Clarification and updates

In the preceding post, I published a picture labeled "Russian spy Maria Butina in the Oval Office." Several readers have posted links to a Gizmodo article which demonstrates that the woman in the picture is someone else.

I knew that. I knew it all along.

What we are dealing with here is a simple slip of the keyboard. The label was supposed to read "This WOULDN'T be Russian spy Maria Butina in the Oval Office." I don't know why the first three words were left off, although I suspect a conspiracy by the Deep State.

You want a better explanation? All right. Here's what happened: You see, there were these DNC servers, and the FBI was supposed to look at the servers, and all I want to know is, what was on those servers? What? Also, 30,000 emails. Fake news. Sad. I am 100 percent supportive of our intelligence agencies.

I think that clarifies things pretty good by itself (to quote our eloquent leader).

By the way: It was hilarious to see Trump try to blame the negative reaction to his disastrous press conference on "the fake news." For chrissakes, we all watched the thing in real time, as it happened.

On a more serious note... Let's talk about that really weird shit Trump spouted in Helsinki about a DNC server. Are you wondering what the hell he was burbling on about? This. Trump was referencing a situation in which the DNC was the victim -- a situation in which neither the FBI nor the DNC did anything wrong. (Putin did.) Trump obviously had no idea what he was talking about -- or how computers work.

God damn, but that nonsense Trump said in Helsinki has to be the stupidest blast of conspiracy vomit ever to rocket out of that man's copious gut.

A few other updates...

The Manafort trial was delayed because Mueller wants an immunity deal for five witnesses, people whose names have not heretofore been connected to the case. I'm cool with that, but a little sad to see that Manafort is not going to flip.

(Note to self: Never get your hopes up, particularly when it comes to these incessant "he's gonna flip" predictions.)

You think Hope Hicks might be one of the five? That could be droll.

The Mariia Butina affadavit references Dana Rohrabacher. Yes, he's the congressman.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is the U.S. Congressman named in Monday's FBI affidavit against Russian national Maria Butina, which alleges Rohrabacher was part of a 2015 delegation that traveled to Moscow and planned to meet with a Russian official widely believed to be Alexander Torshin, reports The Daily Beast.

By the way, Josh Marshall says that "Mariia" (with two Is) is the correct spelling of Ms. Butina's first name. Henceforward, I may go with "Maria," since she doesn't seem to mind that.

Cambridge Analytica and Russia. We have further confirmation.

Damian Collins, the Conservative MP leading a British parliamentary investigation into online disinformation, told CNN that a British investigation found evidence that the data, collected by Professor Aleksandr Kogan on behalf of Cambridge Analytica, had been accessed from Russia and other countries.

Kogan! I forgot to mention him in my previous piece on CA and Russia. Has there ever been any doubt as to Kogan's true loyalties?

Tom Arnold. You may be interested in his most recent tweet...

How will history remember Mark Burnett? Affable Christian producer of a Jesus doc & America's favorite singing show? Or a man who allowed his best friend Donald Trump to sexually harass his employees & made them sign 10 yr NDA's & now sits on his $$$ & tapes while America falls?

The responses in that thread are not without interest. One tweet mysteriously name-drops Semion Mogilevich, the incredible vile crime boss who traffics in underaged prostitutes. Another tweet reads thus:

Tom, Mark Burnett & NBC colluded with Donald Trump on the Apprentice to knowingly defraud investors for years. Trump Soho, Tampa, Baja Mexico, Trump University, Cap Cana & the Trump brand were all promoted by Burnett & NBC even after the criminal frauds were publicly known.

We have good reason to believe that certain Trump properties had ties to the Russian mob, although I do not know if the producer of the Apprentice had any awareness of such things.

If the fabled Apprentice tapes do contain evidence of sexual harassment, might it now be possible to subpoena them pursuant to a legal action against Trump by one of the women who have made claims against him? Remember, during the Paula Jones trial, Clinton was grilled about Monica Lewinski in order to establish a pattern of behavior. I did not agree with that line of inquest at the time (and still do not) but if Clinton's pattern was aired, then Trump's pattern also deserves an airing.

And I'd really, really like to see those tapes.

Finally: If there are still protests at the White House this weekend, there is some possibility that I may attend. Is it acceptable to bring dogs to these events? Perhaps my young pooch Charlie could wear signage: "POOP ON PUTIN" and "TINKLE ON TRUMP."