Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser is not responding to requests to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee
I have purposely held off on writing anything about the sexual misconduct allegations from high school which were leveled against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh simply because we do not know whether or not they are true and I was waiting for the two of them to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Brett Kavanaugh immediately denied the accusations and agreed to testify in front of the committee and we were told Christine Blasey Ford, despite Dianne Feinstein’s original claim that she did not want to come forward, was ready to testify as well.
But to date Christine Blasey Ford has not responded to requests from Republicans that she appear before the committee so I have decided to write about it, here is more:
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who threw a wrench into the confirmation process of Judge Brett Kavanaugh by leveling 36-year-old sexual misconduct allegations against him, has not responded to multiple requests to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and tell her story under oath.
“Our staff reached out to Dr. Ford’s lawyer with multiple emails yesterday to schedule a similar call and inform her of the upcoming hearing, where she will have the opportunity to share her story with the Committee. Her lawyer has not yet responded,” an aide to the chairman of the committee, Sen. Charles Grassley, said in a statement Tuesday.
Grassley told conservative talk radio host Hugh Hewitt that the lack of response “kind of raises the question, do they want to come to the public hearing or not?”
“As I said earlier, anyone who comes forward as Dr. Ford has done deserves to be heard,” Grassley said in a statement. “My staff has reached out to Dr. Ford to hear her account, and they held a follow-up call with Judge Kavanaugh this afternoon. Unfortunately, committee Democrats have refused to join us in this effort. However, to provide ample transparency, we will hold a public hearing Monday to give these recent allegations a full airing.”
I fully expect her to testify before all is said and done, that is if she is telling the truth and even Dianne Feinstein admitted she has no idea if any of it is true. But I do find it interesting that none of the Democrats are helping in the effort to get her to testify. Do they know something we do not know about?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Marco Rubio asks Jeff Sessions to investigate John Kerry for possible Logan Act violation
Last week while promoting his new book John Kerry made the stunning revelation that he was secretly meeting with Iran in order to salvage his Iran nuclear deal, which is possibly a violation of the Logan Act. Just as stunning as that revelation was is the silence which has come from the Republicans with the exception of Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo–especially from the man who is allegedly the Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.
That changed a bit today as, according to this story, Marco Rubio has asked the Department of Injustice to look into John Kerry to see if he has violated Federal law. Here is more:
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., requested that the Justice Department look into whether former Secretary of State John Kerry violated federal laws by meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, a move already blasted by top Trump administration officials.
In a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday obtained exclusively by Fox News, Rubio said that Americans “deserve to know that U.S. laws are enforced regardless of any individual’s past position.” He encouraged the department to determine whether Kerry violated the Logan Act or the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The Logan Act prohibits unauthorized personnel to negotiate with a foreign government in relation to any disputes with the U.S., whereas the Foreign Agents Registration Act is a statute that requires persons or companies acting on behalf of foreign governments, political parties or individuals to disclose details of their interactions.
Jeff Sessions–whom you would think would not need to be prodded into action on this but would act on his own–still could not be reached for comment…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump orders declassification of Carter Page FISA warrant and James Comey texts
Donald Trump has been threatening to do it for weeks and today he made good on it. I am referring to the President’s threat to declassify the Carter Page warrant as well as text messages from higher-ups in the FBI, including James Comey.
Here is more:
President Donald Trump has moved to immediately release a tranche of former FBI Director James Comey’s text messages and declassify 20 pages of a surveillance application that targeted former campaign adviser Carter Page, his latest offensive against a Russia investigation that has ensnared associates and has consumed Trump’s attention for much of his presidency.
The breadth of the order came as a surprise and landed amid a full-court White House effort to shore up the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, as he defends himself against a sexual assault allegation. Trump demanded that the FBI produce 20 pages of the surveillance application — which Republicans on Capitol Hill have suggested would help show anti-Trump bias at the highest levels of the FBI.
Did you notice the way the article framed this as a distraction from the Brett Kavanaugh sexual assault scandal? I would argue that is 180 degrees backwards; Dianne Feinstein had the information on this so-called scandal for months and did not release it because she was waiting for the right time. My first thought was this was a last minute effort to derail the nomination but perhaps she knew this was coming and was trying to get ahead of it. You can count on the mainstream media to use the Brett Kavanaugh story as cover to avoid reporting on this.
But anyway, here is more:
Trump also called for the release of senior Justice Department official Bruce Ohr’s notes related to the Russia probe. Ohr was a key conduit to the FBI for information provided by Christopher Steele, a former British spy who investigated Trump’s relationship with Russia during the 2016 campaign and produced a dossier of damaging allegations — which Trump has derided as false.
“It couldn’t be fast enough,” Caputo said of the timing for the release of the materials
“Not only will this let Americans know how their country failed Carter Page and George Papadopolous, it will also let them understand how FISA has trampled all of our rights and never should be reauthorized again.”
One top Trump ally, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) quickly praised the president’s decision
“My colleagues in Congress and I have requested these documents for months, but have faced lengthy and unnecessary delays, redactions, and refusals from officials at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he said. These documents will reveal to the American people some of the systemic corruption and bias that took place at the highest levels of the DOJ and FBI, including using the tools of our intelligence community for partisan political ends.”
This certainly could prove to be interesting depending on what is in there and what, if anything, has been redacted. I for one am not going to be expecting too much to come from this but hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Report: Former Obama administration officials working behind the scenes with European nations to evade Iran sanctions
As if it were not bad enough that former Secretary of State John Kerry was working behind the scenes (to protect his family interests in Iran?) on a secret deal, in violation of the Logan Act, with the terror sponsoring nation to undermine Donald Trump’s official policy, we are now learning according to this story that there are other former Obama officials working with European nations on schemes to avoid the new United States sanctions on Iran. Here is more:
Richard Goldberg, the Republican political operative who helped coordinate opposition to the Iran deal on Capitol Hill, claimed Saturday evening that former Obama administration officials were trying to devise ways to help Europe evade sanctions on Iran.
Goldberg tweeted that he had heard from his sources in Europe that Obama alumni were advising European governments about how to evade new U.S. sanctions against Iran
Here is the Tweet:
Do you think at this point we could get somebody in the Department of Injustice to give a damn about what is going on here?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, September 16th open thread: Say Amen (Saturday Night)
Here is the open thread for Sunday, September 16th. 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. You can subscribe to America’s Watchtower to receive email updates. You can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right. The Twitter widget in the sidebar is fully interactive and updates my tweets in real time, and it allows you to respond or retweet my tweets right from the blog.
I had my follow up appointment with the cardiac surgical team yesterday and I do not think it could have gone any better. Everything looks good and I feel great! I can now drive again and I can now lift up to 20 pounds. In November the weight restriction will be lifted and I go back to work on October 8th. I will be starting a cardiac rehab exercise program probably this week in addition to my daily walks.
Here is Panic! At the Disco performing their new song “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” live from not all that long ago.
frui diem
Could Paul Manafort’s plea deal be bad news for Democrats?
Leftists are gleeful at the news that Paul Manafort has reached a plea deal with Robert Mueller and will “flip” on Donald Trump. While this is understandable and should be cause for concern in the White House all might not be as it seems. NPR is reporting that Paul Manafort’s deal has nothing to do with the Trump campaign:
Well, that is a bit of a letdown if you are a leftist who wants to see the President taken down. But of course you probably do not even realize this is the case because the media is routing just as hard against the President and for the most part is not reporting this little tidbit. (This one Tweet by NPR as the one exception)
And then there is this story which states that a former member of Barack Obama’s White House might actually be in the cross hairs.
Federal prosecutors in New York are weighing criminal charges against former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig as part of an investigation into whether he failed to register as a foreign agent in a probe that is linked to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to sources familiar with the matter.
In addition, these sources said, prosecutors in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are considering taking action against powerhouse law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where Craig was a partner during the activity under examination. Prosecutors are considering a civil settlement with the firm or a deferred prosecution agreement with Skadden, these sources said.
An attorney for Craig, who left the Skadden firm in April and who was White House counsel under President Barack Obama during the first year of that administration, said his client “was not required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.” A spokeswoman for Skadden didn’t respond to a request for comment.
And this news actually comes from CNN if you can believe it. Every once in awhile…
That is an interesting turn of events in this story if it is true and suddenly things have taken a turn nobody foresaw. Of course Barack Obama’s defenders will quickly point out that Greg Craig only worked in Barack Obama’s White House for the first year of his administration and then was gone, but to these people I would like to ask: how long was Paul Manafort on Donald Trump’s campaign? That is what I thought, duration does not matter…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump blast John Kerry’s shadow diplomacy with Iran
While promoting his latest book yesterday John Kerry admitted to possibly violating the Logan Act by secretly meeting with Iran to discuss an “alternative” foreign policy to the President’s official foreign policy.
Needless to say–with the exception of the mainstream media and the Democrats of course–this has drawn widespread condemnation, as it should. Here is what Donald Trump Tweeted last night:
Donald Trump is 100% right here. Mike Pompeo, who as the current Secretary of State is the one authorized to speak to foreign nations about United States policy, also came out and blasted John Kerry’s attempt at shadow diplomacy, here is more:
A short while ago Pompeo also responded by saying that you will not find any precedent for this in American history and that “actively undermining U.S. Policy as a former Secretary of State is literally unheard of… ”
Pompeo called what Kerry is doing ‘unseemly’ and ‘beyond inappropriate’, adding that he ought not engage in that kind of behavior.
In addition to the mainstream media and the Democrats there is one other person that does not seem to care about this and that would be Jeff Sessions. Are you out there anywhere Jeff?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Luis Gutierrez attacks Donald Trump’s response to Hurricane Florence…two days before it hits
As usual, the Democrats are already trying to score political points over Hurricane Florence: of course leftist global warming alarmist groups are blaming the Hurricane on the President and John Kerry is claiming the President should be sued for the lives that will be lost due to his global warming policies. But Luis Gutierrez takes the pre-Florence fear-mongering, Trump hating cake with his attack on the President’s response to the hurricane…a full two days before it actually makes landfall.
Here is what he had to say:
You know what I fear is the calamity. The calamity of the lack of coordination of the government with the National Guard and with local government. The lack of responsiveness and preparedness of this government because the president he wants to find out who is the one who wrote that op-ed piece. The chaos in the White House because he wants the Justice Department… Because he’s so consumed by the calamity that exists and the chaos that exists.
There you have it: there is nothing but calamity and a lack of coordination to ensue between the Federal government and the local government, and Luis Gutierrez knows this because…well, he does not know it but he is hoping that is how it will play out because he would rather bash the President than see the best case scenario play out before his eyes, and while I have been enjoying watching the left melt down in front of our eyes I find this to be sick.
He also went on to complain about Donald Trump playing golf every weekend, when did the left suddenly care about a President playing golf?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
John Kerry admits conducting secret meetings with Iran behind Donald Trump’s back
Back in May we learned that in a highly unusual move which might violate the Logan Act, former Secretary of State John Kerry was working behind the scenes to salvage his Iran deal. Here is more from this story:
“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.”
As far as the Logan Act goes:
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.
John Kerry is at it again, this time promoting his new book, admitting he is conducting shadow negotiations with Iran behind the President’s back. Here is more:
Former Secretary of State John Kerry disclosed that he has been conducting rogue diplomacy with top Iranian officials to salvage the landmark nuclear deal and push the Islamic Republic to negotiate its contested missile program, according to recent remarks.
Kerry, in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt to promote his new book, said that he has met with Iranian Former Minister Javad Zarif—the former secretary’s onetime negotiating partner—three or four times in recent months behind the Trump administration’s back.
“I think I’ve seen him three or four times,” Kerry said, adding that he has been conducting sensitive diplomacy without the current administration’s authorization. Kerry said he has criticized the current administration in these discussions, chiding it for not pursuing negotiations from Iran, despite the country’s fevered rhetoric about the U.S. president.
We now have more than speculation, we have John Kerry on the record admitting he is working behind the President’s back in an attempt to undermine current United States foreign policy and I think it is time he is made an example of.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Newly released texts show Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were coordinating a ‘media leak strategy’
It has been awhile since we have heard anything about Peter Strzok and Lisa Page but they are back in the news today. Okay, that is not quite right, it would be more accurate to say that Peter Strzok and Lisa Page should be in the news today but of course the story is being ignored by the mainstream media.
According to this story newly released text messages between the two FBI lovers who once discussed an “insurance policy” while in Andrew McCabe’s office to stop Donald Trump from becoming President show that they were coordinating a “media leak strategy.” Here is more:
Newly released text messages and documents obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reveal that senior members of the FBI and Department of Justice led a coordinated effort to leak unverified information to the press regarding alleged collusion with Russia to damage President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a letter sent by the committee to the DOJ Monday. [emphasis mine]
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, sent the letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein saying a “review of the new documents raises grave concerns regarding an apparent systemic culture of media leaking by high-ranking officials at the FBI and DOJ related to ongoing investigations.”
The review of the documents suggests that the FBI and DOJ coordinated efforts to get information to the press that would potentially be “harmful to President Trump’s administration.” Those leaks pertained to information regarding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant used to spy on short-term campaign volunteer Carter Page.
And here is more:
- April 10, 2017: (former FBI Special Agent) Peter Strzok contacts (former FBI Attorney) Lisa Page to discuss a “media leak strategy.” Specifically, the text says: “I had literally just gone to find this phone to tell you I want to talk to you about media leak strategy with DOJ before you go.”
- April 12, 2017: Peter Strzok congratulates Lisa Page on a job well done while referring to two derogatory articles about Carter Page. In the text, Strzok warns Page two articles are coming out, one which is “worse” than the other about Lisa’s “namesake”.” Strzok added: “Well done, Page.”
So there you have it, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page were working with the media to leak information they knew was unverified to the press in order to hurt the sitting President, while at the same time being involved in the investigation which was using the same unverified information in an attempt to bring down the President. Move along, nothing to see here…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
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