Steele’s Magnolia

From The Guardian:

The former MI6 officer Christopher Steele had a “personal” relationship with Ivanka Trump and gifted her a “family tartan from Scotland” as a present, the long-awaited report by US Department of Justice inspector general, Michael Horowitz, revealed on Monday.

Horowitz’s review of the FBI’s 2016 investigation into Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign and its links with Russia includes fresh details of Steele’s interactions with the FBI, and startling claims about his relationship with the Trumps dating back to the period before he wrote a controversial dossier on Trump.

Original DVD cover

Recollect-shun

From THINK PROGRESS:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ memory seemed to lapse repeatedly when asked by lawmakers to recall details about a March 2016 meeting, where Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos reportedly proposed a meeting between then-candidate Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Sessions, who was testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, said he had “no recollection” of the meeting until he saw news reports, which jogged his memory.

Original DVD cover

Bullshit Sessions & Sting Wray

From REUTERS:

President Donald Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., will testify privately to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as it investigates allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Trump Jr. had been invited to testify in public in a hearing in July, but reached an agreement to speak privately with committee staff.

Original album cover

Witless List

From Aol NEWS:

The House Intelligence Committee has reportedly agreed on a witness list for its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election that includes somewhere between 36 and 48 people, CNN reported Wednesday night.

Included on the list are current and former associates of President Donald Trump believed to have been in contact with Russian officials during the campaign or transition period, including Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner; Trump confidante Roger Stone; former national security adviser, Michael Flynn; and early Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, according to CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

Original DVD cover

How the Russians Turned a Page

From abcNEWS:

Two years before joining the Trump campaign as a foreign policy adviser, New York business consultant Carter Page was targeted for recruitment as an intelligence source by Russian spies promising favors for business opportunities in Russia, according to a sealed FBI complaint.

Page confirmed to ABC News that he is the individual identified as “Male-1” in a 2015 court document submitted in a case involving the Russian spies.

Original DVD cover

He went to Jared!

From NBC NEWS:

The speculation began almost immediately after Donald Trump was elected: Who would have the ear of the famously unpredictable 45th president?

For a time it appeared that White House adviser Steve Bannon, memorably depicted as the Grim Reaper on “Saturday Night Live,” was the power behind the throne. Another trusted aide, Kellyanne Conway, was also said to be an influential member of Trump’s inner circle. And then there were Vice President Mike Pence, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller — all skilled and ambitious political animals vying for the boss’ attention.

But two months into Trump’s presidency, it’s becoming clear that blood and family have trumped ambition on Pennsylvania Avenue with First Daughter Ivanka Trump emerging as a powerbroker in her own right, along with her husband Jared Kushner.

Original movie poster

Devin Nunes has never even heard of Devin Nunes

From Conor Friedersdorf at The Atlantic:

Representative Devin Nunes, a Republican, is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is therefore leading a key probe into whether or not Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had ties to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Can an inquiry he leads be trusted?

Original theatrical poster

And the Cookie Starts to Crumble…

 

From The Atlantic:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday he would recuse himself from overseeing the federal investigation into alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, citing the advice of his staff.

…snip…

The move comes less than 24 hours after The Washington Post revealed Sessions had spoken with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, on two separate occasions during the campaign. That appeared to contradict assertions made by Sessions to the Senate Judiciary Committee twice during the confirmation process.

Original image