Did Hillary Lie to the FBI?

Posted on August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 by Denise Simon

It is unlikely Hillary lied to the FBI during her three hour interview. Why? If she was asked easy questions including questions where she could claim no memory, then the entire interview was purely theater. It is important to note that the Director of the FBI, James Comey was not in attendance for this interview. It is stunning that a presidential candidate and a top government official was being interviewed and the FBI Director was not a participant. Why? Again, the questions were thin on substance and hardly probing and perhaps pre-planned. But Congress is about to have possession of the records.

His July 5 announcement – which led to the Department of Justice officially dropping the case – also resulted in Comey having to testify before Congress, which he did two days later.

There, he was asked about Clinton’s interview with the FBI.

Comey divulged that the three-hour interview hadn’t taken place under oath and thus no official transcript would be available.

Notes from the interview, however, existed and Republicans have been trying to get their hands on those for the past month. More here.

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Congress could get record of FBI’s Clinton interview over emails by this week

FNC: Some of the FBI files on the agency’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server exclusively for government business while serving as secretary of state could be given to a House oversight committee as early as this week, a congressional source confirmed with Fox News on Sunday.

The matter has been progressing since early July, when a formal request was made by Congress for the file, the remaining block appears to rest within the Justice Department.

The FBI, after interviewing Clinton last month, concluded its investigation of Clinton’s use of a private server, confirming publicly that 113 classified emails were sent and received by Clinton, as well as 2,000 that were classified after the fact.

FBI Director James Comey said investigators found at least three emails that contained classified markings, adding that the Democratic presidential nominee was “extremely careless.” However, he did not recommend criminal charges, and the Justice Department closed the case.

While Clinton has insisted nothing was marked classified at the time, the investigation found otherwise, with the emails containing a portion marking (C for confidential, the lowest level of classification). Fox News first reported that some of the emails were marked classified in June.

The Oversight Committee has formally asked if Clinton committed perjury during her Benghazi testimony in October 2015, because her statements to Congress appear to conflict with the FBI’s findings. Clinton has maintained she was truthful in her FBI interview.

Fox News is told that the FBI and Justice Department have confirmed the receipt of the committee’s request.

Congressional investigators — led by House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah — have been aggressively seeking the entire file, including a summary of Clinton’s interview, known as a “302.”

However, the document is considered highly classified, because Clinton’s FBI session included questions on the 22 top secret emails that are too damaging to national security to make public.

Note that, it is standard for FBI interviews not to be recorded, so there is no transcript, but agents take extensive notes and they form the basis for the written report known as the “302.”

The possible release of the file to congressional investigators was first reported by CNN.

The House Oversight Committee questioned Comey for over five hours in July after he said no reasonable prosecutor would pursue criminal charges.

Kidnapped Sailor by Iran Contesting Discipline, John Kerry?

Posted on August 15, 2016August 15, 2016 by Denise Simon

Seems that John Kerry likely forced the department of the Navy to instructed the navy commander to apologize and to do so publically.

“I could not be and I know the president could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform,” he added. “I also want to thank the Iranian authorities for their cooperation and quick response.”

The sailors appear to have been “well taken care of,” Kerry insisted, adding that Iran gave them blankets and food as they were forced to wait overnight on a small island in the Persian Gulf. More here from TheHill.

Let the FOIA request firestorm begin.

Sailor who apologized to Iranian captors appeals punishment

FNC: The U.S. Navy lieutenant who apologized on video for “a mistake” while he and his crew were being held by Iranian captors in January is appealing his discipline for violating the service’s code of conduct, The Navy Times reported.

Lt. David Nartker was given a non-judicial punishment last week by the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, two officials familiar with the proceeding told The Times. Narker appeared before Rear Adm. Frank Morneau on Aug. 4 to hear the charges against him, Stars and Stripes reported.

The exact punishment given to Nartker and the charges leveled against him have not yet been revealed. Stars and Stripes reported the punishments could range from confinement to his quarters to a letter of reprimand – which could be a career-ender.

Nartker was the most senior officer of 10 sailors manning a pair of boats captured by Iran after the U.S. vessels accidentally strayed into Iranian waters on Jan. 12. He was filmed apologizing for the incursion on a video that was later released by Iran.

“It was a mistake,” Nartker said on camera. “That was our fault. And we apologize for our mistake.”

The sailors were detained for one night before being released.

“Left to his own devices, [Nartker] emulated the poor leadership traits he witnessed first-hand within his own chain of command,” the Iran incident investigation report said.

The NECC would not comment on the specifics of the case.

“Following [non-judicial punishment] proceedings, members may appeal the findings to a higher authority,” Lt. Cmdr. Jen Cragg said in an email to The Navy Times. “The appeal authority may set aside the punishment, decrease its severity, or deny the appeal, but may not increase the severity of the punishment.”

U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii has a 30-day period to review the appeal, Stars and Stripes reported.

National Guard Activated in Milwaukee, it Began this Way

Posted on August 14, 2016August 14, 2016 by Denise Simon

Sylville Smith: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Courtesy of Heavy

Sylville Smith was fatally shot by police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, leading to riots in the city’s North Side. (Facebook)

A 23-year-old black man armed with a stolen gun was fatally shot Saturday afternoon by police in Milwaukee during a foot pursuit, authorities say.

The man has been identified as Sylville Smith, police said. Smith was shot in the chest and arm, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said.

He fled from a car during a traffic stop Saturday about 2:30 p.m. in the Wisconsin city’s North Side, police said in a press release. He was chased by two officers and was shot during the foot pursuit, according to police.

Peaceful protests turned to violent unrest Saturday night. One police officer was hospitalized after a brick was thrown through his windshield. Three others were hospitalized with unspecified injuries, but all were released by Sunday morning. Six buildings and several vehicles were burned, including a police car. Seventeen arrests were made, officials said.

The scene was calm Sunday morning, with community members gathering to cleanup and hold a prayer service. Governor Scott Walker activated the state’s National Guard as a precaution. They will be available to assist police Sunday if needed.

The investigation into the shooting is being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office will then review the findings of that investigation.

The officer who shot Smith has been placed on administrative leave. His name has not been released, but police say he is a 24-year-old man who has been with the department for six years. He has worked as an officer for three years.

The officer is black, Police Chief Edward Flynn said Sunday at a press conference.

1. The Officers at the Scene of the Shooting Were Wearing Body Cameras, the Mayor Says

Milwaukee Police say the incident began when two uniformed officers stopped a car with two people inside in the 3200 block of North 44th Street about 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

“Shortly after stopping the suspects, both occupants fled from the car on foot. The officers pursued the suspects, and during the foot pursuit one officer shot one suspect, armed with a semiautomatic handgun,” police said in a press release.”

Sylville Smith died at the scene, police said.

The shooting happened in a yard in the 3200 block of North 44th Street, police said.

Police said the other suspect, who has not been named, was taken into custody and is facing charges.

Mayor Tom Barrett said the two officers involved in the chase and shooting were wearing body cameras, WISN-TV reports. The cameras were operational, Barrett said.

He said the officer ordered the man to drop his gun twice and then fired several times when he refused. Barrett said a photo from the body camera clearly shows Smith had the gun in his hand when he was killed.

2. A Loaded Gun Stolen From a Home During a Burglary Was Found After the Shooting

Police said the semiautomatic handgun recovered at the scene was stolen in a burglary from a home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in March 2016. The burglary victim said 500 rounds of ammunition were also taken.

Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters the gun was loaded, according to The Associated Press.

“This stop took place because two officers … saw suspicious activity,” Barrett said. “There were 23 rounds in that gun that that officer was staring at. I want to make sure we don’t lose any police officers in this community, either.”

Milwaukee Police Assistant Chief Bill Jessup told the Journal Sentinel it has not been determined if the gun was pointed at the officer or if shots were fired by the suspect.

“That officer had to make a split-second decision when the person confronted him with a handgun,” Jessup said. “This is a risk they take every day on behalf of our community.”

The shooting came after five fatal shootings during a nine-hour stretch from Friday night to Saturday morning. It occurred just blocks from three of those homicides, police told the Journal Sentinel.

“As everyone knows, this was a very, very violent 24 hours in the city of Milwaukee,” Jessup said. “Our officers are out here taking risks on behalf of the community and making split-second decisions.”

3. Smith’s Criminal Record, Which Police Called ‘Lengthy,’ Included a Misdemeanor Conviction for Carrying a Concealed Weapon & Traffic Offenses

Police said in a press release that the 23-year-old man who was fatally shot had a “lengthy arrest record.”

A search of Wisconsin court records revealed several arrests, but only one misdemeanor conviction for Sylville Smith. His record also included traffic offenses. No felony convictions were found.

The misdemeanor conviction, for carrying a concealed weapon, came in July 2014. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $443 and ordered to serve one day in jail.

His record also included guilty findings on traffic offenses for speeding, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, possession of open intoxicants in a motor vehicle and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

Smith was arrested in 2015 on a charge of intimidating a witness by a person charged with a felony, which is itself a felony offense. The case was dropped later that year by the prosecutor.

He was also charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, a felony, and misdemeanor possession of THC earlier in 2015. Those charges were dismissed by a judge based on a motion by the defense.

According to the Journal Sentinel, both cases stemmed from a February 2015 shooting in which he was a suspect.

Smith was accused of calling his girlfriend from jail to tell her to call the victim in the shooting case to get him to fill out a sworn affidavit saying Smith didn’t commit the crime, according to court documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel.

The victim recanted his identification of Smith and the case was dropped after the victim did not show up to court and was uncooperative, the newspaper reports.

In 2013, Smith was charged with retail theft, but that case as also dropped by the prosecutor. Go here for more details, facts and videos from Heavy.

Update on Hillary’s Donations, Tax Returns, Emails, on My

Posted on August 12, 2016August 12, 2016 by Denise Simon

Guccifer 2.0 has been busy toward the end of the week with a new release found below:

As you see the U.S. presidential elections are becoming a farce, a big political performance where the voters are far from playing the leading role. Everything is being settled behind the scenes as it was with Bernie Sanders.

I wonder what happened to the true democracy, to the equal opportunities, the things we love the United States for. The big money bags are fighting for power today. They are lying constantly and don’t keep their word. The MSM are producing tons of propaganda hiding the real stuff behind it. But I do believe that people have right to know what’s going on inside the election process in fact.

To make a long story short, here are some DCCC docs from their server. Make use of them.

Publication Passwords

2016 Cycle Passwords

Coordinated Shared Passwords

Special thanks to Nirali Amin for the list of passwords.

2016-08-08_174450

By the way, the complexity of the passwords leaves much to be desired.

Here are more docs from the DCCC server.

Copy of 114th Congressional Contacts

2016-08-08_175149

FL-18 Campaign Overview

FL-18 Campaign Overview Appendix

2016-08-08_175303 2016-08-08_175623

These docs are from Nancy Pelosi’s PC

Pelosi_Carroll Event Memo

pe1

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Clinton Releases 2015 Tax Returns — Here’s Where 96 Percent of Their Charitable Donations Went

TheBlaze and Mediaite: Of the $10.6 million Hillary and Bill Clinton earned last year, they gave more than $1 million to charity, according to a tax filing released by the Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign Friday.

As it turns out, 96 percent of the Clintons’ 2015 charitable donations went to the Clinton Family Foundation, a tax-exempt charity owned by the Clintons but separate from the well-known Clinton Foundation. According to the tax release, the Clintons donated $42,000 to Desert Classic Charities and $1 million to the Clinton Family Foundation.

Interestingly, as the Daily Caller pointed out, the money donated to Desert Classic soon funneled back to the Clintons as the charity donated $700,000 to the Hillary, Bill and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. The money was donated for work on obesity programs.

In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney became the subject of much scrutiny for his charitable donations. The former Massachusetts governor earned $14 million and gave $4 million to charity. Many progressive pundits hit Romney because a majority of his charitable giving went to the Mormon church and part of it was gifted to a foundation controlled by his family.

The Clintons’ charity work has been criticized ever since the release of Peter Schweitzer’s 2015 book “Clinton Cash.” The author asserts that many of the embattled Clinton Foundation’s donations from foreign and domestic people occurred alongside favorable treatment from Clinton’s State Department.

This comes amid a new release of Clinton emails seemingly showing a tangled relationship between the State Department and the Clinton Foundation during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.

The FBI pushed the Department of Justice to launch an integrity probe into the Clinton Foundation, but the agency denied, claiming there was not enough evidence of wrongdoing to justify such an investigation.

**** Oh Bill, what have you been doing lately?

Bill Clinton netted $1.6 million from for-profit colleges

WashingtonExaminer: Bill Clinton netted $1.6 million last year from a pair of for-profit education companies that caused controversy for the future president during Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state.

Laureate Education paid Bill Clinton nearly $1.1 million in 2015, according to tax returns released by his wife’s campaign Friday. GEMS Education, a Dubai-based firm, paid him more than $560,000.

Both companies are major donors to the Clinton Foundation.

Bill Clinton’s lucrative consulting contracts with the corporations have raised questions about how closely his personal fortune is linked to his philanthropic activities.

What’s more, the State Department handed Laureate’s chairman taxpayer-funded grants under Hillary Clinton’s watch.

** Be sure to click the link below for the income graphic.

Bill and Hillary Clinton Total Income | Graphiq

Douglas Becker, CEO of Laureate, also heads a nonprofit group called the International Youth Foundation, which netted millions from the U.S. Agency for International Development in 2010. USAID is an arm of the State Department.

The Clintons have weathered criticism in the past for promoting affordable or free higher education while accepting a paycheck from one of the largest for-profit college education firms in the world.

Bill Clinton said he ended his time as the honorary chancellor of Laureate in April of last year, the same month Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid.

Contracts with GEMS and Laureate have earned Bill Clinton more than $15 million. That sum padded the additional millions he pocketed from speaking fees thanks to engagements he booked around the world while Hillary Clinton served as the nation’s chief diplomat.

Ukraine on War-footing vs. Russia

Posted on August 12, 2016August 12, 2016 by Denise Simon

Ukrainian security forces patrol in the village of Bobrovyshche on July 14, 2015. More than 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict in Ukraine since April 2014, the United Nations says.

(CNN)Ukraine is ordering its troops to be on the “highest level of combat readiness” Thursday, amid growing tensions with Russia over Crimea.

The order comes after Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of launching a militant attack at “critically important infrastructure” near the city of Armyansk, Crimea, according to Russia’s state news service TASS.

But Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko refuted the claims, calling them “insane” and suggesting Russia’s aim was more military threats against its neighbor. More here.

(CNN)It began as a dispute over a trade agreement, but it mushroomed into the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the wars over the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

Click here for more photos and videos courtesy of CNN.

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following tensions with its neighbor, world leaders managed to install a shaky peace deal in 2015. But violence continues in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine — and 2016 has seen an increase in casualties.

So how did this dispute begin and how did it then erupt in to civil war? CNN examines the evolution of the Ukraine crisis.

Protests begin in Kiev …

Ukrainian is spoken by 70% of the country, but Russian is the mother tongue of many in the east.

November 21, 2013: After a year of insisting he would sign a landmark political and trade deal with the European Union, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych suspends talks in the face of opposition from Russia, which has long opposed Ukraine forming closer ties with the EU. Tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets in the following days, highlighting the deep divide between the pro-European west and Yanukovych’s power base in the pro-Russian east of Ukraine.

… then escalate …

February 20, 2014: Violence that has been simmering for weeks bubbles over when a gunfight erupts between protesters and police in Maidan (Independence) Square in central Kiev, leaving dozens of people dead. Protesters say government snipers opened fire on them; Yanukovych’s government blames opposition leaders for provoking the violence.

… and the Ukrainian President flees

February 22, 2014: Yanukovych flees Kiev as his guards abandon the presidential compound. Thousands storm the grounds, marveling at the lavish estate he left behind. Former Prime Minister (and Yanukovych adversary) Yulia Tymoshenko — jailed in 2011 for “abuse of office” after a trial that was widely seen as politically motivated — is released from prison and addresses pro-Western protesters in Maidan Square.

A week later, troops enter Crimea …

March 1, 2014: Russia’s parliament signs off on President Vladimir Putin‘s request to send military forces into Crimea, an autonomous region of southern Ukraine with strong Russian loyalties. Thousands of Russian-speaking troops wearing unmarked uniforms pour into the peninsula. Two weeks later, Russia completes its annexation of Crimea in a referendum that is slammed by Ukraine and most of the world as illegitimate.

… and soon Kiev starts cracking down in eastern Ukraine

April 15, 2014: Kiev’s government launches its first formal military action against the pro-Russian rebels who have seized government buildings in towns and cities across eastern Ukraine. Putin warns that Ukraine is on the “brink of civil war.” Less than a month later, separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declare independence after unrecognized referendums.

In the spring, a new President takes power in Kiev …

May 25, 2014: The “Chocolate King” Petro Poroshenko, a candy company magnate and one of the country’s richest men, declares victory in Ukraine’s presidential elections. Pro-Russian separatists are accused of preventing people from voting in the violence-wracked east of the country.

… and that contentious EU trade deal finally gets signed.

Poroshenko: Putin can be ’emotional’

June 27, 2014: Poroshenko signs the EU Association Agreement — the same deal that former President Yanukovych backed out of in 2013 — and warns Russia that Ukraine’s determination to pursue its European dreams will not be denied.

A commercial airliner is blown out of the sky …

July 17, 2014: 298 people are killed when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down by a surface-to-air missile above rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine. Initially, gunmen prevent international monitors from reaching the crash site, exacerbating the grief of the families of the victims, and it takes days before rebels allow investigators to examine the bodies.

… and months later, a ceasefire follows

September 20, 2014: Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agree to a complete ceasefire and buffer zone that require all sides to pull heavy weaponry back from the front lines of the conflict, two weeks after an initial truce was agreed to. Meanwhile, a convoy of Russian trucks streams into the border area without the Ukrainian government’s approval. Russia insists the trucks are filled with humanitarian aid, but Kiev is skeptical.

Come winter, the fight in the east becomes bitter …

November 12, 2014: A NATO commander says that Russian tanks, other weapons and troops are pouring across the border into Ukraine, in apparent violation of the September ceasefire — a claim that Moscow denies. And by the end of the year, the U.N. says more than 1.7 million children in the conflict-torn areas of eastern Ukraine are facing “extremely serious” situations exacerbated by unusually harsh winter conditions.

… and harsher …

January 22, 2015: Donetsk International Airport, which was rebuilt ahead of the European soccer championships in 2012, falls to rebels after months of fighting with Ukrainian government forces. Days later, amid spiraling violence, President Poroshenko announces he will ask the International Criminal Court at The Hague to investigate alleged “crimes against humanity” in the conflict.

… and the West becomes divided

February 12, 2015: Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Francois Hollande hammer out a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine and Russia after the United States says it is considering supplying lethal aid to Ukraine. European leaders are opposed to arming Kiev’s government forces, and they fear it could further ignite a conflict that has now killed more than 5,000 people, including many civilians. Three days later, the ceasefire goes into effect, but violations quickly follow. Over the next few days, Ukraine says several of its service members were killed. Ukraine’s National Defense and Security Council reports 300 violations of the ceasefire by February 20.

… then the EU extends sanctions on Russia

ukraine conflict aid intv bociurkiw walker intv_00005815

June 22, 2015: European Union foreign ministers extend sanctions against Russia, imposed because of the country’s actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. The Kremlin calls the sanctions “unfounded and illegal.” The sanctions, and the events that preceded their imposition, reflect the tug of war between East and West over the future of Ukraine.

… in eastern Ukraine there’s growing despair

March 3, 2016: Ukraine’s prolonged stalemate is causing grief and isolation among millions living in the conflict zone, the United Nations warns. The fragile ceasefire is pierced daily by violations, while the number of conflict-related civilian casualties keeps climbing. Since the beginning of the conflict in April 2014, nearly 9,500 people have been killed in the violence and more than 22,100 injured, including Ukrainian armed forces, civilians and members of armed groups, the UN says.

… and civilian casualties highest for a year

August 5, 2016: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights releases new figures showing that the conflict on the frontline has resulted in a spike in civilian casualties. The agency documented 69 civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine in June, including 12 dead and 57 injured — nearly double the figure for May and the highest toll since August 2015. July saw 73 civilian casualties, including eight dead and 65 injured.