this is history and folks don't even know it...and even nixon and clinton lost at court.
General Trump Administration F**kery Thread
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PoorAndDangerous
Superstar
Yeah. Roland Martin touched on this in his discussion with Byron Allen. Basically Michael Bloomberg even used Comcast because his Bloomberg financial TV network had to sue to get placed close to CNBC when Comcast was trying to play games with competition.
https://www.thecoli.com/threads/byr...nson-were-set-up-to-fail-he-has-proof.744364/
Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. When I worked for DirectTV and Time Warner as a CSR (gang gang) the cheapest tier of programming would also include Fox News. That truly explains the enormity (both meanings) of their viewership. When Bill O'Reilly sued Al Franken, O'Reilly's lawyer used the volume of "subscribers to Fox News" in their argument, and the judge flexed on em, over it.
Depending on your carrier, you have to pay for a higher package or tier to even have access to MSNBC...which is why Fox always kills everyone in the ratings.
bloomberg.com
Giuliani Faces U.S. Probe on Campaign Finance, Lobbying Breaches
By Chris Strohm and Jordan Fabian
7-9 minutes
Donald Trump, right, with Rudy Giuliani.
Photographer: Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images
Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is being investigated by federal prosecutors for possible campaign finance violations and a failure to register as a foreign agent as part of an active investigation into his financial dealings, according to three U.S. officials.
The probe of Giuliani, which one official said could also include possible charges on violating laws against bribing foreign officials or conspiracy, presents a serious threat to Trump’s presidency from a man that former national security adviser John Bolton has called a “hand grenade.”
A second official said Giuliani’s activities raise counterintelligence concerns as well, although there probably wouldn’t be a criminal charge related to that. The officials, who asked for anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, provided the first indication of the potential charges under investigation.
Giuliani is a central figure in the U.S. House impeachment inquiry, which focuses on an effort led by the former New York City mayor to pressure Ukraine’s government to investigate the president’s political rivals. If Giuliani is charged or indicted, he could expose Trump to a new level of legal and political jeopardy, especially if he’s accused of committing a crime on the president’s behalf.
“I would not be surprised if he gets indicted,” said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. “It’s clear Giuliani is up to his ears in shady stuff and there’s tons of smoke.”
Withholding Aid
Witnesses in the impeachment inquiry have described how Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine and a White House meeting for the country’s newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to force him to investigate a company connected to former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Biden is a Democratic frontrunner to challenge Trump in 2020.
Democrats have called Trump activities with Giuliani’s assistance as a potential abuse of presidential power, while some Republicans have argued that Trump’s conduct doesn’t merit his removal from office.
Giuliani is under investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which he once led.
The office began to scrutinize his activities in Ukraine as prosecutors investigated two of his associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. The two were subsequently charged in the U.S. with illegally funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to U.S. officials and a political action committee that backed Trump.Read More: Probe of Giuliani Allies Gathered Records on 50 Bank Accounts
Parnas and Fruman were working for Giuliani on matters related to Trump. It’s not clear, however, whether the investigation of Giuliani is focusing on the work he did for the president.
Giuliani, his lawyers and the White House didn’t respond to requests for comment.
‘Good Man’
Trump has shown no signs that he is willing to part ways with Giuliani. Trump told reporters on Oct. 25 that Giuliani is a “good man” who is one of the “the greatest crime fighters and corruption fighters.”
But some Trump allies in Congress have sought to put distance between the two men, painting Giuliani as a rogue player not operating under Trump’s orders. That description is at odds with Giuliani’s claim he was acting as the president’s personal defense attorney.
Mark Meadows
Photographer: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Bloomberg
Representative Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican, said that “the Democrats’ motive is to bring Giuliani in front and center and they believe that by impeaching Giuliani they can impeach the president.”
Cutting ties with Giuliani amid the impeachment inquiry would be risky for Trump because of the possibility that he could turn against the president. :
Giuliani was asked inan interview with the Guardian whether he was concerned Trump might “throw him under a bus.” Giuliani laughed and said: “I’m not, but I do have very, very good insurance, so if he does, all my hospital bills will be paid.”
Giuliani lawyer Robert Costello interjected to say, “He’s joking,” according to the Guardian report, which was published on Thursday.
Unique Role
Giuliani sits in a unique position, serving not only as the president’s lawyer but also an ally who seeks to further Trump’s political objectives.
Senior State Department officials said at a House impeachment hearing on Wednesday that Giuliani was carrying out a shadow campaign in Ukraine earlier this year at Trump’s behest. Giuliani’s work included seeking incriminating information on Biden, and he also pushed for the removal of then-U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Giuliani worked with Parnas and Fruman on the efforts in Ukraine.
“I believe he was looking to dig up political dirt against a potential rival in the next election cycle,” testified George Kent, deputy assistant secretary of State in the European and Eurasian bureau.
William Taylor
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
William Taylor, the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, described an “irregular policy channel” toward Ukraine that was being led by Giuliani. Taylor described his “astonishment” when he was told in July by a White House budget official that U.S. aid to Ukraine was being withheld under the orders of Trump through the acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
Giuliani could face charges related to extortion or other crimes stemming from trying to get Ukraine to open an investigation into the Bidens or into whether Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, said Kenneth McCallion, a former federal prosecutor.
Such charges could implicate Trump in a criminal activity, McCallion added. Justice Department policy prohibits a president from being criminally charged while in office, although it wouldn’t shield him after he leaves office.
Complicated Circumstances
Rocah said the actions that Trump, Giuliani and other officials took related to Ukraine may be more complicated, and that what appears to be wrongdoing on the surface may be hard to charge as crimes.
Giuliani, after several weeks of backing away from the public spotlight, has become somewhat more active in recent days, with the Guardian interview and a Wall Street Journal op-ed defending Trump’s conduct and blasting the impeachment inquiry.
Giuliani has been making a case against impeachment, and argued that the president’s supporters need to mount an aggressive public defense in the media. Giuliani said Friday on an impeachment-focused podcast hosted by former White House senior adviser Steve Bannon that public pressure could convince swing-district Democrats to vote against articles of impeachment.
“We are engaged in combat,” Giuliani said. “Even if they don’t impeach him, they’re hoping that somehow it will take his numbers down and maybe they can beat him.”
— With assistance by Billy House
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ADevilYouKhow
Rhyme Reason
ADevilYouKhow
Rhyme Reason
That good ole white privilege...
but Muslim countries are banned from immigrating...cause you know shyt holes and all..
wsj.com
WSJ News Exclusive | Federal Prosecutors Probe Giuliani’s Links to Ukrainian Energy Projects
Rebecca Davis O’Brien
8-10 minutes
Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether Rudy Giuliani stood to personally profit from a Ukrainian natural-gas business pushed by two associates who also aided his efforts there to launch investigations that could benefit President Trump, people familiar with the matter said.
Mr. Giuliani’s associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, pitched their new company, and plans for a Poland-to-Ukraine pipeline carrying U.S. natural gas, in meetings with Ukrainian officials and energy executives this year, saying the project had the support of the Trump administration, according to people briefed on the meetings. In many of the same meetings, the two men also pushed for assistance on investigations into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and alleged interference by Ukraine in the 2016 U.S. election, some of the people said.
In conversations that continued into this summer, Messrs. Parnas and Fruman told Ukrainian officials and others that Mr. Giuliani was a partner in the pipeline venture, which was a project of their company, Global Energy Producers, one of the people said. Another person said the men considered Mr. Giuliani a prospective investor in their company more broadly, but said the pitch was unsophisticated and exaggerated.
In an interview Friday, Mr. Giuliani vehemently denied any involvement in the energy company or the pipeline pitch. “I have no personal interest in any business in Ukraine, including that business,” Mr. Giuliani said, adding that he had no indication if prosecutors were looking into the matter. “If they really want to know if I’m a partner, why don’t they ask me?”
The Ukrainians understood the pipeline to be “part of the essential package” Mr. Giuliani and his associates were pushing, often mentioned immediately after the demand for investigations, said Kenneth F. McCallion, a New York lawyer who represents a number of Ukrainian individuals who learned of the pipeline deal, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who left office in 2010.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that prosecutors are scrutinizing Mr. Giuliani’s business dealings in Ukraine, including his finances, meetings and work for a city mayor in Ukraine. The inquiry grew out of a campaign-finance investigation into Messrs. Parnas and Fruman, people familiar with the investigation said. The Soviet-bloc born businessmen, both U.S. citizens based in Florida, were arrested last month on charges that they conspired to funnel foreign money to U.S. politicians and made illegal contributions of their own. They have pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors are considering whether Mr. Giuliani may have violated lobbying laws in connection with his Ukraine work, people familiar with the investigation said. It couldn’t be determined what criminal charges, if any, prosecutors would weigh in connection with Mr. Giuliani’s alleged interest in Global Energy Producers.
“I don’t know what they said to other people about me,” Mr. Giuliani said Friday, referring to Messrs. Parnas and Fruman. “I do know the following: I am not a part of the ownership, or any other involvement with GEP. I never agreed to be part of it. I’m not even sure I was ever asked to be part of it.” He said that if Messrs. Parnas and Fruman had asked for his legal opinion, he would have told them to avoid involvement in any “ownership situation” in Ukraine while working alongside him there, because it would look “stupid.”
Mr. Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, previously has denied wrongdoing and said he was acting in Ukraine on behalf of Mr. Trump. Mr. Giuliani has also said he provided Messrs. Parnas and Fruman “civil advice on business.” Friday he said he had also referred Global Energy Producers to another lawyer in connection with campaign-finance issues.
Mr. Giuliani has said his efforts in Ukraine were coordinated with the State Department.
Mr. Giuliani’s work for Mr. Trump and the pressure campaign in Ukraine are central to an impeachment inquiry that began its public phase on Wednesday in the House of Representatives.
In the first public testimony in the impeachment proceedings this week, U.S. officials said Mr. Giuliani opened an irregular channel of diplomacy in Ukraine, pressing for investigations that could help Mr. Trump politically. At the same time, the Trump administration withheld military aid to Ukraine temporarily, in what Democrats say was an inappropriate quid pro quo.
Mr. Trump has called the impeachment inquiry a hoax and said his dealings with the Ukrainian government were proper.
Messrs. Fruman and Parnas have been closely involved with Mr. Giuliani’s Ukraine-related work in the past year, including introducing Mr. Giuliani to Ukrainians and lobbying former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to open investigations that Democrats say would benefit President Trump.
In meetings with officials and businessmen in Ukraine, Messrs. Parnas and Fruman typically presented a number of interconnected demands, according to people familiar with the conversations. They pressed for Ukraine’s leaders to announce investigations into Mr. Biden and into unfounded theories that Ukraine had played a role in interfering in the 2016 elections.
Mr. Giuliani and others close to Mr. Trump have called for investigations into Mr. Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, related to the younger Biden’s time on the board of Burisma Group, a Ukrainian gas company. Mr. Biden has denied wrongdoing, and Ukraine’s former top prosecutor has said there was no evidence of a crime.
They also talked up their company, Global Energy Producers, and a plan to ship U.S. natural gas to Ukraine. The project had many practical impediments—including geography and cost—but had the potential to be extremely lucrative, people familiar with the pitch said. It would need the support of Ukrainian officials and a partnership with Naftogaz, the state-owned energy company.
Messrs. Parnas and Fruman presented themselves, and the pipeline deal, as having the backing of Mr. Giuliani and the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the conversations. They also told Ukrainian officials and others that the project had the backing of Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian tyc00n who made his fortune brokering natural-gas sales from Russia and Central Asia to Ukraine.
The Trump administration has long promoted U.S. liquefied natural gas, dubbed “freedom gas,” as a way for Europe to reduce its reliance on Russia for energy.
Mr. Firtash, who is in Vienna fighting extradition to the U.S. to face bribery and related charges, has aligned himself in recent years with people close to Mr. Trump and Mr. Giuliani. Mr. Firtash has denied the allegations.
A spokesman for Mr. Firtash’s legal team said in a statement: “Mr. Firtash met Mr. Parnas for the first time in June 2019. Mr. Firtash had no business relationship with Mr. Parnas or Mr. Fruman.” The law firm representing Mr. Firtash, diGenova & Toensing, hired Mr. Parnas this summer to serve as an interpreter, the firm has said.
One potential snag for the proposed pipeline was Naftogaz, the dominant player in Ukrainian energy and a focal point of U.S. foreign policy in the region. One person familiar with the Naftogaz board said the company dismissed Global Energy Producers’ proposed pipeline as impractical.
Messrs. Fruman and Parnas devised a plan to facilitate the pipeline plan by replacing Naftogaz’s chief executive, the Journal and others have previously reported. As part of that plan, in March, they approached a senior Naftogaz executive with a proposal to install him as the head of the company, a former business partner of the executive told the Journal.
Efforts by Trump administration officials and associates to install new management at Naftogaz, in hopes of steering contracts to companies controlled by Trump allies, have also been described by the Associated Press.
—Rebecca Ballhaus, Christopher M. Matthews and Georgi Kantchev contributed to this article.
Write to Rebecca Davis O’Brien at Rebecca.OBrien@wsj.com