McCabe Pleads 5th While Comey and Lynch Don’t Even Come to Senate Hearing

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A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing designed to learn more about a federal report on the flawed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails was stymied when one key witness refused to talk and two others did not even attend.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who had sought immunity before he would discuss his role in the investigation, refused to testify after it was not granted. Instead, Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday that McCabe invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, The Washington Times reported.

Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former FBI Director James Comey were also invited to testify but did not attend. Grassley cited them both in his comments.

“Mr. Comey’s attorney tells us he is out of the country, although I saw he was in Iowa over the weekend. According to his Twitter feed, he seems to be having a wonderful time,” the Iowa Republican said.

“This is the second time since he was fired that Mr. Comey refused an invitation to testify here voluntarily. He has time for book tours and television interviews, but apparently no time to assist this Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over the Justice Department,” Grassley said.

In reference to Lynch, he said, “The need for transparency does not end when senior officials are fired or quit.”

Last week, the Justice Department’s Inspector General presented its report on the year-long FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private server while she was secretary of state. The report, which can be read at the Justice Department’s website, depicted a pervasive culture of bias against President Donald Trump at the FBI and Justice Department.

McCabe’s silence came as no surprise.

“If McCabe is not granted immunity, he will invoke his 5th Amendment privilege,” McCabe’s attorney, Michael Bromwich, had written to the committee. McCabe was fired over leaking material to the media.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz and FBI Director Christopher Wray did appear before the Committee on Monday.

Wray was asked by Sen. Ted Cruz about a dispute between Comey and McCabe.

McCabe has said Comey approved McCabe’s leaks to the media. Comey has denied that.

“One or the other is not telling the truth. I don’t know which one,” the Texas Republican said.

Wray said he could not answer because the answer could impact an ongoing investigation.

Horowitz later said an investigation is underway into Comey’s actions, including his leaking of private memos and the leaking of other internal details to the media, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Grassley said he wanted to force Comey, Lynch and McCabe to testify but California’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the panel, prevented him from issuing subpoenas, according to BizPac Review.

“We changed our rules at the beginning of this Congress to ensure the Chairman and the Ranking Member could compel hearing testimony from important witnesses like these,” Grassley said. “Unfortunately, the Ranking Member refused to agree to compel any of them to be here today. That’s a shame because we should be asking them how all of this happened on their watch.” (For more from the author of “McCabe Pleads 5th While Comey and Lynch Don’t Even Come to Senate Hearing” please click HERE)

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Forgotten Child Detainee Photos From Obama Administration Revealed

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They are images of misery, of bureaucratic neglect, of the fate of children who through no fault of their own were brought across the American border by a parent.

They are images that conservative crusader Ben Shapiro reminded America Monday are the legacy of the Obama administration.

“The media is suggesting President Trump is cruelly tearing children out of the arms of their illegal immigrant parents,” Shapiro said Monday, noting that the “media have decided to jump with both feet on the bandwagon.”

But as shown on a video of “The Ben Shapiro Show” broadcast on YouTube, Shapiro noted that since 1997, it has been federal policy to separate children from illegal immigrant parents.

Accommodations for detained children “may be awful, but they were just as awful under President Obama,” Shapiro said as he highlighted scenes of despair and neglect that were first shared in 2014 by Breitbart.

Shapiro further lit into the media in a column published on The Daily Wire.

“The media coverage of this issue has been patently irresponsible. Trump isn’t forcing children away from parents. He’s enforcing the law on the books. The legislature can fix that law at any time. The facilities he’s using are the same facilities Obama used,” he wrote.

Shapiro castigated those who have spread lies about the issue.

“Pretending that this is Japanese internment (as Laura Bush suggested) or the Holocaust (as Gen. Michael Hayden suggested) is ridiculous. This policy ought to be fixed. But lying about it isn’t designed to fix it. It’s designed to prevent a fix by allowing Democrats to play political football with children, believing they’re winning a victory by holding Trump’s feet to the fire with pictures of crying children,” he wrote.

Shapiro then traced the legal precedents that have shaped federal policy about detaining children, noting that the courts gave federal officials a choice.

“The government either had to release whole families, or that the government had to separate parents from children,” he wrote.

Illegal immigrants also have a choice, he said.

“Immigrants who come to points of entry to seek asylum aren’t actually illegally in the country. They’re not arrested. They’re processed through ICE, and their children stay with them,” he said.

” If, however, illegal immigrants cross the border illegally, the Trump administration now treats them as criminals. If they choose deportation, they aren’t separated from their kids. If they choose to apply for asylum, they stay in the country longer than 20 days, and their kids have to be removed by operation of law,” he noted.

As to the facilities themselves, a CNN reporter recently toured the Casa Padre shelter in Brownsville, Texas, and gave it a mixed review.

“The massive shelter retains a warehouse vibe — noisy but highly organized, with scores of staffers leading skeins of boys to various activities,” the CNN report said.

“In recreation rooms, some boys watched a soccer match on TV, some took part in a tai chi class, others played pool or foosball (in one case with a cue ball). Still others sat in classrooms. Because of the crowding, the boys attend school in six-hour morning or afternoon shifts, five days a week. The bedrooms reporters were shown seemed antiseptically clean,” CNN reported.

It did criticize the shelter, noting that in rooms made to hold four beds, a fifth had been added. (For more from the author of “Forgotten Child Detainee Photos From Obama Administration Revealed” please click HERE)

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Senate Rejects Spending Cuts Proposed by Trump Administration

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By The Blaze. The Senate voted 48-50 to reject a spending cuts bill proposed by the White House. Two Republicans crossed the aisle and voted with Democrats to kill the measure. . .

The Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act proposed $15 billion in cuts between 2018 and 2028. The money would be cut from a number of different departments, including Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development.

However, the Washington Post noted that most of the spending would involve funds that the government could not spend anyway, including $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program that mostly came from an expired and unusable account. When these programs are factored in, the total amount of budget cuts to be spread over the 11-year time period comes to around $1 billion. . .

Senate Democrats did not have the numbers to kill this bill without help from their Republican colleagues. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted against the bill, as did Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who typically supports Trump’s policies. . .

The bill, which was requested by the Trump administration, was sponsored by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and co-sponsored by 16 Republican members of Congress. It narrowly passed the House of Representatives 210-206 on June 7. (Read more from “Senate Rejects Spending Cuts Proposed by Trump Administration” HERE)

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Senate Rejects Billions in Trump Spending Cuts as Two Republicans Vote ‘No’

By The Washington Post. The Senate on Wednesday rejected billions in spending cuts proposed by the Trump administration as two Republicans joined all Democrats in voting no.

The 48-50 vote rebuffed a White House plan to claw back some $15 billion in spending previously approved by Congress — a show of fiscal responsibility that was encouraged by conservative lawmakers outraged over a $1.3 trillion spending bill in March.

The House had approved the so-called rescissions package earlier this month. But passage had never been assured in the Senate, where a number of Republicans had been cool to the idea from the start.

Nevertheless, Wednesday’s outcome was startling because one of the opposing votes came from Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who does not normally buck the White House or GOP leadership. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate and one of the Republicans who most frequently side with Democrats, cast the other GOP vote against the cuts. (Read more from “Senate Rejects Billions in Trump Spending Cuts as Two Republicans Vote ‘No’” HERE)

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Billboard Directs Liberals to Keep Driving Until They Leave the State. It’s Coming Down Soon.

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By The Blaze. A Texas billboard, which gained national attention for its message that directed liberals to keep on driving until they’ve left the state, will come down soon, according to USA Today.

“Liberals please continue on I-40 until you have left our GREAT STATE OF TEXAS,” the billboard says, as shown in a photo taken by Kyle Mccallie, who noticed the sign while driving to work. . .

“I was shocked that it traveled that fast,” [Randy] Burkett [of Burkett advertising] told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I believe in free speech, but this country is divided enough as it is. I’ve spoken with the client, and he’s agreed that it should come down. We’ll be reimbursing him.” . . .

In protest, Roman Leal created a GoFundMe account on Tuesday to raise money for a billboard to counter the sign’s message to liberals:

We need a sign that represents the true, hospitable spirit of the great state of Texas. “Texas is for Everyone — Except Bigots” will go up on the Lamar digital billboard at I40 and Coulter. It will be visible to travelers and commuters driving along the interstate in Amarillo, giving us a chance to put our best boot forward. Meeting the campaign goal will keep the billboard up for 4 weeks. Any contributions exceeding the goal will be used to pay for a longer duration.

(Read more from “Billboard Directs Liberals to Keep Driving Until They Leave the State. It’s Coming Down Soon.” HERE)

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Texas Billboard That Tells ‘Liberals’ to Keep Driving Will Come Down

By USA Today. A billboard in the Texas panhandle that gained national attention for its message urging “liberals” to keep driving until they leave the state will be coming down.

“Liberals please continue on I-40 until you have left our GREAT STATE OF TEXAS,” the sign reads, according to a photo taken by Kyle Mccallie.

That photo has been shared more than 10,000 times on Facebook.

Burkett Outdoor Advertising, the company that owns the sign, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the sign would be taken down after all the attention, much of it negative.

“I was shocked that it traveled that fast,” Randy Burkett, the company’s owner, told the newspaper. “I believe in free speech, but this country is divided enough as it is. I’ve spoken with the client, and he’s agreed that it should come down. We’ll be reimbursing him.” (Read more from “Texas Billboard That Tells ‘Liberals’ to Keep Driving Will Come Down” HERE)

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Assault Weapons Ban Dies After Months of Fighting

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An effort to revive a proposed ban on the sale of assault weapons failed in the Delaware Senate on Tuesday, effectively defeating the most controversial gun control measure pending before the Legislature.

Two Democrats sided with Republicans in opposing the maneuver, including Sen. Brian Bushweller of Dover and Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna. That left Democrats two votes short of the 11 needed to bring the measure to the floor.

“It’s very unfortunate that we didn’t have the votes to even have a debate on the issue,” said the bill’s chief sponsor Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark. “I’m a little surprised not to have the vote of all my Democratic colleagues, except for Sen. Ennis.” . . .

“The process that we have followed so far that caused the bill to lose in committee was consistent with my view on the bill,” Bushweller said. “I didn’t see a point in continuing a process that already resulted in what I think is the right thing to do with the bill.”

Tuesday’s vote marked the second defeat for Senate Bill 163 this month and a major loss for gun control advocates who pushed for reform in the wake of recent high-profile mass shootings. That includes Gov. John Carney, who had both called for the legislation to be introduced and urged for it to get a vote on the Senate floor. (Read more from “Assault Weapons Ban Dies After Months of Fighting” HERE)

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The FBI, the DOJ and Hillary Clinton’s Huge Weiner Problem

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Remember Anthony Weiner, also known as “Carlos Danger” — the former congressman who kept texting people pictures of well, umm, that part of his name? It all made quite the splash because he is married to Hillary Clinton’s consigliere and constant sidekick, Huma Abedin.

Turns out that Anthony was such a perp — and so enthralled with his own — that he was sexting with a minor. That is a federal offense carrying up to 10 years in prison. So, he got raided by the New York Police Department and the New York office of the FBI. . .

Only a few hours after the New York office of the FBI took possession of the Weiner laptop, on September 26, 2016, the FBI computer expert discovered it contained more than 140,000 emails involving Hillary Clinton. They were from multiple domain names: State.gov, Clintonemail.com, ClintonFoundation.org, HillaryClinton.com and Blackberry devices. The agent had what he told the inspector general was an “oh shit moment” — recognizing that he had found evidence important to the most important investigation — and he immediately reported it up the chain.

According to the inspector general’s report of June 14, specifically Chapters IX-XI, the treasure “trove” of emails covered Mrs. Clinton’s entire tenure as Secretary of State.

We already knew that President Barack Obama was emailing her on her unsecure server at Clintonemail.com, and Cheryl Mills had written an email noting how “obvious” it was to anyone that this was not State.gov and therefore unsecure. The president jolly-well knew it was not a secure communication as he used an alias. (Read more from “The FBI, the DOJ and Hillary Clinton’s Huge Weiner Problem” HERE)

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Mark Meadows Drops Multiple Bombshells in Hearing About Clinton, Russia Probes

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By The Daily Caller. North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows made two startling claims in a House hearing on Tuesday, asserting that there is “growing evidence” that FBI officials altered documentation of witness interviews in the Hillary Clinton and Russia probes.

The Republican also revealed the name of an FBI attorney he believes is the bureau employee who was removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation in February after he was found to have sent anti-Trump text messages.

Meadows made the revelations in a round of questioning with Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

On Thursday, Horowitz’s office released a scathing report that documented FBI officials’ mishandling of the Clinton investigation. It also laid out a slew of text messages that FBI officials and attorneys sent criticizing Donald Trump.

“I think the other thing that I would ask you to look into, there is growing evidence that 302s were edited and changed,” Meadows said. “Those 302s, it is suggested that they were changed to either prosecute or not prosecute individuals. And that is very troubling.” (Read more from “Mark Meadows Drops Multiple Bombshells in Hearing About Clinton, Russia Probes” HERE)

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Republicans Tear Into IG Finding on Clinton Probe

By The Hill. House Republicans on Tuesday took aim at a finding from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) inspector general that anti-Trump bias did not influence the outcome of the Hillary Clinton email probe, during a fractious and extended hearing that pitted dozens of lawmakers against the watchdog.

Although GOP members did not directly criticize the inspector general, Michael Horowitz, they repeatedly made the case that his report showed FBI officials had “prejudged” the outcome of the Clinton probe — a long-held Republican grievance — and suggested that his review was incomplete.

“While we appreciate the [inspector general] and his staff for a very detailed investigation, it is critical for the public to also hear what was not included in the report due to the [inspector general’s] refusal to question ‘whether a particular decision by the FBI and DOJ was the most effective choice,’ ” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) argued that Horowitz should have probed how federal investigators on the so-called Midyear team voted in the 2016 election, as well as who they gave money to or whose bumper sticker they applied to their car. (Read more from “Republicans Tear Into IG Finding on Clinton Probe” HERE)

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FL Senate: Yes, Democrat Bill Nelson Could Be in Deep, DEEP Trouble

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In the Sunshine State, Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, is banking on incumbency and gun control to get him over the top. He’s been lucky throughout his Senate career in facing opponents who haven’t been the best, especially during his 2000 re-election campaign. This year is different—and he knew it. Last year, Politico reported that Nelson met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats ahead what will be a true contest. He’ll be fighting for his political life and he needs money. Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is term-limited, has tossed his hat into the ring. Despite his recent betrayal of Second Amendment rights by signing an appalling law that increased the age of gun purchases to 21, he’s a solid candidate. Independently wealthy, he can fund his own race. He’s also proving himself to be an adept campaigner, hitting Hispanic outreach hard, which is making Democratic activists very nervous. Another startling sign: only 49 percent know who the hell Nelson is in the state. Not a good sign for a three-term incumbent (via Politico):

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate campaign has a Spanish-language web page. Sen. Bill Nelson’s doesn’t.

Scott is advertising in Spanish. Nelson isn’t. . .

For Democrats who recognize protecting Nelson’s seat is essential to their hopes of winning a Senate majority this fall, the veteran senator’s lackluster outreach to one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the nation’s largest swing state is causing alarm.

The depth of Nelson’s troubles — and Scott’s advantage — came into sharp focus last month in four focus groups conducted in Central Florida’s influential Puerto Rican community, where few knew who Nelson was, despite his three Senate terms and holding elected Florida office for 41 years.

(Read more from “FL Senate: Yes, Democrat Bill Nelson Could Be in Deep, Deep Trouble” HERE)

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Democrats’ Border Separation Bill Would Let Nearly All Parents Who Commit Federal Crimes Get off Scot-Free

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Democrats’ proposed legislation to prohibit so-called border separations would actually prevent federal law enforcement agencies almost anywhere inside the United States from arresting and detaining criminals who are parents having nothing to do with unlawfully crossing the border and seeking asylum.

Every Senate Democrat has now signed on to cosponsor a bill written so carelessly that it does not distinguish between migrant children at the border and U.S. citizen children already within the United States. The bill further does not distinguish between federal officers handling the border crisis and federal law enforcement pursuing the ordinary course of their duties.

Let’s break down Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s proposed “Keep Families Together Act” to see where Democrats went wrong. The bill provides that “[a]n agent or officer of a designated agency shall be prohibited from removing a child from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the border of the United States” (with three exceptions to be discussed later). Four immediate warning signs in this provision should put the reader on notice that this bill is not what Democrats claim.

First, “designated agency” here is defined as the entirety of the federal departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Health and Human Services. The scope of the bill is not limited to those portions of these departments involved with the border crisis, and there is no other limiting factor in the bill that would cabin the prohibition on family separation to immigration-related matters. In other words, this bill is going to regulate conduct across a great many federal offices that have nothing to do with separating children from families arriving unlawfully in the United States.

Second, “agent or officer” is not defined by the legislation, except to say that it includes contractors. Federal law, however, already defines “officer” to include (with exceptions not relevant here) every federal employee appointed to the civil service by the head of an executive agency and ultimately overseen by the head of an executive agency. (Read more from “Democrats’ Border Separation Bill Would Let Nearly All Parents Who Commit Federal Crimes Get off Scot-Free” HERE)

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The IG Report on FBI’s Clinton Probe Reveals This Saga May Be Just Getting Started

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The media has focused almost exclusively on the conclusion of the Justice Department inspector general’s report on the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email probe, which found bias did not impact the probe, as well as the lack of any newly announced indictments or criminal referrals. The goal of course being to downplay the negative findings of the report.

At the same time, the press gave, at most, passing mention to the statement Attorney General Jeff Sessions simultaneously released. But his statement and the findings of the report make one thing clear: This isn’t over.

Here’s why. Throughout the 568-page report, the IG highlighted several areas meriting additional investigation. And Sessions said the report “reveals a number of significant errors by the senior leadership of the Department of Justice and the FBI during the previous administration,” and stressed “this is not the end of the process.”

United States Attorney John Huber continues his work in cooperation with the IG to review certain prosecutorial and investigative determinations made by the Justice Department in 2016 and 2017. Based on his review of the report and his own investigation, Huber will provide recommendations as to whether any matter not currently under investigation should be opened, whether any matters currently under investigation required further resources, or whether any matters merit the appointment of Special Counsel.”

Put simply: There is still much to be done and much to come. What is likely over is the possibility the Justice Department will re-investigate Clinton for mishandling of classified information, or prosecute her. That’s a good thing. Clinton is done. While she may never face justice in a court of law, perhaps losing the presidency is a more prescient and proper punishment. (Read more from “The IG Report on FBI’s Clinton Probe Reveals This Saga May Be Just Getting Started” HERE)

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