By Victor Davis Hanson
The illegal effort to destroy the 2016 Trump campaign by Hillary Clinton campaign’s use of funds to create (and) disseminate … among high Obama administration officials, a fabricated, opposition smear dossier failed.
So has the second special prosecutor phase of the coup to abort the Trump presidency failed.
There are many elements to what in time likely will become recognized as the greatest scandal in American political history, marking the first occasion in which U.S. government bureaucrats sought to overturn an election and to remove a sitting U.S. president…
The deep state is by nature cowardly.., unless it feels it can disguise its subterranean efforts or that, if revealed, those efforts will be seen as popular and necessary—(see Comey’s “Higher Loyalty” or McCabe’s “The Threat”).
In candidate and President Trump’s case that prepping of the battlefield translated into a coordinated effort among the media, political progressives and celebrities to so demonize Trump that his imminent removal likely would appear a relief to the people…
All through the 2016 campaign and during the first two years of the Trump presidency the media’s treatment .., ran about 90 percent negative toward Trump—a landmark bias that continues today.
Journalists themselves consulted with the Clinton campaign to coordinate attacks….
Some contract “journalists” apparently were paid directly by Fusion GPS … to spread lurid stories from the dossier. Others … argued for a new journalistic ethos that partisan coverage was certainly justified in the age of Trump, given his assumed existential threat to The Truth (Pravda)…
The DNC’s appendages often helped to massage CNN news coverage… CNN soon proved that it is no longer a news organization at all as reporters … trafficked in false rumors and unproven gossip detrimental to Trump, while hosts … stooped to obscenity and grossness to attack Trump…
Left wing social media and mainstream journalism spread sensational lies about supposed maniacal Trump supporters .., veritable white racists liberated to run amuck insulting …the poor and victimized minorities with vicious Trump sloganeering—even as the Covington farce and now the even more embarrassing Jussie Smollett charade evaporated without apologies…
At the same time.., progressive activists variously sued to overturn the election on false charges of rigged voting machines.., sought to subvert the Electoral College.., introduced articles of impeachment.., sued to remove Trump under the Emoluments Clause.., attempted to invoke the 25th Amendment.., (a)nd even resurrected the ossified Logan Act, before focusing on the appointment of a special counsel to discredit the Trump presidency.
Waiting for the 2020 election was seen as too quaint.
During the 2016 election, the Obama Department of Justice warped the Clinton email scandal investigation…
About a dozen FBI and DOJ grandees have now resigned, retired, been fired, or reassigned for unethical and likely illegal behavior… The reputation of the FBI as venerable agency is all but wrecked…
The former Obama directors of the CIA and National Intelligence, with security clearances intact, hit the television airways as paid “consultants” and almost daily accused the sitting president of Russian collusion and treason …
Some in the NSC, in massive and unprecedented fashion, requested the unmasking of surveilled names of Trump subordinates, and then illegally leaked them to the press.
The FISA courts, fairly or not, are now mostly discredited, given they either were willingly or naively hoodwinked by FBI and DOJ officials…
The Crown Jewel in the coup was the appointment of special counsel Robert Muller to discover supposed 2016 Trump-Russian election collusion.., ill-starred from its conception.
Mueller’s appointment was a result of his own friend James Comey’s bitter stunt of releasing secret, confidential and even classified memos of presidential conversations. Acting DOJ Attorney Rod Rosenstein appointed a former colleague, Mueller—although as a veteran himself of the Clinton email scandal investigations and the FISA fraudulent writ requests, Rosenstein was far more conflicted than was the recused Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Mueller then packed his investigative team with lots of Clinton donors and partisans…
The team soon discovered there was no Trump-Russian 2016 election collusion… The point was not to find who colluded with whom.., but to find the proper mechanism to destroy the presumed guilty Donald Trump.
The Mueller probe has now failed in that gambit of proving “collusion”.., but succeeded brilliantly in two ways.
The “counterintelligence” investigation subverted two years of the Trump presidency by constant leaks that Trump soon would be indicted, jailed, disgraced, or impeached. As a result, Trump’s stellar economic and foreign policy record would never earn fifty percent of public support.
Second, Mueller’s preemptive attacks offered an effective offensive defense for the likely felonious behavior of John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Bruce Ohr, Peter Strzok, and a host of others, (and) … they de facto provided exemption to a host of the Washington hierarchy who had lied under oath, obstructed justice, illegally leaked to the press, unmasked and leaked names of surveilled Americans, and misled federal courts under the guise of a “higher loyalty” to the cause of destroying Donald J. Trump…
In May 2017, acting FBI director Andrew McCabe took over from the fired Comey. His candidate wife recently had been a recipient of huge Clinton-related campaign PAC donations shortly before he began investigating the Clinton email scandal. McCabe would soon be cited by the Inspector General for lying to federal investigators on numerous occasions …
McCabe apparently felt that it was his moment to become famous for taking out a now President Trump. Thus, he assembled a FBI and DOJ cadre to open a counterintelligence investigation of the sitting president on no other grounds but the … Clinton opposition dossier and perceived anger among the FBI that their director had just been fired. …This was an attempted, albeit pathetic, coup against an elected president and the first really in the history of the United States…
McCabe was iconic of an utterly corrupt FBI Washington hierarchy, which … posed as patriotic scouts, but in reality proved themselves arrogant, smug, and incompetent. They harbored such a sense of superiority that they were convinced they could act outside the law…
The thinking of the conspirators initially had been predicated on three assumptions thematic during this three-year long government effort to destroy Trump:
One, during 2016, Hillary Clinton would certainly win the election and FBI and DOJ unethical and illegal behavior would be forgotten if not rewarded..;
Two, Trump was so controversial…. that seeded rumors of Trump’s faked perversity gave them de facto exemptions to do whatever they damned pleased;
Three, Trump’s low polls, his controversial reset of American policy, and the general contempt in which he was held by the bipartisan coastal elite, celebrities, and the deep state, meant that even illegal means to … destroy Trump and now abort his presidency were felt to be moral and heroic acts without legal consequences…
In sum, the Left and the administrative state, in concert with the media, after failing to stop the Trump campaign, regrouped. They ginned up a media-induced public hysteria, with the residue of the Hillary Clinton campaign’s illegal opposition research, and manipulated it to put in place a special counsel, stocked with partisans.
Then, … sanctimonious arrogant bureaucrats in suits and ties used their government agencies to seek to overturn the 2016 election, abort a presidency, and subvert the U.S. Constitution. And they did all that and more on the premise that they were our moral superiors and had uniquely divine rights to destroy a presidency that they loathed.
Shame on all these failed conspirators and their abettors, and may these immoral people finally earn a long deserved legal and moral reckoning.
https://amgreatness.com/2019/02/17/autopsy-of-a-dead-coup/
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I apologize for the length, but the original was likewise so in the extreme.
Bottom line, “the fish rots from the head”. T was the twin Hydra heads of the Obama/Clinton machines. They infested the DOJ & FBI to the extent that they saw themselves above the law and accountable only to themselves and their financial backers, whom they served.
Trump is striving to bring them to account. First the DOJ, FBI, and Judiciary had to brought into actual compliance with the law and Constitution. Though still a work in process, the worm has turned now that AG Barr is in place. The Mueller Report and IOG Reports will follow, and shortly thereafter, the DECLAS which will bring with it a cascade of indictments, resignations, and possibly suicides. This will encompass foreign heads of state as well. This was a global conspiracy wage by the corrupt central bank system I have long called The Cabal.
Yes, Q has been telling us this all along, but this Board didn’t want to hear it. So I did not share.
There is a reason Trump hun Andrew Jackson’s portrait in the Oval Office. What is Jackson most known for in his eight years as President?
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Pesky Truth 
What a boring argument between two very accomplished writers. Early-on I followed Q. Way too many times, predicted happenings didn’t happen, for me to spend my precious free-time keeping up with Q. NONE of us can yet answer the only question that matters; WHO, if any, of the black and grey hats will be indicted.
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Excellent article, Curt. Sums up what happened; if only the nation new this.
Waiting for the Mueller report. What do you think it will say? What will happen with it? I understand it will be out soon. Maybe next week.
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Mueller will completely exonerate Trump.
Manafort was always a bad actor. He worked for the Podesta brothers for years, so was likely a plant to some degree. He was brought in to manage the Convention, then dismissed.
Carter Page will get off entirely, but will become wealthy via lawsuits against those who tried to sandbag him.
Papadopoulos gets his wrist slap vacated.
Flynn likewise.
AG Barr will not release the full Report, as investigated allegations that did not bear fruit would still taint reputations needlessly.
The IOG Reports will contain dozens of criminal referrals and lead to follow-on prosecutions.
The DECLAS will destroy the Dem Party leadership as presently constituted. Whether it survives as a national Party at all remains a question.
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I wish…
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After being so utterly and completely disappointed by Jeff Sessions, I’m not putting much hope in William Barr. So far, just about all of Trump’s picks have turned out to be let-downs that aren’t helping to drain the swamp. Barr is just another old throw-back that thinks the Patriot Act doesn’t go far enough. From what I’ve read he’s the type of guy who thinks the ends justifies the means, so he might fit in a little too well.
You’re right, we don’t share your opinion of Q, but at least it gives you followers something to do.
Kudos to Victor Davis Hanson for his excellent synopsis of the grand farce – he summed it up perfectly.
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Yes, Kathy, Q allowed us followers to know all of this a year ago! I consider that quite worth doing! As a patriot, it allowed me to sleep at night.
As a historian, Hanson only works with documented facts, thus would never use unsourced info. This is WHY I brought this to the board.
Q Group (less than 10, with only three non-military) could not release direct facts, as that would violate national security laws AND inform the Deep State Cabal of exactly what the plan was.
You have no informed opinion of Q, only the Fake News variety. Skepticism is welcome; denigration is not!
It’s apparent that you don’t understand Swamp Draining either. A hint, your impatience means nothing, as the wheels of Justice grind slowly. Justice is not served by feeding the maws of the media talking heads via leaks other than strategically, to illicit responses and expend Deep State ammunition.
Sessions will be a star fact witness in the soft coup trials. He did exemplary work in all areas other than the Russia/Soft Coup areas, where he was a target and victim. Rosenstein will likely be a witness as well.
God, I miss Emile!
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Curtis, you were fully aware of (some of) our opinions on the matter before you made that comment, so you opened the door to whatever skepticism, criticism or denigration we may have on the subject. If you took those remarks personally, which it sounds like you did, then that misperception is on you, not anyone else.
Over the years, we’ve all had some strong disagreements with various people on several topics, but never have we bashed them as you just did. I’ve made no bones about disagreeing with you on Q, so your comeback is to say I’m uninformed. Since when does disagreement equate uninformed? The fact of the matter is you don’t know my level of understanding on the Q matter or on swamp draining. so I’ll thank you for not making it personal in the future.
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The erudite Victor James Hanson does a brilliant job on the autopsy of the dead coup. I urge everyone to follow the link and read it in it’s original form, where you can plainly note the clear absence of any reference to “Q.”
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CW, nor did I ever suggest that it DID reference Q! Quite a dishonest statement, really!
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Curtis I absolutely did not say or intend to imply whatsoever that you suggested Victor Davis Hanson made any reference to Q. Since you were the one that brought up Q and felt the necessity of noting that “the board” didn’t want to hear it, I thought it was only fair to point out that VDH is apparently not hanging on the utterings of “Q,” and I see that you confirmed as much in your comment to Kathy. I would have thought that we were acquainted well enough by now that you would know me better than that.
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CW, my reference to Q group was only stating that followers of same have known what Hanson now does for some time. I wouldn’t expect a publishing historian to spend the time to do so. He gets paid to look back!
Emile and I discussed the Q phenomenon at length. He remained skeptical, as he only gave it a cursory glance. But he encouraged me to post to the board on it. I made the decision not to, for the obvious reasons shown in this thread. And will not for those same reasons.
I’m VERY glad I have been following the Q group since Day One. It is almost 16 months now!
I miss Emile’s open-minded intelligence, as I’m sure we all do!
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“…my reference to Q group was only stating that followers of same have known what Hanson now does for some time.”
I don’t think it’s fair to suggest that VDH is only NOW understanding what happened between Trump and the Deep State. No one needs to be a follower of “Q” to see what happened here. You just have to watch Fox News (and a few others, perhaps) and pay close attention to the testimony of the Deep Staters themselves, and you have to understand the nature of the leftist cabal. Still, I appreciate that VDH dissected the plot so that readers will see the complete picture and understand how nefarious and far-reaching the scheme was.
I think that we may be misunderstanding each other, Curtis, so let me clarify that I don’t by any means dispute the existence of the Deep State or the plot to undermine/overthrow the presidency of Donald Trump. I think there is clear evidence to support such charges. My initial objection to the whole “Q” thing came after I first saw your reference to it here at PT along with a video someone posted in that thread which seemed to suggest that there has been an ongoing, organized conspiracy going back 50 years or more to create a sort of global world order, and this plot involved such nonsuspicious people as members of the Bush family. I don’t like to see unsubstantiated, wild conspiracy theories thrown about because I think it’s WRONG to slander people without proof and because doing so at PT makes us all look nutty, if I may be blunt. Conservatives should stand for truth, not conjecture. You talk about missing “open-mindedness,” but let me point out that being open-minded shouldn’t mean that you abandon principles of fairness, logic or not making serious accusations without verifiable evidence. Garnet never forgot those principles.
I may be mis-remembering but I thought at one point you said, based on Q info, that the rift between Jeff Sessions and Trump was just an act and that really they were working together on a plan that would lead to the imminent arrests of a large number of Deep Staters. If I am recalling that correctly, how does the resignation of Sessions fit into the narrative? To me, it leaves a question mark about the predictions coming from Q, as it should with anyone who truly has an open mind. I’m not trying to play gotcha, just hoping we can expand on the discussion and understand each other a little better.
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CW,
Yes, Q has said that Sessions is part of the Plan. That does imply that the rift was political theater. Why keep him in place for two years if he was REALLY so displeased? Trump is a bit of a magician in that regard, utilizing political slight of hand to divert attention to the things he is actually doing.The recusal and resignation were both essential, because Sessions will be a fact witness during the trials, which is not allowed under DOJ trial rules should Sessions still be AG. The same is true of DAG Rosenstein, thus his departure will be prior to the announcement of further indictments where he will be a fact witness. In my view, Sessions is a White hat, and Rosenstein & Mueller are Grey Hats.
The point of the now and then comparison regarding VDH, whom I greatly admire (I have his new book on preorder) is that what he is publishing now was known then by Q followers. I don’t know why that is hard to understand.
That single comment I made, merely in passing. It was leapt upon, like raw meat set upon by starving dogs. Yes, I took THAT personally, as it was intended. It could have been left alone, with no endorsement nor acrimony, and no tarnishing of truth or integrity by or of anyone. I was not trying to begin a conversation on Q, much less an argument!
Instead of discussing VD Hanson’s work, we have driven off a cliff of accusation and defense. Why that was deemed necessary, I’ll never understand.
I don’t have a problem with anyone not having a full understanding of things of which I have a greater understanding, due to a greater devotion of time and effort. I can be certain there are topics on which your knowledge is far superior to my own. I might question conclusions you might have drawn on a topic, but I wouldn’t disparage you or your knowledge.
I didn’t post that video, but am aware of it. It largely represents the early Q following, and the production values were pretty good; but it had some imprecision and injection of the creator’s personal opinions that are not specifically posited by Q Group. There are newer, more accurate ones, but they too are made by individuals, not the Q Group itself.
THE question on Q will eventually be asked directly of POTUS Trump. He will answer the question truthfully in accord with how it is asked. Q is NOT a single person, so “he” cannot be identified (again, less than 10, with only 3 non-military).
As to a 50 year conspiracy, that is a gross oversimplification. Being satanic in origin, it is far greater in scope of time. Globalism goes back to at least the Tower of Babel. The Bush dynasty has been a primary sponsor of globalism in America for many generations, so the thrust of the video was correct if not the specifics. I regretted my 1988 vote for GHWB, and only once voted for GWB, to oust A. Richards as Governor, but never again. I have held a personal fondness for GWB & Laura, thought Barbara was funny in her way, but never thought much of GHWB or Jeb!, as men or leaders. But I don’t publicly castigate them.
Tossing out “conspiracy theory” as a pejorative is precisely the lack of open-mindedness of which I wrote. Many valid things are buried by such false implications, and yes, there are some real doozies out there that fit the descriptive (Flat Earthers, anti-Semitism, and the like). Yet, the pedophilia problem of the Catholic Church has been proven true in large part, the despicable sexual perversions of Hollywood too. They were both once so-labelled by the PTB.
Q Group is NOT a conspiracy theory! That has been proven to me beyond dispute. It is a distributive information system created to go directly to interested individual citizens while avoiding violation of national security strictures. Anons number in the millions now, and are spreading across the globe.
You don’t know it, because you don’t want to know it. And that’s just fine! You’re likely smarter than me, as Emile certainly was. But even a dim bulb can be extremely bright if the light is tightly focused. Though not the brightest bulb, I’m far from a dim one.
I DO stand for truth, as that is what my opinions are based on! THANKS!!
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>> That single comment I made, merely in passing. It was leapt upon, like raw meat set upon by starving dogs. Yes, I took THAT personally, as it was intended. It could have been left alone, with no endorsement nor acrimony, and no tarnishing of truth or integrity by or of anyone. I was not trying to begin a conversation on Q, much less an argument!”
Oh for Pete’s sake, Curtis. Are you going to tell me that no personal “acrimony” was intended by your snarky remark about “the Board” not wanting to hear about Q? Because I’m calling B.S. on that. I think what you wanted was to take a free shot at “the Board” and not have anyone shoot back. Sorry but that isn’t how it works. My initial comment about VDH and Q was simply to point out that the respected historian whom you “greatly admire” is ALSO not talking about Q, as so many other respected pundits aren’t. That’s no different than the position that “the Board” has taken. Kathy and I both complimented the VDH piece, and then you came back calling Kathy “impatient” and suggesting she doesn’t understand swamp-draining and suggesting I was “dishonest.” Then there was your comment about missing Garnet’s “open-minded intelligence,” a not-so-cleverly veiled insult implying that there is a vacuum of open-minded intelligence now. Don’t pretend that wasn’t what you meant. I think in light of those remarks I was restrained in my answer to you.
If the Q business has been proven to you, then I can only assume you have a very low bar for assessing someone’s veracity. There’s a reason that Q hasn’t taken hold in the mainstream. In addition to much of it sounding preposterous, how many of Q’s foretellings haven’t come to pass? Googling it just now the FIRST item I came upon included this “crumb:”
“…My fellow Americans, over the course of the next several days you will undoubtedly realize that we are taking back our great country (the land of the free) from the evil tyrants that wish to do us harm and destroy the last remaining refuge of shining light. On POTUS’ order, we have initiated certain fail-safes that shall safeguard the public from the primary fallout which is slated to occur 11.3 upon the arrest announcement of Mr. Podesta (actionable 11.4)….”
Did I miss the news the day that John Podesta was arrested? A theory is proven by the accuracy of its predictions, Curtis. In my admittedly-limited looksie into Q, what I see are forewarnings that don’t come to pass and which are then conveniently explained away as just another turn of Trump’s ingenious plot. Ironically I am reminded of the Left’s “climate change” alarmism, where every missed prediction isn’t proof that the alarmists are wrong, it’s just proof that the rest of us don’t yet understand climate change, LOL. I might feel bad about bursting the bubble but I think you are too invested in what you want to believe to be dissuaded. You’re certainly entitled to that but you shouldn’t suggest that the problem is “the Board’s” close-mindedness. Being reasonably skeptical is not the equivalent of being closed-minded.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines “conspiracy theory” as: “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” Per your own description, there are abundant elements of the Q business that absolutely meet that test. You don’t like the term because conspiracy theories have a bad but well-deserved reputation for being the fantasies of people who have ulterior agendas that are conveniently served by the conspiracy theories. It may be entertaining to the followers of Q to be engrossed in the predictions of retribution that are coming (trust me, there’s nothing I would like more), but this doesn’t help Trump one bit, because it only reinforces the Left’s claim that “Trumpers” are crazy.
But you’re right that there’s no need for us to argue about Q, Curtis, because time is going to tell us the truth, and if all of the predictions of Q come to pass you’ll get the last laugh. Until that time let’s just be friends, shall we?
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CW,
If I did not respect this Board, I would not post or comment. That ideal should be mutual.
Again, I was not trying to start a conversation about Q, nor take a shot at this Board. I intended it as a passing comment that acknowledged the lack of interest on this Board. THAT’S ALL!! I have explained it, but let me try again.
Hanson as a historian looks back at prior events thru a lens of earlier history. He does not intend to forecast or even evaluate immediate events. As such he would never look at a system like the Q Group established. Were he a current events analyst or a forecaster, he very well might have checked in on Q, but even then, likely not, because it is not straight forward intelligence. You and Kathy have expressed that expectation as well, which you will NOT get from Q Group, as to do so would violate national security rules in both the Administration and Military hierarchy. These are the people who populate the Q Group.
As to perceived “failed” predictions, Q Group told us early on that DISINFORMATION was necessary, because Deep State and Cabal forces monitor the Q Group posts too. Arrests were preannounced, etc. that did not occur. But the targets reacted, made phone calls, gathered with advisors and protectors, etc. Often pronouncements are made with times and dates just to provoke the opposition into reacting. As they say, “We have it all!”, then Q Group observes those reactions and utilizes that new intelligence to fine tune future actions.
I won’t go into how Q Proofs work, as that is a very deep dive, and frankly y’all aren’t interested. I have always like puzzles and strategic mental exercises, like chess. When viewed that way, even disinformation can serve as a Proof, though not an obvious one to casual observer.
You are correct. Unlike you, I do not believe much of what the mainstream media produces, including FOX. Of the big five media conglomerates, they are the best, but that is like choosing between cholera and bubonic plague. Yet, exposure also produces antibodies. They are just American versions of Soviet era Pravda for me. Truth can still be gleaned there, but it is not the straight forward reporting, but rather the sifting of the wheat from the chaff.
Nor do I think we have the same understanding of what constitutes a conspiracy theory. But it is not worth the effort to find a mutual clearer agreement.
I understand now that my innocent mention of the Board was taken as an attack on the Board. However unintended, it was assumed to be one. It wasn’t!
Then I apparently misinterpreted the responses to my comment as pointed attacks, which y’all say weren’t intended that way, and thus I unnecessarily felt the need to defend myself.
Fine! I’d say overreactions were made on both sides, and let it lie right there.
I won’t mention Q Group again, even innocently, unless it is publicly and officially confirmed. That may never occur.
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Sounds good, Curtis. Looking forward to your next post. 🙂
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