Flotsam and Jetsam - Dow Hits 50K, Benghazi Mastermind Captured, But the White House Reposted a Mean Video

After a few day without much issues of interest for the title, I find myself blessed with too many. First, yesterday the Dow Jones industrial Average, for some reason considered a benchmark for the stock market, first crossed 50k and ended at 50,156. In the immortal words of Robert Reich after the first election of Donald Trump, when asked when the stock market would recover, he said “If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never.” Our 403Bs are looking pretty healthy. YaHoo! whines Trump admin issues new rule, making it easier to fire 50,000 federal workers "Approximately 50,000 federal workers in “policy-influencing” positions will lose specific protections against firings and become more at-will employees in the next month, per a new Trump administration rule announced Thursday." People will whine that Democrats will do the same when they are in office. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Swamp Draining: Here Comes Schedule F? At Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog on The “No Hire, No Fire” Economy, Statistics show that, one year into Donald Trump’s second term, the economic lassitude of the Biden Recession is still weighing down the American economy, as it isn’t creating jobs. As Hat Hair's John Sexton points out American Workers Are Doing Well Overall, But the Biden Years Sucked. Wages up, inflation down, but it takes a while to turn the tide of public opinion, especially when the press is stacked against you. From Sundance at CTH, Deporting Illegal Aliens and the Impact on Inflation, Consumer Prices and Wages. Beege Welborn at Hat Hair, A Quick Primer on the Mexican Screw Worm Fixn' to Screw You at the Meat Counter. Amanda Head at JTN reports How Trump's MAHA movement unexpectedly took a bite out of food price inflation "The food market has been reinvented substantially in the year since Kennedy's MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement merged with Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement in the fall of 2024." PJM's Stephen Kruise finds An Entertaining Treasury Secretary Is the Trump 47 Bonus Prize. But the scariest thing you will read today is Hat Hair's Dave Strom, What Percentage of Our Economy Is Fake? I don't think fake is quite the right word, it's very real but parasitic. Ace, Taking the Welfare Americans Just Don't Want: Half of All the Immigrant Households Contributing So Much to Our Economy Are on Welfare. "What would our economy do without them, besides thrive." Kane 謝凱堯@kane "Oregon’s Senator is bragging about paying $689M for 104,654 rural broadband connections, or $6,854 per connection. Construction won’t start until end of year, let alone service. You can buy Starlink for $350 retail with free two day shipping." Kevin Dalton @TheKevinDalton, "Hours after Gavin Newsom celebrated a major made up milestone for California’s criminally over budget and delayed high speed rail, it caught on fire… Fortunately, no tracks were destroyed in the blaze, but that’s only because none have been laid in 16 years." Bob Hoge at RedState, Gavin Newsom Mocked Into Next Week As He Holds Ceremony Honoring Invisible High-Speed Train.

At Hat Hair Beege Welborn asks What Difference Does It Make If We *checks notes* Finally Got a Benghazi Terrorist. Sundance, Third Member of Ansar Al Sharia Captured and Indicted for Participating in Benghazi Attack. Ace, Architect of Bengazi Terrorist Attack Finally Arrested "Wait, Hillary Clinton told me a video-maker was responsible for the attack. Are you telling me that Hillary Clinton lied? Because if you are saying that, Chief, then you and me are going to have a problem."

But the outrage of the day (on the left), "President Trump posted a blatantly racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes...." ""The brief clip, set to 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,' was spliced near the end of a 62-second video that promoted conspiracy theories about anomalies in the 2020 presidential election....In response to questions about the clip, which Mr. Trump posted Thursday during a late-night spree on social media, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said criticism of the video was 'fake outrage.' 'This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from the Lion King,' she said. 'Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.'" I'm reading "Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes/The White House press secretary dismissed criticism of the clip’s racist content, shared by the president’s Truth Social account, as 'fake outrage'" (NYT)." And "Well, look, Laura, you know, it was a meme that was posted by a staffer at the President's Truth Social account." "I'm going to assume incompetence and sloppiness because the video that was shared had the offensive image spliced it at the very end, and the image had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the video." At TownHall, Matt Vespa, About That 'Racist' Video the Trump Team Posted Featuring the Obamas...It's a Fake News Hoax.

Capt. Ed, Hmmm: 'Flash of Orange' Raises New Question in Epstein's Death? At NYPo, Michael Goodwin says The Clintons knew Team Trump was coming — and waved the white flag over Epstein. From Campus Reform, the EPSTEIN FILES: How the 'most powerful people' at Columbia helped Jeffrey Epstein's girlfriend get in. From Ace, UK Police Search the Homes (Plural) of Labour's "Prince of Darkness" Political Fixer and Close Pal of Jeffrey Epstein "No word on whether any Ukrainian rent boys were interrupted when trying to burn the homes down." At No Pasaran! Epstein Scandal: No Matter How Clever You Think Trump Is, You Do Not Appreciate His Brilliance Enough. wretchardthecat @wretchardthecat, "The irony is the Epstein files were supposed to sink MAGA but the torpedoes are running circular."

NOELREPORTS @NOELreports, "The United States has urged its citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately. In the advisory, immediate departure is listed as the top recommended action. The notice also warns that airlines continue to cancel flights to and from Iran. #Iran" Capt. Ed, Stand By: US-Iran Talks End In Oman Before They Begin.

From Twitchy Dems Go for Gold in BS: JD Vance 'Booed Relentlessly' at Olympic Opening Ceremony (Watch and Listen). Althouse, "this is a wicked man who knows he is being wicked and does it anyway/like, do you see that smirk? that brief 'ain’t i a stinker' grin? beneath contempt." ""i can’t imagine a parent who wouldn’t sell little JD for percocet if they knew he would turn out like this/to be a bit serious one irony of vance’s life is that he is also an addict: addicted to power and clearly willing to sell anything to get it" Writes NYT columnist Jamelle Bouie, at Blue Sky, commenting on this video showing JD Vance declining to entertain hypotheticals about Alex Pretti." Lauren Chen @TheLaurenChen, "Imagine having 90% less violent crime. We could literally do it. But unfortunately, it would require upsetting the neurotic women and effeminate men who are active on Bluesky. So I guess we just have to deal with the violent crime." Quote Disclose.tv @disclosetv, "NOW - Trump: "You know, 2% of the population produces 90% of the violent crime—think of that!"" Ed Ring at Am Great wonders Can the Center Hold? "As politics harden into moral warfare, friendships fray—and only shared prosperity, grounded in pragmatic policy, may yet keep America’s fragile center from collapsing."

Dave Strom is holding out hope, Could It Be That the 2020 Election Fraud Will Be Exposed? Nicolle Russell at USA Today asks a rhetorical question Americans want voter integrity. Why don't Democrats? In a video at Hat Hair, Larry records Jamie Raskin Panicking During Hysterical SAVE Act Meltdown and at BA, Schumer Panics As 'Morning Joe' Host Betrays His Voter ID Narrative. Matt Margolis at PJM likes how CNN Erupts After Scott Jennings Drops Truth Bomb on Election Denialism.

NYPo, Kamala Harris returning to the political landscape can be best described by Gen Z as ‘cringe’. Jerry Dunleavy IV @JerryDunleavy, "I regret to inform you that, after being clowned on, “Headquarters 67” is now “Headquarters 68.” Unfortunately I can now predict where this is going. From Althouse, Ella Emhoff, step-daughter of Kamala Harris, has been on SSRIs for 15 years, and she has some questions. "I don't know if this is something that I feel like is being talked about enough." I do feel a little sorry for the children of politicians.

From Twitchy, So It BEGINS! Ilhan Omar Will Absolutely FLIP OUT When She Sees What James Comer JUST Dropped. Rep. James Comer @RepJamesComer, "NEW I’m demanding financial information from companies linked to Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s husband. His companies reportedly went from $51K to $30 MILLION in one year — with zero investor information. So we want to know: Who’s funding this? And who’s buying access?" They need the money more than ever, since their winery evaporated. Mike Cantrell at PJM, Pressley Waves Away Questions After Wealth Explodes by Millions. Funny how that works, but it's a bipartisan phenomenon.

Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "Investigation into ICE protesters storming the Minnesota Church reveals Don Lemon didn’t just happen to be there Don Lemon was part of the planning and was provided logistics days in advance Storming the church was a highly organized event by Democrats “Developing — a new federal arrest is drawing attention to what prosecutors say was Don Lemon's role in planning and recording the disturbing protest of demonstrators storming that Minnesota church service. A Temple University student has now surrendered on federal charges admitting he helped Don Lemon with logistics and local contacts ahead of that anti-ICE protest — Court records and social media posts show Richardson describing himself as assisting Don Lemon in the days leading up to the protest — Prosecutors say this new arrest undercuts that defense, suggesting planning and not just passive coverage.”" Capt. Ed, Did a 'New' Arrest Just Puncture Lemon's 'Journalism' Defense? Dave Strom says FACE It: There Is a Double Standard.

John Sexton is happy Police Finally Make Arrests in Minneapolis and Dave Strom shines a light on The Hidden Habeas Horror Show in Minnesota. Shipwreckedcrew explores the question Is A Warrantless Entry Into A Residence To Take Custody Of An Illegal Alien Really A Violation Of The Fourth Amendment?? "The default of the legal academy is that entries into the home by police must be authorized by a neutral magistrate based upon a finding of "probable cause" -- but I'm not sure that's true." Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew, ""What process is due?" Two factual issues: 1. Enter the U.S. without inspection. 2. Remain in U.S. without status. No equitable issues to consider. 99% of outcomes are removals. Congress intended the process to run by Regulation. If Congress doesn't like the Regulation it can change it." Quote Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @ReichlinMelnick, "HOLY CRAP. The Trump admin just took a SLEDGEHAMMER to due process, largely eliminating the Board of Immigration Appeals process and MANDATING DISMISSAL of ALL appeals (which cost $1,000 thanks to OBBBA) filed after March 9 unless a majority of the BIA votes to hear the case." Matt Vespa says Wow: CNN Host Asks Some Good Questions About ICE Detainers...and It Shocked Jacob Frey. Nick Arama at RedState thinks you should Watch the Liberal Media Nail Mayor Frey With an Inconvenient Question About Turning Over Illegal Aliens.

At the Chicago Boyz, Minnesota Nice-ly Frelled. Kyle Becker @kylenabecker, "Anti-ICE Hysteria is the new Covid Hysteria. Anti-ICE virtue signaling is the new Ukraine emoji. Anti-ICE rioting is the new BLM rioting. Anti-ICE propaganda is the new Russia Hoax. No matter how many times the Democratic Party goes back to its same old dirty tricks, they can always count on the same gullible, impressionable, low-info fools to keep falling for it." From the Free Bacon, Anti-Israel Group That Stormed University of Minnesota Building Now Leads Illegal Anti-ICE Agitation "The school's Students for a Democratic Society chapter is one of several far-left groups that have shifted their focus to ICE in recent weeks." Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "#BREAKING: Tennessee Highway Patrol has just released dashcam footage after a TN legislator claimed a person was "run over" by a state trooper during an anti-ICE protest. However, the footage shows 3 people jumping in front of a police car and 1 person flopping onto the hood of the vehicle. "The Tennessee Highway Patrol is releasing dashcam video from the incident in question in the interest of transparency and to allow the public to assess the facts for themselves." "The video shows two men, including presumably the person the legislator identified, running into the cruiser on their own accord." "This video is being made available so citizens can view the actual events and draw their own conclusions."" Fox, I infiltrated radical groups 40 years ago. Leftists are desperate for martyrs. From Ace, Terrorist For Group Which Does Not Exist, Antifa, Arrested for Inciting "Guerilla War," "Boy this organization that does not exist sure seems to inspire a lot of terrorists who do exist." Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "The whitest white woman thing I've ever seen." Quote New York Post @nypost "Minneapolis yoga students berate instructors, demand they condemn ICE in wild video — and company caves ." Casey Chalk at Da Fed argues Anti-ICE Activism Represents The Suicide Of Western Civilization.

Jonathan Turley, Police Thwart Alleged Assassination of OMB Director Russell Vought "What is most chilling is how Demarco parroted the talking points of Democratic leaders in justifying the assassination. He reportedly told agents that he found the November 2024 election to be the “lowest point in his life” and feared “impending war and a fascist takeover.”" Ace, Mostly Peaceful Protesters Stalks OMB Director Russ Vought to Assassinate Him. "He says his mission was to "stop fascism." Say, isn't there a terror organization that doesn't exist that justifies violence as necessary to stop fascism? That revolutionary violence is anti-facist, in fact? Oh wait it doesn't exist, right. M'bad, as the kids who are now in their 50s say."

Charles Cooke at NRO on Why the Outrage Over the Cuts at the Washington Post Is So Annoying, the start of a Driscolly post at Insty. At Twitchy, 'Very Revealing'! One Short Word in AOC's WaPo Layoffs Take Gives Away How Dems View the Media: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @RepAOC, "When Jeff Bezos bought WaPo, he immediately took control of the opinions section. Now, he's laying off hundreds of journalists, including those covering Amazon. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s the result of billionaires with vested political agendas taking over our media." 'Our media' Joel Berry @JoelWBerry, "I live in the Midwest. I’ve seen entire factories—employers that kept a little cornfield town alive—disappear overnight after production was moved to Mexico or China. Complete devastation for an entire close-knit community. No tears, no 4,000-word eulogies in WaPo, no hyperventilating on Twitter. Anonymous suffering, broken families, people forced to uproot their lives just to survive. The overeducated, overpaid, overvalued, overprivileged activists-disguised-as-journalists who spent years whipping up climate hysteria and fomenting racial division while destroying the reputation of a once-great American newspaper have no idea what devastation looks like. Good luck with your Substack, Ashley." Quote Ashley Parker @AshleyRParker, "Yesterday, I was wet-eyed (obvi) on the Metro, wearing my Post beanie (obvi), and a woman, a stranger, leaned over and hugged me. Which is to say: The entire city understands the scope of this devastating tragedy… " The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Journalists Shocked To Be Laid Off From Obsolete Media Outlet That Loses $100 Million Annually."

As Dave Strom observes Democrats and the Media Create Hoaxes Daily. At the Euro Con How Hate-Speech Laws Destroy the West. Inevitable West @Inevitablewest, "Argentinian President Javier Milei: "When you tell a socialist the truth, they cry, claiming it’s hate speech. No, it’s not hate speech. It’s that you’re useless people who have ruined the planet."" Also from Dave Strom, Lucy Connolly Was Set Up.

Althouse finds "How can official orthodoxies persist for so long even when few people believe them?", "Megan McArdle asks, in "The transgender orthodoxy is cracking/Malpractice suit and shifting clinical guidelines show cracks in transgender orthodoxy" (WaPo)(referencing the book "Private Truths, Public Lies" by political scientist Timur Kuran)." Timur Kuran @timurkuran “The consensus looked invincible, until it wasn’t. A few years ago, it was risky … to even hint at doubt. Slowly journalists began raising … concerns. Now, a whopping malpractice verdict … makes it risky for doctors NOT to question these interventions.” Ace hears Senators Ask Netflix Head Ted Sarandos: Why Does Your Company Propagandize Children as Young as Babies to be Transgender? Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "OMG. CoComelon Lane, a Netflix show for CHILDREN, showcases a little boy in a dress, dancing for his two gay dads. Why does @netflix have so many shows pushing LGBTQ propaganda on children???" John Sexton sees More Evidence for the 'Wokeness as Feminization' Theory.

Driscoll, OCEANIA HAS NEVER BEEN AT WAR WITH THE WASHINGTON PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: "Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen dies at 91. Sonny Jurgensen, the Hall of Fame quarterback whose strong arm led to passing records for the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders and affable personality made him a beloved figure, has died at the age of 91. ESPN was on in the locker room of the gym this afternoon, and I watched the newsreader discussing Jurgensen’s pro career by uttering something like “his time playing football in Washington,” as a way to avoid the R-word entirely. Similarly, if the WaPo’s readers are wondering what happened to its sports section, rest assured its demise was entirely self-inflicted" Mike Mcdonnell @MMcdonnell54533 "@ericfingerhut @JacksonSports The Washington Post sports desk pushed the NFL to have the Washington Redskins change their name. It was a political sports desk. The entire sports desk was laid off today. America is healing."Libs of TikTok @libsoftiktok, "BREAKING: An appeals court just lifted a previous judge’s ruling blocking Trump from gutting DEI DEI is on its deathbed MASSIVE WIN."

More from the Wombat at In The Mailbox: 02.04.26 (Evening Edition), In The Mailbox: 02.05.26 and In The Mailbox: 02.06.26. Yes, I was a little behind. Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has FMJRA 2.0: Harvey Dent Week up on time and under budget.

‘They’re Not Journalists. They’re Political Assassins’

 Lara Logan recounts her journey to the 'dark side.'

H/T to Sundance at CTH, Lara Logan Describes the Modern Manipulation of Media – As Soon As You Write Something Important Enough To Be Suppressed, You Become a Target.

Election 2020: The Little Steal Stopped

Hey, looky who the Harris/ Biden administration put in charge of their efforts to distort America's voting system to the point of failure? Serial liar and Benghazi apologist Susan Rise. Wa Free Bee, Biden Puts Susan Rice in Charge of Effort to Expand Vote by Mail "Executive order requires agencies to boost registration efforts", PM, Biden appoints Susan Rice to lead charge on mail-in-voting expansion. I feel pretty good now; the effort is almost sure to fail.

Human Events, H.R. 1 IS FOR THE DEMOCRATS—NOT THE PEOPLE. "The House Democrats' 800-page election reform bill would turn voter fraud into a way of life." Amony Mee at Am Think, H.R. 1: It’s Worse Than You Think. Most legislation is. I'm also sure much of it is unconstitutional, but do I trust the Roberts Court? No.

Capt. Ed at Hot Hair read the NYT, NYT: Say, It Sure Looks Like Democrats Are Starting To “Quietly” Splinter On “Voting Rights” Bill

Manchin has taken most of the heat, although some has also been directed toward Kyrsten Sinema over her opposition to changing the filibuster. Without eliminating the filibuster, the bill would have no chance of passage while Republicans control half of the Senate. However, it now looks like the filibuster is a secondary problem, as Democrats can’t even get to 49, let alone 50 votes in the Senate:

Wa Free Bee again, NH Dem Blasts Pelosi Voting Reform Bill "Secretary of State Bill Gardner: Pelosi is 'attacking our state'" To Democrat's there is only one state that counts. Jordan Lancaster at Da Caller, Some Democrats Are Reportedly Afraid To Voice Concerns About Nationwide Voting Overhaul

Joseph Klein at Front Page explains how Georgia’s New Election Law Suppresses Fraud, Not Voter Access, which is why Democrats hate it so much. Karen Townsend at Hot Hair informs us that Delta Airlines Caves To The Angry Mob – Calls Georgia’s New Voting Law “Unacceptable”. I'd boycott Delta, except that I can't remember the last time we flew it. Coca-Cola don't weaken! Breitbart, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink Lashes Out After Georgia Enacts Election Integrity Law. Get woke, go broke, I hope. 

At Da Caller, Florida GOP Follows Georgia, Considers Sweeping Election Bill

H.B. 7041, which is advancing through Florida’s Republican state legislature along party lines, would amend the vote-by-mail process and limit who is allowed to drop off a ballot on a voter’s behalf. The legislation would also make it a crime to give voters food or water within 150 feet of polling places.

The bill would implement voter ID requirements for mail-in voting and limit who can drop off a ballot at a drop box to an immediate family member or somebody living at the same residence as the elector.

Dov Fischer at Am Spec, It Would Have Been Enough for Us "If only these new voting laws had been in place before the 2020 election ..."

Jordan Davidson at Da Fed reminds us that Democrats Oppose Requiring IDs For Voting But Want You To Carry A Vaccine Passport

The Biden administration is reportedly working with undisclosed private tech companies to create vaccine passes for Americans to use as proof that they are immunized against COVID-19 in order to gain access to certain services that require vaccination. Some elected officials such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have already taken swift action to denounce the proposed passports, citing privacy concerns and the risk that Americans will be forced to do something they oppose in exchange for participation in “normal society.”

Via the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 03.31.21, Mary Chastain at LI, Democrats Abandon Attempt To Steal Iowa Seat "Rita Hart lost Iowa’s 2nd District seat by six votes to Rep. Miller-Meeks.". John Sexton at Hot Hair, Democrat Rita Hart Withdraws Challenge In Iowa-2 Race. Henry Rodgers at Da Caller, Democrat Rita Hart Drops Challenge To Results Of Iowa Congressional Race, Concedes To Republican Marianette Miller-Meeks. Sister Toldja at Red State, Pelosi-Backed Push to Steal Iowa House Seat Fails, and the Reason Why Should Be Heeded by the GOP

The reality of the situation can be viewed once one reads between the lines of Hart’s statement. Once you dig beyond her hilarious spin about “disinformation” and “democracy,” what she’s really saying here is that the sustained efforts by Republicans to publicly point out the terrible optics of Democrats essentially trying to steal a House seat just two months after they impeached Trump, in part, over not accepting the results of the presidential election were too much for her to overcome.

Well, I was looking forward to using it as an excuse to boot Nancy from her seat once Republicans reclaim the house. We could do it anyway; could the press really treat us any worse? 

Wombat-socho makes a lame attempt at an April Fools joke.

Russiagate Still Stoned

At Town Hall, Byron York reminds us of all the reasons There's Nothing New About Roger Stone Clemency, while at AmSpec, Jeffrey Lord reminds us of the The Unhistoric Corruption of Mitt Romney "The cynical senator ignored Carter/Clinton/Obama pardons." The hatred is strong in that one, because Trump succeeded where Romney failed. Chuck Ross at Da Caller on how Mueller Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann Calls For A Roger Stone Re-Do

Writing in The New York Times, Weissmann also pushed a false claim about the criminal charges against Stone, whose prison sentence Trump commuted on Friday.

Weissmann, who is currently an MSNBC analyst, asserted that Stone was convicted on charges of “lying to Congress about the coordination between the Trump 2016 campaign, Mr. Stone, WikiLeaks and Russia.”

Stone was convicted on five counts of making false statements to Congress, an obstruction charge and a witness tampering charge, none of which involved allegations of coordination between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, or anything to do with Russia.

The special counsel’s report said that no Trump associates were found to have coordinated with the Kremlin or to have taken part in the hacking or release of emails that WikiLeaks published.

Speaking of Andy Weissass and the Mueller team, a new favorite, "shipwreckedcrew" (apparently an anonymous former federal prosecutor) from Red State dismantles their case against Stone in The Drafting of the Indictment Against Roger Stone Shows The Duplicity Of Mueller’s Special Counsel Prosecutors. This is long, detailed and lawyerly and worth every word, but I'll pull a single example:

I’ve read through Roger Stone’s indictment several times. The first time I read it I was struck by the fact that I had trouble following the connection between the “facts” and the charged offenses. After I read it again I became convinced that the confusion was purposeful. The indictment was written in such a way that the nature of the relationship between the “facts” and the charged offenses would be convoluted. In my opinion, the purpose behind the drafting was to “tie” Stone to the nefarious actions of the Russians about which he had no involvement. This was accomplished by “suggesting” such an involvement purely as a result of Stone’s lies to Trump campaign officials about those nefarious actions – statements presented in the indictment in a fashion suggesting they are true when the SCO knew the statements were false.

Rather than be forthright in the indictment and acknowledge that Stone was lying when he engaged in certain conversations with third parties, the indictment is silent about the truth or falsity of Stone’s statements to others, and merely lays out what he was alleged to have said. They do this by employing the kind of “qualifiers” I mentioned above. When you know what you are looking for, these qualifiers jump out and make you take a closer look what the indictment is really saying reading “between the lines.”

By using Stone’s words in this fashion, the indictment spins a story which is factually false but tells it in such a way that the reader is going to at first glance conclude Stone statements constitute “facts” themselves suggesting that the story is true. But the SCO knew it was false, but nevertheless wrote the indictment in such a way as to make it easy to misconstrue the story told as being true.

Here are some examples of what I’m referring to:

5. During the summer of 2016, STONE spoke to senior Trump Campaign officials about [Wikileaks] and information it might have had that would be damaging to the Clinton campaign.

The SCO admits in the indictment with the bolded language that in the summer of 2016 Stone didn’t know what Wikileaks had – his conversation with other campaign officials is speculation about Wikileaks might have, not facts about what Wikileaks had. The indictment had to be written that way because the SCO knew that Stone had NEVER been able to make contact with Wikileaks/Assange prior to October, 2016, and the first contact they could find was one of antagonism after Wikileaks had made a public comment that it had no association with Stone. But the indictment doesn’t clarify – as was true – that in the summer of 2016 Stone, in fact, had no knowledge or information about Wikileaks beyond that which had appeared in the press.

But with the language in the indictment appearing the way it did, the former SCO members now, and their fellow-travelers in the press, continue to push the narrative that Stone was sharing information with the Trump Campaign in the summer of 2016 about what Wikileaks had, supporting the false innuendo that Stone had been in contact with Wikileaks/Assange in the same time frame in order to acquire that information.

That is all false.

The whole purpose of pursuing Stone was to attempt to keep the Russia collusion narrative alive, and to hurt Trump. Andy Weissass is still at it.

 Sundance at CTH, Keep Hammering – Devin Nunes Keeps Mueller Fraud in Tight Focus…



Nicholas Ballsy at JTN, Susan Rice says Obama admin. was 'absolutely' not spying on Trump campaign, just like the Benghazi attack was a spontaneous demonstration in response to a video.

"Absolutely no, it did not happen. That is false. That is another lie designed to deflect from the president's own very bizarre relationship with Russia; to distract from the much validated reality that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump," Rice said during a discussion with Washington Post Live.

Sundance, DOJ Spox Kerri Kupek Discusses “Operation Legend”, China and The John Durham Investigation…

Smart and fierce DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupek discusses DOJ Operation Legend, an organized and focused effort by the federal government to reduce crime and violence stemming from Antifa and other violent extremists.

Additionally, Ms. Kupek discusses the DOJ taking a stronger approach toward the corrupt influence of China within various U.S. systems (economic, political and social). Lastly @4:30 Kerri outlines the status of John Durham’s ongoing investigation: “the restoration of that one-tiered system of justice.”

Tristan Justice at Da Fed, House Judiciary Republicans Refute Democratic Narrative On Fired US Attorney

House Republicans made four primary points in their Monday memo refuting the Democratic narrative:

I. Berman stubbornly resisted the Attorney General’s attempts as an amicable transition for Berman out of his position in favor of a Senate-confirmed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
II. Berman did not testify that any specific wrongdoing, misconduct, or other impropriety occurred during his dismissal by the Attorney General
III. Berman believed himself to be independent of supervision from superior officers in the Executive Branch and immune from removal from his position
IV. Berman’s purported concerns about the Attorney General’s actions are unfounded, vague, and lacking specific evidence.

Read the Republican memo here: GOP Memo On House Judiciary Interview of Geoffrey Berman 

The Peacock whines that White House officials sent document to Pentagon criticizing Vindman after impeachment testimony. When you strike at the king . . .

On the downfall of Russiagate alum Jeff Sessions, Jazz Shaw at Hot Air thinks Sessions Went Down Fast, Hard, And… Gracefully  EBL says Jeff Sessions, Goodbye 👋

Jeff Sessions was just over his head and not up for this fight. I do not vilify him for recusing himself, he was blocked in by the Democrats, but he should have seen that trap coming and never let himself be set up as he was. That is true for Michael Flynn too (and for that matter Donald Trump). The problem is none of them anticipated how dirty and corrupt the FBI and the Democrats really were.

So why I don't think the President should dump on Sessions as much as he does, I recognize why he does so. Flynn was loyal and fought. Stone and Manafort stayed loyal and fought back. They all suffered terrible losses doing so. Sessions basically stepped back and did not have the President's back.Sessions could have been more effective than he was.

Russiagate: The Russian Bounty Ruckus Rolls On

The Ruckus over the NYT's (and now the rest of the MSM) attempt to promote a story that Trump either overlooked, or through some mysterious bureaucratic process suppressed reports that the Russians are paying a bounty for American heads in Afghanistan continues. Fox, Rep. Jim Banks: Russian bounties to Taliban story may be putting US lives at risk — here's how

I serve on the House Armed Services Committee, so I track the Russian threat very closely. We also follow the China threat and the Iran threat closely, as well as a dozen other areas of interest to American national security. I desperately want to know about our adversary’s malign activity in Afghanistan and every inch of the globe. If our troops are in harm’s way, members of the House Armed Services Committee need to know that.

We rely on the intelligence community to do their jobs and vet intelligence for us. There are a lot of rumors floating around globally. If we acted on all of them, it’d be unwise. That’s why we are patient and require hard, confirmed intelligence vetted by the intelligence community before we act.

As an American and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I’m disgusted that Trump’s detractors would put American lives in harm’s way just to try and score political points ahead of the 2020 election.

Now the intelligence community’s hands are tied. They can’t follow up on this intelligence and learn more about the Russian operation in Afghanistan, which leaves our troops stationed there in danger. Worse, everyone from National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien to Central Intelligence Agency Gina Haspel is now having to turn their entire attention into explaining the nuances of our national security processes to the media.

And for what? The real irony — no one believes in this hoax anymore. The Russian-collusion narrative has been dispelled time and again. The House and Senate Intelligence committees said there was no evidence of collusion. The intelligence community said there was no collusion. Bob Mueller said there was no collusion.
. . .
No doubt, Russia is smugly sitting back and watching Democrats do their work for them. Russia wins when we are divided. In 2016, they used Facebook ads to generate outrage and pit Americans against one another. In 2020, thanks to the New York Times, Russia is being given another platform to interfere in this election. This is the real scandal, and anyone serious about stopping Russia’s malign activities in the United States will help us stop it.

WaEx,  'You undermine our country's safety': Kayleigh McEnany condemns intelligence community leaks, But here, watch Kayleigh do it, courtesy of sundance at CTH:



Mollie Hemingway at Da Fed, Media Are Playing Games Yet Again With Anonymous Russia Leaks

It is worth noting that the three New York Times reporters — Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt, and Michael Schwirtz — also played key roles in disseminating the Russia collusion hoax, in which anonymous intelligence officials worked with co-conspirators in the media for years to put out a false and defamatory narrative that President Donald Trump had colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election or was otherwise compromised. The New York Times was one of the biggest outlets engaged in the Russia hoax. The reporters even include some of their previous Russia collusion hoax spin, and omit key facts about Trump’s actions against Russia, in their bounty story.

Literally nothing about the political media’s use of anonymous sources to spread republic-damaging disinformation in recent years should lead anyone to treat further anonymously sourced reports with any deference. Yet the entire corporate media establishment immediately ran wild with the story and used it to suggest it was further evidence that Trump was an agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The story dominated cable news over the weekend and into the following week.
. . .
It turned out that key details of the story were disputed by on-the-record sources. When the White House press secretary said neither Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence had even been briefed on this intelligence, reporters tried a new line of attack. . . .Yet the frenzy from the media continued, almost as if coordinated as part of an operation.

Because it was. AllahPundit at Hot Air gleefully reports how Biden is trolling Trump on the subject, Biden On Russian Bounties Story: Trump Doesn’t Seem To Be “Cognitively Aware” Of What’s Going On, which is almost amusing coming from a man who can't string a sentence together without getting lost.

Sundance on The Insufferable and Political Media Stupidity Around “The Russian Bounty” Narrative…

Setting aside for the moment that nothing claimed by media or the DNC political operatives in/around capitol hill has any substantive intelligence to prove the claim, let’s first look at the underlying premise: ‘Russians are paying the Taliban to kill American soldiers.’

First, obviously these same voices need to ignore that in 2010 Iran was paying insurgent fighters in multiple fields of combat including Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, to kill Americans. Those well-documented examples must be overlooked because despite the overwhelming evidence the Obama administration paid Iran over $170 billion in cash and entered a nuclear deal with them. Once again, in order to retain their left-wing political position the media must pretend not to know things.

Reverberations from the Flynn matter continue. Ace reacts to Sidney Powell reports that Brennan was using billions for off-the-books operations,  Sydney Powell: Obama and John Brennan Prosecuted Michael Flynn Because Flynn Knew About the "Billions of Dollars" in Off-the-Books Operations They Were Running, and Planned an Audit  "When Sydney Powell says things, they tend to wind up being proven true."

The fact that the intelligence communities spend billions without the public's knowledge or consent is, well, not shocking.

But I wonder what purposes Obama and Brennan were using billions of US dollars.

Maybe paying hundreds of millions or even billions to the Iranian regime and its top staffers?

and Stacey Lennox at PJ Media reacts as Sidney Powell Drops a Bomb or Two on the Glaring Problems With the Flynn Case, with the interview she gave to ET that I posted yesterday.

As far as the Flynn case, she is ready to take it to a second crack at SCOTUS if that’s what it takes.

“We are going to continue this fight however long it takes and wherever it goes.”

Stay tuned, as it seems very likely we will be learning more either through the disposition of the Flynn case or through the Durham investigation.

From Liz Vaughn at Red State, IRS Whistleblower Explains Why No One in the FBI or the DOJ Spoke up for General Flynn. Not all whistleblowers are created equal.

. . . sources familiar with the Durham investigation told Fox News that John Durham had reviewed the Flynn documents and was disturbed that no whistleblowers came forward early on. Considering that there were more than a few officials who had to be aware of what was going on, including support staff, Mr. Durham found it remarkable that no one spoke up “at the onset.” One would think he might have learned by now that the only use members of the deep state have for whistleblowing is when it can be used as a weapon against the right. I posted on this story here.

The next day, I received an email from one of my readers who said he could easily answer Mr. Durham’s question. It’s because “No one in the FBI or the DOJ wanted to engage in a futile suicide mission that would put them and their families through years of hell, cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars, and put their pensions at risk, all so that their information could be ignored.”

William Henck knows, because he lived it.

Mr. Henck’s story is the polar opposite of alleged whistleblower Eric Ciaramella’s, whose bogus complaint to then-Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson last August triggered President Trump’s impeachment. Not only did my reader not receive the kid-glove treatment Ciaramella did, he was terminated from his position as an IRS attorney after 30 years of service.

In November 2017, Mr. Henck was forced out for being a whistleblower. During his career at the IRS, he reported the bullying of World War II veterans, evidence of a cover-up in the Lois Lerner (or Tea Party) case, and the improper giveaway of literally billions of dollars to taxpayers represented by sketchy Washington lobbyists.

Judicial Watch harks back to an old scandal, Judicial Watch: DOJ Records Reveal Obama White House Effort to ‘Evolve’ Explanation of Benghazi Terrorist Attack

Additionally, Rhodes says to Sullivan and other redacted officials:

At least you’re only a liar. Could be worse – we’re liars and also allegedly leakers. So you’ve got that going for you, which is something.
Sullivan replies: “We’re only lying footsoldiers [sic]. You’re lying masterminds. That’s cooler.”
A redacted official replies to Sullivan: “I prefer that we go by henchmen. Has more of a Marvel comic sinisterness to it. There should be a cable show where all the guests, and the anchor, have to wear polygraphs. Or, when there’s a dispute between source, the aggrieved parties take a poly, with some neutral third party rendering judgment. The Biggest Liar.”
Rhodes says to Sullivan: “I’d like to go on television and tell everybody what I think…. Look at it this way. I[t] could be worse. You could be a career bureaucrat whose greatest thrill in life is leaking half-truths, self-justifications and outright lies to the likes of Eli Lake, Kim Dozier, and whoever picks up the phone at Fox News.”

Judicial Watch previously uncovered that on September 14 Rhodes and other Obama administration officials were attempting to orchestrate a campaign to “reinforce” President Obama and to portray the Benghazi consulate terrorist attack as being “rooted in an Internet video, and not a failure of policy.” Also included were numerous emails sent during the assault on the Benghazi diplomatic facility. The contemporaneous and dramatic emails describe the assault as an “attack:”
. . .
“Joking about being called ‘liars’ after being caught lying about the Benghazi terrorist attack says a lot about the Obama-Clinton team’s contempt for the rule of law and those four innocent Americans murdered in Libya September 11, 2012,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The documents also show that Ben Rhodes, the Obama White House official who created the false story for Susan Rice to use on Benghazi, was planning to orchestrate again an ‘evolving’ explanation about the Benghazi attack by the Intelligence Community in time for then-President Obama’s reelection.”

Ace:  Robert Barnes: "I Guarantee" The DOJ Will Sue John Bolton Civilly and Confiscate His Profits from His Book, But I Also Have a "Strong Hunch" Bolton Won't Care, Because He's Being Paid by a "Foreign Government" as a "Consultant" To Hurt Trump

More: Bolton is changing his story about alleged Russian bounties. First he never heard of them, then he smelled an opportunity, and remembered briefing Trump about the bounties he previously had no memory of.

Funny what people say when they're  not under oath. 

Monday Russiagate Mishmash

A disparate lot the collected over the last 24 hours.

According to Daniel Payne at JTN, Lawyer for Flynn judge says 'no reason' to think the court won't eventually dismiss the case

A lawyer representing the judge overseeing the Michael Flynn trial suggested Friday that the court will eventually dismiss the case against the former Trump national security adviser, arguing that the judge's decision to call in outside opinions on the matter was merely an issue of seeking advice before the probable dismissal.

The lawyer, Beth Wilkinson, made the acknowledgement during a roughly two-hour federal appeals court hearing on whether the court should order a lower court to immediately dismiss the case, as was requested last month by the Justice Department, or allow the case to proceed through at least July.

"There's no reason at this point to fear that the District Court is going to deny the government's motion to dismiss," she told the three-judge panel Friday morning, stating that the lower court is simply "getting advice" from third parties before likely doing so.

It was unclear at the end of hearing, at about noon, when the panel of judges—Neomi Rao, Robert Wilkins and Karen Henderson—would make a decision. A ruling could come before the weekend but is expected to likely happen no sooner than Monday.

But some of us don't trust David Gregory's wife. Adam Mill at AmGreat thinks the Judge Wants Flynn Case in Limbo Until Political Pressure Can Intervene. Could he be holding out for Preznit Biden's DOJ to reinstate the case? Justice delayed is justice denied.

Judge Wilkins argued, “If the government can’t make the case go away and the case is in limbo, then while it is in limbo, pressure could be brought to bear on the government to reconsider the decision (to dismiss)” To understand how shocking and unfair is this approach to a criminal case, we need to place it in context.
. . .
Sydney Powell, Flynn’s attorney, clearly was surprised and shell-shocked by the utter lack of interest by the court in her client’s factual innocence. The oral arguments and questions from the judges are mired in archaic procedural points. But in the end, all three judges seemed reluctant to end Judge Sullivan’s detour and frolic. What could be the harm in allowing Judge Sullivan to have a hearing before sustaining the motion?

Powell was audibly exasperated. “Everybody else in this case is being paid by the government except my client’s team. The toll it takes on a defendant to go through this is enormous and not justified in this case,” Powell answered. The government added that Judge Sullivan’s hearing will force the government to put out evidence regarding how it reached the decision to stop prosecuting Flynn. “That is the kind of judgment that is at the core of Article 2 power.” Outside of running the military, it’s difficult to imagine a more core Article 2 function.

Catherine Herridge notices an interesting coinkydink.

ANALYSIS: Key timeline August 10, 2016 Dossier specifically mentions #Flynn. August 11, 2016 IG Horowitz found (p. 314-315) FBI team met Confidential Human Source 2 (CHS) who raises @carterwpage @GenFlynn. 5 days later, August 16, FBI opens Flynn case “CROSSFIRE RAZOR” @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/quv1dj1FKG

— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) June 15, 2020

Dan Chaitin at WaEx, Trey Gowdy: Peter Strzok likely in John Durham's sights. One would hope so, at this point. "No he won't; We'll stop it", and sundance at CTH passes along Sunday Talks: Senator Ron Johnson Discusses Obamagate Subpoenas and Committee Investigation…



Da Blaze, Senate committee authorizes subpoena power in 'Obamagate' probe — and it could be used against Jim Comey and Susan Rice. Oh, goody! Sundance's spidey sense is tingling, Obama-Era Political Surveillance – Were Black Files Created?…

I’m reposting a prior research outline below because something odd is happening in the background of this story. I’m not sure what it is, but there are small -seemingly disconnected- issues surfacing, that might tie back to this much bigger and purposefully avoided story. I have learned to trust my instincts on this. . . .

also, Sunday Talks: Richard Grenell Discusses The Declassification of Documents…

As Grenell notes the prior administration was politically focused on targeting Donald Trump and weaponizing the intelligence apparatus to disrupt the Trump administration. Grenell discusses the over-classification of documents as a tool to hide intentional wrongdoing and corrupt intent.

It’s worth noting the interview is heavily edited; which, given Ms. Bartiromo’s granular insight on the issues, may indicate some of the conversation extended beyond what would be comfortable for the current investigation to be seen in public. (Just a hunch).

From Veronika Kyrylenko at AmThink, Hillary Clinton lost her appeal, order stands to testify on private server and Benghazi emails. Bummer, dude. Better late than never.

Da Mail, Ukraine seizes $6million cash bribe 'intended to stop corruption probe into founder of gas company that hired Hunter Biden'. But there's no corruption here, right?

Some Monday Morning Russiagate

Only a little, and mostly videos from Sundance: Sunday Talks – Senator Lindsey Graham Discusses Rod Rosenstein Testimony – Someone is Blocking FBI Agents From Testifying…

However, all of that said, the key point of this video is buried deep at 05:47: “I made a request to interview the case agent and the intel analyst, and there were two other people, who interviewed the [primary] sub-source for three days in January, again in March and again in May, they’re denying me the ability to do that, I’m going to keep working the system”…

and Former ADNI Ric Grenell Discusses The Administrative State….



I hadn't realized what a flamer Ric Grennll is. But if you hate Ric Grenell your homophobic.

Related, from Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Government transparency group sues for 'unmasking' records from Obama and Trump years

A government accountability group filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal court on Saturday seeking the identities of dozens of officials who made unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama administration and throughout Trump’s presidency.

The James Madison Project, a Washington, D.C.-based firm specializing in FOIA cases and founded by Ukraine whistleblower lawyer Mark Zaid, filed the lawsuit in conjunction with Politico’s senior legal affairs contributor Josh Gerstein in D.C.'s district court. The lawsuit named the CIA, the Justice Department (with a focus on the FBI), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Defense (with a focus on the National Security Agency), and the State and Treasury departments.

“The ultimate objective of this lawsuit is to provide the American public with greater transparency and understanding of exactly how often these unmasking requests are actually made and by whom, particularly in the context of senior U.S. Government officials,” the court filing said.

In May, then-acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell declassified an NSA document containing a list of dozens of Obama administration officials, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who were authorized recipients of information in response to "unmasking" requests during the presidential transition period that revealed former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn's identity in surveillance intercepts. Flynn’s name was reportedly not masked in the FBI reports on his conversations with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak during the transition period.

The lawsuit seeks “copies of records, including cross references, that identify or list the names of authorized officials who submitted a request to unmask the identity of a U.S. person who was generically referenced in a foreign intelligence report from January 1, 2016, up until the date the agency begins conducting actual searches for responsive records.” The complaint lists 11 Obama administration officials and 33 Trump administration officials.

Among the Obama officials are Biden, former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, former national security adviser Susan Rice, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan. From the Trump administration are Flynn himself, Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, then-CIA director and now Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and senior advisers to the president Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Fired FBI Director James Comey is also listed.

And finally, FBI Pledge Allegiance to Black Lives Matter, Antifa, Nation of Islam and New Black Panthers Protesters…

The FBI is now a political agency with police powers within the federal government. The activity of Lisa Page, Peter Strzok, James Comey, Andrew McCabe and a host of very familiar names has shown just how important politics is within the institution. Indeed, as we saw in the ridiculous Hillary Clinton investigation, politics was the prism for every decision; and protecting their ideological tribe was the biggest concern within the agency.
. . .
Once we accept the FBI is a weaponized political agency it makes sense they would only target people adverse to their political agenda; and more harshly target anyone whom they would view as a political opponent (Roger Stone). Somehow the FBI found the motivation and resources to send more heavily armed agents to arrest 68-year-old Roger Stone than ever stepped foot in Benghazi, Libya.

This also explains why the FBI refused to deal with FBI chief legal counsel Dana Boente when his corrupt activity was discovered within an attempt to overthrow President Trump.

Severe politicization also reconciles how Robert Mueller and Andrew Weissmann were able to instruct over 50 FBI agents to investigate a transparently non-existent Russian collusion conspiracy for over two years; as part of a strategy to help democrats win the 2018 election.

Linked at 357 Magnum in Wednesday Link Roundup.

Russiagate in Remission?

We seem to have slight revival of Russiagate issues. Is this the period before it gets better, or before it becomes critically ill?

The intelligence chiefs who plotted against Trump are now upset that he is removing their handpicked embedded successors from the agencies. WaPoo, Joseph Maguire, John Brennan, Michael Leiter, Matthew G. Olsen, Nicholas Rasmussen, Andrew Liepman, Geoffrey O'Connell, Michael, V. Hayden and James Clapper,  Former intelligence chiefs: Trump’s removal of experts is deeply destructive to our nation’s safety

Insty, FROM THE SAME INTEL CLOWNS WHO CLAIMED RUSSIA STOLE THE 2016 ELECTION:

Today’s Washington Post front page features a sensational story claiming the intelligence community was warning President Trump and Congress way back in January that coronavirus was going to be a worldwide pandemic.
But closely reading the key graph shows it to be based on one anonymous source, plus the opinions of anonymous “others:”

“Intelligence agencies ‘have been warning on this since January,’ said a U.S. official who had access to intelligence reporting that was disseminated to members of Congress and their staffs as well as to officials in the Trump administration, and who, along with others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive information.”

And. on the opinion page (or do I repeat myself?), what is this but “nine former intelligence chiefs” warning that:

“We cannot let the covid-19 pandemic be a cover for the deeply destructive path being pursued by the Trump administration. The most recent illustration of this unprecedented attack is the continuing dismissal of career intelligence professionals — officers who have ably served both Republican and Democratic administrations regardless of their personal political stripe.”

Translation: Trump is remaking the leadership of the intelligence community, displacing the entrenched bureaucrats – careerists and career political operators – who tried to sell us the Russia hoax, the Mueller probe and the quid pro quo. So in response, they are weaponizing the coronavirus.

Althouse, "President Trump has taken historic, aggressive measures to protect the health, wealth and safety of the American people — and did so, while the media and Democrats chose to only focus on the stupid politics of a sham illegitimate impeachment."

"It’s more than disgusting, despicable and disgraceful for cowardly unnamed sources to attempt to rewrite history — it’s a clear threat to this great country."

Said a White House spokesman statement, quoted in The Washington Post, which sought a response for its article, "U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemic." From the article, published last night:

The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take.... But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak....
But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month....

To be fair, "lawmakers" were very preoccupied with the impeachment of the President.
. . .
Just so you know the timeline: Trump was caught up in an impeachment trial and was not acquitted until February 5th. He had the obligation to perform all his duties as President while dealing with the impeachment, but it sounds as though the White House was working on the virus throughout January, whether Trump did personal meetings with Azar or not.

WaPo quotes some of Trump's early public statements about the virus, and, indeed, he did express optimism. He's still doing optimism. How that correlates to serious protective action for us is another matter.

Politico notes how DOJ seeks new emergency powers amid coronavirus pandemic

The Justice Department has quietly asked Congress for the ability to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies — part of a push for new powers that comes as the coronavirus spreads through the United States.

Documents reviewed by POLITICO detail the department’s requests to lawmakers on a host of topics, including the statute of limitations, asylum and the way court hearings are conducted. POLITICO also reviewed and previously reported on documents seeking the authority to extend deadlines on merger reviews and prosecutions.

I would be more sanguine about it if I thought DOJ would let go of those powers after the virus passes. Sundance at CTH has a full on conniption fit: Bill Barr Goes Rogue – DOJ Asks Congress to Expand Legal Authorities to Circumvent Pesky Civil Liberties…

The Deep State is playing COVID-19 perfectly. With the intention to create/instill extra fears amid center-right Americans; and timed to emphasize the center-left narrative of authoritarian Trump; U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr steps in to execute his role.

U.S. AG Bill Barr asks legislators to empower him with more legal authority to take actions within the justice department amid the crisis known as the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
. . .
Perfectly timed to ignite a week before AG Barr goes before the House Judiciary Committee for testimony March 31st. Strong execution game by the deep state.

Democrats will position themselves a pearl-clutching civil libertarians, and AG Barr will respond by framing the Trump administration as authoritarian. Everyone has a role to play in the political framework and purposing of COVID-19 as a snowball rolling downhill gathering speed…

The state is operating to protect itself, by any means necessary.

And Judicial Watch is still on watch,  FBI Finds New Clinton Emails, Including Discussion about Benghazi and Additional Classified Material

Judicial Watch today released 80 pages of new emails recently found by the FBI that further document how former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used her unsecure, non-government email to transmit classified and other sensitive government information. The documents include 11 new Clinton email documents. The emails include an email sent by Mrs. Clinton a month after the Benghazi terrorist attack referencing a “Benghazi security” issue. The emails also include talking points, which are redacted, for a meeting with President Obama. (This is the second release from the batch of Clinton emails the FBI inexplicably found late last year.)

The State Department previously claimed it had produced all releasable Clinton emails, including emails recovered by the FBI that Hillary Clinton tried to destroy or withhold. The State Department initially claimed all responsive emails had been produced in 2018, but then found more emails, which were produced for the first time early this year.

Russigate on Life Support

As all the oxygen in the news business is being shunted to the coronavirus. As of early last night, I had no articles flagged. Then one of the reliable new sources came up with a couple.

Margot Cleveland at Da Fed is wondering Did Spygate Source Stefan Halper Work For The Hillary Clinton Campaign? That Clinton Foundation money is really a giant political slush fund. Let's see his tax returns.

Halper’s past relationship with the CIA highlights yet another possible task master for the 76-year-old during the 2016 election and raises the question of whether Halper was working for the CIA or another intelligence agency before the FBI brought him on as a CHS in early August 2016. The IG report’s conclusion that the FBI had not used any confidential human sources prior to the launch of Crossfire Hurricane on July 31, 2016, indicates Halper had another boss before then, because Halper first engaged with Page at a small dinner gathering at Magdalene College in Cambridge on July 10, 2016.

But additional facts raise still another possibility: that Halper was working with the Clinton campaign at this time.

On July 6, 2016, just days before Halper dined with Page and a dozen other select guests at Magdalene College, Halper spoke at a plenary lecture series at Cambridge on “the phenomenon which is ‘Trump’s maverick candidacy.’” A write-up of the talk noted that Halper “explain[ed] the deficits in Clinton’s campaign which have caused the campaign to become almost too close to call,” and then “concluded his talk by stating that if the media focuses on Clinton, she will lose, whereas if they continue to focus on Trump, he will lose.”

“This will be true despite Trump’s adept handling of the media that has resulted in him receiving two billion dollars’ worth of free media coverage,” Halper said, according to the blog post.

Four days after sharing his sage insights with the attendees of the lecture series, Halper welcomed Clinton surrogate and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and former Republican Party strategist and outspoken Never Trumper Vin Weber, to the same Cambridge conference Page attended. According to the Washington Post, Page’s presence at that conference came at the behest of Halper, whose grad student called and emailed Page an invitation to the seminar. The Post also reported that Cambridge paid for Page’s air travel and accommodations—a strange arrangement given that Page was not a featured speaker at the conference.

From Just The News, Ex-Trump adviser: Brits hinted they assisted Team Obama on Russia collusion probe "K.T. MacFarland also says she believes James Comey's alert to Trump about Steele dossier was akin to blackmail."

President Trump's former deputy national security adviser says a British intelligence official hinted to her that his country had aided the Obama administration's early Russia collusion probe during the 2016 election.

Former Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland told Just the News that as Trump was preparing to take office in January 2017 she received a call and email from her counterpart in the British national security establishment.

The contact from British Deputy National Security Adviser Patrick “Paddy” McGuinness occurred around the day the sensational but now debunked Christopher Steele dossier leaked in the U.S. news media.

McGuinness stated the British would not be commenting on the leaked document, which was written by the former MI6 operative Steele as an opposition research project for Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic Party, she said.

From Judicial Watch, More Clinton Court Battles

In another desperate attempt by the Clinton machine to delay truth and accountability for her email conduct and how it impacted the people’s “right to know” under FOIA, lawyers for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her former Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills have asked the Court of Appeals to overturn a U.S. District court order granting Judicial Watch’s request for their depositions about Clinton’s emails and Benghazi attack records. Lawyers for Clinton and Mills filed a “Petition for Writ of Mandamus” earlier today.

The Clinton request comes in Judicial Watch’s lawsuit that seeks records concerning “talking points or updates on the Benghazi attack” (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:14-cv-01242)). Judicial Watch famously uncovered in 2014 that the “talking points” that provided the basis for Susan Rice’s false statements were created by the Obama White House. This Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit led directly to the disclosure of the Clinton email system in 2015.

Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx, Hillary Clinton asks appeals court to overturn order for deposition about email server and Benghazi

The legal team for Clinton said reversing the order “is warranted because Judicial Watch’s impending depositions of Secretary Clinton and Ms. Mills are inappropriate, unnecessary, and a clear abuse of discretion.”

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, “This desperate act is yet another attempt by the Clinton machine to delay truth and accountability for her email conduct and how it impacted the people’s ‘right to know’ under FOIA.”

No go forth, and socially distance yourself some more (and wash your hands).