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While America has been paying attention to a few other things the past few weeks, the Trump-Russia investigation has been chugging along. And today, there are a few pretty major developments that really give insight into why Donald Trump has been losing his orange SHIT lately. Let's start with the New York Times, which reports on the continuing fight between Trump and Mitch McConnell (which seems to be escalating, if you happened to see Trump attack the two Republican Arizona senators Tuesday night in Phoenix).
On August 9, during Trump's Bedminster stay-cation, he called McConnell and SCREAM-SWEARED at him over the Senate's failure to murder everybody's healthcare, and also about what Trump sees as McConnell's failure to help him commit obstruction of justice in the Russia investigation:
[Trump] was even more animated about what he intimated was the Senate leader’s refusal to protect him from investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to Republicans briefed on the conversation.
Wait so ... the Times is saying Trump is literally trying to push McConnell to exercise his sway as majority leader to kill off investigations into the president? That is just ... wow.
Brilliant person Sarah Kendzior points out what else was happening on August 9, the day Trump and McConnell had what the NYT describes as a "profane shouting match":
Great, so while President Pooper Tantrum was having a conniption about the Russia investigation, he was also stepping up his game of macho dick with North Korea, edging us toward nuclear war. That's just awesome. If you don't want to consider the implications of what Trump might do as the Russia investigation zeroes in even closer, do NOT under any circumstances read Kendzior's entire thread.
On her show Tuesday night, Rachel Maddow read from the statute defining obstruction of justice, which specifically includes trying to interfere in congressional investigations, so in case you were wondering whether this is as big of a deal as Trump trying to move on James Comey (like a bitch) to get him to kill the FBI's investigation, then firing him when he wouldn't, the answer is that it's a YOOGE deal. For once, we must give Mitch McConnell credit, because his answer to Trump seems to be "fuck off." How many obstruction counts can special counsel Robert Mueller get on Trump before this is over? Oh just ALL OF THEM KATIE.
And things sure are happening in the Senate investigations into the possibility the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to steal the election. Glenn Simpson, founder of Fusion GPS, the firm that contracted with British spy Christopher Steele to look into Trump's Russia connections (and resulted in the famous and NOT debunked Steele dossier), met privately with Senate Judiciary Committee staffers for OVER TEN HOURS on Tuesday. The firm has also given the committee 40,000 DOCUMENTS related to the investigation.
Committee chairman and known idiot Senator Chuck Grassley has been trying to make some sort of Alternative Facts investigation happen, pushing a narrative that because Fusion GPS (an independent intelligence outfit) has had Russian clients, then THEREFORE GOTCHA! the firm was actually working for the Russians this whole time, which somehow would mean Steele's dossier is PART OF THE RUSSIAN CONSPIRACY!!!111!! This is complete bullshit. Simpson and Fusion GPS are well aware of this, and Simpson's lawyer Josh Levy released the following statement after his VERY LONG testimony:
"Fusion GPS is proud of the work it has conducted and stands by it," Levy, Simpson's lawyer, said in a statement.He said the "investigation into Mr. Simpson began as a desperate attempt by the Trump campaign and its allies to smear Fusion GPS because of its reported connection to the Trump dossier."
They STAND BY THEIR WORK. Also:
“The Committee has a transcript of the interview. We are not permitted to have a copy. The Committee has the right to disclose the transcript, if it wishes to do so,” he said.
In other words, they are daring Chuck Grassley to let America know what really went down in Tuesday's testimony. We're pretty sure we speak for all patriotic Americans when we say "GIVE US THE DAMN TRANSCRIPT RIGHT NOW, CHUCK GRASSLEY."
Any other big Trump-Russia investigation news? Oh nothing, just that the spy Christopher Steele has reportedly met with the FBI and told them secrets about who his sources for the dossier were. Sounds like the dossier isn't a buncha fake news, after all. Tough break, Chuck Grassley and Donald Trump!
Rachel Maddow covered all this in her show on Tuesday night, so if you missed it, watch it right here on Wonkette TV, otherwise known as YouTube!
