This week, Keith Olbermann, host of the GQ's web show The Resistance, launched into an unhinged rant and openly called for the arrest of White House adviser and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner for doing something that isn’t even illegal. Finally having found a home at GQ News after being fired from other outlets for breaking ethics rules, Olbermann has become a leader of "the resistance" to the new administration by playing to the hard left on his "news segments" posted to the magazine's YouTube channel.
The segment, titled "Shouldn’t Jared Kushner be Arrested?" began with Olbermann accusing Kushner of breaking virtually every law, saying “if he should not be suspected of money laundering, racketeering, and influence peddling than he should be suspected of obstruction of justice and espionage, and possibly worse. There is no other option that can be reasonably entertained.”
Olbermann went on to read the Espionage Act, insinuating that Kushner was not just creating a back channel with Russia, but that he was spying on the government for them. What was his proof? Mainstream media articles about a leaked phone call the Russian ambassador had on an unsecured phone, saying that Kushner said he wanted to use Russian infrastructure to establish a back channel.
Again, Olbermann was calling for the arrest of a White House official, an official that has passed countless security checks to gain that position, because of a leaked conversation about another conversation. Expert Stephen Vladeck on the subject of presidential back channels even said that this was “light years away from either a Logan Act or an Espionage Act investigation” in a recent USA Today interview.
This conversation was caught because of heavy surveillance of Russian officials in the United States by the intelligence community, something the Russians know is happening. This is why Russia has built a strong system of encrypted communication channels to be used by its officials when discussing sensitive information between them, which is why many found it odd that Ambassador Kislyak chose not to use those lines of communication, but instead one that would be expected to be under surveillance. Olbermann could have mentioned any of this information, but instead, he chose to yell “Arrest Kushner now!” directly into the camera.
As it looked like this was about to end, Olbermann went on to something else, as if thinking that this segment was not yet embarrassing enough. Speaking about members of the Trump administration, Olbermann stated:
These people do not believe in the law. These people do not believe in patriotism. These people do not believe in the United States of America. These people, Kushner, his wife, Trump, General Allen, General McMaster, General Flynn, [and] the others are, in their souls if not under the law, traitors to this country and no matter which excuse Jared Kushner has for proposing to talk to Russia using secret Russian communications while surrounded by Russian spies, inside Russian territory, there is but one answer: arrest Kushner now!
That’s right, Keith Olbermann has now decided that one four-star general and two three-star generals, along with many senior members of the executive branch, are unpatriotic traitors to this country.
Below is a full transcript of the segment:
GQ News's The Resistance with Keith Olbermann
I'm Keith Olbermann and this is the Resistance. I call for the immediate arrest of Jared Kushner. If he should not be suspected of money laundering, racketeering, and influence peddling than he should be suspected of obstruction of justice and espionage, and possibly worse. There is no other option that can be reasonably entertained. 18 us code 794 section a - gathering or delivering defense information to aid foreign government: "whoever with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation communicates deliveries or transmits or attempts to communicate deliver or transmit to any foreign government or to any faction or party or military or naval force within a foreign country either directly or indirectly information relating to the National Defense shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for any term of years or for life." This is from the Espionage Act. Arrest Kushner now! The rest of that statute limits use of the death penalty to the exposure of the identities of American agents or defense plans or communications intelligence the Russian ambassador to the United States reportedly told his superiors that on December 1st or 2nd of last year in the building on Fifth Avenue in New York City, called Trump Tower that Jared Kushner proposed using Russian communication facilities in a Russian embassy or a Russian consulate to contact the Kremlin directly to make certain the lawful government of the United States could not prevent interfere with or know of those communications arrests Kushner now the proposal was so startling so unprecedented that even the Ambassador Sergei Kislyak quote reportedly was taken aback. according to the Washington Post.
The New York Times printed the Kushner sides cover story this was a means by which Kushner could get information from the Russians about Syria the cover story given to the Associated Press was that this was all for Michael Flynn's opportunity to talk directly to Russian military leaders about Syria having already twice chosen not to mention his meetings with Russians on the sf-86 forms he swore under oath in order to gain his security clearance Kushner was reportedly himself willing to enter or willing to have other trump transition officials enter diplomatic facilities which have privileged legal status within the United States and talk directly to officials of the Russian government.
Even if this Syria excuses were somehow true, Kushner was still intending to communicate with a foreign nation --- a foreign enemy nation about a second foreign nation --- a second foreign enemy nation and he would not have been asking about the Russians assessment of the weather in Syria this would have pertained to Russian military involvement there and could likely have delivered quote either directly or indirectly information relating to the national defense. The Syria excuse could still be espionage. Arrest Kushner now. If the Syria excuse is not true, the banking story may be true. The Reuters news agency, quoting seven current and former US officials, reported Kushner had a minimum of three previously undisclosed contacts with ambassador Kislyak during and after the presidential campaign. It cited one current US law enforcement official in reporting quote "FBI investigators are examining whether Russians suggested to Kushner or other Trump aides that relaxing economic sanctions would allow Russian banks to offer financing to people with ties to Trump."
(....)
The banking story could be money laundering or racketeering and/or influence pedaling and it ties together all too cynically with the renewal of eb-5 visas in this country a renewal stuffed into page 734 of House bill 244 signed by Trump on the 5th of May, which offers permanent residence in this country to rich foreign investors who put money into things like American real estate projects. It ties together all too cynically with the impression Kushner's family company left with Chinese investors just two weeks before that if they bought into Kushner real-estate deals in New Jersey their immigration process could be expedited and it further ties together all too cynically with the CBS News report that, when word spread that the FBI investigation of Trump had expanded from potential electoral collusion to finances and investments, Kushner became a quote "prominent voice advocating the firing of James Comey" and when it is all tied together, what that prominent voice was advocating might reasonably be considered obstruction of justice.
Arrest Kushner now and at the Syria excuse, which could still be espionage is not true and if the banking story which could be money laundering or racketeering or influence peddling and obstruction of justice is not true, what is left for what other evil purpose did Jared Kushner want a covert secure means of direct spy tested communication to the Kremlin after a presidential campaign in which his father-in-law encouraged Russians to hack into the computers of his electoral opponent, why would Jared Kushner want to go inside the Russian embassy or the Russian Consulate, the centers of Russian espionage in this country after an election about which the Russians would boast of their influence? Why would Jared Kushner need means to avoid the detection of the government of the United States after the direct evidence of contact between his father-in-law's campaign and Ambassador Kislyak throughout 2016 Why would Jared Kushner want to keep his contact with the Kremlin secret from the intelligence services of the United States after the mounting circumstantial evidence of collusion between his father-in-law's campaign and the government of Russia?
What would make Jared Kushner be willing to tempt prosecution under the Espionage Act to avoid his contact with Russia becoming known to the President of the United States? Arrest Kushner now!
Jared Kushner brings us not just into the White House he brings us both figuratively and literally to the door of the Oval Office. Inside that door, there are people who appear not to understand why they are not permitted to break the law when they think it's a good idea to do so inside that door. There are people for whom running this nation is not a solemn and nearly religious responsibility but an opportunity for wins and power and financial corruption inside that door there is a man in charge who has never been stopped by rules and has never been held accountable when he breaks those rules these people do not believe in the law these people do not believe in patriotism these people do not believe in the United States of America these people Kushner, his wife, Trump, General Allen, General McMaster, General Flynn the others are in their souls if not under the law traitors to this country and no matter which excuse Jared Kushner has for proposing to talk to Russia using secret Russian communications while surrounded by Russian spies inside Russian territory there is but one answer. Arrest Kushner now! Resist.
