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With postal workers rebelling against General DeJoy & his #QAnonsense Storm Troopers by reinstalling sorting machines, we have reached âBrazilâ levels of dystopia, what with the rebel repair workers sticking it to the man by fixing things.
This truly is the strangest timeline.
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Alexander Vindmanâs brother files complaint alleging whistleblower retaliation
Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, whose brother, Alexander, served as a key witness during President Trumpâs impeachment, filed a complaint last week with the Pentagonâs inspector general suggesting he was retaliated against for disclosing potential ethics violations by senior White House officials, his lawyers confirmed on Wednesday.
The state of play: Vindman, like his brother, is a decorated Iraq War veteran and served at the National Security Council as a senior lawyer and ethics official. They were dismissed simultaneously in February, though top military leaders, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, claim they were not politically targeted.
What happened: Details about Vindmanâs complaint were first made public in a letterfrom top House Democrats, including House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney and House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, who asked the Pentagonâs internal watchdog to open an investigation into the matter.
- The Democrats say Vindmanâs complaint alleges he was retaliated against for raising concerns about Trumpâs 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
- They also say the complaint alleges that he was removed from the NSC after he reported potential legal and ethical violations and allegations of sexism by national security adviser Robert OâBrien and NSC chief of staff Alex Gray.
What heâs saying: âThere were allegations of sexism, violations of standards of ethical conduct for employees and violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act. ⌠I notified my supervisors on the NSC staff and White House Counselâs Office about each of these concerns,â Vindman wrote in a March memorandum that was attached to his complaint.
- âWhile any of these infractions are serious, together they form a disturbing pattern of flagrant disregard for rules.â
- âI fear that if this situation persists, personnel will depart and national security will be harmed. I request you inquire into the facts and allegations herein and take appropriate action.â
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House Democrats say subpoena for Trumpâs financial records meets Supreme Courtâs requirements
House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) on Thursday released a memo arguing that House Democratsâ subpoena for President Trumpâs financial records already meets the requirements set out by the Supreme Court for Congress to obtain those documents.
The backdrop: The Supreme Court kicked House Democratsâ subpoena back to a lower court last month, ruling that neither side had put forward a compelling analysis of how to balance congressional subpoenas with the separation of powers.
- âThe Houseâs approach would leave essentially no limits on the congressional power to subpoena the Presidentâs personal records. A limitless subpoena power could transform the established practice of the political branches and allow Congress to aggrandize itself at the Presidentâs expense,â Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the Supreme Courtâs ruling.
Worth noting: The subpoena doesnât target Trump directly, but is instead addressed to Mazars USA, the presidentâs longtime accounting firm.
What theyâre saying: The memo from House Democrats argues that Trumpâs ânon-public financial information is the best evidence to help Congress develop and enact legislation to promote transparency, enhance public confidence in the integrity of elected officials including the President, and prevent grave conflict of interests for this and any future presidents.â
- It says that the subpoena will move forward the Houseâs âinvestigations into presidential ethics and conflicts of interest, presidential financial disclosures, and presidential adherence to constitutional safeguards to prevent corruption and undue influence, in aid of Congressâs consideration of presidential ethics reforms.â
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This is bat 
D.C. Circuit panel kills House subpoena power
A divided federal appeals court panel dealt a severe blow to the U.S. House of Representativesâ investigative power Monday, ruling that the House canât go to court to enforce subpoenas because there is no statute giving that chamber the authority to do so.
The 2-1 ruling marked the second time a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel voided a subpoena the House issued last year to Donald McGahn demanding the former White House counsel testify about his dealings with President Donald Trump related to the investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The panel said Congress is free to pass a law making House subpoenas enforceable, but the courts canât create a legal mechanism to mandate compliance in the meantime. The House is likely to ask the full bench of the appeals court to take up the question.
The ruling says that Congress cannot use the courts to enforce subpoenas because there isnât a law allowing Congress to use the courts to enforce subpoenas. The ruling suggests that Congress must first pass a law allowing them to enforce subpoenas. My guess is that bill would end up in McConnellâs graveyard, just like every other bill the House has passed this Congress.
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Unsurprisingly, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy joins the LONG list of Trump Regime officials to ignore deadlines set by congress or the courts.
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Head Of USPS Board Of Governors Is Also Director Of Mitch McConnell Super PAC
A new corporate filing Monday has revealed that the chairman of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors is also listed as a director of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellâs $130 million super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund.
The revelation about Chairman Robert âMikeâ Duncan comes as Democrats are accusing President Donald Trump, the postmaster general and Republicans of sabotaging the Postal Service in an attempt to suppress mail-in voting, supposedly to tip the election in Trumpâs favor. If that doesnât work, critics say, Trump will point to any ballot delivery problems to challenge election result in the event of his loss.
Duncan previously served as general counsel and then chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 to 2009, when the committee and its state counterparts supervised an unprecedented escalation of voter disenfranchisement efforts in swing states. One of the tactics was manipulating mail-in votes.
Duncan was also listed earlier this year as a director of American Crossroads, a super PAC thatâs backing Trump in the 2020 election, according to CNBC.
Duncan, from Republican McConnellâs home state of Kentucky, was handpicked for his role by Trump. His board of governors in turn named Louis DeJoy, a prominent contributor to the Trump campaign, as postmaster general in June.
Most members of the Postal Serviceâs board of governors have numerous ties to the Republican Party as well as to Trumpâs associates and administration, CNBC has reported.
Since he was named postmaster general, DeJoy has been dismantling Postal Service processes, causing major delivery delays. Hundreds of mail-sorting machines and letter collection boxes in several states have been disabled or taken out. DeJoy also announced a halt to overtime pay for letter carriers and a new limit on hours when mail can be delivered.
Amid the cutbacks, the USPS sent a letter to 46 states warning that voters could be disenfranchised because their mail-in ballots may not be delivered in time to meet deadlines.
Trump has all but admitted he is blocking a desperately needed infusion of funds to the cash-strapped Postal Service, knowing it will hamstring voting by mail.
The president has already declared, without any evidence, that the Nov. 3 election will be the âmost corruptâ in U.S. history because of the anticipated wide use of mail-in ballots as voters try to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19. Trump and first lady Melania Trump, however, voted by mail this month in the Florida primary.
USPS Board Chairman Revealed as Director of Mitch McConnell, Trump-Linked Super PACs
5 out of 6 of the board members have financial ties to the GOP & Trump regime. Duncan is also listed as a director of a Republican Super PAC called American Crossroads thatâs supporting Trump in this election.
Here is the CNBC review the above article references:
GOP and Trump ties run deep on the U.S. Postal Serviceâs board of governors
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Watch: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Testifies Before Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before the Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee on the state of the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
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House panel opens probe of White House trade advisor Navarro after abrupt cancellation of ventilator contract
A House Oversight subcommittee has opened a probe of all federal contracts negotiated by White House trade advisor Peter Navarro after the Trump administration abruptly canceled the bulk of a $646 million ventilator contract with Royal Philips, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., told CNBC on Monday.
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Justice Department hands over final Mueller investigation interviews to CNN
CNN received on Tuesday night what appears to be the last several hundred pages of witness interview records that the Justice Department is releasing from the Mueller investigation, part of whatâs become an illuminating monthly disclosure of what witnesses told investigators about Russian election interference and the 2016 campaign.
This is the 10th time CNN has gotten documents like these from the Justice Department regarding the Mueller investigation as part of a 2019 lawsuit in conjunction with BuzzFeed News.
The previous releases have fleshed out details that Mueller summarized in his final report regarding President Donald Trump and his campaignâs actions. They often help explain what investigators learned about the Trump campaign in 2016 and Trumpâs behavior then and after.
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Follow up from buzzfeed
Key Takeaways:
- The documents contain the first extended view into what Paul Manafort told Muellerâs office about the political operative Roger Stone and what Trump knew about what Stone was up to.
- An hour before Trump officially fired James Comey as FBI director on May 9, 2017, an FBI agent told Muellerâs office, the White House asked for Comeyâs contact info. When the FBI inquired if they needed classified or unclassified email, a White House representative replied, âit doesnât matter, just give us his email address.â
- âRussian President Vladimir Putin has âbit off more than he can chewâ in his governmentâs efforts to interfere in the U.S. election,â a witness, whose name is redacted, stated.
- One witness said the Trump campaign had almost no fundraising structure and as late as May 2016 was âdormant or non-existent.â The campaign seemed to have few controls, the witness said, and it was unclear whether anyone was checking to ensure that non-US citizens werenât donating to the campaign.
- Redactions to the interview with Timothy Barrett, the former spokesperson for the Office of Director of National Intelligence, indicate that one investigation is still ongoing.
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Re: Final Senate Report on 2016 election attack
The Trump-Alfa Bank Server Mystery Resurfaces
The recent release of the final volume of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian 2016 election interference and twonew lawsuits by Russiaâs Alfa Bank have brought back into the spotlight the puzzling lack of an explanation for the mysterious communications between the bank and the Trump Organization during the last presidential campaign.
It has been almost four years since a group of computer scientists disclosed, on the basis of DNS (Domain Name System) logs, that two internet servers belonging to Alfa Bank had looked up the address of the Trump Organization server 2,820 times between May and September 2016. Yet the long-awaited Senate report provides only this paltry, ambiguous conclusion:
âBased on the FBIâs assessment, the Committee did not find the DNS activity reflected the existence of covert communication between Alfa Bank and Trump Organization personnel. However, the Committee also could not positively determine an intent or purpose that would explain the unusual activity.â
As stated on page 24 of the Senate report, the committee was not able to see the underlying records that the FBI used in its briefings to members. So, although committee members have high-level security clearances, they appear to remain in the dark about the reasons for the server communications. Was the committee told what kind of technical diligence the FBI carried out, or whether the FBI used the talent of cyber experts such as those at Carnegie Mellon University, the CIA and NSA?
Amazingly, the committee may have interviewed only one sourceâJae Cho, the IT director for the Trump Organization, who âdid not recall conducting a system-wide review of the Trump Organization network to determine if there were any connections from the Trump Organization side with any of the Alfa Bank servers.â According to the report, Cho âinferredâ that Alfa Bankâs servers were configured in a way that they could not have been used to transmit emails to the Trump server. But it was not just a question of emails. Writing in the New Yorker in 2018, Dexter Filkins noted that computer scientists who examined the data theorized that the look-ups could have represented other forms of communication, such as data transfers or a technique called foldering (a digital form of âdead droppingâ).
This might just be political creepypasta 
Posting for the mystery
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Press Release : Oversight Committee Leaders Refer Reports of Multiple Hatch Act Violations During GOP Convention for Investigation
Sep 3, 2020
Washington, D.C. (Sept. 3, 2020)â Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Committee Member Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett sent a letter asking the independent Office of Special Counsel (OSC) to investigate reports of multiple, repeated violations of the Hatch Act by the Trump Administration during the Republican National Convention last week.
âThroughout the Convention, Administration officials repeatedly used their official positions and the White House itself to bolster President Trumpâs reelection campaign,â the Members wrote. âWe are alarmed that President Trump and some senior Administration officials are actively undermining compliance withâand respect forâthe law.â
Numerous Administration officials used their official positions and government property and resources for partisan political purposes during the Convention, including:
Video of a pardon and naturalizationceremony with Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and employees of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
A convention speech by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo while he was on official travel abroad.
Multiple segments filmed on federal property, including President Trump speaking with former hostages and people impacted by coronavirus.
A segment in which Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator Lynne M. Patton interviewed New York City tenants who later explained they were not aware that they would be used at the Convention.
Vice President Mike Penceâs filmedsegment and Convention keynote address, raising serious questions about the use of White House employees and resources and U.S. National Park Serviceâs role in coordinating and executing Convention programming.
âWe are particularly concerned with the consequences of White House actions on career employees who may have felt pressured to help organize and put on these events, potentially subjecting them to legal jeopardy,â the Members added. âCareer employees have faced severe consequences for behavior far less egregious than what the country witnessed last week.â
President Trump reportedlyâenjoyed the frustration and angerâ in response to holding Convention events on the White House grounds and ârelished the factâ that he could not be stopped, according to President Trumpâs aides. He reportedly âjoked he would excuse anyone found to be violating the act on his behalf.â
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows reportedly stated: âNobody outside of the Beltway really cares,â and another Administration official explained, âWhat are the consequences? No one gets punished.â
âAs the Committee of jurisdiction over the Hatch Act, we urge you to investigate and publicly report whether any of the actions taken by Administration officials during the Convention violated the law,â the Members concluded.
The Members requested a response to todayâs letter by September 17, 2020.
Click here to read todayâs letter.
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House Oversight Committee will investigate Louis DeJoy following claims he pressured employees to make campaign donations
House Democrats are opening an investigation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and called for his immediate suspension following accusations that he reimbursed employees for campaign contributions they made to his preferred GOP politicians, an arrangement that would be unlawful.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) said in a statement late Monday that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which she chairs, would begin an inquiry, saying that DeJoy may have lied to the panel under oath.
Maloney also urged the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to immediately suspend DeJoy, whom âthey never should have hired in the first place,â she said.
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Press Releases: House Intelligence Committee Releases Whistleblower Reprisal Complaint Alleging Serious Misconduct By Senior Trump Administration Officials to Politicize, Manipulate and Censor Intelligence to Benefit Trump
Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that, as part of its ongoing investigation into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), the Committee received a whistleblower reprisal complaint alleging serious wrongdoing by officials at the Department and reprisal against former I&A Acting Under Secretary Brian Murphy for making protected disclosures. Mr. Murphy filed the whistleblower reprisal complaint on September 8, 2020 with the DHS Office of Inspector General.
After receiving the complaint, Chairman Schiff sent a letter today requesting that Mr. Murphy appear for a deposition pursuant to a subpoena on Monday, September 21, 2020.
The whistleblower reprisal complaint depicts a sustained and disturbing pattern of misconduct by senior Trump Administration officials within the White House and DHS relating to the activities of DHSâs I&Aâan element of the U.S. Intelligence Community which Mr. Murphy led from May until August of this year, before he was reassigned to DHSâs Management Directorate, and where he previously served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary beginning in March 2018. The complaint alleges repeated violations of law and regulations, abuses of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis, and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence the U.S. elections.
After sending the letter with the complaint, Chairman Schiff released the following statement:
âThe whistleblower retaliation complaint filed by former Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy outlines grave and disturbing allegations that senior White House and Department of Homeland Security officials improperly sought to politicize, manipulate, and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump politically. This puts our nation and its security at grave risk.
âMr. Murphyâs allegations are serious â from senior officials suppressing intelligence reports on Russiaâs election interference and making false statements to Congress about terrorism threats at our southern border, to modifying intelligence assessments to match the Presidentâs rhetoric on Antifa and minimizing the threat posed by white supremacists. We have requested Mr. Murphyâs testimony before the Committee, pursuant to subpoena if necessary, alongside other already scheduled interviews with other DHS officials.
âBut this complaint also puts into stark relief how dangerous and harmful it is for American voters that the Trump Administration has decided to end briefings to Congress about foreign interference in our upcoming election. Last month, in a bid to prevent informing the American people and its elected representatives about Russian efforts to help President Trump and hurt Joe Biden, the Trump Administration announced that it would cease briefing Congress in person, and rely on written products alone. But if written products are being altered for political reasons, or worse withheld entirely, how can the American people trust that this Administration will inform voters on how foreign powers are trying to influence them, or where the threats really come from, and protect our national securityâ particularly when it contradicts the Presidentâs preferred narrative or personal political interests? In short, they canât, and thatâs dangerous.
âWe will get to the bottom of this, expose any and all misconduct or corruption to the American people, and put a stop to the politicization of intelligence.â
On August 3, 2020, the Committee launched an investigation into I&Aâs expanded intelligence activities, including its actions in Portland and involvement in the Administrationâs response to protests nationwide, and requested a series of documents and raw intelligence reports. On August 19, 2020, following a limited production of documents by DHS, the Committee officially requested additional documents, raw intelligence reports and finished products, and requested interviews with senior officials. The Department has produced additional documents to the Committee since these initial steps and begun to schedule interviews with relevant officials, and the Committee expects the Department to continue cooperating with its investigation.
As part of its letter to Mr. Murphy, the Committee released the full complaint here. The text of the letter can be found below:
Mr. Brian Murphy
C/o Mark Zaid, Esq.Mark S. Zaid, P.C.
1250 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20036Dear Mr. Zaid:
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (âCommitteeâ) requests the testimony of your client, Mr. Brian Murphy, in response to the whistleblower reprisal complaint filed on his behalf on September 8, 2020 with the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (âDHSâ).
The whistleblower reprisal complaint depicts a sustained and disturbing pattern of misconduct by senior Trump Administration officials within the White House and DHS, and regarding the activities of DHSâs Office of Intelligence and Analysis (âI&Aâ)âan element of the U.S. Intelligence Community which Mr. Murphy led from May of this year until August, when he was reassigned to DHSâs Management Directorate, and where he previously served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary beginning in March 2018. The complaint alleges repeated violations of law and regulations, abuses of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis, and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence the U.S. elections.
Such allegations fall squarely within the unique oversight and legislative jurisdiction of the Committee and relate directly to the Committeeâs ongoing investigation and oversight of activities undertaken by I&A, including during Mr. Murphyâs tenure. The Committee therefore requests Mr. Murphyâs appearance at 10:00 AM on Monday, September 21, 2020 for a deposition pursuant to subpoena.
The Committee, in particular, seeks Mr. Murphyâs testimony regarding specific events and protected disclosures described in the attached complaint, including:
- Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program and Abuse of Authority regarding Russian Influence: The complaint states that Mr. Murphy âmade several protected disclosures between March 2018 and August 2020 regarding a repeated pattern of abuse of authority, attempted censorship of intelligence analysis and improper administration of an intelligence program related to Russian efforts to influence and undermine United States interests. The relevant officials at issue were Secretary [Kirstjen] Nielsen and Messrs. [Chad] Wolf, [Kenneth] Cuccinelli, [Miles] Taylor, and Acting Deputy Director for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Kash Patel.â
The complaint asserts that, in mid-May 2020, and while purporting to serve as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Mr. Chad Wolf âinstructed Mr. Murphy to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran. Mr. Wolf stated that these instructions specifically originated from White House National Security Advisor Robert OâBrien. Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger.â
In addition, the complaint states that DHSâs Chief of Staff directed Mr. Murphy on July 7, 2020, to âcease any dissemination of an intelligence notification regarding Russian disinformation efforts until Mr. Murphy had spoken with Mr. Wolf.â Per the complaint, Mr. Wolf told Mr. Murphy the next day, on July 8, 2020, that âthe intelligence notification should be âheldâ because it âmade the President look bad.â Mr. Murphy objected, stating that it was
improper to hold a vetted intelligence product for reasons for political embarrassment. In response, Mr. Wolf took steps to exclude Mr. Murphy from relevant future meetings on the subject. The draft product was eventually completed without Mr. Murphyâs involvement and was made public in a leak to the media by unknown individuals. It is Mr. Murphyâs assessment that the analysis in the leaked âcompleted draftâ attempts to place the actions of Russia on par with those of Iran and China in a manner that is misleading and inconsistent with the actual intelligence data.â
According to the complaint, the details of the protected disclosures outlined by Mr. Murphyâs complaint involve classified information pertaining to âimproper administration of an intelligence programâ and abuse of authority. The complaint states that Mr. Murphy is âmore than amenable to making a classified presentation on this information â whether verbally or in writingâ â under appropriate circumstances. The Committee will expect Mr. Murphy to testify to this and any other classified matters during the deposition.
- Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program with respect to the Homeland Threat Assessment: The complaint states that distribution of a Homeland Threat Assessment (HTA) report was âprohibited due to concerns raised by Messrs. Wolf and Cuccinelli regarding how the HTA would reflect upon President Trump. Two sections were specifically labeled as concerns: White Supremacy and Russian influence in the United States.â
The complaint specifically alleges that âMr. Cuccinelli stated that Mr. Murphy needed to specifically modify the section on White Supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent âleft-wingâ groups.â
In early July 2020, according to the complaint, âMr. Wolf relayed the concerns previously outlined by Mr. Cuccinelli regarding the sections on White Supremacy and Russian influence. Mr. Wolf asked for a copy of the HTA so it could be reviewed by policy officials, and so that information regarding the ongoing unrest in Portland, Oregon, could be added into the HTA. Mr. Wolf asked Mr. Murphy if he would accept his edits. Mr. Murphy responded that he would not concur with any edits that altered the underlying intelligence in the HTA, as any such action would constitute an abuse of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program.â The complaint further alleges that, on September 3, 2020, Mr. Murphy âlearned the new draft was provided to Mr. Wolf, who had ordered the HTA to be redesigned with the policy office completing the revisions. It is Mr. Murphyâs assessment that the final version of the HTA will more closely resemble a policy document with references to ANTIFA and âanarchistâ groups than an intelligence document as originally formulated by DHS I&A.â
Improper Administration of an Intelligence Program regarding ANTIFA: The complaint states that, â[d]uring multiple meetings between the end of May 2020 and July 31, 2020, Mr. Murphy made protected disclosures to Messrs. Wolf and Cuccinelli regarding abuse of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program with respect to intelligence information on ANTIFA and âanarchistâ groups operating throughout the United States. On each occasion, Mr. Murphy was instructed by Mr. Wolf and/or Mr. Cuccinelli to modify intelligence assessments to ensure they matched up with the public comments by President Trump on the subject of ANTIFA and âanarchistâ groups.â
Perjured Testimony and Abuse of Authority: The complaint also details potential violations of federal law, including false statements before Congress, as well as abuses of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program regarding border security and asylum matters. The complaint alleges that then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen provided in congressional testimony on December 20, 2018 and March 6, 2019, inaccurate and highly inflated claims of known or suspected terrorists entering the United States through the southwest border, which the complaint states constituted a âknowing and deliberate submission of false material information.â
The Committee has a longstanding oversight interest in this matter. In early January 2019, as one of the Committeeâs first acts during the 116th Congress, the Committee requested any and all intelligence that would corroborate statements by Trump Administration officials about the scale of the purported âterroristâ threat at the southern border, which White House and DHS officials claimed in justifying declaring a national emergency. More than two months later, the Committee received an incomplete response from DHS and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence â although the information they did provide, if accurate, contradicted the assertions that such a dire terrorist threat existed.
The complaint also alleges that Mr. Cuccinelli sought to modify in December 2019 I&A intelligence reports regarding conditions in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to âoutlin[e] high levels of corruption, violence, and poor economic conditions in the three respective countries,â and that Mr. Cuccinelli âexpressed frustration with the intelligence reports, and he accused unknown âdeep state intelligence analystsâ of compiling the intelligence information to undermine President Donald J. Trumpâs (âPresident Trumpâ) policy objectives with respect to asylum.â
According to the complaint, â[n]otwithstanding Mr. Murphyâs response that the intelligence reportsâ assessments were consistent with past assessments made for several years, Mr. Cuccinelli ordered Messrs. Murphy and [then-Under Secretary for I&A David] Glawe to identify the names of the âdeep stateâ individuals who compiled the intelligence reports and to either fire or reassign them immediately. After the meeting [in December 2019], Mr. Murphy informed Mr. Glawe that Mr. Cuccinelliâs instructions were illegal, as well as constituted an abuse of authority and improper administration of an intelligence program. Mr. Murphy also informed Mr. Glawe he would not comply with the instruction to fire or reassign the alleged âdeep stateâ officials based on nothing more than perceived political differences, and that Mr. Murphy would report the matter to DHS OIG if improper actions were taken to do so.â
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House Homeland Security panel subpoenas acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) on Friday subpoenaed Chad Wolf, citing the DHS acting secretaryâs refusal to appear at a hearing next week on global threats.
Driving the news: A DHS official said it would be âinappropriateâ for Wolf to appear at the Sept. 17 hearing due to his pending nomination for secretary of homeland security, per a letter to the panel earlier this week. The agency offered acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli to be present instead.
What theyâre saying: " Mr. Wolfâs refusal to testify âthereby evading congressional oversight at this critical time â is especially troubling given the serious matters facing the Department and the Nation," Thompson said in a statement.
- âNineteen years after the attacks of 9/11, we continue to face grave threats to the homeland. From the coronavirus pandemic to the rise of right-wing extremism to ongoing election interference, there are urgent threats requiring our attention,â he added.
- âThe Committee has not only the authority, but also an obligation to execute its Constitutional oversight responsibilities regarding Mr. Wolfâs decision and the Departmentâs actions in securing the homeland. As Chairman, I intend to ensure the Committee fulfills that responsibility.â
Worth noting: The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are investigatingDHS based on a former senior officialsâ whistleblower complaint who alleges he was instructed to stop giving assessments on threats of Russian interference in the U.S. because it âmade the president look bad.â
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Here comes a tweet storm from T as a way to maintain the lie that the Mueller Report had not reason to get initiated, and hereâs T laying the groundwork for the Durham Investigation to come out with what we can all guess is some âzinger.â T blasting awayâŚat the âwitch hunt.â #Victimization #Retaliation #ElectionHurdles
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Here comes the setting of the scene for a Durham Report which we anticipate shortly to potentially attempt to blow a hole through the Mueller Investigation. Any casting of doubt is what the Râs want to do. Both Râs - Sen Ron Johnson and Sen Grassley are requesting documents.
Senate Homeland Security Chair Ron Johnson is asking a Justice Department watchdog to probe recently revealed documents that suggest members of special counsel Robert Muellerâs team wiped records from their official phones.
Records released by the Justice Department this week in response to a Freedom of Information Act request suggest top Mueller aides erased the information from at least 15 phones, citing forgotten passwords, physical damage and missing hardware.
âThese reports are troubling and raise concerns about record retention and transparency,â Johnson wrote in a letter to DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz. âTherefore, I respectfully request that your office open an investigation into this matter to determine what, why, and how information was wiped, whether any wrongdoing occurred, and who these devices belonged to.â
Johnson is asking Horowitz to send answers by Sept. 18, as the senator winds down a related investigation of the FBIâs Crossfire Hurricane investigation â the probe of the 2016 Trump campaignâs contacts with Russians, which morphed into Muellerâs probe in mid-2017. Heâs also asking whether Horowitz may be able to retrieve messages from the phones.
Johnsonâs request followed a letter from Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to the FBI and Justice Department inquiring about the wiped phones and demanding that they produce all records Muellerâs team did turn over, as well as unredacted copies of the FOIA documents.
Horowitz has mounted similar probes into the handling of internal messages by FBI agents involved in the Russia probe and mounted a major effort to retrieve messages deleted from some FBI phones. Horowitz detailed his findings and retrieval methods in a 2018 report.
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