Fusion GPS – the “research” firm that commissioned the dossier on President Donald Trump – is the same firm that reportedly set out to smear a major donor of Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign and the sting video maker who exposed Planned Parenthood’s alleged profiteering from the sale of aborted baby parts.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board wrote about Fusion GPS in May of 2012 and highlighted the work of Kimberly Strassel in uncovering the Obama campaign’s smears of then-GOP nominee Mitt Romney:
As Ms. Strassel has reported in recent columns, Idaho businessman Frank VanderSloot has become the target of a smear campaign since it was disclosed earlier this year that he had donated $1 million to a super PAC supporting Mr. Romney. President Obama’s campaign website teed him up in April as one of eight “less than reputable” Romney donors and a “bitter foe of the gay rights movement.” One sin: His wife donated to an anti-gay-marriage campaign, of the kind that have passed in 30 or so states.
Now we learn that little more than a week after that Presidential posting, a former Democratic Senate staffer called the courthouse in Mr. VanderSloot’s home town of Idaho Falls seeking his divorce records. Ms. Strassel traced the operative, Michael Wolf, to a Washington, D.C. outfit called Fusion GPS that says it is “a commercial research firm.”
Read the entire article
WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND - Government Crimes and Corruption
October 31, 2017
October 30, 2017
What Did Dems Know About Dossier? Their Handling Of Imran Awan Affair Is Instructive
Rep. Keith Ellison, deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee, said he was unaware of the DNC’s role in funding the Trump dossier, repeating claims from former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and sources close to Hillary Clinton. The denial is reminiscent of Ellison’s claims to have not heard of Democratic IT aide Imran Awan, despite being repeatedly informed of the major investigation involving him.
In both the Awan and dossier affairs, Democratic leaders have said they did not have knowledge of major events that greatly concern them. Investigators contend that Imran Awan and his family members made unauthorized access to House servers thousands of times and funneled massive amounts of data off the network shortly before the 2016 presidential election. The Awans could potentially read the data of one in five House Democrats.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi professed unfamiliarity with the Awan investigation despite playing an important role in the handling of the case months ago as one of the House leaders who determined it warranted a criminal probe.
“I’m not familiar … I haven’t followed that so closely,” Pelosi said in May when asked about Imran Awan’s continued employment in the House. “We’ve been busy with a lot of other things.”
Read the entire article
In both the Awan and dossier affairs, Democratic leaders have said they did not have knowledge of major events that greatly concern them. Investigators contend that Imran Awan and his family members made unauthorized access to House servers thousands of times and funneled massive amounts of data off the network shortly before the 2016 presidential election. The Awans could potentially read the data of one in five House Democrats.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi professed unfamiliarity with the Awan investigation despite playing an important role in the handling of the case months ago as one of the House leaders who determined it warranted a criminal probe.
“I’m not familiar … I haven’t followed that so closely,” Pelosi said in May when asked about Imran Awan’s continued employment in the House. “We’ve been busy with a lot of other things.”
Read the entire article
October 27, 2017
Justice Department Agrees To Pay Tea Party Victims In Obama IRS Targeting Scandal
President Donald Trump’s administration settled two class action lawsuits filed by conservative “Tea Party” groups alleging former President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice discriminated against them due to their ideological commitments.
The DOJ reached an undisclosed monetary settlement with over 400 conservative groups that had their applications for tax exempt status delayed “based solely on their viewpoint or ideology,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday.
“The [Internal Revenue Service]’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred,” Sessions said in a statement Thursday. “It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions.”
The Trump administration reached a settlement in two separate cases, one including 41 groups and another filed by 428 plaintiffs.
The targeting scandal emerged in 2013 after the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report exposing the intentional delay of tax exempt status applications filed by conservative groups. The bombshell report sparked widespread media coverage and multiple congressional investigations.
Read the entire article
The DOJ reached an undisclosed monetary settlement with over 400 conservative groups that had their applications for tax exempt status delayed “based solely on their viewpoint or ideology,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday.
“The [Internal Revenue Service]’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred,” Sessions said in a statement Thursday. “It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions.”
The Trump administration reached a settlement in two separate cases, one including 41 groups and another filed by 428 plaintiffs.
The targeting scandal emerged in 2013 after the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report exposing the intentional delay of tax exempt status applications filed by conservative groups. The bombshell report sparked widespread media coverage and multiple congressional investigations.
Read the entire article
October 26, 2017
Hillary Campaign, DNC Accused of Violating Election Law with Dossier Payments
The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a Washington, DC-based election law non-profit, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) Wednesday over Hillary for America and the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) conduct in commissioning the infamous “pee-pee dossier.”
According to the CLC, the Clinton campaign and the DNC violated federal law when they “failed to accurately disclose the purpose and recipient of payments for the dossier of research alleging connections between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russia, effectively hiding these payments from public scrutiny.”
The complaint alleges:
[T]he DNC and Hillary for America reported dozens of payments totaling millions of dollars to the law firm Perkins Coie with the purpose described as “Legal Services” or “Legal Compliance Consulting,” when in reality, those payments were earmarked for the firm Fusion GPS, with the purpose of conducting opposition research on Donald Trump.
Citing FEC statements of policy that the “purpose of disbursement” section on campaign disclosure forms “must be sufficiently specific to make the purpose of the disbursement clear,” CLC is arguing these facts constitute a violation of federal election law.
Read the entire article
According to the CLC, the Clinton campaign and the DNC violated federal law when they “failed to accurately disclose the purpose and recipient of payments for the dossier of research alleging connections between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russia, effectively hiding these payments from public scrutiny.”
The complaint alleges:
[T]he DNC and Hillary for America reported dozens of payments totaling millions of dollars to the law firm Perkins Coie with the purpose described as “Legal Services” or “Legal Compliance Consulting,” when in reality, those payments were earmarked for the firm Fusion GPS, with the purpose of conducting opposition research on Donald Trump.
Citing FEC statements of policy that the “purpose of disbursement” section on campaign disclosure forms “must be sufficiently specific to make the purpose of the disbursement clear,” CLC is arguing these facts constitute a violation of federal election law.
Read the entire article
October 25, 2017
Grassley Calls For Special Counsel In Uranium One Deal
The Department of Justice needs to appoint a special counsel to investigate the Obama-era Uranium One nuclear deal, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said on Tuesday.
In a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday night, Grassley called on “whoever in DOJ is capable” of appointing a special counsel to do so, noting that “‘whoever’ means if [you] aren’t recused.”
Grassley’s call for a special counsel follows new reports of Russian bribery operations secured approval for the deal. The Senate Judiciary Committee previously launched a probe into the deal, which was approved after Russia funneled millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation and a Kremlin-linked bank paid former President Bill Clinton $500,000 in speaking fees.
Grassley’s call for a special counsel follows two House committee chairmen announcing probes into the Uranium One deal and the Obama-era Department of Justice’s handling of the Clinton email investigation on Tuesday.
Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson reported on Tuesday that the current special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, is examining interactions between the Podesta Group, a Democratic lobbying firm co-founded by Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, and Russian pay-to-play efforts in securing the Uranium One deal.
Read the entire article
In a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday night, Grassley called on “whoever in DOJ is capable” of appointing a special counsel to do so, noting that “‘whoever’ means if [you] aren’t recused.”
Grassley’s call for a special counsel follows new reports of Russian bribery operations secured approval for the deal. The Senate Judiciary Committee previously launched a probe into the deal, which was approved after Russia funneled millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation and a Kremlin-linked bank paid former President Bill Clinton $500,000 in speaking fees.
Grassley’s call for a special counsel follows two House committee chairmen announcing probes into the Uranium One deal and the Obama-era Department of Justice’s handling of the Clinton email investigation on Tuesday.
Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson reported on Tuesday that the current special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, is examining interactions between the Podesta Group, a Democratic lobbying firm co-founded by Clinton campaign chair John Podesta, and Russian pay-to-play efforts in securing the Uranium One deal.
Read the entire article
October 24, 2017
State Department Sitting on 76,000 Clinton Docs…Won’t Release Until 2020
Judicial Watch announced that the State Department revealed in a federal court hearing that it has yet to process 40,000 of 72,000 pages of Hillary Clinton records that the FBI recovered last year. The revelation came during a federal court hearing in Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails that were sent or received during her tenure from February 2009 to January 31, 2013 (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00687)). The case is before Judge James E. Boasberg.
The hearing focused on the State Department’s progress on processing the tens of thousands of emails Clinton failed to disclose when she served as Secretary of State, some of which were emails sent by Clinton aide Huma Abedin that were found on the laptop of her estranged husband Anthony Weiner. The State Department has processed 32,000 pages of emails so far, a small number of which have been released, but 40,000 pages remain to be processed.
Judicial Watch asked the court to require the State Department to identify any records from the seven FBI discs that it intends to withhold, and why, in a timely manner. The State Department disclosed to the Court that it was adding extra resources to its FOIA operation but would not commit to a faster production of the Clinton emails. On October 19, Judge Boasberg ordered the State Department to “explain how its anticipated increase in resources will affect processing of records in this case and when the processing of each disk is likely to be completed.” Surprisingly, the Tillerson State Department and Sessions Justice Department previously argued to the court that there was diminished public interest in the Clinton emails.
In November 2016, the State Department was ordered to produce no less than 500 pages of records a month to Judicial Watch, emails of which the FBI found in its investigation into Clinton’s non-government email system. The State Department has produced 23 batches of documents so far. At the current pace, the Clinton emails and other records won’t be fully available for possible release until at least 2020.
Read the entire article
The hearing focused on the State Department’s progress on processing the tens of thousands of emails Clinton failed to disclose when she served as Secretary of State, some of which were emails sent by Clinton aide Huma Abedin that were found on the laptop of her estranged husband Anthony Weiner. The State Department has processed 32,000 pages of emails so far, a small number of which have been released, but 40,000 pages remain to be processed.
Judicial Watch asked the court to require the State Department to identify any records from the seven FBI discs that it intends to withhold, and why, in a timely manner. The State Department disclosed to the Court that it was adding extra resources to its FOIA operation but would not commit to a faster production of the Clinton emails. On October 19, Judge Boasberg ordered the State Department to “explain how its anticipated increase in resources will affect processing of records in this case and when the processing of each disk is likely to be completed.” Surprisingly, the Tillerson State Department and Sessions Justice Department previously argued to the court that there was diminished public interest in the Clinton emails.
In November 2016, the State Department was ordered to produce no less than 500 pages of records a month to Judicial Watch, emails of which the FBI found in its investigation into Clinton’s non-government email system. The State Department has produced 23 batches of documents so far. At the current pace, the Clinton emails and other records won’t be fully available for possible release until at least 2020.
Read the entire article
October 23, 2017
FBI intercepted and arrested a Russian spy as she closed in on Hillary Clinton in 2010: report
When Hillary Clinton took on her duties as Secretary of State, federal agents watched the Kremlin mobilize multiple initiatives designed to penetrate Clinton’s inner circle, obtain intelligence and attempt to influence both Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton.
The Hill reported Sunday that one Russian agent posed as an American accountant and was able to get a job working for a major Democratic donor before FBI agents arrested and deported her.
Former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi supervised the post-arrest declassification and release of records on the 10-year federal investigation that ended with the unmasking of a Russian spy ring including spy-turned-model Anna Chapman.
New Jersey accountant Cynthia Murphy was a lesser-known arrest from that same spy ring, a “sleeper” agent on a 10-year mission. For most of her time in the U.S., Murphy spent “a great deal of time collecting information and passing it on.”
She contacted the Kremlin in 2009 saying that she’d gained access to a major Democratic donor, a “personal friend” of Secretary Clinton whose name was redacted in the FBI report, but who has been identified as Alan Patricof.
Read the entire article
The Hill reported Sunday that one Russian agent posed as an American accountant and was able to get a job working for a major Democratic donor before FBI agents arrested and deported her.
Former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi supervised the post-arrest declassification and release of records on the 10-year federal investigation that ended with the unmasking of a Russian spy ring including spy-turned-model Anna Chapman.
New Jersey accountant Cynthia Murphy was a lesser-known arrest from that same spy ring, a “sleeper” agent on a 10-year mission. For most of her time in the U.S., Murphy spent “a great deal of time collecting information and passing it on.”
She contacted the Kremlin in 2009 saying that she’d gained access to a major Democratic donor, a “personal friend” of Secretary Clinton whose name was redacted in the FBI report, but who has been identified as Alan Patricof.
Read the entire article
October 20, 2017
CIA Director: Russian Meddling ‘Did Not Affect Outcome Of Election’
CIA Director Mike Pompeo contested allegations that Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election skewed results in a Thursday appearance before the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“The intelligence community’s assessment is that the Russian meddling that took place did not affect the outcome of the election,” Pompeo flatly declared, adding that he could not think of anything more important for the U.S. intelligence community to do then ensure the integrity of elections. The director continued that Russian efforts to influence U.S. elections “is not new,” adding, “the Russians have been at this an awfully long time.”
“Until there is a new leader in Russia I suspect it will be a threat an awfully long time.”
Pompeo’s speech echoes the assessment of a January report from the U.S. intelligence community that “that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.”
Read the entire article
“The intelligence community’s assessment is that the Russian meddling that took place did not affect the outcome of the election,” Pompeo flatly declared, adding that he could not think of anything more important for the U.S. intelligence community to do then ensure the integrity of elections. The director continued that Russian efforts to influence U.S. elections “is not new,” adding, “the Russians have been at this an awfully long time.”
“Until there is a new leader in Russia I suspect it will be a threat an awfully long time.”
Pompeo’s speech echoes the assessment of a January report from the U.S. intelligence community that “that the types of systems Russian actors targeted or compromised were not involved in vote tallying.”
Read the entire article
October 19, 2017
Congress Probes Whether Obama DOJ Used The ‘Trump Dossier’ Before Surveillance Court
Both the House and the Senate are investigating whether the former President Barack Obama’s administration used intelligence in a salacious “Trump Dossier” as “evidence” before a secret federal surveillance court to obtain permission to spy on Donald Trump campaign aides and later his transition team.
Leaders in Congress are trying to find out if the Obama Justice Department and the FBI introduced the totally unsubstantiated material alleging unsavory connections between Trump and Russia before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, congressional aides told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The FBI used the dossier to secure permission to monitor the communications of Trump associate Carter Page, based on U.S. officials briefed on the Russia investigation, CNN reported in April.
The latest inquiries began Oct. 4, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence subpoenaed Fusion GPS, a political opposition research firm based in Washington, D.C., to appear before the committee and turn over bank documents. The committee is also seeking all Justice Department applications before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, also called the FISA court, to determine if any of the applicants rely on information from the dossier.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked FBI Director Christopher Wray Oct. 4 if the FBI may have improperly presented any of the dossier information to the FISA court.
Read the entire article
Leaders in Congress are trying to find out if the Obama Justice Department and the FBI introduced the totally unsubstantiated material alleging unsavory connections between Trump and Russia before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, congressional aides told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The FBI used the dossier to secure permission to monitor the communications of Trump associate Carter Page, based on U.S. officials briefed on the Russia investigation, CNN reported in April.
The latest inquiries began Oct. 4, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence subpoenaed Fusion GPS, a political opposition research firm based in Washington, D.C., to appear before the committee and turn over bank documents. The committee is also seeking all Justice Department applications before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, also called the FISA court, to determine if any of the applicants rely on information from the dossier.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, asked FBI Director Christopher Wray Oct. 4 if the FBI may have improperly presented any of the dossier information to the FISA court.
Read the entire article
October 18, 2017
REPORT: FBI Sat On Evidence Tying The Clintons To A Russian Bribery Scheme
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly buried evidence tying the Clinton Foundation to a Russian bribery scheme underway as the Obama administration decided whether or not to give Moscow control over U.S. uranium reserves.
FBI officials collected evidence of a Russian bribery scheme that started as early as 2009, including “an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow,” The Hill reported Tuesday.
The Clinton Foundation became a lightning rod for controversy during the 2016 election. Critics, including President Donald Trump, claimed the Clinton Foundation was engaged in influence peddling — trading donations for political favors. the Clintons repeatedly denied these allegations.
On the campaign trail, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her role in approving Rosatom’s, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company, acquisition of Canadian mining company Uranium One.
Clinton said there was no reason at the time to oppose the Uranium One deal, and argued the committee she served on had no veto power to stop the deal — they only gave the president a recommendation.
Read the entire article
FBI officials collected evidence of a Russian bribery scheme that started as early as 2009, including “an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow,” The Hill reported Tuesday.
The Clinton Foundation became a lightning rod for controversy during the 2016 election. Critics, including President Donald Trump, claimed the Clinton Foundation was engaged in influence peddling — trading donations for political favors. the Clintons repeatedly denied these allegations.
On the campaign trail, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her role in approving Rosatom’s, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company, acquisition of Canadian mining company Uranium One.
Clinton said there was no reason at the time to oppose the Uranium One deal, and argued the committee she served on had no veto power to stop the deal — they only gave the president a recommendation.
Read the entire article
October 17, 2017
FBI Confirms That Comey Drafted Statement On Clinton Probe Months Before Investigation Ended
The FBI released emails Monday confirming that former FBI Director James Comey drafted statements regarding the Hillary Clinton email investigation months before the probe was closed.
The bureau released a file entitled “Drafts of Director Comey’s July 5, 2016 Statement Regarding Email Server Investigation,” to its Freedom of Information Act website. The file contains an email Comey sent May 2, 2016, to several FBI officials regarding the Clinton email probe, which was referred to internally by the codename “Midyear Exam.”
The draft statement was first revealed in late August by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Republicans questioned whether Comey’s draft statement indicated that he had arrived at a conclusion about the Clinton investigation months before he interviewed the former secretary of state and numerous other witnesses. The draft was also prepared before the Justice Department had made immunity deals with Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson.
“Conclusion first, fact-gathering second — that’s no way to run an investigation,” Grassley and Graham wrote the FBI in August, seeking more information about Comey’s drafts.
Read the entire article
The bureau released a file entitled “Drafts of Director Comey’s July 5, 2016 Statement Regarding Email Server Investigation,” to its Freedom of Information Act website. The file contains an email Comey sent May 2, 2016, to several FBI officials regarding the Clinton email probe, which was referred to internally by the codename “Midyear Exam.”
The draft statement was first revealed in late August by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Republicans questioned whether Comey’s draft statement indicated that he had arrived at a conclusion about the Clinton investigation months before he interviewed the former secretary of state and numerous other witnesses. The draft was also prepared before the Justice Department had made immunity deals with Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson.
“Conclusion first, fact-gathering second — that’s no way to run an investigation,” Grassley and Graham wrote the FBI in August, seeking more information about Comey’s drafts.
Read the entire article
October 16, 2017
Bannon on GOP Insurgency: ‘Nobody Can Run and Hide’
Steve Bannon has a stark message to Republican incumbents he considers part of the establishment: “Nobody can run and hide.”
President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist is promoting a field of potential primary challengers to take on disfavored Republicans in Congress and step up for open seats. Among the outsiders: a convicted felon, a perennial candidate linked to an environmental conspiracy theory and a Southern lawmaker known for provocative ethnic and racial comments.
It’s an insurgency that could imperil Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Bannon called it a “populist nationalist conservative revolt” in a speech to religious conservatives in Washington on Saturday.
The emerging Bannon class of rabble-rousers shares limited ideological ties but a common intent to upend Washington and knock out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., standard-bearer of the establishment.
So intent is Bannon on bringing down McConnell that he laid down this marker Saturday to some of the incumbents at risk of a challenge from his flank of the party: disavow McConnell, satisfy other conditions and possibly escape the wrath.
Read the entire article
President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist is promoting a field of potential primary challengers to take on disfavored Republicans in Congress and step up for open seats. Among the outsiders: a convicted felon, a perennial candidate linked to an environmental conspiracy theory and a Southern lawmaker known for provocative ethnic and racial comments.
It’s an insurgency that could imperil Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Bannon called it a “populist nationalist conservative revolt” in a speech to religious conservatives in Washington on Saturday.
The emerging Bannon class of rabble-rousers shares limited ideological ties but a common intent to upend Washington and knock out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., standard-bearer of the establishment.
So intent is Bannon on bringing down McConnell that he laid down this marker Saturday to some of the incumbents at risk of a challenge from his flank of the party: disavow McConnell, satisfy other conditions and possibly escape the wrath.
Read the entire article
October 13, 2017
GOP Strategist: Bannon’s Hostile Takeover Plan ‘Should Have Establishment Shaking in Their Boots’
GOP strategist Susan Del Percio said former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon’s plan to field economic nationalist candidates to oust establishment lawmakers should have the Republican establishment “shaking in their boots.”
In an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on Monday evening, Bannon, as Breitbart News noted, said he is working with grassroots organizations at the state level to spend “tons of time with candidates to make sure they are fully vetted and able to defeat Democrats after they take on incumbents.”
Del Percio said this week on MTP Daily that establishment Republicans in the past just identified their candidates and hoped that they would win with fundraising and the state operation, but Bannon has “now destroyed” that model.
Steve Kornacki, the very underrated political analyst, pointed out that even when economic nationalist candidates did not have the momentum their movement has now, the “traditional tools of politics” often failed the Republican establishment since the rise of the Tea Party movement.
Sensing Bannon’s threat to the establishment is indeed real, Del Percio urged the establishment to “stand their ground” against the “really aggressive, nasty campaigns” that Bannon the “street fighter” will encourage.
Read the entire article
In an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on Monday evening, Bannon, as Breitbart News noted, said he is working with grassroots organizations at the state level to spend “tons of time with candidates to make sure they are fully vetted and able to defeat Democrats after they take on incumbents.”
Del Percio said this week on MTP Daily that establishment Republicans in the past just identified their candidates and hoped that they would win with fundraising and the state operation, but Bannon has “now destroyed” that model.
Steve Kornacki, the very underrated political analyst, pointed out that even when economic nationalist candidates did not have the momentum their movement has now, the “traditional tools of politics” often failed the Republican establishment since the rise of the Tea Party movement.
Sensing Bannon’s threat to the establishment is indeed real, Del Percio urged the establishment to “stand their ground” against the “really aggressive, nasty campaigns” that Bannon the “street fighter” will encourage.
Read the entire article
October 12, 2017
Trump Suggests Revoking Licenses For ‘Partisan’ Network News Outlets
President Trump doubled down on his attack on so-called “fake news,” suggesting the possibility of revoking licenses for “partisan” network news outlets.
“Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!” Trump tweeted Wednesday night.
That was Trump’s second tweet on the subject. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump floated the idea of challenging the license for NBC News after the network reported that the Republican had called for increasing the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal ten-fold.
Trump blasted the report, tweeting: “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”
Read the entire article
“Network news has become so partisan, distorted and fake that licenses must be challenged and, if appropriate, revoked. Not fair to public!” Trump tweeted Wednesday night.
That was Trump’s second tweet on the subject. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump floated the idea of challenging the license for NBC News after the network reported that the Republican had called for increasing the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal ten-fold.
Trump blasted the report, tweeting: “With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!”
Read the entire article
October 11, 2017
McConnell Scrambles To Soothe Conservative Anger Over Slow Judicial Confirmations
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is attempting to assuage the concerns that conservative activists have raised as late regarding the languid pace of judicial confirmations.
According to the Judicial Conference of the United States, 149 vacancies currently exist in the federal courts. President Donald Trump has named 50 judicial nominees since taking office, submitting a slate of approximately 10 candidates every month. Thus far, the Senate has confirmed just seven, including Justice Neil Gorsuch.
The president’s nominating pace is astoundingly fast compared to recent administrations. Former President Barack Obama named just 10 judicial nominees during his first year in office, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Former President George Bush named only four. Former President Bill Clinton’s only judicial nomination during his first year was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As such, the Senate has not been made to contend with so many nominees at this early stage of a presidency in modern history.
Still, conservative think tanks and advocacy groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) have registered their complaints with GOP leaders, fearing the dispirited Republican Senate caucus will forfeit an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the federal courts.
Read the entire article
According to the Judicial Conference of the United States, 149 vacancies currently exist in the federal courts. President Donald Trump has named 50 judicial nominees since taking office, submitting a slate of approximately 10 candidates every month. Thus far, the Senate has confirmed just seven, including Justice Neil Gorsuch.
The president’s nominating pace is astoundingly fast compared to recent administrations. Former President Barack Obama named just 10 judicial nominees during his first year in office, including Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Former President George Bush named only four. Former President Bill Clinton’s only judicial nomination during his first year was Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As such, the Senate has not been made to contend with so many nominees at this early stage of a presidency in modern history.
Still, conservative think tanks and advocacy groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) have registered their complaints with GOP leaders, fearing the dispirited Republican Senate caucus will forfeit an unprecedented opportunity to reshape the federal courts.
Read the entire article
October 10, 2017
U.S. Prosecutor To Investigate Puerto Rican Officials Accused Of Stopping Aid From Reaching People
U.S. federal prosecutor in Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodriguez announced Sunday her investigation into government officials who allegedly did not deliver hurricane relief aid to the island’s residents.
During an interview on WAPA Radio, Rodriguez criticized two officials who failed to deliver needed supplies to their constituents, Metro PR reported.
“This morning we received information from a town on the Island where a person close to the municipal administration was asking one of our federal agents that the supplies that were there could not be touched because they were for his mayor,” said RodrÃguez, noting that the case is currently under investigation.
She added she also learned from another source on the island that an official was hoarding supplies for residents “who had voted for that person.”
Read the entire article
During an interview on WAPA Radio, Rodriguez criticized two officials who failed to deliver needed supplies to their constituents, Metro PR reported.
“This morning we received information from a town on the Island where a person close to the municipal administration was asking one of our federal agents that the supplies that were there could not be touched because they were for his mayor,” said RodrÃguez, noting that the case is currently under investigation.
She added she also learned from another source on the island that an official was hoarding supplies for residents “who had voted for that person.”
Read the entire article
October 9, 2017
Numbers Game: Why Democrats Love Mass Immigration
In the age of President Donald Trump, there are a few propositions that unite the establishment and progressive wings of the Democratic Party.
One of them is that lots of immigration — legal and illegal — is good for America.
To justify high levels of immigration, prominent Democratic lawmakers such as New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez make emotional appeals to America’s history as a destination for immigrants. But there is a colder political calculus at work, as well.
As independent public policy analyst Jason Richwine argued in an Oct. 3 article for National Review, Democrats’ enthusiasm for mass immigration comes in part from an understanding of voting behavior that has eluded their Republican counterparts: immigrants overwhelmingly and consistently support the Democratic Party.
About two-thirds of all foreign-born voters backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, and Asian and Hispanic Americans — immigrant and native-born — together accounted for 20 percent of Clinton’s total votes. Like black voters, Asians and Hispanics have become reliable voting blocs within the Democratic coalition.
Read the entire article
One of them is that lots of immigration — legal and illegal — is good for America.
To justify high levels of immigration, prominent Democratic lawmakers such as New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez make emotional appeals to America’s history as a destination for immigrants. But there is a colder political calculus at work, as well.
As independent public policy analyst Jason Richwine argued in an Oct. 3 article for National Review, Democrats’ enthusiasm for mass immigration comes in part from an understanding of voting behavior that has eluded their Republican counterparts: immigrants overwhelmingly and consistently support the Democratic Party.
About two-thirds of all foreign-born voters backed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, and Asian and Hispanic Americans — immigrant and native-born — together accounted for 20 percent of Clinton’s total votes. Like black voters, Asians and Hispanics have become reliable voting blocs within the Democratic coalition.
Read the entire article
October 6, 2017
Report: Mueller’s Investigators Have Met With Dossier Author Christopher Steele
Investigators in the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller met this summer with former British spy Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous and uncorroborated Trump dossier.
The report, from CNN, indicates that Mueller’s team of investigators are fully vetting the dossier, which Steele compiled after being hired last June by an opposition research firm hired by an ally of Hillary Clinton’s.
According to CNN, the U.S. intelligence community, including the FBI, took Steele’s dossier more seriously than has been acknowledged in public.
The 35-page dossier, which was made public when BuzzFeed published it in January, alleges that members of the Trump campaign directly colluded with Russian operatives before the election. It also claims that the Kremlin used blackmail material against Trump.
Trump and others named in the dossier have vehemently denied the allegations, and some inconsistencies have appeared in the document.
It has been unclear how deeply investigators relied on the dossier, though the FBI reportedly cited the document in an application for a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Read the entire article
The report, from CNN, indicates that Mueller’s team of investigators are fully vetting the dossier, which Steele compiled after being hired last June by an opposition research firm hired by an ally of Hillary Clinton’s.
According to CNN, the U.S. intelligence community, including the FBI, took Steele’s dossier more seriously than has been acknowledged in public.
The 35-page dossier, which was made public when BuzzFeed published it in January, alleges that members of the Trump campaign directly colluded with Russian operatives before the election. It also claims that the Kremlin used blackmail material against Trump.
Trump and others named in the dossier have vehemently denied the allegations, and some inconsistencies have appeared in the document.
It has been unclear how deeply investigators relied on the dossier, though the FBI reportedly cited the document in an application for a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
Read the entire article
October 5, 2017
Lawyer For IT Aide Says Dem Congressmen To Blame For Falsified Spending Records
House Democrats ordered the systematic falsification of records showing how they spend their taxpayer-provided office budgets, according to lawyers for two former House information technology (IT) aides.
It’s a remarkable accusation that pits sitting lawmakers against the former aides, Imran Awan, his brothers Abid and Jamal, and his wife Hina Alvi. Imran was arrested in July while trying to board a flight to Pakistan, and then indicted on four counts of bank fraud involving moving money to that country. Imran and Hina, who was also indicted, face a court date Friday.
One of Imran’s lawyers, Aaron Page, acknowledged the invoicing discrepancy Aug. 21, telling The Daily Caller News Foundation, “This is just how things have been done for forever. This is what experienced members of Congress expect: to expedite things, they adjust the pricing.”
If members or senior staff instructed IT aides to misrepresent how budgets were spent, that could potentially explain why officials have not charged the Awans with crimes related to procurement, even a full year after House authorities gathered documentation showing invoices that claimed expensive technological items cost $499 instead of their true price: potentially an open-and-shut violation.
Read the entire article
It’s a remarkable accusation that pits sitting lawmakers against the former aides, Imran Awan, his brothers Abid and Jamal, and his wife Hina Alvi. Imran was arrested in July while trying to board a flight to Pakistan, and then indicted on four counts of bank fraud involving moving money to that country. Imran and Hina, who was also indicted, face a court date Friday.
One of Imran’s lawyers, Aaron Page, acknowledged the invoicing discrepancy Aug. 21, telling The Daily Caller News Foundation, “This is just how things have been done for forever. This is what experienced members of Congress expect: to expedite things, they adjust the pricing.”
If members or senior staff instructed IT aides to misrepresent how budgets were spent, that could potentially explain why officials have not charged the Awans with crimes related to procurement, even a full year after House authorities gathered documentation showing invoices that claimed expensive technological items cost $499 instead of their true price: potentially an open-and-shut violation.
Read the entire article
October 4, 2017
Rush Takes On CNN’s ‘Bigotry’ For Pointing Out That Las Vegas Victims Were Trump Supporters
Talk radio show Rush Limbaugh blasted CNN for “bigotry” Tuesday, hammering the media and the left for politicizing the Las Vegas shooting.
Limbaugh played a clip of a CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny pointing out that many country music fans at the concert could be Trump supporters.
Limbaugh said, “What would you call that but bigotry? Identity politics has gone off the rails to such a degree that Jeff Zeleny at CNN identifies the concertgoers as Trump supporters.”
“Now, what Zeleny went on to say was that the reason that matters is that Trump knows that the people at that concert were probably his supporters, and so the theory is that Trump is gonna care more about Las Vegas because they were his supporters that got shot, as opposed to caring about other things. This is out there in the Drive-By Media. The reason Trump was somber, and the reason Trump attempted to make people sound like he cares,” he added.
This comes after Limbaugh blasted the left and the media for politicizing the Vegas shooting, saying, “the left is already, they are salivating trying to politicize this, and before it’s all over, it may end up having political motivations behind it. We don’t know.”
Read the entire article
Limbaugh played a clip of a CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny pointing out that many country music fans at the concert could be Trump supporters.
Limbaugh said, “What would you call that but bigotry? Identity politics has gone off the rails to such a degree that Jeff Zeleny at CNN identifies the concertgoers as Trump supporters.”
“Now, what Zeleny went on to say was that the reason that matters is that Trump knows that the people at that concert were probably his supporters, and so the theory is that Trump is gonna care more about Las Vegas because they were his supporters that got shot, as opposed to caring about other things. This is out there in the Drive-By Media. The reason Trump was somber, and the reason Trump attempted to make people sound like he cares,” he added.
This comes after Limbaugh blasted the left and the media for politicizing the Vegas shooting, saying, “the left is already, they are salivating trying to politicize this, and before it’s all over, it may end up having political motivations behind it. We don’t know.”
Read the entire article
October 3, 2017
Wasserman Schultz IT Aide Allegedly Bragged He Paid Pakistani Police For Protection
A now-indicted IT aide to various House Democrats was sending money and gifts to government officials in Pakistan and received protection from the Pakistani police, multiple relatives claim.
A Democratic aide also said Imran Awan personally bragged to him that he could have people tortured in Pakistan. Awan’s lawyer acknowledged that he was sending money to a member of the Faisalabad police department, but said there was a good explanation.
The relatives said Awan and his brothers were also sending IT equipment, such as iPhones, to the country during the same period in which fraudulent purchase orders for that equipment were allegedly placed in the House, and in which congressional equipment apparently went missing.
Awan’s stepmother, Samina Gilani, said the brothers were paying police officer Azhar Awan and that he is their cousin.
Read the entire article
A Democratic aide also said Imran Awan personally bragged to him that he could have people tortured in Pakistan. Awan’s lawyer acknowledged that he was sending money to a member of the Faisalabad police department, but said there was a good explanation.
The relatives said Awan and his brothers were also sending IT equipment, such as iPhones, to the country during the same period in which fraudulent purchase orders for that equipment were allegedly placed in the House, and in which congressional equipment apparently went missing.
Awan’s stepmother, Samina Gilani, said the brothers were paying police officer Azhar Awan and that he is their cousin.
Read the entire article
October 2, 2017
CNN vs. Russia: The Battle We’ve All Been Waiting For
In a bizarre twist in the Russia-Trump collusion narrative, Russia’s media and communications regulator accused CNN International of violating Russian law, and CNN is fighting back.
“CNN International routinely violates Russian legislation,” a spokesman for the Russian federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, Vadim Ampelonsky, said Friday, according to Russia Today. “Such breaches are common,” Ampelonsky said, but “it doesn’t mean that we should not react.”
The Russian government did not specify exactly which laws it believed had been breached.
Russia’s allegation may be a response to recent heat on the Russian government in the U.S. because of Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 elections through social media. Twitter announced in a statement Thursday that it “proactively shared” with congressional intelligence committees “a round-up of ads that three RT accounts targeted to the U.S. market in 2016.”
Read the entire article
“CNN International routinely violates Russian legislation,” a spokesman for the Russian federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, Vadim Ampelonsky, said Friday, according to Russia Today. “Such breaches are common,” Ampelonsky said, but “it doesn’t mean that we should not react.”
The Russian government did not specify exactly which laws it believed had been breached.
Russia’s allegation may be a response to recent heat on the Russian government in the U.S. because of Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 elections through social media. Twitter announced in a statement Thursday that it “proactively shared” with congressional intelligence committees “a round-up of ads that three RT accounts targeted to the U.S. market in 2016.”
Read the entire article
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)