Same comment from my restack: Doug Clapp’s resounding summary here is a criminal charge sheet that fits and suits the recent history of this president and his betrayal of our country. Each and every violation of the national trust documented here should be similarly be brought against the Republican caucus that has either turned its gaze or enabled this sell-off of America’s National Security.
So the US government is effectively occupied/ taken over by Russia. Why isn't this the story of the century? Why is anyone treating Trump as a legitimate leader? Why wasn't there a real counter-intelligence investigation of Trump starting years ago?
There are many reasons why America has been slow to understand and react adequately to the scope and force of the fascist attack on our democratic institutions and values. We used to ask ourselves, how could the German people have allowed the rise of Hitler...now we know. In my opinion, a cult-like Republican Party slavishly loyal to the caudillo and secret foreign assistance in the fascist takeover have been primary drivers preventing effective push back against the subversion of the Constitution to the cult leader.
Thank you for this --- it continues to amaze & astound, that President Trump's (polititized) Justice Department has launched criminal investigations against honest American intelligence officials who have uncovered Putin's efforts on his behalf. Who could ever have imagined an American president doing such a thing?
The validated Investigative Journalist reporting on 47’s mob connections go back to the 1970s with Wayne Barrett & David Cay Johnston. The accumulated valid IJ published evidence to date is huge but oligarch & top corporation owned mainstream media suppresses it. Thank you Captain Clapp, for providing such a succinct summary. This is the type of info that can accelerated openess to consideration of truth by those who are newly disillusioned former Trump-Vance voters. They are people with the most standing to influence congress people who’ve been complicit with Trump/Putin’s assault on democracy and decency to switch sides and do the right thing, fast.
Thanks John. I am hopeful that the painful social, political, economic realities of what 47 and his lockstep Congressional majority have wrought, is finally allowing truth to break through the alternate reality bubble. Perhaps America in 2026 can see a moment like we have just observed in Hungary.
I hope so. It seems the challenge facing USA is more than what we can see brewing now & long term if we don't nationally change course and help re-establish diverse grassroots civil society organizations and better opportunities for people. (create conditions for a steady state) Malicious forces have been allowed to openly spread lies and create division among Americans to make them easier to manipulate into factions. Pervasive negative and divisive conditioning through corrupted mainstream media and ever-more time on social media has diverted a great deal of national attention away from reality and things people can do in their own neighborhoods helping in small and large ways for mutually shared benefits; civil society. <> This was normal for The Greatest Generation of Americans who mostly grew up poor through the depression. They grew up more connected to their neighbors and naturally put a lot of energy into civil society groups as they raised their children, the baby boomers, up until the peak of US industrial capacity and the relatively rapid decline of heavy industry & self suporting local and diversified regional economies. The loss of single earner households for most American families combined with constant advertizing for consumerism and materialism greased the skids for young people to reduce playing outside unsupervised and spend increasingly more time on video games and television; becoming acculturated, and/or addicted to curated / simulated realities. The downward national reading and comprehension trend shows up here. <> A large enough % of Americans are now easily manipulated enough that 47 has barged his way into unconstitutional, consolidated power. The powers that be in mainstream media facilitated his moving from bad fake reality tv star to "governance" as bad fake reality tv. I don't see how this backlog of divisive conditioning and normalization of congressional abdication can't be turned around as quick as it needs to happen. I see the sustainable solutions as very long time-scale re-alignment towards civil society and real, self generated patriotism / motivation. I know it can and needs to be done but I don't know if it will take two election cycles or two generations. In my neighborhood I can see it taking about 15 to 20 years of intentional effort and support to significantly reduce the environmental and economic stress that keeps people fixated on short term and personal gain objectives. I see the arts as capable of accelerating corrective action. We've seen it before.
Attorney General Barr’s treatment of the Mueller report was despicable, not only in delaying its release until well after his summary was able to prejudice the public’s reaction, but also in his support of Durham’s claims. Mueller had done a thorough job in justifying its findings. Neither the Inspector General’s report, nor Durham’s report, challenged the indictments in Mueller’s report. Durham’s report largely made a big deal over matters of judgment, when any investigation will entail matters of judgment and second guessing is largely unwarranted.
In direct testimony, the FBI agents pointed out some problems with the Steele report so it clearly wasn’t fully reliable. On cross they affirmed that their interactions with Danchenko were still often useful. Durham’s attempt to impeach them on redirect of course called into question their previous direct testimony when they were obviously under pressure from Durham to give only testimony that supports the conviction of Danchenko. I am inclined to consider their criticisms of parts of the Steel dossier to be valid.
Outside of my quibbles about the Steele report, your analysis is excellent.
Excellent points. With respect to the Steele Dossier, I do not disagree there are likely flaws in its contents. Christopher Steele, a former British MI6 intel officer with two decades of Russian experience and contacts, was contracted to assess Trump's alleged links to Russia. Intelligence work involves analysis of fact, rumor, innuendo, conjecture, and assessment of source credibility, then piece together as accurate a picture as possible for decision makers. The fact that Steele had to go into hiding for self-protection seems to me more a testament to the amount of blowback from both Russia and the Trump camp than any "fatal flaw" of his assessment. In the spy business there is frequently double-dealing, misinformation, and disinformation. Does that mean the dossier failed to connect suspicious dots between Trump and the Russians? I think not.
As near as I could tell from an ancient look at the report, it was unnecessary to justify any of the indictments, and, unlike many Republican claims, neither the Steel dossier nor Sussman’s contact initiated the investigation. That was initiated a month or two earlier by Trump’s “foreign policy” advisor’s conversation with an Australian who got in contact with their intelligence service.
"While there is as yet no “smoking gun” proof that he is, in fact, a Russian asset, Trump has certainly been doing all the things one would expect a well-placed Russian agent to do." Exactly.
Let's contrast that fact with all the mealy-mouthed excuses Republican senators gave for voting to acquit Trump twice in his impeachment trials. (And those lists of impeachable offenses were just from his first term.)
An excellent summary and analysis of the facts that, as far as the corporate media, intimidated by Trump and increasingly in hands that will willfully ignore them, are hidden in plain sight.
I’ll check it out…not a Whataboutism, it’s more additional real information, that’s all. If you do not like it ignore it. I don’t try to change minds… just deepen them.
Same comment from my restack: Doug Clapp’s resounding summary here is a criminal charge sheet that fits and suits the recent history of this president and his betrayal of our country. Each and every violation of the national trust documented here should be similarly be brought against the Republican caucus that has either turned its gaze or enabled this sell-off of America’s National Security.
Thanks, Bill, for those kind words and for further sharing this National Security five alarm fire warning.
Correction: Donald Trump has exceeded expectations on delivering on nearly every strategic objective Russia could hope for from an American president.
So the US government is effectively occupied/ taken over by Russia. Why isn't this the story of the century? Why is anyone treating Trump as a legitimate leader? Why wasn't there a real counter-intelligence investigation of Trump starting years ago?
There are many reasons why America has been slow to understand and react adequately to the scope and force of the fascist attack on our democratic institutions and values. We used to ask ourselves, how could the German people have allowed the rise of Hitler...now we know. In my opinion, a cult-like Republican Party slavishly loyal to the caudillo and secret foreign assistance in the fascist takeover have been primary drivers preventing effective push back against the subversion of the Constitution to the cult leader.
Thank you for this --- it continues to amaze & astound, that President Trump's (polititized) Justice Department has launched criminal investigations against honest American intelligence officials who have uncovered Putin's efforts on his behalf. Who could ever have imagined an American president doing such a thing?
Do not forget what the second Trump administration did to dismantle Voice of America and USAID, resembling an act of retribution!
Russian Foreign Minister,
Sergey Lavrov, had blaimed
Ukraine's 2014 Maiden revolution on USAID meddling in Ukraine's political resistance movement. 🤔
Extremely well and concisely put. Many thanks due to Doug Clapp. Now if we can get the mainstream media to do the right thing and repost.
The validated Investigative Journalist reporting on 47’s mob connections go back to the 1970s with Wayne Barrett & David Cay Johnston. The accumulated valid IJ published evidence to date is huge but oligarch & top corporation owned mainstream media suppresses it. Thank you Captain Clapp, for providing such a succinct summary. This is the type of info that can accelerated openess to consideration of truth by those who are newly disillusioned former Trump-Vance voters. They are people with the most standing to influence congress people who’ve been complicit with Trump/Putin’s assault on democracy and decency to switch sides and do the right thing, fast.
Thanks John. I am hopeful that the painful social, political, economic realities of what 47 and his lockstep Congressional majority have wrought, is finally allowing truth to break through the alternate reality bubble. Perhaps America in 2026 can see a moment like we have just observed in Hungary.
I hope so. It seems the challenge facing USA is more than what we can see brewing now & long term if we don't nationally change course and help re-establish diverse grassroots civil society organizations and better opportunities for people. (create conditions for a steady state) Malicious forces have been allowed to openly spread lies and create division among Americans to make them easier to manipulate into factions. Pervasive negative and divisive conditioning through corrupted mainstream media and ever-more time on social media has diverted a great deal of national attention away from reality and things people can do in their own neighborhoods helping in small and large ways for mutually shared benefits; civil society. <> This was normal for The Greatest Generation of Americans who mostly grew up poor through the depression. They grew up more connected to their neighbors and naturally put a lot of energy into civil society groups as they raised their children, the baby boomers, up until the peak of US industrial capacity and the relatively rapid decline of heavy industry & self suporting local and diversified regional economies. The loss of single earner households for most American families combined with constant advertizing for consumerism and materialism greased the skids for young people to reduce playing outside unsupervised and spend increasingly more time on video games and television; becoming acculturated, and/or addicted to curated / simulated realities. The downward national reading and comprehension trend shows up here. <> A large enough % of Americans are now easily manipulated enough that 47 has barged his way into unconstitutional, consolidated power. The powers that be in mainstream media facilitated his moving from bad fake reality tv star to "governance" as bad fake reality tv. I don't see how this backlog of divisive conditioning and normalization of congressional abdication can't be turned around as quick as it needs to happen. I see the sustainable solutions as very long time-scale re-alignment towards civil society and real, self generated patriotism / motivation. I know it can and needs to be done but I don't know if it will take two election cycles or two generations. In my neighborhood I can see it taking about 15 to 20 years of intentional effort and support to significantly reduce the environmental and economic stress that keeps people fixated on short term and personal gain objectives. I see the arts as capable of accelerating corrective action. We've seen it before.
Attorney General Barr’s treatment of the Mueller report was despicable, not only in delaying its release until well after his summary was able to prejudice the public’s reaction, but also in his support of Durham’s claims. Mueller had done a thorough job in justifying its findings. Neither the Inspector General’s report, nor Durham’s report, challenged the indictments in Mueller’s report. Durham’s report largely made a big deal over matters of judgment, when any investigation will entail matters of judgment and second guessing is largely unwarranted.
In direct testimony, the FBI agents pointed out some problems with the Steele report so it clearly wasn’t fully reliable. On cross they affirmed that their interactions with Danchenko were still often useful. Durham’s attempt to impeach them on redirect of course called into question their previous direct testimony when they were obviously under pressure from Durham to give only testimony that supports the conviction of Danchenko. I am inclined to consider their criticisms of parts of the Steel dossier to be valid.
Outside of my quibbles about the Steele report, your analysis is excellent.
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/return-angry-political-man
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-situation--the-enduring-truths-of-the-mueller-report
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/notes-on-the-durham-report-a-reading-diary
Excellent points. With respect to the Steele Dossier, I do not disagree there are likely flaws in its contents. Christopher Steele, a former British MI6 intel officer with two decades of Russian experience and contacts, was contracted to assess Trump's alleged links to Russia. Intelligence work involves analysis of fact, rumor, innuendo, conjecture, and assessment of source credibility, then piece together as accurate a picture as possible for decision makers. The fact that Steele had to go into hiding for self-protection seems to me more a testament to the amount of blowback from both Russia and the Trump camp than any "fatal flaw" of his assessment. In the spy business there is frequently double-dealing, misinformation, and disinformation. Does that mean the dossier failed to connect suspicious dots between Trump and the Russians? I think not.
As near as I could tell from an ancient look at the report, it was unnecessary to justify any of the indictments, and, unlike many Republican claims, neither the Steel dossier nor Sussman’s contact initiated the investigation. That was initiated a month or two earlier by Trump’s “foreign policy” advisor’s conversation with an Australian who got in contact with their intelligence service.
Thank you Doug for spelling this out clearly.Will restack immediately
Finally! Bravo! Roy Cohn and Joe McCarthy are celebrating in hell.
Taco is a Commie. Tell MAGA.
Lock him up!
Thank you, Douglas.
"While there is as yet no “smoking gun” proof that he is, in fact, a Russian asset, Trump has certainly been doing all the things one would expect a well-placed Russian agent to do." Exactly.
Let's contrast that fact with all the mealy-mouthed excuses Republican senators gave for voting to acquit Trump twice in his impeachment trials. (And those lists of impeachable offenses were just from his first term.)
💯
Whoa! Restacking RIGHT NOW!
An excellent summary and analysis of the facts that, as far as the corporate media, intimidated by Trump and increasingly in hands that will willfully ignore them, are hidden in plain sight.
Check this…
https://thefederalist.com/2026/04/15/new-documents-reveal-democrats-plot-to-frame-trump-with-ukraine-call/
Whataboutism. Really? If you insist, check this... https://www.facebook.com/reel/958970810001409
I’ll check it out…not a Whataboutism, it’s more additional real information, that’s all. If you do not like it ignore it. I don’t try to change minds… just deepen them.