WTF Community

Day 420

General Discussion
#19

More from the Times on this story. I feel like a fucking wack job posting this shit but it’s so fucking scary important.

That would suggest that at least three separate Russian cyberoperations were underway simultaneously. One focused on stealing documents from the Democratic National Committee and other political groups. Another, by a St. Petersburg “troll farm” known as the Internet Research Agency, used social media to sow discord and division. A third effort sought to burrow into the infrastructure of American and European nations.

And

“From what we can see, they were there. They have the ability to shut the power off. All that’s missing is some political motivation,” Mr. Chien said.

Lights out America, dude, that’s wild!

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#20

Defo not a wack job, it’s fucking terrifying. Practiced in Ukraine first, kinda expected they’d come for us sooner or later.

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#21

Thank you for the validation because fuuuuck :exploding_head:

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#22

@MissJava I read that happened in the Ukraine. That article is so detailed, all I can think about is prepping for the apocalypse. :scream_cat:

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#23

I posted this here and not in the “Who The Fuck Has Left The Trump Administration” thread because it’s not yet “official.” However, the WaPo sounds pretty confident that the announcement is imminent. I’ll bet McMaster will now be spending his time endlessly refreshing his Trump Twitter feed.

#24

Mod Tip: you can click the link icon on the bottom of any comment if you would like to link that comment to another even in a different thread. :nerd_face:

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#25

Hey all…as if there isn’t already enough to worry about, I have a concern about Felix Sater: way back before the election, Felix Sater supposedly said something about getting trump & Putin together (“to get our guy elected” or words to that effect) and if he was actually working as a snitch for the FBI all this time (because of his prior crimes), can trump try to claim he was “entrapped” in all this? (gee, I didn’t really want to sleep anyway…:roll_eyes: sorry, what a sick thought!)

Afterthought- my favorite better-late-than-never-understatement of the day:

#26

How is “made up facts” any different than “fake news”, although I suppose the latter is intentional. It was my understanding that some of Trump’s staff pointed out the error later in the day but Trump kept clinging to his original claim. At that point, it was no longer made up. It was fake and it was all about his ego. Time and time again, there seems to be a strong argument to be made about Trump’s psychological health, yet nobody is willing to oust him. I just don’t get it. Hopefully, people will become more tolerant of mental health issues and supportive of research. Perhaps that can be Trump’s legacy. At least people might look back at that favorably because there isn’t much else that’s positive. No doubt he will be remembered and might even make the history text books as the worst President. Too bad he’s not a fan of theater.

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#27

Except I think that when a country “tolerates” such issues in a leader, they are asking for some dire consequences. Hope I’m wrong…but right now we have a good chunk of our country voluntarily suspending their higher faculties to follow one that’s far more sinister than your average “snake-oil salesman”, even before you factor in Putin game-plan. So forgive me for my lack of sympathy, we really can’t afford this much ignorance.

#28

I can’t say I’m surprised. My guess is she couldn’t live with the dishonesty and deceit much longer. Like father, like son.
From TheHill.com:

Vanessa Trump files for divorce from Donald Trump Jr.

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#29

There are some who suspect this may be a way of hiding assets too, saying it’s not the first time a couple splits up so she can keep more of their wealth if he lands in jail with seizure of assets…but hey, I’m no expert. On the other hand, I think it’s totally credible that Jr’s behavior has in fact been bizarre & not conducive to their marriage…and perhaps she now sees him as he really is…as crooked as dear ol’ dad?
She wouldn’t be the first one taken in by the chance to marry into a wealthy & influential family and not asking many questions, only to find out how they really got & stay that way. Who knows, we may see her as a witness too?

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#30

Absolutely! This divorce may simply be the sad break-up of a marriage. On the other hand, based on the Trump family’s history of dirty dealing, it could well be a complete sham. I hope the media scrutinizes the proceedings very closely. If Jr. hands over the family’s entire fortune to his ex-wife, that would become a virtual confession that much of the fortune consists of ill-gotten gains (that would be subject to seizure if they were in Jr.'s possession). Even if the couple has indeed grown apart, Jr. may surrender the family’s property to his ex-wife so it can be safely passed to his children, hoping to ensure the continuance of the Trump dynasty.

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#31

I’ve heard the asset hiding theory but no judge, or tax expert is going to be able to look aside and pretend that the divorce timing was not convenient. My ex BIL was a big bankruptcy attorney. He used to say that people who tried to transfer assets before declaring bankruptcy had their finances scrutinized very carefully and were generally caught and often punished. Judges had no sympathies for those kinds of maneuvers so would typically look back 3 - 6 months for any hints of such behavior. While this isn’t exactly the same, anybody with any intelligence would wonder whether there might be questionable motives behind such a divorce/ transfer of assets. Another theory of mine is that he may see the writing on the wall, figure he may be headed to jail or need to leave the country for a long, long time and this might ensure she has the funds to take care of the kids if he disappears. Practically speaking, it would be very difficult to be a member of that family if a person had any kind of moral compass so I can also believe it’s a legitimate parting of ways based on differing values. Plus, Til death do we part isn’t exactly modeled by Dad. One other thought - isn’t it true that a wife cannot testify against her husband? If they’re divorced, there’s nothing to stop her from spilling her guts should there ever be a criminal trial.

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#32

My guess is that the timing is definitely financially motivated. The real question in my mind is whether they’re in on it together, or if this divorce was coming for a while anyway and she wants out while he still has money for her to take.

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#33

I just read the article from the newsletter today after having written that post. Apparently there have been rumors of problems for a while due to Trump Junior’s travel schedule and other stressors. The speculation is that she did it now so as to ensure she gets what’s due to her before any investigation leads to having his assets frozen. And apparently a wife is not compelled to testify against a husband even during divorce proceedings. I thought I had read that he signed the papers today meaning the divorce is effective immediately. So she could be called to testify against him. Is it possible she would want to be free to do so?

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#34

That’s the burning question…guess we’ll have to wait & see?

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#35

She or her lawyer may see the handwriting on the wall and agreed it is time to consider protecting assets for she and the children.

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#36

Meanwhile, the majority of us have seen the writing on the wall for months. Those Trumps ate not the sharpest crayons in the box.

#37

And she just hired a criminal defense attorney for this uncontested divorce…:smirk:

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#38

If money laundering was involved, yes, he actually did. The prime directive is to “follow the money”. It may have nothing to do with Trump and the Russians, but if Manafort (or anyone) involved with the Trump campaign gets caught in criminal/illegal behavior…it’s fair game.

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