Saturday, July 06, 2024

Old News

In her podcast "Ball of Thread," she claimed connections of Trump's allies with foreign governments, particularly Russia, left him reeling as he tried to become president — and filled with conspiracy theories about secretive "deep state" dealings. 
Trump team members Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Paul Manafort and Mike Flynn were all targets of FBI investigations into ties between Trump's campaign and Russia. 
When it comes to Page, Wheeler explained, "Starting years ago, Russian intelligence ... had started cultivating him, and until 2013, the CIA would go to him and say, 'Hey, do you have these Russian friends?' 
The CIA stopped talking to Page in 2013, but the Russians didn't stop building the relationship and, after a 2015 indictment, a suspect gave the CIA a description of somebody they were working with. It fit Page. 
In 2016, the CIA reached out to Page, saying they wanted to talk to him about the Russian spies trying to recruit him. Page was open to it, saying he told the Russians he wouldn't snitch on America. 
"Remember, he was a business consultant, and he gave them non-public, non-classified information," said Wheeler. "And later on, he would say to the FBI, "I think that's good. I think it's okay to share non-public information with known Russian spies." 
Then there was Papadopoulos, a former member of the foreign policy advisory panel to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about Russian contacts in 2016. In speaking to another informant, Papadopoulos claimed, "Yeah, I don't want Trump to win. I just want to exploit my access to him. I can make the most money if he loses and I can exploit my access to him." 
Others had similar connections. 
And Trump, according to Wheeler, believes the FBI's focus on these contacts was aimed at hurting him. 
"And that is the birth of Trump's victimization. That is the birth of something Trump needed to be true from that point forward," said Wheeler. 
"And he found ways to make it true two or three times down the road. That is the birth of Trump's claim, which most MAGAs believe as if it's the Ten Commandments. That the deep state went out after Trump in 2016, that the deep state wiretapped Donald Trump in 2016 and tried to take him down That's where this assault on the deep state really comes from."
Old news. But “Everyone in Washington” is concerned with the ABC interview. It’s all Biden’s fault for making the Beltway talk about this.
I understand you can't turn on the television or get on the internet without seeing some pundit talking about how I need to drop out of the race. 
Nonsense. 
I want you to ask yourself, what have these people been right about lately? Seriously. Think about it. 
They were wrong when they said I couldn't win the Democratic nomination in 2020.   
They were wrong when they said we wouldn't beat Trump (and there were many) months later. 
They were wrong when they predicted massive Democratic losses in 2022. Remember the red wave? 
They were wrong when they said we couldn't take on the NRA and pass the most significant gun safety legislation in three decades. 
They were wrong when they said we couldn't take on big Pharma and allow Medicare to lower the cost of prescription drugs. 
They were wrong when they said we could never take on the oil companies and pass the most significant climate change legislation in the history of the world. 
And they are wrong again today. 
Folks, listen. Forget the pundits. 
As long as we are in this together -- me and you -- not only are we going to beat Trump again this November, but we are going to go on to do what many think impossible in my second term: codify Roe, ban assault weapons, expand Social Security, and more. 
But I cannot do this alone, and I've never needed you more than I do today. Everyone is looking to see if the grassroots support we need to win is still there. 
I've seen it since the debate, but we have to keep going. So please:
Meanwhile, Biden makes it an excuse for fundraising. They’re practically giving him an excuse to run as an outsider. Which I never would have thought was possible. JMM is in New York (the BosWash). The Biden delegates going to Chicago are from all over the country. What do they say? Meanwhile, the bored political press needs something between now and August besides the dull routine of the convention confirming the primary results: I think the delegates have a say, and it’s not necessarily what the pundits say. And Biden has a point: the political press has been so out of touch with the electorate the Democrats have been “over performing” since 2018. Stephanopolous told Biden no incumbent has been re-elected with such low approval numbers. Then again, no incumbent with such low unemployment numbers has ever not been re-elected. So what does the future hold?

Probably nothing the pundits predict; including the outcome of the convention.


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