Federal prosecutors claimed in a new document Wednesday that New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez began accepting bribes from a wealthy donor just before he went to the Senate in 2006, Politico reported.
The case against Menendez relating to bribery and corruption charges focused on Dr. Salomon Melgen, his alleged co-conspirator, is scheduled to start this week. Although Melgen was previously convicted in another case for defrauding Medicare, he has yet to be sentenced.
The newly filed documents by the feds show the government’s case against the New Jersey Democrat.
“The defendants’ bribery scheme began shortly after Menendez’s elevation to the Senate in 2006, when Melgen began a pattern of treating Menendez to weekend and weeklong getaways in the Dominican Republic that would continue for the next several years,” prosecutors said in their latest filing. “For the first four years of the corruption scheme, the all-expense paid trips Melgen provided often included free roundtrip flights on Melgen’s private jet for Menendez and his various guests. When the doctor’s private jet was unavailable, Melgen supplied equally luxurious travel for the Senator.”
Prosecutors claim that Melgen purchased a one way ticket on a private jet for Menendez and several other passengers from the Dominican Republican to Florida that cost $20,000. When reports surfaced about the trips, Menendez repaid Melgen $58,000 for the price of the trips.
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WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND - Government Crimes and Corruption
August 30, 2017
Rohrabacher Suggests He Will Give Trump Info Absolving Russia Of DNC Hacking
Comments made by Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in a Tuesday radio interview suggest he has information that would absolve Russia of allegations that it hacked the Democratic National Committee.
Rohrabacher met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange two weeks ago in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where Assange took asylum after facing now-dropped sexual assault charges in Sweden.
Rohrabacher told The Daily Caller recently that Assange promised him information about who was behind the DNC hack that the American intelligence community has said Russia was involved with.
In the interview, Rohrabacher told TheDC that once he obtained this information and determined that it is significant, he would “bring it directly to Trump.”
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Rohrabacher met with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange two weeks ago in the Ecuadorian embassy in London where Assange took asylum after facing now-dropped sexual assault charges in Sweden.
Rohrabacher told The Daily Caller recently that Assange promised him information about who was behind the DNC hack that the American intelligence community has said Russia was involved with.
In the interview, Rohrabacher told TheDC that once he obtained this information and determined that it is significant, he would “bring it directly to Trump.”
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August 29, 2017
Republican Lawmaker Proposes Measure To Halt Mueller Probe
Florida Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis has submitted an amendment to the forthcoming House spending package that would restrict Special Counsel Robert Mueller from continuing the Russia investigation 180 days after the measure became law.
According to The Hill, the amendment would also prohibit Mueller from investigating “matters occurring before June 2015.”
That period of time is when Trump declared his run for the White House.
“Congress should use its spending power to clarify the scope and limit the duration of this investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has said that the DOJ doesn’t conduct fishing expeditions; the corollary to this admonition should be that Congress will not fund a fishing expedition,” DeSantis said in a statement.
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According to The Hill, the amendment would also prohibit Mueller from investigating “matters occurring before June 2015.”
That period of time is when Trump declared his run for the White House.
“Congress should use its spending power to clarify the scope and limit the duration of this investigation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has said that the DOJ doesn’t conduct fishing expeditions; the corollary to this admonition should be that Congress will not fund a fishing expedition,” DeSantis said in a statement.
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August 28, 2017
Tillerson Out? "Frustrated" Trump "Fed Up" With Secretary Of State: Axios
After North Korea launched three more short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea early on Saturday morning, local time, political observers were eagerly looking forward to Trump's response, especially since the president had managed to get boxed in by Kim Jong Un: on one hand, do nothing and be mocked and ridiculed not only by the North Korean press, but by the rest of the developed world, whose view of Trump's diplomatic skills could hardly be any worse; or on the other hand, launch a military campaign, either surgical or broad, and risk a retaliation against South Korea and millions of US allies dying.
In the end the US appears to have chosen the former and on Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the firing of three ballistic missiles by North Korea this week was a provocative act but that the United States will continue to seek a peaceful resolution. The de-escalating tone took place just days after Tillerson credited the North with showing some restraint by not launching a missile since the ICBM test in July, and he had expressed hope that the easing of tension could lead to dialogue. That was not meant to be, although in it appears that what happened next is North Korea called the US bluff, and the US folded.
“We do view it as a provocative act against the United States and our allies,” Tillerson said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. “We’re going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described it, working with allies, working with China as well to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table.”
As the NYT also reported, North Korea used multiple-rocket launchers off its east coast on Saturday to fire three short-range missiles that could strike United States military bases deep in South Korea, officials in Seoul said. The launches were the North’s first rocket tests since two intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, were fired last month.
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In the end the US appears to have chosen the former and on Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the firing of three ballistic missiles by North Korea this week was a provocative act but that the United States will continue to seek a peaceful resolution. The de-escalating tone took place just days after Tillerson credited the North with showing some restraint by not launching a missile since the ICBM test in July, and he had expressed hope that the easing of tension could lead to dialogue. That was not meant to be, although in it appears that what happened next is North Korea called the US bluff, and the US folded.
“We do view it as a provocative act against the United States and our allies,” Tillerson said in an interview on Fox News Sunday. “We’re going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described it, working with allies, working with China as well to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table.”
As the NYT also reported, North Korea used multiple-rocket launchers off its east coast on Saturday to fire three short-range missiles that could strike United States military bases deep in South Korea, officials in Seoul said. The launches were the North’s first rocket tests since two intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, were fired last month.
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August 27, 2017
Report: Podesta Group Subpoenaed by Mueller in Russia Probe
Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued grand jury subpoenas seeking testimony from public relations executives who worked on a lobbying campaign organized by Paul Manafort, including the Podesta Group.
The Podesta Group, co-founded by former chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign John Podesta, was one of six lobbying firms who worked on Manafort’s campaign between 2012 to 2014 to get the Ukraine into the European Union, NBC News reported.
“One executive whose firm received a subpoena” told NBC News that Mueller’s team is closely examining the lobbying campaign that the Podesta Group was part of.
“We think they are trying to figure out, was this a legitimate project?” the unnamed executive said. “From our perspective it was — we did a lot of work. We took it seriously.”
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The Podesta Group, co-founded by former chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign John Podesta, was one of six lobbying firms who worked on Manafort’s campaign between 2012 to 2014 to get the Ukraine into the European Union, NBC News reported.
“One executive whose firm received a subpoena” told NBC News that Mueller’s team is closely examining the lobbying campaign that the Podesta Group was part of.
“We think they are trying to figure out, was this a legitimate project?” the unnamed executive said. “From our perspective it was — we did a lot of work. We took it seriously.”
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August 26, 2017
GORKA OUT: Seb Slams Anti-MAGA Aides In Stunning Resignation Letter
The Federalist reports Gorka wrote a scathing resignation letter that sharply criticized the president’s newly unveiled strategy for the war in Afghanistan, and savaged White House rivals who he claims oppose the Trump agenda.
“[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” Gorka wrote. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.”
“Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will ‘Make America Great Again,’ have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months.”
“This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week…” he continued, in portions of the letter reported by The Federalist. “The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of Radical Islam or radical Islamic terrorism proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost…”
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“[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” Gorka wrote. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.”
“Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will ‘Make America Great Again,’ have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months.”
“This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week…” he continued, in portions of the letter reported by The Federalist. “The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of Radical Islam or radical Islamic terrorism proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost…”
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August 25, 2017
Roger Stone Predicts Total Mayhem If Trump Gets Impeached
President Trump whisperer Roger Stone has a stern warning for Trump haters.
Impeach Trump at your own risk.
“The people who are calling for impeachment are the people who didn’t vote for him. They need to get over it. They lost. Their candidate had every advantage. … Sorry, he whipped her ass. It’s over. You lost. Try to impeach him. Just try it. You will have a spasm of violence in this country, an insurrection like you’ve never seen. … Both sides are heavily armed, my friend.”
Let him be clear.
“I’m not advocating violence,” he stressed. “But I am predicting it.”
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Impeach Trump at your own risk.
“The people who are calling for impeachment are the people who didn’t vote for him. They need to get over it. They lost. Their candidate had every advantage. … Sorry, he whipped her ass. It’s over. You lost. Try to impeach him. Just try it. You will have a spasm of violence in this country, an insurrection like you’ve never seen. … Both sides are heavily armed, my friend.”
Let him be clear.
“I’m not advocating violence,” he stressed. “But I am predicting it.”
Read the entire article
August 24, 2017
H.R. McMaster Consolidates Influence Over Jared Kushner’s Israel Policy
Embattled White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster has been given a larger partnership role in efforts being overseen by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, according to a report in Politico.
The media outlet reported that McMaster brokered a new arrangement giving the National Security Council (NSC) more input over policy matters pertaining to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to Politico, Victoria Coates, an NSC official, will work full-time under Jason Greenblatt, who has been helping Kushner lead Israel-Palestinian peace efforts as the Trump administration’s envoy for international negotiations.
McMaster has faced controversy over his views on Israel, Iran and radical Islamic terrorism and for his ties to think tanks and financing that raise questions about his national security policies.
Regarding the new arrangement of Kushner’s Middle East efforts, Politico reported:
By bringing on Coates, Greenblatt would get a senior point of contact on the NSC who would be fully devoted to his project. McMaster, too, was pleased with the arrangement: it helped integrate what Greenblatt and Kushner had been doing with his NSC desk. The group saw it as a win-win-win, and the move was quickly finalized.
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The media outlet reported that McMaster brokered a new arrangement giving the National Security Council (NSC) more input over policy matters pertaining to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to Politico, Victoria Coates, an NSC official, will work full-time under Jason Greenblatt, who has been helping Kushner lead Israel-Palestinian peace efforts as the Trump administration’s envoy for international negotiations.
McMaster has faced controversy over his views on Israel, Iran and radical Islamic terrorism and for his ties to think tanks and financing that raise questions about his national security policies.
Regarding the new arrangement of Kushner’s Middle East efforts, Politico reported:
By bringing on Coates, Greenblatt would get a senior point of contact on the NSC who would be fully devoted to his project. McMaster, too, was pleased with the arrangement: it helped integrate what Greenblatt and Kushner had been doing with his NSC desk. The group saw it as a win-win-win, and the move was quickly finalized.
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August 23, 2017
Trump Should Have Followed His Instincts On Afghanistan
President Trump reversed himself on Afghanistan Monday in announcing thousands of more troops are heading to the war-torn nation.
In his address Monday night, Trump admitted that he went against his instincts on doubling-down on America’s military commitment in Afghanistan.
“My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all of my life, I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office,” the president stated.
The person arguably most responsible for that change of mind is National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. It has long been reported that the Army general wanted more troops in Afghanistan — the problem was convincing the president to agree.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was a vocal opponent of increasing troop numbers and urged for a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump himself agreed with this sentiment in numerous past statements on Twitter.
“We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives,” he tweeted back in 2013. “If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first.”
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In his address Monday night, Trump admitted that he went against his instincts on doubling-down on America’s military commitment in Afghanistan.
“My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all of my life, I’ve heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office,” the president stated.
The person arguably most responsible for that change of mind is National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. It has long been reported that the Army general wanted more troops in Afghanistan — the problem was convincing the president to agree.
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was a vocal opponent of increasing troop numbers and urged for a gradual withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump himself agreed with this sentiment in numerous past statements on Twitter.
“We should leave Afghanistan immediately. No more wasted lives,” he tweeted back in 2013. “If we have to go back in, we go in hard & quick. Rebuild the US first.”
Read the entire article
August 22, 2017
Trump’s ‘America First’ Base Unhappy with Flip-Flop Afghanistan Speech
President Trump’s “America First” base was the biggest loser of Trump’s speech on Afghanistan Monday night, and many quickly expressed their disappointment at the business-as-usual address from the president who had once promised to limit American intervention abroad and focus on nation-building at home.
Trump’s speech, in which he pledged to increase the number of troops in the 16-year-war, was the first since the departure of Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and confirmed the fears of many on the right that without a strong nationalist voice in the West Wing, the President would revert to the same old fare that Americans had voted to reject in November.
Using many of the same vague promises that previous presidents had used, including a repeat of Obama’s promise not to give a “blank check” to Afghanistan and a pledge to finally get tough on Pakistan, it was a far cry from the “America First” foreign policy he laid out in the months before election day.
On Fox News, which has traditionally been supportive of military escapades, the reaction was mixed. While on-air the reception was broadly positive, other commentators weren’t convinced. Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes accused the president of changing his campaign promise from “America First” to “Afghanistan First.”
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Trump’s speech, in which he pledged to increase the number of troops in the 16-year-war, was the first since the departure of Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and confirmed the fears of many on the right that without a strong nationalist voice in the West Wing, the President would revert to the same old fare that Americans had voted to reject in November.
Using many of the same vague promises that previous presidents had used, including a repeat of Obama’s promise not to give a “blank check” to Afghanistan and a pledge to finally get tough on Pakistan, it was a far cry from the “America First” foreign policy he laid out in the months before election day.
On Fox News, which has traditionally been supportive of military escapades, the reaction was mixed. While on-air the reception was broadly positive, other commentators weren’t convinced. Fox News Radio’s Todd Starnes accused the president of changing his campaign promise from “America First” to “Afghanistan First.”
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August 21, 2017
Breitbart Goes After Ivanka And McMaster After Trump Gives Site His Blessing
President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that Steve Bannon’s return to Breitbart after his departure from the White House will provide competition to the “fake news.” Breitbart then went on to attack Ivanka Trump and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
Trump’s daughter and McMaster have been the focus of “hit pieces” from Breitbart before. However, Bannon is now explicitly in charge of the site putting these attacks in a different light. Breitbart’s White House correspondent Charlie Spiering tweeted Friday that Bannon is serving again as the site’s executive chairman and oversaw Friday’s editorial meeting.
The following day on Saturday, Breitbart does what it does on many days and focused on itself, prominently featuring articles on Bannon’s return to the conservative news outlet. Sunday, however, featured two lead stories about McMaster.
The first earlier in the day was “Report: Powerful GOP Donor Sheldon Adelson Supports Campaign to Oust McMaster.” This article detailed how major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson reportedly is supporting a campaign against McMaster that claims the national security adviser is anti-Israel.
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Trump’s daughter and McMaster have been the focus of “hit pieces” from Breitbart before. However, Bannon is now explicitly in charge of the site putting these attacks in a different light. Breitbart’s White House correspondent Charlie Spiering tweeted Friday that Bannon is serving again as the site’s executive chairman and oversaw Friday’s editorial meeting.
The following day on Saturday, Breitbart does what it does on many days and focused on itself, prominently featuring articles on Bannon’s return to the conservative news outlet. Sunday, however, featured two lead stories about McMaster.
The first earlier in the day was “Report: Powerful GOP Donor Sheldon Adelson Supports Campaign to Oust McMaster.” This article detailed how major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson reportedly is supporting a campaign against McMaster that claims the national security adviser is anti-Israel.
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August 15, 2017
If We Erase Our History, Who Are We?
When the Dodge Charger of 20-year-old Nazi sympathizer James Alex Fields Jr., plunged into that crowd of protesters Saturday, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer, Fields put Charlottesville on the map of modernity alongside Ferguson.
Before Fields ran down the protesters, and then backed up, running down more, what was happening seemed but a bloody brawl between extremists on both sides of the issue of whether Robert E. Lee’s statue should be removed from Emancipation Park, formerly Lee Park.
With Heyer’s death, the brawl was elevated to a moral issue. And President Donald Trump’s initial failure to denounce the neo-Nazi and Klan presence was declared a moral failure.
How did we get here, and where are we going?
In June of 2015, 21-year-old Dylann Roof gunned down nine Christians at an evening Bible study in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church. A review of Roof’s selfies and website showed him posing with the Confederate battle flag.
Gov. Nikki Haley, five years in office, instantly pivoted and called for removal of the battle flag from the Confederate war memorial on the State House grounds, as a “deeply offensive symbol of a brutally offensive past.”
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Before Fields ran down the protesters, and then backed up, running down more, what was happening seemed but a bloody brawl between extremists on both sides of the issue of whether Robert E. Lee’s statue should be removed from Emancipation Park, formerly Lee Park.
With Heyer’s death, the brawl was elevated to a moral issue. And President Donald Trump’s initial failure to denounce the neo-Nazi and Klan presence was declared a moral failure.
How did we get here, and where are we going?
In June of 2015, 21-year-old Dylann Roof gunned down nine Christians at an evening Bible study in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church. A review of Roof’s selfies and website showed him posing with the Confederate battle flag.
Gov. Nikki Haley, five years in office, instantly pivoted and called for removal of the battle flag from the Confederate war memorial on the State House grounds, as a “deeply offensive symbol of a brutally offensive past.”
Read the entire article
August 14, 2017
McMaster Can’t Say If He Can Work Alongside Bannon
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster couldn’t say Sunday whether he can work alongside White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Over the past few weeks, there have been several negative stories about McMaster, which his allies have attributed to efforts led by Bannon. Bannon and McMaster have an internal disagreement over what to do in the war in Afghanistan. Bannon wants to reduce American military involvement and McMaster wants to deploy more troops, a source familiar with the situation told The Daily Caller.
The national security adviser was asked three times on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he can work with Bannon and his answers dodged the questions.
“Can you and Steve Bannon still work in this White House or not?” NBC’s Chuck Todd asked McMaster. “I get to work with a broad range of talented people and it is a privilege every day to enable the national security team,” McMaster replied.
Todd pressed and said, “You didn’t answer. Can you and Steve Bannon work in that same White House?”
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Over the past few weeks, there have been several negative stories about McMaster, which his allies have attributed to efforts led by Bannon. Bannon and McMaster have an internal disagreement over what to do in the war in Afghanistan. Bannon wants to reduce American military involvement and McMaster wants to deploy more troops, a source familiar with the situation told The Daily Caller.
The national security adviser was asked three times on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he can work with Bannon and his answers dodged the questions.
“Can you and Steve Bannon still work in this White House or not?” NBC’s Chuck Todd asked McMaster. “I get to work with a broad range of talented people and it is a privilege every day to enable the national security team,” McMaster replied.
Todd pressed and said, “You didn’t answer. Can you and Steve Bannon work in that same White House?”
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August 11, 2017
Democrats Want Wasserman Schultz ‘To Go Away’
Democrats in Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s home state want the Florida Democratic Rep. “to just go away.”
According to Politico, following a stream of political failures and controversies after a DNC email hack last year revealed embarrassing information regarding Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss, Wasserman Schultz is a now unwelcome among her colleagues.
Most recently, Wasserman Schultz refused to explain why she continued to employ an IT staffer who was under federal investigation, and who later tried fleeing to Pakistan after wiring himself $283,000.
Although the Florida Democrat finally fired the staffer, Imran Awan, it was only months after not cooperating with law enforcement, and one day after federal authorities arrested him, before he attempted to leave the country.
Additionally, a group of her fellow Democrats, who had also employed Awan as a shared IT staffer in the Capitol, dismissed him and his working family members last February when law enforcement began investigating the group for stealing equipment and breaching network security.
Wasserman Schultz blamed “right wing media” and anti-Muslim bigotry for questions regarding her further employment of Awan long after other Democrats cut him off, but other Democrats are not buying her explanation and wish to see her gone.
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According to Politico, following a stream of political failures and controversies after a DNC email hack last year revealed embarrassing information regarding Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss, Wasserman Schultz is a now unwelcome among her colleagues.
Most recently, Wasserman Schultz refused to explain why she continued to employ an IT staffer who was under federal investigation, and who later tried fleeing to Pakistan after wiring himself $283,000.
Although the Florida Democrat finally fired the staffer, Imran Awan, it was only months after not cooperating with law enforcement, and one day after federal authorities arrested him, before he attempted to leave the country.
Additionally, a group of her fellow Democrats, who had also employed Awan as a shared IT staffer in the Capitol, dismissed him and his working family members last February when law enforcement began investigating the group for stealing equipment and breaching network security.
Wasserman Schultz blamed “right wing media” and anti-Muslim bigotry for questions regarding her further employment of Awan long after other Democrats cut him off, but other Democrats are not buying her explanation and wish to see her gone.
Read the entire article
August 10, 2017
Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal Tries to Take Over Trump White House for McMaster, Globalists
The Wall Street Journal and its publisher Rupert Murdoch appear to be using President Donald Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster as their latest weapon in their continuing battle against Trump’s America-first agenda and movement that enabled Trump to shock the world on election night.
After Trump won the White House, Democrats, the Deep State, and the legacy media have often worked together to delegitimize Trump, which is something Trump has every reason to be angry about. But the Journal, by mimicking Joe Scarborough and attempting to marginalize Trump’s nationalist advisers, is subtly trying to take over Trump’s presidency for the GOP establishment that Trump resoundingly defeated over and over and over again.
In its latest editorial on Wednesday, the paper of choice for Republican globalists hopes that there is more “clean-up duty to be done” for new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. The paper targets White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon for opposing McMaster’s “favoring more troops” in Afghanistan and McMaster’s insistence on not getting out of the Iran Deal.
The Journal laments that the “policy brawls” in a White House in which it often seems like Bannon is the lone America-first nationalist in a cage match with a team of globalists who have never understood Trump’s agenda cause “dysfunction.”
To the Journal, it is a problem that Bannon, whom former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus described as someone who worked 24 hours a day for Trump’s nationalist agenda, is a street fighter for the working-class Americans who elected Trump and whom the Journal views as mere commodities.
Read the entire article
After Trump won the White House, Democrats, the Deep State, and the legacy media have often worked together to delegitimize Trump, which is something Trump has every reason to be angry about. But the Journal, by mimicking Joe Scarborough and attempting to marginalize Trump’s nationalist advisers, is subtly trying to take over Trump’s presidency for the GOP establishment that Trump resoundingly defeated over and over and over again.
In its latest editorial on Wednesday, the paper of choice for Republican globalists hopes that there is more “clean-up duty to be done” for new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. The paper targets White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon for opposing McMaster’s “favoring more troops” in Afghanistan and McMaster’s insistence on not getting out of the Iran Deal.
The Journal laments that the “policy brawls” in a White House in which it often seems like Bannon is the lone America-first nationalist in a cage match with a team of globalists who have never understood Trump’s agenda cause “dysfunction.”
To the Journal, it is a problem that Bannon, whom former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus described as someone who worked 24 hours a day for Trump’s nationalist agenda, is a street fighter for the working-class Americans who elected Trump and whom the Journal views as mere commodities.
Read the entire article
August 9, 2017
NYT Caught Switching Out Documents To Fix Botched Climate Change Article
The New York Times has quietly updated its Tuesday front page article on a “sweeping” global warming report some scientists fear “would be suppressed” by the Trump administration.
TheNYT reported they had obtained an unreleased draft copy of the National Climate Assessment (NCA), which is set for release in 2018. The paper claimed the NDA draft had “not yet been made public” and “concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now.”
However, TheNYT published a “third order draft” of the NCA that’s been available online since January. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published the draft online in March.
The paper did not issue a formal correction by the time this article was published, and did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s inquiry into whether or not a correction would be issued.
“We clearly note in the story that this has been reviewed by NAS and was not a secret within the scientific community,” NYT reporter Lisa Friedman told TheDCNF about the inconsistencies. “The latest draft was not however public.”
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TheNYT reported they had obtained an unreleased draft copy of the National Climate Assessment (NCA), which is set for release in 2018. The paper claimed the NDA draft had “not yet been made public” and “concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now.”
However, TheNYT published a “third order draft” of the NCA that’s been available online since January. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published the draft online in March.
The paper did not issue a formal correction by the time this article was published, and did not respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s inquiry into whether or not a correction would be issued.
“We clearly note in the story that this has been reviewed by NAS and was not a secret within the scientific community,” NYT reporter Lisa Friedman told TheDCNF about the inconsistencies. “The latest draft was not however public.”
Read the entire article
August 8, 2017
McMaster Served at Group Financed by Multinational Corporations Doing Billions in Iran Business
White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster served at a UK-based think tank that is heavily bankrolled by multinational corporate firms doing billions of dollars in business in Iran.
The business deals are up for regulation by the U.S. government and the transactions are in direct jeopardy by the possibility of the Trump administration further sanctioning Iran or declaring Tehran in violation of the international nuclear accord.
The past affiliation may raise conflict-of-interest issues for McMaster, who is serving in a position of direct influence over U.S. policy with regard to Iran. Already, McMaster has been accused of purging the National Security Council of hardliners on Iran, and he is seen as a leading proponent of the Iran nuclear accord within the Trump administration. McMaster has reportedly urged the Trump administration to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.
From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster is listed as a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he served as consulting senior fellow. The IISS describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
IISS has not returned repeated requests from Breitbart News seeking clarification about McMaster’s work at the think tank, including any salary that he may have received. The organization also did not reply to an inquiry about its funding.
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The business deals are up for regulation by the U.S. government and the transactions are in direct jeopardy by the possibility of the Trump administration further sanctioning Iran or declaring Tehran in violation of the international nuclear accord.
The past affiliation may raise conflict-of-interest issues for McMaster, who is serving in a position of direct influence over U.S. policy with regard to Iran. Already, McMaster has been accused of purging the National Security Council of hardliners on Iran, and he is seen as a leading proponent of the Iran nuclear accord within the Trump administration. McMaster has reportedly urged the Trump administration to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.
From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster is listed as a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he served as consulting senior fellow. The IISS describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
IISS has not returned repeated requests from Breitbart News seeking clarification about McMaster’s work at the think tank, including any salary that he may have received. The organization also did not reply to an inquiry about its funding.
Read the entire article
August 7, 2017
McMaster Worked at Think Tank Backed by Soros-Funded Group that Helped Obama Sell Iran Nuclear Deal
White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster served at a UK-based think tank financed by a controversial, George Soros-funded group identified by the Obama White House as central in helping to sell the Iran nuclear deal to the public and news media.
From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster is listed as a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he served as consulting senior fellow. The IISS describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
The IISS has been supportive of the Obama administration-brokered 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, and the group has repeatedly hit back against charges that Tehran has violated the agreement.
McMaster himself has been accused of purging the National Security Council of hardliners on Iran, and he is seen as a leading proponent of the Iran nuclear accord within the Trump administration. He has reportedly urged the White House to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.
IISS’s website contains a list of groups, corporations and government entities that provide funding to the think tank, including during the period of McMaster’s work there. Curiously missing from the page of donors, however, is the controversial Ploughshares Fund, a grantmaking group identified last year by the Obama White House as central in helping to market the Iran nuclear deal to the news media.
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From September 2006 to February 2017, McMaster is listed as a member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he served as consulting senior fellow. The IISS describes itself as a “world-leading authority on global security, political risk and military conflict.”
The IISS has been supportive of the Obama administration-brokered 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, and the group has repeatedly hit back against charges that Tehran has violated the agreement.
McMaster himself has been accused of purging the National Security Council of hardliners on Iran, and he is seen as a leading proponent of the Iran nuclear accord within the Trump administration. He has reportedly urged the White House to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.
IISS’s website contains a list of groups, corporations and government entities that provide funding to the think tank, including during the period of McMaster’s work there. Curiously missing from the page of donors, however, is the controversial Ploughshares Fund, a grantmaking group identified last year by the Obama White House as central in helping to market the Iran nuclear deal to the news media.
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August 4, 2017
‘Everything The President Wants To Do, McMaster Opposes,’ Former NSC Officials Say
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster is thwarting President Donald Trump’s foreign policy prescriptions, two former senior NSC officials told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Everything the president wants to do, McMaster opposes,” a former senior official said in a wide-ranging interview. “Trump wants to get us out of Afghanistan — McMaster wants to go in. Trump wants to get us out of Syria — McMaster wants to go in. Trump wants to deal with the China issue — McMaster doesn’t. Trump wants to deal with the Islam issue — McMaster doesn’t. You know, across the board, we want to get rid of the Iran deal — McMaster doesn’t. It is incredible to watch it happening right in front of your face. Absolutely stunning.”
One former official characterized McMaster as a “sycophant” of retired Army Gen. David Petraeus.
“I know that the president isn’t a big fan of what McMaster’s doing,” the former official declared. “I don’t understand why he’s allowing a guy who is subverting his foreign policy at every turn to remain in place.” he added.
The official continued that he expects a purge of “campaign Trump” loyalists to continue with particular intensity within the next two weeks.
“I just fear there is a real creeping of status quo thinking that is taking over the place. I was upset while I was there in seeing how empowered Obama holdovers under McMaster were to essentially perpetuate Obama-era policies,” another former official told TheDCNF.
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“Everything the president wants to do, McMaster opposes,” a former senior official said in a wide-ranging interview. “Trump wants to get us out of Afghanistan — McMaster wants to go in. Trump wants to get us out of Syria — McMaster wants to go in. Trump wants to deal with the China issue — McMaster doesn’t. Trump wants to deal with the Islam issue — McMaster doesn’t. You know, across the board, we want to get rid of the Iran deal — McMaster doesn’t. It is incredible to watch it happening right in front of your face. Absolutely stunning.”
One former official characterized McMaster as a “sycophant” of retired Army Gen. David Petraeus.
“I know that the president isn’t a big fan of what McMaster’s doing,” the former official declared. “I don’t understand why he’s allowing a guy who is subverting his foreign policy at every turn to remain in place.” he added.
The official continued that he expects a purge of “campaign Trump” loyalists to continue with particular intensity within the next two weeks.
“I just fear there is a real creeping of status quo thinking that is taking over the place. I was upset while I was there in seeing how empowered Obama holdovers under McMaster were to essentially perpetuate Obama-era policies,” another former official told TheDCNF.
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August 3, 2017
Report: H.R. McMaster Fired National Security Council Official for Penning Memo on Globalists
A top official on the National Security Council was fired last month by National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster reportedly after he argued in a memo that President Trump’s administration is under sustained attack from globalists and Islamists.
Rich Higgins, a former Pentagon official who served in the NSC’s strategic-planning office as a director for strategic planning was fired on July 21, The Atlantic first reported.
The memo, written in late May, described threats to the administration by globalists, bankers, the “deep state,” and Islamists.
“Globalists and Islamists recognize that for their visions to succeed, America, both as an ideal and as a national and political identity, must be destroyed,” it said.
Higgins was called into the White House counsel’s office two weeks ago and asked about the memo. Later that week, he was told by McMaster’s deputy that he was losing his job.
The memo compared what the Trump administration was facing to a Maoist insurgency.
“In Maoist insurgencies, the formation of a counter-state is essential to seizing state power,” the memo said. “Functioning as a hostile complete state acting within an existing state, it has an alternate infrastructure. Political warfare operates as one of the activities of the ‘counter-state.’”
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Rich Higgins, a former Pentagon official who served in the NSC’s strategic-planning office as a director for strategic planning was fired on July 21, The Atlantic first reported.
The memo, written in late May, described threats to the administration by globalists, bankers, the “deep state,” and Islamists.
“Globalists and Islamists recognize that for their visions to succeed, America, both as an ideal and as a national and political identity, must be destroyed,” it said.
Higgins was called into the White House counsel’s office two weeks ago and asked about the memo. Later that week, he was told by McMaster’s deputy that he was losing his job.
The memo compared what the Trump administration was facing to a Maoist insurgency.
“In Maoist insurgencies, the formation of a counter-state is essential to seizing state power,” the memo said. “Functioning as a hostile complete state acting within an existing state, it has an alternate infrastructure. Political warfare operates as one of the activities of the ‘counter-state.’”
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August 2, 2017
GOP Rep: House IT Scandal Among ‘All-Time Congressional Scandals’ Of Last 30 Years
The growing House IT scandal is one of the “one of the all-time congressional scandals in the last 30 years,” Republican Florida Rep. Ron DeSantis told the Washington Free Beacon.
DeSantis has requested a briefing from the Capitol Police on the growing scandal, the Free Beacon reported. DeSantis is a member of the House Oversight Committee and chairs the National Security Subcommittee.
The FBI arrested one of Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s top IT aides, Imran Awan, on bank fraud charges last week as he attempted to flee the country to Pakistan, where he had recently wired almost $300,000. Awan and several of his family members who worked for dozens of House Democrats are suspected of stealing computers and improperly accessing and transferring House members’ computer files.
Wasserman Schultz refused to fire Awan for months, despite the FBI and Capitol Police’s active investigation into the members of the Awan family. She finally fired Awan only after he was arrested at the airport. The Democratic leader threatened the Capitol Police chief in May for gathering evidence on her IT staffers’ alleged crimes. Wasserman Schultz, the former head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), threatened the police chief with “consequences” if he didn’t return computer equipment that she said belonged to her.
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DeSantis has requested a briefing from the Capitol Police on the growing scandal, the Free Beacon reported. DeSantis is a member of the House Oversight Committee and chairs the National Security Subcommittee.
The FBI arrested one of Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s top IT aides, Imran Awan, on bank fraud charges last week as he attempted to flee the country to Pakistan, where he had recently wired almost $300,000. Awan and several of his family members who worked for dozens of House Democrats are suspected of stealing computers and improperly accessing and transferring House members’ computer files.
Wasserman Schultz refused to fire Awan for months, despite the FBI and Capitol Police’s active investigation into the members of the Awan family. She finally fired Awan only after he was arrested at the airport. The Democratic leader threatened the Capitol Police chief in May for gathering evidence on her IT staffers’ alleged crimes. Wasserman Schultz, the former head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), threatened the police chief with “consequences” if he didn’t return computer equipment that she said belonged to her.
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August 1, 2017
‘Existential Threat’: Vanity Fair Points Out Major Problem Facing NYT And WaPo
Vanity Fair designated the growing number of people who don’t trust what they read in The Washington Post and The New York Times as an “existential threat” to the two media organizations in the September issue of the magazine.
The papers have managed to stay afloat in terms of readers and revenue thanks to a big boost from the Trump campaign and presidency, James Warren notes in the article. But that list may be obscuring the extent to which the outlets are losing credibility with the public.
“[A]n existential threat is already apparent: many Americans won’t believe a thing either newspaper says, no matter how great the accuracy, attention to detail, or fair-mindedness,” he writes. “The sharp uptick in Times and Post readership may obscure a larger cultural change.”
Warren cites a 2017 Pew poll showing that only 20 percent of adults trust what they read from national news organizations like the NYT and WaPo. It was only a year ago that Republicans and Democrats agreed on the scope of the press’ influence, but 2017 now boasts a wider gap between the parties than ever before. While 77 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats thought that news criticism kept political leaders on track in 2016, now only about a third of Democrats say they really trust national news outlets, along with just 11 percent of Republicans, according to Pew.
These leading news outlets have become “the enemy of the American people,” according to the President himself, Warren noted. For example, while there is legitimate news regarding Trump and the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the election, Warren notes: “[H]alf think the press has been overly dramatic and irresponsible in its Russia-related coverage …”
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The papers have managed to stay afloat in terms of readers and revenue thanks to a big boost from the Trump campaign and presidency, James Warren notes in the article. But that list may be obscuring the extent to which the outlets are losing credibility with the public.
“[A]n existential threat is already apparent: many Americans won’t believe a thing either newspaper says, no matter how great the accuracy, attention to detail, or fair-mindedness,” he writes. “The sharp uptick in Times and Post readership may obscure a larger cultural change.”
Warren cites a 2017 Pew poll showing that only 20 percent of adults trust what they read from national news organizations like the NYT and WaPo. It was only a year ago that Republicans and Democrats agreed on the scope of the press’ influence, but 2017 now boasts a wider gap between the parties than ever before. While 77 percent of Republicans and 74 percent of Democrats thought that news criticism kept political leaders on track in 2016, now only about a third of Democrats say they really trust national news outlets, along with just 11 percent of Republicans, according to Pew.
These leading news outlets have become “the enemy of the American people,” according to the President himself, Warren noted. For example, while there is legitimate news regarding Trump and the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the election, Warren notes: “[H]alf think the press has been overly dramatic and irresponsible in its Russia-related coverage …”
Read the entire article
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