US Politics Mega-thread - Page 9982

On February 28 2018 06:07 Logo wrote:


Forgive my lack of knowledge, but how does this work for charges that involve illicitly getting a boatload of money? I assume there's some sort of penalty or repayment plan involved in dropping the charges?

On February 28 2018 06:19 WolfintheSheep wrote:

They're basically settling it out of court, so it all depends on the terms of the agreement.

On February 28 2018 06:39 Doodsmack wrote:
Kushner's security clearance downgraded. I wonder if he will still be responsible for peace and innovation.

On February 28 2018 06:56 ticklishmusic wrote:
Trump left the decision up to Kelly, saying he "hoped that he would make the right decision". So this is an interesting development.

On February 28 2018 06:52 Gorsameth wrote:

Trump can still simply give him top level stuff.

On February 28 2018 06:38 Plansix wrote:
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/968597129659912198

Glad leaders of the GOP are dropping the whole reasonable restrictions on abortion and just telling us what we always knew.

The admiral in charge of both the nation's top electronic spying agency and the Pentagon's cyber security operations would seem a logical point man for countering Russia's digital intrusions in U.S. election campaigns.

But National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday there's only so much he can do. That's because, according to Rogers, President Trump has not ordered him to go after the Russian attacks at their origin.

Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the committee's ranking Democrat, asked Rogers, "Have you been directed to do so, given this strategic threat that faces the United States and the significant consequences you recognize already?"

"No, I have not," Rogers replied.

But the spy chief pushed back on suggestions he should seek a presidential sign-off.

"I am not going to tell the president what he should or should not do," Rogers declared when Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal pressed him on whether Trump should approve that authority. "I'm an operational commander, not a policymaker," he added. "That's the challenge for me as a military commander."

Rogers agreed with Blumenthal's estimation that Russian cyber operatives continue to attack the U.S. with impunity and that Washington's response has fallen short.

"It hasn't changed the calculus, is my sense," the spy chief told Blumenthal. "It certainly hasn't generated the change in behavior that I think we all know we need."

The only intelligence agency head to be held over from the Obama administration told Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin has reached a conclusion: there's little price to pay for his actions and they can therefore continue.

"Bingo!" Warren replied.

Rogers wasn't finished. "Everything, both as the director of the NSA and what I see on the Cyber Command side, leads me to believe that if we don't change the dynamic here, this is going to continue and 2016 won't be viewed as something isolated," he added. "This is something that will be sustained over time."

In another part of an oversight hearing in which Rogers appeared as the sole witness and Republican members kept silent about the Trump administration's response to Russian meddling, Reed asked if Moscow was trying to obtain a strategic objective by influencing U.S. public opinion on elections.

"Yes, sir," Rogers replied. "I believe they're attempting to undermine our institutions."

Without going into details, he said he'd directed the Cyber Command's Cyber Mission Force "to begin some specific work" in response to Russia's interference in U.S. elections.

But Rogers also made clear that he had not been granted what he called "the day-to-day authority" to disrupt Russian hacking operations at their point of origin. That, he said, would have to come from Trump through Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

"Nobody is denying him the authority," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said when asked about Rogers' testimony. "We're going to continue looking at different ways to combat [Russian meddling], and I would imagine that that will be certainly a big part of it, but I can't speak to anything further on it right now."

Even if he were granted authority to act, Rogers questioned during the Senate hearing whether his agencies' capabilities would be the best or only response to those attacks.

"Be mindful of falling in the trap that just because someone comes at us in cyber that we have to default to immediately going back and doing the exact same thing," he warned. "I've always believed we need to step back and think a little bit more broadly about it and just don't default — it's because of that, you know, that I have not done that to date."

Rogers pointed to U.S. economic sanctions against Russia and Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment last week of 13 Russian officials (which Rogers acknowledged not having read) as measures that have put a price on Russia's trouble-making. "I think, in fairness, you can't say nothing's been done," he said. "But the point would be, it hasn't been enough."

This was likely Rogers' last appearance before the panel before his retirement this spring. President Trump has nominated Army Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of the U.S. Army Cyber Command, to replace Rogers. The post requires Senate confirmation.

On February 28 2018 07:53 Biff The Understudy wrote:

I reaaaaaaaally hope Trump doesn't get empeached. He is a clown and a buffoon, but Pence is a truly horrifying man.

On February 28 2018 08:45 FueledUpAndReadyToGo wrote:
'Jared always was my least favourite son-in-law, I hardly knew him, he only did minor things like 100 billion dollar arms deals' Trump soon

On February 28 2018 08:43 Mohdoo wrote:
I don't understand. I thought republicans hated nepotism in politics?