, Snowden was never all that well informed about American intelligence.  Contrary to the myths that he and his mouthpieces have propagated, he was no more than an IT systems administrator.  Snowden was never any sort of bona fide spy.  There are no indications he really understands most of what he stole from NSA.

The FSB therefore milked Snowden of any valuable information rather quickly.  He likely had little light to shed on the million-plus secret files he stole.  Instead, his value to Moscow has been as a key player in Kremlin propaganda designed to discredit the Western intelligence alliance.

In that role, Snowden has done a great deal of damage to the West.  But he was never a "mole" for Moscow inside NSA.  In reality, the Snowden Operation is probably a cover to deflect attention from the one or more actual Russian moles who have been lurking inside NSA for years, undetected.

Based on the cases of previous Western intelligence defectors to Moscow, Edward Snowden faces an unhappy future.  Whatever happens to him is up to his hosts, who control all aspects of any defector's life.  There no longer can be any honest debate about his relationship with the Kremlin, which has settled the matter once and for all.  Putin and his special services consider Snowden to be nash – there is no question about that now.

Regards  —  Cliff

Espionage and the Start of the Korean War

For John, BLUF:  I always wonder why we focus on Hitler and the Nazis, when Stalin is more recent and killed more people.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the Blog site We Are The Mighty we have "This US Army sergeant started the Korean War by selling out to the Soviets".  The author is Mr Blake Stilwell and the dateline is 24 May 2016.

Here is how it starts out:

For more than 60 years, only seven people on Earth knew that the Soviets broke U.S. military and diplomatic ciphers.  One of those people was former KGB Berlin bureau chief and master Soviet spy Sergei Kondrashev.  Kondrashev and his peers searched desperately for American code clerks as they came and went from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.  The KGB knew next to nothing about American ciphers, the code room in the embassy, or even the personnel who worked there. That changed in the early days of the Cold War.

Tennent Bagley was a CIA agent working around Eastern Europe, including Berlin.  In the early 1990’s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he was to be featured on a German television show to discuss Cold War intelligence with former KGB agents.  In preparation for the show, he met Kondrashev, his direct KGB counterpart . Kondrashev told Bagley things that the CIA never knew, including the story of “Jack,” a U.S. Army Sergeant who single-handedly sparked off the Korean War.

In 1949, the memory of World War II and the existential threat to Russia was still fresh in the mind of Soviet Premiere Joseph Stalin.  Tensions with the U.S. were higher than at any time in recent memory.  The Soviet Union needed a way to predict American behavior.

They thought they lucked out when Sgt. James “Mac” MacMillan, a U.S. Army code clerk in the U.S. embassy in Moscow, began dating a Soviet national, nicknamed “Valya.”  Kondrashev was the intelligence agent assigned to Mac.  He persuaded Mac to give him any details of the code room and of anything else he knew.  In exchange, the KGB offered to set him and Valya up with an apartment in Moscow and money to start their lives.

It was only a few weeks after their first meeting that Mac defected to the Soviet Union.  Kondrashev soon learned Mac’s knowledge of the American codes was limited and the Russians were no closer to breaking the codes.

The Russians watched the U.S. embassy intently.  Based on the information provided by Mac, they knew what the code clerks looked like, but after Mac’s defection, the Americans were on alert.  The KGB’s got lucky again when agents reported an Army clerk visiting a local apartment, staying long into the night, and then returning to the embassy a few nights a week.

This is a sad situation.  But, the "honey pot" is a typical part of spy craft.  On the other hand, the Army Specialist formerly known as Bradley Manning gave up our secrets without such inducements.  We do provide young men and women with a lot of important information and expect them to take good care of it.  Almost all of them do an excellent job.  They are very careful of our nation's secrets.

However, there is another lesson to be learned here.  You think you have a conduit to what the other side is thinking, but that doesn't mean the other side might not turn on a dime.  In this case Uncle Joe (Stalin) was being cautious, but then learned that the US didn't much care about Korea, so he sanctioned the Kim Il-sung invasion of South Korea in 1950.  Then that terrible Harry Truman decided South Korea was important.  The rest is history.

Regards  —  Cliff

Ms Clinton and her EMails

For John, BLUF:  The coverup is worse than the crime.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Writing for Pajama Media, Mr Stephen Kruiser, Tuesday, expanded on a Washington Post article by Mr Chris Cillizza.  The WaPo article talks to the question asked of Ms Clinton by Moderator Chris Cuomo, and the back and forth.

The title of the Kruiser article is "'WaPo': Hillary 'STILL Doesn't Have A Good Answer' on Emails".

Here is the main point from Mr Kruiser:

On a serious note, her flailing, constantly evolving, responses to this scandal should be a stand-alone story.  Sure, the MSM is dealing with important issues like Marco Rubio's footwear and Ted Cruz's tithing percentages, so a looming indictment might not seem sexy or newsworthy enough.  It's tempting to blame the Trump Hair and Donkey Extravaganza for distracting the press, but we all know they'd be largely giving Hillary a pass on this even in his absence.

To his credit, Chris Cillizza is the one member of the hackmedia who has stayed on the story.

There are three things in this issue:

1. Did Ms Clinton violate federal law with regard to protecting classified information and preserving historic records?
2. Did Ms Clinton exercise extremely poor judgement in trying to run her official EMails off of a personal server, in contravention of good practice?
3. Does Ms Clinton lack the ability to deal with a problem in a sufficiently open way to build confidence in her leadership, domestically and internationally?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff