Tag: to

Posted on

DHS Inspector General Sat On Missing Secret Service Texts Info For A Year

$upport via Cash App

CNN’s Whitney Wild appeared on Outfront w/Erin Burnett show(07/29/22), where she dropped a bombshell, telling host Jim Sciutto(subbing for Erin), that embattled DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari did not find out about the missing Secret Service text messages in December 2021 as has been previously reported, but rather, in May 2021–seven months earlier. This means Inspector General Cuffari took a whole year before informing the January 6th Committee about the missing texts, a totally unacceptable position, which only heightens concerns about a possible cover up by DHS.

As host Sciutto correctly pointed out in his intro, it’s not only the missing Secret Service texts that are at issue here, but also, those from former Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf, and his top Deputy Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli’s texts are crucial to the January 6th Committee’s investigation because former Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue testified before the Committee, under oath, that Trump had tasked Cuccinelli with seizing all voting machines for the purposes of investigating his bogus election fraud claims. Cuccinelli’s communications with Trump’s White House officials, or Trump himself, would therefore be very valuable to the January 6th Committee, and the fact that they cannot be retrieved, should be cause for serious concern, even a possible criminal investigation.

CNN’s Whitney Wild(video at 1:50):“What they had said prior is that the [DHS] Inspector General was aware of the missing text messages as of December 2021, that was the information we had learned some days ago, when two key Democrats were calling for the Inspector General’s recusal. Now, sources tell CNN, that the Secret Service notified the office of the Inspector General that text messages were erased in May of 2021, seven months earlier than previously known. The Secret Service has explained that these text messages were lost in a previously scheduled data migration of agents cell phones. The Committee [January6th] and Cuffari [DHS-IG] are interested in these text messages because, as you point out, these are people who were right at the center of what was going on on January 6th, and depending on what the content is, could shed light on the Secret Service’s response that day, and further, what they witnessed, among others…The other big thing that we’re learning here about the timeline[is]…in July, a representative for the Inspector General’s office told the Department of Homeland Security, they were no longer seeking these text messages. That was in July of 2021, about a year before the Inspector General brought these hurdles to congressional oversight committees.”

There’s no other way to interpret Whitney Wild’s remarks other than(I’d be happy to stand  corrected of course), DHS Inspector General Cuffari is not being forthright about his investigation into the missing Secret Service texts. The shifting narratives as to when his office found out about the missing texts only raises suspicions from the general public, of a possible DHS cover up. Also, why did his office stop looking for the texts in July 2021? Wasn’t that the proper time for him, or the DHS Secretary for that matter, to notify the January 6th Committee of the problems they were having retrieving the texts? Very suspicious indeed.

Bottom line folks, the missing Secret Service texts scandal is just the latest in a long line of very troubling stories emanating from DHS, which all center around the same original sin–lack of proper congressional oversight, an issue Yours Truly has repeatedly screamed about, to your rolling eyes of course. Simply put, DHS has devolved into the corrupt federal behemoth we are witnessing today because at every turn since it’s inception, Congress and the corporate mainstream media, have looked the other way, when the public has raised credible concerns about abuses at/by the agency.

One only hopes that some of the outrage over the missing/deleted Secret Service texts will be aimed at complicit Congress and the corporate mainstream media. Simply put, DHS and other agencies tasked with our national security, will never change without proper/effective oversight. Plain and simple.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Posted on

Fox News’ Brit Hume: Republicans Are Hoping Trump Will Be “Gone” After 1/6 Committee’s Findings

$upport via Cash App

Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume confirmed on Monday(06/13/22) what many have suspected all along, and that is, establishment Republicans are secretly hoping the January 6th Committee’s findings will expose so much about former President Trump’s conduct leading up to and including the day of the insurrection, that he will effectively be “gone” for 2024 presidential election purposes. Hume added that many GOP insiders are afraid to say so publicly for fear of Trump’s thuggish supporters, but the consensus was that a Trump presidential nomination in 2024 will cause the GOP to lose the White House again to Democrats. WHOA!!

Britt Hume: “If they[January 6th Committee]succeed either by damaging him or staining him such that he is either unable for legal or political reasons to run again, they might end up finding out that they’ve done the Republican Party a a great service because I think a great many Republicans think they can’t win with Trump at the head of the ticket again. They are afraid of his supporters, [they]don’t want to come out against him directly, but they would like him to go away. If the effect of this committee is to make his possible candidacy go away, I think a great many Republicans would privately be very glad.”

There’s no other way to interpret Brit Hume’s analysis on Fox News other than, establishment Republicans are secretly rooting for the January 6th Committee, hoping that Rep Liz Cheney & Co. will deliver the GOP’s ultimate wish–finally getting rid of Trump and his hold on the Republican Party. They desperately want him gone, but cannot say that publicly, for fear of his thuggish fans–a sad state of affairs indeed for a party that constantly brags about “manhood” and its associated traits.

Bottom line folks, it has been clear to any reasonable observer, that ever since the January 6th insurrection, many serious Republicans considered Trump dead for presidential election purposes. The only reason they haven’t said this publicly, is as Brit correctly pointed out–fear of Trump’s thuggish fans. There is no question that many of them, including his supposed mouthpieces at Fox News, are secretly hoping that the January 6th Committee will finally deliver a fatal blow to his political aspirations, keeping him “gone”. This of course opens up another nightmare scenario for Republicans–a breakaway MAGA third party, which will almost certainly lead to Dems retaining the White House in 2024. Trump in jail will prevent a breakaway MAGA party scenario. All in all, folks, brace yourselves for some very interesting political months leading up to 2024.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Posted on

Is It Time To Hold Fox News Accountable Over Its Role In The January 6th Insurrection?

$upport via Cash App

An interesting segment on MSNBC’s Katie Phang Show(06/11/22) delved into the burning question among members of the public, as to whether Fox News should be held accountable for what many believe, was an incitement by some of its leading hosts towards the violent insurrection at the Capitol on 01/06/2021. This question is resurfacing because a former senior editor at Fox News, one Chris Stirewalt, who was known to openly criticize the network’s super close ties to the Trump administration and its far right extremist backers, is set to testify at the January 6th Committee’s second public hearing set for Monday(06/13/22). It is expected that Stirewalt will draw a direct connection between some of the leading insurrectionists and Fox News’ hosts. Katie Phang’s guest Danielle Moodie, who hosts the Woke AF Podcast, thinks Fox News should absolutely be held accountable for it’s role in the January 6th insurrection.

Host Katie Phang:“One of the witnesses on Monday, we know, is Chris Stirewalt. He was fired from Fox after calling Arizona for Biden. He’s also been known to say Fox News is an arm of the Republican Party. Do you think the committee is going to start zeroing in on the White House’s[Trump’s] interactions with the network Fox News?”

Danielle Moodie:“I would love for them to do that. I would love for the Department of Justice to do that, I’d love for the FCC to do that, I mean the reality here is that Fox News for the longest time, is the propaganda arm, it is a dangerous entity, and so I think it is incredibly important for them not to just look at this and say, ‘Oh well, freedom of speech, we can’t touch it’. We have to see how all of these pieces fit together, and I think that without Fox News, you wouldn’t have the kind of amplification of the insurrection, and replacement theory, and all of the things that we know that these militias…and the Trump base holds dear, and so yes, I think that they absolutely should be zeroing in on Fox at some point, and I hope it’s soon.”

Bottom line folks, we can complain about the rise of White nationalism and other far right violent extremist groups all we want, but unless we are willing and able to confront the Fox News engine that we know, powers all these dangerous groups, then we might as well start preparing for the next, possibly successful insurrection. If the January 6th Commitee is serious about its stated goal of preventing another violent insurrection, then as Danielle Moodie correctly points out, it necessarily has to deal with the role of Fox News in the 2021 insurrection, and potentially, a future one. Put another way, it’s about time Fox News’ freedom of speech defense got put to the test. Incitement to violence is a well known exception to a freedom of speech claim.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Posted on

Elie Mystal Says If Rep Marjorie Taylor Green Wasn’t A White Republican She’d Be Charged With Perjury

$upport via Cash App

Elie Mystal on MSNBC’s Cross Connection Show(04/23/22)

Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent for The Nation and Author of the New York Times bestselling book “Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide To The Constitution”, appeared on MSNBC’s Cross Connection show on 04/23/22. Mystal dropped a bombshell on the show, telling host Tiffany Cross that the only reason Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene(R-GA) has not been charged with perjury for her highly evasive court deposition on 04/22/22, was because she is a White Republican woman. He added that if Reps Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, or Ayana Pressley(all women of color), had engaged in similar conduct, they would have been hit with perjury charges before they validated their parking. Whoa!!

Host Tiffany Cross(video at 1:06):“She[MTG]was clearly involved and I’m just curious your thoughts on what repercussions this case might have on other pro-insurrectionists who are currently in office, or currently running for office?”

Elie Mystal: “Well, I don’t think there are going to be repercussions because she is a White Republican woman, quite frankly. Black people cannot get away with this. The evasiveness that we saw at her hearing yesterday, where she all but perjured herself versus the tape that you just played, Black people cannot get away with that. Everybody at home knows that. Everybody at home knows that if[Reps]Rashida Tlaib, if Ilhan Omar, if Ayanna Presley had tried what Marjorie Taylor Greene tried yesterday, they would have caught a perjury charge before they validated their parking…At the end of the day, what Marjorie Taylor Greene did was perjury and if she was a non-White person, she would be at least been investigated for that. In fact, if she was just a Democrat, she would be at least investigated for that. You know how I know that? Because I’m old enough to remember when Republicans impeached Bill Clinton for less. The evasiveness that Bill Clinton did in his deposition was less than what we all saw Marjorie Taylor Greene do yesterday…Republicans, and White people get away with this all the time.”

There is no other way to interpret Elie Mystal’s remarks other than race and class, even in 2022, are still major factors when it comes to how our criminal justice system makes decisions about who to prosecute and who not to. According to Elie Mystal, White Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene are the biggest beneficiaries of such decisions because they are almost always let off the hook for conduct that Blacks and Browns would almost certainly be prosecuted for–a sad state of affairs indeed.

Bottom line folks, it’s not a lot to ask that “equal justice under law” mean exactly that–equal justice under law. It doesn’t take a genius to realize, given her numerous public utterances, that Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene serially lied under oath on Friday 04/22/22.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com

Posted on

Rep Beth Van Duyne Defends Gov Abbott’s Immigrant Bussing Ploy

$upport via Cash App

Rep Beth Van Duyne(R-TX) on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures(04/17/22)

Texas Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, a former Mayor of Irving who is considered to be a rising GOP star, appeared on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures show(04/17/22) to discuss the Biden administration’s recent lifting of Title 42 and other immigration issues related to the southern border. Rep Van Duyne defended Texas Gov Abbott’s controversial bussing of migrants caught crossing the southern border to Washington DC, saying this will make politicians in DC “see what it has been like in areas all around Texas.”

Rep Beth Van Duyne specifically told host Jason Chaffetz(video at 4:38):“In Texas we are seeing a huge influx of illegal immigrants, a huge influx of illegal drugs, of illegal weapons, and quite honestly the citizens of the state of Texas are sick of it, which is why I think you see some of the desperate measures that our Governor is taking to put them on buses and send them to Washington, DC since the Biden administration finds themselves too busy to actually be able to come back to the border, well maybe they need to see what its like in DC, what it has been like in areas all around Texas…I guarantee you if we see a mass immigration of illegal aliens, you are going to see those walls go back up around the Capitol to be able to protect the politicians, while we are leaving a wall down on our southern border and ignoring the effects it’s having on the rest of the nation.”

She went on to add that the number of illegal immigrants that have come through the southern border in the last 15 months is more than the combined population of three U.S. states, and that mixed in with these illegal immigrants, are people from “questionable countries” like Syria and Yemen–presumably terrorists.

For the record, illegal immigration has been and still remains a big problem in the United States, and the concerns Rep Van Duyne raised in her Fox News interview regarding the sheer numbers of migrants illegally crossing the southern border, and the prospect of some of them being criminals/terrorists are for the most part, valid concerns. The question here is whether Governor Abbott’s bussing ploy, and that’s exactly what it is–a ploy, is the best way to deal with this decades old, complex immigration problem? Reasonable people will agree that the bussing ploy employed by Gov Abbott, which essentially amounts to playing with the lives of desperate migrants, is no way to deal with a complex problem like immigration. The bussing ploy may play well among Fox News viewers eager to embarrass Democrats in Washington, but it will ultimately blow up in the face of Texas Republicans because it does zero to address the real illegal immigration problem at the southern border.

Bottom line folks, illegal immigration is a complex problem that calls for serious politicians to sit down and come up with concrete solutions to fix it. Texas Governor Abbott, and it appears Rep Van Duyne, are clearly not up to the task of coming up with a concrete solution to this complex problem, and have instead settled for ploys/gimmicks, or “stunts” as Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Beto O’Rourke calls them.

Maybe it’s time stuntman Abbott stepped aside, and allowed Gov O’Rourke to work with serious Texas Republicans, to come up with concrete ways of tackling the complex illegal immigration problem. Hopefully Texas voters will arrive at this conclusion this Fall.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@grassrootsdempolitics.com.com

Posted on

Nikole Hannah-Jones Says CRT Controversy Boils Down To A Choice Between Education Vs Indoctrination

$upport via Cash App

Nikole Hannah-Jones with host Chris Wallace on CNN Plus’ “Who’s Talking To Chris” Show

Nikole Hannah-Jone appeared on CNN Plus’ “Who’s Talking To Chris” show, for an extensive interview that covered her award-winning 1619 Project and the Critical Race Theory(CRT), both of which have made her enemy #1 for right wing culture warriors. This was a very interesting, and quite informative interview, which Yours Truly strongly suggests that you watch in its entirety for proper context.

However, if for whatever reason you are unable to watch the entire interview because you are too busy watching reruns of, idk, “Keeping Up w/The Kardashians” or what have you, just cut to the chase and go to the 12:50 mark, where host Chris Wallace asks Nikole to explain the difference between her 1619 Project and CRT. Nikole’s response not only answers the question as to the distinction between the two, but also very importantly, gets to the heart of the entire CRT “controversy”, which in a nutshell, boils down to a choice between education v indoctrination. If you miss everything else in this extensive interview, don’t miss this part.

Nikole Hannah-Jones on the differences between her 1619 Project and CRT(video at 12:50 onwards): “There are not related. I have read Critical Race Theory(CRT), and I do believe in many of the arguments of CRT which is simply saying, 60 years after the end of legal discrimination, after we outlawed discrimination by law, why do we still see so much inequality in our society? The 1619 Project is journalism that looks at history, and uses history to explain our society. They aren’t the same thing, but as we know, they have become code. CRT has become code for anti-racist teaching, for a desire to say we shouldn’t talk about this past. If you look at the[GOP] bills Chris, you’ll see they are talking about a patriotic education, or don’t teach divisive concepts. I don’t know about you, but if this were happening in China, and we were seeing laws prohibiting the teaching the bad parts of China’s history because it made people feel bad, or the Chinese government was dictating that you had to teach a patriotic, undivisive history, we would know that that was authoritarianism, but somehow because it’s in America, we are okay with that. I don’t send my child to school to get a patriotic history that never makes her feel uncomfortable. I want her to be challenged, I want her to be exposed to ideas that are outside her comfort zone. That’s how someone actually gets an education, and that’s the opposite of indoctrination. To be challenged is the opposite of indoctrination.”

Bottom line folks, as Nikole succinctly lays it out, the entire CRT debate boils down to whether we want to educate our children, or indoctrinate them, and it appears TrumpGOP, which is supposedly opposed to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and other authoritarian regimes around the world because “they indoctrinate their masses”, has chosen their exact style of indoctrination when it comes to CRT. It’s really that simple!!

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Ivanka Grossly Overstated The Value Of Her Apartment In DC Hotel Lease Application

$upport via Cash App

A bombshell segment on the The Rachel Maddow Show (02/01/22) says that New York’s Attorney General Leticia James is in possession of documents that will show that Ivanka Trump, who was the lead negotiator in the acquisition of the Trump DC Hotel, grossly overstated the value of an apartment she was personally renting, in order to secure the lease and loan for the hotel. Specifically, Ivanka Trump knew her apartment was only valued at $8.5 million, yet proceeded to list it as worth more than $20 million in the lease and loan application for the hotel. This and other examples of outright fraud, presumably now in the hands of AG James, could open up Ivanka and the rest of her family, to criminal fraud charges, even though AG James’ current investigation is civil in nature.

Maddow speculates that fear of AG James’ investigation, may have been the impetus for Trump’s call for riots at his Conroe, Texas rally. Given the numerous media reports of how close he is to his daughter Ivanka, that speculation is not far-fetched at all.

The full Maddow segment is available below.

Maddow said: “This weekend, former President Trump lashed out at prosecutors who appear to have him in their sites in multiple ongoing criminal and civil investigations. He told his supporters that he wants them in the streets in DC, in Georgia, in New York, if these prosecutors act against Trump. Well today we have some new reporting from the Washington Post that provides another window into why an investigation like the one being carried out by the New York Attorney General Leticia James, might be so concerning to the former President, that he is calling for people to take to the streets in case the investigators act. The Post reports that the New York AG’s investigation has subpoenaed records about the Trump Hotel in DC…Leticia James’ investigation is reportedly looking into whether Trump got the lease on that property through fraud, whether the Trump Organization lied about its assets in order to obtain the lease for the property, and the loans they used to pay for it. We know from documents that were filed by Attorney General James last month, that it was Trump’s adult daughter Ivanka Trump, who according to the Attorney General, negotiated the lease for that hotel with the federal government, and negotiated a loan from Deutsche Bank to pay for it. Tish James is arguing that the means by which the Trump Organization described their own financial condition in order to get the lease and the loan, were both fraudulent.”

Maddow added:“Here’s one example. As part of their statement of their assets to try to get the lease and the loan, the Trumps listed the value of apartments that they owned, including one that Ivanka was renting personally at the time. Under her rental agreement, she apparently had the option to buy that apartnent if she wanted to, for the cost of $8.5 million. But in the forms that were submitted to get the loan for the DC Hotel, that very same apartment was listed as being worth more than $20 million, then a few years later, they listed it as being worth $25 million, even though they knew there was an option to buy it for just $8.5[million]. Attorney General James is looking into exactly that type of potentially illegal inflation of the Trump family and Trump organization’s financial situation for a whole bunch of Trump properties…”

One doesn’t need to be a seasoned investigator to spot the level of fraud the Trumps engaged in, in order to acquire properties. Importantly, as Maddow points out, this is just one example. AG James is probably sitting on other slam dunk examples that will further solidify her case against the Trumps.

Bottom line folks, Trump’s recent rally in Texas demonstrated clearly that he is very worried about the ongoing investigations in New York(AG James), Georgia(Fulton County DA), and of course the one related to the January 6th DC insurrection. AG James’ investigation may be a civil(not criminal) probe, but the level of fraud it may expose, could open up the Trumps to potential criminal prosecution. Simply put, Trump should be worried about AG James’ probe.

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out. You may also Cash App

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

Posted on

Rep Gaetz Says Republicans Have An Obligation To Use Second Amendment For An Armed Rebellion

Just four months after the horrific January 6th insurrection in Washington DC by violent Trump supporters, Congressman Matt Gaetz(R-FL) was in Dalton, Georgia (5/27/21) telling a crowd of supporters that the second amendment was meant for armed rebellion and importantly, that they(Republicans), “have an obligation to use it”. If this is not a direct incitement to violent insurrection by the sitting Congressman, I don’t know what is.

In the clip which was played on CNN’s NewDay with Brianna Keilar, Rep Gaetz can be heard telling the crowd, “We have a second amendment in this country, and I think we have an obligation to use it…The second amendment is not about hunting, it’s not about recreation, it’s not about sports. The second amendment is about maintaining within the citizenry, the ability to maintain an armed rebellion against the government if that becomes necessary.” There’s absolutely no other way any reasonable person can interpret this, other than a direct incitement to an armed rebellion against the government by Rep Gaetz.

This is a very serious issue, and must be treated as such by the powers that be, given the fact that it comes only four months after DC insurrection, an armed rebellion that came shockingly close to success. Rep Gaetz’s comments also deserve further scrutiny because unlike many other Republicans who initially distanced themselves from former President Trump after DC insurrection, he and Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, in whose district Gaetz was speaking, fully embraced Trump even after the incident, and have since projected themselves as Trump’s trusted lieutenants nationally. As a result, Trump’s supporters regard public statements by Reps Gaetz and Greene as direct messages from the former President–a call to action if you will.

Any reasonable person looking at the GOP’s reaction to the events that transpired on January 6th, and since then, is left with a very troubling picture as to where the party, and quite frankly the country, is headed. Trump’s lies about election fraud led to an armed insurrection on Jan 6th. Congressional Republicans chose not to impeach him for that. Trump is still pushing the same dangerous lies. Some Republican members of Congress have since conjured up revisionist theories as to what really happened on January 6th(just a bunch of tourists etc), to excuse their continued support for Trump.

Republican-controlled state legislatures have embarked on voter suppression laws targeting areas/voters they deem anti-Trump and importantly, made it possible for state legislatures to overturn elections in case of unfavorable outcomes. All this is being done against the backdrop of Trump teasing another run for President in 2024, meaning the said state legislatures are setting the stage for overturning the elections in case Trump loses. The sham election recount in Arizona is also setting the stage to overturn future election results that don’t go in Trump’s favor. States like Texas are passing reckless gun laws that make it possible for just about anybody to bear arms. Hmm, coincidence? How does this fit into Rep Gaetz’s rebellion rhetoric? Remember, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a super Trumper too.

Republican Senators, at the urging of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell(KY), are today(05/28/21) set to kill an effort to establish a bipartisan commission to look into what led to the January 6th DC insurrection, and coming up with ways to prevent it from ever happening again. Is Senator McConnell afraid that the commission will show that DC insurrection was not as “fringe” as establishment Republicans want the public to believe? Was he personally involved behind the scenes? These are questions the public needs to start asking, and asking loudly, because something is off-kilter with the current GOP, and it’s continued dalliance with insurrectionist Trump. Simply put, “fringe” Reps Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene may not be that fringe after all, as CNN host Brianna Keilar pointed out.

Bottom line folks, we must never forget the fact that we simply got lucky on January 6th. Everything that has happened with Trump’s GOP since January 6th, leads any reasonable person to conclude that Jan 6th was just a trial run, and if we don’t remain vigilant, we are definitely headed towards another one, this time, successful .

For those of you very happy with @Emolclause’s activism don’t shy away from the “tip jar” below on your way out.

You may reach the author via email at administrator@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com