It’s a well-established fact that by setting up her private email server in the basement of her New York home, Secretary Clinton was able to avoid accountability through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel penned an important op-ed last night that takes a closer look at the other reason Clinton set up a non-governmental email: the Clinton Foundation. By using one private email account, Clinton was free to conduct both State Department and Clinton Foundation business—often overlapping—on the same email account. The same is likely true for close aide Huma Abedin, who in fact worked simultaneously for the State Department and the Clinton Foundation (oh, and for Clinton in a private capacity and the Clinton-tied Teneo Consulting).
Here are just a few of the reasons behind Clinton’s private server:
Lost in the classified kerfuffle is the other, lately ignored but still potent, scandal: the Clinton Foundation, and the unethical mixing of Mrs. Clinton’s public work and her personal fundraising/speech-giving/favor-doing. The more evidence that comes out, the more it looks as if that server was set up to provide an off-the-grid means for those two worlds to interact….
…Foundation cash after Russian mining approvals. More than a dozen speeches by Bill to corporations and governments with business pending before Hillary’s State Department. Dozens more donations to the foundation from companies that were lobbying the State Department. Checks to the foundation from a Swiss bank after Secretary of State Clinton solved its IRS problem. An email to Ms. Abedin, while she was at State, asking for help winning a presidential appointment for a Clinton Foundation donor.
What else? Plenty, surely. The Clinton Foundation existed in recent years to serve as an unofficial PAC for Mrs. Clinton’s expected presidential run. And Mrs. Clinton’s job at State was designed to serve the same end. Of course the business of the two was intertwined. And here’s to betting the server was maintained to facilitate that intertwinement.
This could explain mounting reports that a Hillary Grand Jury has been impaneled. (For more from the author of “INSIDE HILLARY’S EMAIL SERVER: The Entire Criminal Enterprise Known as the Clinton Foundation Laid Bare” please click HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:53:262016-04-11 10:51:36INSIDE HILLARY’S EMAIL SERVER: The Entire Criminal Enterprise Known as the Clinton Foundation Laid Bare
While Thursday night’s debate performances provided reporters with some substantive content, much of the political news coverage on Friday focused on the notable endorsements picked up this week by the top two GOP presidential candidates. Ahead of Tuesday’s important primaries in Ohio and Florida, prominent Republicans of all stripes began to officially name their favorite between Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Cruz added some diversity to his list of endorsements with nods from the likes of the Black Conservatives Fund, and Meghan McCain, political commentator and daughter of Arizona Sen. John McCain. Cruz wrapped up the week by securing the support of the National Review editorial board and conservative talk radio host Mark Levin.
Trump has also amassed some notable endorsements this week, including one-time rival Dr. Ben Carson. Shortly after the retired neurosurgeon formally announced his pick, Trump received the endorsement of longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.
It means so much to me- receiving an endorsement from Phyllis Schlafly. A truly great woman & conservative. pic.twitter.com/11rEMu99qc
At a campaign event Friday in St. Louis, the 91-year-old Schalfly introduced Trump with a few remarks explaining why he is her choice.
She said the brash billionaire “has the courage and energy” needed to “bring some changes.” (Read more from “Right After Trump Earns Carson’s Endorsement, He Gets Huge News From This Conservative Icon” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:53:092016-04-11 10:51:37Right After Trump Earns Carson’s Endorsement, He Gets Huge News From This Conservative Icon
With 13 GOP candidates for president now sitting on the sidelines and winner-take-all states right around the corner, it might seem as if we have reached the homestretch of the primary season.
Likely, though, the exact opposite is true and we’re really just getting started.
See, so far the race for the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential nomination has already rendered one undeniable verdict — everybody the system said was worthy of sustaining it has been soundly rejected by the voters.
This leaves us with two options.
Though Donald Trump is a progressive and the consummate insider by his own admission, the reason the status quo has reacted to him the way a vampire reacts to garlic isn’t just because of his lack of character, integrity, and high negatives makes his election unlikely. Let’s face it, the status quo has overlooked such electability warning flags in the past in order to maintain its grip on the reins of power. The status quo would rather lose elections than lose control.
Rather, it is the fact that Trump is running on the populist economic message that rightly rejects bad corporatist boondoggles deceptively advertising themselves as “free trade,” as well as the disastrous impact unfettered legal and illegal immigration has had on the real wages of middle class Americans. Of course, by his own admission again, Trump has used that very same corrupt immigration system to his advantage as a corporatist himself, but though he is more than a flawed vessel for it his message is true nevertheless. Thus making Trump’s troubling candidacy the result of the GOP ignoring these warnings and laments for decades going back to Pat Buchanan.
In fact, Trump is essentially running on Buchanan’s message (even mirroring his controversial penchant for drawing moral equivalencies between Israel and the Palestinians) minus Buchanan’s staunch social conservatism.
Then there’s Ted Cruz, who though a member of the most august body in American politics, the U.S. Senate, is really the consummate outsider, for Cruz dares to bring forth into the hallowed halls of gangster government what they revile the most. Real conservativism and loyalty to the Constitution’s limits on government power.
If the vampires in the status quo see Trump’s candidacy as their garlic, then Cruz is the Cross. A reminder of all the lies, deceptions, and treachery they have foisted upon their conservative base from the moment Reagan left the national stage. Garlic is but a painful repellant to the vampire, but the Cross is an existential threat that leaves a permanent mark. Sort of like a scarlet letter that reminds everybody you’re a child of darkness.
And now that the race is down to these two, this is the choice before the Republican Party. Will it go with the French Revolution of Trump, as in the bloodthirsty revolt of the peasants with pitchforks? Or will it go with the American Revolution of Cruz, and pledge its lives, fortunes, and sacred honors to advance a party platform it’s been willfully ignoring since before Al Gore invented the Interwebs?
Currently, Trump has only won 43 percent of the delegates needed to secure a majority of at least 1,237. Cruz sits comfortably in second place with 34 percent of the delegates, and is even closer to Trump when measuring the percentage of the vote won so far: Trump 34, Cruz 29.
These facts obviously run counter to Fox News’ ‘All Trump All the Time’ schedule of schilling, err, I mean, programming. But perhaps an alleged assault on a female reporter by one of Trump’s most senior staffers will finally put a dent in that sordid love affair, and let some fresh air into the room.
Then again, Trump did appear as grand marshal in a parade that one time to support Israel, so Olly Olly Oxen Free! I guess you can all stop trying to save American Exceptionalism now and simply ignore all the lies Trump has dumped on you and your country, because who on earth can compete with that.
Trump’s lead really begins to look tenuous when you consider how it has been built with the help of Democrats and Independents voting in “open” primaries that have consistently drawn larger-than-normal turnout. Moving forward, 21 of the remaining 34 contests are closed primaries of only Republican voters — amounting to 792 delegates (or more than half of what is still available). And in the “closed” primary and caucus states held since Iowa kicked things off, Cruz has outperformed polling expectations in every single one of them.
Not a bad trend line, indeed, as we move into the realm of “Winner Take All” states on March 15 and beyond. Where nine states and territories are winner-take-all in the strictest sense, and most of the remaining 18 states left on the primary calendar are winner-take-all by congressional district.
In fact, if you tally all the delegates earned by Cruz, Rubio and Kasich combined at this point, they lead Trump by more than 100. And if #NeverTrump is indeed what increasingly motivates voters as candidates bow out and alternatives are chosen, it isn’t a stretch to say Cruz could soon move into the pole position for securing the nomination. Heck, Cruz would have the delegate lead right now had Rubio dropped out after Super Tuesday mortally wounded his candidacy.
But if principle won’t finally, now, with the future of the country potentially hanging in the balance move the status quo, perhaps its survival instinct will? Two more national polls this week have Hillary Clinton spanking Trump, and Trump now has the highest unfavorability of any domestic politician in the history of the ABC News/Washington Post poll. And that comes after months of Trump receiving the best media coverage he could’ve hoped for.
So the ball is now in the Republican Party’s court. It can either unite behind Cruz and finally keep its word to advance conservativism to its base for once, or face the guillotine this Fall with Trump as a cancerous standard-bearer who will metastasize all the way down the ballot.
For the GOP its salvation or annihilation — and there is no middle ground. (For more from the author of “The Choice for the GOP: Salvation or Annihilation” please click HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:52:132016-04-11 10:51:37The Choice for the GOP: Salvation or Annihilation
President Barack Obama poked fun at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s Canadian birth during a state dinner for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday evening . . .
“We see this in our current presidential campaign,” Obama said. “After all, where else could a boy born in Calgary grow up to run for president of the United States?”
Cruz’s Canadian birth has been a target of his GOP rival Donald Trump, who questioned Cruz’s eligibility to serve as president. (Read more from “Kenyan Obama Pokes Fun at Canadian Cruz” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:51:572016-04-11 10:51:37Watch: Kenyan Obama Pokes Fun at Canadian Cruz
A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing turned into a slugfest Thursday as Republicans and Democrats traded jabs over the GOP’s blockade of President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court.
Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accused Senate Democrats of allowing “raw politics to infect the process” by stirring up a frivolous partisan fight.
“Everybody knows any nominee submitted in the middle of this presidential campaign isn’t getting confirmed. Everyone knows that. Why the charade?” Grassley asked.
“It’s because the other side is committed to using this process to score as many political points as possible. That’s it, plain and simple,” Grassley answered.
The White House has floated several potential nominees in the past few weeks, and Obama is expected to announce his final pick soon. But that doesn’t change much for Senate Republicans.
Since Justice Antonin Scalia died unexpectedly Feb. 13, the GOP has remained adamant that his seat on the bench remain open until after the November election, for the next president to fill.
If Republicans succeed, “the work of the committee and this Congress will be shamefully incomplete,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
Democrats continue to blast Republicans for dereliction of their constitutional duty to offer advice and consent on judicial nominees. They want Obama to nominate and the Senate to consider a nominee as soon as possible.
Republicans have been quick to counter that they’re only following a precedent established by Vice President Joe Biden. While a senator, Biden urged the Senate to block any of President George H.W. Bush’s Supreme Court picks before the 1992 general election.
Schumer characterized that back-and-forth as “he said, she said” dribble.
“On both sides, everyone’s said a bunch of things,” Schumer said. “But let me repeat: Not once since this committee began holding hearings on Supreme Court nominees a century ago has the committee refused to report a nominee to the floor for consideration.”
To make his point, Schumer goaded Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, for saying he enjoys a “good scrap” in a Senate floor speech last week.
“After the president makes a nomination,” Schumer said, “let’s have the kind of serious, long, detailed, thorough debate—call it a scrap if you will—that we’ve had in the past.”
Past remarks of the third-ranking Democrat have provided Republicans with plenty of ammunition. In July 2007, Schumer called on the Senate to block any of President George W. Bush’s Supreme Court nominees. Democrats controlled the chamber at that time, and 18 months remained in Bush’s term.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., predicted that the current fight will generate a permanent standard, one “that will stand the test of time.”
“We are setting a precedent here today, Republicans are,” Graham said. In the last year of a president’s term, he said, “you’re not going to fill the vacancy of the Supreme Court based on what we’re doing here today. That’s going to be the new rule.”
Graham, who voted to confirm both of Obama’s previous nominees, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, encouraged Democrats to hold Republicans to that standard in the future.
“You could use my words against me, and you’d be absolutely right,” he said.
Bipartisan criticism swiftly poured in after the committee meeting ended.
Carrie Severino, chief counsel of the conservative Judicial Crisis Network, praised Grassley for letting “the people decide the next justice through their votes for president.”
Wade Henderson, president of the liberal Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said it would “be refreshing to see the Senate Judiciary Committee embrace its constitutional duty to advise and consent on judicial nominees.” (For more from the author of “Judiciary Chairman Accuses Democrats of ‘Charade’ on Supreme Court” please click HERE)
Former Hillary Clinton IT specialist Bryan Pagliano, a key witness in the email probe who struck an immunity deal with the Justice Department, has told the FBI a range of details about how her personal email system was set up, according to an intelligence source close to the case who called him a “devastating witness.”
The source said Pagliano told the FBI who had access to the former secretary of state’s system – as well as when – and what devices were used, amounting to a roadmap for investigators.
“Bryan Pagliano is a devastating witness and, as the webmaster, knows exactly who had access to [Clinton’s] computer and devices at specific times. His importance to this case cannot be over-emphasized,” the intelligence source said.
The source, who is not authorized to speak on the record due to the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation, said Pagliano has provided information allowing investigators to knit together the emails with other evidence, including images of Clinton on the road as secretary of state.
The cross-referencing of evidence could help investigators pinpoint potential gaps in the email record. “Don’t forget all those photos with her using various devices and it is easy to track the whereabouts of her phone,” the source said. “It is still boils down to a paper case. Did you email at this time from your home or elsewhere using this device? And here is a picture of you and your aides holding the devices.” (Read more from “Source: Clinton IT Specialist Revealing Server Details to FBI, ‘Devastating Witness'” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:49:112016-04-11 10:51:37Source: Clinton IT Specialist Revealing Server Details to FBI, ‘Devastating Witness’
Nancy Reagan’s stepson had a very simple explanation for why President Obama decided to party at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival instead of attending Nancy Reagan’s funeral on Friday.
“It seems that Barack Obama has never learned the right thing to do,” said Michael Reagan, during an interview Wednesday with Newsmax TV.
“It would’ve been nice if he would’ve honored Nancy and been there, but I’m not surprised again,” Reagan said. “Imagine if Nancy were a Democrat, liberal — or if Ronald Reagan was, he probably would be there.”
“Sometimes, there’s a right thing to do,” he said. “Whether you agree with something or not, sometime it’s just the right thing to do. He just keeps on missing the ball on that one” . . .
Michael Reagan said Nancy Reagan’s influence was a tremendous positive for his father’s presidency.
“What was great about Nancy is not only was she a great helpmate and spouse to my father in that way and a great first lady, but she was that last person to lay her head on the pillow at night that could have the ear of the president of the United States and try to protect him from people out there who were trying to use him for their own good,” he said. (Read more from “When Nancy Reagan’s Stepson Saw Obama Was Skipping Her Funeral, He Immediately Knew What to Say” HERE)
00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2016-03-12 00:48:042016-04-11 10:51:38When Nancy Reagan’s Stepson Saw Obama Was Skipping Her Funeral, He Immediately Knew What to Say
You probably never heard about this but in December, House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) successfully pushed through Congress his $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that will also fund visas for nearly 300,000 more Muslim migrants over the next 12 months.
The omnibus bill also funded sanctuary cities, illegal alien tax credits, and changed federal law to allow for a massive increase in low-skilled H-2B workers– an immigration expansion opposed by more than nine in ten GOP voters. Yet at the first gathering of all House Republicans since the omnibus’s passage, Politico reports that GOP lawmakers gave Ryan a standing ovation at the close of this week’s Republican Congressional retreat.
Politico writes: “Retreats like this week’s pow-wow at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor are typically contentious affairs. For the past four years, lawmakers used it as an occasion to scream at John Boehner and Eric Cantor. During their last session here, however, Ryan got a standing ovation as he made commitments to [pursue] big ideas.”
Yet neither John Boehner nor Eric Cantor joined Barack Obama to expand Muslim immigration in to the United States– a distinction which is uniquely Paul Ryan’s . . .
Interestingly, nowhere in Ryan’s priorities is the topic of immigration mentioned– even though Paul Ryan views mass immigration as part of his vision for growing the economy, along with passing President Obama’s unpopular trade policies. (Read more from “Paul Ryan Received a Standing Ovation at the Republican Congressional Retreat for This Despicable Reason” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:47:182016-04-11 10:51:38Paul Ryan Received a Standing Ovation at the Republican Congressional Retreat for This Despicable Reason
An Ohio judge has granted teenagers who will turn 18 before Election Day the right to vote in the state’s presidential primary elections in a new decision that could boost Bernie Sanders’s chances in the state on Tuesday.
Sanders’s team sued to change the state law, but a judge decided Friday on a different state-level case that effectively provided the same outcome.
The Vermont senator’s White House campaign has been boosted by strong support from younger voters, so the decision could prove important in the crucial state of Ohio, which has 143 delegates up for grabs.
Ohio had barred 17-year-olds from voting on primary day regardless of if they would be eligible for the general election.
But the timing of the decision, just days before the Tuesday primary, could dampen any potential gains. (Read more from “Ohio Judge Rules Some 17-Year-Olds Can Vote in Primary” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:46:352016-04-11 10:51:38Ohio Judge Rules Some 17-Year-Olds Can Vote in Primary
A U.N. report describing sweeping crimes like children being burned alive and fighters raping women as payment shows South Sudan is facing “one of the most horrendous” human rights situations in the world,” the United Nations rights chief said Friday.
Zeid Raad al-Hussein lamented that the crisis in the world’s newest nation has been largely overlooked by the international community. His office said attacks against civilians, forced disappearances, rape and other violations could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The U.N report released Friday is the work of an assessment team deployed in South Sudan between October and January and says “state actors” bear most responsibility for the crimes. (Read more from “South Sudan Faces One of World’s Most ‘Horrendous’ Human Rights Situations” HERE)
00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2016-03-12 00:45:572016-04-11 10:51:38South Sudan Faces One of World’s Most ‘Horrendous’ Human Rights Situations
