Two years since Colorado Electors began to revolt

It is been two years since what began with four obscure Presidential Electors who made the public statements to an online Coloradoan news organization site that they were going to

“reach out to other national electors across the country as part of a plan to keep Trump from the Oval Office.” [snippet]

During the meeting, the four agreed there has been enough influence on the 2016 election by Russians, either directly or indirectly, to bolster their potential role as faithless electors. The U.S. government in October officially blamed [NY Times US formally accuses of Russia stealing DNC emails, October 2016] Russia for hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee, among other institutions and individuals, saying the hacks and subsequent leaks were “intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.”

Bob Nemanich, the math teacher, says he believes Russian influence from cyber attacks and the hacking of email accounts had an impact on the election results.

“This is an attack on our representative form of government,” he said, adding that the question is: Who benefited?

“We don’t have time to prosecute and investigate this,” Nemanich said. “We have to start making our own decisions [as electors].”

Two years ago, I was ridiculed and accused by fellow local Democratic Party officials of being disloyal: El Paso County Democratic Party Chairwoman Kathleen Ricker, said she was not entirely clear what Nemanich is doing ...” Later I learned that Kathleen was going to commence officially censoring me and throwing me out of the Democratic Party. Within the next year I decided to register Unaffiliated, in part because of the ongoing legal action, but also in part by the continuing ignorance of people towards what Trump Russia was actually about.

Kathleen’s Executive Director, Liz Hershberger stated on line: "He needs to cast his vote for Clinton — she won our state and he is a Democrat. Liz was the one who informed me of Kathleen's wishes but soon thereafter was threatening to sue the local party because he didn't like how democracy within the party worked in changing the regime.

During that period El Paso County Democratic Party's Secretary, openly called me a traitor on his Facebook page. He still maintains that shallow understanding and fails to understand he was duped by Trump and Russia propaganda. 

The worst of all the public outcry came from Colorado’s Secretary of State, Wayne Williams (Republican) and resident of El Paso County after Polly Baca and I filed suit in the Federal District Court seeking a TRO (temporary restraining order) pertaining to the state law binding Presidential Electors to the popular vote winner.
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But Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams thrashed the push as an "illegal conspiracy" to subvert the will of Colorado's voters and pledged to fight against their suit.

"Make no mistake, this is not some noble effort to fight some unjust or unconstitutional law; rather, this is an arrogant attempt by two faithless electors to elevate their personal desires over the entire will of the people of Colorado," Williams said in a statement.

"The very notion of two Colorado electors ignoring Colorado’s popular vote in an effort to sell their vote to electors in other states is odious to everything we hold dear about the right to vote," he continued." Another publication quoted Williams describing our actions as “arrogant,” odious and evil”, saying the court should reject what he called an “illegal conspiracy,” and opined that the electors had succumbed to “intrigue and corruption.” [emphasis mine]

Nemanich told POLITICO that Williams' sharp reaction may be the result of the fact that his office has promised specifically to remove Nemanich as an elector if he attempts to cast his vote for anyone other than Clinton. 

That comment became part of his suit to overturn the state's law.

"It was so over the top that it makes him look very weird," Nemanich said in an email. 

"Evil? Is it evil to sue for constitutional affirmation of civil rights like Free Speech in carrying out the duties of an elected official? Is it a cabal where one seeks counsel from other elected officials in carrying out own duty? Is it a conspiracy to talk to Republican Electors about a candidate for President that one believes unfit by their daily actions?"

Now two years later Polly Baca and myself are still embroiled in a Federal lawsuit that currently is in front of the 10^th Circuit Appellate Court where oral arguments scheduled for January 24, 2019. Ironic that through the exchange of written arguments between our counsel headed by Harvard Law School Dean, Larry Lessig; and the Attorney General of Colorado our final response quoted the State of Colorado’s own brief:

The State asks this Court to condone its interference so that Coloradans are not deprived of their “fundamental right to cast a meaningful and effective vote for President.” State Br. 3. But the Constitution does not give citizens any right to vote directly for President. On election day, citizens cast “advisory” votes for President, see State Br. 3, because “citizens themselves vote for Presidential electors,” not for President. Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98, 104 (2000) (emphasis added). Indeed, the State overlooks even its own Constitution, which provides that “the electors of the electoral college shall be chosen by direct vote of the people.” Colo. Const. sched. § 20 (emphasis added).

Two years ago Wayne Williams, the Republican who sought reelection this year but lost, badly, in all probability, knew or was counseled that eventually if pressed the State of Colorado would have to admit that in reality there was no actual subversion of the popular will of the people of Colorado as the vote was advisory where constitutionally voted for which Elector’s slate. 

Yet, 2016 was a time of hyper partisanship where now we know the United State election was invaded thru the Internet by Russia and other enemies foreign and domestic. Was Williams’ “weird” reaction a momentary "tell" as being party to these enemies? Eventually as Mueller’s investigation goes deeper we might find out how drilled down this 2016 election conspiracy went, in the meantime this is but our own small footnote.

The main event of course, is in Washington DC and New York, centered upon Mueller and his Office of Special Council where this week he produced the biggest moment yet, proving that Trump and his regime is not only unfit, but worse, criminally culpable to foreign espionage owing to outright treason in the election of the presidency.

Some of the details are being reported lends a deeper understanding to what I was alluding to two years ago where I said Presidential Electors did not have the time, nor the resources to investigate the invasion of our democracy by Russia, partnered with Trump’s regime. What his former personal attorney Michael Cohen revealed in part, and subsequently confirmed by Trump, was that during his candidacy and up until June 14, 2016, Trump and Russia was still pursuing the Trump Tower venture. At least that was Trump’s mind he was pursuing his life’s dream of building the largest skyscraper in Moscow when he tweeted:

Donald J. Trump✔

Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail...
150K
2:52 AM - Nov 30, 2018
@realDonaldTrump

@realDonaldTrump

Followed with this admission:

Donald J. Trump

....Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!
83.3K

Rachel Maddow on @MSNBC outlined Friday night on her show, was the Cohen revelations revealed the underlying crime as why the systematic cover-up parlayed by the Trump regime and their supporters outside of government, in short why they were lying across all fronts. That to build the Tower, it demanded the funding from a Russian Bank controlled by the Russian government and also sanctioned by the U.S. and allied European governments. Thus to build needed the lifting of the international sanctions on individuals and their banks. This was the promise of Trump. But it is now fully apparent he could not deliver. What Rachel failed to mention was a parallel conspiracy related to Russian Oil, Saudi and Israeli nuclear power plants with Michael Flynn who also pleaded guilty earlier in 2018. 

Therefore the fog of all this corruption centered on Trump is appearing to be clearer. The Russian’s seem to have “baited” Trump into pursuing the presidency through the tower. The bait was he could build his tower when sanctions were lifted. In that grand plan the Russians abetted his accent to the Oval Office by hacking the American election then weaponizing DNC emails through Wikileaks. They also weaponized social media and especially Facebook through laser targeting of American voters and using sophisticated psy ops.

Soon we will find out more, as the Russian espionage operative Maria Butina comes to court and reveals her money and influence connection to the NRA and Republican Party. This might include further connections to the Republican Party changing its Ukraine platform stance that seems to come back to Manafort and now Mike Pence. It all involves huge dark money, money laundering, political and election corruption that appears to also enveloped the Republican Party’s leadership. It is an octopus or giant squid with tentacles that ultimately point to Russia and dark globalists that include domestic enemies to democracy and our constitution attempting to create a new world order.

Finally, my guess is that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine now at its margins is tip toeing to a full scale escalation across their western front. This would challenge NATO which his emerging intrusion into Great Britain and Brexit that includes intrusion into European democracies is showing his hand to weaken the military alliance to respond to his invasion. War appears to be on the horizon. 

This century’s war will include cyber, and information warfare disrupting domestic and international infrastructure and trade markets and probably even outer space. Scary as it is, Russia and its allies have less economic assets than the state of Texas or even New York, rated 2^nd and 3^rd in the US. Russia’s GDP would be merely 1.8% of the US entirely. Bring in NATO and it is almost 9 to 1. Yet a protracted land war in Eastern Europe would be greatly unstable in the world markets and our sense of peace since 1962.

Now back to December 2018 in Washington. It is now appearing certain the nation is headed towards impeachment of its president and regime. There are roughly thirty days until the opposition party takes over one branch of the legislature and with that exceptional investigative power to move the nation towards this measure. It even includes transfer of power directly to the Speaker if and when the both the president and vice president is vacated. In the meantime Mueller appears to be ready to move on more indictments, corresponding plea deals and greater revelations encircling the president and his regime even tighter to this end. Too bad those four Presidential Electors could not get other Presidential Electors both Republican and Democratic to act during the Electoral College and maybe this could have unraveled this ordeal faster and clearer, at least earlier.

Why am I writing this now? Because someone of political stature asked me about it and my thoughts over the holiday; “how were you feeling those seven weeks prior to the Electoral College Day?” 

I felt alone, I said. I foresaw this. 

The implications, the exposure of domestic and foreign enemies, those wittingly and unwittingly duped. A challenge to our democracy and its republic form of government. I am now resilient that the 2018 mid term elections responded to reaffirm our nation's core traditions. 

Back two years ago in general terms whenever I took a walk or fell asleep all this  overwhelmed me. Especially when Russian Television producers began reaching out to me via social media and finally phone messages, why me? I knew this was weird and something way beyond me. Now I watch and read, validating each and every day my thoughts and actions two years ago.” That is what I said. His reply was, guess you were right after all. 

Learning the value of a meaningful vote, core to democracy

This week amongst the din of Mueller's investigation of all things Trump & Russia, where the fate of Deputy Attorney General appeared to be at stake, there was the Kavanaugh drama played out on national TV, and in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. That confrontation unleashed among other things,  the purposely forgotten 1980's, a time where decadence and open sexual perversion ruled, owing to excessive abuse of  drugs and alcohol consumption. My own recollection of that type of decadence goes back to the mid 70's when as a member of an unsupervised, entitled riddled, fraternity at a Big Ten school, I witnessed sophomoric young men purposely seeking to get young college-aged women drunk, where they hoped to take sexual advantage over them. There were a few occasions when those pursuits led to multiple males having their sexual fantasies made with an inebriated girl. My friends and I did not participate in those pursuits, and by the end of my sophomore year, many of us left the frat, even though I admit I was heavy into partying. Later in life, when I caught up with a few of my old frat brothers their attitude towards women remained, regardless of their station in life.

Then I recalled that back in the 80's when my soon to be wife and I, entered into "serious relationship", one that is now 34 years and ongoing, she confided with me that among her other boyfriends,which she was informing me that she was dropping, (I called it affectionately the Saturday Night Massacre), was a one guy named Kim. He was a married man, who would come into Chicago once or twice a month, possessing a fancy sports car that he maintained exclusively in Chicago, even as he lived in another state. They had gone out a number of times, he being at least fifteen years older, a corporate executive at a Fortune 100 company, where he would entertain her with good times going to shows and fancy restaurants that included unlimited drink or even cocaine.

What was quite worrisome is that she told me that on the the last two dates, she would have a "black out", awaking in a strange hotel bed not knowing where she was or what had happened. She always awoke naked, knew there was sex and her hangover was far worse than ever before. Even though after being told that my wife was now in a serious relationship, he phoned one evening. And as we sat together watching a rented VHS movie, my then future wife quickly admonished him and told him to never call her again. She then said it was not the first time he called after she cut him off earlier.

The next day I found that S.O.B.'s  office number at his corporate headquarters, as any good headhunter can do. I phoned him and powerfully told him that if he even called my girlfriend again, let alone try to take her out on one of his "black out" dates, I would find his wife and call her about his affair ways, including the cocaine he used. And further, take my girlfriend to the authorities and file a report as to what has happened. He, of course, denied everything, and even attempted to turn it around saying my future wife was the one who wanted to get wasted and have fun. He never called again, nor was heard of either. Until years later when we learned from one of my wife's extended friends, that this Kim had died in a late night drunken, automobile crash, in his sports car, reportedly driving over 100 mph on an suburban highway. The crash included being with another young women.

That personal story underscores the bigger picture where America is seeing the value of a meaningful vote by Senator Flake, Republican of Arizona, who suddenly dissented from his tribe, to demand a delay in the Senate confirmation vote of Kavanaugh. Voting, if is to be meaningful, must reflect a deep principled inner belief of the individual, where sometimes it can be wrenching, and unpopular, but nonetheless a true expression conscience. Flake, supported by three others and a few of his democratic colleagues is now outside the protection his tribe. All this I too personally experienced as a Presidential Elector in December 2016. Known as Hamilton Electors, we are now in the final stages of our Appeal in the 10th District Federal Court where we are seeking to reestablish and affirm the right of Electors, to cast a meaningful vote for President.

When I sought to dissent from the party tribalism I was attacked not only from the Republican state officers, but also personally by my Democratic party compatriots. Eventually the reality was that if I voted my conscience my vote would be stricken from the record and I would be subject to prosecution, which boiled down that the votes of Colorado Electors were actually the wishes of our state government and not constitutional electors.  In Flake's case his vote cannot be stripped, nor prosecuted for, but he can be subjected to personal threats and intimidation. We considered the Electoral College vote a fundamental constitutional right as is the Senator's vote.

One other personal connection to all this DC drama is that there appears to be political manipulation of veiled interference with the subsequent FBI investigation. These behind the scenes political manipulations are similar with our experiences we had in the Electoral College. It continues in the pattern of the Republican Party's absence of possessing any ethical boundaries, utilizing any and all made up governing mechanisms to keep or expand their power. Then, after prevailing, they will then take all measures of justifying their tactical win as being ordained by a normal function of democracy, including lying. That of course is another manipulation of  all American truth.

As you go forward towards this year's voting, remember that your vote needs to be meaningful. Tribalists will justify their vote as meaningful, but in reality it only means they are blindly loyal to  one tribe or another. Many who are identified with one political tribe or another, but are appalled by the results, must rethink that association as I tried to do in December 2016 when I publicly declared I wanted to cast a vote for Republican Governor, Dennis Kasich,, as an expression of country over party. That effort sought to find a way to join with Republican dissenters and to throw the Electoral College into the Congress.

Dissenting votes are meaningful, often more so than those of the majority when the situation becomes dire, even if they don't carry the day, they often lead to later events where an immoral or unethical political policies are overturned. It is why Supreme Court and Appellate Court dissenting opinions are published.

To conclude, this week was a heavy experience. The nation watched wretched testimonies, first, a woman having to publicly express her horrific experience followed by a sitting judge go absolutely partisan and displaying total lack of decorum and with the absence and regard for the whole truth, nothing but the truth, all was mind blowing. For my wife and I, it also dusted off purposely forgotten memories of youthful inebriation, coupled with immoral sexual exploits by sophomoric males which ironically is connected to recent political events of this corrupt regime. This coincidental crossing comes as we all approach the national mid-term election.

Voting is the essential act for a functioning democracy. where ideally every citizen has an equal voice and it's assumed that each voter is free to and will cast a meaningful vote. We know that in reality this is not true. Many, for whatever emotional or psychological reasons, abstain or pass off on making a meaningful vote. Some voters are absolutely tribal, casting of their votes blindly denying the fact that their tribe might be wholly corrupted by working against the interests of maintaining a functional democracy or its welfare. This is the power of identification politics and how psychological warfare is politicized. But the belief and hope is that the majority of voters, especially in times like these, will cast meaningful votes and therefore amassing the difference to challenge and overturn a corrupt and immoral regime. It is why our founding fathers believed in power of democracy as the only defense against tyranny.

“If you've wondered what you would've done during slavery, the Holocaust, or Civil Rights movement...you're doing it now.”

Over this past few weeks the Mueller investigation has accelerated with unexpected veracity and with pointed impact placing another key member of the Trump World into the Special Council's witness cooperation program. Within this flurry of never-ending BREAKING NEWS [and Twitter BOOMS] the overarching information is still muted as to fully informing the general public as to what actually happened in 2015-'16-'17. What I am going to say is the last couple of years this Trump Russia thing is actually an extension of what has been going over last two decades exposed now as the culmination of a "Spy War". Before I go forward with this extended post, let me quote a periodic tweet meme that started with Sen. Harris when she originally tweeted it in Feb 2017 and now expanded and paraphrased by a number twitter posts to its present version :

“If you've wondered what you would've done during slavery, the Holocaust, or Civil Rights movement...you're doing it now.”

I can only speak for myself, like any other conscience reader of history, as to wonder how one would have reacted in these touch tone moments in our human history. I will take it back further, let us say 240 years to the dawn of our republic and the American Revolution? Would you be a revolutionary or a tory? As I have delved deeper into my ancestry's history in the Balkans where we can authoritatively claim a genealogy that dates back to the 1400's and conceivably, all the way to back to 500 AD, I can see how those ancestors reacted to their perilous threats to not only their immediate families as well as their clan, but to the larger world events overarching their very existence. The problem for many in making decisions, as to what to do, is whether they have or perceive true information as to what is actually going on, even as it is being purposely obscured or institutionally hidden. That is what this blog post attempts to assist. 

Last week following the commencement of the Munich Security Conference, two patriot friends whom I have become connected to over the last 15 months or so, and who among many, are described as voices in the online movement called #resistence, brought to me information as to what this Trump-Russia is all about. Both of them are steeped in what is called the “Intelligence Community” (IC). One who was a true spook who elevated his career to a status of senior line management and an academic, the other, a career strategic security analyst and consultant for many international corporations, they are truly connected and have been important providing a chain of truthful information regarding the Trump-Russia. They have been attacked unmercilessly by Russian trolls, bots, domestic partners to Russian disinformation and other deza actors, but they remain standing tall as the actual facts continue to trickle out from the Special Counsel and other investigative reports that are substantiated confirming their earlier statements.  The timing of what I am going to tell you is connected to the the Munich Security Conference as to the scope and existential threat the Russians and Trump Russia poses to the West and Western values. To give context for the importance of the Munich Security Conference bringing western intel professionals together this is how it describes itself: 

"[T]he major global forum for the discussion of security policy for the last 50 years. It brings together more than 450 senior decision-makers from around the world, including heads-of-state, ministers, leading personalities of international and non-governmental organizations, as well as high ranking representatives of industry, media, academia, and civil society, to engage in an intensive debate on current and future security challenges.” 

The IC community of current and former spooks, intelligence analysts, military strategists, government officials, private individuals who are professionally associated in that craft congregate in and around the conference for off site private gatherings and meetings. A few of them whom I now  have been introduced were there or met with participates before or afterward. This is the summary of what was told me about the big picture that is now being revealed and will work itself out as the Mueller investigation unfolds with more of its findings. 

1.) Regarding the Trump-Russia Special Counsel Investigation they are investigating the final chapters in what is described to be part of a very long “Spy War”. This hidden global war between covert actors which the primary combatants are Russian and NATO intelligence operations. This “Spy War” predates all of our lives, including my father and father-n-law, both born before the 1929 Stock Market Crash.  This chapter of the "Spy War" primarily began in 2000, when Putin, a former KGB Lt. Colonel, and then Russia's acting President and Prime Minister, was first elected President. Since that time Russia has been engaged in what the Russians describe as "Full-Spectrum" warfare, expressed by Valery Gerasimov. (You can read about that here, authored by one of the fine reporters at Politico it is highly suggested). 

In short, this "Full Spectrum" warfare approach is an extension of war tactics that dates back to the original Cheka's. Cheka are the original Soviet secret political police that began in 1917, where they controlled all spheres of Russian, then Soviet society. Officially the organizational name is  "The All-Russian Emergency Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage". The infamous KGB was the succeeding organization of the original Chekas whose mantra was to attack via sabotage, propaganda, terror, subversion, conventional warfare: the works. It was how the Leninists secured Russia and then how Stalin installed his own brand of totalitarianism. Since 2000 the professional holiday of the old and the modern Russian security services on the anniversary of the creation of the Cheka, has been resurrected by the Presidents of Russia since Yelstin, led by Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer.

If this scares you it should! If you recognize some of those aforementioned tactics originally employed by Cheka's seemingly happening here in the U.S., ranging from domestic terror attacks in our schools, at concerts, or within theaters, etc., plus the ascent of domestic right wing authoritarian movements like the rise of the neo-KKK and other RW hate groups, this is not merely coincidental events carried out by mentally deranged individuals. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck....These events are no accident. Neither is the extreme partisan discourse that has arisen since 2000. Even though there were hyperbolic partisan elements that grew organically within the U.S. dating back into the 70's and growing more into 90's. Yet someone or something has thrown gasoline on this extreme partisanship in the U.S. that has now polarized entire American body politic. This is no accident.

2) Prior to the “Fall of the USSR" and its Soviet System, then accelerated afterward, the current generation of Chekists added a new arm to their diabolical arsenal; the Russian Mob. The merger of the Chekists now known as the FSB, with the Russian Organized Crime Syndicates brought about the rise of Russia's Oligarchs where Putin is at its top. What was characterized as “liberalizing” the Russian economic system actually became weaponized into a new form of economic warfare. Following the full ascent of the Russian oligarch system with the election of Putin the full spectrum attack onto the West commenced. This attack, especially against the U.S came under the noses of all those experts within government  and international business affairs who then naively believed that the world was now mono-polar.

Remember when the biggest threat was terrorism following 9/11? This confused many except a few in the IC world, including a few who might be reading this blog. I seem to recall one local retired military IC officer talking with two other colleagues who I was in their social company, they suddenly speaking in private code, how after 9/11 his particular secret signals intelligence focus turned inward [into the U.S.] and not outward. Now when I re-approached him reminding him of that seemingly incidental conversation of almost a dozen years ago, I asked: That signals intelligence you headed was not about primarily finding sleeper terrorists but was more about the Russia's "Full Spectrum" attack that was still masked? He nodded and then said you know I can't comment on any of that work. 

3) Now let me fast forward to 2016. This attack by the Russians is revealed and all about their mantra, full scale, ruthlessness in its effect, seemingly from another primal age where tactics are best described as barbaric. They seek to peel back almost a thousand years of social and government development that emerged in the West. It is because they never ascribed to reciprocity, except temporarily, when it suits their long purpose. Their barbaric nature is to attack the core of modern Western values seeking to degenerate democracy, and simultaneously engaging in primitive acts like human sex trafficking as a weapon, no different than Barbary Pirates or Turkish Sultans. In their wake they are practiced in subverting free speech and independent journalism, corrupting and manipulating capital markets, independent law enforcement, any form of truth all aimed at the foundations of  democracy, even the concept of individualism. Everything the West has built since the Magna Carta. 

Their tactics include the fostering and support of domestic and international terrorists and authoritarian partners provoking all forms of violence and discord between ethnic groups, stoking racial and religious hate, using all forms of disinformation like employing competing and conflicting narratives by veiled by witting cut outs or best, by unwitting surrogates. If this sounds like the words and deeds emulating out of White House you are beginning to wake up. This degeneration of Western values includes devaluing even the idea hard work, while also enslaving people in various economic schemes, using torture and if need be, resorting to open assassinations of their most threatening opponents. This is the world of Russian oligarchs. 

4) Have some of you become aware of this,? Even in bits and pieces? So near the end of my conversations I again inquired why am I am included in this early Intel before it appears in MSM? One friend says, you have a voice and this needs to get out and begin preparing America for how huge and disabling the attack was. It will include household names as witting surrogates for whatever reason or justification. Major media personalities and organizations, corporate players and companies, politicians at almost every level. People will initially not want to believe they were so duped. Then he added, in part he described that at the moment when courage and patriotism was asked of you, you recognized it, stepped when few others. We cheered and supported you and now you need to continue informing ordinary citizens to step up is our only real defense. He then reminded me, remember the thousand people who stuffed your state capitol on Electoral College Day they were there looking at your courage. [“If you've wondered what you would've done during slavery, the Holocaust, or Civil Rights movement...you're doing it now.”]

The problem for most is not understanding the nature of counter intelligence. When espionage is discovered that involves criminal activity the investigators must keep the investigation going instead of leaping into prosecution. Imperfect and costly it is only way to fully get at it. Thus both those foreign espionage criminals along with our domestic partnered traitors and criminals got away with much—seemingly to themselves, as counter intelligence was investigating this grand conspiracy.

This all leads to Trump-Russia. Mueller was the FBI Director from a few day before 9/11 to 2013 the first year of the Obama Administration. He not only investigated and prosecuted 9/11 but also was at the helm of FBI counterintelligence division where he undoubtedly witnessed this Russian attack emerging throughout the years. Most likely they had to forestall a multitude of domestic prosecutions because they had to hand it all over to counter intelligence, because that is about national security. But now those stories and prosecutions must be told and made public, that is our new calling in national security. We are seeing that with these early indictments and guilty plea's. The 13 Russians revealed much in counterintelligence sources and  methods as having all the reported physical evidence about the internal Russian bot farm and financial activities. The Russians are capable of re-engineering how the intel was made and address their own weaknesses. When the Dutch intelligence revealed that they had live cameras inside the Russian hacking operations it was because the sources and methods was already compromised. 

5) So now it is starting. More indictments will come fast and furious. Mueller and his team clearly knows where their investigation is headed as he and his crack team meticulously builds their cases stone by stone. Reviewing the first series of indictments; Manafort, Gates, and Papadopoulas, there Mueller firmly established that Trump and his campaign had lied through their green teeth about its contacts with the Russians. The second wave of indictments that included a guilty plea by General Flynn, established that the Trump team lying extended to people within the White House and the lying pertained directly to the Russians. The third segment over the last two weeks now establishes that Russians and its Internet Research Agency was directly involved in the campaign to undermine the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, owing to a criminal conspiracy that leads to Russian government officials. Any and all Americans who knowingly were involved in this grand global conspiracy are now targets for prosecution, especially those who hold or held public trusts and not withstanding those acting privately. They all better seek expensive legal representation and come clean. 

Ultimately, another friend who is highly respected in the CI community maintains that the heart of the Trump-Russia scheme was and is, all about money laundering, on historic levels. The Russian Oligarchs are nothing but modern mobsters who have boatloads of Russian Rubles but can't get that money out of Russia clean. They are stealing the Russian people blind but are trapped in their own criminal opulence. It was the Obama era sanctions that seriously hurt them. Trump was to relieve that. Thing is Trump promised this but almost everyone including the Trump Team thought they were going to lose and all these deals were to be forgotten. But Russia now seems to have had other ideas. They wanted Trump to win and he did, yes by hook by crook he did.

“If you've wondered what you would've done during slavery, the Holocaust, or Civil Rights movement...you're doing it now.”

6) This is the big picture as it is perceived now. But it is now not a spectator sport. Unlike competitive sports enthusiasts this is not about tribal warfare either. It is about living in democracy where every person and every vote is sacrosanct, if democracy lives. Only democracy allows you to be free. Only a functioning republic elected in a true democracy allows for the rule of law to remain in place. Only an alive democracy allows for a constitutional republic to thrive and be responsive to its citizens grievances and be trusted with its general welfare. Thus more than merely being partisan, be about democracy and support these patriots in our justice system defending our nation.  

What I am reminded is that in our constitutional government, there are three co-equal branches of government, the principle of separation of powers. It is now apparent that the executive branch has been compromised by a foreign adversary, an enemy of Western values and also it appears through domestic partnering with the same adversary has compromised to a degree the legislative branch. But what remains is an independent judiciary. Trump is quite vocal about this independence and separation of power that checks some of his efforts to divide our nation. But what is not apparent to many is that the US Attorney's, the state's Attorney General's and the many lawyers who practice under the Federal Bar are actually members of the Judiciary Branch as officers of the court. They are not loyal to their administrators in the executive branch, they are loyal to the law and beholden to the courts which they serve. 

7) My final question to these IC professionals is where do you see this going? It seems apparent that Manafort is the ultimate target for the next wave as one cannot be the primary driver for a Ukrainian-Russian henchman for over a decade, also be a primary conduit for Russian money laundering schemes, without knowing too much. His installation into the Trump campaign was just too obvious. That and other indictments of Trump confidants like Sater and Cohen will finish off the main actors in the conspirators who are on the outside. Mueller's team will have to deliver persons who can tell the story and confirm the voluminous physical evidence of their electronic communication and tracks in the money trails. SIGNET counterintelligence cannot be used as evidence but it can hold an indicted defendant in place as to determine if they are giving it all up in a plea deal. That is how they got Gates cold, he lied which they knew from an intercept. Ultimately with all the henchmen and women secured and safe from Russian assassinations Mueller will have to force a constitutional crisis by indicting a sitting President and his Administration. This will invoke the Supreme Court and lead us up to the mid-term elections. Ultimately the question will be what James Risen asked a few weeks back; is Trump a traitor?  You can watch the old IC author on MSNBC here. Only the Congress can remove a sitting President who does not resign. Therefore this will be role of the American voter to remove a complicit Republican majority and install those who will be willing to impeach the president.

From there we will have to go through a 21st Century reconstruction period, identifying traitors who were part of the great conspiracy and rebuild our democracy and republic. Simultaneously we will have to respond smartly and in kind to the Russian Chekists. They will have to be destroyed like the Nazi's of Germany. But in meantime, ask yourself what are you going to do when America faced a existential threat to its democracy and constitutional republic?