Secret Service Blocked Independent Audit of Trump Security, Whistleblower Says

/8 Comments/in , , /by

Senior leadership within the Secret Service blocked multiple auditors from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG) from probing former President Donald Trump’s security detail, according to a new whistleblower report.

On Wednesday, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sent a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe outlining the new charges of misconduct within the agency.

“A Secret Service whistleblower has alleged to my office that Secret Service headquarters blocked several auditors from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG) from accessing recent Trump campaign events,” Hawley wrote. “The whistleblower alleges that the Secret Service denied access to DHS auditors because the former president is not receiving the full level of protective assets for all of his events, and Secret Service leadership wants to obscure or simply conceal this fact.”

According to the whistleblower, Hawley added, “Secret Service leadership is permitting OIG auditors only at select events — such as a recent rally in North Carolina — where President Trump receives the full level of protective assets, to create the impression he is receiving this level of protection at all times, when in fact he is not.”

The latest whistleblower disclosure comes two weeks after Hawley sent another letter to Rowe charging the agency with denying Trump “sufficient assets” for a campaign rally in Wisconsin. The failure to provide the former president with full security forced Republicans to cancel the Badger State event. (Read more from “Secret Service Blocked Independent Audit of Trump Security, Whistleblower Says” HERE)

WATCH: Kamala Harris Appears Distracted During Hurricane Milton Briefing, Hides Her Mouth To Tell Someone ‘It’s a Live Broadcast’

/0 Comments/in , , /by

In a clumsy attempt to be discreet, Vice President Kamala Harris was caught on a hot mic and on video Wednesday telling someone that the Hurricane Milton briefing she was in the middle of was a “live broadcast.”

As National Weather Service Director Ken Graham warned of the potentially devastating flooding that could result from the major hurricane’s landfall, Harris – who was taking part in briefing over video – appeared to become distracted by something behind the camera.

@dailymail Kamala Harris was caught on a hot mic talking to her staff during a Hurricane Milton briefing. She can be seen covering her mouth, but doesn't realize her microphone is on, saying 'it's a live broadcast.' #kamala #hurricanemilton #florida #news ♬ original sound – Daily Mail

The vice president – in a moment that some on social media likened to a scene from HBO’s “Veep” – then awkwardly raised her hands up to her chin and slowly concealed half her face, including her mouth, with her palms and fingers.

“It’s a live broadcast,” Harris barked, with her mouth still shielded behind her hands.

Graham wrapped up his portion of the briefing seconds after the bizarre moment. (Read more from “Kamala Harris Appears Distracted During Hurricane Milton Briefing, Hides Her Mouth To Tell Someone ‘It’s a Live Broadcast’” HERE)

Monster Storm Carves Deadly Path Through Florida at This Hour After Striking in the Dead of Night

/1 Comment/in , /by

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds on Wednesday near Siesta Key, Florida, slamming into the state’s west coast before churning its way eastward.

The hurricane was later downgraded to a Category 2 storm and has since been downgraded to a Category 1 storm.

During an appearance on Fox Weather, St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson confirmed there have been 17 tornadoes along with several fatalities.

“We can confirm 17 tornadoes hit St. Lucie County, Florida, with multiple fatalities, a rescue mission ongoing, and hundreds of homes destroyed,” he said.

The catastrophic landfall comes barely two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which battered Florida before causing devastation in North Carolina. Florida residents have spent the interim boarding up windows and evacuating their homes in preparation for Milton. (Read more from “Monster Storm Carves Deadly Path Through Florida at This Hour After Striking in the Dead of Night” HERE)

Trump Closes the Door on Another Debate With Kamala Harris: ‘There Will Be No Rematch!’

/5 Comments/in , /by

Former President Donald Trump shut the door Wednesday on debating Vice President Kamala Harris for a second time before Election Day.

“I won the last two debates,” the Republican nominee declared in a lengthy, all caps Truth Social post, which came after a last-ditch attempt by Fox News to arrange another debate.

Trump, 78, noted that he took part in CNN’s June 27 debate against President Biden and ABC’s Sept. 10 debate against Harris.

The former president also pointed out that he accepted an invite to a Sept. 4 debate that would’ve been hosted by Fox News “but she turned it down.”

“JD Vance easily won his debate with tampon Tim Walz, who called himself a knucklehead!” Trump continued. “I am also leading in the polls, with the lead getting bigger by the day – and leading in all swing states.” (Read more from “Trump Closes the Door on Another Debate With Kamala Harris: ‘There Will Be No Rematch!’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Book States Biden Blames Obama For Russia Invading Ukraine: He ‘F***ed Up’

/1 Comment/in , /by

President Joe Biden blamed former President Barack Obama for Russia invading Ukraine in 2022, according to a new book from Bob Woodward, saying that the former president’s weakness in 2014 led to Russian President Vladimir Putin feeling emboldened to go further.

During a moment of political upheaval in February 2014, Russian soldiers, wearing uniforms with no insignias, seized government buildings throughout Crimea and later seized its airports. Russia illegally annexed Crimea the following month.

In his new book, “War,” journalist Bob Woodward says that Biden blamed Obama for Russia invading Ukraine.

“They f***ed up in 2014,” Biden said to a friend, according to Woodward. “That’s why we are here. We f***ed it up. Barack never took Putin seriously.”

“We did nothing. We gave Putin a license to continue!” Biden reportedly fumed. “Well, I’m revoking his f***ing license!” (Read more from “Book States Biden Blames Obama For Russia Invading Ukraine: He ‘F***ed Up’” HERE)

Harris and Biden Clash in Final Weeks of Her White House Run

/1 Comment/in , /by

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden say they’re singing from the same song sheet but haven’t always been on the same page in the campaign’s final weeks.

Both have publicly said that they’re closely aligned on policy, which could be problematic in and of itself as Harris brands herself a change candidate. Yet the two were at odds when it came to a high-profile Republican governor and sharing the spotlight.

Harris has accused Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) of being “selfish” for ignoring her phone calls amid preparations for Hurricane Milton. While DeSantis pushed back strongly, saying Harris had never called him about a storm before she ran for president, that she’s “not in the chain of command” for weather operations, and advising her to look in the mirror when making accusations of politicking.

That type of cross-party argument is expected in today’s political environment, but Harris’s claims have also been undermined by her boss. Biden spoke with DeSantis over the phone Monday night and praised the Florida governor afterward.

“The governor of Florida has been cooperative,” Biden said Tuesday. “He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday. And I said, ‘I know you’re doing a great job. It’s all being done well. We thank you for it.’ And I literally gave him my personal phone number to call.” (Read more from “Harris and Biden Clash in Final Weeks of Her White House Run” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

KJP Refuses To Say Whether Biden Will Leave White House For His Private Residence During Hurricane Landfall

/1 Comment/in , /by

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused Wednesday to answer whether President Joe Biden will remain at the White House or depart for his private residence during Hurricane Milton’s landfall.

Biden postponed his upcoming trip for Germany and Angola as Hurricane Milton, a Category 4 storm, is set to make landfall and potentially cause destruction in Florida. Jean-Pierre said the president does not currently have any travel plans for Florida and did not make it clear whether he intends to remain at the White House.

“Will [Biden] be here the whole time, probably, is it possible he will go to Delaware over the weekend, are you guys talking about a possible trip to Florida at some point already?” CNN senior White House correspondent MJ Lee asked.

“The president’s gonna continue to get hurricane briefings, not just on Milton, and how we’re preparing and what’s happening. He is going to be laser focused on that as well as the vice president,” Jean-Pierre said. “So he will continue to be updated, continue to get those briefings, I don’t have any travel to read out to you at this time, whether it is to the impacted areas or outside of that. What I can say is the president is going to continue to be laser focused on the storms and what’s happening, the preparations, how we are still certainly responding to the immediate needs of folks who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene as well. That is also very much in front of us and what we’re trying to do and get done there, but that’s gonna be his focus.” (Read more from “KJP Refuses To Say Whether Biden Will Leave White House For His Private Residence During Hurricane Landfall” HERE)

Conservatives Reveal Plan To Awaken Sleeping Giant Voter Demographic That Could Decide White House, Senate

/2 Comments/in , /by

A crumbling economy and porous border, or the scary project 2025 and loss of “reproductive rights”; those are the messages both parties are inundating Americans with as election day rapidly approaches.

But if Republicans hope to reach the estimated 10 million gun owners not registered to vote, hunting and pro-gun organizations alike know traditional messaging won’t do it. A coalition of pro-gun organizations believe those non-voters could swing the election, and are using hunting and firearm influencers, social media and messaging catered specifically towards gun owners to engage them.

“Bill Clinton acknowledged, as did Clinton’s campaign, the White House spokesman Joel Lockhart admitted, that the gun vote cost Al Gore the White House. It cost John Kerry the White House. It cost the Democrats control of Congress in 1994 after they passed the Clinton gun ban, and we believe it can be a determinative factor in this election in places where there’s high gun ownership, in places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana, Arizona, Nevada,” Larry Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, told the Daily Caller.

“We believe [gun owners] will be a determinant factor, particularly when the contrast is so stark. You have a candidate on the Democrat side who was coronated and wants to literally, wants to send the police to your home to see how you store your guns, and wants to confiscate firearms,” Keane added.

Former President Donald Trump himself believes gun owners can sway the election. Speaking at a recent rally, he said that the National Rifle Association had shown him numbers about how infrequently gun owners vote. “If you would vote, nobody would beat us,” Trump said.

(Read more from “Conservatives Reveal Plan To Awaken Sleeping Giant Voter Demographic That Could Decide White House, Senate” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Category 5 Hurricane Barrels Toward Florida as Time Runs Out To Evacuate

/1 Comment/in , /by

Millions in Florida are bracing for a potentially catastrophic punch from major Hurricane Milton, which threatens a historically deep and dangerous storm surge to a large swath of Florida’s west coast along with wind gusts well over 100 mph during the next 36 hours.

Milton regained Category 5 strength Tuesday evening, a day after becoming among the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin. When it reaches the Florida coast, it is still forecast to be a major hurricane.

“It’s worth emphasizing that this is a very serious situation,” the National Hurricane Center warned on Tuesday. “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida.”

State officials have been scrambling since Monday to get millions off vulnerable coastlines in what is described as the largest mass evacuation in Florida since Hurricane Irma in 2017. Storm surge forecasts along the central western coast are predicting 10–15 feet of water topped with devastating waves driven by hurricane-force winds. Those levels — significantly higher than the damage wrought just last month by Hurricane Helene — would surpass anything seen in over a century in the Tampa Bay area.

“Yes, you might have ‘been through hurricanes before,'” FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross said. “But you weren’t through the 1921 storm that put water over much of Pinellas County, or the 1848 hurricane that put 15 feet of Gulf water where downtown Tampa is today.” (Read more from “Category 5 Hurricane Barrels Toward Florida as Time Runs Out To Evacuate” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Why Tampa Is the Most Vulnerable City in America for Hurricane Storm Surges

/1 Comment/in , /by

Tampa is the single most vulnerable city in the US for hurricane storm surges — thanks to a mix of fatal factors colliding to create catastrophic conditions should it take a direct hit from a major storm like the incoming Hurricane Milton, according to experts.

About 50% of the more than 3 million people living around Tampa Bay reside at elevations less than 10 feet above sea level, a 2015 study from the disaster consultants Karen Clark and Co. found — meaning millions of homes will be severely flooded if Milton’s 15-foot storm surge comes to fruition.

Tampa Bay was last hit by a major hurricane in 1921, when just a few hundred people lived in sparsely developed backwater towns — and the community was still devastated. Ocean waves broke in the middle of downtown Tampa, and swaths of infrastructure were washed away.

The area is practically tailor-made to create severe storm surges due to shallow depths in the bay and surrounding Gulf Coast. Waves blown by heavy wind can “pile up” and create a deadly wall of water, MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel told The Post. . .

Finally, if Milton lands just north of Tampa, its counterclockwise rotation will slam wind and waves directly into the bay — just one more factor which led Emanuel to agree with Karen Clark and Co.’s assessment that Tampa faces surge dangers unlike any other US city. (Read more from “Why Tampa Is the Most Vulnerable City in America for Hurricane Storm Surges” HERE)