You can't make this shit up.
The State Department inspector general provided Congress on Wednesday with documents that included materials President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani had given to the department earlier this year containing unproven claims about Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
The documents, which were obtained by CNN, include claims against the Bidens that formed the basis of President Donald Trump's accusations in his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as accusations against former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled earlier this year and whom Trump also criticized in the call. In addition, the packet contains internal State Department emails from officials discussing articles critical of Yovanovitch, calling some of it a "fake narrative."
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden.
Giuliani said that in late March, he had "routed" what he called an "outline" of allegations against Biden, as well as Yovanovitch, to the office of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He said he also had sent details of his interviews from earlier in the year with the incumbent and former top prosecutors in Ukraine, who helped provide him with the information in his outline.
Giuliani said he received a phone call shortly thereafter from Pompeo, who told Giuliani he would be referring the documents for investigation.
"They told me they were going to investigate it," Giuliani told CNN.
State Department Inspector General Steve Linnick told Congress that the department's office of legal counsel had provided the documents to him in May. A State Department spokesperson confirmed that the materials had been provided to the inspector general "for his review and for such action as the inspector general deemed appropriate."
The inspector general provided them to the FBI, and the FBI did not object to the documents being released to Congress, which could suggest the FBI is not actively investigating the matter.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, was the lone lawmaker who attended Wednesday's briefing. He told reporters afterward that it felt like a "completely irrelevant distraction."
"It's essentially a packet of propaganda and disinformation spreading conspiracy theories," Raskin said.
New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the documents "appear to contain long-debunked theories and false statements about the former US Ambassador to Ukraine and one of President Trump's political opponents."
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings said in a joint statement that the briefing and documents "raise troubling questions about apparent efforts inside and outside the Trump Administration to target specific officials," including Biden's son and Yovanovitch.
But a Republican source said that Democrats appeared to be frustrated that the inspector general was injecting these accusations of wrongdoing from Biden and his son back into the bloodstream as the Democrats have sought to put the focus on the President's handling of the Ukraine situation.
So they tried to give bad info (either intentionally or out of idiocy). And the IG basically laughed at it and publicly threw it into a garbage heap. Am I reading that right?
No, that was some person trolling with a thread to make it seem like that's the perception, and will it into existence.Guiliani's 20 year transition from hero mayor to criminal buffoon henchman has been a fascinating journey.
To be clear, i never thought he was a hero, but that was the perception.
Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.
No, that was some person trolling with a thread to make it seem like that's the perception, and will it into existence.
Although, to be fair, it's easier to believe this was a long con, than to realize a person that stupid could possibly exist.
Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.
So US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was removed because of conspiracy theories pushed by the State Dept. while the White House was preparing to pressure Ukraine. A career official who probably wasn't going to play ball and participate in this Biden nonsense. Good job there Pompeo.
Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.
The state department IG passed these along as evidence of Rudy and the WH's persecution of career state department employees, with this goofy dossier (and the dismissal of the ambassador as a result) directly relevant to the ongoing investigation of Ukraine. It is also consistent with his public complaint to Congress last month about general buggery from Trump appointees.
That the Dem congressman couldn't or wouldn't convey this to the press is baffling.
The state department IG passed these along as evidence of Rudy and the WH's persecution of career state department employees, with this goofy dossier (and the dismissal of the ambassador as a result) directly relevant to the ongoing investigation of Ukraine. It is also consistent with his public complaint to Congress last month about general buggery from Trump appointees.
That the Dem congressman couldn't or wouldn't convey this to the press is baffling.
Rudy being seen as a hero mayor isn't a "person trolling" with a "thread" - are you one of those post-9/11 babies?No, that was some person trolling with a thread to make it seem like that's the perception, and will it into existence.
Although, to be fair, it's easier to believe this was a long con, than to realize a person that stupid could possibly exist.
Man Rudy is the gift that keeps on giving.Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.
For some reason I read that second part of the comment to refer to just the recent time with everything that's been going on.Rudy being seen as a hero mayor isn't a "person trolling" with a "thread" - are you one of those post-9/11 babies?
Nah, just me misreading the context of the second part.Are you trying to say that wasn't the perception? I remember it well, it was. Watching him squander that goodwill, then shit on it, then throw the shit at us has been quite a ride.
This is going to happen no matter what. They will always find something, so there's no point in ever wasting resources and giving them any credence.Don't give Trump exactly what he wants, a partisan argument that he can use to rile up senate republicans who are looking for any reason to keep him in office.
The image to the general public that they are being fair will go a long way instead of scoffing at the documents and pushing them aside.This is going to happen no matter what. They will always find something, so there's no point in ever wasting resources and giving them any credence.
Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.
No, it won't. It'll have the same effect the FBI re-opening it's investigation into Clinton before the election had, cast doubts and only muddy the waters.The image to the general public that they are being fair will go a long way instead of scoffing at the documents and pushing them aside.
This is the White House gas lighting the impeachment process. They can now say they have credible evidence of Biden's wrong doing and it was ignored by Nancy and democrats in Congress for a democratic witch-hunt to impeach him.
Democrats need to stop saying the info is bogus and take the documents as serious. Investigate then clear Biden and his son. Don't give Trump exactly what he wants, a partisan argument that he can use to rile up senate republicans who are looking for any reason to keep him in office.
It's a trap.No, it won't. It'll have the same effect the FBI re-opening it's investigation into Clinton before the election had, cast doubts and only muddy the waters.
Wow, got something against people born after 9/11?Rudy being seen as a hero mayor isn't a "person trolling" with a "thread" - are you one of those post-9/11 babies?
Uh...
So Guilliani is making is fake dossier, stamping it as official White House and passing it around to the state dept.