Top FBI Official Involved in ‘Russiagate’ Investigation Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Aid Russian Oligarch (VIDEO)

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A former FBI official who played a key role in the “Russiagate” investigation into former President Donald Trump pled guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to provide illegal services to a sanctioned Russian oligarch, according to a press release from the U.S. Southern District of New York Attorney’s Office.

Charles McGonigal, a former special agent and chief of counterintelligence at the FBI’s New York field office, pled guilty to money laundering and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), in connection to services provided to Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned Russian oligarch, according to the release issued Tuesday. McGonigal was a key player in spearheading the “Crossfire Hurricane” probe – informally referred to as “Russiagate” – in 2016, which was the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, the New York Post reported.

“Charles McGonigal, by his own admission, betrayed his oath and actively concealed his illicit work at the bidding of a sanctioned Russian oligarch,” assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Matthew G. Olsen, said, according to the release. “Today’s plea shows the Department of Justice’s resolve to pursue and dismantle the illegal networks that Russian oligarchs use to try to escape the reach of our sanctions and evade our laws.”

McGonigal was one of the first FBI agents involved in the Crossfire Hurricane operation, which would ultimately become a 22-month and $32 million probe that found no evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia, according to the New York Post. McGonigal was also involved in a “classified defensive briefing” given to the lawyers of failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2015; the briefing was later called a “clear double standard by the Department of Justice,” by Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2020. (Read more from “Top FBI Official Involved in ‘Russiagate’ Investigation Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Aid Russian Oligarch (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Ex-FBI Agent Says IRS Whistleblower Was Right, Bidens Were Tipped off During Investigation

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A former FBI agent who worked on the investigation into Hunter Biden has corroborated a major claim made by whistleblower and IRS supervisory special agent Gary Shapley.

The unnamed retired FBI supervisory special agent testified to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in a closed-door session on July 17. The committee released the 65-page transcript of that testimony on Monday.

The ex-agent backed up allegations made by Shapley that President Joe Biden’s transition team was tipped off about the FBI’s intent to interview Hunter. The agent said he was notified the evening before the date of the expected interview – planned to be held on December 8, 2020 – that the Biden transition team had been warned.

“I was refreshed by the testimony of supervisor No. 2, and I believe he’s correct. I believe I – you know, and now getting into the frame of mind, I know I was upset when I learned about it,” the agent told lawmakers. (Read more from “Ex-FBI Agent Says IRS Whistleblower Was Right, Bidens Were Tipped off During Investigation” HERE)

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Georgia’s Elected Republicans on Trump Indictment: We Told You, No Fraud

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Georgia’s leading elected state officials, who are Republicans, reacted Tuesday to Monday’s late-night indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 other lawyers, aides, and supporters by reiterating that there was no voter fraud in 2020.

Gov. Brian Kemp (R) posted a tweet in response to a Truth Social post by the former president. Kemp did not object to the indictment — which critics have said violates constitutional norms and criminalizes free speech — but to Trump’s 2020 claims.

Secretary of State Brad Raffesnperger, whose infamous phone conversation with Trump (in which the former president said “I just want to find” the votes to win, not “Find me the votes”) helped trigger the grand jury investigation, made a statement: “The most basic principles of a strong democracy are accountability and respect for the Constitution and rule of law. You either have it, or you don’t.”

(Read more from “Georgia’s Elected Republicans on Trump Indictment: We Told You, No Fraud” HERE)

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This Common Over the Counter Medication May Significantly Increase the Risk of Brain Bleeds

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Taking daily, low-dose aspirin may increase older adults’ risk of brain bleeds while doing very little to lower the risk of ischemic stroke, a new study finds.

While it was at one point fairly common for older adults to be advised to take low-dose aspirin for the sake of stroke prevention, research—and the paralleling medical advice—is shifting.

The new research is the latest evidence to show that routine use of low-dose aspirin is not suited for older adults with no history of heart conditions or history of strokes. Findings did suggest that older people who are prone to falls, which can cause brain bleeds, should be cautious of taking aspirin.

“Amongst older people, low-dose aspirin appears to lead to an increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage of various types,” Professor John McNeil, an author of the paper and Professor of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine at the School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at Monash University told Health.

“It emphasizes the need to avoid aspirin as a primary preventive intervention in older people,” McNeil said. (Read more from “This Common Over the Counter Medication May Significantly Increase the Risk of Brain Bleeds” HERE)

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‘Bud Light Them’: Skittles Sparks Outrage After Strange Pro-LGBTQ Packaging

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We’ve got another Bud Light on our hands, ladies and gents!

After putting out some strange pro-LGBTQ packaging, Skittles is getting blasted with lash back from Americans who have now turned sour on the candy. In fact, they’re now gloriously calling for a Bud Light-style boycott on the rainbow brand.

Skittles’ parent company, the Wrigley Company (which is owned by Mars Incorporated), sparked outrage after switching up the traditional rainbow packaging for messages and illustrations that promote the LGBTQ community. Now black and white, the packaging features phrases such as “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Joy is Resistance.”

Designed in a collaboration with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, this is the fourth year that Skittles has worked with the organization to promote LGBTQ sentiment.

And the backlash towards Skittles has been great ever since:

(Read more from “‘Bud Light Them’: Skittles Sparks Outrage After Strange Pro-LGBTQ Packaging” HERE)

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First Amendment Concerns Raised After Police Seize Materials From Small-Town Kansas Newspaper Office and Staff Homes During Raid

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A small-town newspaper in Kansas is raising First Amendment questions on a national level after local police raided its office and homes of staffers on Friday, seizing material linked to alleged identity theft violations.

Marion County Record, a family-owned weekly newspaper published in the midwestern state about 60 miles north of Wichita, was named in a search warrant signed by Marion County Court Magistrate Judge Laura Viar on Friday morning, which alleges violations of identity theft and “unlawful acts concerning computers.” CNN reported.

Eric Meyer, co-owner and publisher of the paper founded more than 150 years ago in the small city of Marion, reportedly said four Marion police officers and three sheriff’s deputies seized personal cell phones, computers, and other materials at his home and Marion County Record office, including some unrelated equipment needed to publish.

“Our first priority is to be able to publish next week,” Meyer said. “But we also want to make sure no other news organization is ever exposed to the Gestapo tactics we witnessed today.”

Reporter Deb Gruver wrote in a post on Facebook she had filed a report with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation that accused Marion, Kansas Police Chief Gideon Cody of re-injuring a previously dislocated finger after he allegedly “forcibly yanked” her cell phone from her hand. (Read more from “First Amendment Concerns Raised After Police Seize Materials From Small-Town Kansas Newspaper Office and Staff Homes During Raid” HERE)

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Conservative Caught on Tape: ‘We’re Going to Have a Civil War’ if Election Prosecutions Continue

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A Michigan legislator was caught on tape predicting somebody would “shoot someone” and a civil war could happen if the government continues to prosecute conservatives for election crimes.

The comments, heard on a recording provided to The Messenger, are from state Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford) who, along with his wife, former Michigan GOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock, held a fundraiser at their Milford home on Aug. 4.

The “Free The 16 Electors Poolside Party!” fundraiser was hosted by the Grand New Party PAC chaired by state Rep. Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers). The event also briefly featured Meshawn Maddock, who was one of 16 Michigan Republicans charged last month with submitting false electoral votes in December 2020 in support of former President Donald Trump. . .

“If the government continues to weaponize these departments against conservatives and the citizens that are then the taxpayers, you know what’s going to happen to this country?” Matt Maddock is heard asking the crowd.

“The goal is communism, right?” Maddock continued. “Or Marxism, the Democrats’ dream, right? But what’s going to happen before that? Someone’s going to get so pissed off, they’re going to shoot someone,”’said Maddock. “That’s what’s going to happen. Or we’re going to have a civil war or some sort of revolution. That’s where this is going. And when that happens, we’re going to get squashed. The people here are going to be the first ones to go.” (Read more from “Conservative Caught on Tape: ‘We’re Going to Have a Civil War’ if Election Prosecutions Continue” HERE)

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Former FBI Agent Says He Was Not Aware of Interference in Hunter Biden Probe

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A former FBI agent who helped lead the probe of Hunter Biden told congressional investigators that he was not aware of any political interference in the case, though he said higher-ups blocked an interview with President Joe Biden’s son weeks after the 2020 presidential election, transcripts show.

In transcripts from a July 17 interview with the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Oversight Committee, the unidentified FBI supervisory agent corroborated earlier testimony by an Internal Revenue Service whistleblower that investigators were not allowed to interview Hunter Biden on Dec. 8, 2020, after top Secret Service officials and the Biden transition team were notified of the plan.

The former agent, who retired last year after more than 20 years with the agency, told investigators that he was frustrated over the decision by more senior officials to block the interview but didn’t consider the outcome problematic.

“I wasn’t aware of political interference, personally,” the former agent said.

Republicans pointed to the testimony as evidence that the Justice Department intervened to delay the Hunter Biden probe, even though the events took place while Republican President Donald Trump was in office. (Read more from “Former FBI Agent Says He Was Not Aware of Interference in Hunter Biden Probe” HERE)

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CNN Ruthlessly Mocked Over Its Guide to LGBT Activist ‘Neopronouns, From AE to Ze’

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CNN, once touted as the “most trusted name in news,” has published a “guide to neopronouns, from ae to ze,” providing progressives with a list of fanciful terms to memorize along with an indication that there is no end in sight.

This latest corporate effort to legitimize LGBT activists’ neologisms and advance gender ideology has been roundly ridiculed online.

CNN writer Scottie Andrew takes for granted in her guide that when “gendered pronouns do not fit” certain persons averse to accurate identification, it is incumbent upon others to accommodate them.

After all, according to Dennis Baron, a research professor of English at the University of Illinois, “refusing to let people self-identify is a way of excluding them.”

To avoid “excluding” those who reject definitive aspects of their humanity, Andrew recommended widespread adoption of “neopronouns,” which the powerful LGBT activist group Human Rights Campaign has claimed are a “step towards a society where people can more fully express all parts of themselves.” (Read more from “CNN Ruthlessly Mocked Over Its Guide to LGBT Activist ‘Neopronouns, From AE to Ze’” HERE)

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White House Claims ‘Zero Evidence’ Joe Biden Involved in Hunter’s Business Deals as GOP Hunts Bank Records

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Monday that President Biden “wasn’t involved” in his son Hunter’s foreign business dealings — despite mounting evidence to the contrary as House Republicans seek bank records to prove it.

Jean-Pierre made the comment at her first briefing since Delaware US Attorney David Weiss was granted special counsel authority Friday to continue his years-long investigation of the first son, now 53.

“If you think about what Republicans in Congress have tried to do for years — right? — they have been making claims of, and allegations — right? — about [the] president on this front, over and over again,” the press secretary said when asked if Weiss might uncover evidence of Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s ventures in places like China and Ukraine.

“And month after month, year after year, they have been investigating every single angle of this and looking at and looking for any evidence to back their allegations,” Jean-Pierre went on. “That’s what they’ve been do[ing] for years, for months, and we’ve seen it over the past several weeks. And what’s been the result of that? If you ask yourself, what we have seen from that? They keep turning up documents and witnesses showing that the president wasn’t involved, never discussed these business dealings and did nothing wrong.

“There’s been zero evidence showing otherwise. And so that’s what we have seen over the past several months. That’s what we’ve seen over the past several years. So I’ll leave it at that.” (Read more from “White House Claims ‘Zero Evidence’ Joe Biden Involved in Hunter’s Business Deals as GOP Hunts Bank Records” HERE)

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