Michael Cohen Receives His Official Sentence

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On Wednesday, President Trump’s case against an indictment on the basis of campaign finance violations became much more difficult. Michael Cohen, the president’s personal attorney for years including the 2016 campaign, was sentenced to three years in prison – and his sentencing included an open acknowledgment by Cohen that he had directed hush payments to former Trump paramour Stormy Daniels with an eye toward affecting the 2016 election.

Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen had committed a bevy of crimes with an eye toward deception. Cohen, for his part, threw himself on the mercy of the court, stating, “I blame myself for the conduct which has brought me here today, and it was my own weakness and blind loyalty to [President Trump] that led me to choose a path of darkness over light.” He added, “time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass.”

More damaging than Cohen’s open-court mea culpa, though, was the prosecution’s announcement that they had reached a non-prosecution agreement with American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer – the entity Cohen attempted to used to silence Karen McDougal. AMI would purchase the stories of Trump’s lovers and then bury them at Trump’s behest; Cohen would then attempt to reimburse AMI, so the allegations go.

(Read more from “Michael Cohen Receives His Official Sentence” HERE)

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Pelosi Strikes Deal That Nearly Promises Her Speakership Position

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By Politico. Nancy Pelosi struck a deal Wednesday with Democratic rebels intent on denying her the speakership, paving the way for her to reclaim the gavel she lost eight years ago.

The California Democrat has agreed to limit her time as speaker to four years at most. In return, a critical number of lawmakers who vowed to oppose Pelosi will support her in a crucial Jan. 3 House floor vote.

The proposal also limits the time her two deputies, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), can stay in their posts, although those changes will likely have to be ratified by the full caucus.

“Over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders, a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new Members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic Caucus,” Pelosi said in a statement announcing the agreement. (Read more from “Pelosi Strikes Deal That Nearly Promises Her Speakership Position” HERE)

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Nancy Pelosi Cuts Deal With Democratic Rebels to Ensure Return to Speakership

By NPR. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has very likely sewn up the support she needs to become speaker of the House next year when the new Congress is sworn in.

In a deal struck with a group of House Democrats who had vowed to vote against the longtime Democratic leader in next month’s House speaker election, the California lawmaker agreed to term limits that would see her hold the post through 2022 at the latest. . .

The term limits agreement, which still needs to be formalized by a vote of House Democrats, would limit caucus leaders to three terms, and a fourth term if two-thirds of the caucus agrees to it. The new limits would apply retroactively to Pelosi as well as incoming Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and incoming Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.

While that exit date is four years away, the agreement satisfies the key demand that the anti-Pelosi lawmakers had focused on: the fact that the same small group of Democrats has led the caucus for years, choking off substantial advancement opportunities for younger lawmakers. (Read more from “Nancy Pelosi Cuts Deal With Democratic Rebels to Ensure Return to Speakership” HERE)

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FBI Recommended Michael Flynn Not Have Lawyer Present During Interview, Did Not Warn of False Statement Consequences

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Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who arranged the bureau’s interview with then-national security adviser Michael Flynn at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017 — the interview that ultimately led to Flynn’s guilty plea on one count of making false statements — suggested Flynn not have a lawyer present at the session, according to newly-filed court documents. In addition, FBI officials, along with the two agents who interviewed Flynn, decided specifically not to warn him that there would be penalties for making false statements because the agents wanted to ensure that Flynn was “relaxed” during the session.

The new information, drawn from McCabe’s account of events plus the FBI agents’ writeup of the interview — the so-called 302 report — is contained in a sentencing memo filed Tuesday by Flynn’s defense team.

Citing McCabe’s account, the sentencing memo says that shortly after noon on Jan. 24 — the fourth day of the new Trump administration — McCabe called Flynn on a secure phone in Flynn’s West Wing office. The two men discussed business briefly and then McCabe said that he “felt that we needed to have two of our agents sit down” with Flynn to discuss Flynn’s talks with Russian officials during the presidential transition.

McCabe, by his own account, urged Flynn to talk to the agents alone, without a lawyer present. “I explained that I thought the quickest way to get this done was to have a conversation between [Flynn] and the agents only,” McCabe wrote. “I further stated that if LTG Flynn wished to include anyone else in the meeting, like the White House counsel for instance, that I would need to involve the Department of Justice. [Flynn] stated that this would not be necessary and agreed to meet with the agents without any additional participants.”

Within two hours, the agents were in Flynn’s office. According to the 302 report quoted in the Flynn sentencing document, the agents said Flynn was “relaxed and jocular” and offered the agents “a little tour” of his part of the White House.

“The agents did not provide Gen. Flynn with a warning of the penalties for making a false statement under 18 U.S.C. 1001 before, during, or after the interview,” the Flynn memo says. According to the 302, before the interview, McCabe and other FBI officials “decided the agents would not warn Flynn that it was a crime to lie during an FBI interview because they wanted Flynn to be relaxed, and they were concerned that giving the warnings might adversely affect the rapport.” (Read more from “FBI Recommended Michael Flynn Not Have Lawyer Present During Interview, Did Not Warn of False Statement Consequences” HERE)

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California Rep Claims Trump Could ‘Face Jail Time’

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By The Washington Examiner. California Rep. Adam Schiff said Sunday he believes President Trump could spend time in jail once he leaves the White House, after his former attorney Michael Cohen implicated him in campaign finance violations.

“My takeaway is there’s a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Justice Department may indict him. That he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time,” the California Democrat said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Schiff, who likely will lead the House Intelligence Committee next year, has been a persistent critic of Trump’s during special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Trump referred to him on Twitter last month as ” little Adam Schitt.” (Read more from “California Rep Claims Trump Could ‘Face Jail Time'” HERE)

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Top House Dems Raise Prospect of Impeachment, Jail for Trump

By AP. Top House Democrats on Sunday raised the prospect of impeachment or almost-certain prison time for President Donald Trump if it’s proved that he directed illegal hush-money payments to women, adding to the legal pressure on the president over the Russia investigation and other scandals. . .

Rep. Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, described the details in prosecutors’ filings Friday in the case of Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as evidence that Trump was “at the center of a massive fraud.” . . .

In the filings, prosecutors in New York for the first time link Trump to a federal crime of illegal payments to buy the silence of two women during the 2016 campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office also laid out previously undisclosed contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries and suggested the Kremlin aimed early on to influence Trump and his Republican campaign by playing to both his political and personal business interests. (Read more from “Top House Dems Raise Prospect of Impeachment, Jail for Trump” HERE)

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Why Democrats Would Be Insane to Impeach Donald Trump

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When the dust settled from the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1999, his approval rating sat at an astounding 73 percent. That’s a note of caution to Democrats who believe that, having taken the House of Representatives, they should impeach Donald Trump.

The situation and times are not completely analogous, of course. Trump would probably be lucky to hit 73 percent approval in his own White House. But there are enough comparisons for this historical note to give Democrats serious pause.

The current calls for impeachment stem from U.S. prosecutors’ allegation that Trump directed his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to pay hush money to mistresses in what they say was a violation of campaign finance law. Assuming for a moment (although legal scholars disagree on this) that Trump did commit a campaign finance violation, or even a crime. Democrats, including likely incoming House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, say it would be sufficient grounds for impeachment. . .

That potential for voters to see impeachment of Trump as an overreach must weigh very heavily on the minds of congressional Democrats even while many in their base demand the action. Assuming this alleged campaign finance violation is the basis of the impeachment, Democrats would be saying to voters, “He had affairs and paid hush money without reporting it because he was worried it would hurt his election chances.”

Let’s think about this for a minute. The thrice-married Trump, who has been known to boast about adultery like a suburban dad who won the best lawn in the neighborhood award, apparently had sex with a porn star and a Playboy playmate. That seems about par for his course. But wait! He lied about it! Well, yeah, also pretty much behavior we knew about and expected. But there’s more! He might have violated campaign finance law! Okay, but so do a lot of campaigns. Usually they pay a fine and we all move along. (Read more from “Why Democrats Would Be Insane to Impeach Donald Trump” HERE)

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Gun Control Fail: Thousands of Illegal Guns Flood Chicago’s Streets – and It’s No Surprise

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By Townhall. For years, Chicago, Illinois has been the epicenter of the gun control movement. The city has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation yet they continue to have some of the highest crime and murder rates. And it’s not coincidental.

In fact, police officers in Chicago have seized more than 9,100 illegal firearms this year alone. And it could easily surpass 10,000 by the end of the year. . .

What’s happening in Chicago is what Second Amendment advocates have talked about for a long time. It’s sad that we have to continually reference what’s taking place in the Windy City.

The perpetual cycle that takes place in Chicago is one that can be solved by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families. Gang members and criminals do not follow the law. That’s the very definition of being a criminal! Implementing gun control laws hurts the law-abiding, not the criminals. . .

Limiting who can own a legal firearm for self-defense empowers the gang members and criminals. They perpetuate fear because they know the only other people who are armed are also bad people. That gives them the ability to keep power and makes police officers’ job even harder than it already is. (Read more from “Gun Control Fail: Thousands of Illegal Guns Flood Chicago’s Streets – and It’s No Surprise” HERE)

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9,000 Firearms and Counting: Illegal Guns Flood Chicago

By AP. . .Chicago police regularly recover more illegal firearms than officials in larger New York and Los Angeles. Last year, the citywide haul was 7,932 firearms. The 2018 tally exceeds 9,100, and police say it could surpass 10,000 by year’s end.

Police seize an illegal weapon about once every hour, most connected to gangs on the South and West sides. Authorities cite two reasons for the heavy gun traffic: Penalties for carrying these firearms aren’t considered a deterrent and, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, suspects tell officers they “would rather be caught by police with a gun … than caught by a rival gang without one.”

The department’s 6th District, one of 22 in all, leads the city in guns recovered, accounting for almost 15 percent so far in 2018. District Commander William Bradley sees progress in those numbers, measuring success in the smallest increments. (Read more from “9,000 Firearms and Counting: Illegal Guns Flood Chicago” HERE)

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Search Called off for Missing Marines

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By Stars and Stripes. The Marine Corps has ended an extensive search for five Marines missing after their KC-130J Hercules collided with an F/A-18 Hornet last week off Japan’s southern coast.

“After an update from the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, and a review of all available information, I have made the determination to end the search and rescue operations for the crew of our [Hercules] … and to declare that these Marine warriors are deceased,” III Expeditionary Force commander Lt. Gen. Eric Smith said in a statement posted Tuesday afternoon to the organization’s official Facebook page.

“Every possible effort was made to recover our crew and I hope the families of these selfless Americans will find comfort in the incredible efforts made by US, Japanese, and Australian forces during the search,” he added.

Seven Marines were involved in the training accident, which occurred just before 2 a.m. Thursday about 200 miles south of Muroto Cape on Shikoku Island, U.S. and Japanese officials said. (Read more from “Search Called off for Missing Marines” HERE)

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U.S. Marines Declare 5 Service Members Dead, Ending Search After ‘Aviation Mishap’

By NPR. Five days after a pair of U.S. military aircraft crashed off the coast of Japan, the Marine Corps has called off its search-and-rescue efforts for five of the crew members involved. The III Marine Expeditionary Force declared the service members dead in an announcement released on Tuesday local time. . .

The announcement marks a tragic conclusion to a search operation that began Thursday, after what the Marines have described as an “aviation mishap” during a routine overnight training exercise, between an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and a KC-130 Hercules refueling aircraft.

The Corps said it has opened an investigation into the cause of the accident.

A total of seven Marines were aboard the two aircraft at the time of the crash. The two F/A-18 Hornet crew members were found in the hours immediately afterward, during the joint search efforts of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Japan Coast Guard and the U.S. 7th Fleet. But only one ultimately survived.

The other, identified as Capt. Jahmar F. Resilard, a 28-year-old F/A-18 pilot with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242, was declared dead soon after he was recovered from the water.

(Read more from “U.S. Marines Declare 5 Service Members Dead, Ending Search After ‘Aviation Mishap'” HERE)

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Is Team Trump Ready for Pelosi’s ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’?

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By Washington Examiner. The Trump administration is preparing for House Democrats to be a constant thorn in its side for the for the next two years, launching investigations into the president, his family, and members of his administration. . .

Armed with congressional subpoena power, House Democrats are expected to investigate everything from the president’s real-estate holdings and unreleased tax returns to his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to his termination of former FBI Director James Comey to any potential ties between himself, his associates and Russia. . .

As the administration remains outwardly confident, expressing willingness to work across the aisle, former administration officials and sources close to the White House who spoke to the Washington Examiner paint a different picture. They argue that White House officials underestimate the ability of Democratic inquiries to derail a presidential agenda.

Facing congressional subpoenas, document requests and requests for administration officials to appear before committees, House Democrats are guaranteed to make it difficult for the White House to control the message and promote the president’s “America First” policies. The concern is that even if the administration scores a policy win, like infrastructure, having an official appear before a committee to give sworn testimony will get the media coverage and “suck all the oxygen out of the room.”

“I think they are certainly not prepared for the death by a thousand cuts that is almost undoubtedly coming from Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats,” one source close to the administration told the Washington Examiner. “They are going to take every little thing they can take and use it against the president and the administration. Where it will have the biggest effect is it will derail their ability to communicate their policies or get coverage on their policies.” (Read more from “Is Team Trump Ready for Pelosi’s ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’?” HERE)

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Pelosi, rebels discuss limiting her time as speaker to 4 years

By Politico. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and a group of House Democratic rebels are discussing a proposal to cap her time as speaker to four years, a move that could clear the way for the California Democrat to clinch the gavel in the coming days.

The idea is part of a broader deal being floated that would limit the time all House Democratic leaders can serve, including Pelosi’s two longtime lieutenants, Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina.

The plan would be a dramatic shift for Pelosi, who has refused to put an end date on her tenure as she works to reclaim the speakership.

Under the terms of the deal, Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn would be able to serve three terms with an option for a fourth term if they can win the support of two-thirds of the caucus, according to multiple Democratic sources. The effect would be retroactive, meaning the two terms the trio ruled in the majority from 2007 to 2011 would count against their tenure. (Read more from “Pelosi, rebels discuss limiting her time as speaker to 4 years” HERE)

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Facebook Censors Photo That Depicts Santa Claus Kneeling to Honor Baby Jesus

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Facebook has covered over a posting of a picture of Santa Claus kneeling before the Baby Jesus, warning viewers that the photo “may show violent or graphic content.”

A second warning beneath the obscured image of Santa on bended knee, reverentially adoring the Christ Child states, “This photo was automatically covered so you can decide if you want to see it.” . . .

Facebook explains on its site what it means by “Violence and graphic content:” . . .

The image in question — of the Savior of the World as an infant and a popularized version of a saint — was originally posted on December 1, 2015, with this accompanying poem explaining the touching illustration:

My dear precious Jesus, I did not mean to take your place,
I only bring toys and things and you bring love and grace.
People give me lists of wishes and hope that they came true;
But you hear prayers of the heart and promise your will to do.
Children try to be good and not to cry when I am coming to town;
But you love them unconditionally and that love will abound.
I leave only a bag of toys and temporary joy for a season;
But you leave a heart of love, full of purpose and reasons.
I have a lot of believers and what one might call fame;
But I never healed the blind or tried to help the lame.
I have rosy cheeks and a voice full of laughter;
But no nail—scarred hands or a promise of the hereafter.
You may find several of me in town or at a mall;
But there is only one omnipotent you, to answer a sinner’s call.
And so, my dear precious Jesus, I kneel here to pray;
To worship and adore you on this, your holy birthday.

(Read more from “Facebook Censors Photo That Depicts Santa Claus Kneeling to Honor Baby Jesus in Manger” HERE)

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DOJ Wants to Keep Justification for Raiding Reported Clinton Foundation Whistleblower Secret

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By The Daily Caller. The Department of Justice is requesting that the justification of an FBI raid on a reportedly recognized whistleblower’s home remain secret, according to a letter from U.S. Attorney Robert Robert Hur.

The letter was sent to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Dec. 7 in response to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Nov. 30 request to unseal court documents that would show the FBI’s rationale for the raid.

The documents could potentially reveal whether the bureau and the magistrate who signed the court order allowing the raid, Stephanie A. Gallagher, knew that the subject was, according to his lawyer, a recognized whistleblower. . .

The documents Cain possessed reportedly showed that federal officials failed to investigate potential criminal activity regarding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, and the Russian company that purchased Uranium One.

Cain gave the documents to Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who had a senior official from his office hand-deliver them to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, according to Cain’s layer, Michael Socarras. (Read more from “DOJ Wants to Keep Justification for Raiding Reported Clinton Foundation Whistleblower Secret” HERE)

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Ned Ryun: Why Are There No Consequences for Clinton Foundation Abuses?

By Fox News. Last week news broke that whistleblowers on the Clinton Foundation had come forward over a year ago regarding potential abuses, including “quid pro quo” behavior, “conflicts of interest” and the paying of personal business with Foundation funds. Some former federal investigators have even said there is strong evidence of potential criminality.

There have always been questions about the Clinton Foundation’s actual purpose and behavior over the years. Of course we can’t forget the Uranium One situation during the Obama years in which, while Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) board approved giving Russia the rights to 20 percent of our uranium and then magically, $145 million shows up in the Clinton Foundation from interests with ties to Uranium One.

What is not as well known is that there were other concerning business transactions while Hillary was Secretary of State: between 2010 and 2012, Hillary Clinton’s State Department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to nearly two dozen foreign countries, whose governments had conveniently given anywhere from $54 to $141 million to the Clinton Foundation.

Now, commercial arms sales to foreign countries happen all the time. What’s unusual about the size of the sales Hillary approved in that two year period is that they represented nearly “double the value of American arms sales made to the those countries and approved by the State Department during the same period of President George W. Bush’s second term.” (Read more from “Ned Ryun: Why Are There No Consequences for Clinton Foundation Abuses?” HERE)

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