You’re right…
My bad…
Its bolted to a bunch of sanctions… Dolla dolla bills yall
#peetape
I saw some commentary last night that said it’s now clear that the reason Putin wanted Trump in office is mostly, if not completely, to see a repeal of the Magnitsky Act. The only people in Russia who give a shit about it are the oligarchs because they can no longer easily launder their money through US real estate. Putin was furious over it (it’s clear who he answers to).
And I’ll throw this out there even though I already anticipate the response I’ll get. Rachel Maddow has been doing a phenomenal job covering the Russia story, by breaking down an extremely complicated topic into digestible bites. There is, of course, some hyperbole, but she is in no way the left’s “InfoWars”. I had only seen her show a few times prior to this Russia ordeal but tune in now when some new story drops where I can’t quite see how the dots connect.
So what information was exchanged at the meeting?
What valuable information was the Kremlin ostensibly feeding Trump and his team?
edit: rather, what statements or actions by the Trump campaign can be linked to information that was both damaging to HRC and directly obtained through inappropriate channels?
Correction - Putin doesn’t answer to oligarchs, oligarchs answer to him. If they toe the line and don’t dabble in politics (Khodorovsky and Berezovsky ignored this) he lets them keep their money in exchange for being occasionally vilified in state media as convenient scapegoats.
His real power base are these guys - Putin’s Empire is run by siloviks. So if Putin is the Mafia don, siloviks are his trusted lieutenants. Note: as there are no ex-mobsters (except maybe those in the witness protection program) there are no “former Soviet/Russian intelligence operatives” as well. Once you’re in, you’re in forever (Trump Jr. and Jared didn’t get the memo)
As for the Magnitsky Act, there’s one thing one must understand about siloviks - social status and prestige is measured according to what the Russian elite calls the “jet time” criterion - how much does one and his family spend outside of Russia, preferably on the West Coast or the South of France. The more time you spend outside of Russia, the more successful you are.
That’s why any measure that hampers the flow of dirty money outside of Russia is potentially lethal to Putin’s political system. After all, how would the daughter of Putin’s spokesman Peskov strut on the red carpets in Cannes and LA if there wasn’t enough laundered money safely in the US?
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As usual, thank you for the education Loppar.
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I kind of think she is, except there’s not equivalent to InfoWars. I’d say Hannity. But yes, she is doing a pretty good job on this story, for once.
Just one more thing that is often lost in translation - Russia is very top-heavy society with rigid, hierarchical power structures, both formal and informal. It’s a legacy of not only communism but tzarist times as well.
So even if we take White House explanation about the Trump Tower meeting at face value - a pop singer concerned about a specific piece of legislation wanted to arrange a meeting with an US presidential candidate to discuss it - it’s so out of character for any Russian ever that it’s absolutely ludicrous.
Amateurs don’t dabble in politics in Russia. Period. Any such contact had to be approved by Putin himself or Emin would already be dead.
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Eh, Alex Jones is batshit crazy, or is simply crafty enough to cater to those who are. His whole existence is absurd.
As for Hannity, I suppose I’ll accept that, but dear god is he a blowhard. Although he does have that honorary degree from Jerry Falwell hanging on his wall, so there’s that…as opposed to Maddow’s PhD. 
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Jesus…
“There was a couples only social dinner at the G-20. Toward the end, the president spoke to Putin at the dinner,” National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton said.
lol
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I gotta push back against that comparison. Hannity is a loudmouth, know-nothing conservative bully. In contrast, Maddow is (as noted by @Tyler23) well-educated, very thoughtful, and unfailingly polite to anyone who appears on her show–be they liberal, conservative or what have you. Hannity is the safe space where conservatives go to engage in damage control (it’s where Don Jr went when his Russia story blew up); in contrast, I have never seen Maddow allow a lib to come on her show and spin for personal gain (and I have been a faithful viewer for many years).
Back in the day, MSNBC did have an equivalent to Hannity–it was Ed Schultz, host of The Ed Show, which ran from 2009 to 2015. He (Schultz) was a loudmouth, know-nothing liberal bully.
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Drip drip drip
"A Russian American businessman once accused of laundering more than $1.4bn into the US from eastern Europe attended the meeting where Donald Trump’s son expected to receive secret information from Moscow.
Irakly “Ike” Kaveladze was the eighth participant in the notorious get-together at Trump Tower in Manhattan on 9 June 2016, his attorney Scott Balber confirmed to the Guardian on Tuesday. Kaveladze’s attendance was first reported by CNN."
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That’s kind of how I view Maddow so…yep! 
They both suck ass… But Hannity is running out of lame excuses for Ruskie stuff
Maddow is a drama king tho haha
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Edit: I don’t know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, overall, but it seems Trump will always choose the option that pleases Putin most.
Now he’s threatening Mueller.
Then there’s this.
Now that two-decades-long relationship is coming under scrutiny.
Banking regulators are reviewing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans made to Mr. Trump’s businesses through Deutsche Bank’s private wealth management unit, which caters to an ultrarich clientele, according to three people briefed on the review who were not authorized to speak publicly. The regulators want to know if the loans might expose the bank to heightened risks.
Although Deutsche Bank recently landed in legal trouble for laundering money for Russian entities — paying more than $600 million in penalties to New York and British regulators — there is no indication of a Russian connection to Mr. Trump’s loans or accounts at Deutsche Bank, people briefed on the matter said.
That alone makes this a bad thing in my opinion.
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I felt the need to circle back on this. I should have qualified that I accept Maddow is equivalent to Hannity in the eyes of the right. I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. Maddow is extremely respectful, intelligent and appears to be of good character. Hannity, at least what he portrays on TV, is a man of no character.
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She is, but she is VERY slanted at all times just like Hannity, which is where I draw the conclusion from. I can’t stand either of them frankly.
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