Category Archives: Gangs and Crimes

Czech Police Arrest Russian Hacker of U.S.

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Czech police arrest Russian with alleged connections to hacking in U.S.

 

WashingtonPost: A Russian man thought to have connections to hacking in the United States has been arrested in the Czech Republic, authorities there said Tuesday.

Czech police worked with the FBI to detain the man at a hotel in Prague, according to a statement published online Tuesday evening.

The arrest is not related to the Russian hacks of the Democratic National Committee and other political organizations or the ongoing probe of Russian interference in the U.S. election, federal law enforcement officials said.

“As cyber crime can originate anywhere in the world, international cooperation is crucial to successfully defeat cyber adversaries,” the FBI said in a press statement Wednesday. The arrest, the bureau noted, was made pursuant to an INTERPOL red notice, highlighting the collaboration between U.S. law enforcement and international partners.

Immediately after his arrest, authorities said, the man collapsed. He was provided first aid and was later hospitalized.

Czech courts will decide whether to extradite the man to the United States.

It was unclear what hacking attacks the man was suspected of participating in. A police spokesman declined to provide Reuters with additional information about the arrest. In Moscow, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said the Kremlin opposed the extradition.

Konstantin Dolgov, whose group monitors legal and rights issues at the Foreign Ministry, called the plans to move the suspect to the United States an “unacceptability,” according to the Interfax news agency.

Dolgov said Russian officials were monitoring the case and ready to provide the suspect with assistance, including legal help. “We expect that his procedural rights won’t be violated,” Dolgov was quoted as saying.

Although there are no apparent links between the arrest and hacking of U.S. political groups, the case is certain to draw closer attention to data infiltration tactics with suspected Russian fingerprints.
Nearly two weeks ago, the Obama administration officially accused Russia of attempting to interfere with the 2016 U.S. election, a claim that had been reported widely for months but not formally alleged by the federal government.

The alleged hacks have included digital intrusions into systems at the Democratic National Committee this summer that was followed by a major leak of emails that, in turn, led to the resignation of the committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.). Russia has also been blamed for hacking and, later, leaking emails of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. In the October statement officially accusing Russia of the hacking attacks, the federal government said an online persona calling himself Guccifer 2.0 had claimed responsibility for the intrusions and said that it thinks only top Russian officials could have authorized them.

“This is some sort of nonsense,” Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Russian President
Vladimir Putin, told The Washington Post earlier this month. “Every day, Putin’s site gets attacked by tens of thousands of hackers. Many of these attacks can be traced to U.S. territory. It’s not as though we accuse the White House or Langley of doing it each time it happens.”

****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Department of Justice
Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Russian National Charged in Largest Known Data Breach Prosecution Extradited to United States

Defendant Brought From Netherlands

After Fighting Extradition for Over Two Years

****

Russian Hackers of DNC Said to Nab Secrets From NATO, Soros

Bloomberg: Weeks before the Democratic convention was upended by 20,000 leaked e-mails released through WikiLeaks, another little-known website began posting the secrets of a top NATO general, billionaire George Soros’ philanthropy and a Chicago-based Clinton campaign volunteer.

Security experts now say that site, DCLeaks.com, with its spiffy capitol-dome logo, shows the marks of the same Russian intelligence outfit that targeted the Democratic political organizations.

The e-mails and documents posted to the DCLeaks site in early June suggest that the hackers may have a broader agenda than influencing the U.S. presidential election, one that ranges from the Obama administration’s policy toward Russia to disclosures about the hidden levers of political power in Washington.

It also means the hackers may have much left in their grab bag to distribute at will. The subjects of the DCLeaks site include a former ranking intelligence official who now works for a major defense contractor and a retired Army officer whose wife serves on the USS Nimitz, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Some of the e-mails go back years.

Open Society Foundations, the Soros group, reported the breach to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in June, said spokeswoman Laura Silber, who added that an investigation by a security firm found the intrusion was limited to an intranet system used by board members, staff and foundation partners.

NATO Commander

The biggest revelation on DCLeaks involves U.S. Gen. Philip Breedlove, who retired in May and was formerly the top military commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. E-mails from Breedlove’s personal account show him complaining that the Obama administration wasn’t paying enough attention to European security. (“I do not see this WH really ’engaged’,” he writes at one point, later wondering “how to work this personally with the POTUS.”) The Intercept subsequently wrote a story about the e-mails, picked up by some cable news channels, inflaming tensions between the U.S. and its European allies.

Breedlove told CNN in July that the e-mails were stolen as part of a state-sponsored intelligence operation and didn’t respond to a request for comment this week.

The leaks highlight the effectiveness of some of the hackers’ tricks, including the targeting of private e-mail accounts to gather sensitive military and political intelligence. DCLeaks also offers some insight for investigators on what appears to be the hackers’ early missteps and ad hoc approach.

Harried Schedule

A cache of hacked Google e-mails from a Clinton volunteer, for example, doesn’t add up to much: They purport to be from the account of Sarah Hamilton, who works for a public relations firm in Chicago and volunteers for Hillary for America, and show little but the harried schedule of the campaign staff. Hamilton didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Similarly, a trove of “redacted” documents from the William J. Clinton Library were declassified and have been publicly available on the library’s website for several years, a spokeswoman for the library said.

“It really looks like the hackers tried a couple of things that just weren’t really working before they hit on using WikiLeaks,” said John Hultquist, the manager of cyberespionage intelligence at FireEye Inc. “With this earlier stuff, it looks like they were experimenting.”

Describing itself as the work of American hacktivists, DCLeaks.com was registered in April, and many of the documents were posted in early June. A DCLeaks administrator, who identified himself by e-mail as Steve Wanders, didn’t respond to written questions, including why much of the material focuses on Russia or Russian foreign-policy interests.

Voracious Appetites

The site seems designed to cater to the U.S. media’s voracious appetites for leaks. It has related Twitter and Facebook accounts that push out nuggets from purloined documents and that suggest angles journalists might pursue.

The Russian government has dismissed the idea that it was involved in the hack of the Democratic National Committee, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said there’s “no proof whatsoever” that Moscow was involved.

Security experts see links to a larger Russian information operation. That’s in part, according to two people familiar with the probe, because the e-mail addresses of Breedlove and Hamilton were among thousands targeted in a several-month campaign that began last fall by a Russian hacking group that cybersecurity firms have referred to by monikers including Fancy Bear, APT28 and the Sofacy Group.

Cyberintelligence firms have linked that hacking group to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, whose Moscow headquarters is nicknamed the Aquarium. Three private security groups have linked the DNC incursion to that group and another Russian hacking group associated with the FSB, the country’s civilian intelligence agency. U.S. intelligence agencies have told officials they believe the DNC hack was orchestrated by the Russian government.

Guccifer 2.0

A hacker calling himself Guccifer 2.0 and purporting to be Romanian initially took credit for the DNC hack. That claim was viewed skeptically, in part because the hacker didn’t appear to speak Romanian. Guccifer 2.0 provided the Smoking Gun with leaked e-mails from Sarah Hamilton’s account, according to a story posted on that site on June 28. FireEye believes Guccifer 2.0 is a cover identity for APT28, Hultquist said.

In the case of Soros’s Open Society, hackers stole a trove of documents after accessing the foundation’s internal intranet, a system called Karl, according to a person familiar with its internal investigation. On August 3, the DCLeaks.com Twitter account tweeted “Check George Soros’s OSF plans to counter Russian policy and traditional values,” attaching a screenshot of a $500,000 budget request for an Open Society program designed to counter Russian influence among European democracies.

The hackers may have had access the foundations’ network for nearly a year, according to another person familiar with the investigation. Although Open Society has about 800 full-time staff, as many as 7,000 people have access to Karl, which is used to circulate draft program proposals, budgets and other internal documents.

DCLeaks.com provides a possible outline of the successful tactics used by the suspected Russian hackers, like targeting personal e-mail accounts to scoop up sensitive information.

The hackers were apparently reading Breedlove’s personal e-mails that went back to at least 2012, a period when he was among the highest-ranking U.S. military officers and was commander of the U.S. European Command and NATO Allied Command Operations.

Among Breedlove’s correspondents, according to DCLeaks.com, were former Secretary of the Air Force James Roche, former presidential candidate Wesley Clark and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. Efforts to contact Clark and Powell weren’t immediately successful.

Roche, in an e-mail, said Breedlove is a thoughtful officer who has worked hard for the betterment of the Air Force and his country. Of the Russians, Roche added: “I hope they learned that there are many dedicated officers who are thinking of the best ways to ensure that our country’s leaders can’t be bullied by Mr. Putin and his associates.”

Mastermind of Europe’s Terror Attacks Identified

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U.S. Identifies Key Player in ISIS Attacks on Europe

Frontline: Almost a year after Islamic State terrorists killed 130 people in Paris, U.S. intelligence agencies have identified one of the suspected masterminds of that plot and a follow-up attack in Brussels.

U.S. counter-terror officials said the man, who goes by the name Abu Sulaiyman al Fransi (Abu Sulaiyman, the Frenchman) is a 26-year old Moroccan who once served in Afghanistan as a soldier in the French Foreign Legion. He did prison time for drug running before going to Syria in 2014 and joining ISIS, according to U.S. officials and French court documents. His real name is Abdelilah Himich, according to U.S. counter-terror officials.

Despite his relative youth, Himich’s military experience and knowledge of France have made him a key figure in the Islamic State’s external operations unit, which has led a terror campaign against Europe, officials said. He is thought to be in Syria.

“We believe he is one of the top guys involved in spearheading the Paris attack and the Brussels attacks,” a U.S. counter-terror official said. “He was involved in creating that infrastructure” of the external operations unit.

U.S. and European counter-terror officials were interviewed for this story as part of a report by ProPublica and FRONTLINE about terrorism in Europe.

Officials acknowledged that they have struggled to pin down details about the identities and activities of the ISIS planners. U.S. and European counter-terror officials note that several Islamic State fighters have used the nom de guerre Abu Sulaiyman al Fransi. (The nickname is spelled in a number of ways, U.S. officials say.) In the past, he has variously been described by European officials and media reports as a blond convert and a former physical education teacher.

But U.S. officials said there was strong evidence indicating that the senior French fighter in question is Himich. They said French intelligence has been informed of that assessment and agrees with it.

Click here to see the full documentary.

European counter-terror officials interviewed by ProPublica earlier this year said they also suspect that a militant known as Abu Sulaiyman the Frenchman helped to plan the Paris and Brussels attacks. But they did not disclose his full identity.

Officials said that months of investigations and intelligence work in Europe and the Middle East have begun to shed light on the command structure of what the Islamic State calls external operations. The predominantly Arab leaders of ISIS have given senior and mid-level European fighters considerable autonomy to select targets and decide details of plots in their home turf, according to Western counter-terror officials.

Nonetheless, the ISIS unit that plots attacks overseas is also quite bureaucratized, according to U.S. intelligence officials. The unit exerted increasingly direct control over plots in Europe starting in 2015, according to Western counter-terror officials, and is part of an ISIS intelligence structure known as the Enmi.

“ISIS-directed plots in Europe have usually involved several planners and organizers who might change for each project,” said Jean-Charles Brisard, the chairman of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism in Paris, who has been studying the unit. “It’s more a team process than a single mastermind’s plan.”

Abu Mohamed al-Adnani, a Syrian who served as a spokesman for the Islamic State, was a top figure overseeing external operations, counter-terror officials say. A U.S. drone strike killed Adnani in August.

There is hard evidence that another ISIS militant in Syria, a man known as Abu Ahmad, played a hands-on role in the Paris and Brussels cases, according to European counter-terror officials. A laptop computer recovered by Belgian police after the Brussels bombings in March contained encrypted communications detailing Abu Ahmad’s direct role in the plot.

During the four months after the Paris attacks, Abu Ahmad discussed targets, strategy and bomb-making techniques from Syria via encrypted channels with survivors of the terrorist cell who were hiding in Brussels. The fugitive suspects referred to Abu Ahmad as their “emir,” or leader, according to Belgian counter-terror officials.

The communications in the laptop indicate that the original plan was to hit France again, European officials say. When Belgian police closed in, however, Abu Ahmad told the fugitives to strike in Brussels instead, officials said. The suicide bombings killed 32 people at the airport and a subway station on March 22.

Abu Ahmad was described by two captured ISIS fighters as a lead planner of the Paris massacre as well. The suspects, an Algerian and a Pakistani, told interrogators that Abu Ahmad chose and prepared them for the plot last fall, and sent them to Europe posing as Syrian refugees, according to European counter-terror officials.

When the two landed in Greece in October, however, Greek border guards discovered they were not Syrian, and held them for a few weeks, according to European and U.S. counter-terror officials. After being released, the duo communicated with Abu Ahmad, who sent them money and instructions not to join the rest of the attackers, according to officials. The two suspects were arrested in Austria in December.

The men described Abu Ahmad as a Syrian, according to European counter-terror officials. But the recovered clandestine communications with the plotters in Europe indicate clearly that he speaks French, raising questions about his true nationality, the officials said.

“He has to be French, or speak French well,” a European counter-terror official said. “They use French slang.”

The investigation shows that Abu Ahmad worked with the senior fighter known as Abu Sulaiyman al Fransi, according to European and U.S. counter-terror officials. During the massacre at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, witnesses overheard gunmen talk to each other about calling a person named Abu Sulaiyman, according to European and U.S. officials.

Himich, the man identified by U.S. intelligence as Abu Sulaiyman, has an unusual story. He was born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1989, according to U.S. counter-terror officials and French court documents. His family emigrated when he was an adolescent to Lunel, a southern French town about 20 miles from Montpellier, officials say.

Lunel has a population of about 25,000 and a rich history as a Jewish cultural center in medieval times. The town has a large population of Muslim descent as the result of immigration from North Africa beginning in the 1960s.

In 2006, Himich’s name appeared in a Lunel high school newspaper as the author of an article about teenage drinking. Although he went to school in France, he remains a Moroccan citizen, according to officials and court documents. In 2008, he joined the French Foreign Legion, a legendary and hard-nosed force whose soldiers come from all over the world.

Himich “distinguished himself during various missions in Afghanistan,” according to the court documents. In 2010, however, he deserted, according to the officials and documents.

“Wanting to attend the burial of his father, he left his post without authorization,” the documents say. “After his return to France, he did vocational training to work in the security field and also considered becoming a nurse.”

A year later, he got in trouble with the law. French customs police intercepted him arriving on a train from Amsterdam at the Gare du Nord station in Paris on Dec. 13, 2011, according to court documents. Police discovered he was carrying a backpack containing 2.6 pounds of cocaine with a street value of about $55,000. He also tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

Himich testified that he had met a Senegalese man at a hookah bar in Paris, and told him he needed money because he had left the Foreign Legion. Himich said the man hired him to bring a package from Rotterdam, offering to pay $1,600. Himich, whom the documents describe as “adopting an arrogant attitude” during a court hearing, denied knowing that the package contained drugs.

Himich spent five months in jail. He was convicted in April 2013, and sentenced to three years in prison with a year suspended, according to the documents, though it appears he did not spend much more time behind bars. It was his first criminal conviction. He appears to have followed a classic trajectory from crime into radicalization.

Despite its picturesque setting, Lunel has made headlines as a hub of extremism. By 2015, at least two dozen young people — of North African descent as well as Muslim converts — had left Lunel to fight in Syria, where at least six of them died.

Himich joined that exodus in early 2014, according to U.S. counter-terror officials. He rented a car and drove via Italy, Greece and Turkey to Syria, according to Brisard. That route is popular with Syria-bound jihadis who travel with their families, according to Italian police. Himich has a wife and two children, officials said.

In Syria, Himich first fought in an Al Qaeda-linked group, officials say. Then, like many extremists in Syria, he moved to the increasingly powerful Islamic State. He soon became a battlefield commander, according to U.S. officials and Brisard, the French counter-terror expert.

“He was quickly promoted by ISIS to lead one of its fighting brigades in the first half of 2014,” Brisard said. “His rapid rise within ISIS could be explained by his military service in the French Foreign Legion.”

France and Interpol have issued warrants for Himich’s arrest on suspicion of terrorist activity, according to U.S. officials.

Investigators believe Himich is among a group of ISIS militants in their 20s and 30s, predominantly Francophones, who plot against Europe. The group also includes two Muslim convert brothers from Toulouse, Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain, according to counter-terror officials. Fabien Clain is believed to be the Frenchman who read the official statement in which the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, officials say.

The Clain brothers surfaced in an investigation in 2009 of a French-Belgian extremist network. Suspects in that case had been investigated for a bombing in Cairo and, according to investigators, told Egyptian interrogators they had discussed a potential attack on the Bataclan, the nightclub that was hit in 2015. The suspects allegedly saw the Paris concert hall as a Jewish target because the owners were Jewish and the venue had hosted pro-Israel events.

Given his military experience, Himich’s stature is likely to grow after the recent deaths of Islamic State leaders in U.S. air strikes, officials said.

“He’s probably one of the most important Frenchmen in ISIS, especially after the death of Adnani,” the U.S. counter-terror official said.

10/18/2016: Lawsuit Filed Against Hillary Clinton

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WikiLeaks has in fact been of great assistance and will continue to be. WikiLeaks also tells us Hillary wants Obamacare to fail in order to implement a single payer system.

.pdf of Formal Complaint is here.

October 18, 2016

Office of the General Counsel

Federal Election Commission

999 E Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20463

Re: Complaint Against Hillary for America, the Democratic National

Committee, Democracy Partners, Americans United for Change, and other

known and unknown individuals and groups.

To Whom It May Concern:

Complainant

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (“PILF”) is a non-profit educational and legal foundation

dedicated to protect the right to vote, preserve the Constitutional framework of American

elections, and educate the public on the issue of election integrity. As part of its mission, PILF

gathers and analyzes information regarding potential violations of federal and state election laws

and informs the public about these violations and concerns.

This complaint is filed on behalf of the Public Interest Legal Foundation by Joseph A.

Vanderhulst, Legal Counsel with PILF at 209 West Main Street, Plainfield, Indiana 46168,

pursuant to 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(1).

Respondents

Hillary for America

(Committee ID C00575795)

P.O. Box 5256

New York, NY 10185-5256

Jose H. Villarreal

Treasurer, Hillary for America

P.O. Box 5256

New York, NY 10185-5256

Democratic National Committee

430 South Capitol Street Southeast

Washington, DC 20003

Democracy Partners

1250 Eye Street, NW, Ste. 250

Washington, DC 20005

Bob Creamer

Strategist, Democracy Partners

1250 Eye Street, NW, Ste. 250

Washington, DC 20005

Americans United for Change

P.O. Box 34606

Washington, D.C. 20043

202-470-6954

Scott Foval

National Field Director, Americans United for Change

P.O. Box 34606

Washington, D.C. 20043

202-470-6954

Voces de la Frontera Action

1027 S. 5th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53204

Tel. 414-643-1620

Unknown Groups and Individuals Associated with Respondents

Summary

This complaint is based on information and belief that respondents have engaged in public

communications, campaign activity, targeted voter registration drives, and other targeted GOTV

activity under 11 C.F.R. 100.26 and 11 C.F.R. 114.4 at the request, direction, and approval of the

Hillary for America campaign committee and the Democratic National Committee in violation of

11 C.F.R. 109.20 and 11 C.F.R. 114.4(d)(2) and (3).

Complainant’s information and belief is based on findings from an investigation conducted by

Project Veritas Action and their published reports regarding the same, as well as on news

sources.

“If the Commission, upon receiving a complaint . . . has reason to believe that a person has

committed, or is about to commit, a violation of [the FECA] . . . [t]he Commission shall make an

investigation of such alleged violation . . . .” 52 U.S.C. § 30109(a)(2); see also 11 C.F.R. §

111.4(a).

Facts and Violations

Alien Registration Drives

On information and belief based on published reports and findings from an investigation by

Project Veritas Action, several groups including Americans United for Change and Voces de la

Frontera Action and other unknown groups have engaged in voter registration drives and other

GOTV activity during the 2016 election cycle. These activities potentially registered persons

who were not citizens. This activity is regulated under 11 C.F.R. 114.4.

On the same information and belief, these voter registration drives and other GOTV activity

were coordinated with DNC and HFA by express communication through agents of Democracy

Partners and The Foval Group. These communications resulted in coordination of voter

registration activity in violation of 11 C.F.R. 114.4(c)(2) and (d)(2)-(4) by all parties involved.

Also, because they were coordinated with a political party or campaign, there voter registration

activities deliberated targeted demographic groups because they were statistically more likely to

support a particular party or candidate in violation of 11 C.F.R. 114.4(c)(2) and (d)(2)-(4) by all

parties involved.

Paid Protesters

As reported in several news sources, disruptions, including incidents of violence, have occurred

at rallies held by the Trump for President campaign. Based on published reports, these

disruptions were instigated by paid professional protestors arranged by third party groups at the

coordination and direction of agents of Democracy Partners and The Foval Group at the request

and approval of agents of DNC and HFA.

On information and belief based on published reports and findings from an investigation by

Project Veritas Action, these disruptions include the payment of protesters “wherever Trump and

Pence are going to be.” Based on these reports, it appears that all violent disruptions at Trump

for President campaign rallies have been executed by paid protesters trained and instructed in

their speech and conduct to advocate against Trump and in support of Clinton.

On information and belief based on the same source, agents of DNC and HFA communicated

with the third party groups and individuals engaging in the activity and content through agents of

Democracy Partners and The Foval Group in order to request and approve the communications.

Through a direct chain of communication, this constituted coordination under 11 C.F.R.

109.21(d)(1)-(5).

Other Public Communications and Campaign Activities

On information and belief based on published reports, all public communications as defined in

11 C.F.R. 109.21(c) done by Americans United for Change, including the activities described in

Exhibit A, were done at or with the direction, approval, suggestion, or after material discussion

regarding the timing, content, and audience of the communications, of the DNC and Hillary for

America campaign.

Conclusion

Upon information and belief, and based upon the facts set forth above, Respondents Hillary for

America, the Democratic National Committee, Democracy Partners, Americans United for

Change, and their agents, named and unnamed above, have, each of them, individually and

collectively, violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, and must be held

accountable and liable for their unlawful actions.

On behalf of PILF, I hereby request an investigation into whether the respondents identified

above, or any other related parties, have violated federal campaign finance laws. The information

uncovered by this investigation, including this initial complaint, will be used by PILF to educate

the American people about the laws governing our elections and current and potential threats to

election integrity.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please contact me if you have further

questions.

Respectfully submitted,

PUBLIC INTEREST LEGAL FOUNDATION

Joseph A. Vanderhulst

Legal Counsel

I hereby affirm and state under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statements are true and

correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Joseph A. Vanderhulst

Subscribed and sworn to me on this day of , 2016, by Joseph A.

Vanderhulst, President and General Counsel of Public Interest Legal Foundation.

Notary Public

**** Additionally, here is yet an additional Federal Statue where Hillary Clinton is in violation and a lawsuit may be pending in this regard.

 

18 U.S.C. § 208, the basic criminal conflict of interest statute, prohibits an executive branch employee from participating personally and substantially in a particular Government matter that will affect his own financial interests, as well as the financial interests of:

  • His spouse or minor child;
  • His general partner;
  • An organization in which he serves as an officer, director, trustee, general partner or employee; and
  • A person with whom he is negotiating for or has an arrangement concerning prospective employment.

Financial Interests in a Particular Matter

An employee has a disqualifying financial interest in a particular matter only if there is a close causal link between a particular Government matter in which the employee participates and any effect on the asset or other interest (direct effect) and if there is a real possibility of gain or loss as a result of development in or resolution of that matter (predictable effect). Gain or loss need not be probable. The possibility of a benefit or detriment must be real, not speculative. One common point of confusion is distinguishing between an asset or other interest and a financial interest in a particular matter under 18 U.S.C. § 208. The financial interest is the possibility of gain or loss (of the value of an asset or other interest) resulting from a particular matter, not the asset or interest itself. Thus, a person could have a large holding but only a relatively small financial interest in the particular matter, because the potential for gain or loss is small.

Exemptions

The criminal prohibition has no de minimis level. That is, it applies where any financial interest exists, no matter how small. Under 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(2), however, OGE has the authority to establish blanket exemptions for financial interests considered too remote or too inconsequential to affect the integrity of the employee’s services. OGE has established several exemptions. The exemptions can be found in the implementing regulation for the statute, 5 C.F.R. part 2640. An employee who qualifies for an exemption can participate in official matters without violating 18 U.S.C. § 208, even though he has what would otherwise be a disqualifying financial interest in the matters. In addition to the exemptions established by OGE, there is an exception in the statute itself at 18 U.S.C. § 208(b)(4) for employees that have certain Native American or Alaska Native birthrights. If the financial interest that would be affected by the particular matter is that resulting solely from the interest of employee or the spouse or minor children in certain Native American or Alaska Native birthrights, the employee may participate in the particular matter without violating 18 U.S.C. § 208.

Waivers

The criminal financial conflict of interest statute has two separate waiver provisions. An employee who has been granted a waiver can participate in official matters without violating 18 U.S.C. § 208, even though he has what would otherwise be a disqualifying financial interest in the matters. Ethics officials often use waivers for broad particular matters, such as general policy matters, in conjunction with a recusal from particular matters involving specific parties for a specific financial interest. The two types of waivers are:

  • 208(b)(1): A waiver issued by the employee’s agency that covers certain financial interests that are not so substantial as to affect the integrity of the employee’s services.
  • 208(b)(3): A waiver for special government employees on Federal Advisory Committee Act committees when the need for services outweighs the potential for conflicts.

The Search and Destroy History of Hillary Clinton

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While America and actually the world is witnessing this National Enquirer headline presidential campaign for both Donald and Hillary, the one item that seems to be omitted completely is the Bill Clinton/Sandy Berger theft of documents from the National Archives. In case you need a reminder and a refresher including documents, a sampling is below, that is a compilation of FOIA requests.

nara-foia-sandy-berger

How about this? WikiLeaks Podesta email selection: It seems there could be some classified material in this communication.

Re: Here’s what I mentioned

Date: 2014-08-19 11:21
Subject: Re: Here’s what I mentioned
Agree but there may be opportunities as the Iraqi piece improves. Also, any idea whose fighters attacked Islamist positions in Tripoli, Libya? Worth analyzing for future purposes.
From: John Podesta [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 09:19 AM
To: H Subject: Re: Here’s what I mentioned Hit send too soon.
Meant to say Syria elements are vexing.
On Aug 19, 2014 9:17 AM, “John Podesta” <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
I think we are headed down this path in Iraq, but the Syria elements are
On Aug 17, 2014 3:50 PM, “H” <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Note: Sources include Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources in the region. 1. With all of its tragic aspects, the advance of ISIL through Iraq gives the U.S. Government an opportunity to change the way it deals with the chaotic security situation in North Africa and the Middle East. The most important factor in this matter is to make use of intelligence resources and Special Operations troops in an aggressive manner, while avoiding the old school solution, which calls for more traditional military operations. In Iraq it is important that we engage ISIL using the resources of the Peshmerga fighters of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), and what, if any, reliable units exist in the Iraqi Army. The Peshmerga commanders are aggressive hard fighting troops, who have long standing relationships with CIA officers and Special Forces operators. However, they will need the continued commitment of U.S. personnel to work with them as advisors and strategic planners, the new generation of Peshmerga commanders being largely untested in traditional combat. That said, with this U.S. aid the Kurdish troops can inflict a real defeat on ISIL. 2. It is important that once we engage ISIL, as we have now done in a limited manner, we and our allies should carry on until they are driven back suffering a tangible defeat. Anything short of this will be seen by other fighters in the region, Libya, Lebanon, and even Jordan, as an American defeat. However, if we provide advisors and planners, as well as increased close air support for the Peshmerga, these soldiers can defeat ISIL. They will give the new Iraqi Government a chance to organize itself, and restructure the Sunni resistance in Syria, moving the center of power toward moderate forces like the Free Syrian Army (FSA). In addition to air support, the Peshmerga also need artillery and armored vehicles to deal with the tanks and other heavy equipment captured from the Iraqi army by ISIL. 3. In the past the USG, in an agreement with the Turkish General Staff, did not provide such heavy weapons to the Peshmerga, out of a concern that they would end up in the hands of Kurdish rebels inside of Turkey. The current situation in Iraq, not to mention the political environment in Turkey, makes this policy obsolete. Also this equipment can now be airlifted directly into the KRG zone. 4. Armed with proper equipment, and working with U.S. advisors, the Peshmerga can attack the ISIL with a coordinated assault supported from the air. This effort will come as a surprise to the ISIL, whose leaders believe we will always stop with targeted bombing, and weaken them both in Iraq and inside of Syria. At the same time we should return to plans to provide the FSA, or some group of moderate forces, with equipment that will allow them to deal with a weakened ISIL, and stepped up operations against the Syrian regime. This entire effort should be done with a low profile, avoiding the massive traditional military operations that are at best temporary solutions. While this military/para-military operation is moving forward, we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region. This effort will be enhanced by the stepped up commitment in the KRG. The Qataris and Saudis will be put in a position of balancing policy between their ongoing competition to dominate the Sunni world and the consequences of serious U.S. pressure. By the same token, the threat of similar, realistic U.S. operations will serve to assist moderate forces in Libya, Lebanon, and even Jordan, where insurgents are increasingly fascinated by the ISIL success in Iraq. 6. In the end the situation in Iraq is merely the latest and most dangerous example of the regional restructuring that is taking place across North Africa, all the way to the Turkish border. These developments are important to the U.S. for reasons that often differ from country to country: energy and moral commitment to Iraq, energy issues in Libya, and strategic commitments in Jordan. At the same time, as Turkey moves toward a new, more serious Islamic reality, it will be important for them to realize that we are willing to take serious actions, which can be sustained to protect our national interests. This course of action offers the potential for success, as opposed to large scale, traditional military campaigns, that are too expensive and awkward to maintain over time. 7. (Note: A source in Tripoli stated in confidence that when the U.S. Embassy was evacuated, the presence of two U.S. Navy jet fighters over the city brought all fighting to a halt for several hours, as Islamist forces were not certain that these aircraft would not also provide close ground support for moderate government forces.) 8. If we do not take the changes needed to make our security policy in the region more realistic, there is a real danger of ISIL veterans moving on to other countries to facilitate operations by Islamist forces. This is already happening in Libya and Egypt, where fighters are returning from Syria to work with local forces. ISIL is only the latest and most violent example of this process. If we don’t act to defeat them in Iraq something even more violent and dangerous will develop. Successful military operations against these very irregular but determined forces can only be accomplished by making proper use of clandestine/special operations resources, in coordination with airpower, and established local allies. There is, unfortunately, a narrow window of opportunity on this issue, as we need to act before an ISIL state becomes better organized and reaches into Lebanon and Jordan. 9. (Note: It is important to keep in mind that as a result of this policy there probably will be concern in the Sunni regions of Iraq and the Central Government regarding the possible expansion of KRG controlled territory. With advisors in the Peshmerga command we can reassure the concerned parties that, in return for increase autonomy, the KRG will not exclude the Iraqi Government from participation in the management of the oil fields around Kirkuk, and the Mosel Dam hydroelectric facility. At the same time we will be able to work with the Peshmerga as they pursue ISIL into disputed areas of Eastern Syria, coordinating with FSA troops who can move against ISIL from the North. This will make certain Basher al Assad does not gain an advantage from these operations. Finally, as it now appears the U.S. is considering a plan to offer contractors as advisors to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, we will be in a position to coordinate more effectively between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army.)     

Hillary Revealed Through Hacked Podesta Emails

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Nah….she isn’t all that is she? uh huh…..and she for sure has a system to keep her own fingerprints off the trail while her custom designed human firewall does all the work.

  CNN

Seems the Hillary campaign instigated by Brian Fallon was working to get Trey Gowdy’s emails on the matter of the Benghazi investigation and approached the vice chair of the committee Elijah Cummings.

7 biggest revelations from WikiLeaks release of Podesta emails

FNC: Here are seven of the biggest revelations so far:

‘SPOILED BRAT’

Top Bill Clinton lieutenant Doug Band, in an alleged 2011 exchange with Podesta, tore into Chelsea Clinton, who had apparently been raising questions about the company Band co-founded, Teneo.

“I don’t deserve this from her and deserve a tad more respect or at least a direct dialogue for me to explain these things,” Band wrote in November. “She is acting like a spoiled brat kid who had nothing else to do but create issues to justify what she’s doing because she, as she has said, hasn’t found her way and has a lack of focus in her life.”

BILL CLINTON ‘LOSING IT’

Bill Clinton has long had a soft spot for New Hampshire, the state that made him the “Comeback Kid” and helped propel him to the Democratic nomination in 1992. So when it seemed on Feb. 7 that Hillary Clinton was set to lose the state’s primary by a large margin, Bill did not take the news well.

“He’s losing it bad today,” Bill Clinton chief of staff Tina Flournoy wrote. “I’m not with him. If you’re in NH please see if you can talk to him.”

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders went on to beat Clinton in the Granite State 60-to-38 percent on Feb. 9.

Bill Clinton wasn’t alone in his despondency.

Neera Tanden, an activist and past adviser to Hillary Clinton, wrote to Podesta on Feb. 4: “What is wrong w the people of Nh?”

COZY WITH THE PRESS

The alleged Podesta emails show a particular level of comfort with certain members of the news media.

CNBC correspondent John Harwood emailed Podesta numerous times, on some occasions to request an interview and other times to offer advice. On May 8, 2015, Harwood wrote an email with the subject line “Watch out.”

“Ben Carson could give you real trouble in a general [election],” Harwood wrote before linking to video clips of an interview Harwood did with the former pediatric neurosurgeon.

In a July 2015 email, New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich emailed communications director Jennifer Palmieri several chunks of an interview he did with Hillary Clinton, and seemingly asked permission for the “option to use the following” portions. Palmieri suggested he cut a reference Clinton made to Sarah Palin and remove Clinton’s quote, “And gay rights has moved much faster than women’s rights or civil rights, which is an interesting phenomenon.”

Palmieri ended one email: “Pleasure doing business!”

In a January 2015 memo, former Politico reporter Maggie Haberman, who now works for The New York Times, was described as having “a very good relationship” with the campaign.

“We have had her tee up stories for us before and have never been disappointed,” the memo said.

HOPING FOR TRUMP

Hillary Clinton allies were apparently hoping the Republican primary electorate would nominate Donald Trump as the GOP candidate for president.

Media commentator Brent Budowsky wrote to Podesta on March 13 that “Right now I am petrified that Hillary is almost totally dependent on Republicans nominating Trump.”

“…..even a clown like Ted Cruz would be an even money bet to beat and this scares the hell of out me…..” Budowsky wrote.

A Democrat National Committee strategy document from April 7, 2015 also wrote about “elevating the Pied Piper candidates,” identified as Trump, Cruz and Carson.

WALL STREET SPEECHES

Campaign research director Tony Carrk emailed top Clinton advisers on Jan. 25 with some “flags from HRC’s paid speeches” that were given during the time between her tenure as secretary of state and when she announced her presidential candidacy. Clinton has not released transcripts of those speeches despite numerous calls from her primary and general election opponents.

Among the red flags is Clinton admitting she’s “Kind Of Far Removed” from middle-class struggles due to “The Economic, You Know, Fortunes That My Husband And I Now Enjoy.” That speech was delivered to employees at Goldman-Black Rock on Feb. 4, 2014.

In a line that came back to bite her in Sunday night’s presidential debate, Clinton discussed needing “Both A Public And A Private Position” during a speech for National Multi-Housing Council in April 2013.

In other speeches, Clinton boasts of her ties to Wall Street, admits she needs Wall Street funding and says insiders are needed to fix problems on Wall Street. Sanders was a particular critic of Wall Street and so-called “economic inequality” during his protracted primary campaign against Clinton.

In another speech, Clinton said her “dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders.”

SANDERS STRATEGY

Throughout the alleged Podesta emails, aides debate tactics against Clinton’s main 2016 primary rival, Sanders. Carrk forwarded a 71-page, nearly 50,000-word opposition research file on Oct. 28, 2015, picking apart nearly every policy and position of Sanders. “Attached are some hits that could either be written or deployed during the next debate on Sanders,” Carrk wrote.

On Jan.6, campaign adviser Mandy Grunwald and Palmieri debated how to respond to Sanders’ attacks on Clinton’s ties to Wall Street.

“I liked messing with Bernie on wall street at a staff level for the purposes of muddying the waters and throwing them off their game a bit,” Palmieri wrote. “But don’t know that it is most effective contrast for her. Seems like we are picking the fight he wants to have.”

Grunwald replied: “Bernie wants a fight on a Wall Street. We should not give him one.”

ALLIES’ SUPPORT FOR ISIS?

An alleged email sent from Hillary Clinton’s account to Podesta on Aug. 17, 2014, noted that ISIS was receiving financial and logistical support from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“While this military/para-military operation is moving forward, we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to [ISIS] and other radical Sunni groups in the region,” the email said.

It’s unclear whether the email was actually authored by Clinton.

The Clinton campaign, meanwhile, has blasted WikiLeaks over the release, while ramping up its accusations that the group is working with the Russian government.

“It is absolutely disgraceful that the Trump campaign is cheering on a release today engineered by Vladimir Putin to interfere in this election, and this comes after Donald Trump encouraged more espionage over the summer and continued to deny the hack even happened at Sunday’s debate,” spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. “The timing shows you that even Putin knows Trump had a bad weekend and a bad debate. The only remaining question is why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians.”

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The uranium deal, which involved 25 percent of Russia’s deposits, was discussed in an email conversation between Clinton Foundation communications head, Maura Pally, and Clinton campaign chief, John Podesta, Breitbart reports.

“Putting on all of your radars that Grassley sent a letter to AG Lynch (dated June 30th though we just saw it) asking questions about contributions to the Clinton Foundation and the Uranium One deal. Letter is attached. Craig is connecting with comms team to be sure they are aware as well,” the email said.

“Clinton Foundation’s ties to a number of investors involved in a business transaction that resulted in the acquisition of Uranium One, owner of U.S. based uranium assets, by Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), a subsidiary of Rosatom, a Russian government owned company. The transaction raised a number of national security concerns because it effectively ceded 20% of U.S. uranium production capacity to the Russian government,” said an excerpt from Grassley’s letter.

The original message was also sent to Hillary’s former shadow, Huma Adedin. She has not been spotted on the campaign trail since her husband’s latest sexting scandal, which included him making lewd comments and sending photos of himself in his underwear that also showed their toddler son laying next to him.

Minutes after receiving the email, John Podesta forwarded it to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. The deep connection between the State Department and the Clinton Foundation has never been clearer – or more terrifying.

The Hill: An official within Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham’s campaign appeared to have discussions with sources inside the Department of Justice (DOJ) about ongoing open records lawsuits regarding the former secretary of State’s emails, according to an email released on Tuesday.

In an email from May 2015, Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon said that “DOJ folks” had “inform[ed]” him about an upcoming status conference in one of the lawsuits regarding Clinton’s private email setup.

The information about an upcoming court event would have been public knowledge and open for all to attend. And it’s unclear whether the people Fallon spoke to at the Justice Department were officials who regularly communicate with the public.

However, the fact Fallon – a former spokesman with the Justice Department — remained in contact with anyone from the department is likely to renew allegations that the Obama administration maintained an especially cozy relationship with Clinton’s presidential campaign.

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Politico:

Clinton ‘not in the same place’ as her aides on email scandal

As the furor over Hillary Clinton’s emails built in the summer of 2015, the Democratic candidate appears to have resisted at least some of her team’s advice about how to get ahead of the story. In an email to other aides, Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri said she viewed the decision to turn over thumb drives and a computer server to the Justice Department as a chance for Clinton to try to move past the controversy, but Clinton apparently had a different view.

“As you all know, I had hoped that we could use the ‘server moment’ as an opportunity for her to be viewed as having take [sic] a big step to deal with the email problem that would best position us for what is ahead. It is clear that she is not in same place (unless John has a convo with her and gets her in a different place),” Palmieri wrote in the August 8 email.

Palmieri proposed that the campaign put out word after the Sunday talk shows the following day that Clinton had surrendered the thumb drives and server to the Justice Department then do an interview with Univision where she would talk about the decision during a broader discussion about college costs. However, the timing ultimately slipped a bit, with the campaign announcing the move late on Tuesday, after she’d already taped the Univision interview earlier that day. Read the rolling blog from Politico here and the revealing references to the emails.