So let me get this straight:

[Tommy Carcetti]

FEC levies a fine against the DNC and the 2016 Clinton Campaign for billing information regarding the Steele Dossier as "legal services" when it should have been billed as "opposition research" (i.e., a billing error):

"OH MY GOD, WE KNEW IT! THIS ABSOLUTELY PROVES WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THE TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION STORY WAS A COMPLETE HOAX/WITCH-HUNT/FAKE NEWS/REALLY TERRIBLE MEAN LIE AND HOW DARE THEY SLANDER DONALD TRUMP LIKE THAT!!!!!!!!!"


Meanwhile, that very same day...

In an interview, Donald Trump tells Vladimir Putin--fresh in the middle of a war where his army is slaughtering untold numbers of Ukrainian civilians--that he ought to release whatever dirt he claims to have on the Biden family since he's "not exactly a fan of our country":

"Come on, that's just Trump being Trump. Can't you give him a break already?"

[2naSalit]

1. You've got it straight.

That is what it is.

Should be plain as day to anyone with two functioning brain cells.

[lagomorph777]

2. Our country is spiraling down the crapper.

[Cosmocat]

5. Yep

We are in the death spiral.

[RevBrotherThomas]

9. I wish I could disagree nt

[RocRizzo55]

19. It has been...

Since the days of Ronnie Rat Raygun

[uponit7771]

3. K&R, DOJ is busy with Hunter Biden's laptop so Putin's Whore will have to wait.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. I am going to post my own thread if someone doesn't answer this right now:

If it was the Clinton campaign's responsibility to log it as "opposition research", then it must have also been the responsibility of the Republican campaign that initially ordered the Steel dossier to do the same. Did they do it? And if not, were they also fined by the FEC?

[lagomorph777]

6. No, IOKIYAR

It's OK If You Are Republican

[onenote]

7. The origins of the Steele dossier weren't directly with any campaign.

The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website funded by a major Republican donor, first hired Fusion to dig up damaging information about a number of Republican presidential candidates, including Trump. So I doubt there was any obligation for any campaign to report it since it wasn't done for or paid by those campaigns.

[hamsterjill]

8. But...but...but...

Her emails!!!!

Hillary just gets screwed.

[L. Coyote]

10. Meanwhile, Individual One hasn't been charged forpaying for sex. I still want to know

if the illegal campaign reporting was written off as a tax deduction too!

[gab13by13]

12. The statute of limitations has expired.

[KS Toronado]

11. Wonder who he meant..."not exactly a fan of our country"

Biden, Putler, or himself isn't a fan?

[Tommy Carcetti]

22. Oh he meant Putin. It was clear.

This is treason, for all intents and purposes.

[TeamProg]

13. Nailed it. n/t

[LymphocyteLover]

14. And Russia has obliged because their love their puppet trump

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/on-cue-from-trump-kremlin-starts-dishing-new-biden-disinfo

[The Jungle 1]

15. He is asking a war criminal for help!

How much closer can you get to treason.

[LeftInTX]

16. Fine amounts:

The FEC, in its statement dated March 29, said the fine for the Clinton campaign was $8,000 and the fine for the DNC was $105,000.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/30/fec-dnc-clinton-campaign/

Campaigns and candidates frequently incur fines.
They just roll with the punches and pay the fine.

Apparently Marsha Blackburn had quite a few of them about 10-15 years ago. (read about them when I was googling her silly image consultant image last week)

Fines are way of maintaining records and keeping accounts honest. This really is not a big deal. It's not meant to cripple anyone. Just that if the situation arises again, the lesson is learned. Of course, huge fines and multiple violations can cripple a campaign.

Usually, I agree with you, but I think this not that big of a deal. I see it is as more of traffic ticket type violation than anything.


Campaigns in Texas get them from the Texas Ethics Commission all of the time, they just don't make the news.

[brooklynite]

17. I'm not aware that anyone's talking up the FEC ruling.

Certainly not anyone outside of the RW bubble.

[Martin68]

18. I don't get it. The double standard is killing this country.

[ck4829]

20. K&R

[yardwork]

21. This has been going on since at least 1980.

The media are owned by sociopathic billionaires. They're not on our side. They're not on the side of peace, justice, and certainly not democracy.

[llashram]

23. trump is a Putin chump

[dchill]

24. By Jove, I think you've got it!

And don't forget, INFLATION!!!

[carrowsboy]

25. I'm sure

Merrick Garland was tickled to hear this news.