[FoxNews] State Attorney General Ken Paxton has submitted a FOIA request
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Biden administration's Justice Department (DOJ) on Friday, demanding that it provide records relating to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s corruption investigation into President-elect Trump.
In a release, the Republican AG alleged that former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a team investigating Trump regarding a false Trump-Russia election collaboration, "destroyed records."
"Past Special Counsels, including — notoriously — Robert Mueller, destroyed records at the end of their investigations to avoid accountability," Paxton said in a release.
"It is not clear why nobody was prosecuted for doing so," he added. "This request is part of my Office’s efforts to ensure that Americans are not cheated out of accountability or information again. This pattern of weaponizing the justice system for partisan retribution must end."
In Paxton's request, he argued that past special counselors "appear to have intentionally destroyed documents" during their tenure.
"Our office would consider any destruction of the documents requested herein to be a crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1361, and would refer the matter for prosecution in the event destruction occurs," the letter said.
According to the DOJ, 18 U.S.C. § 1361 "protects "any property" of the United States or an agency or department thereof."
The FOIA request from Paxton follows the House Judiciary Committee sharing its concern that Smith and prosecutors involved in the Trump investigations will "purge" records to skirt oversight.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., penned a letter to Smith on Friday, demanding that he produce to Congress all documents related to the probes before the end of the month.
"The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Counsel. According to recent public reports, prosecutors in your office have been ‘gaming out legal options’ in the event that President Donald Trump won the election," they wrote. "With President Trump’s decisive victory this week, we are concerned that the Office of Special Counsel may attempt to purge relevant records, communications, and documents responsive to our numerous requests for information."
Following Trump's decisive victory, the DOJ is looking to wind down two federal criminal cases against Trump as he prepares to be sworn in for a second term in the White House.
Its decision to do so upholds a long-standing policy that prevents DOJ attorneys from prosecuting a sitting president.
[DailyWire] FEMA Official Ordered Relief Workers To Skip Houses With Trump Signs.
Whistleblower: ‘It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay’
A federal disaster relief official ordered workers to bypass the homes of Donald Trump’s supporters as they surveyed damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Daily Wire and confirmed by multiple federal employees.
A FEMA supervisor told workers in a message to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid, internal messages viewed by The Daily Wire reveal. The supervisor, Marn’i Washington, relayed this message both verbally and in a group chat used by the relief team, multiple government employees told The Daily Wire.
The government employees told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, meaning they were not given the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance. Images shared with The Daily Wire show that houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote in the government system messages such as: “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”
It is unclear whether the same guidance was issued elsewhere in the country. The employees were part of a Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force team, meaning they volunteered from other DHS agencies to help an understaffed FEMA as it dealt with a second major hurricane in a span of just a few weeks.
The guidance came as the Biden administration was criticized over its sluggish response to Hurricane Helene in rural areas across the country. In Roan Mountain, Tennessee, for example, locals told The Daily Wire it took nearly two weeks for FEMA to show up. The town is located in Carter County, which voted 81% for Trump on Tuesday.
The FEMA agents ordered not to help houses with Trump signs were operating in Highlands County, a deep-red area located in south central Florida that backed Trump by 70% on Tuesday. It was hit with tornadoes, torrential wind and rain, and flooding when Milton hit in October.
In the chat, Washington said that it would be “best practice” to “avoid homes advertising Trump,” according to photos of the messages viewed by The Daily Wire. No explanation was given for this guidance, which included other recommendations like telling the workers to “practice de-escalation and preventative measures,” and to “avoid high salt diets and coffee.”
Photos from the system used by federal relief workers to track what homes they visit showed that relief workers followed Washington’s guidance. Several addresses were marked “not able to access property” with listed explanations such as: “Trump sign no entry per leadership,” “Per leadership no stop Trump flag,” “Trump sign,” and “Trump sign, no contact per leadership.”
“If they had damage or lost power for over thirty-six hours, it was my duty to inform them of benefits to which they are entitled through FEMA,” one team member wrote in a complaint filed to DHS about the guidance.
Washington is the Disaster Survivor Assistance crew leader for Highland County, a leadership chart reviewed by The Daily Wire shows. She did not respond to multiple phone calls or an email seeking comment on the guidance.
Chad Hershey, Washington’s FEMA supervisor, told The Daily Wire that the agency is looking into the situation.
“We are aware of it and we are taking proper action in this situation currently,” Hershey said.
Pressed to confirm the messages, Hershey said: “We are aware of it and we are taking action at this moment regarding the situation that you’re talking about.”
After publication of this story, a FEMA spokesperson told The Daily Wire it was “deeply disturbed” and “horrified” by the employee’s actions, and that it has “taken extreme actions to correct this situation.”
“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.”
“This is a matter that we take extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA. To date, we have helped over 365,000 households impacted by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the state of Florida and have provided over $898 million in direct assistance to survivors.”
“We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels. Helping people is what we do best and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.”
In addition to the statement, a FEMA spokesman clarified that Washington is not actively working for the agency, pending an investigation.
The guidance was first issued by Washington verbally on October 22, and again in the group chat on October 27, according to one of the federal employees. The Trump-related instructions were deleted from the chat a few days later, photos of the chat reviewed by The Daily Wire show.
By October 30, Washington had started walking back the instructions about skipping Trump supporters’ homes, one of the federal employees told The Daily Wire. The relief workers said Washington denied that homes were being skipped after a meeting with other FEMA administrators.
The employees say that Washington has not been punished for the guidance, but has been shifted to another county in Florida.
The whistleblower complaint says that the Trump guidance further undermines trust in FEMA and its response to the hurricanes.
“This behavior raises significant concerns of discrimination against United States citizens because of their political views,” a copy of the complaint obtained by The Daily Wire said. “These actions not only undermine the integrity of our agency and create a hostile work environment for those who may hold differing political beliefs but they also threaten the very democracy of our country.”
#2
Too much other anecdotal evidence of the unwritten policy. In pre-GPS days of navigation, you could fix your position on a collection of radar distances and sight lines. All current evidence indicates that FEMA is no longer serving the purpose of supporting the American people with competent disaster response. People now have more trust for the Cajun Navy and Samaritan’s Purse., and it’s not because FEMA has bad PR. The federal priority is to facilitate the foriegn invasion of the US. FEMA is doing hurricane relief as side work and they have politicized those meager efforts.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/09/2024 12:07 Comments ||
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#3
Dear FEMA employees - start updating your resumes.
[PJMedia] In messages reviewed by The Daily Wire, FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington instructed workers to "avoid homes advertising Trump" as they surveyed Lake Placid, Fla., to identify residents who might qualify for federal assistance. The message was reportedly communicated both verbally and in a group chat used by the relief team, according to multiple government employees... May this LSD FEMA POS be fired and brought up on Civil Rights & Discrimination charges
Antithesis:
FULL STATEMENT: "FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are…
The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.
At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal… https://t.co/3uFpE62vxb
#10
That person’s boss is hating life at this moment and hopefully for a long time to come. What a dumb hire. Time for an emergency bail to some unsuspecting civilian consulting firm.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/09/2024 11:37 Comments ||
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#11
Just gotta say, if anyone in the 'passbys' died, there's a slam dunk manslaughter conviction waiting.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/09/2024 14:40 Comments ||
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#12
Coconut Water.
Somebody a Jean-Claude Van Johnson fan?
#13
PAMPERED SEEDS LLC is a California Limited-Liability Company - Ca filed on July 4, 2023. The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is 202358016707.
The Registered Agent on file for this company is Marn'i d washington and is located at 2164 Matson Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822. The company's principal address is 2164 Matson Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822 and its mailing address is 2164 Matson Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822.
The company has 2 contacts on record. The contacts are Marn'i d washington from Sacramento CA and Pampered Seeds, LLC from Sacramento CA.
#15
It must be remembered that in the federal government, there are really strict rules how they need to handle firing someone for cause. Some here can probably recite chapter and verse for this kind of situation.
[GEO.TV] Professional wrestling magnate and former Small Business Administration director Linda McMahon is seen as the frontrunner to lead Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... 's Department of Commerce, three sources briefed on the plans said on Friday.
McMahon is a major donor and was an early supporter of the Republican president elect when he first ran for the White House almost a decade ago. This cycle, Trump tapped her to co-lead a transition team formed to help vet personnel and draft policy ahead of Tuesday's election.
Given the early stage in the process, it was unclear whether she will ultimately get the job.
McMahon is the co-founder and former CEO of the professional wrestling franchise WWE. She later served as director of the SBA, resigning in 2019, and went on to lead a pro-Trump spending group.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on McMahon. The Trump-friendly think tank America First Policy Institute, which McMahon chairs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has begun the process of choosing a cabinet and selecting other high-ranking administration officials following his victory against Democrat Kamala Harris who got her start in politix between former Oakland mayor Willie Brown's' knees On Thursday, Trump announced that Susie Wiles, one of his two campaign managers, will be his White House chief of staff.
[GEO.TV] US President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has prepared executive orders and proclamations on withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and shrinking the size of some national monuments to allow more drilling and mining, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Trump is also expected to end the pause on permitting new liquefied natural gas exports to big markets in Asia and Europe and revoke a waiver that allows California and other states to have tighter pollution standards, according to the report.
Trump promised during his campaign to take many of the actions listed in the report. Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition team, said in a response to a Reuters request that the results of Tuesday's election gave him a "mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver."
The administration of President Joe Biden paused approvals of new LNG exports in January in order to complete a study on the environmental and economic impact of the exports. The US Energy Department will have a draft updated analysis out for a 60-day public comment period before the end of the year, a department official said.
Some people on the transition team are discussing moving the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency out of Washington, the report said, citing unnamed people involved in the discussions.
[NY Post] Power to the little guy
Finger-pointing has erupted over the Kamala Harris campaign blowing up to $20 million on swing-state concerts Monday night, hours before the VP’s spectacular election loss to Donald Trump — prompting concern that everyday staff and vendors won’t get paid amid reports the campaign is in debt by the same amount.
To be fair, not paying campaign debts is a bit of a Democratic tradition…
Members of the defeated Harris team tell The Post that the concerts had a ruinous effect on the Democratic campaign’s coffers and that fact was no secret — with one planned performance by ’90s alt-rock goddess Alanis Morissette getting scrapped to save money.
The seven swing-state concerts on election eve featured performances by Jon Bon Jovi in Detroit, Christina Aguilera in Las Vegas, Katy Perry in Pittsburgh and Lady Gaga in Philadelphia — with 2 Chainz joining Harris on Nov. 2, three days before the election, for an eighth concert in Atlanta.
Two sources said that Obama campaign alum Stephanie Cutter pushed the concert concept as a way to woo lower-propensity voters to the polls.
While the performers donated their time and talent, the sets still required an immense commitment of manpower and financial resources.
And now the performers can write off what they didn’t get paid as an in-kind donation. Probably it’ll reduce their taxes or something, which is awfully nice of the Kamala campaign. Really, the performers should be grateful.
Cutter’s plan was supported by fellow Obama alum David Plouffe, one source said.
Harris added Cutter and Plouffe to her campaign shortly after replacing President Biden atop the party’s ticket in July, generating internal tensions with the existing Biden campaign team as the newcomers sought to replay the 44th president’s successful 2008 campaign.
Harris-Walz campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon ultimately approved the get-out-the-vote concert plans, but has since told colleagues — in response to significant internal criticism — that she didn’t want to do them and sat on the idea for weeks, one source told The Post.
If that was the case, another source pointed out, then O’Malley Dillon’s waffling led to increased production costs because “putting [concerts] together last minute makes [them] cost twice as much.”
The second source questioned whether campaign operations chief Dana Rosenzweig should have raised internal concerns earlier in the planning, though a third defended her and argued the campaign budget team would have had that responsibility.
“They said they were ‘spending to zero.’ I guess they overshot zero,” quipped the second source.
As it happened, the events hardly made a splash in the news cycle — with the exception of the Philadelphia rally, where Oprah Winfrey stole the show by claiming that Trump winning might mean “we will not have the opportunity to cast a ballot again.”
Voters in each of the seven swing states turned out the next day to elect Trump, the former president and Republican nominee.
“They had huge advance teams for these concerts, like 40-60 people in some cities,” said an insider who told The Post that they are concerned about the financial impact on people who worked to elect Harris.
“I’m sure vendors will start to get upset soon,” the source added, noting that staff payments do not seem to be impacted so far, though expense reimbursements are still pending.
In the week before Election Day, as campaign bosses became aware that nearly all of their more than $1 billion war chest was gone, there were efforts to scale back concert costs — which were expected to run between $15 million and $20 million, but in some cases experienced overruns.
“They definitely knew the budget crunch at the end because they cut talent from some cities because of cost,” the source said, adding that Morissette’s show got the ax just two days before the scheduled performance.
A different Harris campaign source said that finance staff currently are in the process of reconciling the balance sheets and that nobody has been stiffed.
Of course not. No checks have not yet been not cut, have not been not mailed, have not yet been not deposited. Once checks actually have not been cut, not been mailed, and therefore cannot be deposited, only then all those suckers will be stiffed.
Another source called the events “a real misuse of funds that could have been better spent on ads laying out economic policies” to voters angered about inflation and high interest rates.
“It didn’t matter to have a bunch of celebrities talking to no one because one, 75 million people already voted and two, people were concerned about their own financial issues, not Oprah telling them America won’t exist,” this source said.
Despite the enormous fundraising haul in the 107-day campaign spring, the Harris campaign ended the race at least $20 million in debt, Politico reported Thursday. Donation webpages remain active in the apparent hope of an after-the-fact trickle of funds to close the gap.
Spokespeople for the Harris campaign and Morissette did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2024 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11139 views]
Top|| File under: Tin Hat Dictators, Presidents for Life, & Kleptocrats
#1
What did they expect? They got done to them what the Left has been doing to all of us for four years, stuck holding the bill.
#5
Lizzo and Beyonce each got 3 million for showing up .
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/09/2024 11:09 Comments ||
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#6
And all of them consideration in the Diddy investigation.
Story is, Beyonce and Jay Z are married in name only, but are 'big partiers'. Lizzo's surprise success far outweighs her talent. Aguilera, Perry, and Gaga obviously all went through the program. Morisette is a Nickelodeon product as much as Miley Cyrus is a Disney product.
#7
Ultimately, there are a large group of people that are very upset that Donald Trump will be president. Among that group are a collection of incompetent grifters who made bank off a colossal and terrible campaign for a dumb person who appears to have been high for much of her three months as the front runner for the most powerful position in the world. Those people are probably less upset. In fact, they are probably now angling for positions in the Shapiro or Whitmer teams.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/09/2024 11:46 Comments ||
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#8
I wonder how much all those Marvel cosplayers were paid? You know, the ones trying to re-launch their brand by shitting on over half the potential audience.
#9
Some were likely compensated. Some are true believers. Maybe we will get to see who was coerced.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/09/2024 12:10 Comments ||
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#10
Clooney, Hanks, and Hamill are definitely paid agents.
These all were definitely compensated, plus Ford and Keaton.
The ones doing it for free are auditioning for one of the two above positions.
Remember all those tiktokrs and celebrities who Team Brandon purchased in order to sell the burgeoning Ukraine conflict? Same same, except with kompromat a Big Name can be made an offer they can't refuse.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2024 12:59 Comments ||
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#13
Yes we point and laugh, and rightfully so, at the nepotism, but now that we know what her 'father' is, she obviously grew up in a poisoned environment. Might even say the supermodel gig is a payoff for that, not knowing she was actually getting enrolled in The Program.
Bit off topic, it seems someone divined what the democrat fallback position may be:
President-elect must be certified by The Senate, which is democrats and Kamala Harris.
Here's an article from CBC from 2020 outlining a blueprint on how that may be done: Link
The article is a worry about how the certification process could be muddled. Flip the script, and that is the blueprint, with the wedge being 'but what happened to the other 15million votes?' along with the How Dare You!? ad campaign.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
who got her start in politix between former Oakland mayor Willie Brown's' knees
