This from a previous article I wrote back in 2014: The government and some police departments have these devices called “Stingrays” which are able to create a fake cellphone tower. When a cellphone enters what I guess you would call a Stingray zone it is tricked into connecting to it. The government can then use this technology to locate the cellphone user.
I can see where under the right circumstances, and when using the proper procedure, this could be a legitimate law enforcement tool. However, according to this article the Florida police may have abused this technology by not getting a proper probable-cause warrant. The ACLU filed a FOIA request and were set to review the documents.
This is where the story gets interesting. Apparently just before the ACLU could review the documents Federal Marshals swarmed in and seized them.
And then in a follow up article: Today a Florida judge was forced to throw out the case because the court has no authority over the Federal government. The ACLU is not pleased and has vowed to get to these documents.
With that background behind us we fast forward to today: Earlier today a judge threw out evidence which was gathered using a Stingray device because the evidence was gathered without a proper warrant. Here is more:
Fox News and Newt Gingrich part ways fueling speculation he will be Donald Trump’s running mate
According to this story Fox News and Newt Gingrich are parting ways due to a potential conflict of interest. The last time these two parted ways it was because the former Speaker of the House was running for President. This has naturally fueled speculation that Newt Gingrich is going to be Donald Trump’s running mate. Here is more:
Fox News announced it would be cutting ties with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich due to potential conflicts of interest, as presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is expected to name his choice of running mate soon. The move has fueled speculation that Gingrich might be The Donald’s VP pick.
“Fox News Channel has mutually agreed to suspend its contributor agreement with Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich effective immediately,” the channel’s Executive Vice President Jay Wallace said in a statement Tuesday. “Due to the intense media speculation about Gingrich’s potential selection as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, we felt it best to halt his contributor role on the network to avoid all conflicts of interest that may arise.”
The Donald has mentioned four potential candidates including Gingrich. The others are Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Lt. General Michael Flynn, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
And here is more:
Corrine Brown implies that if the FBI ignored her corruption the agency could have stopped the Orlando terrorist attack
A story that went under the radar last week after the Dallas police shooting was the story of Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown. She was indicted by the FBI for cheating a charity out of money and is facing 357 years in jail and a $5 million fine.
Today she implied that if the FBI did not focus on her the agency might have been able to stop the terrorist attack in Orlando at the Pulse nightclub which left 50 people dead. Here is the video:
Corrine Brown stands accused of setting up a fake charity to use as a slush fund for her own personal gain, that sounds eerily similar to the way it appears Hillary Clinton used the Clinton Foundation and the State Department to enrich her family. Perhaps she would be better off using #TheClintonDefense rather than making this absurd claim…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Despite what Hillary Clinton is claiming, it is not time to put her email scandal to rest because in addition to James Comey admitting the former Secretary of State appeared to violate the law–a law which he admitted others would be prosecuted for–the investigation also revealed that Hillary Clinton probably lied to the Congress when she testified about the scandal.
Today Jason Chaffetz sent a letter to the US Attorney for the District of Columbia asking that she be investigated for perjury. Here is the text of the letter:
Primary opponent to Paul Ryan: ‘tear down your wall’
House Speaker Paul Ryan is suddenly facing an unexpected challenge from Paul Nehlen in his bid for reelection as the most recent poll has shown the upstart challenger making huge gains in the Wisconsin polls.
Paul Ryan is an open borders Republican–then again aren’t they all–but this hypocrite is nothing but a political ruling class elitist who lives in a mansion which is protected, stop me if you have heard this before, by a wall to ensure no undesirables bother either himself or his family.
Earlier today his opponent, Paul Nehlen, staged an event in front of Paul Ryan’s mansion and called on the Speaker of the House to “tear down his wall.” Here is more:
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, aka John Boehner-lite, is facing a primary opponent and Wisconsin Republicans will be headed to the polls in early August to decide his fate. The latest Wisconsin poll is out and it shows the House Speaker with an 11 point lead over his primary opponent–Paul Nehlen.
It shows that with one month remaining before Wisconsin’s August 9th vote, Ryan is polling at 43 percent.
Ryan’s challenger, Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen, is polling at 32 percent.
It is never a good sign when an incumbent is below 50% and Paul Ryan is well below that threshold, but the news get even worse for Representative Ryan because his support has cratered since the beginning of the year.
Sunday, July 10th open thread: ‘Smooth Criminal’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, July 10th. 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.
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Out of the 10 stories we discussed last week 7 of them were about Hillary Clinton’s email scandal. What I think we learned last week is that because James Comey admitted she broke the law and yet she will still not face charges the former Secretary of State is a smooth criminal. So I have decided to dedicate this week’s musical selection to Hillary Clinton. I am not a Michael Jackson fan so here is Alien Ant Farm’s version of “Smooth Criminal.”
I am not sure why the singer decided to dress up like a human American flag (I would guess this performance was around Independence Day in 2010) but it seems appropriate he is in “blueface” after the event in Dallas earlier this week and his dance moves rival Michael Jackson’s–or maybe not.
Enjoy:
frui diem
James Comey admits at least 10 people without security clearances had access to Hillary Clinton’s email server
One interesting tidbit to come out of yesterday’s show interrogation was when James Comey admitted that not only did Hillary Clinton’s lawyers not have the proper security clearances to rifle through her emails but also that at least 10 people without proper security clearances had access to the former Secretary of State’s email server.
Here is more:
FBI Director James Comey told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Thursday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lawyers did not have security clearance when they went through her emails to prepare for the investigation into her use of a private email server during her tenure at the State Department.
Comey also acknowledged that as many as 10 people without security clearance had access to the server.
Did Secretary Clinton’s attorneys have the security clearances needed?” Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) asked Comey.
“They did not,” Comey said.
And here is more:
The Associated Press is reporting that now that the FBI’s investigation is over the State Department is reopening its investigation into the handling of classified information by Hillary Clinton and her top aides. Here is more:
The State Department is reopening an internal investigation of possible mishandling of classified information by Hillary Clinton and top aides, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Although the former secretary of state’s closest confidants have left the agency, they could still face punishment. The most serious is the loss of security clearances, which could complicate her aides’ hopes of securing top positions on her national security team if she becomes president.
The State Department started its review in January after declaring 22 emails from Clinton’s private server to be “top secret.” It was suspended in April so as not to interfere with the FBI’s inquiry. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the probe is restarting after the Justice Department’s announcement Wednesday that it won’t bring any criminal charges.
“We will aim to be as expeditious as possible, but we will not put artificial deadlines on the process,” Kirby said. “Our goal will be to be as transparent as possible about our results, while complying with our various legal obligations.”
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