Tucker Carlson Eclipses Competition As Ratings Go Through The Roof Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 17:25
Tucker Carlson is absolutely crushing it.
The Fox News host has surpassed Sean Hannity as the most-watched host in all of cable news, ending last week with an average total audience of four million viewers, according to Nielson (via Forbes).
Hannity trailed Carlson by 3.9 million viewers, followed by host Laura Ingraham with 3.5 million.
Carlson’s winning streak continued on Monday with 4.2 million viewers, followed by Hannity at 3.7 million and Ingraham at 3.1 million.
The spike in ratings comes after several advertisers, including T-Mobile and Disney, bailed on the Fox News host following comments he made about the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death – saying “this may be a lot of things, this moment we are living through, but it is definitely not about black lives, and remember that when they come for you. And at this rate, they will.”
The boycott was met with swift rebuke from Carlson fans:
Tucker Carlson speaks the truth and we must never allow the left to silence him. Raise your hand if you stand with Tucker Carlson. 🙋♂️🙋♀️ #IStandWithTuckerCarlson
Disney, T-Mobile, Papa John’s & Vari are pandering to mob lunacy. Boycott them. They pulled their commercials from Tucker Carlson because he spoke truth to power.
Black Lives Matter has become a hate America movement calling for rage not reason. Rage is killing reason. Stop it! pic.twitter.com/Z47W2dKOM6
On Tuesday, Carlson slammed Google over their decision to demonetize Zero Hedge and threaten The Federalist over content posted in the comments section, arguing that people need to stand up against “unchecked, powerful” big tech companies.
Watch Tucker Carlson: Why we need to stand up against “unchecked, powerful” Big Tech companies pic.twitter.com/LvtFzdxdQc
While celebrities and wealthy virtue signallers are all too eager to rally behind leftist mobs with support and donations, they will be assuredly safe in their gated mansions as the city of Beverly Hills issued an emergency order to ban all protests in the area, ensuring there will be no lawless ‘autonomous zones’ springing up on their doorstep.
“To preserve the peace and tranquility of residential neighborhoods, effective tonight and until further notice, no more than 10 people shall gather in an assembly in a public right of way in a residential area between the hours of 9 p.m. – 8 a.m.,” an announcement proclaimed on the city’s social media accounts.
To preserve the peace and tranquility of residential neighborhoods, effective tonight and until further notice, no more than 10 people shall gather in an assembly in a public right of way in a residential area between the hours of 9 p.m. – 8 a.m. More: https://t.co/EVjLWqWgE5
— CityofBeverlyHills (@CityofBevHills) June 14, 2020
“An assembly is defined as any gathering or group of 10 or more people on a public street, sidewalk, or other public places if those 10 people have a common purpose or goal,” the order notes.
“Any assembly that is silent, such as a candlelight vigil, and gatherings on private property are exempt from this emergency order.” it clarifies.
Sitting quietly on your own with a candle is about as raucous as it will get in the 90210.
The emergency order seems to be a response to a recent ‘protest’ involving loud music that went on til 1am (the horror).
Residents were also unimpressed back in May when portions of protesters began looting on Rodeo Drive, smashing up the likes of Gucci and Dior shops.
BREAKING: Large group of protrsters just returned to Rodeo Drive. I just saw these two masked white guys deflate the tires on several police vehicles, then the female in all black pulled a metal tool from her coat and tried to do the same. @FOXLApic.twitter.com/zSsoOiU25J
I thought the Hollywood elite LOVED all these “peaceful protests” when they were in somebody else’s town.
— The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone Autonomous Zone (@TheCHAZAZ) June 16, 2020
This tweet makes my heart happy. I thought the protesters were just going to be happy burning down black neighborhoods and black-owned businesses, but it appears woke Hollywood is next. #burnitdown#vurtuesignalthatyouretard
What’s good for thee is not for me. What a stinking bunch of HYPOCRITES!!! Understand something folks, the rich, liberal Hollywood Hypocrites don’t give a damn about you. They’re just showing each other & their followers how woke they are. But don’t you dare come to their house
So the residents of your community have no problem financing protesting, rioting, and bedlam in the rest of the US, but draw the line at such activities in Beverly Hills? Such ethics appear to be in line with the bulk of your residents.
Lol. I was waiting on Beverly Hills. Ha ha – go get ’em Antifa and BLM. Start with Rob Reiner, Bette Midler, Cher or Alyssa Milano…it’s all good. In all seriousness, this is the leftist ideology on full display. Elites don’t mingle with the hired help.
Former Atlanta PD Officer Charged With Murder, Ordered Held Without Bond, In Killing Of Rayshard Brooks Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 16:30
The Atlanta PD officer who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back and killed him during a confrontation at a downtown Wendy’s, will be charged with murder and held without bond, ABC News reports.
Rayshard Brooks: Police officer who shot black man in back to face charges over death https://t.co/3Bk3QFwitS
The news that Fulton County DA is planning to charge Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks (Rolfe has already been fired), was broken by ABC News. He will face a murder charge, along with 10 other charges.
Arrest warrants will be issued in connection with the death of Rayshard Brooks, a black man shot dead by an Atlanta police officer in a Wendy’s parking lot last week, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. has not yet announced the charges, or who has been charged, at an ongoing news conference.
Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks, has since been fired.
The second officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative leave.
Additionally, the second officer who responded to the call that led to the fatal shooting, and whose city-issued taser was stolen by Brooks before he was shot in the back by Rolfe, will face three charges, and is reportedly cooperating with the DA. That officer, Devin Brosnan, was placed on administrative leave, but hasn’t been terminated – pending an investigation.
Brosnan will face a charge of aggravated assault, which is interesting since the alleged “assault” occurred while Brooks was actively resisting arrest.
Rolfe, Brosnan
Rolfe’s attorneys are claiming that after the taser was stolen, Rolfe heard what sounded like a gunshot, then fired at Brooks as he feared for his life and feared Brooks might be firing at him, or his partner. Video footage shows Brooks firing the taser, and missing badly, before sprinting away, shortly before the shots were fired. The officers’ defense is being funded by the union.
On the other side, Justin Miller, an attorney for Brooks’ family, is arguing that the cops shouldn’t have brought weapons to that type of call, when someone is reporting an unconscious person sleeping in a car. (note: police bring guns to practically every stop, including routine traffic stops…at least in the US).
“Are they saying that he deserved to be shot because he fought back? Or he deserved to be shot because he was running away?” Miller told ABC News. “We don’t think it’s justified at all. Once someone is running away, he’s not a threat to the officers … there’s no justification for shooting somebody in the back.”
Of course, nobody can predict how a sleeping person will react. Brooks, who would have faced another prison stint if he was charged with another DUI violation, probably felt trying to escape was the best move, since the alternative was jail.
Responding to the charges, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams argued, Rolfe’s actions were “completely justified.”
“We saw in the video that Brooks is engaged in a fight with the officers,” said Williams, whose county is about 160 miles east of Atlanta.
“Brooks is able to take a non-lethal weapon, a Taser, away from one of the officers, and he flees,” Williams said Tuesday. “Brooks turned back to the officers and fired the Taser.
The DA described Brooks’ behavior during the “incident” as “calm”, “cooperative”, “almost jovial” for the first 41 minutes and 17 seconds of the stop. The DA also said the officers didn’t properly inform Brooks that he was being arrested before officer Rolfe “inappropriately grabbed him from the rear”.
At the very beginning of this, Brooks was “peacefully sleeping in his car” and was “directed to move his car to another location”.
However, despite the DA’s explanation, the decision to deny Rolfe bond seems punitive, despite the gravity of the charge. Placing a former police officer in genpop presents an obvious threat to their safety, so Rolfe will need to be held in “protective” custody – ie solitary confinement.
Every Atlanta Police officer should walk off the job. Let BLM patrol the streets.
Williams told CNN that Brooks’ use of the device was extremely dangerous because it could have immobilized the officer for several seconds, possibly allowing Brooks to steal the officer’s gun or seriously injure him.
The family lawyer also wants Brooks to be fired and to face more stringent charges.
The shooting late Friday night set off another wave of protests in Atlanta and led to the resignation of now-former Police Chief Erika Shields.
A press conference by the DA unveiling the charges is happening now. Watch below:
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3hH0cS2 Tyler Durden
As if we didn’t have enough already going on in 2020, now we are facing the possibility that several regional wars may erupt. China and India had both been pouring troops into a disputed border region, and now there has been an incident where they were actually killing each other. On the Korean peninsula, North Korea just blew up “a joint liaison office” that it had used for talks with the South Korean government. And in the Middle East, Turkey is warning of grave consequences if Israel goes ahead with a plan to annex portions of Judea and Samaria. If a major regional war erupts at even one of these flashpoints, it will be another devastating blow for a global economy that is already imploding, and there is a very strong probability that the U.S. and other major western powers could be drawn into the conflict.
Right now, most Americans are focused on our internal problems, and so they are paying very little attention to the growing crisis on the border between China and India.
Both nations had sent substantial contingents of troops to an area of the border that has long been disputed, and a meeting that was supposed to defuse tensions actually resulted in soldiers killing one another…
Chinese state media described the incident Monday night in the Galwan River valley where both countries have deployed troops in recent weeks as “the most serious clash between Chinese and Indian soldiers so far,” confirming casualties but offering no further details about them. Indian government sources speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Times of India that 20 Indian army personnel had died in the fighting.
American intelligence believes 35 Chinese troops died, including one senior officer, a source familiar with that assessment tells U.S. News. The incident took place during a meeting in the mountainous region between the two sides – both of which had agreed to disarm – to determine how the two militaries would safely withdraw their presences from the region.
This is the very first time in decades that Chinese and Indian troops have killed each other, and apparently very little shooting was involved…
The meeting grew tense and resulted in a physical confrontation between the troops. According to the assessment, all of the casualties were from the use of batons and knives and from falls from the steep topography, the source says.
That sounds like a scene from an overly gory Hollywood war movie, but reportedly this actually happened.
Hopefully the leaders of the two nations will be able to cool tensions for a while, but the Chinese have a very long history of very bitter border disputes with their neighbors, and without a doubt China will continue to make attempts to exercise sovereignty over this area.
Meanwhile, tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen to a level that we haven’t seen in many, many years. On Tuesday, North Korea actually blew up a building that had been used for negotiations with South Korea…
North Korea has blown up a joint liaison office used for talks between itself and South Korea, the latest sign that ties between the two longtime adversaries are rapidly deteriorating.
North Korean state media reported that the four-story building, which is located in the town of Kaesong just north of the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas, was “completely destroyed by a “terrific explosion” at 2:50 p.m. local time.
That is certainly one way to make a statement.
And this comes just days after Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, had issued a very ominous warning…
In a cryptic statement late Saturday, Kim Yo Jong vowed her country would “soon take a next action” against South Korea — a move she suggested would be carried out by the country’s military.
“By exercising my power authorized by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the state, I gave an instruction to the arms of the department in charge of the affairs with enemy to decisively carry out the next action,” Kim said in the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
All of a sudden, North Korea’s approach to relations with South Korea has dramatically shifted, and that shift has coincided with Kim Yo Jong taking a much more prominent role in national affairs.
I believe that there is much more going on in North Korea than we are being told, and Kim Yo Jong appears to favor a much more militant approach than what we have become accustomed to in recent years.
Over in the Middle East, the Times of Israel is reporting that the IDF is gearing up for a “state of war” as Israel prepares to annex portions of Judea and Samaria…
Just over two weeks before a possible Israeli annexation of some as-yet unspecified portion of the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces is preparing for a wide range of scenarios for potential regional fallout — up to and including a large-scale wave of terror attacks — while still not being told exactly what the government has in mind.
The military is gearing up for possible massive unrest, Channel 12 reported Sunday evening, including what it is calling a potential “state of war” characterized by a Second Intifada-style onslaught of suicide bombing attacks.
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again made it clear that he does not intend to alter his plans, and that means that the process of annexation could start as soon as the beginning of July.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an entire article about how this could potentially spark a major war in the region, and Arab leaders continue to make it clear that there will be “consequences” if Israel goes through with this…
Israel’s plan to extend its sovereignty to the Jordan Valley, and parts of Judea and Samaria, will “destroy all hopes” for lasting peace in the Middle East, Turkey’s top diplomat said on Wednesday.
“If the occupying power [Israel] crosses the red line, we [Muslim countries] must show that this will have consequences,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a special meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Executive Committee, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.
We shall see what happens.
I think that Netanyahu is convinced that Donald Trump is probably going to lose in November, and so that means that he probably believes that he only has a window of a few months in which he could annex portions of Judea and Samaria with U.S. support.
It appears that Netanyahu is absolutely determined to move forward, and it also appears that Israel’s Arab neighbors are prepared to respond very forcefully.
In just a few weeks, missiles could start flying back and forth, and the entire Middle East could erupt in flames.
This is such a critical time, and let us pray for peace.
But without a doubt we are living during a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, and it certainly isn’t going to take much to unleash a major conflict.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/3dbPsaG Tyler Durden
More concerns at home and abroad on a second-wave of the pandemic and mixed housing data (mortgage apps up, starts and permits disappoint) were not enough to shake the unwavering confidence that everything will be fine.
Nasdaq outperformed again (of course), Small Caps sank as Dow and S&P held the flat line for most of the day. However, markets came a little unglued around 1500ET on the Bolton book headlines… and then when the party ended in HTZ, it seems the market lost it’s momo-mojo…
Everything was awesome until the last hour:
1455ET *BOLTON SAYS TRUMP ASKED CHINA’S XI FOR REELECTION HELP: NYT
1514ET *HERTZ SUSPENDS PLANS TO SELL $500M SHARES ON SEC REVIEW
1547ET *TRUMP SIGNS UIGHUR RIGHTS BILL IN REBUKE TO CHINA
The Dow was glued to its 50DMA…
Bank stocks sank today with WFC back in the red for the week…
Source: Bloomberg
Momentum and Value factors flip-flopped once again today…
Source: Bloomberg
The Virus ‘fear trade’ is back…
Source: Bloomberg
And while stocks were mixed, other markets were peculiarly flat until the last few minutes:
Treasury yields were very modestly lower… (20Y outperformed, down 4bps, after a strong auction)
Source: Bloomberg
The long-end outperformed… but the move was small
Source: Bloomberg
Corporate bonds fell for the second day…
Source: Bloomberg
The Dollar ended flat…
Source: Bloomberg
Bitcoin drifted lower on the day…
Source: Bloomberg
And gold was barely changed…
WTI crude prices ended lower on the day despite a spike on the smaller crude build…
Trump Signs Bill Punishing Chinese Officials Over Uighur Internment Camps Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 15:58
Just moments after excerpts of John Bolton’s book were leaked to several media outlets such as the WaPo and the NYT, in which the apparent punchline was Bolton’s allegation that Trump was cozying to China, the president – perhaps in direct response to the book leak – signed a measure punishing Chinese officials for imprisoning more than one million Muslims in internment camps.
What makes the timing of Trump’s Bill delightfully amusing, is that just an hour earlier we reported that According to Bolton, Xi “explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang. … Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.”
Yes, according to Bolton Trump told Xi to “go ahead” and build concentration camps in China, and he did so in public.
I don’t really think XI goes around asking other presidents IF HE CAN BUILD CONCENTRATION CAMPS @AmbJohnBolton – you are a pathetic freaking user
Of course, there is more in Bolton’s attempt to get rich quick, but when presented the opportunity to make these comments under oath, Bolton politely refused, saving his salacious details for his “tell all” memoir.
Just remember that Bolton declined to make any of these allegations under oath before Congress. https://t.co/yuUSAyk3NX
Bolton’s self-serving book aside, the now enacted legislation – which as Bloomberg reminds us had won broad bipartisan support in Congress last month – requires Trump to sanction any officials found responsible for oppression of Uighurs and members of other Muslim minority groups and revoke their visas. Signing the bill, which has prompted threats of retaliation from Beijing, marks a shift for Trump, who has been reluctant in the past to act against China over human rights.
The top House Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, said the legislation “sends a clear message to the government of China that we are well aware” of abuse Uighurs have suffered. The human rights measure passed the House last month on a vote of 413-1 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent. It condemns the internment of Uighurs and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang region of China. The legislation calls for closing the camps where they are being held.
And while China has warned previously that should the bill be signed by Trump, there will be an appropriate retaliation, if Bolton is right and this is nothing just theater, expect absolutely no actual response from Beijing to this law besides the usual twitter jawboning from Hu Xijin.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2UU2ymw Tyler Durden
US Suddenly Suspends Talks With Europe On Digital Tax, Threatens Tariffs Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 15:55
The U.S. suspended talks with European countries for a new global tax framework for tech companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc, reported Financial Times.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wrote a letter to four European finance ministers warning them that discussions had reached an “impasse.” He said the U.S. couldn’t agree on interim basis changesto the global taxation law that would affect big tech companies.
France, Spain, the U.K., and Italy have been some of the countries eager to tax Apple, Facebook, Google, and other U.S. tech firms, alleging these companies profit from the European market while making minimal contributions.
“Attempting to rush such difficult negotiations is a distraction from far more important matters,” Mnuchin wrote in the letter, dated June 12 (seen by Financial Times). “This is a time when governments around the world should focus their attention on dealing with the economic issues resulting from Covid-19.”
The letter was sent to Rishi Sunak, the U.K. chancellor of the exchequer, French economy minister Bruno Le Maire, and the finance ministers of Italy and Spain, which demanded talks on the global tax framework be suspended.
“The United States remains opposed to digital services taxes and similar unilateral measures,” Mnuchin wrote. “As we have repeatedly said, if countries choose to collect or adopt such taxes, the United States will respond with appropriate commensurate measures.”
Mnuchin made it clear that he wants to resume talks in the back half of the year. European countries are expected to respond to Mnuchin’s letter.
“The OECD had proposed a compromise with two pillars. The first suggested countries would be allowed for the first time to have some rights to tax profits made on the basis of sales in their jurisdictions. This would not just apply to U.S. tech giants, but would also give the U.S., for example, limited taxing rights over European luxury goods companies.
The second was that there would be a global minimum corporate tax rate to stop countries lowering corporate tax rates in an attempt to shift company headquarters to their jurisdictions.
Mr. Mnuchin insisted that discussions on the second pillar remained on track and that the parties were “much closer to an agreement.” He said the U.S. hoped to bring these talks on a global minimum tax to a conclusion this year,” Financial Times reported.
With talks now suspended — progress stalled, and if European countries start rolling out individual taxes on U.S. tech firms, there could be a bilateral conflict between Europe and the U.S. — erupting into a tit-for-tat tariff war this summer. This could be enough to inflict damage on a global economy that is already reeling from a virus-induced economic crash.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2zFprTm Tyler Durden
Sidney Powell, the defense attorney for Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, filed a scathing response in the court Wednesday against federal Judge John Gleeson’s amicus brief, which asked the court to reject the Justice Department’s request to drop all charges against Flynn. Powell’s motion is powerful and contains a lengthy time-line revealing the stunning evidence discovered by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, as well as, the litany of new evidence uncovered by U.S. Attorney Jeffery Jensen, who was appointed by the Justice Department to conduct an independent review of Flynn’s case.
Powell argues in her brief that the “irony and sheer duplicity” of Gleeson’s accusations “against the Justice Department now—which is finally exposing the truth – is stunning.”
Gleeson submitted his lengthy brief on July 10, on behalf of D.C. Federal Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who appointed him as the amicus and is refusing to drop the case against Flynn. He is doing all this despite the fact that both the Justice Department and defense agree the charges should be dropped against President Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor.
Powell also pointed out in her motion of opposition Wednesday that Gleeson’s amicus filing on behalf of Sullivan is a “wrap-up smear” against Flynn.
“It demonstrates the difference between a Department of Prosecutions and a Department of Justice,” Powell argues in her conclusion regarding Gleeson’s amicus. “It shows how the Department of Justice, as the government’s representative in every federal criminal case, has the power to walk into courtrooms and ask judges to remedy injustices. For these reasons and those stated in our other briefs, the only lawful action this court can take is to dismiss the case with prejudice on the Government’s motion and vacate the plea.”
Further Powell states in her motion, that Gleeson’s “Amicus elides the reality of the egregious government misconduct of the FBI Agents—particularly that of [former FBI Director James] Comey, {Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe, [former Special Agent Peter] Strzok, [Former FBI Attorney Lisa] Page, [FBI Special Agent] Joe Pientka, [former FBI Assistant of Counterintelligence Bill] Priestap and others who met repeatedly to pursue the targeted “take-out” of General Flynn for their political reasons and those of the “entirety lame duck usic.” Much of this has been revealed in the December 19, 2019, IG Report, the 86 pages of newly produced exonerating material produced by U.S. Attorney Jensen, filed in the Government’s Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 198), and hundreds of the texts between Strzok and Page demonstrating abject bias.”
“Amicus is lost down the rabbit hole on the other side of the looking glass— where “nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would,” argues Powell.
Last week, Powell argued before the U.S. District Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit against Sullivan’s decision to appoint Gleeson. She noted that the government submitted an extensive and thoroughly documented motion to dismiss this prosecution based on the discovery of “extraordinary exculpatory evidence that came to light from an independent review… It can not go on any longer.”
Powell referred to Jensen, who was personally appointed by Attorney General William Barr, when evidence of FBI malfeasance surfaced in Flynn’s case. Jensen discovered through his investigation exculpatory evidence revealing that senior FBI and Justice Department officials withheld significant information from Flynn’s defense that would have played a crucial role in his case. One piece of evidence, was a January 4, FBI memo that stated that the investigation into Flynn should be dropped because no derogatory information had been found on the three star general. That memo was issued a day before a meeting with President Obama at the White House, along with other senior officials from the administration about Flynn. Shortly after, former Special Agent Peter Strzok, who led the probe against the Trump campaign, decided not to drop the investigation against Flynn. Strzok, along with FBI Special Agent Joe Pientka (which is discussed in detail further in this article), were sent to the White House on January 24, 2017 to conduct the infamous ‘perjury trap’ interview with Flynn.
In fact, Comey has previously joked that they sprung the interview on Flynn, who had no counsel present, and was set up by the FBI, despite the fact that the agents who interviewed him did not believe he was lying to them during the interview.
THIS COURT EXUVIATED ANY APPEARANCE OF NEUTRALITY WHEN IT UNLAWFULLY APPOINTED AMICUS AS ITS OWN ADVERSARY TO MAKE THESE SPECIOUS ARGUMENTS, SIDNEY POWELL
Gleeson’s amicus against Flynn “is an affront to the Rule of Law and a raging insult to the citizens of this country who see the abject corruption in this political assassination by prosecution. This court exuviated any appearance of neutrality when it unlawfully appointed Amicus as its own adversary to make these specious arguments,” Powell argued in her filing.
Last week, Gleeson submitted his lengthy amicus on behalf Sullivan, saying the Justice Departments decision to drop the charges against Flynn is a “gross abuse of prosecutorial power” and urged a court to reject its attempt to drop the criminal case in his 73-page brief.
Recently SaraACarter.com reported on Gleeson’s connections to former Special Counsel prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, who was the top prosecutor for Robert Mueller in targeting Flynn and other Trump officials.
Gleeson argued that Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during a 2017 interview and that there is no real recourse for change – in fact, he stated in his argument that the court should also factor into its sentencing Flynn his withdrawal of that guilty plea, saying to withdraw is perjury.
“It really is truly unbelievable,” said David Schoen, a civil rights and defense attorney.
“I’m going to say to you that John Gleeson is one of the last people whoever should have been put in this position. If we’re concerned about the integrity of the system, John Gleeson goes back side by side colleagues for many years, with none other than Andrew Weissmann.”
In fact, Schoen said based on the relationship with Weissmann, Gleeson has a major conflict of interest and would almost likely argue on behalf of his former colleague. Schoen, who has represented the Democratic Party in the past, said there is significant evidence that has been discovered that exonerates Flynn and exposes the FBI’s malfeasance.
The timeline established in Powell’s motion is truly powerful and reveals that evidence.
Powell also argues Flynn never withheld any information from the United States government and always briefed the Defense Intelligence Agency of any travels or foreign contacts. Flynn previously served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency under President Obama.
“Moreover, in evidence still withheld are General Flynn’s briefings to the DIA on all foreign contacts,” she stated in her motion.
“In addition, it is only the Government’s alleged false statements that were false. Flynn Intel Group did nothing in secret. Former CIA Director James Woolsey and former FBI executive Brian McCauley were at the only meeting that involved a “Turkish official.” General Flynn fully briefed DIA on that meeting, and on advice of counsel, Flynn Intel Group had timely filed a Lobbying Disclosure Act form. Multiple lawyers and firms deemed no FARA registration was required at all.”
But the timeline is stunning and for those who have been following the case of Flynn closely since I began reporting on it more than four years ago it exposes the actions of former FBI Director James Comey’s team in targeting Flynn and the Trump campaign.
[On December 15, 2019, the Government produced 637 pages of long- promised FD-302s and handwritten notes of the FBI Agents. These included 113 pages of 16 FD-302s; 206 pages of FBI handwritten notes.]
Below is Part of Powell’s Detailed Timeline And What Transpired:
August 15, 2016: Strzok and Page text about the “insurance policy” they discussed in McCabe’s office.
August 16, 2016: FBI opens the case against Flynn. IG Report at 2.
August 17, 2016: The first interview of General Flynn was conducted surreptitiously by slipping (Special) Agent (Joe) Pientka into a presidential briefing to nominee Trump and General Flynn. IG Report at 340-341. This was unprecedented and a clear policy was added to prevent its reoccurrence.
FBI Special Agent Joe Pientka’s stated purpose of this interview was “to provide the recipients ‘a baseline on the presence and threat posed by foreign intelligence services to the National Security of the U.S.” IG Report at xviii. In actuality, the Trump campaign was never given any defensive briefing about the alleged national security threats. IG Report at 55.
“the FBI viewed that briefing as a possible opportunity to collect information potentially relevant to the Crossfire Hurricane and Flynn investigations.” IG Report at 340.
“One of the reasons for [Pientka’s] selection was that ODNI had informed the FBI” that Flynn would be one of the three in attendance on behalf of the Trump campaign. IG Report at 341.
Pientka told the IG: “[T]he briefing provided him ‘the opportunity to gain assessment and possibly have some level of familiarity with [Flynn]. So, should we get to the point where we need to do a subject interview…I would have that to fall back on.’” IG Report at 341.
Agent Pientka said that his “assessment” meant: “[Flynn’s] ‘overall mannerisms. That overall mannerisms and then also if there was anything specific to Russia, or anything specific to our investigation, That was mentioned by him, or quite frankly we had an . . . investigation, right. And any of the other two individuals in the room, if they, any kind of admission, or overhear, whatever it was there to record that.
Agent Pientka was the Supervisor of Crossfire Hurricane. IG Report at 305.
Agent Pientka helped pick the team of investigators for General Flynn. IG Report at 65.
The agents interviewing General Flynn reported to Agent Pientka, and then Agent Pientka reported operational activities to Strzok. IG Report at 65.
Bruce Ohr provided information collected by Christopher Steele, through his contract with Fusion GPS, to the FBI “out of the blue.” IG Report at 99. Agent Pientka reviewed this information. IG Report at 100.
Agent Pientka was responsible for making sure the FISA applications were verified by providing a “factual accuracy review,” IG Report at 151, yet he included false and incomplete information for the court, and he failed to inform the court of significant exculpatory information.
Agent Pientka even “speculated” that Steele’s information was corroborated—when it was not—and he was responsible for numerous “inaccuracies,” “omissions,” and “unsupported statements” in the FISA applications. See generally IG Report at Chs. 5, 9.
One of the FBI lawyers falsified a document in support of one of the FISA applications. IG Report at 160.
Agent Pientka supervised Case Agent 1 (IG Report at 81) and withheld exculpatory information from the court that was material to determining warrants. IG Report at 232- 233.
Unverified information from Source 2 (Halper) was used to obtain FISA warrants to wiretap Carter Page, and thus reach General Flynn. IG Report at 313-33. Halper was closed by the FBI in 2011 but reopened by Case Agent 1. Case Agent 1 reported to Agent Pientka during Crossfire Hurricane.
“Agent Pientka told the OIG that he did not know about Source 2, or know that Case Agent 1 was Source 2’s handler, prior to Case Agent 1 proposing the meeting [on August 11, 2016], which Agent Pientka approved.” IG Report at 313.
There was “no supporting documentation” to support that “Source 2 has routinely provided reliable information that has been corroborated by the FBI.” IG Report at 418.
Despite the lack of information, this was relied upon in the first FISA application, and the Steele dossier which included two references to General Flynn.
“…during the presidential election campaign, the FBI was invited by ODNI to provide a baseline counterintelligence and security briefing (security briefing) as part of ODNI’s strategic intelligence briefing given to members of both the Trump campaign and the Clinton campaign… We also learned that, because Flynn was expected to attend the first such briefing for members of the Trump campaign on August 17, 2016, the FBI viewed that briefing as a possible opportunity to collect information potentially relevant to the Crossfire Hurricane and Flynn investigations. We found no evidence that the FBI consulted with the Department leadership or ODNI officials about this plan.” IG Report at 340.
Strzok was primarily responsible for preparing Agent Pientka and “providing him with instruction on how to handle the FBI’s portion of the ODNI strategic intelligence briefings, but others also assisted, including the Intel Section Chief and possibly Lisa Page.” Id. at 342. “[H]e and Strzok created the briefing outline together, and he prepared himself through mock briefings attended by Strzok, Lisa Page, the Intel Section Chief, and possibly the OGC Unit Chief.” IG Report at 340.
Inspector General found “members of the Crossfire Hurricane team repeatedly failed to provide OI [Office of Intelligence] with all relevant information.” IG Report at 362.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/37DKCBJ Tyler Durden
Bankrupt Hertz Kills Plan To Sell $500 Million In Worthless Stock Following SEC Review Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 15:27
As if millions of Jefferies bankers suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
When Hertz announced its plans to sell up to $1 billion in bankrupt stock (subsequently trimmed to $500 million) to Robinhooders in an “At The Money” offering from its existing Shelf, there were two reactions i) this is the most insane thing ever attempted, although if it gets done it will be a truly historic outcome, one in which a bankrupt company will have turned over the bankruptcy process on its head funding itself in Chapter 11 not with a supersecured DIP loan but with worthless equity, and ii) where the hell is the SEC on this?
Well, earlier today SEC chairman Jay Clayton told CNBC that the regulator was actually involved, and contrary to widespread expectations hadn’t decided to ignore what many said was clear daylight robbery from manic Robinhood investors. Moments later Hertz stock was halted for hours.
And now we know why: in an 8K published moments ago, the bankrupt car rental giant said that, following communication with the SEC, Hertz was “suspending” the $500 million offering and as a result “the Company is not currently offering any shares under the ATM Program.”
And so what would have been the greatest ever feat pulled off by a company and its aspiring investment bank, has been shelved indefinitely… at least until Chesapeake or someone else tries to pull off something similar.
As previously disclosed, on June 15, 2020, Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “we”) entered into an open market sale agreement (the “Agreement”) under which the Company may offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion, shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $500.0 million through an agent (the “ATM Program”).
The offering is pursuant to the Company’s effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-231878). On June 15, 2020, the Company filed a prospectus supplement (the “Prospectus Supplement”) relating to the ATM Program with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
The Company was advised orally by the Staff (the “Staff”) of the Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance in the afternoon of June 15, 2020 that the Staff intended to review the Prospectus Supplement. After discussions with the Staff, sales under the ATM Program were promptly suspended pending further understanding of the nature and timing of the Staff’s review. The Company is not currently offering any shares under the ATM Program. The Company’s advisors have been in regular contact with the Commission since the Staff’s initial contact on June 15, 2020.
The stock, which earlier spiked on the news that the SEC may get involved, only to slump subsequently, was just unhalted and predictably, it has spiked perhaps because Robinhooders no longer see a massive selling overhang.
Unfortunately, their enthusiasm is not reflected in the company’s unsecured bonds, where the fact that there will no longer be $500MM in idiot money coming in to boost recoveries is clearly reflected in the price.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/30STu5q Tyler Durden
Bolton’s Book Revealed In Coordinated Leaks, Claims Trump Asked Xi Favor, Dems Fumbled Impeachment Tyler Durden
Wed, 06/17/2020 – 15:15
An anti-Trump book written by Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has leaked to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, and boy is he bitter.
In it, the disappointed Iran war hawk makes unsubstantiated claims that House Democrats should have conducted a broader probe into President Trump beyond Ukraine, “for a variety of instances when he sought to intervene in law enforcement matters for political reasons.”
Mr. Bolton describes several episodes where the president expressed willingness to halt criminal investigations “to, in effect, give personal favors to dictators he liked,” citing cases involving major firms in China and Turkey. “The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life, which we couldn’t accept,” Mr. Bolton writes, adding that he reported his concerns to Attorney General William P. Barr.
Mr. Bolton also adds a striking new allegation by saying that Mr. Trump overtly linked trade negotiations to his own political fortunes by asking President Xi Jinping of China to buy a lot of American agricultural products to help him win farm states in this year’s election. Mr. Trump, he writes, was “pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win. He stressed the importance of farmers, and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome.” –NYT
SOYBEAN DIPLOMACY: The WSJ has published an excerpt of @AmbJohnBolton’s forthcoming book, revealing Trump-Xi conversation and how the American president pleaded his Chinese counterpart to buy U.S. soybeans so he could win farm states in the 2020 presidential elections | #OATTpic.twitter.com/XKAogLCCtN
Meanwhile, an excerpt from the book, “The Room Where It Happened,” can be found at the Journal. It is set for release on June 23, despite attempts by the White House to block publication of the nearly 600-page book on grounds that it would be a violation of nondisclosure agreements as well as a threat to national security.
“[The National Security Council] has determined that the manuscript in its present form contains certain passages — some up to several paragraphs in length — that contain classified national security information,” states a 27-page civil lawsuit filed by the DOJ with the US District Court for the District of Columbia. “In fact, the NSC has determined that information in the manuscript is classified at the Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret levels.”
And remember folks, Bolton kept his mouth shut when it would have mattered most, under oath – famously refusing to cooperate with House investigators during the Ukraine investigation.
The fact that simply printing “orange man bad” is a legit business plan in 2020 America is proof that there’s something to the notion of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
“John, we begged you to testify in impeachment. We tried everything, right up until the very last minute of the trial,” said House Judiciary Committee lawyer Norm Eisen during the impeachment process. “You persistently refused. Now you want us to feel sorry for you & buy your book?“
According to Politico, it is unclear whether lawmakers will now seek Bolton’s sworn testimony on issues he’s identified in his book as part of a second impeachment.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/30PMVQO Tyler Durden
