The Daily Blog Open Mic – Sunday 28th January 2018

1. Not the mainstream media:

   #RELEASETHEMEMO

   https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/417046-fbi-trump-secret-society/

   “We are told a secret society existed within the FBI with the sole purpose of undermining then-candidate Donald Trump. We are also told the FBI “lost” text messages from members of this secret society. With Russiagate rapidly losing steam, do we now have FBI-gate?

   CrossTalking with Daniel Faraci, Kevin Shipp, and Daniel McAdams.”

   • RB, I watched some news reports on the txt-messaging between the FBI agents concerned. It appears that the “secret society” they mentioned may relate to a relationship the two of them had with each other. In other words, the “secret society” consisted of just two people; the two agents concerned.

     Similar to a running “in joke” in science fiction fandom called “SMOF” – Secret Masters of Fandom. SMOF was reputed to be the “controlling force” behind sf fandom; secretly manipulating and controlling events. The “in joke” is that sf fandom is so anarchic that any possibility of a real “SMOF” is as likely as Martian tripods invading Earth.

     Unless there is corroborating evidence from another source, I would view the “secret society” with a huge grain of salt.

     The dumbest thing about the agents silly reference to a “secret society” (and who the feck would call it that?!?!) is that it will spawn a whole new conspiracy theory. FFS!!

     • ‘Evidence suggests a massive scandal is brewing at the FBI’

       https://nypost.com/2018/01/23/evidence-suggests-a-massive-scandal-is-brewing-at-the-fbi/

       Clinton, Podesta And Others In Senate Crosshairs Over Dossier; Given Two Weeks To Respond

       https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-27/clinton-podesta-and-others-senate-crosshairs-over-dossier-given-two-weeks-respond

       • I look forward to any further information on this issue, RB

         But as I pointed out earlier, Comey’s actions in October last year, when he announced the re-opening of the Bureau’s investigation into Clinton’s emails, does not point to a pro-Democrat organisation.

         Quite the contrary, everything I’ve read points to the FBI being (generally) pro-Republican.

         On a vaguely related side issue, the fun has gone out of watching The X Files. Toying with conspiracy memes back in the ’90s was fun. But with said conspiracy theories being taken unquestionably as gospel by so many people, has made it bleak viewing. For many viewers, The X Files validates their flights of fantasy into Conspiracy Land, rather than treating it as entertainment.

       • It could also be, Red Buzzard, that the US conservatives, Republicans, neo-cons, alt-right, what-have-you, are fighting back against FBI investigations, as reported recently by McClatchy;

         The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency, two sources familiar with the matter have told McClatchy.

         FBI counterintelligence investigators have focused on the activities of Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank who is known for his close relationships with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and the NRA, the sources said.

         It is illegal to use foreign money to influence federal elections.

         […]

         However, the NRA reported spending a record $55 million on the 2016 elections, including $30 million to support Trump – triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors.

         […]

         Torshin, a leading figure in Putin’s party, has been implicated in money laundering by judicial authorities in Spain, as Bloomberg News first revealed in 2016. Spanish investigators alleged in an almost 500-page internal report that Torshin, who was then a senator, capitalized on his government role to assist mobsters laundering funds through Spanish properties and banks, Bloomberg reported

         A summary obtained by McClatchy of the still-secret report links Torshin to Russian money laundering and describes him as a godfather in a major Russian criminal organization called Taganskaya.

         ref: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article195231139.html

         The word ‘murky’ doesn’t begin begin to cover what is going on, RB.

         Throw in hidden tax havens as revealed by the release of the Panama Papers and ‘Paradise’ Papers, and we begin to understand that Trump and his cronies are mired neck-deep in the Oligarchy that he so vehemently opposed in 2016.

2. Our watch dogs without teeth are hardly getting ‘stuck into’ state agencies, it seems, when they drag their feet on releasing some asked for OIA info:
   https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/msd-release-oia-info-on-failed-mhes-trials-three-years-late-only-upon-advice-by-the-long-underfunded-half-committed-nz-ombudsman/
   (published 28.01.2018)

   PDF version of new post:
   https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/msd-release-oia-info-on-failed-mhes-trials-3-years-late-only-upon-advice-by-the-ombudsman-report-28-01-18.pdf

   Three years until some essential figures are presented, that is abysmally poor performance. But it happened under the National led government. Let us see how sincere and ‘transparent’ the Labour led government will be. I will not expect that much, to be honest.

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