Author Archives: Denise Simon

DC, Target Rich for Lawsuits

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Whistleblowers abound, they include the EPA, the Veterans Administration and the White House. It is about time that those in government finally sound the alarm while there should be thousands more doing the same thing.

The one target rich agency that needs the most whistleblowers is in fact the Department of Justice, but that is a fool’s errand to hope for that to happen. So, there are two lawsuits brewing that are notable and it is a start in the process.

The House Speaker, John Boehner introduced his resolution for a lawsuit against Barack Obama and here is the resolution.

http://docs.house.gov/meetings/RU/RU00/20140716/102507/BILLS-113pih-HRes___.pdf

While Barack Obama is mocking this pending lawsuit with his ‘so sue me’ there is one Congressman that is taking on Lois Lerner. His resolution is here.

The full text of Stockman’s resolution:

RESOLUTION

Providing for the arrest of Lois G. Lerner to answer the charge of contempt of Congress

Whereas Lois G. Lerner, former Director, Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, has been found to be in contempt of Congress for willfully and intentionally refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, thereby obstructing the Congress in the lawful exercise of its constitutionally mandated legislative powers; and,

Whereas such behavior is an insult to the dignity of the House of Representatives, an attack upon the integrity of its proceedings, works violence upon the rights of the House collectively, and therefore implicates the long-recognized inherent power of the House to punish and commit for contempt, privileged under the Constitution; and,

Whereas recent history with similarly contumacious and insolent witnesses such as Eric Himpton Holder, Junior, strongly suggests that the present statutory judicial rubric set up to punish and reform such insubordinate and obstructionist witnesses would be ineffective in this case, as it is likely that the US Attorney for the District of Columbia would refuse to perform his lawful duty to bring the offending contemnor Lerner before a Grand Jury and prosecute the same for her misconduct pursuant to section 104 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 194) and section 102 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 192); and,

Whereas the executive and judicial branches’ prolonged and dawdling failure to prosecute Attorney General Holder’s insolent contempt of the 112th Congress strongly suggests that a like proceeding against contemnor Lerner would be similarly futile, and the threat of such prosecution has clearly been insufficient to encourage contemnor Lerner to be honest and candid with the Congress regarding the heinous actions of the Internal Revenue Service;

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Speaker issue his warrant, directed to the Sergeant-at-Arms, or his deputy, commanding him to arrest and take into custody forthwith, wherever to be found, the body of Lois G. Lerner, and bring her to the bar of the House without delay to answer to the charge of contempt of its authority, breach of its privileges, and gross and wanton insult to the integrity of its proceedings, and in the meantime keep the body of Lerner in his custody in the common jail of the District of Columbia, subject to the further order of the House. While in custody, Lerner shall enjoy no special privileges beyond those extended to her fellow inmates, shall not access any computer or telephone, and shall not be visited by anyone other than her counsel, clergy, physician, or family.

We need a method at the Congressional level that allows the House to hires its own special prosecutor such that reliance on the Department of Justice is not required as Eric Holder simply refuses to be a law-enforcer.

 

Obama Prepares to Adopt 90,000

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While the insurgency at the Southern Border continues, it is important to know even more outside the scope of the obvious aired on TV.

We have at least two retired Generals that have vocally said in the last few weeks that this incursion is a national security threat, their names are General Hayden and General Kelly. So what is really going on with a solution?

 Real Photo

90,000 migrants could cross border

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday that as many as 90,000 unaccompanied child migrants could cross the southwest border before the end of this fiscal year in September.

That will place a huge strain on immigration agencies which will badly need new money to get through the summer, Johnson says. The 90,000 number—the highest yet given by the administration—is spelled out in written Senate testimony by Johnson as well as Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, who must also deal with the border crisis.

“We are preparing for a scenario in which the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the border could reach up to 90,000 by the end of fiscal 2014,” Johnson’s testimony reads, and he bluntly warns that without an infusion of new funds, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will run out of money in August.

Johnson appeared Thursday afternoon before the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is considering President Barack Obama’s request this week for $3.7 billion in emergency funds, chiefly for Homeland Security and HHS.

Of the 90,000, it is estimated that about 20,000 will be from Mexico and can be quickly returned. But about 70,000 would have come from Central American countries like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and processing these cases requires much more time under current law and has provoked debate now in Congress.

In fiscal 2013, Johnson said 24,000 unaccompanied children were apprehended by border officers in his department. That number had already doubled to 57,000 by the end of June, he said, and “it continues to climb.”

But what about the Department of Justice?

Here is the DoJ’s new priority. By: lsmoynih

Along the southern border of the United States, migrants make the dangerous journey from Central America and Mexico to our homeland on a daily, consistent basis. Throughout the process of this journey, individuals, children, and entire families are faced with varying degrees of violence, criminal activity, abusive treatment, and extortive practices. Once on United States soil, detained migrants are faced with detention and become active cases within the immigration courts of the United States. As such, these detained migrants and their human rights are the concern of the U.S. Department of Justice. Concerns of the Department of Justice range from humane treatment and proper care of migrants during detainment to the proficient completion of migrant court cases.

This week, Deputy Attorney General James Cole announced, “… that the Justice Department will implement a series of steps to help address the influx of migrants crossing the southern border of the United States.” This announcement was accompanied by a Fact Sheet titled, “Department of Justice Actions to Address the Influx of Migrants Crossing the Southwest Border in the United States.” The steps included in the announcement contain the following points of focus:

  • “Refocusing immigration court resources to adjudicate the cases of recent immigrants”
  • “Providing support and training to help address violence in Central America”
  • “Redoubling efforts to work with other federal agencies and the Mexican government to investigate and prosecute those who smuggle migrants to the United States”

To address the first point, the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has been refocused, “… to prioritize cases involving migrants who have recently crossed the southwest border and whom DHS has placed into removal proceedings…” The purpose of this adjustment in case prioritization is to ensure that recent cases are processed proficiently, especially those cases concerning unaccompanied minors and families who crossed the border with children. Proficient case completion safeguards those migrants seeking asylum as well as returning migrants whose case proceedings deem removal as fitting. In order to achieve this level of timely case completion, the EOIR plans to reassign immigration judges, implement technology-supported proceedings by means of video teleconference, and allow for the appointment of temporary immigration judges.

In order to achieve the second point of focus, the Department of Justice is seeking a means to fund the delegation of, “… legal and law enforcement advisors at U.S. embassies…” in designated Central American Countries. In addition, to provide foreign governments with the necessary support and training to combat criminal violence, the Department of Justice, “…is seeking new funding…to assist Central American countries in combatting [sic] transnational crime and the threat posed by criminal gangs.” The purpose of supporting Central American countries in this manner is to provide potential migrants with safer home countries, and thus decreasing the number of migrants who seek protection in the U.S. from crime violence in their home of origin.

For the purposes of prosecuting migrant smugglers, the Department has announced plans to increase its attempts at “…identify[ing] and apprehend[ing] smugglers who are aiding unaccompanied children in crossing the U.S. border.” In tandem with these increased attempts, the importance of strategizing a means to “…disrupt and dismantle…” smuggling networks is addressed as a key area of focus to achieve the final focal point of the announcement.

In conclusion, the Department announcement discloses two initial steps being made this week by key officials. On July 9, 2010, Deputy Attorney General Cole made a visit to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s McAllen Station and processing facility in order to view the pressing concerns regarding the influx of migrants at the border. Apart from this, EOIR Director Juan P. Osuna plans on testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to emphasize the Department of Justice’s strategies towards addressing the influx of migrants onto U.S. soil.

Flash Gordon at the White House

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Do you ever wonder where the Barack Obama anti-Israel attitude comes from? Do you ever wonder why Hillary Clinton kept her distance from standing at the side of Israel? Do you ever wonder how John Kerry has been even more assertive in his aggression on Israel? Do you ever wonder why the New York Times maintains their journalists that write pro-Hamas and pr0-Palestinian news items? There are many in the Obama circle that maintain visual and highly vocal opposition to Israel but one you should come to know and meet in Philip Gordon. Gordon was a senior policy advisor to Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. He was later named as the Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, responsible for 50 countries. NSC top advisor Tom Donilon completely endorses Philip Gordon. All involved completely ignore Hamas, the PLO and the fact that 20 years of peace negotiations have never advanced, so Israel is to blame according to Gordon. Why you ask? Top Obama Official Blasts Israel Over West Bank Military Occupation Amid Heightening Conflict  by: RAPHAEL AHREN, The Times Of Israel Israel’s ongoing occupation of the West Bank is wrong and leads to regional instability and dehumanization of Palestinians, a top American government official said Tuesday in Tel Aviv, hinting that the current Israeli government is not committed to peace.   In an unusually harsh major foreign policy address, Philip Gordon, a special assistant to US President Barack Obama and the White House coordinator for the Middle East, appealed to Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make the compromises needed to reach a permanent peace agreement. Jerusalem “should not take for granted the opportunity to negotiate” such a treaty with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who has proven to be a reliable partner, Gordon said. “Israel confronts an undeniable reality: It cannot maintain military control of another people indefinitely. Doing so is not only wrong but a recipe for resentment and recurring instability,” Gordon said. “It will embolden extremists on both sides, tear at Israel’s democratic fabric and feed mutual dehumanization.” Delivering the keynote address at the Haaretz newspaper’s Israel Conference on Peace, Gordon reiterated Obama’s position that a final-status agreement should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps. The administration is aware that Israel is facing threats on several fronts and Obama remains committed to Israel’s security, he said, speaking on the day that Israel launched Operation Protective Edge to counter rocket fire from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Indeed, mere hours before Gordon addressed the conference, hundreds of participants were forced to quickly evacuate the event hall and enter a safe room after an alert signaled a missile approaching Tel Aviv. After about 10 minutes, participants returned to the hall and the conference resumed. “The United States will always have Israel’s back. That’s why we fight for it every day at the United Nations,” Gordon said. But as Israel’s greatest friend and strongest defender, Washington should be allowed to ask some fundamental questions, he added. Specifically, Gordon went on: “How will Israel remain democratic and Jewish if it attempts to govern the millions of Palestinian Arabs who live in the West Bank? How will it have peace if it’s unwilling to delineate a border, end the occupation and allow for Palestinian sovereignty, security and dignity? How will we prevent other states from supporting Palestinian efforts in international bodies, if Israel is not seen as committed to peace?” The administration was disappointed that the last round of US-brokered peace negotiations failed and that currently “we find ourselves in an uneasy pause,” Gordon said. “At the same time we have no interest in a blame game. The unfortunate reality is that neither side prepared their publics or proved ready to make the difficult decisions required for an agreement. And trust has been eroded on both sides. Until it is restored, neither side will likely be ready to takes risk for peace, even if they live with the dire consequences that resolve from its absence.” The “past few weeks” show that the inability to resolve the Israeli-Palestinians conflict “inevitable means more tension, more resentment, more injustice, more insecurity, more tragedy and more grief,” he said. “And the sight of grieving families, Israeli and Palestinian alike, reminds us that the cost of this conflict remains unbearably high.” In his 25-minute speech – which marked the first time a senior White House official had directly addressed the Israeli people since Obama’s March 2013 speech in Jerusalem — Gordon rejected any alternatives to the two-state solution. He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume peace talks with the PA, suggesting that Abbas is the best Palestinian leader Jerusalem could hope for. “Israel should not take for granted the opportunity to negotiate such a peace with Abbas, who has shown time and again that he’s committed to non-violence and co-existence and cooperation with Israel.” At one point in his speech, Gordon appeared to directly contradict an assessment Netanyahu made last week regarding Israel’s security needs vis-à-vis its eastern border. Referring to deliberations retired US General John Allen held with IDF officers regarding ways to secure Israel’s border with Jordan, Gordon said that Allen’s plans include “a full range of contingencies, including rising threats that we see around the Middle East.” Allen was likely referring to the territorial gains made in recent weeks by the radical terror group Islamic State (formerly known as ISIL or ISIS). “The approaches that are being discussed would create one of the most secure borders in the world along both sides of the Jordan River,” Gordon said. “By developing a layered defense that includes significantly strengthening the fences on both sides of the border, ensuring the right level of boots on the ground, deploying state of the art technology, the comprehensive program of rigorous testing, we can make the border safe against any type of conventional or unconventional threat – from individual terrorists or a conventional armored forces.” On June 29, Netanyahu declared that one of Israel’s central security challenges was to “stabilize the area west of the Jordan River security line.” In this part of the West Bank, the prime minister said, “no force can guarantee Israel’s security other than the IDF and our security services… Who knows what the future holds? The ISIS wave could very quickly be directed against Jordan,” he said at a conference in Tel Aviv. Israel would thus have to maintain long-term security control of the territory along the Jordan River in any future accord with the Palestinians, the prime minister said. “The evacuation of Israel’s forces would most likely lead to the collapse the PA and the rise of radical Islamic forces, just as it did in Gaza. It would also severely endanger the State of Israel.” In his speech at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, Gordon also referred to the hail of rockets that rained down on Israel throughout the day from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. “The US strongly condemns these attacks. No country should have to live under the constant threat of indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians,” said Gordon, whose administration was heavily criticized by the Israeli government for quickly agreeing to work with the new Hamas-backed Palestinian unity government when it was established last month. The administration supported Israel’s right to defend itself against these attacks, he added. “At the same time, we appreciate Prime Minister Netanyahu’s calls for acting responsibly and we in turn call on all sides to do all they can to restore calm and to protect civilians.”

IRS Chats and Emails, a Parallel Universe

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Who knew that the IRS was the only agency that runs an internal chat communication system? Seems, Lois Lerner and her inner circle made full use of it after getting full confirmation that those chat exchanges were not recorded or archived, giving full freedom to discuss with co-workers to continue to ambush of non-profit conservative groups.

The IRS became a parallel universal agency to halt and eventually prosecute organizations against freedom of speech and the ability to re-dress grievances as directed by many including some members in the Senate and in the House. This was a attack mission directly after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizens United and mentioned by Barack Obama in his State of the Union address. The timeline is there, although it is a long one with many moving parts.

An update on the email component:

From Reuters,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is ordering the IRS to explain under oath how it lost a trove of emails to and from a central figure in the agency’s tea party controversy.

U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan gave the tax agency a month to submit the explanation in writing. Sullivan issued the order Thursday as part of a freedom of information lawsuit by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.

The IRS says it lost the emails in 2011 when Lois Lerner’s computer crashed. At the time, Lerner headed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status. She has since retired.

Lerner has since become a central figure in several congressional investigations over the handling of tea party applications. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has already testified on the issue before Congress.

So on the Fourth of July weekend, Commissioner John Koskinen delivered a major cache of communication documents and inside a particular email was found by assigned Oversight staffers, directing a hearing on Wednesday.

IRS 2

From:  http://oversight.house.gov/release/new-e-mails-show-lerner-intentionally-sought-hide-information-congress/?utm_content=buffer60d88&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

‘I was cautioning folks about email and how we have several occasions where Congress has asked for emails … we need to be cautious about what we say in emails’

he House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today released new e-mails at a hearing with IRS Commissioner John Koskinen showing former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official Lois Lerner leading an IRS effort to hide information from Congressional inquiries.

From the April 9, 2013, email exchange among Lerner, an IRS technology employee (Maria Hooke), and the agency’s Director for Exempt Organizations Exam Unit Manager Nanette Downing who led audits:

I had a question today about OCS [Microsoft Office Communications Server]. I was cautioning folks about email and how we have several occasions where Congress has asked for emails and there has been an electronic search for responsive emails – so we need to be cautious about what we say in emails.  Someone asked if OCS conversations were also searchable – I don’t know, but told them I would get back to them.  Do you know?

Lerner’s April 2013 e-mail exchanges came just twelve days after the IRS Inspector General shared a draft copy of its targeting audit with the IRS that Lerner would leak at a bar association speech only weeks before the scandal became public.

In e-mails withheld from the Committee until only last week, Lerner was apparently concerned that IRS conversations taking place within the agency’s instant messenger program could end up in the hands of Congress along with requested e-mails. An IRS technology employees responded that “OCS messages are not set to automatically save” but cautioned that “parties involved in an OCS conversation can copy and save the contents of the conversation to an email or file.”  Lerner responded, “Perfect.”

When Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, raised the e-mail to Commissioner Koskinen’s attention, Koskinen said he had never seen the e-mail and was unfamiliar with the OCS communication system.

You can read the new Lerner e-mails here.

Lerner is at the center of the scandal prompted by revelations more than a year ago that IRS officials improperly targeted and harassed hundreds of Tea Party and conservative nonprofits seeking tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 campaigns.

Lerner has twice refused to answer questions put to her by the committee, which is chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. She claimed her Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

 

Going Digital to Aid Obama’s Intel

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Ah, I learned about it in media reports. This is Barack Obama’s canned response to any crisis nationally or globally. Likely the best suggestion is for Barack Obama to purge his National Security Council, to purge his CIA leadership, to purge his FBI director.

While at least the New York Times is Obama’s personal written mouthpiece, it appears that journalists globally should include a courtesy copy of their news reports items should include the White House. As an example, this news report tells us that Belmoktar is planning more attacks from Libya. This news report tells us who some of the members of ISIS is in Iraq. Most importantly, this news report tells us a General is explaining the real concern of the alien incursion at our southern border.

America could save billions of dollars if the White House would just continue reading items from journalists. But in the end, does that really influence his actions or policy? Well even according to the New York Times, the answer is no. Not even begging the White House to act for a year or more caused Barack Obama to be assertive and or proactive with regard to the building conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

obama tablet

So, what does Barack Obama do all day long anyway? Well that in reality continues to be a secret, there are two versions, one for insiders and one for the media.

Of most concern since his daily schedule is mostly obscure, bombing the fact he says is the most transparent administration in history, does he even attend and review in any form his Presidential Daily Briefings? The short answer is less than have the time. This could say then he is in fact behind on half the issues domestically and globally, enter the plausible deniability.

The Government Accountability Institute conducted an analysis of how much time President Barack Obama has spent attending his Presidential Daily Briefs (PDBs), as recorded on the White House official calendar and Politico’s comprehensive calendar. The study covered the President’s first 1,225 days in office, running from January 23, 2009 through May 31, 2012. Of those, President Obama attended a total of 536 Presidential Daily Briefs.

The chart in the link above shows that in May of 2012, Barack Obama only received a PDB 7 times. Ah 7?

Okay, well all is well in the world today now that his PDB’s have gone digital, meaning he can fire up his tablet and that solves his knowledge base problem, or does it? Well it seems that the office of ODNI is the primary source of PDB’s and that points to James Clapper. But, recently Clapper has been more than honest in his assessments and document releases pertaining to the NSA, so now that duty has fallen to Clapper’s deputy. Problem solves yet? Nah.

“Cardillo spends a lot of time in the White House so he knows his principal client pretty well. As a deputy on the National Security Council he meets one to three times a day in the Situation Room. And then there are those regulars forays to the Oval Office for the “oval briefings.”

He told a small gathering of reporters Thursday afternoon that we wouldn’t be “surprised by the topics” of the PDB. “Today it’s Ukraine; it’s Iran; it’s Korea it’s South Sudan; it’s cyber; it’s terrorism etc.”

It seems Barack Obama went digital two or more years ago and he still gets his information from the media or does he? Well no actually it appears that many others get these briefings as Obama seems to fill his time with appointments that remain a secret.

Well for those reading this perhaps you can tweet to the White House what they need to know as that is the powerful tool being used by our enemies. And maybe since our U.S. Ambassador was asked to leave the country he represents, we may see him attending afternoon tea at the White House, but you wont find that on Barack Obama’s daily schedule just as Hillary’s afternoon tea was omitted as well.

Going digital has not worked either….moving on, all is well in the world so fund-raisers for the DNC takes priority.