Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Fifth Column

Hillary Clinton-run group helps fund Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion

2024-08-04

[Yahoo] Just Stop Oil’s stunts are partly funded by a campaign organization run by Crooked Hillary Clinton
<q>Crooked Hillary</q> Clinton

...former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, Conqueror of Benghazi, Heroine of Tuzla, formerly described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world, usually described by the rest of us as The Thing That Wouldn't Go Away. Politix is not one of her talents, but it's something she keeps trying to do...
, US financial disclosures reveal.

A group founded by Mrs Clinton from the ashes of her failed presidential bid has donated $500,000 (£391,500) in the last three years to the protest group’s Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,-based financiers. Just Stop Oil’s largest financial backer is a controversial Californian non-profit, the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), which pays for stunts by environmental groups across the world, including Extinction Rebellion.

A paper trail of transparency disclosures, seen by The Telegraph, shows that one of the CEF’s major supporters is Onward Together, a campaign organization founded by Mrs Clinton in the aftermath of her 2016 presidential campaign against Donald Trump
...They hit him with slander, they impeached him twice. Nancy Pelosi tore up his State of the Union address on national TV. They stole an election and put his adherents in jail. They vilified him. They couldn't crucify him, so they shot him. Still, they can't keep him down...
Onward Together gave $300,000 to the CEF in 2021, and a further $200,000 in 2022. The money donated by her group was placed into a fund that was used to pay for Just Stop Oil’s protests in the UK.

The donations are the largest contribution by Mrs Clinton’s organization to a non-profit in the last three years, and are funded by public contributions and the sale of merchandise from her online shop.

However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt...
although the Onward Together website lists a number of "partners" supported by her group, it makes no reference to the CEF or Just Stop Oil, who are the ultimate recipients of some of the money it has donated.

A separate arm of Onward Together contributes to specific candidates in US elections.

Organisations like Just Stop Oil are not required to disclose their funding in the UK, but the group has said it has received millions of pounds from the CEF, its largest supporter.

The group has previously been criticised for accepting money from foreign donors to fund its stunts, which have recently included the vandalism of Stonehenge and paint sprayed at Heathrow airport.

Some MPs have called for the group to be designated as a terror organization. The total cost of policing Just Stop Oil by the Metropolitan Police alone was almost £20 million by the end of last year, and is now likely to be much higher.

The CEF was established in 2019 by Aileen Getty, the granddaughter of the oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, and campaigns for governments to adopt climate-friendly policies.

It is backed by several Hollywood celebrities, including Jeremy Strong, the Succession star, who sits on its board. Other major donors, other than Mrs Clinton, include a fund run by Susie Tompkins Buell, the co-founder of the North Face clothing brand.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Media Matters Democrat mega-donors 'mistakenly' revealed in court filing: report

2024-01-07

[NYPOST] The left-wing advocacy group Media Matters for America is being bankrolled by some of the biggest Democratic megadonors in the country, according to a new report.

The Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday that Media Matters, a liberal nonprofit often cited by legacy news organizations as a media watchdog, might have “mistakenly” identified some of its biggest donors in a November filing to the New Mexico attorney general’s office.

According to the filing obtained by the Free Beacon, Media Matters’ biggest donor was Deborah Simon of the shopping mall giant Simon Property Group, who gave $4 million to the nonprofit.

As the Free Beacon noted, Simon had been outspoken in her pledge to defeat former President Trump ahead of the 2020 presidential election and has collectively given $53 million to various Democratic campaigns and causes since 2018.

The next highest donation to Media Matters came from the Gill Foundation, which contributed nearly $3 million, according to the form.

The foundation is run by tech entrepreneur and gay rights activist Tim Gill, a major power player in Colorado Democratic politics.

Other top donors include the Stephen Silberstein Foundation, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein and his wife Anita, all giving between $1.75–1.9 million, according to the Free Beacon.

Media Matters was founded in 2004 by Democratic activist and staunch Clinton ally David Brock.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Coup attempted in Niger

2023-07-27

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] A coup attempt took place in Niger, where President Mohamed Bazum was detained by his own guards after unsuccessful negotiations, La Croix reported on July 26.
Pronounced "Knee-Jer", I learned from Joe "Yellowcake" Wilson and Valerie Plame
The President's Office said that individual guards started a mutiny, trying in vain to enlist the support of the National Armed Forces and the National Guard.

At the same time, a number of media outlets noted that the guard is headed by General Omar Tchiani, who was in office under the previous president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou. The new head of state left the general in office after coming to power. Some sources noted that in recent days, Bazum has been considering firing the general.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemned the coup attempt in Niger and called for the immediate release of the elected president. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also condemned any attempt to destabilize democracy and threaten the stability of Niger.

There have been four coups d'état in Niger since independence in 1960: the first in April 1974 against President Diori Hamani , the last in February 2010. Then President Mamadou Tanju was overthrown . At the end of March 2021, the government announced the arrest of several people following an alleged coup attempt. Two days before, President Mohamed Bazum took the oath.

Niger’s presidency confirms coup attempt, says president Bazuom safe https://t.co/d4baRR6yj0
— Goobjoog News (@GoobjoogNews) July 26, 2023

Link

Home Front: Politix

US senator hospitalized, putting Biden agenda at risk

2022-02-02

[DW] US Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan is undergoing treatment after a stroke, but is expected to make a "full recovery."

Good.
His absence could imperil President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. Being a self-defined foreign policy whiz kid means never having to say you're sorry...
's plans to confirm a new Supreme Court
...the political football known as The Highest Court in the Land, home of penumbrae and emanations...
justice.

US Democratic Senator Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico has been hospitalized after a stroke, his office announced Tuesday.

It's unclear how long Lujan will be out of commission for his recovery, which could spell trouble for US President Joe Biden as he seeks to push through major policy measures ahead of key elections later this year.

WHAT DO WE KNOW SO FAR?
The 49-year-old checked into a hospital in New Mexico's capital of Santa Fe last week after feeling dizzy and fatigued. The symptoms were later discovered to be caused by a stroke, with Lujan receiving decompressive surgery to ease swelling.

The senator is now recovering at another hospital in New Mexico's largest city, Albuquerque.

Lujan is expected to make a "full recovery." However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat...
it's unclear when he will return to his duties as senator.

COULD LUJAN'S ABSENCE DERAIL BIDEN'S PRIORITIES?
Lujan's absence could complicate US President Joe Biden's agenda in the coming months, as the Democrats only have a 50-member majority in the Senate, with Vice President Kámala Harris

Former Oakland mayor Willie Brown's former mistress, then a senatrix from California, and then a former 2020 Dem presidential hopeful. She dropped out because she was polling in negative numbers because of racism or misogyny or something like that. Her father is a Marxist professor emeritus at Stanford and her mother is an Indian of the Hindoo tribe. She is reputedly the proud descendant of a long line of women. Joe Biden picked her for her skin tone, feeling she could also bring in the Native American, women's, and bimbo votes. She's an outstanding exemplar of the Peter Principle, proudly displaying her level of competence in her handling of the Biden Border Surge
serving as the tiebreaking vote.

One of Biden's plans is confirming a new justice on the nation's highest court, after Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement last week. Biden is expected to announce a Black female nominee to replace Breyer by the end of this month.

The nominee would require all 50 Democratic senators to vote in favor of her confirmation. Biden is also under pressure, as Republicans could take control of the chamber following the upcoming November midterm elections.

A top Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin
...Senator-for-Life from Illinois and Democratic Party Whip. In April 2006, Time magazine identified Durbin as one of America's 10 Best Senators, so what's that tell you? He was the first United States Senator to support the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, then the junior senator from Illinois...
of Illinois, expressed shock on Tuesday after hearing the news of Lujan's hospitalization, but said it's unclear how it will affect the schedule in the chamber.

"I'm so glad to hear that he will make a full recovery. We look forward to his quick return to the Senate," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is 46.16023 years, or 323.12161 years in dog years. Senate minority leader as of 2017...
of New York tweeted in response to the news.

Lujan began his first term in the Senate in January 2021, after serving in the House of Representatives for over a decade.

Link

-Short Attention Span Theater-

Sean Penn: 'Feminized' American men suffering from 'cowardly genes'

2022-02-01

[Washington Examiner] Sean Penn believes American men are suffering from "cowardly genes" that have stripped away their masculinity.

In a series of recent interviews, the 61-year-old, two-time Academy Award-winner criticized American culture, saying men are being feminized by it, "surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt."

"I am in the club that believes that men in American culture have become wildly feminized," Penn said while speaking to i News.

"I don’t think that being a brute or having insensitivity or disrespect for women [has] anything to do with masculinity, or ever did," he said. "But I don’t think that [in order] to be fair to women, we should become them."

The Mystic River actor was asked for clarification regarding his comments in a later interview, in which he said American men seem to find it fashionable and empowering to embrace traditionally feminine attributes.

"I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized," he said. "I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt."

Penn has a history of criticizing contemporary culture. In July, he called the idea of cancel culture "ludicrous."

"When we're destroying careers like that, what are we really achieving?" Penn asked. "Or you look at politicians — I give a big nod to anyone that’s willing to enter the public arena who is doing so because they give a damn."

Link

Home Front: Politix

Tell me again how Trump will drain the swamp...

2022-01-31

[Breitbart] I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Richard Cheney, is reportedly planning to attend a fundraiser in March for embattled Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who is targeting Trump on the January 6 Committee.
Trump just doesn't get it. The people who keep on pulling for him in the face of this kind of thing don't get it either.
Libby was convicted in 2007 of obstruction of justice and other crimes related to a leak of the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. The conviction was widely viewed as a miscarriage of justice, especially because Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage later admitted that he was the likely source of the leak, not Libby. President George W. Bush commuted Libby’s sentence, but despite the urging of then-Vice President Cheney, he declined to issue a formal pardon for his aide.

It was only Trump who pardoned Libby in 2018, taking the political heat for doing so and standing up for Libby’s record of public service. Former Vice President Cheney called Trump personally to thank him for pardoning his long-time aide.

Now, both the former vice president and his aide are participating in a fundraiser for Cheney, who defied her own party to participate in the one-sided January 6 committee, which aims to damage Trump ahead of the 2022 and 2024 elections.

The Hill reported Wednesday (emphasis added):

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is participating in a fundraiser for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) in March as the Wyoming incumbent looks to protect her seat against Trump-endorsed Republican primary challenger Harriet Hageman, according to an invitation obtained by The Hill.

Other guests include former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife; former chief of staff to Cheney Scooter Libby; former U.S. solicitor general Ted Olson; former chief of staff to the late Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) Sheila Burke; and former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), among others.

Ironically, Dick Cheney believed that Libby had been the victim of an overzealous prosecutor, a biased Washington jury, and those in the government who wanted to damage the Bush administration because of growing opposition to the Iraq War.

Link

Home Front: Politix

New head of powerful US liberal donor group looks to shake secretive reputation

2021-10-27

Beyond Soros: about a few of of the Progressive centi-billionaires pooling their money.

[IsraelTimes] Pamela Shifman cites centrality of ’tikkun olam’ in her upbringing, suggests antisemitic undercurrent to calling Democracy Alliance ’George Soros
...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true...
’s shadowy dark money donor club’.

Politico called the Democracy Alliance, one of the country’s major liberal donor groups, "secretive." The conservative Washington Free Beacon called it, "George Soros’s shadowy dark money donor club."

But the group’s new president, Pamela Shifman, says that she is all about shining a light on what she calls threats to democracy, right-wing antisemitism and other issues.

The group boasts Tom Steyer, Susie Tompkins Buell and, yes, left-wing megadonor George Soros among its members — but most of its donors are anonymous.

The Democracy Alliance raises money that it funnels to organizations the group says works to "advance a progressive agenda." Unlike some other liberal fundraising groups, such as MoveOn, that cite large numbers of donors, the Democracy Alliance focuses on major giving only: donors must commit to giving at least $200,000 per year to enter. The group boasts Tom Steyer, Susie Tompkins Buell and, yes, left-wing megadonor George Soros among its members — but most of its donors are anonymous.

Shifman, who comes from a family of liberal Jewish activists, said she is not happy with the role of anonymous or "dark" money in political giving. But she is also not ready to give it up yet.

"As progressives, we support greater transparency and an end to Citizens United [the 2010 Supreme Court

...the political football known as The Highest Court in the Land, home of penumbrae and emanations...
decision that protected corporate political giving], but we can’t unilaterally disarm ourselves in this fight," she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "Because the moment is too important to do so. And what we know is activists need resources, movements need resources, and they need resources now to address the challenges we face."

Shifman, 51, is not prone to keeping a low profile. In her previous work, heading NoVo, a foundation funding racial and gender justice initiatives, she was a frequent speaker, and erupted into the streets in protest, at times with Jewish groups. In 2014, after a New York policeman choked Eric Garner to death, Shifman joined protests organized by Jews For Racial and Economic Justice.

Link

Government

Pompeo maintained secret advisory board at CIA, and the House subcommittee wants answers

2020-06-17

[Washington Examiner] A leading Democratic lawmaker asked the CIA for answers on an undisclosed advisory board Secretary of State Mike Pompeo organized during his time as head of the spy agency.

Rep. Stephen Lynch, the head of the oversight panel's national security subcommittee, expressed concern that the activities of the board may have been inappropriate and that its members were more likely to be wealthy, influential individuals.

"To date, the CIA has refused to identify the individuals selected by Mr. Pompeo to serve on the External Advisory Board during his tenure, as well as the role of his wife, Susan Pompeo, a private citizen, in organizing these events," the Massachusetts Democrat wrote in the letter. "It is imperative that the CIA remains independent of undue influence from partisan political interests."
Then he exploded in a partisan ball of flame
The concern is that Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas who served as CIA director from January 2017 to April 2018, may have been using the board to curry favor with influential businessmen and politicians.

Former CIA officials ~~and Deep State plank holders~~ told Politico that the board was treated to "lavish" dinners and classified briefings. Officials also divulged names of members of the board,

...is that anything like letting slip the identity of Valerie Plame?

which included billionaire entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, a top executive at global advertising agency McCann Worldgroup, a billionaire representative for the Hyatt hotel chain, former Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who is now vice chairman of investment bank Moelis & Company, and William Barr, who at the time served on the board of directors of Time Warner and is now the attorney general.

The CIA declined to comment to the Washington Examiner on the letter but did touch on the advisory board.

"CIA’s External Advisory Board is always a cross-section of industry experts and former senior government leaders who provide counsel on a wide variety of issues," CIA spokesman Timothy Barrett said. "In addition to the countless hours members regularly volunteer to share their expertise, the formal meetings provide a forum for in-depth conversations and lively debate on solutions. To suggest those meetings are some lavish vacation would be a misrepresentation."

A State Department spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said in a statement that "while Secretary Pompeo was Director of the CIA, he followed all agency protocols related to the External Advisory Board. Far from being lavish events, meetings were grueling and focused on critical challenges for the Agency and held in the director’s conference room. Meeting agendas and logistics were solely prepared by Agency leadership. Director Hayden established the board and it was a practice of CIA Directors from both political parties to continue the board. For Congressman Lynch to insinuate wrongdoing five months before an election is purely partisan politics on full display."

Link

Fifth Column

Suspect arrested after man is shot at Albuquerque protest

2020-06-17

Follow up to this story from yesterday. Much more about Mr. Baca and events leading up to and after the arrest.

[StamfordAdvocate] Protesters in Albuquerque, N.M., wrapped a chain around the neck of a bronze statue and began tugging and chanting, "Tear it down," shortly before sunset Monday. Their efforts to pull down a monument to Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate suddenly stopped as four shots rang out.

Most people instinctively turned toward the noise, videos from the scene show. A few screamed. Just yards away, a group of men sporting quasi-military garb and carrying semiautomatic rifles formed a protective circle around the gunman.

The gunshots, which left one man in critical but stable condition, have caused a public outcry - both over the shooting itself and the presence of what many have called an unregulated militia. On Tuesday morning, the Albuquerque Police Department announced that detectives had arrested Steven Baca, 31, in the shooting.

Baca, who appeared to be protecting the statue and opened fire after people pursued and hit him, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and firearm enhancement, according to a criminal complaint.

The victim, Scott Williams, suffered gunshot wounds to the torso and immediately received aid from bystanders, according to the criminal complaint. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, a Democrat, said the statue would now be speedily removed as an "urgent matter of public safety" until authorities determine a next step.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Brakes on a Plame

2020-06-03

[WFB] Ex-CIA operative and prominent anti-Semite defeated in congressional primary. Valerie Plame's congressional bid came to an end on Tuesday when the former CIA operative, who has battled accusations of anti-Semitism and carpet bagging, was defeated in a Democratic primary.

Plame finished second in a field of seven candidates battling to replace outgoing congressman Ben Ray Luján (D., N.M.), who is running for Senate. Local attorney and activist Teresa Leger Fernandez won the race with 42.6 percent of the vote, nearly doubling Plame's 23.1 percent total as the AP called the race early Wednesday morning.

Plame was the only candidate in the race with a national political profile. Her campaign launch video played up her career as a CIA agent and falsely accused former George W. Bush official Scooter Libby of blowing her cover.

Having decamped to New Mexico from Washington, D.C. in 2006, Plame battled accusations of carpet bagging. It did not help that her campaign was fueled predominantly by out-of-state donors, including several Hollywood celebrities and the Holocaust denier Pete McCloskey. Ultimately, roughly 89 percent of her contributions came from outside New Mexico, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Prior to her congressional run, Plame made national headlines in 2017 when she shared on Twitter an article from a discredited anti-Semitic website arguing that "America's Jews are driving America's wars." The story she shared, from Unz Review, asked, "Shouldn't [American Jews] recuse themselves when dealing with the Middle East?"

After urging critics to read to the end of the article, she ultimately apologized, saying that she was in the midst of a move and had merely "skimmed" the piece herself.

A spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition, Neil Strauss, celebrated Plame's defeat but expressed concern that Democratic leadership "supported an anti-Semite."

"Valerie Plame has frequently trafficked in and promoted anti-Semitic messages. The fact that prominent Democrats and celebrities, Chuck Schumer chief among them, chose to support her in a crowded field shows that Democrats aren't committed to combating left wing anti-Semitism," Strauss told the Washington Free Beacon.

The Plame campaign received multiple donations, totaling $1,550, from McCloskey, a former California congressman, who has referred to the Nazi murder of six million European Jews as the "so-called Holocaust."

Both Plame and Leger Hernandez enjoyed the the backing of big-spending outside groups. VoteVets, a liberal group largely funded by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer's (D., N.Y.) Senate Majority PAC, endorsed Plame, while Legar Fernandez received endorsements from a number of prominent liberal groups including Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Leger Fernandez is favored to win the general election in November. The third district has not sent a Republican to Washington since 1997, and Luján won his 2018 race by nearly 30 points.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Plame out

2020-03-09

[American Thinker] The Plame campaign has been a champion fundraiser, surpassing its nearest rival by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over 87% of her contributors are from out of state. No other candidate comes close to such a disproportionate share of out-of-state financial support. Despite her campaign war chest, the Plame campaign has apparently not received a single group endorsement. By contrast, another candidate, Teresa Leger Fernandez, has received endorsements from at least four groups.

The day of reckoning came on March 7, the day of the pre-primary convention. The convention delegates determine who shall appear on the Democrat ballot in New Mexico. To qualify, a candidate must receive at least 20% of the vote. Sadly for Ms. Plame, she received only 5.18% of the vote. Despite her substantial fundraising, her campaign apparently never really excited party insiders in New Mexico.

But she gets to keep whatever her campaign hasn’t spent, so that will be a nice little nest egg for her retirement.

Link

Home Front: Politix

Valerie Plame Accepts More Campaign Donations From Prominent Holocaust Denier

2020-02-11

[Free Beacon] Democratic congressional candidate Valerie Plame, who faced criticism after sharing multiple anti-Semitic articles from a white supremacist media outlet, has accepted multiple campaign contributions from a prominent Holocaust denier, financial disclosures show.

Plame accepted three contributions from Holocaust denier Pete McCloskey, a former California congressman who referenced the "so-called Holocaust" during a May 2000 speech to a historically anti-Semitic organization.

"Earlier here today I listened to speeches about the courage of men in France, Britain, Germany, and New Zealand who have spoken out against the commonly accepted concept of what occurred during the Second World War in the so-called Holocaust," McCloskey said in his address to the Institute for Historical Review (IHR). He also praised IHR, a prominent actor in the Holocaust denial movement with links to neo-Nazi organizations, by saying he "respect[s]" the "thesis of this organization."

Plame has now accepted eight donations from McCloskey and one from his wife, totaling more than $1,200. The questionable source of campaign funds comes as Plame attempts to downplay another anti-Semitism scandal. The candidate shared at least nine anti-Semitic articles from the Unz Review, a self-described "alternative media selection" known for spreading Holocaust denial arguments on social media platforms and funding white supremacist organizations. She issued an apology for the posts in May 2019 but has continued to cash checks from McCloskey.

The Plame campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Plame is running to represent New Mexico's Third Congressional District and has been a magnet for large campaign contributions. The former CIA operative, whose life story was turned into a Sean Penn film, raised nearly $430,000 in the fourth quarter. In addition to Holocaust deniers, Plame has proven popular among the Democratic elite, receiving fourth-quarter contributions from Hollywood actors Bryan Cranston and John Goodman and liberal megadonors Susie Tompkins Buell and Joshua Bekenstein.

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