Daily Archives: July 1, 2019

Does Ilhan Omar Know that Foreign Donations are Illegal?

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There are methods around this but we must keep a close eye here. As published by MEMRI with full citations, this congresswoman clearly has some questionable connections and activities beyond those here at home. (hat tip to MEMRI for the steller work here)

BTW, the media is all too quick to report on allegations when it is alleged for President Trump…

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In Call For Campaign Funds For U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar – Who Has Met With Turkish President Erdogan – Turkish Pro-Government News Outlets Declare: ‘Ilhan Omar Laid Out The U.S.’s Lies In The Middle East One By One!’

In an article about U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the manager of the Turkish state-run news channel TRT World’s Research Centre, Dr. Tarek Cherkaoui, encouraged readers to donate to Omar’s campaign fund. The article, written for the English-language website of the Turkish pro-government daily Yeni Şafak and published April 1, 2019, was titled “Media Flak Directed At Ilhan Omar No Surprise At All.”[1] At least seven other Turkish media outlets ran the same article, in both English and in Turkish. It should be noted that U.S. federal law prohibits foreign nationals from donating to political candidates.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) meets with Turkish President Erdoğan during the 2017 UN General Assembly.

Turkish News Outlets Call For Funding For Omar

In his article, Dr. Cherkaoui wrote that “donating money to Omar’s campaign fund would be an adequate way of denying powerful organizations the power to censor alternative voices.”[2] The article, which originally appeared in Yeni Şafak, was also published, with the same call for funds, on both the English- and Turkish-language websites of Turkish state-run news wire Anadolu Agency,[3] the website of the Turkish state-run TRT World’s Research Centre,[4] and the Turkish news websites TimeTurk,[5] Haksöz Haber,[6] TürkHaber,[7] and Fikriyat.[8]

It is difficult to calculate the reach that this call has had among Turkish readers, but Yeni Şafak’s Turkish-language website is one of Turkey’s most popular news websites,[9] and, as of September 2018, its Turkish print edition had a weekly circulation of 111,622.[10] Given Omar’s popularity in Turkey, and that the article was published in Turkish as well as in English, it is likely that some Turks have sought to donate to Rep. Omar’s campaign fund.

Turkish Foreign Minister Phones Omar To Congratulate Her On Election Wins; Omar Meets With Erdoğan In New York, And With Turkish Consul General, Participates In Istanbul Conference

According to diplomatic sources, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu phoned Rep. Omar in November 2016 to congratulate her on her election victory,[11] and again congratulated her on her win in November 2018.[12]

Turkish press reports on Turkish FM’s phone call congratulating Omar.

In September 2017, Rep. Omar met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he was in New York for the UN General Assembly.[13] President Erdoğan’s party, the AKP, tweeted about the meeting from its official Twitter account.[14] On July 1, 2017, Omar tweeted that she had met, the previous day, with Turkish Consul General in Chicago Umut Acar for lunch and a tour.[15] The tweet linked to a Facebook page that has since been removed.

A year later, on September 24, 2018, Turkish Consul General Umut Acar tweeted a photo of himself, Omar, and another woman. Acar wrote: “We hosted Omar at the residence.” He went on to describe Omar’s life.[16]

On February 4, 2017, Omar spoke on a panel at the “Who Is A Defender? International Human Rights Defenders Conference,” held in the Şişli district of Istanbul, Turkey. the conference was organized by the Şişli municipality.[17]

Omar at “Who Is A Defender? International Human Rights Defenders Conference” in  Şişli, February 2017.

Turkish Media Praise For Rep. Omar

Omar has become a favorite of both the Turkish- and English-language media in Turkey. TRT World’s YouTube channel, the English-language channel of the Turkish state-owned broadcasting network TRT, has at least a dozen videos featuring her,[18] including an interview with Omar herself.[19] Hundreds of news articles in Turkish about her have been published, some under headlines such as “Ilhan Omar Laid Out The U.S.’s Lies In The Middle East One By One!”[20] and, in a play on a Turkish expression, “The One Who Tells The Truth Will Be Chased Out Of Nine Parliaments.”[21]

Dr. Cherkoui’s Article: “Media Flak Directed At Ilhan Omar No Surprise At All”

Following are excerpts of Dr. Cherkaoui’s article, “Media Flak Directed At Ilhan Omar No Surprise At All,” as it first appeared on the English-language website of Yeni Şafak on April 1, 2019:

“Recently, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its annual conference amidst political upheavals both in the United States and the Middle East. It is no secret that AIPAC has an enormously influential role in American politics and the organization’s events, and especially the annual AIPAC Policy Conference, are generally well attended by top political personalities in Washington D.C. and beyond.

“During this year’s gathering, heavy criticism was directed to Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. For example, American Vice President Mike Pence said ‘recently, a freshman Democrat in Congress trafficked in repeated anti-Semitic tropes,’ adding that ‘anyone who slanders those who support this historic alliance between the United States and Israel should never have a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives.’[22]

“It is interesting to note that Rep. Omar had not expressed anti-Semitic statements per se. She made comments[23] on Twitter about the nature of AIPAC’s influence in Washington. However, her remarks were distorted and taken out of context.

“The smear campaign directed against Omar is merely an attempt to stifle this new wave of youthful political activism, which paved the way for greater representation of minority groups and women. This increasing influence of minorities in the political sphere is surely not to the liking of the Republican Party’s support base. The latter sees with suspicion the loss of urban and suburban centers to minority candidates. The new dynamics are set to alter the balance of power in the long-term since the current demographics that brought electoral victory to the Republican Party relies primarily on an aging populace of conservative whites.

“This transformation is already affecting electoral behavior. For instance, in the aftermath of Nov. 7, 2018, the Democrats succeeded in wresting a 223-seat majority in the House of Representatives. In this context, Ilhan Omar (who is a Somali refugee) and Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim women to be elected to Congress.

“Interestingly, both Omar and Tlaib were singled out in the current AIPAC controversy. For example, Adam Milstein, one of AIPAC’s biggest donors, accused them of being representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood,[24] saying that their values ‘clash with American values.’[25]

“Such outburst of accusations is indicative of the growing impatience among power centers in the U.S. The latter are used to having a firm grip on the political process and shaping the contours of political debate incontestably. In contrast, the emergence of strong counter-narratives by grassroots organizations disrupt the existing status quo and expose its fallacies…

“Therefore, the media flak (to borrow the term of Herman and Chomsky) directed against Omar and others, does not come as a surprise. It is merely part of the institutional power’s response. Negative ‘public’ responses are directed towards opposing narratives and positions to close down any serious discussion about the role and consequences of U.S. foreign policy in the world. Against this backdrop, harassing opinion leaders, academics, journalists, and activists can take many forms, such as social media hate campaigns, ads,[26] trolling, letters, phone calls, speeches, and lawsuits.

“Among the rhetorical devices used to intimidate Omar and like-minded politicians is to make the connection between Israel’s criticism and anti-Semitism. Such a misleading and pre-packaged conclusion helps frame the debate in a way that conceals both the political agendas at play and the lack of sound supporting reasons. The current controversy has nothing to do with anti-Semitism but is all about protecting Israel from criticism and conflating Zionism with Judaism.

“All in all, it is not possible to silence those who question the rationale behind the U.S. policy towards Israel, especially in an era of information overload. By the same token, it is imperative for civil society organizations in the U.S. to have a better media presence, not only to push their narratives but also to prevent the spreading of falsehood within the public sphere. This will reinforce democratic politics and responsible journalism.

“Lastly, since the campaign was fixated on making an example of Ilhan Omar, donating money to Omar’s campaign fund would be an adequate way of denying powerful organizations the power to censor alternative voices.”

 

[1] Yenisafak.com/en/world/media-flak-directed-at-ilhan-omar-no-surprise-at-all-3477913, April 1, 2019.

[2] According to the Federal Exchange Commission, federal law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to political candidates.

[3] Aa.com.tr/en/analysis/media-flak-directed-at-ilhan-omar-no-surprise-at-all/1440079, April 2, 2019; Aa.com.tr/tr/analiz/ilhan-omar-a-yonelik-medya-saldirisi-sasirtici-degil/1446761, April 9, 2019.

[4] Researchcentre.trtworld.com/publications/in-depth/media-flak-directed-at-ilhan-omar-no-surprise-at-all, April 2, 2019.

[5] Timeturk.com/analiz-ilhan-omar-a-yonelik-medya-saldirisi-sasirtici-degil/haber-1069674, May 9, 2019.

[6] Haksozhaber.net/abdde-ilhan-omara-yonelik-medya-saldirisi-sasirtici-degil-113351h.htm, April 10, 2019.

[7] Turkhabersaati.com/ilhan-omara-yonelik-medya-saldirisi-sasirtici-degil, accessed May 9, 2019.

[8] Fikriyat.com/islam-dunyasi/2019/04/09/ilhan-omara-yonelik-medya-saldirisi-sasirtici-degil, April 9, 2019.

[9] Webional.com/turkiyede-en-cok-tiklanan-siteler, November 15, 2018.

[10] Medyatava.com/tiraj, accessed May 9, 2018.

[11] Takvim.com.tr/guncel/2016/11/10/cavusoglundan-omara-tebrik-telefonu, November 10, 2016.

[12] Aa.com.tr/tr/turkiye/cavusoglundan-ilhan-omar-ve-rashida-tlaibe-tebrik/1306044, November 8, 2018.

[13] Trthaber.com/haber/gundem/cumhurbaskani-erdoganin-abddeki-kabulleri-suruyor-333929.html, September 19, 2017.

[14] Twitter.com/akparti/status/910032082163904512, September 19, 2017.

[15] Twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/881276926849146882, July 1, 2017.

[16] Twitter.com/acarumut/status/1044326904239722497, September 24, 2018.

[17] Iha.com.tr/istanbul-haberleri/abdnin-ilk-basortulu-milletvekili-ilhan-omar-suan-ulkede-olanlardan-cok-memnun-degiliz-1613861, February 4, 2017.

[18] Youtube.com/channel/UC7fWeaHhqgM4Ry-RMpM2YYw/search?query=Ilhan+Omar, accessed May 1, 2019.

[19] Youtube.com/watch?v=kuscoOjc99o&t=1s, January 13, 2019.

[20] Yeniakit.com.tr/haber/ilhan-omar-abdnin-ortadogudaki-yalanlarini-tek-tek-siraladi-668354.html, March 21, 2019.

[21] Milligazete.com.tr/makale/1927821/fatma-tuncer/dogru-konusani-dokuz-meclisten-kovarlar, March 25, 2019.

[22] Haaretz.com/us-news/mike-pence-slams-ilhan-omar-at-aipac-full-transcript-1.7059025, Mar 25, 2019.

[23] Twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1102296763292139520, Mar 3, 2019.

[24] Twitter.com/AdamMilstein/status/1111331092953333761, March 28, 2019.

[25] Haaretz.com/israel-news/pro-israel-donor-pulls-out-of-aipac-conference-after-attacking-omar-tlaib-1.7041194, March 21, 2019.

[26] Twitter.com/dancohen3000/status/1109826087352193026?s=12, March 24, 2019.

Close the Camps Protests Scheduled Nationally

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Here we go: Go to Closethecampsnow dot org to get the information.

This Tuesday, July 2, while members of Congress are home for the Fourth of July holiday, we will gather at their local offices in protest. Our demands:

  1. Close the Camps
  2. Not One Dollar for Family Detention
 and Deportation
  3. Bear Witness and Reunite Families

Will you join a local Close the Camps protest near you this Tuesday, July 2? Find an event and bring everyone you know.

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Meanwhile, just published:

ICE Removals by Arresting Agency: FY2019 Q2 (01/01/2019 - 03/31/2019)

Statement attributable to Nathalie R. Asher (ICE Executive Associate Director) – The enforcement statistics from January-March 2019 illustrate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is committed to arresting and removing unlawfully present aliens, with criminal histories, who threaten public safety and endanger immigrant communities. During this time period, more than 85 percent of aliens arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers, and more than 91 percent of aliens removed from the interior of the United States, had received criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

The situation at the border continues to impact interior enforcement, with ERO personnel routinely detailed to support the processing and detention of arriving aliens. Administrative arrests of criminal aliens over the first two quarters of FY19 are down 14 percent versus the same time period in FY18. And, ICE removals stemming from U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehensions have increased 10 percent in the first two quarters of FY19 over FY18. The agency is dedicated to using its authorities to enforce U.S. immigration laws, and ICE officers will continue to conduct enforcement humanely, respectfully and with professionalism.

ICE Removals by Arresting Agency: FY2019 Q2 (01/01/2019 – 03/31/2019)
Arresting Agency Convicted Criminal Pending Criminal Charges Other Immigration Violator Total
Total 34,960 6,024 22,556 63,540
CBP 19,281 2,512 20,708 42,501
ICE 15,679 3,512 1,848 21,039

Editor’s Note: The arrest and removal statistics provided in this announcement include preliminary data. Official numbers can vary slightly from preliminary data depending on when statistics are reported and collected. Enforcement data is not considered final and static until the end of the fiscal year.

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How bad is it really?

For months, Democrats denied the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border, with Sen. Chuck Schumer, flanked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, going so far as to accuse President Donald Trump of working to “manufacture a crisis, stoke fear and divert attention from the turmoil in his administration.”

The president, on the other hand, has made the situation on the southern border a top priority, in January declaring it both a “humanitarian and security crisis,” and stressing it ever since. Read the full summary here.

ANTIFA and the CVE Program(s)

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So far we can label this a failure…gotta wonder if residents in Portland were told to shelter in place or they just do it on their own.

The DHS website last updated in 2016 with respect to Countering Violent Extremism reads in part as follows:

Terrorism Prevention Partnerships

Violent extremist threats come from a range of groups and individuals, including domestic terrorists and homegrown violent extremists in the United States, as well as international terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL. Lone offenders or small groups may be radicalized to commit violence at home or attempt to travel overseas to become foreign fighters. The use of the Internet and social media to recruit and radicalize individuals to violence means that conventional approaches are unlikely to identify and disrupt all terrorist plots.

Here in the United States, acts perpetrated by violent extremists can have far-reaching consequences. Terrorism Prevention Partnerships (TPP) have therefore become a key focus of DHS’s work to secure the homeland. TPP aims to address the root causes of violent extremism by providing resources to communities to build and sustain local prevention efforts and promote the use of counter-narratives to confront violent extremist messaging online.  Building relationships based on trust with communities is essential to this effort.

See something say something? Okay….Did the Portland Police report anything? The Mayor? The Governor? The citizens of Portland?

According to OregonLive, authorities knew well in advance:

Multiple demonstrations are taking place in downtown Portland on Saturday.

Online postings indicate two right-wing demonstrations are scheduled for Saturday: one involving the Proud Boys, a fraternal organization known for street fighting, and another organized by conservative activist Haley Adams and the “HimToo Movement.” Counterprotesters, including supporters of Rose City Antifa, are planning to gather in opposition.

Portland police say three sites — at Pioneer Square, Chapman Square and Waterfront Park — will be involved, and that the events will begin around noon. Lt. Tina Jones declined to comment on the groups that police were anticipating at each protest, or how many people they expected to be there.

UPDATED 6:49 p.m.: 3 arrested in downtown Portland protests involving antifa, right-wing groups

UPDATED 5:29 p.m.:

The protests are over. We’ll have a story up shortly.

So, seems this CVE/DHS program did not work out so well, right? Read on and ask yourself, is this the best we can do?

Terrorism Prevention Lines of Effort

OTPP implements a full-range of partnerships to support and enhance efforts by law enforcement, faith leaders, local government officials, and communities to prevent radicalization and recruitment by terrorist organizations.  OTPP also provides these stakeholders with training and technical assistance to develop CVE prevention programs in support of resilient communities. OTPP leads the Department’s CVE mission with the following objectives:

  • Community Engagement. OTPP works with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to facilitate community engagements to build awareness and promote dialogue with community partners, which includes engagements with DHS senior leadership;
  • Field Support Expansion and Training. OTPP supports DHS field staff across the country to develop and strengthen local partnerships and to provide training opportunities;
  • Grant Support. OTPP worked with FEMA to provide $10 million in grants to community-based programs under the FY2016 Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program.  Those projects have a period of performance that runs through July 2019.
  • Philanthropic Engagement. OTPP works with the philanthropic community to maximize support for local communities, and encourage long-term partnerships;
  • Tech Sector Engagement. OTPP engages the tech sector to identify and amplify credible voices online and promote counter-narratives against violent extremist messaging.

There is some kind of procedure to be listed as a domestic terror group, but those details are fleeting in open source information. We have some big work to do and some questions to be answered. However, according to the FBI website here is a sample list for gangs/extremist groups:

11.30.10

Black September

11.30.10

Aryan Nation

12.06.10

Mexican Mafia

12.06.10

Mafia Monograph

12.06.10

Bloods and Crips Gang

11.30.10

Clarence Smith (aka 13x)

05.05.11

White Hate Groups

03.27.11

WACO / Branch Davidian Compound

03.23.11

Imperial Gangsters

Imperial Gangsters The Imperial Gangsters was a violent street gang based in Miami. In 1994, the FBI’s Miami Division proposed an undercover operation against the gang. In 1995, the division requested a reauthorization of the operation.

03.02.11

Black Guerilla Family

03.02.11

Black Mafia Family

05.17.11

Original Knights of the KKK

03.02.11

Gangster Disciples

11.30.10

Weather Underground (Weathermen)

11.30.10

American Nazi Party

11.30.10

Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan Brotherhood, a violent white supremacist gang, formed within the California state prison system in the late 1960s. On August 9, 1982, the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office opened a racketeering enterprise investigation into the gang. The case was closed in 1989.

12.06.10

Nuestra Familia

12.06.10

Aryan Circle

11.30.10

George Jackson Brigade

12.06.10

The Covenant The Sword The Arm of the Lord

12.06.10

White Supremacist Groups

12.06.10

George Lester Jackson

(1941-1971)

12.06.10

The Ku Klux Klan (KKK)

12.06.10

The Hells Angels

11.29.10

Five Percenters

The Five Percenters was an offshoot of the Nation of Islam founded in Harlem in 1965 under Clarence Edward Smith, also known as Clarence 13X and other names. This release covers from 1965 to 1967 and consists of one main file primarily concerned with the group’s potential to foment public disturbances and containing a number of references to the group found in other FBI files.

11.30.10

Black Panther Party

The Black Panther Party (BPP) is a black extremist organization founded in Oakland, California in 1966. It advocated the use of violence and guerilla tactics to overthrow the U.S. government. In 1969, the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office opened an investigative file on the BPP to track its militant activities, income, and expenses. This release consists of Charlotte’s file on BPP activities from 1969 to 1976.

05.24.11

National Gang Threat Assessment

05.24.11

Almighty Latin Kings

03.02.11

El Rukns

The El Rukns, a violent street gang that trafficked in narcotics and stolen property, was established in the 1960s. FBI offices in Chicago, Springfield, Illinois, and Minneapolis investigated the gang in cooperation with local police and federal drug enforcement authorities. The materials in this release range from 1982 to 1991.

03.29.11

White Aryan Resistance

The White Aryan Resistance—also known as the White American Resistance (WAR)—is a white supremacist group. This release consists of two sections from an FBI investigation into the group. The dates range from 1987 to 1988.