Second State Employee Refuses GOP Questions on Clinton Server

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A State Department staffer who oversaw security and technology issues for Hillary Clinton is refusing to answer Senate investigators’ questions about the former secretary of state’s use of a private email server — marking the second time an ex-State employee has declined to talk to lawmakers.

John Bentel, a now-retired State employee who managed IT security issues for the top echelon at the department, declined to be interviewed by GOP staff on the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.

The chairmen of both committees, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), are now threatening to consider other ways to compel him to discuss the matter . . .

Bentel’s lawyer, Randy Turk of Baker Botts in Washington, did not reply to a request for comment, but the recent letter notes that Bentel told House Benghazi investigators last year he did not recall the server matter, according to the Senate letter. And in email correspondence between the panel and Bentel’s laywer, which was reviewed by POLITICO, Turk lamented that Bentel had already talked to the House Benghazi panel “about precisely what the committtees’ letter states is the subject of their investigation.” (Read more from “Second State Employee Refuses GOP Questions on Clinton Server” HERE)

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National Uproar Over Obama’s Homosexual Ambassador and His ‘Husband’

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A little over two years after Obama campaign bundler and LGBT advocate James “Wally” Brewster arrived in the Dominican Republic, accompanied by his spouse, Bob Satawake, to assume his duties as U.S. ambassador, calls are growing in the conservative country for his recall.

Church leaders, politicians and education officials in the Caribbean island nation are clamoring for his removal, and a petition was lodged with the White House this week accusing him of promoting an “LGBT agenda inconsistent with the Christian cultural values and tradition of the Dominican Republic.”

…Dominican Teachers Association president Eduardo Hidalgo asked the country’s education ministry to bar Brewster from visiting public or private schools with Satawake, saying the rights of children should be protected. . .

Pelegrin Castillo, presidential candidate for the center-right National Progressive Force (FNP) party, was quoted as saying that under the guise of defending the rights of minorities Brewster “has a business agenda to convert Santo Domingo into the Caribbean’s gay paradise.”

On the left, the United Left Movement (MIU), in a statement marked by anti-U.S. rhetoric, accused Brewster of using his office as “convenient camouflage” to promote his personal agenda, and accused USAID of meddling in the country’s internal affairs. MIU secretary-general Miguel Mejia said the ambassador deserved to be declared persona non grata. (Read more from “National Uproar Over Obama’s Homosexual Ambassador and His ‘Husband'” HERE)

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Poll: Rubio Drops to Third in Florida, Days Before Big Tuesday Primaries

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By Fox News. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio has dropped to third place just days ahead of a crucial primary in his home state of Florida, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday.

The primary, among five Tuesday, is essentially a must-win for Rubio, who significantly trails front-runner Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the delegate count. And Rubio’s drop in the poll appears to be another indication that his campaign might soon come to an end.

On Sunday, he continued to criticize the violence at Trump rallies, saying the candidate and protestors share the blame.

“You have a leading contender for president telling people in his audience, ‘Go ahead and punch someone in the face. I’ll pay your legal bills,’ ” Rubio said in Florida. “That’s wrong if our kids did it. That is disastrous if a president does it.” He has also acknowledged that some of the protestors appeared to be paid. (Read more from “Poll: Rubio Drops to Third in Florida, Days Before Big Tuesday Primaries” HERE)

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Rubio Wins District of Columbia’s GOP Convention

By NBC Washington. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida narrowly won the District of Columbia’s Republican convention on Saturday, seizing his third primary-season victory as a critical contest looms in his home state.

The small band of establishment-friendly Republican voters in the nation’s capital also offered a rebuke to GOP front-runner Donald Trump, who failed to win a single delegate. Rubio got 37 percent of the vote and won 10 delegates, and the runner-up, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, won nine delegates with 36 percent of the vote.

Trump was third and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was fourth, but neither met the minimum threshold to earn delegates.

Earlier this month, Rubio won the GOP caucuses in Minnesota and the party’s primary in Puerto Rico, but he’s still a distant third in the overall delegate count behind Trump and Cruz. (Read more from “Rubio Wins District of Columbia’s GOP Convention” HERE)

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After Trump Cancels Chicago Rally, Ted Cruz Immediately Blames Chaos on SHOCKING Factor

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In comments that had him called a “despicable opportunist” by conservative Ann Coulter, Sen. Ted Cruz said Republican presidential rival Donald Trump bears some of the blame for the organized protests that disrupted a planned Trump rally Friday and led to the cancellation of the Chicago event.

” … in any campaign responsibility starts at the top,” said Cruz, after saying violence has no place in political contests. “Any candidate…is responsible for the culture of the campaign. And when you have a campaign that disrespects the voters, when you have a campaign that affirmatively encourages violence, when you have a campaign that is facing allegations of physical violence against members of the press, you create an environment that only encourages this sort of nasty discourse.”

“I think a campaign bears responsibility for creating an environment,” Cruz added. “When the candidate urges supporters to engage in physical violence, to punch people in the face. The predicable consequence of that is that it escalates. And today is unlikely to be the last such instance. That is not how our politics should occur.”

Many of those who read Cruz’s comments on TheBlaze disagreed.

“Really Ted? Then why didn’t you say this when the rumors were flying that your campaign said Carson was dropping out of the race and to vote for Ted? Why didn’t you say this when the fraudulent mailer/report cards were mailed out in two separate states? Why didn’t you say this when the video that was edited incorrectly to make Rubio look like a heretic and instead you fired your campaign manager?” wrote Narroway. (Read more from “After Trump Cancels Chicago Rally, Ted Cruz Immediately Blames Chaos on SHOCKING Factor” HERE)

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34 Dead, 125 Wounded in Turkey Explosion

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A car bomb blew up near an Ankara bus stop on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding 125 others, according to the Turkish health minister.

At least one or two of the dead were perpetrators of the attack, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said, according to Reuters, and at least 19 of the wounded were in serious condition.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would use its right to self-defense to prevent future attacks and called for national unity.

“Our people should not worry,” Erdogan said. “The struggle against terrorism will for certain end in success and terrorism will be brought to its knees.”

The Turkish interior minister told Reuters those responsible for the explosion would be named Monday, when an investigation into the blast was completed. (Read more from “34 Dead, 125 Wounded in Turkey Explosion” HERE)

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7-Eleven Customer Shoots, Kills Hatchet-Wielding Attacker

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By Catherine E. Shoichet and Carma Hassan. A customer drinking coffee at a Seattle 7-Eleven Sunday morning drew a pistol and shot dead a hatchet-wielding man who went after him and the store clerk, authorities said.

Investigators haven’t yet identified the suspect, who’s believed to be in his 40s and was wearing a mask when he entered the store early Sunday, the King County Sheriff’s Office said.

“The suspect did not make any statements but swung the hatchet at the customer and then went behind the counter and attacked the clerk,” the sheriff’s office said. (Read more from “7-Eleven Customer Shoots, Kills Hatchet-Wielding Attacker” HERE)

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Hatchet-Swinging Attacker Shot and Killed by Customer at 7-11

By Lucas Combos. A customer with a concealed carry permit shot and killed a masked man wielding a hatchet inside a convenience store Sunday morning, according to investigators.

The King County Sheriff’s Office was called to a 7-Eleven on 8th Avenue South, near White Center, at 5:45 a.m.

The store clerk says the masked man entered the store and immediately started swinging a hatchet toward a customer — then he turned his sights on the clerk.

Witnesses told deputies the attacker remained silent during the entire ordeal.

The clerk suffered minor injuries to his stomach, but before more damage could be done, the customer fired his pistol and hit the suspect. (Read more from “Hatchet-Swinging Attacker Shot and Killed by Customer at 7-11” HERE)

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INSIDE HILLARY’S EMAIL SERVER: The Entire Criminal Enterprise Known as the Clinton Foundation Laid Bare

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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)

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Right After Trump Earns Carson’s Endorsement, He Gets Huge News From This Conservative Icon

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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.

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)

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Judiciary Chairman Accuses Democrats of ‘Charade’ on Supreme Court

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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)

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Source: Clinton IT Specialist Revealing Server Details to FBI, ‘Devastating Witness’

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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)

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