Forecast: Strong Probability of Mendacity

How many votes does Pelosi need to impeach President Trump?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democratic caucus members in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that the body will vote on sending the articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate on Wednesday.

Remember This Whistleblower?

Recent circumstances call to mind the case of Jeffrey Alexander Sterling.

Jeffrey Alexander Sterling is an American lawyer and former CIA employee who was arrested, charged, and convicted of violating theEspionage Act for revealing details about Operation Merlin (covert operation to supply Iran with flawed nuclear warhead blueprints) to journalist James Risen.

Sterling was a “whistleblower” who was  arrested, tried, and convicted during the Obama administration. He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and was released in January 2018.

What Next from the ICIG?

Michael Atkinson, Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, works for us, for all of us: liberal, conservative, moderate, Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party, Libertarian, apolitical, indifferent. Supposedly:

In accordance with Title 50 U.S.C.A. Section 3033, the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) conducts independent and objective audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews to promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integration across the Intelligence Community.

The ICIG does so with integrity, professionalism, and independence. We conduct our mission free of external influence and provide objective assessments, findings, and conclusions, regardless of political or personal consequence.

[emphasis added to quotes]

Here We Go – Impeachment 2.0

The Democrats are going to meet today to decide on impeaching President Trump, with a statement by House Speaker Pelosi to follow.

Impeachment. Not over the Russian collusion/obstruction fiasco but, this time, over a “whistleblower” complaint that is based upon hearsay. A complaint that nobody in Congress has even seen. A complaint that has already been determined by Department of Justice lawyers to not fall under the law concerning intelligence community whistleblowers, simply because the person who made the complaint is not complaining about anyone within the intelligence community and the person the complaint allegedly concerns is not under the purview of the intelligence community.

Insurance Policy 2.0?

A curious story caught my eye this morning, hot on the heels of the release of the FISA abuse report. From this new and quite interesting story:

House Intel Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Friday subpoenaed Acting DNI Chief Joseph Maguire and accused him of illegally withholding a whistleblower complaint from Congress that could potentially be covering up the president’s misconduct.
[emphasis added to quotes]