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Hahahaha! Wash Post, NYT: FBI Embedded Informant in Trump Campaign to Protect Him

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. . .Throughout the last week, stories exploded about the Obama FBI embedding an informant inside the campaign of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump called the reports “bigger than Watergate” and the “all-time biggest political scandal!”

But not to the Washington Post and the New York Times. Over the weekend, both stellar news agencies wrote stories saying the insertion of an informant was simply to protect Trump.

“The FBI didn’t use an informant to go after Trump. They used one to protect him,” read the Post’s headline.

“Trump and his backers are wrong about what it means that the FBI reportedly was using a confidential source to gather information early in its investigation of possible campaign ties to Russia. The investigation started out as a counterintelligence probe, not a criminal one. And relying on a covert source rather than a more intrusive method of gathering information suggests that the FBI may have been acting cautiously — perhaps too cautiously — to protect the campaign, not undermine it,” wrote Asha Rangappa, a “lecturer” at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University and a former FBI agent.

As a former FBI counterintelligence agent, I know what Trump apparently does not: Counterintelligence investigations have a different purpose than their criminal counterparts. Rather than trying to find evidence of a crime, the FBI’s counterintelligence goal is to identify, monitor and neutralize foreign intelligence activity in the United States. In short, this entails identifying foreign intelligence officers and their network of agents; uncovering their motives and methods; and ultimately rendering their operations ineffective — either by clandestinely thwarting them (say, by feeding back misinformation or “flipping” their sources into double agents) or by exposing them.

(Read more from “Hahahaha! Wash Post, NYT: FBI Embedded Informant in Trump Campaign to Protect Him” HERE)

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Thanks Trump? China Pledges to Buy More American Products, Reduce Trade Deficit

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By The Daily Wire. President Donald Trump drew major heat for announcing, months ago, that he would boost tariffs on goods coming into the United States from China, in an effort to re-balance what he considered an economically fatal trade deficit.

But after months of negotiations, it seems the President’s commitment ot the “art of the deal” has changed our relationship with China without many major changes on the part of the U.S., and though nothing is yet official, China says it will buy more American products to “even out” our trade partnership.

According to CNN, China has pledged to “significantly increase” “purchase of goods and services” from American companies, in order to “reduce the trade imbalance.” The news comes at the tail end of weeks of trade talks between American and Chinese officials that both parties have called “productive.” (Read more from “Thanks Trump? China Pledges to Buy More American Products, Reduce Trade Deficit” HERE)

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U.S. and China Call a Ceasefire in Trade Dispute

By CNN. After weeks of tensions, China and the United States have reached a ceasefire.

Both sides this weekend said they had agreed to not impose new tariffs on one another while talks continue, after reaching an initial agreement on trade.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the countries said China would “significantly increase” purchases of US goods and services to reduce their trade imbalance. This was a top demand of the Trump administration during two days of trade talks in Washington with Chinese officials.

“We’re putting the trade war on hold,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told “Fox News Sunday. “We have agreed to put the tariffs on hold while we try to execute the framework.” (Read more from “U.S. and China Call a Ceasefire in Trade Dispute” HERE)

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DOJ Responds to Trump’s Demand for Review into Alleged Spying for ‘Political Purposes’

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The Department of Justice responded to President Donald Trump’s Twitter message on Sunday, demanding an investigation into whether the FBI and DOJ infiltrated his campaign during the 2016 election for “political purposes.”

In a statement, DOJ spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores said, “The Department has asked the Inspector General to expand the ongoing review of the FISA application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election. As always, the IG will consult with the appropriate U.S. Attorney if there is any evidence of potential criminal conduct.”

(Read more from “DOJ Responds to Trump’s Demand for Review into Alleged Spying for ‘Political Purposes'” HERE)

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Police ID ‘Anti-Trump’ Shooter Who Stormed Trump Resort Set on Killing Spree

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By Bizpac Review. An active shooter yelling “anti-Trump” statements at President Trump’s Florida golf resort was arrested after exchanging gunfire with police . . .

The man was found “actively shooting” in the lobby of Trump National Doral Miami resort, Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said at a news conference.

Police responded to an emergency call about an active shooter around 1:30 a.m, Eastern time, and immediately exchanged fire with Oddi who “entered the resort, draped an America flag over the counter, and began spraying bullets into the lobby,” according to The Daily Caller.

“This guy was ready for war. He was waiting for our officers to come in,” Perez told local radio station 610 WIOD.

“It appears he was trying to engage our police officers … in some type of ambush-style attack,” Perez said “He did succeed and he did lose, that’s the bottom line.” (Read more from “Police ID ‘Anti-Trump’ Shooter Who Stormed Trump Resort Set on Killing Spree” HERE)

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Man Arrested After Exchanging Fire with Cops at Trump Resort

By CBS News. Police responding overnight to a call of an active shooter at President Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida, engaged in a shootout with a man and ended up taking him into custody with gunshot wounds. Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez said at a news conference early Friday morning that the man was found “actively shooting” in the lobby of Trump National Doral Miami resort, making anti-Trump statements.

At a press conference later in the morning, police identified the man in custody as Jonathan Oddi, 42, of Doral.

One officer sustained a broken wrist during the altercation, but nobody else, apart from the shooter, was wounded. The man in custody was not identified, and his motive remained unclear later Friday morning. (Read more from “Man Arrested After Exchanging Fire with Cops at Trump Resort” HERE)

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Watch: Trump Throws down on Media over MS-13 ‘Animals’ Comment

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On Thursday, President Donald Trump doubled down on his remark from Wednesday where he referred to violent MS-13 gang members as “animals,” saying that he will always refer to them as animals.

Responding to a reporter who asked him to clarify his “animals” comment, Trump shot back: “Well, it has nothing to do with this meeting. I’m referring, and you know I’m referring, to the MS-13 gangs that are coming in. I was talking about the MS-13.”

“Also, if you look further onto the tape you will see that,” Trump said. “I’m actually surprised you are asking this question. Most people got it right. But I’m saying the MS-13.” . . .

“So when the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I refer to them as animals,” Trump concluded. “And guess what. I always will.” (Read more from “Watch: Trump Throws down on Media over MS-13 ‘Animals’ Comment” HERE)

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Trump Just Did Something Amazing with His 1st Quarter Salary

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By Associated Press. President Donald Trump is donating his first quarter salary to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as his search continues for a nominee to lead the agency.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders presented a check from the president to acting VA secretary Robert Wilkie during the White House briefing on Thursday.

Trump has pledged to return his entire salary to the federal government, and has used the symbolic check handover quarterly to highlight his administration’s policy efforts. (Read more from “Trump Just Did Something Amazing with His 1st Quarter Salary” HERE)

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Trump Donates Quarterly Salary to Department of Veterans Affairs

By The Hill. . .White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump’s $100,000 quarterly salary will go toward the VA’s caregiver programs. The president is donating his salary each quarter to “important projects,” she said.

Acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie attended Thursday’s press briefing to accept the donation. He said the money will go toward mental health and peer support programs, financial aid and research that will assist individuals who care for veterans.

“The president’s gift underscores his promise to do all he can for vets, which includes supporting those who care for veterans. Not just those of us at VA, but the husbands, the wives, the families and the community caregivers who are out there day in and day out,” Wilkie said.

The VA is currently without a full-time director. Trump fired former VA Secretary David Shulkin in March. He nominated Adm. Ronny Jackson to replace him, but Jackson withdrew last month in the face of allegations of improper behavior. (Read more from “Trump Donates Quarterly Salary to Department of Veterans Affairs” HERE)

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HUGE: Mueller Reaches Indictment Decision on Trump

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By Daily Wire. On Wednesday, a new report revealed that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly informed the legal team representing President Donald Trump that they cannot indict the president, according to a lawyer for the president.

“All they get to do is write a report,” Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani told CNN. “They can’t indict. At least they acknowledged that to us after some battling, they acknowledged that to us.”

Fox News noted that “The precedent that federal prosecutors cannot indict a sitting president is laid out in a 1999 Justice Department memo.” (Read more from “Mueller Reaches Indictment Decision on Trump-Russia Investigation” HERE)

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Mueller Told Trump’s Legal Team He Will Not Indict the President, Giuliani Tells Fox News

By Fox News. . .Giuliani, himself a former federal prosecutor and mayor of New York City, also told Fox News that Mueller’s investigators have not responded to five information requests from the president’s team. That has forced Trump’s legal team to push off making a decision about whether the president will sit for an interview with the special counsel — a decision they had hoped to reach by Thursday.

“We’ve had no response from them,” Giuliani told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” about his interactions with Mueller’s team. “We’re asking … what do they really need to know, what kind of assurances do we have that they’ll get it over with quickly, just like they did for [Hillary] Clinton.” . . .

Giuliani joined Trump’s legal team last month and has repeatedly warned that an in-person interview of the president by the special counsel’s team would constitute a “perjury trap.” Complicating matters, Trump himself has refused to rule out agreeing to an interview with Mueller.

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this month, Giuliani said that the Mueller team had ruled out allowing the Trump team to submit written answers to the special counsel’s questions. (Read more from “Mueller Told Trump’s Legal Team He Will Not Indict the President, Giuliani Tells Fox News” HERE)

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Bombshell: FBI Used Secret Program to Gather Information on Trump Campaign, No Judge Needed

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By The Intercept. The FBI routinely uses secret orders known as national security letters to demand information that recipients might not actually have to give up, internal documents indicate. The letters are among the FBI’s most potent instruments, because they function like subpoenas without requiring the approval of a judge. Internal guidelines suggest that the bureau has been using them to pursue sensitive electronic data and phone records — despite the fact that such attempts overstep the bureau’s legal authority.

The Intercept obtained the FBI’s rules for national security letters as they are spelled out in two different guides: a document detailing current guidelines for agents using the letters and an uncensored 2011 version of the FBI’s main operating manual, the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide, or DIOG. Both documents are marked “unclassified” or “for official use only.” The first document has not been previously released. The DIOG has been made public only in heavily redacted form.

The FBI issues thousands of NSLs each year. They are controversial in part because they carry the force of law but are created entirely outside the judicial system: To issue one, an FBI official just needs to attest that the information sought is relevant to a national security investigation. The letters have also been criticized because they are shrouded in secrecy. Companies that receive them are for the most part forbidden from notifying their customers or the public. The government has fought to keep even basic rules governing them secret. (Read more from “Bombshell: FBI Used Secret Program to Gather Information on Trump Campaign, No Judge Needed” HERE)

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Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation

By The New York Times. Within hours of opening an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia in the summer of 2016, the F.B.I. dispatched a pair of agents to London on a mission so secretive that all but a handful of officials were kept in the dark.

Their assignment, which has not been previously reported, was to meet the Australian ambassador, who had evidence that one of Donald J. Trump’s advisers knew in advance about Russian election meddling. After tense deliberations between Washington and Canberra, top Australian officials broke with diplomatic protocol and allowed the ambassador, Alexander Downer, to sit for an F.B.I. interview to describe his meeting with the campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos.

The agents summarized their highly unusual interview and sent word to Washington on Aug. 2, 2016, two days after the investigation was opened. Their report helped provide the foundation for a case that, a year ago Thursday, became the special counsel investigation. But at the time, a small group of F.B.I. officials knew it by its code name: Crossfire Hurricane. (Read more from “Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation” HERE)

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President Trump Boldly Calls for Death Penalty of Cop Killers, Honors Fallen Officers and Their Families

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By Bizpac Review. President Trump came out swinging against “anti-police prejudice” and vowed to hold those who commit deadly attacks on our nation’s officers accountable to the highest degree.

“If we want to bring down violent crime then we must stand up for our police,” Trump said at the Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the Capitol on Tuesday.

“We must confront and condemn anti-police prejudice,” he said.

Trump called for the “end of attacks” on our police. “We’re not going to let bad things happen to our police,” he continued. “We believe criminals who kill our police should get the death penalty. Bring it forth.”

At one point, Trump invited the family of a fallen NYC officer on the stage to join him as he paid the officer, who was murdered in cold-blood just for being an officer, and her grieving family his respects. (Read more from “President Trump Boldly Calls for Death Penalty of Cop Killers, Honors Fallen Officers and Their Families” HERE)

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At National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, Trump Calls for Death Penalty for Cop Killers

By CBS News. President Trump delivered remarks at the 37th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service at the Capitol on Tuesday where he demanded stronger protections for law enforcement officials and an end to ambush-style attacks of police officers across the country.

“The Trump administration has a policy and it’s very clear: We will protect those who protect us,” the president said in front of the Capitol building . . .

The annual event honors law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, bringing together members of the law enforcement community with families of those who lost their lives in 2017 and years prior. The president delivered a solemn message to young children of officers killed during duty present at the memorial service: “Your moms and dads were among the bravest Americans to ever live.”

“When danger came when darkness fell, when distraction loomed, they did not flinch. They were not afraid. They did not falter,” he said. He added, “Their immortal legacy lives on in each and every one of you. Today, every American heart bleeds blue.” (Read more from “At National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, Trump Calls for Death Penalty for Cop Killers” HERE)

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Fact Check: Has Iran’s Military Budget Grown 40% Since the Nuclear Deal?

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Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would withdraw from the Iran nuclear accord. The deal, signed in July 2015, required Iran to dismantle two-thirds of its centrifuges and give up 95 percent of its enriched uranium. Provisions took effect January 2016.

The Obama administration estimated that the deal would lengthen the “breakout” period – the amount of time it would take for Iran to build a nuclear weapon – from two to three months to about one year. But the agreement included sunset provisions, making it a temporary fix.

The deal provided Iran with sanctions relief estimated at somewhere between $29 billion and $150 billion. The Treasury Department separately paid Iran $1.7 billion in cash to settle a legal claim, although the timing of a prisoner swap led to accusations that the funds doubled as a ransom payment . . .

“In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget has grown by almost 40 percent, while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond,” Trump said during the announcement . . .

His statistic may come from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Swedish research organization that studies conflict and arms control. Adjusted for inflation, it estimates that Iran spent $14.5 billion on its military in 2017, up from $10.6 billion in 2015 – a 37 percent increase. (Read more from “Fact Check: Has Iran’s Military Budget Grown 40% Since the Nuclear Deal?” HERE)

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