[Daily Caller] Both the House and the Senate are investigating whether the former President Barack Obama’s administration used intelligence in a salacious "Trump Dossier" as "evidence" before a secret federal surveillance court to obtain permission to spy on Donald Trump campaign aides and later his transition team.
Leaders in Congress are trying to find out if the Obama Justice Department and the FBI introduced the totally unsubstantiated material alleging unsavory connections between Trump and Russia before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, congressional aides told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The FBI used the dossier to secure permission to monitor the communications of Trump associate Carter Page, based on U.S. officials briefed on the Russia investigation, CNN reported in April.
The latest inquiries began Oct. 4, when the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence subpoenaed Fusion GPS, a political opposition research firm based in Washington, D.C., to appear before the committee and turn over bank documents. The committee is also seeking all Justice Department applications before the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court, also called the FISA court, to determine if any of the applicants rely on information from the dossier.
[The Hill] The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday sought permission to interview an FBI informant who helped agents uncover a major corruption scheme by Russian nuclear officials seeking to aggressively expand their American business under the Obama administration.
The undercover witness, who has not been publicly identified, spent nearly five years helping agents build a case that resulted in one of Russia's top nuclear industry officials in the United States, a Russian financier and an American trucking executive to plead guilty in 2015 to charges related to a racketeering scheme that prosecutors said involved bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering.
The informant possesses information about the extent of Russian efforts to curry favor inside the United States that he has been prevented from disclosing to the courts and Congress because he signed an FBI nondisclosure statement, his lawyer Victoria Toensing told The Hill on Tuesday.
The undercover witness was threatened by Justice officials when he tried to disclose some of the information in a lawsuit during last year's election, forcing him to withdraw his legal action, the lawyer alleged.
[Free Beacon] Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey should have been able to come to determinations about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server before interviewing her.
Holder was appointed attorney general in the Obama Administration and had thus worked with Comey, although he had been replaced by Loretta Lynch by the time Comey was investigating Clinton’s server. As a former head of the Justice Department, Holder took no issue with the fact that Comey was drafting his statement before interviewing Clinton.
"You can make determinations about where an investigation is likely to go before you actually speak to the subject of that investigation," Holder said. "That inquiry had been underway for an extended period of time."
Holder said his "guess" is that Comey understood where the investigation was going after a certain amount of work had been done.
"A lot of resources had been used," he added. "A lot of people had been spoken to. A lot of documents had been reviewed. So you can get to, you know, pretty close to the end of an investigation and understand where you're going to go with it before you actually talk to the subject of the investigation."
Tapper also asked Holder about his criticism of Comey for making a statement exonerating Clinton that nevertheless seemed critical of her. Holder stood by that judgment but said he trusted Comey’s integrity.
I would have preferred the 'Brazen Bull' but that's just me.
[Wash Times] A crusading lawyer filed a bar grievance this week accusing former FBI Director James Comey of lying to Congress and destroying potential evidence in the Clinton email scandal, in a process that could end up costing him his law license.
Ty Clevenger filed the grievance in New York, where Mr. Comey was a former U.S. attorney and is licensed to practice law.
Mr. Clevenger said Mr. Comey’s testimony to Congress that he did not predetermine the outcome of the FBI’s probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is belied by revelations this week that he in fact started drafting an exoneration months before even speaking with Mrs. Clinton.
"Insofar as Mr. Comey gave materially false testimony to Congress, it appears that he violated Rules 1.0(w), 3.3(a)(1), and 8.4 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct," Mr. Clevenger wrote.
He also asked to renew grievances in New York against former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, saying Mr. Comey’s claim that she tried to pressure him to downplay the Clinton probe should subject her to scrutiny.
[FOXNEWS] Two top officials at the political research firm behind a salacious dossier alleging various Russian connections to President Trump's campaign invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.
Fusion GPS co-founder Peter Fritsch and top lieutenant Thomas Catan were subpoenaed to appear before the committee in a closed-door session on Wednesday but asserted their right not to testify, a source close to the matter told Fox News.
Fritsch and Catan took the Fifth on every question posed by committee members. Another co-founder, Glenn Simpson, is under subpoena for a later date.
The move was expected.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2017 00:00 ||
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Can take the 5th in a Civil Court over libel. Of course, you'll most likely lose. Maybe the Don can set a national record for the amount of judgement. Then the 'top officials' could learn what perpetual impoverishment means.
#2
The individuals may insulate themselves with the 5th but I wonder if Fusion GPS and it's principals can survive a 'drill-down' audit of their past associations.
#3
The rot within the corridors of the federal government that Trump is exposing-- whether it's intentional or not-- simply because he had the audacity to run and win has reached staggering proportions.
At this point, only the willfully blind, ignorant, negligent, and treasonous can fail to see things for what they truly are.
[WASHINGTONTIMES] A predominantly black elementary school in Jackson, Mississippi, named after Confederate President Jefferson Davis, will be renamed after former President Barack Obama Because I won... , leaders announced Tuesday.
Davis Magnet IB PTA President Janelle Jefferson said during the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting that school stakeholders voted earlier this month to rename the school Barack Obama Magnet IB, a move that will go into effect for the 2018-19 school year, The Clarion Ledger reported.
"Jefferson Davis, although infamous in his own right, would probably not be too happy about a diverse school promoting the education of the very individuals he fought to keep enslaved being named after him," Ms. Jefferson said.
"I wholeheartedly agree with the name," Board President Camille Simms said at Tuesday’s meeting.
In September, the board approved a policy that gave the PTA and the Davis community control in renaming the school. Parents, students and staff submitted name ideas to the PTA and voted on Oct. 5 using paper ballots, Mississippi Today reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2017 00:00 ||
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Let them enjoy it while they may. In a few years they'll change it to someone more admitable -- W.E.B. Dubois, George
Washington Carver, Clarence Thomas, Walter E. Williams, Thomas Sowell -- there are plenty of real African-American heroes to choose from.
#8
Yo, me too. Who, since Lee, has more effectively promoted the Confederate cause than Obama? And who's done more than Obama to promote the continued enslavement of blacks in America? Johnson? Nixon?
#10
Your right. That's unfair, and based on nothing but my subjective sense that, numbers notwithstanding, welfare revved up and "got normalized" during Nixon's tenure. Please file under "second beer exposes ancient prejudice."
George W. Bush hinted Thursday at his dissatisfaction with Donald Trump, complaining in a New York City speech that 'bullying and prejudice' has become a caustic norm in American public life.
At an event hosted by the George W. Bush Institute, the 43rd U.S. president rattled off a thinly veiled litany of complaints about the current commander-in-chief, focusing on both his tone and his isolationist policy choices.
'Our young people need positive role models,' he said. 'Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children.'
'Bigotry seems emboldened' in today's America, Bush added. 'Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.'
Trump's tenure has been marked by a seemingly endless stream of outraged posts on his Twitter account and a dramatic political polarization among U.S. voters as the truthfulness of his public statements is questioned daily. Coming from the man who: invented the term "Religion of Peace", and made Iraq into Iranian province; this is rich
#5
From Politico, at the end of an article claiming this is a Trump-bashing speech:
In an unsolicited response to the speech, Trump White House director of strategic response Steven Cheung pointed to a comment Thursday from a Bush spokesman disputing that Trump was the target of the former president's remarks. "The themes President Bush spoke about today are really the same themes he has spoken about for the last two decades," the Bush spokesman had said.
"These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001
As early as 2001 the Bush administration's policy and public messaging regarding 9/11 was objectively inconsistent and incoherent.
IMO a 'RINO' was the worst kind of politician to be in office on 9/11. He was prone to err on the dovish side but would not be criticized for such errors.
The Democrats would agree on policy and the Republicans would loyally stay silent.
[JammieWearingFool] As the Democrats flounder trying to find a coherent message to bamboozle Americans with, apparently the diversity bean-counters have invited some trouble here.
The removal and demotion of a handful of veteran operatives stood out, as did what critics charge is the over-representation of Clinton-backed members on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, which helps set the terms for the party’s presidential primary, though other Sanders and Ellison backers remain represented.
Those who have been pushed out include:
Ray Buckley, the New Hampshire Democratic chairman and longtime DNC official who ran against Perez for chair before backing Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., lost his spots on the Executive Committee and DNC Rules Committee;
James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute and prominent Sanders backer, is no longer co-chair of the Resolutions Committee and is off the Executive Committee, a spot he has held since 2001;
Alice Germond, the party’s longtime former secretary and a vocal Ellison backer, who was removed from her at-large appointment to the DNC; and
Barbra Casbar Siperstein, the first transgender member of the DNC who supported Ellison and Buckley, was tossed from the Executive Committee.
Why do Democrats hate transgender lesbians, one might ask?
The DNC has been under intense scrutiny from party activists since the 2016 presidential primary between Clinton and Sanders, and some had feared this week’s appointments could reignite those tensions. Others worried about replacing people with years of institutional memory with inexperienced newcomers in the effort to bring in new blood.
"Keith suggested names for DNC at-large membership and committees. Some were selected and some were not. In the end, the selections are the perogative of the chair," Ellison spokesperson Karthik Ganapathy said in a terse statement.
Siperstein, the first transgender member of the DNC, said, "I can’t speak for Tom (Perez), but you talk about diversity ‐ I’m extremely diverse: Jewish, veteran, transgender, lesbian, grandparent, small-business owner."
Which begs the question: What does Tom Perez have against Jewish, veteran, transgender, lesbian, grandparent, small-business owners?
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
10/19/2017 08:37 ||
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The problem with building a political party around virtue signaling, is someone always will be pissed as they think they have more virtue than what you did.
Implosion of the party usually follows peak diversity virtue.
[Townhall] We wrote about the Virginia gubernatorial race yesterday, and that contest has since generated additional attention for two reasons. We'll get to the second one below, but first, please review this 'before and after' shot of Democratic campaign mailers and see you if you can spot the difference. It's, uh, not subtle:
#1
Virginia had a black governor years ago. Are the dems implying that a state they believe is turning blue is also becoming more rayciss? How can that be?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2017 7:31 Comments ||
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[FOXNEWS] CNN political news hound Daniella Diaz sent a tweet on Monday pointing out that President Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell locked hands while walking up stairs at the White House following their Rose Garden presser. Diaz seemed to be mocking the Republican duo ‐ but while followers quickly pointed out that the Kentucky senator is a polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. ... survivor, the tweet remains on her feed nearly 24 hours later.
"That hand-lock between Trump and McConnell, though," Diaz wrote with video of the incident.
A CNN colleague called out Diaz, quoting her tweet and explaining the situation. At the time this article was published, Diaz had not deleted the tweet. Daily Beast Senior Editor Andrew Kirell also asked what was going on in a since-deleted response.
"McConnell is a polio survivor, a reason why stairs can be tricky at times," CNN's Senior Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju wrote. "McConnell often goes up a step at a time, sometimes needs railing for assistance. This time, used Trump for balance."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2017 00:00 ||
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It's a good thing president Trump didn't make that tweet.
[AMERICANTHINKER] After our administration got a better sense of what was going on, we did put in place a plan that we see being carried out now. The plan to retake Raqqa was put in place during the Obama Administration. President Trump has done something – he has made some tweaks around the edges, but this is the plan at the military has had in place for a long time time. Ed is absolutely right, this is a big victory.
The Russians used to evaluate everything the US State Department was through this spokesman by referring to her statements as Harfs. One Harf, 2 Harfs and so on. Great fun, I suspect, until The Donald won.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2017 00:00 ||
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Delusional she is, but our favorite Naughty Librarian has become an internet meme. To wit: harfing - To say or assert something so patently stupid and preposterous as to generate widespread mockery.
[The Hill] A Senate healthcare deal to extend critical ObamaCare payments to insurers appears all but completely dead just 24 hours after it was announced.
President Trump reversed course Wednesday and said he opposed the deal, while Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) office said the Senate should keep its focus on repealing and replacing President Obama’s signature law.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the third-ranking Senate Republican, acknowledged the deal had "stalled out."
Some Republican senators said they were working on changes to move the bill in a more conservative direction, but those efforts appeared to have little chance of success.
Democrats, who hailed the agreement on Tuesday, signaled they were preparing to blame Republicans for walking away from the deal crafted by Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the panel’s top Democrat.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Free Beacon] Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that former FBI Director James Comey should have been able to come to determinations about the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server before interviewing her.
[FOXNEWS] CNN political 
[AMERICANTHINKER] After our administration got a better sense of what was going on, we did put in place a plan that we see being carried out now. The plan to retake Raqqa was put in place during the Obama Administration. President Trump has done something – he has made some tweaks around the edges, but this is the plan at the military has had in place for a long time time. Ed is absolutely right, this is a big victory.
