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[Bold One]

Odds the compromising personal info is a sex tape?

 

[guek]

gah, all you party poopers saying nothing will come from this. Let us dream, damnit. LET US DREAM ;_;

 

[alternade]

So.....what will become of this because I get the sense that while damning this won't change anything other than confirm to us that hes Putin's bitch

 

[Alucrid]

Exactly what Russia wants to happen. To the day I die I will blame stupid people for voting for Trump. How stupid could they be?

well they voted for trump

 

[smokeymicpot]

Cnn just said Trump team will issue statement. So probably some bullshit.

 

[RDreamer]

Do liberals actually want president Pence?

No.

Though given the choice between Trump and Pence I might actually go with Pence.

Realistically though if Trump were to get impeached due to being compromised by Russia, that would have some serious effects on the entire Republican party that I'm not sure they can just hand wave away. They'd be looking at some serious backlash depending on exactly what came out.

 

[antonz]

If full blown treason charges come out they just give it to Pence? Really?

They would have to find evidence that Pence was involved with the whole process to deny him the Presidency by charging him as well. In that case Paul Ryan is President

 

[BennyBlanco]

There is the argument that the GOP will be in a much weaker position under Pence than Trump. Trump has a rabid and dedicated following, and he's able to attract a lot of attention with everything he does. Pence does not have that, and if we were to take on the Presidency, much of Trump's base would not follow him.

With that said, he's a far more conservative individual and knows the game more than Trump, which makes him just as dangerous. So really, this is more of a pick your poison type situation.

Pence is a hardline social conservative. Trump never struck me as a devoutly religious guy with strong feelings about social issues like gay marriage, etc. Pence on the other hand genuinely believes gay marriage is wrong and is a religious zealot.

 

[tbm24]

I believe Pence would get to pick the VP, wouldn't he? I don't think everyone bumps up one point in the chain just because one spot opens.

I don't see how Pence somehow comes out of this unscathed. The number two to the campaign is not involved? No way.

 

[superdeluxe]

It is like we are on a runaway train, we have no ability to stop it, just hope when it crashes we're not dead.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Please make something come of this

Its been starting to feel like whatever comes, nothing really changes this nightmare

lol

 

[Barzul]

Well at least we know now. Sorry but this Russian stuff has tainted his presidency. He won't ever escape it.

 

[Beardz]

Sad!

 

[BIGWORM]

Please...

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

gah, all you party poopers saying nothing will come from this. Let us dream, damnit. LET US DREAM ;_;

There is no dream here. Intelligence agencies confirming these allegations, and they probably could, its unprecedented treason charges.

 

[Chumley]

Sadly nothing will probably come from this. Trumps had more contraversy during the whole election and he still managed to get to the top.

Even if nothing more comes out of the story, it's already done damage to the legitimacy of his presidency and divided the country even further down the middle. It's big news already, check Twitter. We are all very very fucked.

 

[superdeluxe]

So if both Pence and Trump step down..does it go to the speaker of the house?

 

[whyamihere]

Can we please revote.

 

[Button]

There is no dream here. Intelligence agencies confirming these allegations and they probably could, its unprecedented, treason charges, or trump stepping down willingly.

pls don't give me false hope :/

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Do liberals actually want president Pence?

I'm not going to pretend that Congress choosing anybody other than a typical asshole republican is going to realistically happen. It's a pick your poison kind of deal.

 

[guek]

There is no dream here. Intelligence agencies confirming these allegations, and they probably could, its unprecedented treason charges.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up

 

[Karsticles]

I don't even know what would happen if the president-elect got arrested. It's unthinkable. Faith in the American democratic system would at minimum be torpedoed not just in America but around the world. I don't mean some abstract "oh no how could American democracy elect that terrible man" way, I mean arresting the opposition to stop them getting into government (regardless of whether or not there are valid reasons behind it) looks superficially like the intelligence organizations playing kingmaker as it might in any two bit dictatorship. The American right will further burrow into conspiratorial thinking, demand a purge of the intelligence apparatus and in a worst case scenario, start them down the path where they become unwilling to work inside of the democratic system, wishing to take control through other means.

Putin would be overjoyed at such a result.

 

[Boke1879]

Well at least we know now. Sorry but this Russian stuff has tainted his presidency. He won't ever escape it.

We haven't even made it into his Presidency and there is so much bullshit already.

 

[Kusagari]

I don't see how Pence somehow comes out of this unscathed. The number two to the campaign is not involved? No way.

Pence was basically the most cast off VP ever. He just sort of did his own thing and seemed to barely communicate with Trump.

I could easily see him escaping from it.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Not even sure what to say at this point.

 

[Patryn]

So.....what will become of this because I get the sense that while damning this won't change anything other than confirm to us that hes Putin's bitch

Nothing, beyond Trump flailing to get it out of the news cycle and it impacting his numbers a bit.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

pls don't give me false hope :/

Hope rescinded.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

This was probably the game plan all along: If Trump stays on, American power goes down. If Trump goes down, American power goes down too.

I don't think the Kremlin believed they had a realistic shot at Trump becoming president, I think their plan was merely to sew division and doubt amongst the electorate, to smear Clinton and encourage hyperpartisanship. Discrediting the American political system by Trump contesting a failed election, by painting a picture of rigged democratic primaries, rigged media, and all that shit was "the plan".

Him actually winning was just a success beyond measure, and now as you say there is no good outcome. If he stays on, major damage done. If he steps down amid conspiracies of dirt, damage done. If it all goes public and he is thrown in goal, major damage done.

 

[platypotamus]

Can we please revote.

Think there's supposed to be an "l" in that word somewhere

 

[zethren]

Please, PLEASE follow up on this.

Please blast this all over the media. If this is factual and true, PLEASE find evidence of this and grown a fucking spine. Arrest Trump.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

 

[Chumley]

I also have no doubt Obama would tell the FBI to not pursue treason charges even if he received evidence of it, going by how cowardly he's been over the last few months.

 

[Gutek]

Pence is a hardline social conservative. Trump never struck me as a devoutly religious guy with strong feelings about social issues like gay marriage, etc. Pence on the other hand genuinely believes gay marriage is wrong and is a religious zealot.

He doesn't want to start dumb trade wars, ban Muslims, kill innocents, open up libel laws, threaten NATO, etc. though.

In terms of LGBT+ and women's rights, you would've gotten full Pence under Trump anyway.

 

[Kurdel]

This officially slayed me

 

[Not]

You know, I think if nothing happens we can't really call ourselves a democracy anymore, if it's IMPOSSIBLE to take down a President-elect because of partisanship no matter what he did.

Checks and balances stop being effective at that point.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Pence is a hardline social conservative. Trump never struck me as a devoutly religious guy with strong feelings about social issues like gay marriage, etc. Pence on the other hand genuinely believes gay marriage is wrong and is a religious zealot.

Trump supporters are more annoying though, and it would glorious to see them officially take that massive L.

...But it's a nightmare either way.

 

[smokeymicpot]

The author of the article is speaking on CNN. Sounds like a badass spy movie. Mi-6 is the reason it broke.

 

[tbm24]

Pence was basically the most cast off VP ever. He just sort of did his own thing and seemed to barely communicate with Trump.

I could easily see him escaping from it.

I'll only believe this is he casts himself aside from what's going to follow this report. If he, like I assume he will, bites back and defends this and conspires with Trump and Co until the very end, I don't see how he escapes being complicit.

 

[ezekial45]

Pence is a hardline social conservative. Trump never struck me as a devoutly religious guy with strong feelings about social issues like gay marriage, etc. Pence on the other hand genuinely believes gay marriage is wrong and is a religious zealot.

I know. He also said that people who get abortions should be required to have funerals for their fetuses. It's vile. But again, it's more of a pick your poison situation. Would you rather have wanton, unpredictable damage from a man out of his depth, or surgical damage from a guy who knows what to do.

I totally see Pence being a more toxic conservative leader, but I can also see the GOP's chances of winning 2020 dropping with him.

 

[ratcliffja]

Can we please revote.

I think Pence would still win in a revote, assuming that it happens because Trump is arrested. Too many people would think that this was just a dangerous power play by Democrats without any real substance behind it, while others would see it as yet again somebody other than Hillary getting into the White House.

 

[Stead Fast]

You know, when the political goings-on of the US and Russia are more ludicrous than Kojima's take on espionage and criminality of world leaders, you really should start to shiver.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

I also have no doubt Obama would tell the FBI to not pursue treason charges even if he received evidence of it, going by how cowardly he's been over the last few months.

No he cant do that because its a case of greater evil and if he thinks about his legacy, which he has done from the start, he will have to pursue treason.
If he has evidence of treason, he cant let it go.

 

[RedAssedApe]

This officially slayed me

.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

So where are the other reports to this?

So far CNN is still the only one i'm seeing

 

[the_firewithin]

I feel like all this is Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and Lucy keeps yanking it away dashing his dreams

 

[Jasup]

This was probably the game plan all along: If Trump stays on, American power goes down. If Trump goes down, American power goes down too.

No, there is no game plan in that sense. There is a goal to make the West as a whole weaker, but in cases where there are a lot of variables at play you really can't build a clear roadmap from A to B. What you (or in this case Russia) do is try multiple things in different ways, most attempts will fail, some might have some success and every now and then you might hit a jackpot.

 

[Betty]

Trump Russian Orgy probably is a thing.

 

[CadetMahoney]

This won't change anything other than confirm to us that hes Putin's bitch.

/thread

 

[ezekial45]

So where are the other reports to this?

So far CNN is still the only one i'm seeing

BBC world news just talked about it too.

 

[brau]

I feel like all this is Charlie Brown trying to kick the football and Lucy keeps yanking it away dashing his dreams

LOL. got the same sinking feeling.