Category: Politics

“As a member of House Committee on foreign affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the United States and to legislate on human rights practices around the world,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar in her first statement since the ban.

A warning about foreign aid to Israel was officially issued by a Dem member of Congress, adding to Rep. Omar’s words.

This could backfire on Ilhan Omar or it could on Bibi – Israel gets a lot of aid from America and while Rep. Omar has little power to do anything if the Dem house is serious enough they could together make life hard for Bibi.

This is an escalation and one Bibi should take seriously – bipartisan support for Israel has been a given in Washington, for either side to politicize it could change the dynamic.

The Hill also reported that Rep. Ilhan Omar blasted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s decision to deny her and Rep. Rashida Tlaib entry into the country, calling it “an insult to democratic values.”

“It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minster Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government,” Rep. Omar, who has been critical of the Israeli government, said in a statement.

“Trump’s Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress. Denying entry into Israel not only limits our ability to learn from Israelis, but also to enter the Palestinian territories,” Rep. Omar added.

She also argued that the decision “is not a surprise” given Netanyahu’s past comments, asserting that he “has consistently resisted peace efforts, restricted the freedom of movement of Palestinians, limited public knowledge of the brutal realities of the occupation and aligned himself with Donald Trump.”

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli government confirmed that it would block Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib’s planned visit this weekend to the country, noting that Israeli law prohibits entry for those who have advocated for a boycott of Israel.

Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler are both desperate to score at least some public points in their failed quest to get President Trump.

Today Jerry Nadler suffered another defeat in federal court. The Democrats are trying everything they can and they keep failing. Nadler even tried the impeachment excuse and still, he lost in court.

Nancy Pelosi is the only smart one and she is blocking their doomed feel-good impeachment effort, but Pelosi won’t be able to hold them off forever and when she caves President Trump will get yet another win.

The Hill reported that a federal judge has rejected a request from House Democrats to have their court fights for testimony from ex-White House counsel Don McGahn and material from special counsel Mueller’s report decided by the same judge.

On Wednesday, D.C. District Chief Judge Beryl Howell wrote in an opinion that the connections between the two cases as presented by the House Judiciary Committee “are too superficial and attenuated” to meet the requirement for designating the cases as related, which would have allowed them to be decided by the same judge.

The decision is a big blow for House Democrats, who argued earlier this week that the cases should be deemed related because “both seek key evidence for the Judiciary Committee’s investigation into whether to recommend articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump for potentially criminal obstructive conduct.”

The Democrats have said both cases are central to the committee’s investigation into the episodes of potential obstruction by the President laid out in Robert Mueller’s report. Lawyers for the House Democrats described the congressional probe as an “impeachment investigation.”

On Tuesday, President Trump was asked if former President Bill Clinton ever visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, which was rumored to have been used for secret sexual relations between powerful people and underage girls.

During a press gaggle in Morristown, New Jersey, the President was asked about the conspiracy theory alleging that the Clinton family was involved in Epstein’s alleged suicide while in prison.

The theory claims that the Clintons facilitated Jeffrey Epstein’s death in order to prevent him from sharing incriminating information with investigators after he was charged with running an underage sex trafficking ring.

The question came after President Trump retweeted a video by comedian Terrence K. Williams that claimed the Clintons killed Epstein.

The President said that he didn’t know if the Clintons were involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s death but brought up the so-called “pedophile island” owned by the multi-millionaire where “bad things” allegedly happened.

“Did Bill Clinton go to the island?” President Trump wondered.

The Daily Caller also reported that authorities were concerned about one specific building on Little St. James, a blue-and-white striped “temple” that differed significantly from building plans submitted to the government and contained a “lock bar” on the outside of the front door.

There is currently no evidence to support the theory that the Clintons killed Jeffrey Epstein, which is born out of Bill Clinton’s past relationship with Epstein, as well as a meme about Clinton associates dying in dramatic or unusual fashion.

Clinton, in response to the reports about his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, released a statement after Epstein’s arrest, insisting that he knew nothing about the allegations of sex with under age girls.

Clinton only flew on Epstein’s private jet on 4 occasions and has “not spoken to Epstein in over a decade,” the statement claimed, although flight logs place him on the “Lolita Express” at least a dozen times. Epstein also visited the White House at least four times while Clinton was in office.

Today, CNN’s PR chief Matt Dornic defended his colegue Chris Cuomo sayong that he “defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup. We completely support him” before taking a shot at Don Trump Jr.

But Don Jr. is pretty good at Twitter and quickly sent Dornic back to the executive suite with his tail between his legs.

It sure seems like CNN contributors, some even on Chris Cuomo’s show, have called Don Trump Jr “Fredo” – see the video below that exposes CNN.

We shouldn’t treat people this way – on both sides – but Chris Cuomo has got to have some thicker skin. Don Jr can make fun of himself and he often does – in fact he started out his Twitter feud making fun of the fact that many people have called either him or Eric Fredo.

“No, punk–ss b—-es from the right call me ‘Fredo.’ My name is Chris Cuomo. I’m an anchor on CNN,” Chris Cuomo fired back at a Trump supporter who called him Fredo.

Fredo is a universal slur for the weak brother – not even close to the n-word. But Chris Cuomo wasn’t done throwing away his career, he went on to threaten the guy and was caught on video.

Cuomo is on vacation – CNN says it was planned and they are staying by him but only time will tell if that remains the case.

Fox News also reported that the man, who was described on social media as a “Trump supporter,” repeatedly claimed he thought Cuomo’s name was “Fredo.” The anchor responded by calling him a “liar” and told him to “own what you said” and “stand up like a man.”

Then things quickly escalated when the CNN anchor suggested he would throw him “down these stairs.”

“I don’t want to have a problem with you, man,” the man repeated.

“You’re gonna have a f—in’ problem,” Cuomo said. “I’ll f—in throw you down these stairs like a f—in’ punk.”

The video ends with people attempting to separate the two men.

Don Trump Jr. didn’t miss the opportunity shut down CNN with a reminder of the time they called him “Fredo” on Chris Cuomo’s show.

“Does CNN’s head of PR still think “Fredo” is an ethnic slur after watching this? Because if it’s the N word for Italians like @ChrisCuomo says, I don’t understand why Chris seems so at ease with someone saying it here. An excuse just as fake as his news.” Don Jr. posted.

Karl Racine’s official title is Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia and he just crossed the mythical red line. He issued a subpoena to Melania Trump’s former right-hand woman and friend from her time as a socialite in New York.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff has turned over the documents requested by Karl Racine – and it should be noted she already cooperated with the SDNY when they nailed Michael Cohen for his crimes.

Wolkoff also turned over documents to Adam Schiff. So if she did anything wrong, she would’ve been caught a long ago. No, this looks like an attempt to embarrass first lady Melania and to get to President Trump.

Vanity Fair also reported that while Cohen reads through the prison library and works out with “The Situation” in the Otisville Correctional Facility’s gym, his former neighbor on Park Avenue Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was having a different sort of summer.

Last month, she received a subpoena from the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office, requesting documents related to Trump’s inauguration, which Wolkoff had a heavy hand in planning.

The event that costed $107 million has been under investigation for months, including by federal prosecutors in New York and New Jersey, for profligate spending and questions about foreign donations. The latest subpoena appears to be probing potential self-dealing by the Trump Organization and members of the president’s family, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Wolkoff complied as requested, according to these sources, by the July 26 deadline, which asked her to turn over records involving the inaugural event, President Trump’s family and associates, and expenditures by the inaugural committee that could shine a light on whether the nonprofit group provided private benefits to the Trump Organization.

The attorney general appears to be particularly interested in payments being made through the inaugural committee to Trump-owned businesses, and whether there was a fair bidding process for contractors.

Response to a request for comment, Wolkoff said she signed a nondisclosure agreement and could not comment on any investigation, subpoena, or her cooperation.

“If the [Presidential Inaugural Committee] wants to release me from this obligation, I would be able to speak freely without the fear of legal or financial repercussions,” she said in a statement. “Otherwise, I am regrettably unable to provide substantial comment.”

Wolkoff’s lawyer didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House also declined to comment. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office did not immediately respond.

The gulf between what Wolkoff knows and what she is publicly able to say can be measured in tens of thousands of documents, email exchanges, meeting minutes, phone calls.

After all, she has known first lady Melania Trump for years, making her one of a small circle of confidants. As reported earlier this year, the two were close enough that she would spend the night in the residence at the White House with the first lady.

Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli is outlining a new rule laid out by President Trump’s administration that could limit legal immigration.

Immigrants who come to America could be affected by President Trump’s administration’s latest move, as the president is tightening down on immigrants who apply for permanent or temporary visas but rely on government assistance.

The new rules — taken from the Immigration Act of 1882 — could deny a whopping number of immigrants residency as it would place new standards such as one’s income, as well as public assistance including food stamps, public housing, and other aid. The rule is expected to take effect mid-October.

On Monday during a press conference, Cuccinelli made it very clear that the latest immigration move is to make sure that immigrants who come to America are “self-sufficient.”

“We want to see people coming to this country who are self-sufficient. That’s a core principle of the American Dream. It’s deeply embedded in our history, and particularly our history related to legal immigration.” He said.

The top immigration official said that the new rule prevents immigrants who are “likely to become a public charge” from receiving an American green card.

He also noted that the definition of public charge is revised as “an individual who receives one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months in the aggregate within any 36 month period.”

When asked by a White House reporter about the phrase “give me your tired, your poor” on the Statue of Liberty plaque and if it should be taken down due to the new rule, Cuccinelli responded, “I’m certainly not prepared to take anything down off the Statue of Liberty.”

“I just note again that generations of immigrants have strengthened the foundation of our country in making positive contributions today and we expect that to continue in the future.” He said.

“Through faithful execution of our nation’s long-standing laws, President Trump’s public charge inadmissibility rule better ensures that immigrants are able to successfully support themselves as they seek opportunity here in America. Throughout our history, Americans and legal immigrants have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to pursue their dreams and the opportunity of this great nation.” He added.

“As President Trump delivers on his promise to uphold the rule of law, this administration is promoting our shared history and encouraging our core values needed to make the American dream a reality,” Cuccinelli said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed that he met with the victims of the terrible school shooting in Parkland, Florida while serving in office.

On Saturday, while speaking to reporters in Iowa, Joe Biden — the front-runner of the Democrats vying for their party’s presidential nomination in 2020 — pulled his latest gaffe, claiming that “those kids in Parkland came up to see me when I was vice president” and that the lawmakers on Capitol Hill at the time of the shooting were “basically cowering, not wanting to see them.”

“They did not want to face it on camera,” Biden continued.

The 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School happened more than on year after Vice President Mike Pence took over Joe Biden’s old position. Seventeen people had their lives taken in the attack.

An official with Joe Biden’s presidential campaign stated that the former vice president misspoke and that he was actually talking about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.

Joe Biden’s latest gaffe came as he was calling for the nation to change the way it thinks about gun ownership while speaking at the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund’s Presidential Gun Sense Forum in Des Moines.

His remarks on the shooting are the latest in a series of flounders the 2020 Democratic front-runner has pulled.

As previously reported, Joe Biden told his supporters this week that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids,” prompting a response from President Trump, who said that the former vice president was not “playing with a full deck.”

“Joe is not playing with a full deck. He made that comment, I said, ‘Woah,’” said President Trump to reporters in the White House driveway on Monday. “This is not somebody you can have as your president, but if he got the nomination, I’d be thrilled.”

The U.S. State Department just made a change and is sure to make Rep. Ilhan Omar and the members of her “squad” unhappy.

The State Department just revised it’s definition of anti-Semitism in a clear signal to Rep. Omar as the change references Ilhan’s own political stunts by designing anti-Semitism if someone draws “Comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The squad has been making headlines for making such comparisons so it will be interesting to see how they react to the news.

Fox News reported that the previous definition of anti-Semitism, issued in May, listed 10 examples. The revised definition now lists 11 examples, adding that anti-Semitism now includes “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The leader of a U.S.-based pro-Israel organization praised the move last week.

“Kudos to @SecPompeo and Special Envoy Elan Carr,” philanthropist and co-founder of the Adam and Gila Milstein Foundation, Adam Milstein, wrote on Twitter. “It’s more clear now, the BDS Movement is disgustingly Antisemitic.”

BDS refers to the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, whose supporters call for the withdrawal of financial support for the Israeli government in protest of the treatment of Palestinian people.

The U.S. State Department’s revision follows last month’s overwhelming bipartisan 398-17 vote by the House of representatives to oppose an international effort to boycott Israel.

Rep. Omar, who cast one of the 17 dissenting votes, countered with a resolution of her own, supporting the right to boycott foreign governments “to advocate for human rights abroad,” and likening the action to boycotts of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

Her resolution did not mention Israel or the Palestinians. But she made her intention clear when she spoke with the press.

“We are introducing a resolution … to really speak about the American values that support and believe in our ability to exercise our First Amendment rights in regard to boycotting,” Omar told Al-Monitor.

“And it is an opportunity for us to explain why it is we support a nonviolent movement, which is the BDS movement.”

Attorney General Bill Barr is not happy and that could spell doom for certain high ranking Democrats – Bill Richardson and George Mitchell for two.

Epstein was technically under DOJ care while awaiting trial so this is AG Barr’s jurisdiction. And Bill Barr wants answers. He confirmed the FBI has opened an investigation into Epstein’s suicide and he just confirmed he ordered a new investigation via the Inspector General.

Remember – Epstein’s safe was seized so if there was any funny business AG Barr has plenty of evidence to use.

The Hill reported that Attorney General Bill Barr decried the death of wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody while he awaited charges on sex trafficking, saying the apparent suicide “raises serious questions.”

“I was appalled to learn that Jeffrey Epstein was found dead early this morning from an apparent suicide while in federal custody. Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” AG Barr said in a statement.

“In addition to the FBI’s investigation, I have consulted with the Inspector General who is opening an investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Epstein’s death,” AG Barr added.

Jeffrey Epstein was reportedly placed on suicide watch in July after a possible suicide attempt when he was found unconscious in his jail cell with marks around his neck. However, Saturday reports indicated he was not on suicide watch at the time of his death.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons announced Saturday morning that the FBI would investigate his death at the Manhattan jail where he was being held awaiting trial.

NBC reported that Jeffrey Epstein, who was being held on federal sex trafficking charges, was transported on Saturday morning from the jail to a hospital in Lower Manhattan. Upon arrival, he was in cardiac arrest, people familiar with the matter say.

The Department of Justice said that Jeffrey Epstein was pronounced dead at the hospital. The FBI is investigating his death.

The FBI, which is investigating his death, doesn’t normally look into suicides at a federal Bureau of Prisons facility, but given the nature of this case and out of an “abundance of caution” it has undertaken this probe, a senior law enforcement official said.

There is nothing at this point to suggest foul play in Jeffrey Epstein’s death.

Retired NFL player Jack Brewer just dropped a bombshell on Elijah Cummings and the mainstream media.

The mainstream media mocked the non-political cleanup efforts of more than 170 Trump supporters and in that way exposed their true bias.

The same thing happened with the President Trump vs Elijah Cummings feud – Elijah’s house was broken into the night before the feud something that barely got any attention from the media.

Point is the city of Baltimore has been a problem for a while – former MLB star Johnny Damon said players felt unsafe and now we have a former NFL player who claims that he told President Trump to call out Elijah Cummings for failing his people.

Retired NFL player Jack Brewer, a journeyman defender who played for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals, appeared on Fox Nation on Wednesday and claimed that he brought up the topic of Baltimore to President Trump in July.

“I had a chance to meet with President Trump, and I told him please call out Elijah Cummings and Baltimore,” said Brewer, who is now a businessman and conservative commentator.

“I asked him to do that three weeks ago and he did it.”

“I had just left Baltimore, where I’m seeing these kids that don’t have any core, no culture within them,” He told Fox Nation on Wednesday. “They don’t have anyone teaching them or training them.”

“And the reason why is because their politicians, their political leaders, are going out and they’re worrying about the issues that raise them money.” The former NFL player said.

“They worry about the issues that raise them money, and that is not the poor, black kid.”

“And that shows in the media’s priorities too,” Brewer said.

“We see all the hype over El Paso, and my heart goes out to these people. My heart goes out to Dayton, Ohio. But the same weekend, 51 people were shot between Chicago and Baltimore. And no one says anything. And these are the same lives.” He added.