It was very smart of Cassidy Hutchinson to take that photo of Mark Meadows and Tony Bobulinski meeting in secret. If you haven’t been followinig the GOP witch hunt, Bobulinski is “a top witness in Republican’s impeachment inquiry.”
What’s unfathomable is that U.S. media continue to pretend that Republican House leaders pushing an “impeachment” of President Joe Biden have a leg to stand on.
Their key witness, Alexander Smirnov, fed the DOJ lies that originated in Russia. Moreover, Smirnov, an Israeli citizen, has had “extensive” and “recent” contact with “Russian intelligence agencies.” Also from Tuesday’s court filing:
During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1 [the Hunter Biden/Joe Biden/Ukraine fabrication].
Smirnov was arrested in Nevada this week. Twice.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “prosecutors cast Smirnov as an incessant liar.” For example, Smirnov claimed to have only $1,500 in cash and $5,000 in a personal checking account. However, he actually had access to “$6 million in liquid funds.” That’s a bit of a flight risk.
Yes this is news: Bobulinski has defamed Hutchinson.
[He] told the House panel last week Hutchinson was a “liar and a fraud” while denying an anecdote Hutchinson wrote in her book, “Enough,” in which Hutchinson recalled that Bobulinski wore a “ski mask” during a secretive encounter with Trump’s then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, at a campaign rally in Rome, Georgia.
Of course, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post skipped the story.
Josh Marshall laid it out on Thursday: political pundits are a major problem.
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of what was always a bogus story is now one that is actually real. Notwithstanding 2015–16 and 2018–19, we now see that almost all of 2023 was dominated by a legal/political story that was not only bogus but — according to prosecutors’ filings and the discredited source’s own admission to federal authorities — was a plant by the Russian intelligence services. That’s real. That requires an explanation as to how that was ever allowed to happen. It requires some effort to prevent it from happening again… The story here is how the U.S. again got bamboozled by transparent foreign manipulation and how the U.S. political press bought into it pretty much whole hog.
Another summary, fewer characters:
To sum up: RUS/Putin have invaded their neighbor, assassinated the biggest domestic political threat, coopted one of the right's biggest media stars, and seeded a fabricated story about the US President that was echoed by GOP congressional leadership & rightwing media en masse.
— Tim Miller (@Timodc) February 21, 2024
Every “impeachment” story must point out that its origin is Russian lies. ABC failed, as did The New Republic. At least The Daily Beast mentioned Smirnov.
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com