Trump campaign chairman paid $12.7m by Ukraine government in secret ledger

And the fact that you haven’t seen proof of the work @SteampunkBanana has done in the past is proof of his subtle and seamless techniques.

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This is exactly what I’m saying when I’m not saying it!

Subtlety is a dark art.

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I think it’s of note because it comes in the context of the Trump campaign wanting to soften the US position towards Russia, and proposing to get of of NATO.

In a campaign where most policy positions resemble a fascist-leaning improv theater, this is one of the few positions that has been taken and held coherently, which makes some of us assume it doesn’t originate with Trump.

So a cash link from Russia to a person who appears to be influencing Russia-friendly policy is, well, not quite a smoking gun, but certainly getting closer.

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Right, but we already knew that Manafort was being paid for years by the pro-Russian Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych. That should have been news from the get go.

Given how the Republican party has been Red baiting for years, even a tenuous connection, let alone a multi-year relationship, with Viktor Yanukovych should have made him persona non grata in conservative circles. Instead, he’s the lead advisor to the RNC’s presidential candidate. Why that hasn’t been in the daily headlines until now is baffling.

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Honestly, the entire Trump campaign has been like a Wiley E Coyote bit, where he keeps running past the cliff and gravity won’t kick in until he looks down. And I keep waiting for that moment when normal reality reasserts itself, but so far. . .

For now, all I can say is, yeah, who the hell hires Paul Manafort? The very act of hiring as good as screams “I am a terrible person who has done & will do terrible things”, but somehow he is advising a major party candidate and this is normal now.

I guess briefcases full of illicit cash feel intuitively more unseemly than just regular bank drafts. You’d think being party to the wholesale looting of Ukraine should already have been a red flag, but apparently getting paid under the table for it is what makes some people take a second look.

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Welcome to politics. It make for strange bedfellows. I can think of 3 reasons:

  1. True believers, that is, religious ultra-conservatives, are not supporting Trump, except in the most distanced, tepid manner.

  2. Manafort’s dirty cash income and his Russian stooge affiliations are similar to that of other big name political advisers. He operates in a subculture where peers consist of… Dick Morris. It’s hard to single him out for corruption in light of his, ahem, peer group.

  3. Many of our right wing extremists have had covert hard ons for authoritarians like Putin for years now. Especially Putin. I think it may be due to all the shirtless photo ops, but… they really need to shove their tongues back in their mouths.

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Did someone say Clown Aids?

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Ever hear the story about the woman who complained about every single meal that she ate at a certain restaurant; yet for some reason, she continued going to eat there?

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But the portions are so large! The best!

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Obligatory:

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but impro players are professionals!

Far be it from me to defend Trump but… you do realize the Soviet Union fell, right? Ages and ages ago? And the entity you are railing against is the Russian Federation? Which is different insofar as it has different borders, constitution, and is not communist? That the Communist Party, which does exist, is the main opposition party for Putin?

‘Communism’ is not the genetic trait of Russians, let alone the couple of dozen of other nations that live in the RF. Hate Slavs if you must—it’s a popular pastime—but at least get your facts straight.

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