Category Archives: DOJ, DC and inside the Beltway

Pork Still Lives in the Swamp

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Primer:

On January 17, 2018, Rep. Rooney stated, “you can’t do jack s— for your
constituents” without earmarks. Perhaps Rep. Rooney’s successor will find a
way to do his or her job without resorting to the most wasteful and corrupt
practice in congressional history.
$11,000,000 for the aquatic plant control program, an increase of 22.2
percent from the $9 million earmarked in FY 2017, and the largest amount
ever earmarked for this program.
Since 1994, there have been 24 earmarks worth a total of $58.1 million
for aquatic plant control projects, including three by Sen. Chuck Schumer
(D-N.Y.) and one each by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and then-Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-Ala.).
Image result for 2018 congressional pig book

Watchdog exposes $14.7B of pork-barrel spending, including ‘brown tree snake eradication’ project

FNC: The federal government is spending millions to save Pacific Coast salmon. And it’s doling out more than $600,000 to kill brown tree snakes in Guam.

A watchdog group, Citizens Against Government Waste, on Wednesday released its annual Congressional Pig Book of what it considers the most egregious examples of pork-barrel spending in Congress, drawn this time from fiscal year 2018 appropriations bills.

According to the group, earmarks in 2018 totaled $14.7 billion, an increase of 116.2 percent from $6.8 billion in 2017.

Among the most blatant examples of pork flagged by the group:

— $65 million for “Pacific coastal salmon recovery.” According to its website, the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund “was established by Congress in 2000 to reverse the declines of Pacific salmon and steelhead, supporting conservation efforts in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.”

— $11 million for an “aquatic plant control program.” The group said that since 1994, there have been 24 earmarks worth $58.1 million for aquatic plant control projects.

— $663,000 for a “brown tree snake eradication program.” According to Citizens Against Government Waste, the snakes are “native to northern Australia, Indonesia and many islands in Melanesia, and have caused damage to the ecosystem of Guam, where they were likely introduced by the U.S. military following World War II.”

— $10 million for “high-energy cost grants” within the Rural Utilities Service.

– $2.8 million for the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs grant program, which funds arts and cultural institutions in Washington, D.C.

A number of Republican lawmakers attended Wednesday’s press conference on the list, including Sens. Jeff Flake, Ted Cruz and Joni Ernst, of Arizona, Texas and Iowa, respectively.

To be considered for listing in the group’s annual book, an earmark must meet at least one criterion, including whether it was requested by only one chamber of Congress; if it was not specifically authorized; if it was not competitively awarded; if it was not requested by the president; if it greatly exceeds the president’s budget request or the previous year’s funding; if it was not the subject of congressional hearings; or if it serves only a local or special interest.

Mueller’s Team Indicted More Russians

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During the open session of the dual congressional committee hearing with FBI CT expert, Peter Strzok, the democrats went off on republicans for not having hearings on Russian interference and protecting the American campaign/election process.

On the republican side, there has been a constant call to terminate the Mueller operation. I have stood rather alone as a conservative supporting the Mueller operation because we do need to punish all things Russia.

Will Rod Rosenstein serve as a check on Jeff Sessions?

Per the indictment, Russian officers are accused of hacking the DNC server, stealing login in credentials of Clinton campaign associates including John Podesta. The indictment includes such text as aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to launder money and the illegal release of stolen data/intelligence. The hackers also targets state and local officials that do administer the elections process yet, NO VOTE COUNTS OR TALLIES WERE ALTERED.

The information purloined from the hacks was funneled through the internet under the names DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0, the government contends. The DAG noted that a number of Americans “corresponded with several Russians through the internet.” No allegations have been brought against those Americans at this point for knowingly communicating with Russian intelligence officers, Rosenstein said.

An important point made by Rosenstein, which leads to the growing fact that no Americans, including candidate Trump or his aides had taken part in any collusion. collaboration or conspiracy known to date.

So today, AG Rod Rosenstein announced 12 indictments of Russian operatives. As President Trump is in Europe, he was briefed on this indictment announcement. His response?

Rosenstein briefed POTUS earlier this week on today’s indictments of Russian agents. Trump said today he would be asking Putin about it during their meeting Monday.

The timing of this announcement is quite important as President Trump is meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday. Other world leaders have accused Moscow of doing the exact same thing in their respective countries, to include France, Mexico and Germany.

So, what say you democrats now?

Politico reported it this way:

Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian military officers on Friday, and accused them of hacking into the Democratic National Committee to sabotage the 2016 presidential election.

The indictments, announced by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, come just days before a scheduled Monday summit in Helsinki between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They are the latest charges in a probe that has already netted guilty pleas from three former Trump campaign aides while the president himself remains under investigation by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.

Rosenstein said the Russians stole and released Democratic documents after planting malicious computer codes in the network of the DNC as well as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

He said Russia’s GRU military intelligence service was behind online entities that disseminated and promoted the documents under the names Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks.

The indictment dramatically shifts the context for Trump’s upcoming meeting with Putin, whom U.S. intelligence services have concluded was behind the 2016 election interference scheme whose goal was to elect Trump.

 

Unmasking Antifa Act of 2018, Will it Pass?

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You can read this proposed legislation here.

It has only been introduced in the House….a very long way to go. It has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.

The 3 co-sponsors are:

Rep. King, Peter T. [R-NY-2]*
Rep. Budd, Ted [R-NC-13]*
Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4]*

Antifa's Berkeley Violence Ought to Frighten the Left ... photo

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalty enhancements for committing certain offenses while in disguise, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. Short title.

This Act may be cited as the “Unmasking Antifa Act of 2018”.

SEC. 2. Interference with protected rights while in disguise.

(a) In general.—Chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 249 the following:

Ҥ 250. Interference with protected rights while in disguise

“(a) In general.—Whoever, whether or not acting under color of law, while in disguise, including while wearing a mask, injures, oppresses, threatens, or intimidates any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 15 years, or both.

“(b) Rule of construction.—Nothing in this section shall be construed so as to deter any law enforcement officer from lawfully carrying out the duties of his office; and no law enforcement officer shall be considered to be in violation of this section for lawfully carrying out the duties of his office or lawfully enforcing ordinances and laws of the United States, the District of Columbia, any of the several States, or any political subdivision of a State. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term ‘law enforcement officer’ means any officer of the United States, the District of Columbia, a State, or political subdivision of a State, who is empowered by law to conduct investigations of, or make arrests because of, offenses against the United States, the District of Columbia, a State, or a political subdivision of a State.”.

(b) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 13 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item related to section 249 the following:


“250. Interference with protected rights while in disguise. ”.

SEC. 3. Destroying buildings or property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction while in disguise.

Section 1363 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: “Whoever, during the commission of an offense under this section, wears a disguise, including a mask, shall, in addition to any term of imprisonment otherwise imposed under this section, be imprisoned for 2 years.”.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/08/28/01/439F6FDE00000578-0-Gibson_second_from_left_and_his_body_guard_retreat_behind_police-a-15_1503878660344.jpg photo

*** Last year, the New York Times did an interesting summary on the unmasking. In part, please note:

Since 1949, it has been illegal to wear a mask in public in Alabama outside of occasions like Halloween and Mardi Gras. That sweeping law, and others enacted across the country around that time, was in direct response to the Ku Klux Klan.

Numerous states have laws governing the wearing of masks in public. In Ohio, for instance, it is illegal for two or more people to wear “white caps, masks or other disguises” while committing a misdemeanor. In West Virginia, a broad law prohibiting the wearing of masks includes several exceptions: holiday costumes and winter sports attire, among others.

California had an expansive anti-mask law for decades, until the Iranian revolution in 1979. Iranian-Americans in California sued over the law, saying it kept them from shielding their identities for safety purposes in protests against the new leadership in Iran. The law was struck down.

“The California court recognized, and other courts recognize, that people wear masks in all sorts of situations for completely nonviolent and, in fact, purposes that are protected by the First Amendment,” Michael T. Risher, a senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said in an interview.

After that case, the state enacted a far narrower provision: It is illegal to wear a mask in the act of committing a crime. The University of California, Berkeley, also has its own regulation for masks: People who are not affiliated with the university cannot wear masks on campus for the purpose of intimidation. Read more here.

Trump’s Visit to London Predicts Confrontations

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U.S. Embassy Alert
U.S. Embassy Alert  Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May has a Brexit government that is slowly imploding.

Theresa May insisted Tuesday that her plan to retain close ties with the European Union “absolutely keeps faith” with voters’ decision to leave the bloc, as she tried to restore government unity after the resignations of two top ministers over Brexit.

May has spent the past few days fighting for her political life as first Brexit Secretary David Davis and then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson quit, saying May’s plans for future relations with the European Union did not live up to their idea of Brexit. On Tuesday, two more lawmakers followed them out the door. More here.

President Trump is about to visit a real hornet’s nest.

Demonstration Alert – U. S. Embassy United Kingdom – July 10, 2018

Location: London

Event: Numerous demonstrations are being planned for July 12 to 14, 2018, surrounding the visit of the President of the United States to the United Kingdom. The majority of the demonstrations will be focused in central London on July 13, with other events planned for July 12 and 14. Several of the events are expected to attract large crowds and there will be road closures in connection with those events.

Actions to Take:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings that may become violent.
• Keep a low profile.
• Monitor local media for updates.
• View updates from UK police at met.police.uk and follow @MetPoliceEvents and @MetPoliceUK for guidance.

Assistance:

• U.S. Embassy London, United Kingdom
+(44) (0) 207-499-9000
 [email protected]
 https://uk.usembassy.gov/
• State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan also tweeted this his city is a city of openness, tolerance, diversity and English breakfasts aren’t bad either. We ask our American friends what living in London was like for them.

UPI: A large blimp portraying U.S. President Donald Trump as a baby will fly over London during his upcoming visit to Britain.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Greater London Authority approved a request for the blimp’s flight after thousands signed a petition and a crowdfunding campaign raised more than $20,000 to fly the balloon, Britain’s Sky News reported.

The nearly 20-foot tall inflatable blimp depicts an orange baby, meant to represent Trump, with “a malevolent face and tiny hands,” Trump Baby U.K. said on its crowdfunding page.

“Trump Baby can become a permanent feature of this dreadful Presidency, a constant, unmissable reminder of the contempt with which this embarrassment of a man is held by everyone outside of his deranged, bigoted base,” the group said.

Khan’s office indicated the group would ground its balloon in Parliament Square Garden, near Big Ben and Westminster Palace.

“The Mayor supports the right to peaceful protest and understands that this can take many different forms,” Khan’s office said in a statement.

Trump Baby U.K. said it wanted to make sure the blimp would look down on Trump while he visits Britain later this month.

The blimp will fly on July 13 between 9.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. local time amid a “Stop Trump” march in London, the Evening Standard reported.

Trump is scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II during his visit.

Perhaps we can begin to blame the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. He approved a ‘Trump baby protest blimp’. There is even a Twitter account for the blimp.

lndivisible vs. Trump, lmmigration and Kavanaugh

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Ever wonder where all these protests come from and how they are coordinated? Checkout this out.

  Directly after President Trump announced Brett Kavanaugh as the Supreme Court nominee, there were protests on 1st Street in front of the Supreme court.

    Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Resisting the Trump Agenda is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The organization issues call scripts for each issue, including Obamacare, immigration, civil rights, education, EPA and how to stop the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Grassroots at its best, designed by Obama and his sidekick, Valerie Jarrett.

This operation is located in Washington DC, with chapters in major cities and closely partnered with Act Blue.

This is not a new thing by the way, as it seems media did some reporting in 2017. n fact, you can click here and scroll down to see some interesting names that are part of this movement. Don’t forget those like Jennifer Palmeri as she is in this too. Soros money? Oh yes of course, all part of the resist and rebuild agenda.

Pushing the influence for many years, check out the background, the people, the money.

Meanwhile, the foot soldiers get training, perhaps as much as 6 weeks.  There have been summits like this one in 2017. The leadership of this operation includes:

lndivar Dutta-Gupta

Leah Greenberg

Ezra Levin

David Slifka

Meighan Stone, is Director of the Malala Fund. She served previously as Vice President of Communications and Special Projects at World Food Program USA and as President of the Developing Group, supporting the Global Partnership for Education’s 2011 $1.5 billion Replenishment Conference. Meighan has lead special projects in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative, World Economic Forum, 2010 FIFA World Cup and at UN and G8 summits globally. At Bono’s ONE Campaign, she was Communications Director and then Director of Special Projects, part of the team that helped build the organization in its early years. Meighan has also served as a Congressional Fellow, media consultant for the World Economic Forum and worked on HIV/AIDS projects in the office of President Clinton. A former campaign Press Secretary, Meighan has also worked on the Democratic National Convention and Inauguration of President Obama. She is a member of the Board for both Pencils of Promise and Good Labs.

Angel Padilla, Policy Director for The Indivisible Project. He has also served as the Health Policy Analyst for the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), an immigration policy consultant at National Council of La Raza, and a legislative assistant for Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), advising on issues related to health care and the Affordable Care Act, among others. Mr. Padilla also has interned with the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council and the U.S. House of Representatives. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree from Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Maria Urbina, is the VP of Politics and National Campaigns at Voto Latino where she is charged with developing a voter engagement strategy, running multiple national campaigns, and heading up the political and communications department of Voto Latino. Before joining Voto Latino, Maria served as the Senior Advisor for Hispanic and Asian Affairs in the office of Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). In this role, Maria advised Senator Reid on policy, political strategy and outreach affecting Latino and Asian American communities in Nevada and across the country. Maria also worked with influential Latino and Asian American groups to elevate their advocacy within the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Senate. Prior to joining Senator Reid’s senior staff, Maria served as his legislative correspondence manager and immigration legislative aide. In addition to her Senate work, Maria has worked on Latino political outreach in several key campaigns, including for Senator Reid in 2010, President Obama in 2012 and Senator Mark Udall in 2014. Maria was raised in Carson City, Nevada, and is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, where she majored in political science and journalism. Maria is a proud alumnus of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship program and American University’s Women & Politics Institute Leadership Training Program for young women in politics.

 

Summary

Here’s the quick-and-dirty summary of this document. While this page summarizes top-level takeaways, the full document describes how to actually carry out these activities.

Chapter One

Grassroots Advocacy

How grassroots advocacy worked to stop President Obama. We examine lessons from the Tea Party’s rise and recommend two key strategic components:

  1. A local strategy targeting individual Members of Congress (MoCs).
  2. A defensive approach purely focused on stopping Trump from implementing an agenda built on racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.

Chapter Two

Your Member of Congress

How your MoC thinks — reelection, reelection, reelection — and how to use that to save democracy. MoCs want their constituents to think well of them, and they want good, local press. They hate surprises, wasted time, and most of all, bad press that makes them look weak, unlikable, and vulnerable. You will use these interests to make them listen and act.

Chapter Three

Organize Locally

Identify or organize your local group. Is there an existing local group or network you can join? Or do you need to start your own? We suggest steps to help mobilize your fellow constituents locally and start organizing for action.

Chapter four

Advocacy Tactics

Four local advocacy tactics that actually work. Most of you have three MoCs — two Senators and one Representative. Whether you like it or not, they are your voices in Washington. Your job is to make sure they are, in fact, speaking for you. We’ve identified four key opportunity areas that just a handful of local constituents can use to great effect. Always record encounters on video, prepare questions ahead of time, coordinate with your group, and report back to local media:

  • Town halls. MoCs regularly hold public in-district events to show that they are listening to constituents. Make them listen to you, and report out when they don’t.
  • Other local public events. MoCs love cutting ribbons and kissing babies back home. Don’t let them get photo-ops without questions about racism, authoritarianism, and corruption.
  • District office visits. Every MoC has one or several district offices. Go there. Demand a meeting with the MoC. Report to the world if they refuse to listen.
  • Coordinated calls. Calls are a light lift, but can have an impact. Organize your local group to barrage your MoCs with calls at an opportune moment about and on a specific issue.