Sunday, January 7th open thread: ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, January 7th. 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.
And now for something completely different: The Blacklist returned last Wednesday night and this song was playing in the opening scene. I found it dark, sad, and haunting and some of you may know I love dark, sad, and haunting songs so here is Leonard Cohen performing “Famous Blue Raincoat” live.
frui diem
Republicans refer Russian dossier author for investigation
Charles Grassley and Lindsey Graham believe Christopher Steele–the foreign agent contracted through GPS Fusion and funded by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign–lied to the FBI and they are recommending a special counsel to investigate the matter.
Here is more:
Two Republican senators have recommended that the Department of Justice criminally investigate the author of the Trump dossier.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a senior committee member, told the Justice Department they believe Christopher Steele, the former British spy who helped put together the dossier, knowingly lied to federal authorities about his communications with U.S. journalists.
Grassley and Graham delivered a letter, as well as a classified memo, to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray containing the basis for the criminal investigation.
Here is some of what the letter said:
“Based on the information contained therein, we are respectfully referring Mr. Steele to you for investigation of potential violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, for statements the Committee has reason to believe Mr. Steele made regarding his distribution of information contained,” they said in a press statement.
That federal criminal code refers to knowingly and willfully making false or misleading statements to federal authorities.
Grassley indicated that Steele didn’t tell the truth when asked by the FBI whether he leaked parts of the dossier to reporters.
Here is what Charles Grassley had to say:
“Everyone needs to follow the law and be truthful in their interactions with the FBI,” he said. “If the same actions have different outcomes, and those differences seem to correspond to partisan political interests, then the public will naturally suspect that law enforcement decisions are not on the up-and-up. Maybe there is some innocent explanation for the inconsistencies we have seen, but it seems unlikely. In any event, it’s up to the Justice Department to figure that out.”
In the accompanying letter to the FBI, Grassley said he was attaching information about communications between Steele and “multiple U.S. news outlets” about the dossier.
“I don’t take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation. But, as I would with any credible evidence of a crime unearthed in the course of our investigations, I feel obliged to pass that information along to the Justice Department for appropriate review,” Grassley said in a statement.
And Lindsey Graham:
“after reviewing how Mr. Steele conducted himself in distributing information contained in the dossier and how many stop signs the DOJ ignored in its use of the dossier, I believe that a special counsel needs to review this matter.”
If he did lie to the FBI he should face charges, it is as simple as that, but of course the left-leaning websites see this as a diversion from where the focus is supposed to be in the Senate’s Russian investigation. They are claiming this proves the Republicans are trying to discredit the discredited dossier instead of finding out if there was collusion.
I would remind these people that Robert Mueller’s investigation is also supposed to be about Russian collusion and yet the only person charged with a crime is charged with a crime that has nothing to do with Russian collusion or the election for that matter. He was for an alleged crime which was committed years ago.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
The FBI opens a new investigation into The Clinton Foundation
According to this story the FBI is opening up a new investigation into The Clinton Foundation to see if there was any pay-to-play scheme or if any monies were converted for personal use. Here is more:
The Justice Department has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as secretary of State, law enforcement officials and a witness tells The Hill.
FBI agents from Little Rock, Ark., where the foundation was started, have taken the lead in the investigation and have interviewed at least one witness in the last month, and law enforcement officials said additional activities are expected in the coming weeks.
The officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, said the probe is examining whether the Clintons promised or performed any policy favors in return for largesse to their charitable efforts or whether donors made commitments of donations in hopes of securing government outcomes.
The probe may also examine whether any tax-exempt assets were converted for personal or political use and whether the foundation complied with applicable tax laws, the officials said.
One witness recently interviewed by the FBI described the session to The Hill as “extremely professional and unquestionably thorough” and focused on questions about whether donors to Clinton charitable efforts received any favorable treatment from the Obama administration on a policy decision previously highlighted in media reports.
Here is what Hillary Clinton’s spokesman had to say about this:
“Let’s call this what it is: a sham,” Merrill said. “This is a philanthropy that does life-changing work, which Republicans have tried to turn into a political football. It began with a now long-debunked project spearheaded by Steve Bannon during the presidential campaign. It continues with Jeff Sessions doing Trump’s bidding by heeding his calls to meddle with a department that is supposed to function independently.”
I do have to agree with Mr. Merrill on one point: the foundation certainly did life-changing work, it turned the Clinton’s into multi-millionaires…
I wouldn’t expect anything to come from this, it is all just another show.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump tells Republicans a 2,200 mile border wall is not needed for an immigration deal
It looks as though the next big issue to be debated in Washington, along with the spending bill, will be immigration reform. Donald Trump has already stated he would be willing to negotiate on DACA in return for funding a border wall. But now he is telling Republicans in private that a 2,200 mile physical wall is not needed during the negotiations on immigration reform.
Here is more:
President Trump on Thursday laid out his demands for an immigration deal to Republican senators, making clear he doesn’t expect Congress to build a physical 2,200-mile concrete wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Instead, the president wants Congress to increase security along the border by ratcheting up patrols, surveillance and fencing, in return for relief for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients in an immigration deal that could be tied to the 2018 spending bill.
“People want to paint that it’s some 2,000-mile long, 30-foot-high wall of concrete. That’s not what he means and not what he tries to say,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who met with Trump at the White House Thursday.
“There’s going to be border fencing in some areas, there’s going to be vehicular barricades, there’s going to be technology, there’s going to be greater manpower in some areas,” he added.
Lankford said Trump has been clear “in private.”
Maybe Donald Trump has been clear in private but the reason some people “want to paint that it’s some 2,000 mile long, 30-foot-high wall of concrete” is because publicly during the campaign the soon to be President promised a tall, big, beautiful wall.
That is what he campaigned on however I think, with the exception of his most ardent supporters, most people understood this tall, big, beautiful wall was never going to happen. So this means it is time to get real about the situation now that it is being negotiated.
What Donald Trump is strident about in the possible upcoming deal is an end to chain migration and the visa lottery program in return for DACA.
Trump told lawmakers to end chain migration and the visa lottery program as part of a possible deal with Democrats to protect an estimated 800,000 Dreamers from deportation.
Under chain migration, relatives of immigrants with legal status receive preferential treatment, and the diversity visa lottery program, which provides visas to people from countries that have relatively few immigrants in the United States.
Trump called chain migration “a total disaster” and the visa lottery program “bad for our economy and very bad for security.”
“He’s been very strong on the visa lottery program,” Lankford said of Trump. “He thinks it’s a foolish way to be able to do immigration policy. It’s just a random selection.”
Whether you like it or not DACA is going to be continued because both the Democrats and the establishment Republicans want it to be continued and when Donald Trump announced an end to the DACA program he purposely left the door open to continue the program on a permanent basis through legislation–which is how it should have been implemented in the first place.
What is comes down to in my opinion is this: If we have better border security–with more agents and added technology–along with some additional walling where it is most necessary and this is coupled with an end to chain migration and the visa lottery, and the laws which are already on the books are actually enforced instead of ignored, this might be the best deal we can hope for. It will be a step in the right direction.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Earlier today Paul Manafort filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and Robert Mueller, claiming the special counsel exceeded its authority when it charged him with money laundering because this had nothing to do with the Russia investigation. Here is more:
Attorneys for former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court accusing special counsel Robert Mueller and the Justice Department of overreaching with criminal charges brought last fall that included money laundering and tax evasion.
Manafort, who has pleaded not guilty to the multi-count indictment, urged the court to strike down Mueller’s appointment as illegal. The 17-page complaint argues that the Russia special counsel exceeded authority DOJ gave him in May to investigate any links or coordination between the Russian government and the Trump campaign — and that DOJ granted Mueller too much power in the first place by giving him the green light to go after “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.”
“The principle that government must be both limited in power and accountable to the people lies at the core of our constitutional traditions. That principle must be zealously guarded against creeping incursions,” Manafort attorneys Kevin Downing and Thomas Zehnle wrote in the lawsuit, which was filed in the same venue — the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — overseeing Mueller’s criminal case against both Manafort and former Trump 2016 campaign aide Rick Gates.
The article linked to above goes on to say the alleged crimes pre-date the election and have nothing to do with the campaign and this is correct. The investigation seems to have shifted away from the election but still if it is true that Robert Mueller was given authority to go after any issue that arose during the investigation it is hard to see how Paul Manafort can win this lawsuit.
It is hard for me to see how Robert Mueller’s appointment was illegal; the investigation might be unethical, illegitimate, and politically motivated by a fake Russian dossier which was bought and paid for by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign, as well as admittedly leaked sensitive information by an FBI director who wanted to see a special counsel appointed to investigate Donald Trump, but does this make Robert Mueller’s appointment illegal? Perhaps that case can be made but I do not think Paul Manafort is going to win this argument. We will have to wait and see…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
DNC Chairman Keith Ellison promotes Antifa handbook on Twitter
Democratic National Committee Chairman Keith Ellison has found a book which he says will “strike fear in the heart of” in Donald Trump and he posted a selfie with the book on Twitter, here is the tweet:
https://twitter.com/keithellison/status/948657342308147202
That is of course the Antifa handbook. With the alt-left growing violent to the point where a United States Congressman was shot at a charity baseball game this seems to be not only irresponsible but rather an endorsement and an incitement to violence. It could be taken as a threat to the President of the United States.
Is the left going to defend Keith Ellison by saying not all Antifa members are violent, there are some good people in Antifa? Because I still remember when Donald Trump said there were some good people at the South Carolina protest before the White Nationalists and the KKK showed up and the left twisted his words to make it sound as if he said there are some good people who are White Nationalists and KKK members. It would be interesting to see them use the same defense now…
Here is a little more on the founder of Antifa, Mark Bray:
“Antifa grows out of a larger revolutionary politics that aspires toward creating a better world,” Bray told Teen Vogue in October while promoting the violent movement.
Bray went onto defend the violence, arson, looting and general chaos caused by the anti-government actors while attempting to shut down right-wing speakers on college campuses by stating that “these kinds of events often serve as points of recruitment for far-right groups and help to embolden and mobilize students and community members who carry out their violence later on.”
If there is one thing Antifa has taught us it is that they believe the end justifies the means; you can use fascist tactics in a fight against fascism and pretend you are different than the people you are supposedly fighting against and apparently the Keith Ellison believes this as well. I guess violence is the answer after all…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Orrin Hatch will not seek re-election
The radio reports I heard earlier today called this news a blockbuster but it is hard for me to make that claim when this has been rumored for weeks. Orrin Hatch is going to retire at the end of his term. Here is what the Utah Senator had to say:
“Every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves. And for me, that time is soon approaching,” the 83-year-old Senate Finance Committee chairman said in a video announcement. “That’s why, after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided to retire at the end of this term.”
Donald Trump called this news “sad” and this is what Sarah Sanders, speaking on behalf of the President had to say:
“He’s particularly thankful for the senator’s leadership and massive effort that he played and the role that he played in getting the tax cut and reform package passed, and the president certainly praises his service and is very sad to see Senator Hatch leave and knows that he will certainly be missed”
“the president certainly has the greatest and deepest amount of respect for Senator Hatch and his over four decades of experience in the Senate.”
Donald Trump then tweeted:
“He has been a tremendous supporter, and I will never forget the (beyond kind) statements he has made about me as President,” Trump said. “He is my friend and he will be greatly missed in the U.S. Senate!”
This has fueled the speculation which had been brewing since the rumors of Orrin Hatch started that Mitt Romney was going to seek his seat. The President might consider Orrin Hatch to be his friend and a “tremendous supporter” but one person who has not had “beyond kind” things to say about the President is Mitt Romney so it will be interesting to see how this plays out if Mitt Romney does in fact run and win the seat.
The question I have is this: what is Mitt Romney’s motivation? Mitt Romney was no fan of Donald Trump during the campaign and I have to wonder if he will support the President’s agenda or if he is planning on derailing the President’s agenda. I do not trust the man…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, December 31st open thread: ‘Troublemaker’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, December 31st. 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 5 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.
Happy New Year everybody!
Here is Weezer performing “Troublemaker’ live in 2015:
frui diem
Elizabeth Warren responds to Donald Trump’s global warming joke: ‘I support science’
With frigid temperatures gripping most of the United States Donald Trump tweeted that we need more global warming. This is not original, it is a joke many of us have made in the past when we are facing frigid temperatures, but it was a joke nonetheless. But of course many on the left have lost their sense of humor since the 2016 election and so the joke was lost on them.
Elizabeth Warren responded on Twitter:
I would ask Elizabeth Warren a couple of questions: First; if you believe in science would you be willing to take a DNA test to prove your Native American ancestry? And second; how many genders do you believe there are? Science has told us for thousands of years there are only two…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump willing to trade DACA for the border wall?
Back in September Donald Trump signed an Executive Order ending DACA in six months. Despite the protestations of the left, what the President did was grant the Congress six months to work out a permanent DACA solution through legislation. Donald Trump wants to make DACA permanent.
President Donald Trump repeated that he wanted to sign a deal on DACA, urging Congress to send him a bill to make it happen.
“Congress, I really believe, wants to take care of this situation,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “I really believe it — even very conservative members of Congress.”
He appeared willing to negotiate with Republicans and Democrats on a DACA solution — even willing to add border security funding to help sell the measure to offer amnesty to DACA recipients.
“I’d like to see something where we have good border security, and we have a great DACA transaction where everybody is happy and now they don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said.
“I’d like to see a permanent deal, and I think it’s going to happen,” he said, pointing to momentum on the issue from both Republicans and Democrats. “I really believe that Congress is going to work very hard on the DACA agreement and come up with something.”
Today Donald Trump reiterated that he is willing to negotiate on DACA in return for the border wall. Here is what he tweeted:
So Donald Trump is willing to sign a permanent DACA bill, as he stated back in September, but he wants something in return. This seems like a sound negotiating tactic but the question is; will the Democrats, and the establishment Republicans for that matter, be willing to negotiate on the border wall in return for granting amnesty to millions of children of illegal immigrants, or would they rather see them deported so they can run on this issue in 2018?
Personally I believe they prefer the latter and if this is true it will be obvious the Democrats care more about their own futures than they do about the futures of the children they claim to care so much about. The Democrats have become the party of “no” and I do not see anything changing any time soon.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
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