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Home Front: Politix

Top Connecticut Dem Jim Himes admits GOP SALT increase would ''be good'' for his state

2025-05-27

[NYPOST] A key House Democrat on Sunday admitted there is ''one little portion'' of the GOP's megabill that he likes — the raising of the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap from $10,000 to $40,000.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, voted against the proposed One Big Beautiful Bill Act alongside the rest of his party last week — but is acknowledging that his constituents would get a boost from its SALT change.

''That one little portion is going to be good for my constituents,'' Himes told CBS' ''Face the Nation.''

Republicans had capped the SALT deduction at $10,000 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, disproportionately impacting blue states with high state and local taxes.

The new bill would raise the SALT cap to $40,000 for households making $500,000 or less in annual income, amid fierce lobbying from blue-state Republicans.
Rep. Jim Himes

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Government Corruption

Newly declassified Crossfire Hurricane docs shine light on Steele, Clinton, and more

2025-04-13

Long and detailed. Herewith, a taste:

[JTN] Trump's first attempt at declassifying Crossfire Hurricane documents in January 2021 was thwarted. But now, the FBI records have been released, revealing in part new details on the FBI's problematic Trump-Russia probe.

Newly-declassified FBI documents shine new light on the FBI’s mishandling of its relationship with anti-Trump dossier author Christopher Steele, on the FBI’s double standards on defensive briefings given to Trump and Hillary Clinton, and other key elements of the debunked collusion saga.

Just the News already revealed on Thursday that declassified documents show that Stefan Halper, a key FBI informant in the widely-debunked Russia collusion case, was paid nearly $1.2 million over three decades and was motivated in part by "monetary compensation" — and that he continued snitching for the bureau even after agents concluded he told them an inaccurate story about future Trump National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.

And Just the News also revealed on Friday that the newly-released documents showed that then-NSA director Mike Rogers shot down a Pultizer Prize award-winning Washington Post article about the baseless Russian collusion investigation.

And a new review of hundreds of pages of declassified documents provides new information about the politicized Russiagate scandal — although significant redactions still remain.

This week, FBI Director Kash Patel transmitted to Congress hundreds of pages of declassified documents from the bureau’s "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation related to false claims about Trump-Russia collusion, following a declassification executive order from President Donald Trump last month. Just the News made all 700 pages from the declassified binder available to the public on Thursday.

An investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller “did not establish” any criminal Trump-Russia collusion. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found huge flaws with the FBI’s investigation, criticizing the“central and essential” role of the dossier in the FBI’s politicized surveillance of former Trump campaign associate Carter Page. Special counsel John Durham’s report concluded that “neither U.S. law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion in their holdings at the commencement of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”

ADMIRAL MIKE ROGERS AND THE STEELE DOSSIER
Admiral Mike Rogers, who retired in 2018 after four years as National Security Agency chief and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, previously expressed a certain level of skepticism about the U.S. intelligence community’s 2017 assessment of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election — and a newly declassified interview Rogers gave to the FBI later in 2017 shines light on the dim view Rogers had of British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s discredited dossier.

“ADM Rogers decided that he would make the final analytic call on the NSA’s input to the ICA as he knew there would be a lot of pressure and attention on the final draft and he felt strongly his career analysts shouldn’t have to be responsible for something under such political pressure. In one draft of the ICA, ADM Rogers noted the contents of the ‘Steele dossier’ in the body of the product, which he did not recall seeing in previous drafts,” FBI notes dated June 17, 2017 state.

“In early January, the four principals met and ADM Rogers told the group he was unclear why the ICA needed to focus on the dossier as it was considered largely uncorroborated. Comey responded that the information was relevant and ADM Rogers suggested the information be included in an annex or appendix rather than prominently in the nearly one-page summary he had seen.”

Rogers and Comey, along with Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and CIA Director John Brennan, briefed President-elect Trump about their election meddling findings at Trump Tower in January 2017. Comey stayed behind to tell Trump about some of the dossier’s more salacious allegations.

Steele told the FBI in October 2017 that he was “frustrated” by his dossier’s inclusion in an annex to the ICA. The FBI agent who recounted the interview with Steele wrote, “They brought up the inclusion of their material in the ICA annex multiple times – almost to the point that it felt like fishing for information about how the ICA was constructed. In the end, I made the point that I wasn’t going to get into how the ICA was put together, how the annex came about, etc.”

The Steele dossier annexed to the ICA was largely declassified in 2020, and it relayed some of Steele’s baseless collusion claims: “The most politically-sensitive claims by the FBI source [Steele] alleged a close relationship between the President-elect and the Kremlin. The source also claimed that the President-elect and his top campaign advisers knowingly worked with Russian officials to bolster his chances of beating Secretary Clinton; were fully knowledgeable of Russia’s direction of leaked Democratic emails; and were offered financial compensation from Moscow.”

VARYING ASSESSMENTS FROM INTELLIGENCE SERVICES
The 2017 intelligence assessment concluded with “high confidence” that Russia worked to “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate former Secretary of State Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency” and “developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” The NSA diverged on one aspect, expressing only “moderate confidence” that Putin actively tried to help Trump’s election chances and harm those of Clinton.

“I wouldn’t call it a discrepancy. I’d call it an honest difference of opinion between three different organizations,” Rogers told the Senate in 2017. “It didn’t have the same level of sourcing and the same level of multiple sources.”

A 2018 report from the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee concluded that “the majority of the Intelligence Community Assessment judgments on Russia’s election activities employed proper analytic tradecraft” but found the “judgments on Putin’s strategic intentions did not.”

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Government Corruption

Kash Patel Makes Major Move Regarding Archives of 2017 Congressional Baseball Game Shooting

2025-03-28

[RedState] Doubtless you’ll remember the awful shooting at a 2017 Congressional Baseball Game for Charity where 66-year-old James Hodgkinson first confirmed that Republicans were playing, then unleashed over 60 rounds from his SKS 7.62mm rifle. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was severely injured and spent months in recovery, while four other victims were also hit. It could have been much worse without the heroics of Capitol and Alexandria Police, who took out Hodgkinson after a ten-minute shootout.

It was a clear act of political violence perpetrated by a madman who hated Republicans, which is why it wasn’t an even bigger news story. If the shooter had been a white supremacist MAGA lover spraying bullets at Democrats

...every time you hear the phrase white people, white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
, we’d see wall-to-wall coverage every time the month of June and the anniversary of the shooting rolled around.

WATCH: Video shows House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise taken away on stretcher and into helicopter following shooting at Virginia park. pic.twitter.com/naKRc3eoXK

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 14, 2017

Like so much of what occurs whenever our federal justice system gets involved, there’s been much secrecy and unanswered questions about what happened. FBI Director Kash Patel is making moves to change that:

BREAKING: I can report that as of 30 minutes ago, the FBI has provided the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence all requested documents related to the Congressional Baseball Game shooting in 2017.

These are documents sought by Capitol Hill officials for almost 8…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 26, 2025
These are documents sought by Capitol Hill officials for almost 8 years. Providing these documents was one of our top priorities in delivering a new FBI era of transparency.

Thank you to the committee and Chairman @RepRickCrawford for your partnership in getting Americans the truth.

Why did it take years? It’s time for a profound culture shift at the DOJ, and Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi are just the folks to bring it, as they're continually proving.

House Intelligence Committee Republicans applauded Patel and the FBI for actually being transparent, something we’re not used to seeing out of these organizations:

BREAKING: Before the hearing gaveled out, @FBIDirectorKash already had the Congressional baseball report delivered to @HouseIntel. What took previous @FBI leadership nearly 8 years, took new @FBI leadership 2 hours. The Committee is encouraged by the transparency demonstrated. https://t.co/dKWW7ZsWz7 pic.twitter.com/yvGr450dlg
— House Intelligence Committee (@HouseIntel) March 26, 2025

There are still many who contend that we don’t know everything about what really happened that day. In 2021, for instance, Scalise and more than a dozen other House Republicans demanded the FBI review its conclusion to classify the event as “suicide by cop” when it should have been investigated as a clear example of “domestic extremism,” considering the assailant was obviously politically motivated. In May 2021, the FBI did in fact update its classification and acknowledged the incident as an act of "domestic terrorism." But why did that happen four years after the fact?

Others feel that information about the motivation, planning and history of the shooter may have been buried.

Maybe there’s new information, maybe there’s not—but the justice system in this country has become far too quick to simply say “that’s classified” about major investigations and then stonewall Congress and the public. Bondi and Patel are showing that it’s time to serve the American people, not treat us as their adversaries.

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Home Front: WoT

US-Canada border eyed as vulnerability by China, Russia, says Patel: 'The enemy adapts'

2025-03-27

[FoxNews] Attempted Chinese southern border crossings spiked between 2022 and 2025

U.S. adversaries such as China and Russia have started to target the northern U.S. border with Canada, FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers Wednesday.

During testimony in front of the House Intelligence Committee, Patel told lawmakers that the "effective resolution" to the crisis at the southern border has caused adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran to shift their resources to targeting the U.S. northern border.

"The enemy adapts," Patel said.

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Government Corruption

Time to Call Out Bull$h!t, Gowdy and Patel

2025-03-24

The comments pretty much sum it up. Video is a pathetic love fest.

[ConservativeTreehouse] Sunday Talks – Kash Patel Discusses His FBI Mission Priority with Good Friend and Mentor Trey Gowdy
March 24, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel makes his first television appearance on Fox News to discuss his mission priority within the FBI. Defending the honorable rank and file FBI agents, Kash Patel notes his intention is to focus on the massive increase in violent crime that has come as an outcome of open borders and illegal alien inflows.

Kash Patel has a long relationship with both Trey Gowdy and current CIA Director John Ratcliffe going back to the days when Patel was the lead staffer for Devin Nunes on the House Intelligence Committee, and Gowdy with Ratcliffe were selected to review the FISA application at the center of ‘Russiagate.’

Mr. Gowdy puts the number of honorable FBI officials at 95% and Director Patel agrees, saying he wants to return to the time when he and his family would invite FBI agents for a cup of coffee. Patel then emphasizes he has already addressed the bad actors within the FBI and will continue to hold the internal investigative officers accountable with a zero-tolerance approach.

During the interview Trey Gowdy wants to emphasize how qualified Kash Patel is for this role in the FBI, delivering effusive praise for his mentee and friend, Director Patel. Gowdy calls Kash Patel the ’employee of the month’ for his excellence and brilliance in his first 30-days. WATCH:

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Government Corruption

Nunes vows oversight of U.S. intel from White House panel

2024-12-31

[JustTheNews] "I believe the reason that he chose me to do it is because I was, you know, I saw the corruption up front and personal," he said on the "Victor Davis Hanson Show."

Trump Media and Technology Group CEO Devin Nunes this week, highlighted the importance of depoliticizing the U.S. intelligence agencies as he gears up to chair the President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Nunes, the former House Intelligence Committee Chairman, for the post earlier in December.

"I believe the reason that he chose me to do it is because I was, you know, I saw the corruption up front and personal," he said on the "Victor Davis Hanson Show." "And so when, when things go wrong, this board is there to have a fresh set of eyes, a fresh look into what these agencies are doing or have done."

"Yeah, so it's, I've described it Victor as something that's very similar to my role when I was chair of the House Intelligence Committee, where I effectively reported to the United States Congress, to the legislative branch of government," he went on. "Here I report directly to the to the President. So it has, it has very extensive powers, and obviously the President can increase those authorities or decrease those authorities, as he see fits. But, you know, look, I feel like he has the confidence in me that that if I see something wrong, that we're going to get to the bottom of it."

Nunes further outlined what he believed to be the root cause of the intelligence community's expansion, politicization, and left-ward shift.

"I believe it's, it's pretty simple as to what's what's happened," he said. "Even though the defense and intelligence industrial complex is bigger than I think Eisenhower ever imagined it could be, and more dangerous. But there's only one word. It's been politicized, and it was politicized on purpose, and the people that live in Washington, D.C., that mostly are part of the left, but as we have found out, it's pretty easy for people who you would think are hard right, that if there livelihood is threatened, they somehow move and team up with the left i.e. the Cheney family."

"I know that the President wants to have a DOJ and FBI and DOD and CIA that America can be proud of," he insisted. "And it's, you know, it's pretty the President sees this pretty simply. And he, he actually campaigned on it. What did he campaign on? Make America safe again, it's not complicated. But in order to do that, you have to have a de-politicized intelligence agency."

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Government Corruption

Journalist Lee Stranahan discovers he was a target, tells how FBI spied on Kash Patel for 5 years while acting as lawyer for House Intelligence Committee

2024-12-14

Lee Stranahan, from X post today:
I Take This Personally

In a democracy, the press should never have to fear becoming the target of government overreach. Yet, I've found myself at the center of one of the most unsettling revelations about how the federal government operates (SNIP)

At the end of 2018, as Democrats prepared to take control of the House, the Intelligence Committee released a report critiquing how Republicans handled the Russia investigation. When someone pointed out that my name appeared in the report, I was blindsided. It alleged I had ignored a request from the committee in May 2017 and suggested issuing a subpoena against me. The problem? I never saw the request.

What I initially dismissed as an administrative hiccup became a sobering reality. After digging through my spam folder, I discovered the email from Congress buried there. This was not a story of missed communication but a small glimpse into a much larger problem: the ease with which even reporter - those tasked with holding the government accountable - can become ensnared in bureaucratic strong-arming.

When I reached out to the committee to clear things up, I was lucky. Kash Patel, a senior staffer at the time, approached the situation with professionalism. Once I explained the misunderstanding, he assured me there was no need for a subpoena. But this was a brush with the kind of overreach that can destroy reputations and careers. And as the New York Post recently revealed, Kash Patel himself was a target of far worse.
Let's hope he gets in where Trump has nominated -- DON'T LOOK AT fake UFOs. DEFEND AND PUSH IN TRUMP's TEAM
For five years, the FBI spied on Patel. A lawyer for the House Intelligence Committee, Patel had been leading an investigation into abuses of power within the FBI's Trump-Russia probe. But instead of respecting the boundaries of his role, the FBI went after him with secret subpoenas, even misleading judges about his actions. His communications with whistleblowers and witnesses were monitored - an unprecedented intrusion into the work of a congressional investigator.

Patel's ordeal is horrifying. It should send chills down the spine of anyone who believes in checks and balances, and for me, it resonates on a personal level. If a congressional lawyer tasked with investigating FBI misconduct can be targeted, what chance does an independent reporter like me have?

The Inspector General's report reveals just how broken the system is, exposing a pattern of deception and abuse that extends far beyond Patel's case. As I argue in my book, these tactics are not new. The FBI's domestic overreach today mirrors the kind of morally dubious strategies the CIA once employed during the Cold War - short-term gains at the expense of long-term trust.

So yes, I take this personally. Being called before Congress to reveal my documents was a wake-up call. It was a stark reminder that the work I do - asking questions, uncovering truths, holding power to account - makes me vulnerable. And the fact that people like Kash Patel, who fight from within the system, are being targeted with such ferocity should alarm us all.

Patel vows to reform the FBI, to root out the systemic abuses that corrode public trust. His resolve gives me hope, but it also underscores the stakes. This is a fight for accountability and transparency, for the survival of our democracy. And it's a fight I take very, very personally.

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Government Corruption

Americans Can't Trust Mike Rogers To Give The FBI The Reckoning It Needs

2024-11-21

[Federalist] It's no secret ret that the FBI has become a politicized weapon of the Democrat Party. Whether it’s interfering in elections to help leftist candidates, targeting parents at school board meetings, or treating Christians as "domestic terrorists," the list of egregious abuses carried out by the agency is too numerous to count.

With Trump set to return to the White House this coming January, many Americans are hoping the soon-to-be 47th president will replace FBI Director Christopher Wray — who has presided over these scandals — with someone willing to gut the corruption that’s plagued the agency for years. While no official nomination has been made, one potential candidate allegedly up for the job should cause major concern for those wishing for a complete overhaul of the agency.

On Friday, sources reportedly told Fox News that 2024 Michigan GOP Senate candidate and former Rep. Mike Rogers met with Trump’s transition team at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday about "potentially serving as FBI director in the former and future president’s second administration." Rogers, who worked at the FBI for several years before serving in Congress (2001-2015), was previously under consideration for the position during Trump’s first administration after the president fired then-Director James Comey.

The Michigan Republican also served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee from 2011-2015.

While Rogers regularly cast himself as an "America First" candidate willing to buck the establishment during his failed Senate bid, the Michigan Republican has spent his entire political career empowering the very federal agencies being weaponized against the American people.

According to The Detroit News, Rogers assisted in writing (and voted for) the Patriot Act, a law passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that’s enabled the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance against unsuspecting Americans. Speaking in defense of the legislation in a 2005 NPR interview, the then-congressman claimed, "No due process is subjugated in the Patriot Act, not one iota."

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Home Front: Politix

Eric Swalwell says President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, is 'a joke'

2024-11-14

[X]

Rep. Eric Swalwell says President-Elect Donald Trump's pick for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, is 'a joke'.

This is the guy who was sleeping with a Chinese spy while he was on the House Intelligence Committee. pic.twitter.com/ojCHVlFhIr
— Rob (@_ROB_29) November 14, 2024

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: October 24, 2024

2024-10-25

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 23:27 Over the past few days, Russian troops have made significant tactical advances in Selydove, Donetsk Oblast, which could force Ukrainian forces to withdraw from the city soon. The loss of control over the city creates another new foothold for future Russian attacks toward Pokrovsk. For more details, see the article The Battle for Selydove.

22:34 Borrell said the EU is "deeply concerned by reports that the DPRK is sending troops to participate in Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine."

21:40 Scholz stated that a country at war cannot join NATO, therefore the question of Ukraine joining the Alliance is "not on the agenda."

21:16 The Russian army attacked a Novaya Pochta branch in the village of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk Oblast - two people were killed and one was wounded, reported OVA head Vadim Filashkin.

21:12 Turkish company Baykar plans to complete the construction of a plant for the production of Bayraktar drones in Ukraine by August 2025, said CEO Haluk Bayraktar. According to him, the plant is already 80% ready, and the necessary equipment has been ordered. The start of production will depend on the progress of the war, but the facility will be ready within the specified time frame. The plant will produce Bayraktar TB2 drones or an upgraded version TB3, capable of carrying a larger load.

20:01 Mongolia failed to comply with the International Criminal Court's request by failing to arrest Putin during his visit in September, the Pre-Trial Chamber has ruled. "Given the seriousness of Mongolia's failure to cooperate with the Court, the Chamber considered it necessary to refer the case to the Assembly of States Parties," the court's press service said.

19:29 Putin said that he received new proposals for negotiations with Ukraine through Erdogan's aide and gave his consent, but allegedly "the very next day Zelensky said that he would not go to negotiations." "The ball in the negotiations is in Ukraine's court. We are ready for negotiations that take into account the realities on the ground, and we are not ready for anything else," the head of the Kremlin emphasized.

Putin also commented on the information about the presence of North Korean soldiers on Russian territory. According to him, the photos confirming the presence of soldiers from the DPRK on Russian territory are "a serious thing, if there are photos, they reflect something." At the same time, he once again stated that "it was not Russia's actions that led to the escalation in Ukraine, but the 2014 coup d'etat, supported primarily by the United States." Putin also noted that today the Russian State Duma ratified the agreement on strategic partnership with the DPRK, which, in particular, contains an article on mutual military assistance: "We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously. But what and how we will do is our business within the framework of this article."

Putin also said that all BRICS members are committed to "ending the conflict in Ukraine as quickly as possible and by peaceful means." He also expressed gratitude to China and Brazil for taking the initiative for a "peaceful settlement" in Ukraine.

19:20 Zelensky said in an evening video address that the "victory plan" is aimed at partners, and the "strengthening plan" that he ordered to be developed is "the internal part of the work." In particular, according to the president, this is about strengthening positions at the front and in the rear, "the issue of justice in Ukraine, which is extremely acute," the economy, jobs, the development of critically needed industries, protection from Russian disinformation, and social protection of people.

19:08 Norway has allocated $105 million to restore Ukraine's energy infrastructure, create reserve capacity and accelerate the transition to a more diversified and sustainable energy balance, the UN reported.

19:02 The first units of North Korean troops have already arrived in the combat zone: on October 23, their appearance was recorded in the Kursk region , the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reports. The number of North Korean troops transferred today is about 12 thousand people, including 500 officers, including three generals.

According to intelligence, the training of soldiers of the DPRK army will last several weeks and is taking place at five eastern Russian training grounds: Baranovsky (Ussuriysk), Donguz (Ulan-Ude), Yekaterinoslavsky (Yekaterinovska), 248th (Knyaze-Volkonskoye) and 249th (Sergeevka). Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has been appointed responsible for monitoring the military training and adaptation of the DPRK troops.

18:21 EU spokesman Peter Stano said Putin's attempt to get BRICS support for the war against Ukraine has failed: "If we look at the Kazan Declaration, it does not contain a unified position on Russia's ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine, instead it contains a reference to the 'national positions' of member states. Such a reference shows that Russia's attempt to get any support in the BRICS format has failed."

17:59 In the Pokrovsk community of the Donetsk region, three people were killed today as a result of Russian shelling: two in Zelenoye and one in Dachenskoye, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.

17:37 Beijing knows nothing about the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jiang: "China is not aware of the situation... China's position on the Ukrainian crisis is consistent and clear, and we hope that all parties will seek to de-escalate the situation and commit to a political settlement."

17:15 Zelensky reported that he held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters, following which he instructed the Headquarters members "to prepare certain parts of our internal plan to strengthen Ukraine." According to the president, along with the "victory plan," it is necessary to work out "all the necessary steps of Ukraine that will ensure internal results for our state." Zelensky specified that "this concerns the front, the military-industrial complex, the economy and finance, the information sphere, ensuring justice, regional work and other strategic areas." The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council will be responsible for organizing this work.

17:03 A UAV attack in Crimea on the night of October 23 damaged a radar station, the Russian opposition publication Astra reports, citing sources in the region's emergency services. According to them, the drones were attempting to attack a mobile post of the 31st Air Defense Division, located several kilometers from the village of Olenevka. As a result, one UAV exploded and damaged the mobile radar station.

16:14 South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, after a summit with Polish President Andrzej Duda, spoke about the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine: "If North Korea sends special forces to the war in Ukraine, we will provide Ukraine with support step by step and consider the possibility of taking the necessary measures to ensure the security of the Korean Peninsula. We adhere to the principle of refusing direct supplies of lethal weapons, but we can reconsider this issue more flexibly depending on North Korea's military activity."

15:52 During his visit to Kazan for the BRICS summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for peace in Ukraine and reform of the UN Security Council: "We need peace in Ukraine, a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions." According to the Secretary-General, to resolve conflicts, including in Ukraine and Israel, the UN Security Council needs to be reformed so that it "reflects the modern world." Guterres believes that it is wrong that developing countries do not have "representation and a voice at global decision-making tables," so it is necessary to "strengthen and update the peace mechanism."

15:08 The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense warns of preparations for provocative rallies in Ukrainian cities. According to military intelligence, anonymous accounts in the Telegram messenger are looking for people willing to pay to attend mass meetings aimed at discrediting the military-political leadership of Ukraine, in particular the special services. They want to hold such paid rallies in Kiev, Odessa, Dnipro and other regional centers. Intelligence warns Ukrainians against participating in such events.

14:49 In Kupyansk, as a result of today's enemy attack, one person was killed, the number of victims has risen to 11, reported the head of the Kharkiv OVA Oleg Sinegubov.

14:15 Russian troops are trying to break through to Selydove in Donetsk Oblast, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces are holding the line, driving infantry groups out of the city's outskirts, said National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk. In turn, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kovalenko said that "the Russians are throwing a lot of forces at Selydove, in some places there will be videos from them with their flags, but as of now the battle for the city continues."

13:47 House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner, a Republican, said that if North Korean troops are drawn into Russia's war against Ukraine, the United States should consider "direct military action."

13:19 In Kupyansk, the number of casualties as a result of today's Russian strike has risen to nine, reported OVA head Oleg Sinegubov. The police specified that the Russians attacked the city with an ODAB-1500.

12:26 During his speech at the third parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform, which is taking place in Latvia, Zelensky reminded "the international bureaucracy and political leaders that today is UN Day all over the world, and not somewhere in Kazan."

"Now, when some leaders of states have gathered at Putin's summit in Kazan and when, in fact, past this summit, they can move troops from North Korea closer to the front in Ukraine, accompanied by words about supposedly "preventing tension," we still know: it is not the criminal who will win, not the one who destroys and deports, but the one who unites peoples on the basis of fundamental human values and the UN Charter," the head of state emphasized. He also added that today the goal for which the UN was created "is not defended by the UN Security Council or even by UN functionaries, but by such cooperation formats as the Crimean Platform or the Peace Summit."

12:18 The president's press secretary, Serhiy Nikiforov, denied Politico's information that seven NATO countries are against inviting Kiev. According to him, such rumors are beneficial to those who want to create the false impression that Ukraine's accession does not have broad support among the Alliance members. "In fact, the idea of inviting Ukraine is supported by the absolute majority of member countries, and active advocacy work is being carried out with regard to the rest," Nikiforov added.

11:59 Zelensky said at the parliamentary summit of the Crimean platform that "when and if the victory plan is fully implemented, we will see Russia at the peace summit. We will see the implemented formula for peace, we will see the fully restored effectiveness of the goals and principles of the UN Charter."

11:35 The State Duma has ratified the treaty on "comprehensive strategic partnership" between Russia and the DPRK. Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Andrei Rudenko stated that there are allegedly no secret annexes to the treaty.

11:23 Information about the dead in Kupyansk has not been confirmed: one person was freed from under the rubble, in total, as a result of the airstrike, according to preliminary information, four people were injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. A two-story commercial building was partially destroyed, 12 trading kiosks and non-residential buildings were damaged.

11:08 In the Khmelnytsky region, eight enemy Shahed UAVs were shot down during a night attack. An apartment building, a hotel, a library were damaged, one person was injured, reported the head of the OVA Serhiy Tyurin.

10:57 The Ukrainian Armed Forces are planning to create Cyber Forces as a separate branch of the forces, the General Staff reported. The draft of the corresponding Concept was developed based on the experience of the functioning of cyber troops of the world's leading countries. It is assumed that the creation of Cyber Forces as a separate branch of the forces "will significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian army, ensure effective planning and implementation of a full range of tasks in cyberspace, which, along with land, sea, air and space, is recognized as a separate operational domain," the General Staff noted.

10:36 In the morning, Russians attacked Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, hitting near a store and a local market. According to preliminary information, two people were killed, at least three were wounded, said OVA head Oleg Sinegubov.

10:12 Russian troops killed four captured National Guard soldiers near Selydove in Donetsk Oblast, the Prosecutor General's Office reported. The incident occurred on October 6. The Ukrainian soldiers were carrying out combat missions at positions near the city of Selydove when the Russians captured them during an assault on the fortifications, after which they recorded the interrogation of the wounded unarmed National Guard soldiers on video. The following day, the Defense Forces regained their lost positions and found the bodies of the killed Ukrainian servicemen.

09:24 In the Kherson region, over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed and seven were injured, reported the head of the OVA, Oleksandr Prokudin.

09:02 Air defense destroyed 40 out of 50 enemy UAVs (Shahed and unspecified types) in Odessa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Poltava and Chernihiv regions at night, the Air Force reported. Another seven Russian drones were lost, one remains in Ukrainian airspace, two turned towards Russia and Belarus.

In addition, during the night attack, Russia used two Kh-22 cruise missiles and two Kh-59 guided air-to-air missiles - none of which reached their target.

08:27 In Donetsk region on October 23, as a result of Russian shelling, four people were wounded: in Liman, Konstantinovka, Selidovo and Kurakhovo, reported the head of the OVA Vadim Filashkin.

07:51 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of October 24:

personnel - about 684,280 (+1240) people,

tanks - 9090 (+2),

combat armored vehicles - 18,254 (+25),

artillery systems - 19,719 (+45),

MLRS - 1236 (+2),

air defense systems - 981 (+0),

aircraft - 369 (+0),

helicopters - 329 (+0),

Operational-tactical level UAVs - 17,597 (+108),

cruise missiles - 2625 (+0),

ships/boats - 28 (+0),

submarines - 1 (+0),

automotive equipment and tank trucks - 27,286 (+69),

special equipment - 3513 (+4).

07:35 At night, the Russians attacked Kiev with drones, all of them (about ten units) were neutralized. There was no information about damage or casualties, said the head of the KGVA, Sergey Popko.

07:04 As a result of enemy shelling, railway tracks between Nikolaev and Kherson were damaged, Ukrzaliznytsia reported. Trains to Kherson will stop in Nikolaev, passengers to Kherson will be transported by buses.

02:49 In addition to the US and Germany, there are at least five other NATO countries that oppose an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join the Alliance, Politico writes, citing sources. Among them, in particular, are Hungary and Slovakia, which generally take a pro-Kremlin position, as well as Belgium, Slovenia and Spain, which, according to the newspaper's sources, "have doubts and are hiding behind the backs of the US and Germany." However, officials who spoke to Politico added that neither the US nor Germany rule out the possibility of Ukraine joining the Alliance in the future.

00:53 The G7 countries intend to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan by the end of this year, which will be repaid using income from frozen Russian assets, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

00:21 John Kirby, the White House National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, confirmed that North Korea has sent "at least 3,000 troops to eastern Russia" since early to mid-October. At the same time, he said, it is unknown whether they will be involved in the war in Ukraine. "If the North Korean military does engage in combat, this event will confirm Russia's increasing desperation in its war against Ukraine," Kirby emphasized, adding that this "will be a sign of weakness, not strength, for the Kremlin."

Link

Government Corruption

Adam Schiff's conflicting 'principal' residences in mortgage, election papers raise fraud concerns

2024-10-19

[JTN ht Insty] California congressman’s behavior — filing contradictory statements about his "principal residence" — looks like "serious, documented allegations which carry significant criminal penalties," ex-FBI supervisor says.

In the two decades before he became the Democrats' U.S. Senate nominee in California, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff repeatedly declared in mortgage and election filings that both of his homes — one in California and the other in Maryland — were his "principal residence." The claims have now prompted an ethics complaint and could be prosecutable as fraud, experts said.

Americans are allowed to claim just one home as their primary residence: the one they live in the majority of the year, according to the federally backed lender Freddie Mac. But Schiff alternately declared both of his properties in the two different states as "principal" on multiple mortgage and election forms dating to 2003 and reviewed by Just the News.

Those declarations over the years won him financial and political benefits like lower mortgage interest rates, tax advantages and the ability to run for election in a California House district.

Schiff and his office did not respond to multiple requests seeking comment by phone or email.
"Principal" residences in two states

In at least three instances, documents show that in 2009 and again in 2011 and 2013, Schiff refinanced his Maryland home and declared it was his "principal residence" at the same time he had declared his principal residence was in the California, according to 2009 and 2011 financing docs for his Burbank condo.
File
2009_02_06 - Maryland Refinance - Principal Residence Deed of Trust [8+8a].pdf
File
2011_01_11 - Maryland Home Refinance - Principal Residence Deed of Trust [11+11a+11b].pdf
File
2013_01_12 - Maryland Home Refinance Principal Residence Deed of Trust [15+15a+15b].pdf
File
2009_06_17 - Purchase of Burbank condo [9+9a].pdf
File
2011_11_04 - Burbank Condo Refinance [13].pdf

The pattern was first detected by Sacramento-based real estate investigator Christine Bish, who also is running for Congress as a Republican this year. She filed an ethics complaint against Schiff in Congress. The accompanying documents were then confirmed independently by Just the News.

The conflicting declarations were not resolved until 2020 when Schiff suddenly changed the notations on his Maryland mortgage to be a secondary residence. Bish alleges this change constitutes an admission by Schiff that the prior conflicting declarations may amount to a pattern and practice of mortgage fraud.
File
2020_10_13 - Maryland Refinance as Second Home (admission) [16].pdf

Law enforcement experts said the documents could form the basis for prosecution. "These are serious, documented allegations which carry significant criminal penalties if substantiated," retired FBI supervisory special agent Jeff Danik said after reviewing the documents at Just the News’ request.

The FBI veteran noted the Justice Department "maintains a robust fraud enforcement section that routinely investigates similar allegations" and "the 10-year statute of limitations available in bank fraud investigations would allow for an expansive inquiry."
Pushed debunked Russian conspiracy theories

Schiff has long been a target of Republican critics, who seethed over his efforts to portray Donald Trump and his supporters as compromised by Vladimir Putin in the now widely debunked Russia collusion case and to pursue two impeachments against the former president.

Schiff’s insistent claims of a Trump-Russia conspiracy — fueled by debunked Hillary Clinton campaign research during the 2016 election — were rebuked by DOJ Special Counsel John Durham, who concluded there was no evidence to support such allegations or the FBI probe that ensued.

Schiff's record of credibility on such big issues could be a factor if the FBI began examining his mortgage claims, a former federal prosecutor told Just the News.

Schiff "has lied to the American people more times than I can count, so it would come as no surprise to learn he misled his bank," retired Little Rock, Ark., U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins said. Cummins, who prosecuted many financial fraud cases during his tenure, said Schiff's mortgage claims merit "a fair and neutral investigation by both Congress and DOJ, but fair and neutral investigations seem nearly extinct."

Link

Government Corruption

DOJ wants to hide why it spied on congressional staff, whistleblower groups fight back

2024-07-18

[JustTheNews] Several major whistleblower groups are fighting the Justice Department’s efforts in federal court to permanently hide why it spied on congressional investigators by obtaining their phone records during a leaks investigation years ago.

The whistleblower group, Empower Oversight, whose founder Jason Foster was one of the investigators whose phone records were taken when he was still in a top Senate staffer, had asked a federal judge to unseal the underlying documents that allowed DOJ to acquire the records in 2017.

But the government responded recently by saying the records should be permanently sealed and kept from public disclosure, according to a new filing from Empower Oversight.

“Rather than cooperate with Empower Oversight to find a way that these records may be released with appropriate redactions, DOJ’s response to Empower Oversight’s motion was to insist on continued (and permanent) secrecy—nearly seven years after the underlying events,” the new filing said.

“The only conceivable purpose of this secrecy is to obscure key facts from Congress and the public, thereby undermining the typical presumption of good faith to which DOJ would otherwise be entitled,” it added. “Indeed, DOJ’s demand for total secrecy raises serious suspicions that DOJ opposed Empower Oversight’s request merely to continue concealing its previous disregard for the separation of powers and for the whistleblower protection policy implications of its subpoenas.”

Just the News first reported last year that multiple congressional investigators, Democrat and Republican, were notified years after the fact that their phone records were seized by subpoena in 2017.

The investigators included Kash Patel, lead investigator for the House Intelligence Committee, and Foster, a top investigator for the Senate Judiciary Committee, both of whom were investigating Justice Department and FBI abuses during the discredited Russia collusion investigation.

The revelation outraged numerous members of Congress, who argued that the subpoenas had violated the Constitution‘s separation of powers between Congress and the executive branch. Several lawmakers demanded answers from DOJ, including Sen. Ted Cruz and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Republicans.

To date, the Justice Department has not publicly offered its rationale for why it’s subpoenaed the phone records either to Congress or the courts.

In a rare move, several other whistleblower groups, including the Government Accountability Project, joined Empower Oversight, filing an amicus brief demanding that the court unseal the documents showing why prosecutors intruded on congressional investigators privacy.

“For many whistleblowers, whether they can communicate confidentially is the key whether to challenge abuses of power,” GAP legal director Tom Devine said. “Secret subpoenas of congressional offices are a clear and present danger both to whistleblowers and Congress as a constitutional check and balance.

“If this decision stands, no congressional office can honestly reassure confidential whistleblowers that they have not become part of a Justice Department dossier."

Joining GAP in the amicus was Whistleblowers of America (WOA) and FBI Whistleblower Michael German – who since leaving the FBI has worked with, “members of Congress and their staffs, to assist other FBI employees seeking to report abuse, and to craft stronger protections for all national security whistleblowers.”

Link

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