Alexander Smirnov in disguise
Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and Russia seem to have formed an alliance that is hell-bent on destroying American democracy. It also could bring an end to world peace, as we have come to know it since the advent of NATO in 1949. The foursome noted above are dangerous, and I would suggest that any American determined to support Trump in the 2024 presidential race might want to reconsider -- assuming you care about the world you leave for your progeny. Evidence continues to mount that Trump is in the middle of an alliance where he is either beholden to Putin (for reasons that are not fully known) or sides with him at every opportunity -- ignoring widely accepted signs that Putin is a murderous thug and war criminal who has opponents and critics killed -- with the death (murder?) of leading dissident Alexey Navalny being the latest example.
If you go back to Russia's efforts to help Trump, as outlined in the report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, via election interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential race -- and combine them with events of more recent vintage, including discovery that FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was peddling false stories regarding President Joe Biden and his family -- with Smirnov reportedly quoted as saying "Joe Biden is going to jail . . . " and you add findings of the past few days that Smirnov was tied to Russian intelligence agencies -- you see that a world subject to Trump-Ptuin influence will threaten any chance that future generations of Americans will have a world worth living in. Again, Americans who care about the conditions they leave behind would be wise to reconsider any potential vote for Trump -- and we ill address those issues further in upcoming posts.
For now, one of the most insightful commentators on our current state of affairs is Mary L. Trump -- a psychologist, author, and blogger at Substack, who is Donald Trump's niece and one of his most outspoken critics, to the point that she is planning a nationwide speaking tour to spread the message that her uncle should never again be president.
Let's examine Mary Trump's thoughts on the latest troubling developments, involving Smirnov and Russian intelligence -- along with the growing list of signs that Putin is attacking American democracy on multiple fronts, all of it apparently designed to help Trump stay in a prominent position as a "useful idiot."
From Mary Trump's latest piece:
U.S. Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan are in “serious trouble,” a lawyer tells me, after the Republicans’ star witness against Hunter Biden is jailed, and exposed for his deep connections to Russian intelligence operatives. Read on:
Today’s news should prove to be awful for some of the worst members of Congress.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the impeachment of President Joe Biden was a sham from beginning to ignominious end, as it appears much of the information upon which it was based originated from the Kremlin
Let’s review the utter madness of this, and then review the very real consequences James Comer and Jim Jordan – in a properly functioning House of Representatives that may soon be coming – would be facing:
First: Hunter Biden Story DebunkedFirst we learned that Smirnov, the Republican’s star witness in the politically-motivated Biden impeachment probe, was charged with fabricating a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme about the president and his son.
Reportedly, Smirnov falsely told the FBI that the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. The federal prosecutor who debunked the story was appointed by Donald Trump.
In their attempts to concoct a conspiracy involving Hunter Biden, Republicans James Comer and Jim Jordan, Chairmen of the House Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee respectively, have embroiled the Republican Party in what Chris Hayes has called, “the most spectacular embarrassment imaginable.”
And then it got worse for them:
Next: The Hunter Biden Story Originated from Russian SpiesIn their court filing, prosecutors say "that officials with Russian intelligence were involved in passing (the) story" about Hunter Biden to Smirnov sometime in November.
Despite the apparent holes in Smirnov’s story, James Comer and Jim Jordan either failed to vet it and fell for it entirely, or actively took part in something more nefarious. Whether their actions were merely reckless or malevolent, it’s clear that Russia’s unceasing threat to democracy is more active than ever.
But how is it possible that Comer and Jordan, chairmen of two of the most powerful House committees, are able to get away, either directly or indirectly, with using fabricated information from officials tied to Russian intelligence against the sitting president of the United States?
Well, an attorney told me they are likely not to get away with it:
Attorneys: Comer and Jim Jordan are in serious troubleWhen I asked a lawyer friend if there are legal consequences to what Comer and Jordan have done, he told me that he thinks an investigation into how they got hold of the story will be initiated. They are in “deep shit,” he said. And other lawyers have chimed in too:
1. Conspiracy to defraud the United States
According to Tristan Snell, a former assistant attorney general for New York State, there are only two possible options when it comes to Comer and Jordan: either the two were “duped by Smirnov and the Kremlin — or they were in on it.”
No matter which of those possibilities is true, Snell argues, the circumstances meet the threshold for a federal investigation. “because either they are material witnesses — or they're co-conspirators. (The) DOJ must subpoena every single communication Jordan, Grassley, and Comer had with or about Smirnov and anything related."
2. The Biden Impeachment is falling apart
Republicans already seem to be in a frenzy to delete mentions of the compromised witness from their documents.
Republicans claim they will continue to “follow the facts” (clearly not their strong suit), but given how damaging these recent revelations are to Comer’s already flimsy case against Hunter Biden, it’s hard to see this impeachment going well for them.
Further, it may well (and should) have broader implications for Comer and Jordan’s leadership.
3. Comer and Jordan face censure and removal from their committees if Democrats take control of the House
If and when Democrats take over the House in January 2025, both men will face a Democratic majority who are ready to hold them accountable.
Key questions they’ll be forced to answer:
a) When did Comer & Jordan know the FBI was suspicious of Smirnov?
b) If they knew, why didn’t they immediately retract the Smirnov story?
c) What contact did they have with other “informants” about this Biden story who may have been linked to Russian agents?The consequences range from censure to criminal charges. I would say it’s hard to think of any other Republicans in Congress more deserving, but the truth is it would be extremely easy to come up with dozens of them.
If there’s any hope for accountability, it’s up to us to ensure Democrats win back the majority. Then when can start putting the House in order again.
We must get the full story outWe need to broadcast the lies Republicans are telling about President Biden — especially to swing voters:
Expose the Russian origins of these completely manufactured attacks on President Biden
Let everybody know that James Comer has accused President Biden of improprieties he himself is guilty of having committed
Over the next few months, I’ll be using every means at my disposal – including a swing state tour — to expose the hypocrisy and dangerous agenda of Donald’s anti-American Republicans, who are hell-bent on destroying our democracy.
YOU are helping me do it. If just a small portion of my subscriber community chipped in to become supporting subscribers, I could expand this work to get the truth to more people:
