North Korea claims the United States is not living up to its end of the Trump/Kim summit bargain
Since the historic Trump/Kim summit back in June North Korea has made the headlines a few times and not in a good way. We have heard a couple of reports that North Korea was still continuing its nuclear program despite its assurances the program was on hold and then in July North Korea called talks with Mike Pompeo “regrettable.”
North Korea is again in the news, this time claiming the United States has not been living up to its end of the bargain since the Trump/Kim summit. Here is more:
North Korea issued a forceful statement Thursday against what it said were elements of the US government which are not adhering to the spirit of the dialogue established by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Singapore summit hin June.
Pyongyang said while it had taken “such practical denuclearization steps as discontinuing nuclear test and ICBM test fire” and “broadminded measures” like the repatriation of US Korean War remains, “the US responded to our expectation by inciting international sanctions and pressure against (North Korea).”
The statement, credited to North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, notably did not blame Trump but singled out “some high-level officials within the US administration” who it said were going against the President’s will. It also echoed criticism of previous administrations’ approaches to North Korea that Trump himself has made.
Apparently North Korea is upset that it has begun to denuclearize but the United States has not reciprocated in any manner:
The frustration expressed by North Korea points to a fundamental disagreement between the two parties as to the timeline and progress of implementing what was agreed by Kim and Trump.
North Korea has made clear it felt the Singapore summit was only a first step, and that its own concessions — such as freezing nuclear and missile tests and the returning of remains — should be reciprocated by the US in some manner.
It would seem likely he is referring to the tough sanctions which led North Korea to the negotiating table in the first place, but for his part Donald Trump has stated the sanction swould not be lifted until North Korea was denuclearized.
If the sanctions have been as successful as it appears they have been then it makes no sense to lift them now, although it is understandable why North Korea would like to see them lifted. If the sanctions have worked to the point where North Korea had to come to the table then they must be kept in place to ensure North Korea stays at the table. And if that means that from time to time North Korea has to spout off I think we can live with that.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Man arrested for setting up compound and teaching children how to commit school shootings
This is more than a little scary: Yesterday a man was arrested for setting up a compound in New Mexico and training children how to commit school shootings, here is more:
Authorities found 11 children and four adults living in “filthy” conditions at the compound Saturday in Amalia, New Mexico. Prosecutors also alleged in court documents that Wahhaj, 39, was teaching the children to commit school shootings. The documents claim Wahhaj was conducting weapons training with assault rifles at the compound with the children.
Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe previously said adults at the compound were “considered extremist of the Muslim belief.” He did not elaborate, saying it was part of the investigation.
Yesterday the media did not want to report on the possibility this was a terrorist camp set up in the United States but today apparently this appears to be the case, and it also turns out Wahhaj is the son of the infamous imam of the same name who is an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
The man arrested at a squalid New Mexico compound is the son of a controversial Brooklyn imam who was on a list of people who “may be alleged as co-conspirators” to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, according to court documents released by prosecutors Wednesday.
The elder Wahhaj was named in the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing but was never charged.
Neighbors have been warning the police for months about this compound but nothing much was done until recently. There is not much other news on this so we do not know how long the compound was operational or how advanced this training was but at least in this case it was stopped. I wonder how many other camps are out there…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Report: The FBI hid back channel between Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele from the FISA court
I might have to jog your memory on this a little bit but do you remember Bruce Ohr? He was the Department of Justice official who was supposedly demoted because he had contact during the 2016 campaign with the foreign agent, Christopher Steele, who was hired by Fusion GPS (which was hired by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee) to dig up dirt on Donald Trump during the election. And to top it off his wife worked for Fusion GPS.
Bruce Ohr is back in the news again, this time because it looks like the FBI set up a back channel between Bruce Ohr and Christopher Steele after the foreign agent was supposed to have been terminated by the FBI for leaking information to the press. Here is more:
New emails obtained by Congress show Christopher Steele funneled information to the FBI through top DOJ official Bruce Ohr after the FBI ‘terminated’ Christopher Steele in November of 2016.
Here is more from Mark Meadows:
You can read some of the text messages in question by following the link I provided above but here is the gist of it:
Although memos show the FBI specifically instructed Steele he could no longer “operate to obtain any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI,” Bruce Ohr continued to be the FBI’s back-channel to the former British spy.
Text messages also reveal Bruce Ohr, his wife Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele met on July 30th, 2016–just one day before the FBI opened ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’
Devin Nunes has already stated that the Department of Justice hid exculpatory evidence when it appeared before the FISA court and now it looks like this information was also hidden from the court:
“the real conspiracy that we’re all gonna be looking at in a month from now will be the one inside the Justice Department to defraud the FISC court…I believe that’s where this goes”
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
I think we have known for quite some time that Paul Manafort was in serious trouble but if there was any doubt today’s testimony by Rick Gates probably put an end to it. In addition to testifying that he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Paul Manafort, Rick Gates also testified that he helped Mr. Manafort commit bank fraud. I guess he was an equal opportunity swindler…
Here is more:
Rick Gates on Monday took the stand in the federal fraud case against his former business partner, ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, testifying that he and Manafort conspired to commit bank and tax fraud — and that he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from Manafort.
“Were you involved in criminal activity when you worked for Paul Manafort?” federal prosecutor Greg Andres asked Gates after he took the stand.
“Yes,” Gates replied.
“Did you commit a crime?” Andres asked.
“Yes,” Gates said.
“Who did you conspire with?” the prosecutor asked.
“Paul Manafort,” Gates replied.
And here is more:
Gates testified that he and Manafort under-reported income and failed to file FBAR, or Foreign Bank Account Report, forms.
Gates said that Manafort requested “over the years” that Gates make wire transfers from foreign accounts “primarily in Cyprus,” and those funds were not reported.
Gates also testified that he lied to Manafort’s bookkeeper and accountants.
As I said above, things are looking pretty bleak right now for Paul Manafort, but on the political side of things it should be remembered that these charges stem from years ago and have nothing to do with the 2016 election or Donald Trump. But that will not stop the left from foaming at the mouth tomorrow, talking about how the noose is tightening around the President’s neck, and the mainstream media will play right along being duty-bound to spout the Democratic talking points.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump reinstates sanctions on Iran
Last month the war of words between Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began to heat up before Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory note by saying he would meet with Iran with no preconditions. For Iran’s part the nation basically said it ain’t gonna happen. So today Donald Trump announced he was reinstating the sanctions on Iran that were lifted when Barack Obama struck a deal with Iran.
Here is more:
The Trump administration on Monday reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran that had been lifted under the Obama-era nuclear deal that President Trump yanked, calling it the “worst deal ever negotiated.”
“To this day, Iran threatens the United States and our allies, undermines the international financial system, and supports terrorism and militant proxies around the world. By exiting the [nuke deal], the United States is able to protect its national security by applying maximum economic pressure on the Iranian regime,” President Trump said in a statement
“As we continue applying maximum economic pressure on the Iranian regime, I remain open to reaching a more comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of the regime’s malign activities, including its ballistic missile program and its support for terrorism. The United States welcomes the partnership of like-minded nations in these efforts.”
It is pretty clear the President is basically following the same game plan he used against North Korea after he undid the sanctions on Iran: tough talk, followed by an offer of negotiations, with a spoonful of tough sanctions to force the nation to the bargaining table.
Part of the success in getting North Korea to the table was adding pressure to China and other nations to ensure they also honored the sanctions and that is going to probably be the trick with Iran as well. Iran is still adamant there will be no meeting with the United States and I am not sure this is going to work, but then again I never thought Kim Jong Un would come to the table and I was wrong.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, August 5th open thread: ‘Something Human’
Here is the open thread for Sunday, August 5th. 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. 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.
Muse is out with another brand new single called “Something Human” about going home after life on tour so here is the official video. Some interesting symbolism in the video.
frui diem
Judge orders Trump administration to restart DACA program
We have not heard much about the DACA program lately but as you know Donald Trump issued an Executive Order back in September to end the program and this Executive Order has been challenged in the courts because as we know only Democratic Presidents have the authority to issue Executive Orders…
All sarcasm aside though, yesterday A judge ordered the Trump administration to restart the DACA program and here is more:
A D.C.-based federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restart in full the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The decision is the latest legal blow against President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out the Obama-era program, which offers deportation relief to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
The restart won’t be immediate. U.S. District Judge John Bates said Friday that the order would be delayed until Aug. 23 to allow the government to appeal, but he denied a Justice Department motion to reconsider his earlier decision, saying there were still deficiencies in the administration’s rationale for rescinding DACA.
That last paragraph is interesting isn’t it? The judge apparently did not rule on whether or not the President had the authority to issue an Executive Order on immigration policy, but rather did not like the explanation for the reasoning behind why the administration ended the policy.
So now judges are allowed to base their decision on whether or not they believe a law was passed or an Executive Order issued for a reason with which they agree, and if they do not like the the law or the order they can rescind it based on that. This takes judicial activism to a whole new level.
One thing that has gone fairly unnoticed by many people is the pace at which Donald Trump is remaking the lower courts with his nominees being approved at record pace so hopefully some day in the future we will see less and less of this.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Maxine Waters hit with FEC campaign violation charge
Maxine Waters has made quite a name for herself in liberal circles in recent weeks by calling for the impeachment of the President for his alleged campaign to upend our democracy by destroying the sanctity of our election process. How ironic is it then that Maxine Waters has been hit with an FEC complaint for election violations?
Here is more:
The California congresswoman has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars each election cycle from some of her state’s biggest politicians paying to be listed on her slate mailers—sample ballots traditionally mailed out to about 200,000 voters in Los Angeles highlighting whom she supports.
Since 2004, the campaign in turn reportedly has paid $750,000 to the congresswoman’s daughter, Karen Waters, or her public relations firm Progressive Connections for help producing them.
A government watchdog in July filed the first of two complaints with the Federal Election Commission asking for a full audit of the Citizens for Waters campaign.
The first complaint alleges Waters broke federal campaign finance law, and also names the California Democratic State Central Committee and Sen. Kamala Harris, a likely 2020 Democratic presidential contender.
The conservative National Legal and Policy Center is still drafting a second broader complaint focusing on the sources of money going to the Waters campaign and flowing to her daughter—and the accuracy of campaign finance reports, said Tom Anderson, director of the group’s government integrity project.
And here is more:
she mastered this somewhat-rare form of fundraising in slate mailers. California’s top politicians as well as local office-seekers have given far in excess of legal contribution limits to her campaign to be on her slate of endorsed candidates. The campaign then pays Karen Waters and other firms to produce, print and mail the sample ballots. The FEC approved the practice by Waters in 2004.
“Maxine Waters found an old provision and turned it into a cottage industry,” Anderson told Fox News.
So from what I can gather, Maxine Waters was paid by Democratic politicians in her state to appear on a sample ballot with her so her supporters would know who to vote for, and these payments exceeded the legal campaign donation amount permitted by campaign law, and in the process her daughter was paid about 3/4 of a million dollars to print these sample ballots.
Perhaps Maxine Waters should remove the plank from her own eye before worrying about the speck in Donald Trump’s eye.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Democratic Senator admits Russia did not favor one party over the other in the 2016 election
There is an old saying in politics which goes something like this, a gaffe is when a politician actually speaks the truth. And today it looks like Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia made a gaffe on the biggest issue to encompass the political realm this year. I am of course talking about Russia colluding with Donald Trump to help him defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
This investigation has dragged on for two years and still there is no evidence of any type of collusion and today Mark Warren let the cat out of the bag by admitting that Russia did not care which party won the election because the goal was simply to cause disruption and division in the country. Here is more:
During a discussion of social media platforms, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said Wednesday that the goal of Russian hackers wasn’t to favor one political party over the other during the 2016 presidential election, but to reap havoc.
“This is one where there’s no Democratic or Republican answer. Since, clearly, the goal of our adversaries was not to favor one party over the other, it was to wreak havoc and split divisions,” Warner said, about Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
Of course most of us have known this for a long time because we followed the story about how both the Democratic and the Republican National Committees were warned they were targets of Russian hacking but only the Republican National Committee took the threat seriously and implemented the suggested actions, while the Democratic National Committee did not take the threat seriously–probably because they were too busy rigging the primary for Hillary Clinton. But I believe this is the first time since the Democrats began the Russian/Trump collusion narrative that a Democrat has admitted this was the case.
Mark Warner is going to be in a little trouble with the Democratic leadership for telling the truth but at least the Democrats know the mainstream media will not find this story suitable for coverage so it will be as if it never happened. But what is most ironic about this whole issue is that Russia’s attempt to cause division in the nation over the results of the election worked and we have the Democrats and their voters to thank for that because they fell right into the trap.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump made more Twitter news this morning when he stated he thought Jeff Sessions should shut down the Russia investigation. Here is the Tweet:
Sarah Sanders and Rudy Giuliani quickly walked back the comment, saying this was just Donald Trump’s opinion and not a demand. And to be honest I took this as his opinion in the first place, we all know how Donald Trump feels about this investigation.
You would not know, however, that this was not a demand by reading the headlines of all the coverage of this issue. Just google the story and see how many headlines misrepresent the story. And that is what the mainstream media is banking on, they want the people to read the headlines and jump to conclusions–and in many cases I believe that is exactly what happens.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
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