Day: December 6, 2017
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks
Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks |
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| FBI and DOJ have Been Under Investigation Since January American Lens | ||||
FBI and DOJ. These two agencies are making the rounds today on social media like wildfire is a press release that went largely unnoticed in January.
Who or what is being investigated? According to the release, “the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) will initiate a review of allegations regarding certain actions by the Department of Justice (Department) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in advance of the 2016 election.” Stronger together? Here’s the press release from January: Now that you’ve read that document, consider these recent tweets, one from Eric ‘Contempt of Congress’ Holder, responding to President Trump’s remarks about the “FBI being in tatters.” How well will these age? Also under review – How Mueller’s secret firing of Peter Strzok, who is apparently very anti-Trump and had involvement in both the Clinton email scandal and the Fusion GPS dossier. Yesterday, a bombshell dropped about Strzok – he interviewed Flynn:
But there was more. Now the interview itself is being called into question due to Strzok’s involvement:
The hits keep coming with Strzok as the Daily Caller reported: Embattled FBI supervisor Peter Strzok also conducted the interviews with Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills, in which they falsely claimed they didn’t know about Hillary’s email server when she was Secretary of State. Like this:Like Loading… |
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| Peter Strzok Photo: See First Image of the FBI Agent | ||||
 Fox NewsThe photo of Peter Strzok obtained by Fox News.
A photo of Peter Strzok, the top FBI agent who was removed from the Robert Mueller investigation, has finally been revealed. For days, the lack of any images or pictures of Strzok, 47, led to rampant speculation online.  You can read more about Melissa Hodgman, Peter Strzok’s wife, here:  |
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| fbi criticism – Google Search | ||||
FactChecking Trump’s Criticism of the FBI<a href=”http://FactCheck.org” rel=”nofollow”>FactCheck.org</a>–Dec 4, 2017
President Donald Trump claimed that Hillary Clinton “lied many times to the FBI and nothing happened to her.” In fact, the FBI director told Congress that there was “no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI.” Trump also left the false impression that the FBI deviated from its standard practice by not putting …
Trump’s tweets lash out at FBI and Russia investigators
In-Depth–Christian Science Monitor–Dec 4, 2017 |
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| How Nonpartisan and Independent Was the FBI’s Leadership in 2016? | ||||
Yes, President Trump doesn’t help himself when he Tweets, “After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters – worst in History!”
But criticism of a particular FBI decision, or a series of decisions by the bureau’s leadership, does not mean one is attacking the entire institution as a whole. (Otherwise, every critic of J. Edgar Hoover is “attacking the FBI.”) But while the FBI’s reputation might be overall in good shape, the public faith in the decision-making of former director James Comey during the 2016 campaign isn’t in good shape. Many Hillary Clinton fans thought the investigation into her e-mails was a witch hunt; many Republicans thought Comey’s press conference lamenting her “extremely careless” handling of classified information amounted to a slap on the wrist. Hillary herself blames Comey for her defeat; that’s obviously overwrought, but there’s no getting around the fact that the FBI ended up making enormously consequential decisions that no doubt helped shape the outcome of the presidential election. And now there’s some evidence that some voices at the top of the FBI weren’t so nonpartisan and independent after all:
Is Peter Strzok a partisan hack? His friends and colleagues will probably say “no,” and the Trump administration will say “yes.” But the fact that he was sending around ”politically charged texts disparaging President Trump and supporting Hillary Clinton” is not encouraging. By doing that, he’s given Trump and his defenders all the ammunition they need to argue that Clinton’s non-criminal consequences amounted to a whitewash, and that the Bureau’s continuing investigation into the administration is, at least in part, driven by a partisan vendetta. |
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| DANA MILBANK: Latest fallback: Who cares if Trump colluded with Russia? – Meridian Star | ||||
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| Yesterday The Supreme Court Jolted LGBTQ People With A Frightening Reality | ||||
Many thought the 2015 marriage ruling brought full equally. But everything could quickly slide back. |
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| Today’s Headlines and Commentary | ||||
President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital and pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the New York Times reported. In televised remarks from the White House, Trump reversed nearly seven decades of U.S. policy. He also promised to eventually move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but signed a waiver under the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act that allows the State Department to avoid penalties for keeping the mission in Tel Aviv. The European Unions top diplomat, Chinas foreign ministry, Pope Francis and other world leaders condemned the move. ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare Jesse Lempel explained how Tier III terrorist designations work and the dispute between the courts and the administration on the designations proper scope. |
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| FBI and DOJ have Been Under Investigation Since January – American Lens | ||||
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| Subpoena For Deutsche Bank May Put Mueller On Collision Course With Trump – NPR | ||||
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| Gingrich: The swamp is more corrupt than we thought it was – Fox News | ||||
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| The quest for collusion is over as the desperate shriek for impeachment begins – Washington Post | ||||
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| The Trump Team Definitely Colluded With a Foreign PowerJust Not the One You Think | The Nation | ||||
Source: The Trump Team Definitely Colluded With a Foreign PowerJust Not the One You Think | The Nation |
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| Trump lawyer denies reports that Mueller is seeking Deutsche Bank records – CNBC | ||||
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| Who is FBI Director Christopher Wray? | Fox News – Fox News | ||||
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| What a presidential president would have said about the FBI – Washington Post | ||||
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| Gingrich on FBI Corruption: The Swamp Is Sicker, More Corrupt, More Dishonest Than We Thought – RealClearPolitics | ||||
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| House Intelligence Committee chairman aims to hold top FBI, DOJ officials in contempt – Washington Post | ||||
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| In Defense of Rosenstein’s and Wray’s Responses to Trump – Lawfare (blog) | ||||
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| House intel panel leader Devin Nunes to move to hold key FBI, DOJ officials in contempt over Steele dossier docs – New York Daily News | ||||
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| 6:52 AM 12/6/2017 Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI FrontPage Magazine | ||||
Saved Stories Saved Stories – None Republicans are betting the future won’t happen. Who wants to tell them? – USA TODAY Donald Trump Jr. to face questions about Russia contacts on Capitol Hill – ABC News More charges could be coming against former Trump aide in Russia probe – CNN Legal Weed Is Coming to … Continue reading“6:52 AM 12/6/2017 – Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI – FrontPage Magazine” |
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| 11:53 AM 12/6/2017 FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller | ||||
Mike Novas Shared NewsLinks Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller Poland’s former military intelligence head detained God’s Plan for Mike Pence – The Atlantic Mueller Said to Have Subpoenaed Deutsche Bank: DealBook Briefing – New York Times Russia Banned From 2018 Winter Olympics, Some Athletes to Compete Under Neutral Flag … Continue reading“11:53 AM 12/6/2017 – FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller” |
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| FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller | ||||
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, once America’s storied crime fighting agency, is under fire for an increasing leftward politicization blamed on recent liberal directors and a bureaucracy operating with nearly unchecked power. |
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| Poland’s former military intelligence head detained | ||||
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Polish military police say they have detained a former head of Poland’s military counterintelligence services for further questioning over alleged illegal cooperation with Russian security services in 2010.
Gen. Piotr Pytel denies the cooperation was illegal. The case relates to Poland’s and NATO’s agreement with Russia’s military intelligence that allowed for the passage of Polish troops back home from Afghanistan. Poland’s prime minister of the time, Donald Tusk, now European Union leader was questioned in the case last year. On Wednesday, opposition politicians accused Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz of ordering the detention in revenge against Pytel, who has criticized him. The opposition has called for the dismissal of Macierewicz. |
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| God’s Plan for Mike Pence – The Atlantic | ||||
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| Mueller Said to Have Subpoenaed Deutsche Bank: DealBook Briefing – New York Times | ||||
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American Lens.
Heavy.com.
fbi criticism – Google News.
trump and intelligence community – Google News.
Donald Trump.
Lawfare – Hard National Security Choices.
Andrew McCabe – Google News.
mueller – Google News.
james b. comey – Google News.
WorldWide Times wwtimes.com.
Christopher Wray – Google News.
fbi – Google News.
Saved Stories – 1. FBI.
FBI News Review.
Washington Free Beacon.
Top Stories – Google News.Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks
| Mike Nova’s Shared NewsLinks |
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| FBI Increasingly Politicized Under Comey and Mueller | ||||
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, once America’s storied crime fighting agency, is under fire for an increasing leftward politicization blamed on recent liberal directors and a bureaucracy operating with nearly unchecked power. |
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| Poland’s former military intelligence head detained | ||||
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Polish military police say they have detained a former head of Poland’s military counterintelligence services for further questioning over alleged illegal cooperation with Russian security services in 2010.
Gen. Piotr Pytel denies the cooperation was illegal. The case relates to Poland’s and NATO’s agreement with Russia’s military intelligence that allowed for the passage of Polish troops back home from Afghanistan. Poland’s prime minister of the time, Donald Tusk, now European Union leader was questioned in the case last year. On Wednesday, opposition politicians accused Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz of ordering the detention in revenge against Pytel, who has criticized him. The opposition has called for the dismissal of Macierewicz. |
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| God’s Plan for Mike Pence – The Atlantic | ||||
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| Mueller Said to Have Subpoenaed Deutsche Bank: DealBook Briefing – New York Times | ||||
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| Russia Banned From 2018 Winter Olympics, Some Athletes to Compete Under Neutral Flag – Sports Illustrated | ||||
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| Collusion | IRRUSSIANALITY | ||||
The investigation into suspected collusion between US President Donald Trump and the Russian government has claimed its first three victims: one (Paul Manafort) for completely unconnected money laundering charges, and two (George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn) for lying to investigators about things which were not themselves criminal, and which are therefore crimes which would never have happened had there never been an investigation. To date, the evidence of direct collusion between Trump and the Russians is looking a little thin, to say the least. Now, into this maelstrom steps Guardian reporter Luke Harding with his book Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russian Helped Donald Trump Win.
Collusion spends over 300 pages insinuating that Trump is a long-standing agent of the Russian secret services, and hinting, without ever providing any firm evidence, that Trump and his team acted on orders from the Kremlin to subvert American democracy. I’ll be honest, and admit that I picked this book up expecting it to be a series of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and to be utterly unbalanced in its analysis, and in that sense I’m not an unbiased reader. At the same time, I was interested to see if Harding had come up with anything that everybody else had not, and was willing to give him a chance. I needn’t have bothered. For alas, my worst suspicions proved to be true, and then some.  The first thing to note about Collusion is that most of it is padding. That is to say, that it consists mainly of a lot of digressions in which Harding describes people and events not directly related to the main story of collusion. Whenever a new character is introduced, you tend to get pages of background information, along with descriptions of various places they’ve been to, things they’ve done in the past, and so on. At the start of the book, for instance, Harding introduces Christopher Steele, who prepared an infamous dossier purportedly based on secret sources within the Kremlin, which made all sort of extreme accusations against Trump. We learn about Steele’s parents, his childhood, his education, his career, and so on. Harding recounts how he met Steele. We learn about how they tried one café, then another, who drank what, etc, etc. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. There’s a lot of padding. This padding makes Collusion an easy read, and gives it colour, and the flavour of a spy novel. But none of it adds anything to our knowledge of Donald Trump and his relationship with Russia. It’s just filler, designed to cover up the fact that, when it comes to the matter of collusion, Harding doesn’t have a whole lot new to say and certainly doesn’t have enough to fill up an entire book. The second thing to note is that Harding’s modes of argumentation and standards of evidence are not – how can I be polite about this? – what I’m used to as an academic. Let’s take the example of Trump’s former convention manager, Paul Manafort, to whom Harding devotes an entire chapter, obviously on the basis that the Trump-Manafort connection somehow proves a Trump-Kremlin connection. The problem Harding has is that, despite pages of fluff about Manafort, he hasn’t got any evidence that Manafort is a Kremlin agent. In fact, he quotes one source – a former Ukrainian official, Oleg Voloshin – as telling him that when Manafort worked as a political advisor to Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich:
This is pretty funny behaviour for a Kremlin agent, and Harding has to admit that, “It’s unclear to what extent, if any, Manafort was involved in supplying intelligence to Russia.” This doesn’t fit with the conclusion that Harding obviously wants readers to draw – that Manafort was a Kremlin agent, and so Trump must be too. So, he comes up with something else: some of Manafort’s associates in Ukraine “were rumoured to have links with Russian intelligence.” Note the use of the word “rumoured”. It’s not exactly convincing, but it’s good enough for Luke, who uses it to tell a story about one such associate, Konstantin Kilimnik. Harding recounts that he contacted Kilimnik by email to ask him about his relationship with Manafort. Kilimnik responds by telling him that the collusion accusations are “insane” and “gibberish”, and signs off his email with a bit of self-mockery: “Off to collect my paycheck at KGB. :))”
And that’s it. That’s Harding’s evidence. Just to make sure readers get the point, he follows the last line up with a double paragraph space. Stop and think what this means, he seems to be saying. Someone who “looked like a career foreign intelligence officer” uses smiley faces. Kilimnik uses smiley faces!!! Say no more.
Yet another double paragraph break follows, just to make sure that readers take in the implication of what this means.
Again, Harding then introduces a section break, leaving this ominous fact hanging in the air. Think of what it means, he is saying!
I wish I could say that this book was a joke. If you were going to write a parody of the collusion story, this is perhaps what it would look like. Unfortunately, Harding is deadly serious and I suspect that a lot of uncritical readers will soak it all up, not stopping to reflect on the awful methodology. So, I end on a word of warning. By all means read this book. But don’t do so in order to find out the truth about Donald Trump and Russia; do so in order to understand the methods currently being used to enflame Russian-Western relations. In that respect, Collusion is really quite revealing. Advertisements
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| Yes, the Kremlin is worried about Russias own presidential elections – The Washington Post | ||||
Monkey Cage
Analysis
Analysis Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events It’s a foregone conclusion that Vladimir Putin will win Russia’s March 2018 presidential elections, so why is the Kremlin fretting about turnout? And how is Russia’s big business supposed to help get people to vote? Here’s what’s going on. [The Kremlin and Russia’s regional governments are at odds. That’s a problem for Putin.] In three regions, fiscal problems have become so dire that their governors circumvented official channels and appealed publicly to Moscow for bailouts. Foreign policy adventures — first in Ukraine, then in Syria — may have temporarily distracted Russians from problems at home, but public interest in both conflicts is waning. [Many Russians aren’t protesting against Putin — they want his help] The Kremlin increasingly expects SOEs to deliver investment and social services that struggling regional governments cannot provide. For instance, state-run Gazprom ratcheted up its spending on development projects this year, according to Bloomberg reporting. Despite initial plans to slash “non-core expenditures,” outlays on charity were up 60 percent 2017, reaching 26.3 billion rubles ($438 million). [Here’s how Alexander Hamilton would understand Russia’s regional debt crisis] The company built a patriotic theme park and a sports complex in the Siberian city of Irkutsk — projects that may provide temporary jobs and boost support at the polls for Putin next March. SOEs routinely subsidize economically impractical investments across Russia, especially in the country’s single-industry towns. Economists Clifford Gaddy and Barry Ickes have referred to a political imperative to “keep the lights on” in the Russian provinces. politics monkey-cage Orlando Shooting Updates News and analysis on the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. post_newsletter348 follow-orlando true false Monkey Cage newsletter Commentary on political science and political issues. But the tacit trade of market share for political help comes at the cost of competitiveness in Russia’s economy. Relying on corporations, rather than regional and municipal governments, to fulfill the state’s development goals also risks further atrophying of the country’s federal structure. Under Putin, the Kremlin has increasingly sought to circumvent lower levels of government, preferring instead to dictate policy from Moscow. |
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| This explains how social media can both weaken and strengthen democracy. | ||||
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| White House casts decision to move US embassy to Jerusalem as a recognition of reality http://cnn.it/2BA3xwf pic.twitter.com/W1pHSO9kYR | ||||
White House casts decision to move US embassy to Jerusalem as a “recognition of reality”http://cnn.it/2BA3xwf pic.twitter.com/W1pHSO9kYR
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| Rick Gates’ lawyer believes superseding indictments could be coming against client | ||||
In a court appearance Monday in Manhattan, Gates’ attorney Walter Mack said that federal prosecutors have told him that more charges, called superseding indictments, may be coming.
“We don’t know what the government is going to do,” Mack said in court, referring to both Gates’ case and a white-collar case in New York involving one of Gates’ business partners. “I mean, in both cases we’ve been told that there may be a superseder. We don’t know what’s happening.” Mueller charged President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Gates, on October 30 with 12 alleged crimes related to money laundering and foreign lobbying violations. Both have pleaded not guilty. The charges against Manafort and Gates are unrelated to the Trump campaign, though it’s possible Mueller could add additional federal charges. Mack represents both Gates in DC and his business partner in New York. Neither is a witness or co-defendant in the other’s case, federal prosecutors say, but attorneys from Mueller’s special counsel investigation have raised the possibility that a conflict of interest could arise between the two men and their attorney.
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The indictments came almost six months after Mueller assumed the federal investigation into Russian collusion, yet so far the charges have not directly related to Manafort and Gates’ work for the Trump campaign or to Russian foreign policy. |
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| Republicans are betting the future won’t happen. Who wants to tell them? – USA TODAY | ||||
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| More charges could be coming against former Trump aide in Russia probe – CNN | ||||
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| Robert Mueller reveals hes taking down Mike Pence along with Donald Trump | ||||
For quite some time, it’s been clear that Mike Pence willfully lied to the American public in an attempt at protecting Michael Flynn and covering up Donald Trump’s Russia scandal. That means Pence is guilty of obstruction of justice and maybe a lot more. The big question has been whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller would try to take Pence down along with Trump, or wait to tackle Pence until after Trump has been ousted. Now we’re getting our answer. |
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| Erik Prince proposed private spy network to Trump administration, US official says | ||||
“This idea is going nowhere,” the official said and stressed neither the agency nor the director of the CIA is or was ever considering the proposal.
National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton told CNN that “the White House does not and would not support such a proposal” and that, “I can find no evidence that this ever came to the attention of anyone at the NSC or (White House) at all.” The Intercept
was first to report the proposal. A CIA spokesperson told The Intercept, “You have been provided wildly inaccurate information by people peddling an agenda.” A spokesperson for Prince denied the claims in a statement to CNN’s Erin Burnett.
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“The allegations made in Intercept’s latest article about Erik are completely false and this was made clear to them before the article was published. Any meetings Erik did have with members of the intelligence community, current or former, focused on his well-publicized plan for saving the US taxpayer $42 billion in Afghanistan,” the statement said. Prince was also questioned by House lawmakers last month over reports that he met the head of a Russian investment fund in an apparent effort to set up a backchannel for Russian communication with the Trump administration, and that senior Trump officials had authorized the meeting. While Prince testified to House lawmakers that he met the head of a Russian investment fund earlier this year — he insisted it was not part of an effort to set up a Russian backchannel with the Trump administration, multiple sources told CNN. CNN’s Erin Burnett, Manu Raju, Jeremy Herb and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report |
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| Erik Prince proposed private spy network to Trump administration … – CNN | ||||
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| How Robert Mueller is using Deutsche Bank to prove Russia bought off Donald Trump | ||||
Many Americans were surprised to learn today that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is working with a bank in Germany to try to connect the dots between Donald Trump and the Russian government. If you’ve been reading Palmer Report since January, you’re not surprised to see this story at all. All year long it’s been inevitable that Mueller would target Deutsche Bank in the Trump-Russia scandal. We know exactly what he’s looking for, because the biggest clues have long been hiding in plain sight. |
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| Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI – FrontPage Magazine | ||||
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| Mike Pompeo just proved why America needs him at the CIA | ||||
Mike Pompeo is being lined up to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, but I believe he should remain in his present position as CIA director.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe Pompeo could serve effectively as America’s chief diplomat. He has the knowledge and intellectual curiosity to manage the team at Foggy Bottom and the temperament to negotiate with championship BSers like the Russian and Iranian foreign ministers. It’s also clear that Tillerson’s tenure needs to come to an end. The problem, however, is that assuming Jeff Bezos can’t be persuaded to take on the CIA job, Pompeo is not easily replaceable. After all, it’s increasingly clear that Pompeo is thriving in his current position. We gained proof of this last week, when Pompeo and former CIA Director Leon Panetta, were interviewed by Bret Baier in California. Put simply, Pompeo evidenced an abundance of the two qualities that the CIA most depends on for its success: comfort with risk taking and intellectual rigor. On Iran, Pompeo (rightly) confirmed that he recently warned the head of the Islamic Republic’s covert action force not to threaten U.S. interests in Iraq. But if he was aggressive in this regard, Pompeo also showed cognizance of the complexity of Iranian politics. Describing various power blocks in Tehran, Pompeo referenced Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, President Hassan Rouhani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and explained that “one not ought to think of Iran as a unitary actor here.” This distinction is important in that it suggests Pompeo is focused on countering Iranian aggression while also mitigating actions that would destabilize more-moderate elements in the regime. This is necessary for any long-term U.S. policy success against Iran. The California event also showed that Pompeo has the trust of President Trump. That’s a big deal. Earning Trump’s trust, as we know, is a rare quality and one that Panetta rightly praised Pompeo for his success in establishing. Consider that if Trump doesn’t trust his CIA director, American policymaking will suffer in a vacuum of ignorance. Instead, it is based on Trump’s appreciation for Pompeo’s product. Some criticize the director for being “too political” in this regard, but I believe the opposite is true. By engaging with Trump at a personal level, Pompeo ensures the weighted influence of his agency in Trump’s deliberations. For one example as to why this is important, consider how Pompeo responded when Baier asked him whether the U.S. would continue supporting the Kurds of northern Syria. This is relevant in light of the apparent pledge by President Trump to Turkey to cease U.S. support for Kurdish groups. While Pompeo wouldn’t be drawn to an exact answer, he noted that “throwing allies under the bus is bad form.” I smiled at those words. As I’ve explained, the U.S. has a keen strategic interest in ensuring that Iran is not able to displace Kurdish influence along the Iraq-Syrian border. Pompeo also evidenced success at the broader strategic level. He argued that “in each and every case” he has asked Trump for more authority to take risks, the president has assented. Again, as I‘ve outlined, while Pompeo’s pro-risk approach to leading the CIA is important (albeit complex), it requires political support from the top. That he has won that support means Pompeo can lead his agency to deliver more security for America and better understandings to our policymakers. Still, the event also showed why Trump trusts Pompeo: The CIA director has a penchant for rising to the fight! For a few minutes during the discussion, Pompeo and Panetta were at each other’s necks as they disagreed over the merits (or otherwise) of President Trump’s tweets. With Panetta criticizing Trump, Pompeo pointed out that many of the foreign policy issues Trump is now addressing were left to metastasize under President Obama’s watch. Yet, Pompeo also exemplified an intellectual independence that is an absolute necessity for any effective CIA director. Praising Panetta for his work on counterterrorism operations while at the CIA, Pompeo stated that he frequently asks the Obama-era director “how to think about things.” This might seem simple, but it shows a bipartisan intellectual introspection — something that defines the CIA at its best. Finally, Pompeo also showed that he’s willing to listen and learn from his foreign counterparts. He specifically referenced ongoing U.S. efforts to support European counterintelligence operations against Russian intelligence services. Intelligence relations are instrumental in the U.S.-European alliance. Ultimately, the work of the CIA is too important to be left to just anybody. Pompeo is clearly exceeding expectations, both in his relationship with Trump and in his leadership of a complex but crucially important agency. For the sake of the nation, he should remain in Langley, Va. |
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| Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI | ||||
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical left and Islamic terrorism.
“There’s always conflicting recollections of facts,” FBI Director Comey said. It was a year ago and Comey was explaining why Hillary’s close aide, Cheryl Mills, not only received an immunity agreement in exchange for turning over her laptop, but a pass on lying to the FBI. The FBI Director claimed that Mills had to receive immunity because the laptop might be protected by attorney-client privilege. Mills, like Hillary Clinton, had worked as a lawyer. But they were both government officials working for the State Department. Hillary wasn’t Mills’ client. The government was. Comey and his people knew the law. They chose to ignore it to protect a key Hillary aide from rolling over. Mills was the woman Hillary would send in to clean up her dirty laundry. Mills had taken point on the email server cover-up. If anyone knew where the bodies were buried, she did. Instead not only did she get an immunity agreement, but the FBI also agreed to destroy the computers after the search. Mills had told the FBI that she didn’t know about Hillary’s email server. But the FBI had notes and emails proving that Mills was lying. And when Comey was asked about it, he came out with, “There’s always conflicting recollections of facts.” No doubt. That is what the lawyer of the woman who had been caught lying to the FBI might have been expected to argue. But there were no charges, instead the FBI Director was presenting her defense. George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn were charged with lying to investigators. But lying to investigators isn’t a crime when you’re Hillary Clinton. Or one of her associates. Hillary Clinton had told the FBI that she had no idea that the “C” stood for confidential. Instead of laughing in her face or arresting her, the FBI boss testified personally to her truthfulness. Hillary Clinton, Mills and Huma Abedin made what appear to be false statements to the FBI. Had Mills been working for Trump, the same number would have been run on Mills as on Flynn and Papadopoulos. But the men interviewing Mills didn’t want her to sing. They wanted her to keep quiet. Mills and Abedin were interviewed by the FBI’s Peter Strzok and the DOJ’s David Laufman. Strzok was exchanging pro-Hillary and anti-Trump messages in an extramarital affair with a woman working for FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe. McCabe’s wife had received a sizable amount of money from a Clinton ally. Laufman, whose counterintelligence section was heading the investigation, is an Obama donor. Mills’ lie made it more urgent to hand her an immunity agreement on any pretext. The immunity agreement wasn’t leverage for her testimony. It was leverage to keep her from testifying. The obstruction of justice was coming from the inside. Strzok received input on the Comey letter exonerating Clinton. The Mills interview killed two birds with one stone. A key Hillary aide got immunity and the evidence would be destroyed. This wasn’t an interview. It was a cover-up. It’s why Comey sounded like Mills’ lawyer. And why so many Clinton associates got immunity agreements. Why the FBI agreed to destroy evidence. Why there were no recordings of Hillary’s testimony. And why lying to the FBI wasn’t a crime when it came to Hillary and her aides. But the double standard kicked in when the Clinton cover-up crew went after Trump. While Mills received an immunity agreement based on an imaginary attorney-client privilege that didn’t exist, Manafort was denied attorney-client privilege with his actual attorney. |
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| US to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, Trump Says, Alarming Middle East Leaders – New York Times | ||||
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| Deportations Of Noncriminals Rise As ICE Casts Wider Net | ||||
The number of undocumented immigrants without criminal convictions deported from the U.S. interior rose dramatically in Trump’s first year in office. |
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| Donald Trumps attorneys go off the deep end after Robert Mueller seizes Trumps bank records | ||||
Earlier today several major news outlets reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has seized Donald Trump’s financial records from Deutsche Bank, which should uncover the money pipeline from Russia to Trump. This prompted Trump’s attorneys to frantically insist that the story is fake news. Various news outlets have responded by re-confirming the story. It appears Trump’s attorneys are trying to snow their own client, in the desperate hope of keeping him from lashing out. |
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| Special Counsel Investigation Has Cost at Least $6.7 million | ||||
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| The Trump Team Definitely Colluded With a Foreign PowerJust Not the One You Think | ||||
Former US national-security adviser Michael Flynn departs US District Court in Washington on December 1, 2017. (Reuters / Jonathan Ernst)
Friday’s indictment of former national-security adviser Michael Flynn has confirmed that Donald Trump’s inner circle colluded with a foreign power before entering the White House—just not the foreign power that has been the subject of our national fixation for the past year. To be sure, the jury is still out on Russia, though there are new grounds for questioning the case for a plot tying the Kremlin to Trump Tower. But with Flynn’s plea, we can now say for certain that the Trump team did collude—with Israel. To recap, Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about his conversations with then–Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the period after Trump’s November 2016 victory. As Foreign Policy previously reported, Flynn reached out to Kislyak as part of “a vigorous diplomatic bid,” to undermine President Obama’s decision to allow a December 2016 Security Council resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlement building in the Occupied Territories. The indictment fills in some details. According to the charge sheet, Flynn first made contact with Kislyak to discuss the Israel vote. We found out this weekend his reason for doing so. “[Special counsel Robert] Mueller’s investigators have learned through witnesses and documents that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asked the Trump transition team to lobby other countries to help Israel,” The New York Times reported after Flynn’s court appearance on Friday. “Investigators have learned that Mr. Flynn and [Trump son-in-law Jared] Kushner took the lead in those efforts”—efforts which failed to change a single vote, including Russia’s, which backed the measure in defiance of the Trump-Netanyahu subversion attempt. In short, the first known contact between the Trump campaign and Russia after the election occurred in the service of a different foreign power, Israel, and was ultimately fruitless. The next contact between Flynn and Kislyak was more productive. In late December, Obama imposed new sanctions on Russia for its alleged meddling in the 2016 election. A day later, Flynn called the Russian ambassador to request that the Kremlin, according to the plea document, “only respond to the U.S. Sanctions in a reciprocal manner.” Flynn’s overture came after a Trump transition colleague told him that the incoming administration “did not want Russia to escalate the situation.” By all accounts, Russia complied. Whatever one thinks about this covert attempt to reduce tensions with a nuclear-armed power, it demonstrates an effort by the Trump transition, as with the Israel vote, to undermine the outgoing administration’s policy. Trump critics have seized on that as a violation of the Logan Act, which bars citizens from having unauthorized negotiations with foreign governments in a dispute with the United States. But the Logan Act has seldom been used except as a partisan talking point, not a prosecutable offense. More importantly, there’s the question as to whether Flynn’s overture on sanctions prove a quid pro quo. Notwithstanding the post-election contact with Flynn, not only has Russia failed to gain a reduction in sanctions, but its relations with Washington have deteriorated. In early August, Trump signed new sanctions on Russia overwhelmingly approved by Congress. The administration recently presented lawmakers with a list of targets that “reads like a who’s who of the Russian defense and intelligence sectors,” The New York Times noted. In September, Trump shut down the Russian consulate in San Francisco and two annexes in New York City and Washington, DC. Just last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson denounced Russia’s “malicious tactics” against the West and vowed that sanctions imposed over Russian’s role in Ukraine “will remain in place until Russia reverses the actions that triggered them.” Meanwhile, Trump has enlarged NATO over Russia’s objections, carried out the “biggest military exercise in Eastern Europe since the Cold War” on Russia’s border, appointed several anti-Russia hawks to key posts, and continues to deliberate over whether to supply Ukraine with a weapons package that Obama himself rejected out of fear it would worsen the country’s civil war. In the latest flare-up, Russia has ordered international media outlets to register as foreign agents in retaliation for the Justice Department first doing so to Washington-based RT America. It is, of course, possible that all of this is an elaborate ruse to mask the secret, as yet unproven, conspiracy that many insist will lead to Trump’s downfall. The fact that Flynn is now a cooperating witness has refueled hopes that this day is finally approaching. After all, why would Flynn lie about his contacts with Russia if he did not have something to hide? And why would Mueller offer him a plea deal if Flynn wasn’t offering him a bigger fish to fry? (One plausible motive, as Buzzfeed notes, is that Flynn may have lied to hide his potential Logan Act violation.) Only time will tell whether Flynn has something to offer Mueller, or whether Mueller has gotten from him what he can. In the meantime, more than a year after the election, we still have exactly zero evidence of any cooperation between the Trump campaign and the Russian government—nor, it must be repeated, any evidence to back up US intelligence officials’ claims that the Russian government meddled in the election. We do have instances of Trump campaign figures’—namely, Donald Trump Jr. and low-level adviser George Papadopoulos—making contact with people that they thought were Russian government intermediaries. But whatever they were told or believed, there is still no proof that their contacts led to an actual Kremlin connection. What we do have is evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Israel to subvert the US government’s official position at the United Nations Security Council. Yet reaction to that news has been quite a departure from the standards of Russiagate when it comes to foreign meddling. The contrast was put on stark display on Sunday, when Jared Kushner appeared with billionaire Israeli-American media tycoon Haim Saban at the latter’s annual forum on US-Israel relations. Saban took a moment to thank Kushner for his role in the subversion effort that Flynn admitted to have undertaken on Israel’s behalf. “To be honest with you, as far as I know there’s nothing illegal there,” Saban told his stage companion. “But I think that this crowd and myself want to thank you for making that effort, so thank you very much.” For all of the fears of Russian oligarchs’ having influence over Trump, the comment from this American oligarch reveals a great deal about who really influences practically everyone in Washington, Republican or Democrat. Saban was not a Trump donor. He is, in fact, Bill and Hillary Clinton’s top all-time financial supporter, to the tune of more than $25 million; a benefactor whose generosity has helped build not just the Clinton Library but also the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters. But there has been no outrage from democracy-defending #Resistance stalwarts over Saban’s comments (and the Israeli subversion effort he endorsed). The same for news of Kushner’s failure to disclose his leadership of a group that funded the illegal Israeli settlements that he tried to protect at the United Nations. And now we await to see how those who agonize over foreign influence on Trump will respond to his reported plans to move the American embassy to Jerusalem—”a decision that would break with decades of U.S. policy and could fuel violence in the Middle East,” as Haaretz notes. It is unlikely that Trump will be challenged on Israel, because his approach is harmonic with a bipartisan consensus cemented in large part by the financial contributions of billionaires like Saban and his Republican pro-Israeli government counterpart, Sheldon Adelson. Hence, there are no editorials or opinion pieces denouncing Israel’s “Plot Against America,” or “War on America,” or warnings that “Odds Are, Israel Owns Trump,” or explorations of “What Israel Did to Control the American Mind.” Likewise, there will be no new groups forming dubbed the “Committee to Investigate Israel” or the “Tel Aviv Project.” In fact it is more than likely that, going forward, the media will give Israelgate the same treatment as cable’s top Russiagate sleuth, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, gave during her exhaustive Flynn coverage so far, which is to not even mention it. This weekend furnished us with another important contrast. Flynn’s indictment was followed hours later by the passage of the Senate Republican tax bill, which stands to be one of the largest upward transfers of wealth in US history. If protecting democracy is our goal, we may want to tune out the Russia-obsessed pundits and look closer to home. |
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| UK terror attacks: Review reveals what MI5 knew about Manchester, London Bridge and Westminster attackers | ||||
Security services missed opportunities to intercept the Manchester and London Bridge attackers, a report has found.
David Anderson QC, the former Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, made a total of 126 recommendations to MI5, police and the Government following the deaths of 36 victims this year. His report provided new detail on the run-up to the atrocities in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge. The following information has been declassified from internal reviews by MI5 and police. WestminsterDate: 22 March 2017
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Perpetrator: Khalid Masood, British, 52 (died at scene)
Met Police announce that terror perpetrator Khalid Masood was born Adrian Russell
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ManchesterDate: 22 May 2017
Manchester bomber Salman Abedi’s cousins speak out
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Manchester explosion in picturesManchester explosion in pictures
London BridgeDate: 3 June 2017
London Bridge attack ringleader ‘tried to hire 7.5 tonne lorry’
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London Bridge Terror AttackLondon Bridge Terror Attack
Finsbury ParkDate: 19 June 2017 |
IRRUSSIANALITY.
Twitter Search / CNNPolitics.
trump and republican party – Google News.
trump russian money – Google News.
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Abedin – Google News.
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Reuse contentThe World News and Times –
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| Counterterrorism expert named to lead FBI in Indianapolis – Kokomo Tribune | ||
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| “Its catastrophic: Europe allies reject Trumps expected Jerusalem pronouncement | ||
U.S. allies in Europe are warning that the move could further disrupt relations between Palestinians and Israelis and spark unrest in the region. |
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| Israel’s Super Secret Nuclear Weapons Program: Everything You Need to Know | ||
Kyle Mizokami Security, 
Israel does not confirm nor deny having nuclear weapons. Experts generally assess the country as currently having approximately eighty nuclear weapons, fewer than countries such as France, China and the UK.Israels first land-based nuclear weapons were based on Jericho I missiles developed in cooperation with France. Jericho I is believed to have been retired, replaced by Jericho II and -III ballistic missiles. Jericho II has a range of 932 miles, while Jericho III, designed to hold Iran and other distant states at risk, has a range of at least 3,106 miles. The total number of Israeli ballistic missiles is unknown, but estimated by experts to number at least two dozen. |
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| Israel Has a Submarine That Could Destroy Entire Nations (Armed with Nuclear Weapons) | ||
Kyle Mizokami Security, 
And this is everything we think we know about it.Whatever the missile, a 932-mile range gives it the abilityjust barelyto strike the Iranian capital of Tehran, as well as the holy city of Qom and the northern city of Tabriz, from a position off the coast of Syria. (Irans pursuit of nuclear arms is likely the main and enduring driver of Israels second strike capability.) That isnt an ideal firing position, and its been seventeen years since the missiles first flight, so its also reasonable to assume that the weapons range has been extended to the point where it can launch against Tehran and even more Iranian cities from a relatively safe location. |
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| In Defense of Rosensteins and Wrays Responses to Trump | ||
I wrote Monday morning about costs within the Justice Department when its leaders stay silent in the face of the Presidents caustic attacks on the departments independence and integrity. I mentioned in particular the silence of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and FBI Director Christopher Wray. I concluded:
Since I wrote these words, Wray and Rosenstein spoke in ways that are widely seen as a response to the President and a defense of the Justice Department and FBI workforces. On Monday, Wray sent an emailto FBI employees in which he stated that he was inspired by example after example of professionalism and dedication to justice demonstrated around the bureau. It is truly an honor to represent you. Wray urged the FBI to continue to keep focused on our critical mission, and concluded: Keep calm and tackle hard. And yesterday, Rosenstein stated in remarks at a Criminal Division ceremony that: In this department, Justice is our name. And justice is our mission. Justice is not just about winning a particular case, or sending a particular person to prison. It is about a fair and impartial process.
Rosenstein and Wray are engaged in a much more difficult and delicate balancing act. They are dealing with a President who is attacking the integrity of the Justice Department and the FBI in a truly unprecedented fashion at a time when many of the Presidents associates, and probably the President himself, are under investigation by the Justice Department and FBI. And indeed, the Presidents attacks on the department and FBI are probably designed to discredit that investigation. Against this background, Rosenstein and Wray face at least three important challenges. First, they have to defend the Justice Department and FBI in a way that maintains their personal credibility with the President. This is an admittedly slight consideration. Taken alone, it might not count for much, and one might think that the two men should simply stand on principle, stand up to the President openly and be fired. But there are at least two other considerations that cut the other way. The second consideration is the impact on the Justice Department if Trump cans Rosenstein and especially Wray. If these men more openly defied the President and he fired them, it is hard to see how the department and FBI, or the Trump investigation, would strengthened. The more likely consequence would be that the Justice Department and FBI would be thrown into further disarray than they already have been due to the many unfortunate events of the last year, ranging from Comeys firing to Rosensteins uneven performance to Sessions utter failure to stand up for the Justice Departments integritydisarray all exacerbated a great deal, of course, by the Presidents destructive tactics. One might even think that Trump would benefit from such a course of action and would look for an excuse to fire one or both. (I acknowledge that it is a hard question when to stand on principle and when notBen and Ihave debated this question in an analogous context.) I am largely persuaded by this second consideration, but the difficulty of Rosensteins and Wrays predicament comes into yet clearer focus when one considers that the Mueller investigation is now under relentless attack for being biased, out of control and vindictive. I cannot yet assess the reality of these charges. Even the appearance of bias here is deadly because, as I once wrote in an analogous context, Muellers work will be judged not just through the legal lens, but also through the political lens, and its success will stand in part on political factors. In this light, it is important to remember that Rosenstein and Wray are deeply responsible for the Mueller investigation. Rosenstein appointed Mueller and, under the pertinent regulations, retains significant authority over Muellers investigation. Wray is leading the FBI, which is obviously heavily involved in the investigation. For legal and political reasons, they thus must be scrupulous in not being, or appearing, biased against the President. Rosenstein and Wray thus find themselves in a wholly unprecedented situation and very awkward position. For reasons I outlined Monday, they must defend their workforce from the Presidents unprecedented attacks. But they must do so in ways that do not compromise the Mueller investigation or their role in it. The President deepens their dilemma every time he attacks the Justice Department and the FBI. Indeed, Trump certainly senses this, even if he does not fully understand ithis attacks on law enforcement invariably help him by making Muellers and Rosensteins and Wrays jobs in connection with the investigation harder and more political. Against this background, the general statements by the two men in the past two daysstatements which were formally neutral even as they unambiguously underscored the integrity of the Justice Department and FBI in ways that were widely seen as responses to Trumpis about the most that we, or their workforces, can reasonably expect. |
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| German Foreign Minister Unironically Calls for Solution to the Jerusalem Problem | ||
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel does not support President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, according to the Washington Post. “We all know the far-reaching impact this move would have,” he said in an interview. “Germany’s position on this issue remains unchanged: A solution to the Jerusalem problem can only be found through direct negotiations between both parties. Everything which worsens the crisis is counterproductive.” Leaving aside Gabriel’s conventional pro-Palestinian policy analysis, maybe he could have chosen his words more carefully? And maybe European governments might want to sit this one out? The Washington Post goes on to say that word of President Trump’s announcement “dominated European news coverage Wednesday, especially in countries such as Germany, France, and Britain where anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise in recent yearspartially due to an escalation of tensions between Israel and Palestinians.” That’s one way of looking at it, we suppose. Reporters never waste an opportunity to blame Israel for Europe’s troubles. Another way of looking at it is that rising European anti-Semitism has coincided with rising European Islamism, rising European secularism hostile to Jewish particularity and ritual, and rising European nationalism of the kind that led to the murder of six million European Jews less than a century ago. The Boycott Divest Sanctions movement, the spearhead of global efforts to delegitimize the state of Israel, is also strong on the continent, where goods made in Jewish communities in the West Bank are required to carry a warning label. Little surprise that Jews are leaving places like France in record numbers. Jewish migration from Germany is relatively stable, but that may be because there are so few Jews left in Germany to begin with. Still, Josef Schuster, president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, told Bild last July that “In some districts in major cities, I’d advise people not to identify themselves as Jews.” Minister Gabriel might want to advise his government to spend less time on a “Jerusalem problem” that exists mainly in the heads of diplomats, and more time on an anti-Semitism problem that affects the lives of German Jews every day. Just a thought. The post German Foreign Minister Unironically Calls for ‘Solution to the Jerusalem Problem’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon. |
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| Doctors identify brain abnormalities in Cuba attack patients | ||
Doctors treating the U.S. Embassy victims of mysterious, invisible attacks in Cuba have discovered brain abnormalities as they search for clues to explain the hearing, vision, balance and memory damage, The Associated Press has learned. |
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| Tillerson touts good opportunity for Mideast peace despite criticism of U.S. policy shift on Jerusalem | ||
The secretary of state said at NATO headquarters that President Trump remains very committed to the Middle East peace process.    |
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| The Early Edition: December 6, 2017 | ||
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Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad. Here’s today’s news. |
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| Time names the #metoo movement as 2017 Person of the Year | ||
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year isn’t just one person but millions of victims of sexual harassment and assault.   |
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| Silence Breakers named Time magazine’s Person of the Year | ||
The anti-harassment #MeToo movement has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. |
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| ‘War Cry’ enters New Brooklyn comics with a bang | ||
Looking for a zany new superhero comic, War Cry might just answer your call.  |
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| Cuomo attacks GOP for tax bill that ‘cripples’ high-tax states | ||
Cuomo said New York and California continue to be the largest donor states to the federal government.  |
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| 22 Russian athletes appeal to have Olympic bans lifted | ||
The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it has registered appeals by 22 Russian athletes.  |
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| Sleeping straphanger ripped off for phone, license, and charge cards | ||
See this story at BrooklynPaper.com. By Julianne McShane Brooklyn Paper 68th PrecinctBay Ridge—Dyker Heights Nodded, and robbedA punk stole a man’s iPhone 7, driver’s license, and debit and credit cards when he was sleeping on the N train between the Bay Parkway and Eighth Avenue stops on Dec. 3. Cash grabberA lout stole a little more than $700 from a Ridge man’s purloined debit card at an ATM on 18th Avenue at some point after Nov. 13. Out of orderA no-goodnik stole a little more than $1,000 via money order after a Ridge man mailed it to his landlord from his Fourth Avenue home at some point after June 5. Left it, lost itA miscreant stole from a man’s wallet, citizenship card, two credit cards, and one debit card from his unlocked car parked on 14th Avenue at some point between Nov. 26 and 29. |
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| Thief robs Downtown hotel, but drops stolen cash trying to outrun cops | ||
See this story at BrooklynPaper.com. By Colin Mixson Brooklyn Paper 84th PrecinctBrooklyn Heights–DUMBO–Boerum Hill–Downtown Checking outA thief robbed a Duffield Street hotel at gunpoint on Dec. 4, taking cash. Code breakerSome goon stole a man’s phone on Pacific Street on Dec. 01, after the crook forced the victim into giving up his passcode. Teen terrorizedTwo thieves robbed a 15-year-old boy on Livingston Street on Dec. 1. Rough commuteSome crook beat and robbed a straphanger waiting at the DeKalb Avenue subway station on Dec. 1. BeatsCops arrested a man who stole someone’s headphones inside a Main Street building on Dec. 1, before threatening with a pair of scissors. |
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| Dastardly duo jumps a man, steals his cash, and cuts him when he resists | ||
See this story at BrooklynPaper.com. By Julianne Cuba Brooklyn Paper 88th PrecinctFort Greene–Clinton Hill Street stabbingA pair of louts stabbed a guy and stole his cash on Myrtle Avenue on Nov. 28, police said. The 63-year-old victim told police he was walking near Washington Park at about 10:30 am when the two nogoodniks came up to him, and the first put his hand on his shoulder and then removed $152 in cash from his pocket, according to authorities. The second malefactor then tried to knife him when he told the baddies he had no more money, but he put up his hand to block the blade and wound up getting cut, officials said. The ruffians then threw him to the ground, and he hit his head, police said. Phantom pilfererA jerk broke into a woman’s Saint James Place home on Nov. 30 and stole her jewelry and electronics, police said. Bye bye bike!Some weasel stole a woman’s keys and the CitiBike she was using on Willoughby Street on Nov. 24, police said. The woman told police she dropped her keys somewhere with the key ring attached and used it to access the bike for unlimited usage near Hall Street at about 4 pm, when she later got an email that she was still getting charged for someone using the bike, officials said. In the blink of an eyeA goniff swiped a woman’s wallet from her purse as she was on a G train near Lafayette Avenue on Nov. 28, police said. The scofflaw must have reached inside the 39-year-old woman’s purse and grabbed her wallet aboard the Church Avenue-bound green bullet after she got on at the Classon Avenue station, police said. The woman hopped off near Fulton Street when she realized her bag was opened and her wallet with her driver’s license, five credit cards, BJ’s card, and Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association card worth a total of $45 was missing, officials said. Dropped and goneSome sneak stole a woman’s wallet at a DeKalb Avenue hospital on Nov. 29, police said. The 27-year-old said she dropped her wallet in the medical center near Willoughby Street at about 2 pm, with her Dominican Republic identification card, United States resident card, and two credit cards inside, and later got a call from one of the credit card companies that some baddie was charging them, according to authorities. |
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| Reefer badness: Two men busted for smoking marijuana on the street | ||
See this story at BrooklynPaper.com. By Colin Mixson Brooklyn Paper Reefer madnessPatrolmen at the 78th Precinct busted two men for allegedly smoking pot on separate occasions late last month. Teen terrorCops busted a 16-year-old boy suspected of stealing a man’s phone inside a Hanson Place shopping center on Nov. 22, and then threatening to shoot him when he demanded its return. Pie guysPolice arrested two men, ages 45 and 53, accused of busting into a Fifth Avenue pizza joint on Nov. 22. |
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| Assassins killed Panama Papers journalist with text message bomb | ||
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s car exploded last month as she was driving near her home in Malta.  |
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| God’s Plan for Mike Pence – The Atlantic | ||
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| Mueller Said to Have Subpoenaed Deutsche Bank: DealBook Briefing – New York Times | ||
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| Border arrests drop, deportations soar in Trump’s first year – SFGate | ||
| New York Times forced to heavily amend another supposed KT McFarland ‘scoop’ – Washington Examiner | ||
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| Russia Banned From 2018 Winter Olympics, Some Athletes to Compete Under Neutral Flag – Sports Illustrated | ||
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| Donald Trump Jr. asked Russian lawyer for info on Clinton Foundation – NBCNews.com | ||
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| Republicans are betting the future won’t happen. Who wants to tell them? – USA TODAY | |||
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| Donald Trump Jr. to face questions about Russia contacts on Capitol Hill – ABC News | |||
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| More charges could be coming against former Trump aide in Russia probe – CNN | |||
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| Legal Weed Is Coming to New Jersey – VICE | |||
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| Corey Lewandowski: Getting fired by Trump could be “greatest thing that ever happened” – CBS News | |||
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| Robert Mueller reveals hes taking down Mike Pence along with Donald Trump | |||
For quite some time, it’s been clear that Mike Pence willfully lied to the American public in an attempt at protecting Michael Flynn and covering up Donald Trump’s Russia scandal. That means Pence is guilty of obstruction of justice and maybe a lot more. The big question has been whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller would try to take Pence down along with Trump, or wait to tackle Pence until after Trump has been ousted. Now we’re getting our answer. Mike Pence’s people are preparing him for what they believe is an inevitable interview with Mueller, according to details buried pretty far down the page in a lengthy new CNN online report (link). Mueller now has Michael Flynn on his side, and Flynn’s testimony and evidence are enough to incriminate Pence. Make no mistake: if Mueller is sitting down with Pence while he’s still investigating Trump, it’s to try to nail Pence. So where does this go? Flynn is admitting that he was notifying the Trump transition team in real time about his efforts to get the Russian Ambassador to delay the Russian government’s sanctions response. Mike Pence was the head of the transition team. So unless the entire team conspired to keep this information from Pence, which is not a believable scenario, Pence knew that Flynn was committing crimes. That means Pence lied a month later when he claimed he had no knowledge of Flynn doing anything wrong. Someone on the transition team will cut a deal and confirm that Mike Pence knew what Michael Flynn was up to. Throw in the fact that Congress notified Pence about some of Flynn’s crimes back in November of 2016, and Pence is hosed. Is Robert Mueller seeking to force Pence to cut a deal against Trump and resign the vice presidency? Only Mueller knows but it’s clear Pence knows he’s in jeopardy. The post Robert Mueller reveals he’s taking down Mike Pence along with Donald Trump appeared first on Palmer Report. |
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| By pointing the finger at Moscow, Hillary Clinton has promoted Vladimir Putin power – Washington Times | |||
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| Is Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation politically biased? – Fox Business | |||
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| Trump Will Recognize Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital And Announce U.S. Embassy Move | |||
The decision threatens to inflame Israeli-Palestinian tensions and provoke outrage across the region.  |
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| White House: Jerusalem embassy move a ‘recognition of reality’ – CNN | |||
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| Erik Prince proposed private spy network to Trump administration … – CNN | |||
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| Donald Trump Jr. likely to face questions on Russian contacts from House panel – NBCNews.com | |||
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| Gangster Capitalism and Nostalgic Authoritarianism in Trump’s America – Truthdig | |||
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| The media feeding frenzy about Donald Trump firing Robert Mueller is out of control | |||
Donald Trump is going to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller any minute now, according to nearly every political news outlet in the country, based on no evidence whatsoever. Last month’s logic: Mueller arrested Paul Manafort, therefore Trump is about to fire Mueller. Last week’s logic: Michael Flynn cut a deal, therefore Trump is about to fire Mueller. This week’s logic: Mueller is probing Trump’s finances, therefore Trump is about to fire Mueller. It’s a media feeding frenzy, and it’s out of control. Remember all the media buzz about Donald Trump firing James Comey just before it happened? No, you don’t, because there was none. That was the entire point. Trump was trying to catch everyone off guard by firing Comey at a time when no one was expecting it, hoping that he would get away with it because not enough of the public was paying attention to the Russia scandal at the time. It backfired on him, but there was a logic to it. Trump firing Mueller right now would be completely logicless, even by Trump’s warped standards. He knows everyone is watching him right now. He knows the public is eager to eat him alive if he does it. He knows his own Republican Party might even have to dunk him for it. They could, and at this point probably would, turn around and immediately reappoint Mueller as a more powerful Independent Counsel. It’s not that the GOP cares about doing the right thing. It just doesn’t want to go into the midterms having to answer for why it let Trump fire Mueller. Trump, for all his deranged ideas and increasingly addled brain, knows this. So why is the media pushing the narrative so vigilantly about Donald Trump preparing to fire Robert Mueller? It’s the same reason the media has begun automatically hyping this same narrative every time Mueller has made a breakthrough. It comes down to one word: ratings. People hear this, they get scared, they tune in for more. It’s not that the odds of Trump firing Mueller are zero. Anything is possible. It’s just that the odds of it are no better now than the last time ten times the media breathlessly overhyped this particular narrative. The post The media feeding frenzy about Donald Trump firing Robert Mueller is out of control appeared first on Palmer Report. |
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| Firing Mueller would be hard for Trump and Congress should make it impossible – USA TODAY | |||
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| Trump’s Endorsement of Roy Moore Points Up a GOP Problem: Chaos – New York Times | |||
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| How Robert Mueller is using Deutsche Bank to prove Russia bought off Donald Trump | |||
Many Americans were surprised to learn today that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is working with a bank in Germany to try to connect the dots between Donald Trump and the Russian government. If you’ve been reading Palmer Report since January, you’re not surprised to see this story at all. All year long it’s been inevitable that Mueller would target Deutsche Bank in the Trump-Russia scandal. We know exactly what he’s looking for, because the biggest clues have long been hiding in plain sight. For years, Deutsche Bank has been loaning unreasonably large sums of money to Donald Trump. Even after most banks worldwide concluded that Trump had become too unlikely to repay his loans and had thus stopped lending to him, Deutsche Bank continued floating Trump almost single handedly. Even after Deutsche Bank hit hard times of its own and should’t have been making risky loans of any kind, it continued to keep Trump afloat for no apparent reason. Then in January of 2017, we learned what appeared to be the reason. Regulators in the United States and Europe busted Deutsche Bank for having laundered billions of dollars in Russian money into the hands of clients in places like New York City. The story was widely reported in the British press at the time, but it barely got a mention in the American press. Nonetheless it wasn’t difficult to put the pieces together: the Russian government appeared to be sending money to Deutsche Bank, which the bank then turned around and “loaned” to Donald Trump, as a way of funneling money to him. We’ve never been able to definitively prove this, but Robert Mueller can. It’s why he sent a subpoena to Deutsche Bank months ago in order to get his hands on financial records in relation to the Trump-Russia scandal. We don’t yet know why Deutsche Bank has chosen now to finally cooperate. But we do know what Mueller is looking for: the money trail that proves Russia bought Trump with cold hard cash before installing him as a puppet in the White House. The post How Robert Mueller is using Deutsche Bank to prove Russia bought off Donald Trump appeared first on Palmer Report. |
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| Music promoter behind Trump Jr. meeting with Russian lawyer to testify before congressional investigators: Report – Washington Examiner | |||
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| Comey Gets Emotional in Latest Subtweet Against Trump: Lady Liberty ‘In Rough Weather’ – Mediaite | |||
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| Robert Muellers holiday gift to the American people: even more Trump-Russia indictments | |||
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s Russia scandal has become increasingly fruitful over the past five weeks. He’s now indicted and arrested four people, including two of Trump’s most infamous advisers, two of whom have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Now comes word that even more Trump-Russia indictments may soon be on the way. We’ve already documented that the publicly available schedule for the federal court in Washington DC, where Mueller has carried out most of his grand juries to date, has dozens of sealed items on it. Based on the manner in which the case numbers are grouped, they appear to represent sealed indictments against six or seven individuals. Items are only sealed for good reason. Most or all of these indictments are likely against Trump-Russia players. But now something else entirely is playing out in the public view, and it involves one of the names you’ve already heard. The attorney for Rick Gates was forced to appear in front of a judge this week because there was a perceived conflict of interest between his representation of Gates and that of another client. For reasons known only to him, the attorney used this as an opportunity to tell the judge that Mueller’s team has informed him that even more indictments could be coming against Gates, according to a new CNN report (link). This means Gates would be hit with charges for alleged crimes that Mueller either didn’t have ready, or didn’t know about, at the time of the arrest. Why does this matter? By the time the smoke clears, few among the public are going to care or remember what ends up happening to Rick Gates. But it’s notable that this is coming almost immediately after Robert Mueller busted Gates’ business partner Paul Manafort for having conspired with a Russian spy to try to taint the jury pool. No one knows how Mueller found out about it unless Gates told him. All we know is that more indictments are coming soon. Some are against the same old faces, and some are against even bigger players. Happy holiday. The post Robert Mueller’s holiday gift to the American people: even more Trump-Russia indictmentsappeared first on Palmer Report. |
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| Mike Pompeo just proved why America needs him at the CIA – Washington Examiner | |||
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| Russia’s Influence Spreads – American Spectator | |||
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| Press backpedals on Trump collusion charge, focuses on obstruction – Washington Examiner | |||
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| Obstruction of Justice was Coming from Inside the FBI – FrontPage Magazine | |||
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| White House: Reports of anti-Trump investigator on Mueller team ’cause a great deal of concern’ – Washington Examiner | |||
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