Robert Mueller indicted a Russian company which did not exist at the time of the alleged crime
Well, this is a bit of an embarrassment! I am sure you all remember a few weeks ago when the internet and the mainstream media was abuzz with the news that Robert Mueller had indicted 13 Russians and 3 companies for trying to help the Trump campaign win the 2016 election. We have an update on that story.
Last week during a hearing for one of the companies, Concord Management, Robert Mueller asked for a delay in the hearing:
A week ago Friday at a hearing on this same case, Mueller’s team asked for the case to be delayed. The judge politely declined and the initial hearing on the case was held on Wednesday.
During the hearing, the judge asked the attorney representing Concord Management if he was also representing Concord Catering. The attorney for Concord Management explained that he is not because the indictment contains the ‘proverbial ham sandwich’, as noted earlier this week at TGP.
As you can see the delay was denied, but why would Robert Mueller ask for a delay in the first place? A second hearing was held last Wednesday and it turns out that Concord Management was not even in existence at the time the alleged conspiracy took place:
What was not yet available until last night was the transcript of the hearing. The reason the Concord Management attorneys called the case a ‘proverbial ham sandwich’ was because one of the entities indicted by the Mueller team, Concord Catering, was not in existence at the time the crimes were alleged to have taken place.
That is an interesting little tidbit of information missed by Mr. Mueller and his team is it not? The impartiality of the case has already been called into question with Peter Strzok and Lisa Page and now we have to call into question the thoroughness and legitimacy of the investigation.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Did the FBI have a spy in the Trump campaign?
We already know that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the transition, abused FISA warrants during the campaign, and illegally unmasked United States citizens. Now it is being reported the FBI actually had a spy in the Trump campaign. The Wall Street Journal article is pay-walled so I am using this link but here is more:
Thanks to the Washington Post’s unnamed law-enforcement leakers, we know Mr. Nunes’s request deals with a “top secret intelligence source” of the FBI and CIA, who is a U.S. citizen and who was involved in the Russia collusion probe. When government agencies refer to sources, they mean people who appear to be average citizens but use their profession or contacts to spy for the agency. Ergo, we might take this to mean that the FBI secretly had a person on the payroll who used his or her non-FBI credentials to interact in some capacity with the Trump campaign.
This would amount to spying, and it is hugely disconcerting.
If this is true it is more than “hugely disconcerting” to me! It is clear to me with all we now know, if this is true, we have even more proof there was a political effort afoot to stop Donald Trump from becoming President by people employed by the Federal government. Let that sink in…
The Department of Justice has been unwilling to turn over documents to the House Intelligence Committee related to the Russia investigation siting national security and putting people’s lives in danger but we may have just stumbled across what the FBI was really trying to hide.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Jeff Sessions agrees to brief House Intelligence Committee on withheld Russian investigation documents
The House Intelligence Committee has been seeking some documents from the Justice Department related to the Russian investigation but to date Jeff Sessions has been unwilling to turn them over, siting national security.
Over the weekend Devin Nunes threatened to hold the Attorney General in Contempt of Congress if he does not comply and now it looks as if that threat might have worked. Today we learned that Jeff Sessions has agreed to brief the House Intelligence Committee on the documents, here is more:
The Justice Department has invited House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to a classified briefing Thursday, a source familiar with the situation told the Washington Examiner.
The invitation comes after Nunes threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress over the agency’s resistance related to the chairman’s efforts to obtain documents related to the Russia investigation.
It is being reported here that this deal might have been brokered by Donald Trump:
The White House and Justice Department leaders are racing to defuse an ugly confrontation with House Republicans over access to sensitive documents connected to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, according to four sources with knowledge of the discussions.
In a late Tuesday phone call with top GOP lawmakers, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein offered to meet with key House members at the Justice Department on Thursday to discuss the issue. But they stopped short of promising full access to the material they’re requesting, the sources said.
If that it true it shoots a hole in my theory that Devin Nunes was going to try to hold Jeff Sessions in contempt to give Donald Trump an excuse to fire the Attorney General.
If, as Jeff Session has stated, national security and the lives of some people would be in danger if these documents were released this would seem like a suitable compromise. However a briefing is not the same as viewing the documents. With the meeting being held in private with people who are authorized to view classified information why not let them see the documents at the meeting rather than tell them what is in them? This leaves open the possibility that something important could still be hidden from the House Intelligence Committee.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
The three former United States prisoners being held in North Korea are on their way home
Last week we learned that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released three American citizens from a labor camp and sent them to a hospital in the area for treatment before returning home to the United States.
Today we are learning that Mike Pompeo made his second trip to North Korea and the three former prisoners are on a flight with him back to the United States. Here is more:
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that three American prisoners released from North Korea were headed home, a sign of potential good will ahead of Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“I appreciate Kim Jong Un allowing this to happen,” Trump said later Wednesday during a Cabinet meeting. He also said a location and a date for the summit with the North Korean leader would be announced within days.
Fantastic news! When I heard the three prisoners were headed to a hospital for treatment I was concerned because we all remember how Otto Warmbier returned home so I am glad to hear these three men appear to be in good condition.
Kim Jong Un continues to meet the demands made by Donald Trump as a condition for their meeting sometime later this month or next month–conditions nobody, including myself, thought he would ever agree to–and Donald Trump deserves credit for what is happening right now in North Korea. I hope it continues and all signs right now to point in that direction.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
As was expected Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise when he announced today he would be pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. Here is some of what he had to say.
“In 2015, the previous administration joined with other nations in a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program,” said Trump. “In theory, the so-called Iran deal was supposed to protect the United States and our allies from the lunacy of an Iranian nuclear bomb.
“In fact,” said Trump, “the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and over time reach the brink of nuclear breakout. The deal lifted crippling economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for very weak limits on the regime’s nuclear activity and no limits at all on its other malign behavior, including its sinister activities in Syria, Yemen and other places all around the world.
“In other words,” he said, “at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime–and it’s a regime of great terror–many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash–a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States.”
Of course Barack Obama has criticized this decision for obvious reasons, as has John Kerry (who might have a vested family interest in keeping the deal in place), the mainstream media, and the other nations in the deal.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who has accused Iran of cheating on the deal, praised the move. It appears to me Donald Trump is using a tactic similar to the one he used on North Korea. The President came out with strong words against North Korea, imposed stricter sanctions, and made sure countries like China adhered to the sanctions and we have seen progress with North Korea. It looks like this is a move to get Iran back to the table to negotiate an agreement Donald Trump believes would be more beneficial to the United States. By pulling out of the deal the United States will be able to put the sanctions back on Iran and enforce them, it worked with North Korea but it seems like this will be a tougher goal to accomplish but we will see.
On a side note, we have seen several lawsuits levied against Donald Trump for undoing Barack Obama’s Executive Orders by using Executive Orders and we have seen sympathetic judges rule against the President. How long will it be before somebody tries to sue Donald Trump over this?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Over the weekend it was reported that Devin Nunes has threatened to hold Jeff Sessions in Contempt of Congress for not complying with a subpoena to turn over documents related to alleged FISA warrant abuse during the 2016 election. Here is more:
A top Republican ally of President Trump said Sunday he’ll push to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt of Congress.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and GOP members of the House Intelligence Committee are frustrated that the Department of Justice hasn’t turned over documents related to the conduct of Justice Department and FBI officials in their handling of an investigation during the 2016 presidential election.
“On Thursday we discovered that they are not going to comply with our subpoena,” Nunes said on “Fox and Friends Sunday.”
“The only thing left to do is we have to move quickly to hold the attorney general of the United States in contempt and that is what I will press for this week.”
I am just confused about one thing: Didn’t Jeff Sessions recuse himself from any and all investigations into the 2016 election and Russia collusion? If so shouldn’t the target be Rod Rosenstein?
I find it highly unlikely Devin Nunes will have the votes to hold Jeff Sessions in Contempt of Congress but if he does this could give Donald Trump to opportunity he desires to fire Jeff Sessions and I think this is what it is really all about.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
It is now being reported here that Rosie O’Donnell made illegal campaign contributions to several Democratic candidates, she apparently donated more than the legal limit. Here is more:
Rosie O’Donnell made illegally over-sized campaign donations to at least five Democratic federal candidates, according to a Post analysis of campaign filings.
The liberal comedian has regularly broken Federal Election Commission rules limiting the total any one person can give to an individual candidate at $2,700 per election. The limit applies separately to primaries, runoffs and general elections.
Rosie O’Donnell for her part did not deny these allegations:
“Nothing nefarious,” the outspoken star and Donald Trump arch-nemesis wrote in an email to the Post. “I was not choosing to over donate.
“If 2700 is the cut off — [candidates] should refund the money,” she wrote. “I don’t look to see who I can donate most to … I just donate assuming they do not accept what is over the limit.”
O’Donnell said she donates often, and uses the online liberal fundraising platform ActBlue. “My anxiety is quelled by donating to those opposing trump [and] his agenda — especially at night — when most of these were placed.”
She donates quite a bit of money at different times and does not keep track of how much she donated to whom. She was not “choosing to over donate” it just happened, and when it happens the article I linked to above states the candidates who receive the over-donation are required to either refund the excess or as if the donor wants to reallocate the money.
I can actually buy this defense: I can see how somebody with money could lose track of donations if they are sloppy and that it could have been an honest mistake, however I am bothered by this:
Filings show O’Donnell gave a combined $5,400 in contributions over the limit to the five candidates, and used five different New York addresses and four variations of her name.
That is an interesting little tidbit of information, don’t you think? Using five different addresses and four different versions of her name while making donations through one website (ActBlue) and then to expect that same website to notify her she was over the limit? It certainly looks as if Rosie O’Donnell was making it harder for ActBlue to track her donations, if indeed they do track donations.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, May 6th open thread: ‘Whatever it Takes’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, May 6th. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
Last week we discussed 6 stories, did you miss any of them? If so there is an easy way to make sure it does not happen again. I understand that all of you are busy and cannot always find the time to check the blog for updates so why not subscribe to America’s Watchtower and receive email updates whenever I write a new post? That is the easiest way to follow the blog to ensure you never miss another post.
In addition to subscribing you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. But you will get more than that for I often post links to articles probably will not be writing about so it is a great way to keep up with what is happening.
The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive. This widget updates my tweets in real time and allows you to respond to or retweet my tweets right from the blog. It also allows you to tweet me right from America’s Watchtower.
Here is Imagine Dragons performing “Whatever it Takes” live, probably from earlier this year or sometime last year.
frui diem
Yesterday we learned (surprisingly enough from the Boston Globe, the Globe probably thought this was a noble thing to do) that former Secretary of State John Kerry has secretly been meeting with Iranian, German, French, and European Union leaders to come up with a plan to keep the Iran nuclear deal in place.
Of course he has not been authorized to negotiate for the United States government so it appears he would be in violation of the Logan Act.
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
The article I linked to above goes on to say pretty much the same thing I would have written here so here is what it said:
John Kerry, the former secretary of state and former senator, holds no governmental office. He is unauthorized to speak on behalf of the United States. There is no question that he is trying to undermine current American foreign policy by trying to salvage the disgraceful nuclear deal with Iran that he in part negotiated.
It should be remembered at this point, as the article reminds us, that Michael Flynn was accused by the left of violating the Logan Act for speaking with Russian officials as Donald Trump transitioned into office. But the left is silent now…
As I wrote before, there is nothing unusual about transition team members talking with the heads of foreign nations but there is something very unusual about a former Secretary of State working behind the scenes to undermine the current President and his foreign policy.
It should also be remembered, which I forgot to mention in my first post on this issue, that John Kerry might have a vested interest in keeping the Iran nuclear deal in place because his son-in-law is Iranian and the best man at his daughter’s wedding was Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Although no final decision has been made by the President, Donald Trump has expressed a desire to tear up the Iran nuclear deal and put a better one in place. This is a deal John Kerry believes is is crowning achievement and he does not want to see it rescinded. So much so that it is being reported here he has secretly been meeting with Iranian, German, French, and European Union leaders to come up with a plan to keep the deal in place.
John Kerry’s bid to save one of his most significant accomplishments as secretary of state took him to New York on a Sunday afternoon two weeks ago, where, more than a year after he left office, he engaged in some unusual shadow diplomacy with a top-ranking Iranian official.
He sat down at the United Nations with Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss ways of preserving the pact limiting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. It was the second time in about two months that the two had met to strategize over salvaging a deal they spent years negotiating during the Obama administration, according to a person briefed on the meetings.
Kerry also met last month with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and he’s been on the phone with top European Union official Federica Mogherini, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal the private meetings. Kerry has also met with French President Emmanuel Macron in both Paris and New York, conversing over the details of sanctions and regional nuclear threats in both French and English.
Needless to say this is highly unusual:
“It is unusual for a former secretary of state to engage in foreign policy like this, as an actual diplomat and quasi-negotiator,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution. “Of course, former secretaries of state often remain quite engaged with foreign leaders, as they should, but it’s rarely so issue-specific, especially when they have just left office.”
I would go well beyond that and say it is downright outrageous for a former Secretary of State to try to undermine the current President’s foreign policy with foreign leaders in secret. He has no right and no authority to do this.
Members of Donald Trump’s transition team have been under fire for talking to Russian officials after the election and asking them to hold off on actions against the United States until after Donald Trump was sworn in so they can discuss the situation, and defenders of John Kerry will likely point to this as justification for John Kerry’s actions.
But these two scenarios are not comparable: Donald Trump’s transition team was reaching out to foreign leaders as is often the case during a Presidential transition, there was nothing unusual about this, while John Kerry is actively working to undermine the President of the United States and his foreign policy.
Of course this is nothing new with John Kerry, he did much the same thing when he met with Vietnam leaders in 1970.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
America's Watchtower 