US Politics, January 2020. Because we hate ourselves.

LOL, I didn't even notice that I suggested it was a can full of partially-eaten peas rather than a can that had been half consumed. That changes everything.

Canned yam trolls gonna be on you so bad

ok I have not really followed the Lev Parnas stuff, what did he say and how is it different from what's already revealed?

http://www027.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/9-Plant-Based-Proteins-You-Should-Be-Eating.jpeg

Drag 'em, Nancy: https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Nancy-Pelosi-Facebook-ads-misinformation-fake-news-14980860.php

Peas on earth, can it be

the oldest of lunches

is anyone else fallowing this Dmytro Firtash stuff?

Former Rudy Giuliani amigo Lev Parnas may have revealed a staggering scandal on Wednesday, with Ukrainian gas billionaire Dmytro Firtash at the center.

The allegation is this: Trump and his legal team offered to have federal foreign bribery charges against Firtash dropped if the oligarch, described by federal prosecutors as an “upper-echelon” associate of the Russian mafia, helped Trump discredit the Mueller investigation and Joe Biden.

If corroborated, Parnas’ allegations would implicate Attorney General Bill Barr in the scandal in a deeper way than previously known, and would suggest that federal indictments are up for grabs as a bargaining chip for Trump’s political fortunes.

Even Firtash, is that really new? I thought those two scummy Fox lawyers Joe and Victoria were representing him already, and he pops up a lot in Maddow's book. He's under house arrest in Vienna, right? Like, here's a chunk from the Times in Nov.:

But interviews with the two Ukrainian oligarchs — Dmitry Firtash and Ihor Kolomoisky — as well as with several other people with knowledge of Mr. Giuliani’s dealings, point to a new dimension in his exertions on behalf of his client, Mr. Trump. Taken together, they depict a strategy clearly aimed at leveraging information from politically powerful but legally vulnerable foreign citizens.

In the case of Mr. Firtash, an energy tycoon with deep ties to the Kremlin who is facing extradition to the United States on bribery and racketeering charges, one of Mr. Giuliani’s associates has described offering the oligarch help with his Justice Department problems — if Mr. Firtash hired two lawyers who were close to President Trump and were already working with Mr. Giuliani on his dirt-digging mission. Mr. Firtash said the offer was made in late June when he met with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, both Soviet-born businessmen involved in Mr. Giuliani’s Ukraine pursuit.

Mr. Parnas’s lawyer, Joseph A. Bondy, confirmed that account and added that his client had met with Mr. Firtash at Mr. Giuliani’s direction and encouraged the oligarch to help in the hunt for compromising information “as part of any potential resolution to his extradition matter.”

Mr. Firtash’s relationship to the Trump-allied lawyers — Victoria Toensing and Joseph diGenova — has led to intense speculation that he is, at least indirectly, helping to finance Mr. Giuliani’s campaign. But until now he has stayed silent, and many of the details of how and why he came to hire the lawyers have remained murky.

Dunno what this has to do with Barr, though of course I like many suspect Barr knows more than he lets on.

This is what Parnas was saying about Barr specifically, last night

Even Firtash, is that really new?

nope, it's been festering for a long time. just like the Parnas/Oleg thing, whose names first started popping up several months ago. but that's why i asked if anyone's been following the Firtash thing - not sure i've seen anyone on ilx mention it.

Dunno what this has to do with Barr

The allegation is this: Trump and his legal team offered to have federal foreign bribery charges against Firtash dropped if the oligarch, described by federal prosecutors as an “upper-echelon” associate of the Russian mafia, helped Trump discredit the Mueller investigation and Joe Biden.

in order to drop federal foreign bribery charges, you gotta have a bill barr

KM watch the inteview, it's not deduction—Parnas is making a first person account of Barr's direct involvement

but i guess josh's larger point is just, what is the point of discussing any of it if it's not going to actually lead to consequences. i guess. i still stubbornly like to pay attention to what crimes are happening and how they happened. that way, as i sit in the smoldering ashes of the post-apocalypse and people are being maddeningly vague about what happened and why, i can be the boss of the trashcan fire

BREAKING NEWS

I JUST GOT IMPEACHED FOR MAKING A PERFECT PHONE CALL!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 16, 2020

ok i lol'd

people around the trashfire are going to be like "...there were bad men...and they told lies...and we paid for those lies..." and i'm going to poke the fire a bit with a stick and then drop the most detailed oral history imaginable over the course of 2 months

xxp the whole decision to impeach was made with the understanding that it probably won't "actually lead to consequences"

KM watch the inteview, it's not deduction—Parnas is making a first person account of Barr's direct involvement

think you might be mixing me up with someone, i didn't say parnas was being deductive. he seems like a scumbag and a half, but so does everyone in trump's orbit. he also has a reason to tell the truth and rat on other people (to lessen his own sentence)

Had anyone in the history of the English language actually used the phrase 'perfect phone call' prior to a few months ago?

Outside of like the manager of a call center?

Melissa from Algona is the lionized swing voter, ie a schizo moron

i propose a new clinical term: "caucusoid"

I heard a werewolf making a phone call at Trader Vic's
the call was perfect

Ha no, Karl: I'm saying *we* don't need to deduce anything, per your "if DOH, then Barr" construction

That there's a guy who was running these errands for Barr saying as much

Lev Parnas is 42 years old holy shit

Whah!?

He must have a fantastic-looking picture in his attic

sorry fake news he is 47

still though

ha I was just about to fact-check

it says he was born 1972. xpost He still looks like he is hitting 60 hard.

Igor Fruman is 15, way more fucked up imo

and Donald Trump is 31!

He looks like a 47 year old from the 1970s or 80s.

LOL, otm. It's like every time a character declares their youthful age in an episode of Twilight Zone or something and I'm all like, yeah okay there Captain AARP.

there was a really good Twitter thread about this

this is nonsense but did people in the past look older when they were younger?

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) December 27, 2019

and Donald Trump is 31!

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, January 16, 2020 4:08 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

he's too young to be president. we got him!

Where's the birth certificate?

mid-20th century Americans smoked, drank, made jokes about 'sensitive' topics w/out shitting themselves

yeah we gotta make america that great again

i think they probably shitted themselves some from the drinking

Didn't we discuss this phenomenon recently wrt that pic of the Mary Tyler Moore cast?

brad i got some Milton Berle joeks for ya

kids today tell jokes that would make any mid 20th century american shit themselves fuck this snowflake narrative

Shecky Greene is still alive, let's test yr very dubious theory out on him

imagine showing someone from the 50's a single episode of Rick & Morty or Family Guy. they'd be so triggered lmao

nah comedy is only edgy if it targets a certain race or ethnicity or sexual orientation

/sarcasm

ok then...Family Guy

that twitter thread is insane

Brandon McCarthy is easily a top 10 athlete (retired or not) who tweets. TBF not much competition there.

Thanks 2 Uncle Morbsy for demonstrating that the Greatest Generation still remembers how to deliver those old-timey verbal laxatives.