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You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / The Susan Rice Email: There Is No There There, There Never Was, and There Never Will Be

The Susan Rice Email: There Is No There There, There Never Was, and There Never Will Be

by Adam L Silverman|  May 19, 202010:21 pm| 34 Comments

This post is in: 2020 Elections, America, An Unexamined Scandal, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Russia, Russiagate, Saudi Arabia, Silverman on Security, Trump-Russia

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The President, Republican members of the House and the Senate, Fox News personalities and talking heads, the President’s surrogates on other broadcast and cable news shows, the conservative social, digital, and news media, and the President’s campaign officials and surrogates have been calling for the release of the email that former Assistant to the President-National Security Advisor (AP-NSA) Susan Rice sent to herself in January 2017 as a memorialization of the meeting about what the FBI’s counterintelligence officials had been discovering about LTG (ret) Flynn and his activities before he joined the President’s 2016 campaign, during the campaign, and during the transition.

This was purposefully conflated with unmasking by Congressman Nunes as part of his agitprop that President  Obama and his senior officials spied on the President’s campaign, including seeking to unmask LTG (ret) Flynn in signals intelligence collected on foreign targets. When the Trump administration declassified and released Rice’s email to herself, they only declassified and released part of it. Which, of course, led to screaming and yelling about coverups and conspiracies. Dr. Rice has long requested they declassify the whole email, as well as the transcripts of LTG (ret) Flynn’s calls with Ambassador Kislyak, as well as other Russian officials, and officials from other countries. Earlier today the Trump administration declassified and released the remainder of Dr. Rice’s email and no surprises at all, there’s nothing untoward at all in it.

The Susan Rice Email: There Is No There There, There Never Was, and There Never Will Be

As can be clearly seen from reading the email, no one involved did anything untoward, unethical, and/or illegal. As was the case with the unmasking conspiracy theory, there is no there there.

Here is Dr. Rice’s statement from this afternoon:

The Susan Rice Email: There Is No There There, There Never Was, and There Never Will Be 1 The Susan Rice Email: There Is No There There, There Never Was, and There Never Will Be 2

And while Republican elected officials* and their surrogates are trying to spin this as evidence of illegality, it isn’t. And the most amusing part of today is that Senator Graham hung his tuchas way, way, way, way out over the edge this morning expecting to turn this into a scandal that he could weaponize on behalf of the President’s, as well as his own, reelection chances.

This could backfire on Graham-Trump.

Graham letter to Grenell, Barr asks for new list of unmasking requests that revealed Trump campaign/transition associates "and the reason given for any such request."

Likely to show national security threats involving those US persons. pic.twitter.com/h2nzo0GQco

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) May 19, 2020

Ooopsie!!!!!

To quickly summarize:

  1. Dr. Rice’s email to herself memorializing the 5 JAN 2017 meeting with President Obama, VP Biden, FBI Director Comey, herself, and several others clearly indicates that nothing untoward, unethical, and/or illegal took place. Rather, President Obama made it very clear that everything was to be done by the book.
  2. The release of the entire email further undercuts the Congressman Devin Nunes created agitprop and conspiracy theory that President Obama ordered the FBI to spy on the President’s 2016 campaign and he knows this because the evidence is being covered up in Dr. Rice’s email to herself, which is classified.
  3. That email is now declassified and released and once again Congressman Nunes is unmasked as a none too bright, conspiracy mongering fabulist.
  4. The declassification and release of Dr. Rice’s entire email memorializing the 5 JAN 2017 meeting undercuts Senator Graham’s plans for a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation to get to the bottom of these allegations, because the declassified email shows those allegations to be complete bullshit.

Open thread

* Obligatory:

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Reader Interactions

34Comments

  1. 1.

    billcoop4

    May 19, 2020 at 10:26 pm

    They are fucking stupid.

  2. 2.

    Gemina13

    May 19, 2020 at 10:34 pm

    I usually apply this to Trump, but any of these clowns will do:

    “The Stupidest Person on the face of the Earth”

  3. 3.

    Cheryl Rofer

    May 19, 2020 at 10:35 pm

    I’ll add that the declassified list of requestors for unmasking what turned out to be Flynn’s identity also shows no evidence of questionable behavior on the part of the Obama administration. If anything, it raises questions about wtf else Flynn was doing and with whom, so I’d love to see Graham’s request granted, particularly the reasons for the unmasking requests.

    Post to come – maybe tomorrow.

  4. 4.

    Aziz, light!

    May 19, 2020 at 10:35 pm

    Don’t confuse me with the truth.

  5. 5.

    Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.)

    May 19, 2020 at 10:40 pm

    I cannot fathom why people like Graham keep on showing their groins to Trump, and then it’s such a shocker when he knees them in the balls one more time. How many fucking times does this guy have to fuck these people over sideways before they work it out that the shitstain is going to fuck them over sideways?

    I mean, you can teach animals without brains to not do something if you poke at them with a sharp stick often enough. Shit. Maze mice are geniuses next to these people. I don’t get it.

    Shit, you’d think that the simple aversion to getting kicked in the balls would steer them away from following this guy blindly if nothing else–morals, a sense of decency, shit like that–would.

    This is a mystery to me. I guess it always will be.

  6. 6.

    Hunter Gathers

    May 19, 2020 at 10:40 pm

    The media will keeps chasing every line of bullshit that they toss out, especially when it is transparent bullshit, because while Trump may be bad for the country, he’s good for CBS.

    I’m surprised that the NYT hasn’t pushed the pedophile thing to page A1, what with all the ‘questions and concerns’ that Trump flacks and un-named Democratic ‘consultants’ would be more than happy to describe to Maggie Halberman.  ‘Mudcat’ Saunders will demand that Biden be replaced with a sentient can of dip in order to put Alabama in play.

  7. 7.

    hells littlest angel

    May 19, 2020 at 10:42 pm

    That’s right, there is no there there.

     

    What could possibly be more suspicious than that, huh?

  8. 8.

    hells littlest angel

    May 19, 2020 at 10:44 pm

    @Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): I cannot fathom why people like Graham keep on showing their groins to Trump, and then it’s such a shocker when he knees them in the balls one more time.

     

    He’d have to pay a pretty penny to have a man in a leather hood do it.

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    May 19, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    BREAKING: Texas Federal Court holds that any voters who fears COVID-19 transmission must be allowed to vote absentee. Best quote from a great opinion. pic.twitter.com/c7AEcXUnm2— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) May 19, 2020

  10. 10.

    Emma from FL

    May 19, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    @hells littlest angel: thank you so much for that image right before bed *reaches for the temazepam

  11. 11.

    Adam L Silverman

    May 19, 2020 at 10:54 pm

    I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and the dogs got me up way early yesterday morning because we had bad thunderstorms come through. So I’m going to rack out. Catch everyone on the flip.

  12. 12.

    Another Scott

    May 19, 2020 at 10:55 pm

    @Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.): He thinks that’s the only way he’s going to win re-election because Donnie is so popular in SC.

    At least he was so popular, until he caused all the illness and death and blew up the economy and all the rest.  Maybe Donnie won’t be quite so popular in November…

    Go Jaime Go!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  13. 13.

    rikyrah

    May 19, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    BREAKING: 3 dams have failed now in Midland along the Tittabawassee River. Edenville went first, then Smallwood and now Sanford. @GovWhitmer is expected to have an emergency press conference at 10 PM tonight. https://t.co/0QzUpBks6y— MI Senate Democrats (@MISenDems) May 20, 2020

  14. 14.

    HumboldtBlue

    May 19, 2020 at 11:05 pm

    I’ve been watching the news aggregators as the effort to turn Trump’s #Obamagate into something other than the fevered dream of a dumbass and I’ve been slightly surprised that so far the only folks trying to turn this turd into a golden turd are the RWNJs.

    Every breathless headline from the Federalist or whatever other fuck knuckle blog is hyping this chloroquine of nonsense has been matched by a sober and serious look at what actually happened and how it was of the highest order and probity.

    The right wing is desperate for a “but her emails” hook to take the heat off president dickwhistle but so far their attempts have amounted to a wet fart.

  15. 15.

    Another Scott

    May 19, 2020 at 11:06 pm

    Speaking of “follow the money”, a very interesting 4:03 video by Sen. Whitehouse…

    You may have noticed that @WSJopinion mentioned me no less than 5 times in 2 weeks. What the heck is going on?

    Turns out they don’t like it when someone starts pointing out all the dark money mischief surrounding our courts. pic.twitter.com/kDqhy8jBBm

    — Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) May 19, 2020

    Go get ’em Sheldon. And everyone else.

    We have to vote the monsters out.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  16. 16.

    rikyrah

    May 19, 2020 at 11:15 pm

    Thanks to Rachel Maddow I now know that Trump is making sure the Guard that is helping with Coronavirus response will be sent home on day 89 of deployment. If they get to day 90, they get benefits for retirement & college. THIS is how Trump loves the military so much??? More lies— Grandmago (@pellett48) May 20, 2020

  17. 17.

    HumboldtBlue

    May 19, 2020 at 11:17 pm

    @Another Scott:

    wow, thanks for that.

  18. 18.

    Elizabelle

    May 19, 2020 at 11:20 pm

    @Another Scott:   I would hope this could take McConnell out, too.  His ass belongs in prison.

  19. 19.

    danielx

    May 19, 2020 at 11:34 pm

    @Gemina13:

    I kind of prefer the Tommy Franks formulation: the dumbest motherfucker on the face of the planet.

  20. 20.

    Feathers

    May 19, 2020 at 11:35 pm

    @HumboldtBlue:  I am not a fan of the Dems tendency to jettison people who draw the attention of the right wing smear merchants. However, it does seem to be letting all the Dems know that they have to keep things very, very clean. The Repubs are trying to find scandals and discovering that they can’t make anything stick.

  21. 21.

    rikyrah

    May 19, 2020 at 11:46 pm

    With the rush to loot more govt money we’re at the part of the Trump story in which Trump and his top associates are trying to fence as much product out of the restaurant as fast as they can before they burn it down and collect the insurance money.— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) May 20, 2020

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    May 19, 2020 at 11:48 pm

    Here is @GovRonDeSantis walking out on his own press conference after questions about forced resignation of #COVID19 tracker & blaming unemployed for unemployment claims crisis.Reporter (@Fineout): "The Governor is a Yale lawyer, I thought he could answer his own questions." pic.twitter.com/sZjLVmWqNb— Kevin Cate (@KevinCate) May 19, 2020

  23. 23.

    Mary G

    May 19, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    Thanks for confirming my impression that Susan Rice was a professional and did the right thing in her job. The fact that she is a black woman gets her extra hate from Republicans. I am so tired of them.

  24. 24.

    Kent

    May 19, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    @billcoop4:They are fucking stupid.

    No, actually they are not.   They know what they are doing.  They got Trump elected doing this same shit.  They held 33 fucking separate hearings on Benghazi when they knew there was nothing “there” there either.  But they caught Hillary using private email like every other damn high ranking official and they were off to the races with a year’s worth of EMAILS!!!!

  25. 25.

    Kent

    May 20, 2020 at 12:02 am

    @rikyrah: Was it a Federal or State court that made that ruling on TX absentee ballots?  I would have thought it was a state court issue.

  26. 26.

    James E Powell

    May 20, 2020 at 12:02 am

    undercuts Senator Graham’s plans for a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation to get to the bottom of these allegations, because the declassified email shows those allegations to be complete bullshit.

    I do not believe anything will stop them from holding hearings and declaring that they have found the biggest political crime in American history. I remember what they did with Benghazi and how that was complete bullshit but it still worked just like they wanted it to work.

    Today on twitter they are shouting that the Susan Rice email proves that she, Obama, Comey, and Biden all did whatever it was that FOX told them they did. The Republicans and their supporters have been dealing fact-free for years now. And the press/media is more than happy to indulge their hysterical fantasies.

    We should all know by now that the release of any “new” document – no matter how innocuous or exculpatory – will feed the frenzy. Hell, the NYT lit the fires for emails with recipes in them.

  27. 27.

    lgerard

    May 20, 2020 at 12:04 am

    Trump recently asked prominent allies to tweet negative things about Graham, and he has been complaining that Graham is a hanger-on. “Trump has said, ‘Since [John] McCain died, Lindsey follows me around and shows up to play golf and I don’t even invite him,’”

    friendly fire!

  28. 28.

    Raoul

    May 20, 2020 at 12:17 am

    Lindsey Graham is really, really invested in turning his infamous “we’ll get destroyed, and we’ll deserve it” tweet into his personal, flaming, lifetime achievement award.

    Anyway, thanks for covering this for us Adam. Events overtook this thread, but it matters that what they are promulgating is objectively complete bullshit.

  29. 29.

    HumboldtBlue

    May 20, 2020 at 12:17 am

    @Feathers:

    The Repubs are trying to find scandals and discovering that they can’t make anything stick.

    Long may it continue, but I think this is actually the GOP being caught in its own toilet swirl. They thought they could control Trump and he’s fouled the gears so badly — and combined with the travesty of the pandemiuc response —  they are currently struggling to find any traction for nonsense that five years ago would have been splashed across the front pages.

    That’s how foul he is.

  30. 30.

    Ruckus

    May 20, 2020 at 12:30 am

    @Lord Fartdaddy (Formerly, Mumphrey, Smedley Darlington Mingobat, et al.):

    Maybe they like getting kicked in the balls…..

    Maybe they sold their balls long ago and so don’t even know they are getting kicked there. They sure don’t seem like they have any balls of their own.

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    May 20, 2020 at 1:17 am

    Disclaimer: according to one or more of the lawyerly jackals, the charge of “treason” requires there to be an actual war taking place. Or at least, that’s my understanding of their comments. That being said:

    It would give me great pleasure if (FSM-willing) Attorney General Kamala Harris (or someone equally skilled) to institute investigations into the Treason of this maladministration, as well as that of the Republicans in Congress. Every fucking one of them.

  32. 32.

    jc

    May 20, 2020 at 1:43 am

    I think Susan Rice would be Biden’s best VP choice. And, should it come to that, she’s ten times more presidential than the Fox Troll currently defiling the White House.

  33. 33.

    Mai naem mobile

    May 20, 2020 at 2:34 am

    @jc: Susan Rice will never be the Bidens Veep.  The sad part is that she’s got the chops for it. She’s even got the family background for it. The GOP went  after precisely because they know she would make an attractive politicall candidate. In a lot of ways she’s a female Barack Obama. I have to wonder what her Republican son thinks of his party now.

  34. 34.

    Amir Khalid

    May 20, 2020 at 5:27 am

    @Mai naem mobile:

    I was not aware that Susan Rice had any plans to seek elected office. She is certainly well-qualified to be Vice-President, but there seems to be no evidence that she wants that job.

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