Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey demanding that his agency turn over all records of its reported plan to pay the British ex-spy — who compiled a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier on Donald Trump just prior to the election – to continue investigating the president.
The “Russia Dossier,” which claimed that Trump engaged in perverted sex acts in a Moscow hotel and allegedly was in collusion with the Russians, was published by the online site Buzzfeed. The disturbing allegations in the document were not substantiated. Famed author and Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward called the dossier a “garbage document.”
In his letter to FBI Director Comey, Chairman Grassley notes that the Washington Post “reported that the FBI reached an agreement a few weeks before the Presidential election to pay the author of the unsubstantiated dossier alleging a conspiracy between President Trump and the Russians, Christopher Steele, to continue investigating Mr. Trump.”
“The article claimed that the FBI was aware Mr. Steele was creating these memos as part of the work for an opposition research firm connected to Hillary Clinton,” said Grassley.
“The idea that the FBI and associates of the Clinton campaign would pay Mr. Steele to investigate the Republican nominee for President in the run-up to the election raises further questions about the FBI’s independence from politics, as well as the Obama administration’s use of law enforcement and intelligence agencies for political ends,” said Grassley. (Read more from “Senate Judiciary Demands All Records on FBI Plan to Pay British Ex-Spy Who Made ‘Russia Dossier’ on Trump” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/5584975694_62f53eb80a_b.jpg6831024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-03-14 22:33:082017-03-14 22:33:08Senate Judiciary Demands All Records on FBI Plan to Pay British Ex-Spy Who Made ‘Russia Dossier’ on Trump
New York City officials, wishing not to be identified and only speaking under the condition of anonymity, revealed the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Vitaly Churkin, suffered from a heart attack when he collapsed in his office last month in New York. An autopsy was performed, presumably a result of his diplomatic status, yet the underlying cause of the heart attack is being withheld.
Exactly what caused the ambassador’s death is known, but according to the Associated Press (AP), those who are in the know, aren’t allowed to say. “An autopsy was performed on Churkin last month, but the death required further study. The additional tests had been completed, but Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the city’s medical examiner, said the city’s Law Department told the office not to release any further information ‘to comply with international law and protocol,’” writes the AP.
As The Free Thought Project reported earlier, Churkin was highly critical of his U.S. and U.K. counterparts who preferred escalation of the Syrian conflict over measures which would produce a peaceful resolution to the Middle East’s latest international conflict, which may serve as the stage to World War III. Churkin’s obituary, first reported by The Guardian, indicated the ambassador, “hated the moralising tone of his US, British and French counterparts on the UN security council who, he felt, were not only hypocritical but were playing to the global gallery and aiming to score rhetorical points instead of looking for compromises that could lead to the resolution of differences. This applied particularly to the war in Syria, about which western governments tabled resolutions.”
Churkin was one of 7 Russian diplomats identified by The Free Thought Project who’d died mysteriously since the presidential election of 2016. And while his official cause of death is a heart attack, the factors leading up to it are still shrouded in mystery. Were there any substances in his system which would have caused his death? Was he taking heart medications? Who would have wanted he and the other six diplomats dead? These questions and more remain unanswered, even as NYC officials, who wish to remain in the dark, are reassuring the Russian official’s death was not a result of foul play.
UN officials are running interference in an apparent attempt explain away whey they’re unable to release the cause of death. James Donovan, minister counselor for host country affairs for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told the AP in a statement, “The United States insists on the dignified handling of the remains of our diplomatic personnel who pass away abroad (including in Russia) and works to prevent unnecessary disclosures regarding the circumstances of their deaths.” Nonetheless, more questions remain.
The U.S. State Department is also involved in keeping the details of Churkin’s death a closely guarded state secret. The federal agency, “asked the city in writing on Feb. 24 not to reveal the autopsy results because Churkin’s diplomatic immunity survives his death,” writes the AP.
Later on March 1, the State Department sent another letter to the city revealing Russian officials were very concerned with the proceedings of the autopsy and subsequent discussions with the media about Churkin’s medical history, something they should not have done. Even Donovan penned a letter to NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office of International Affairs, expressing concern over the city’s discussions of Churkin’s medical history.
For those seeking fodder for conspiracy theories, it must be noted that Churkin was a member of the UN Security Council. It consists of “China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms,” according to the UN website. Discussions at the security council are often heated and contentious. Just two weeks before his death, Churkin made international headlines when he quoted from the US Constitution after being lambasted by a recently appointed member to the council, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Haley passionately called for Russia to return Crimea to the Ukraine and promised, “Until Russia and the separatists it supports respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, this crisis will continue.” After the meeting adjourned, Churkin told reporters, “In this regard, one cannot forget the remarkable historical words that are found in the constitution of the United States: ‘We the people’…The people of Crimea quite clearly expressed their will in a referendum.” Not shrinking away from cries for Russia to leave the Ukraine and return Crimea to the sovereign country, Churkin told reporters the UK should first return the Malvinas islands which are claimed by Argentina, Gibraltar claimed by the Spanish, and the “annexed part of Cyprus which you turned into a huge military base.” (For more from the author of “US Authorities Are Refusing to Reveal What Led to Death of Russian Ambassador to the UN” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Flag_of_Russia.svg_.png6831024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-03-13 00:30:492017-03-13 00:31:18US Authorities Are Refusing to Reveal What Led to Death of Russian Ambassador to the UN
The spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin turned the tables Sunday by saying that the Russian ambassador to the U.S. also met with people connected to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, not just Trump advisers.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told CNN GPS host Fareed Zakaria that Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak met with “people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary,” The Hill reports.
Peskov stressed that part of Kislyak’s job entails talking to officials and advisers on both sides of the aisle.
“Well, if you look at some people connected with Hillary Clinton during her campaign, you would probably see that he had lots of meetings of that kind,” Peskov said. “There are lots of specialists in politology, people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary.”
Yet, according to Peskov, none of these meetings constituted an attempt to influence the electoral process. (Read more from “Putin Spokesman: Russian Ambassador Also Met With Clinton Advisors” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_Benghazi-6.png485797Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-03-13 00:03:142017-03-13 00:03:14Putin Spokesman: Russian Ambassador Also Met With Clinton Advisors
Russian diplomats seem to be an endangered species, as seven officials have been found dead under mysterious or unexplained circumstances just since Election Day, and — although any link remains as yet unprovable — the deaths certainly provoke a number of questions.
1. Sergei Krivov:
First is the perplexing case of Sergei Krivov — disputably a consular duty commander at the Russian Consulate in Manhattan — died on November 8, Election Day, under perhaps the most problematic circumstances of any of the deaths listed.
Found unconscious and unresponsive on the floor inside the consulate, Krivov suffered blunt force trauma to the head — initially reported as received in a fall from the roof of the building — and passed away before emergency services could reach the scene.
Consular officials quickly backtracked that Krivov died after plunging over the building, instead insisting he’d suffered a heart attack — but the diplomat’s lack of a paper trail, and ambiguity from officials about his career position, make the death appear to be far from ordinary.
“That position is no ordinary security guard,” reported BuzzFeed on Krivov’s ambiguous role at the consulate. “According to other public Russian-language descriptions of the duty commander position, Krivov would have been in charge of, among other things, ‘prevention of sabotage’ and suppression of ‘attempts of secret intrusion’ into the consulate.
“In other words, it was Krivov’s job to make sure US intelligence agencies didn’t have ears in the building.”
2. Andrey Karlov:
On December 19, Russian Ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, met his fate while giving a speech at an art exhibit in Ankara, when Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş — an off-duty Turkish riot police officer — fired several shots from behind, fatally wounding the diplomat and injuring several others.
Altıntaş proceeded to declare jihad and implored the terrified, small crowd of attendees and press, “Do not forget Aleppo, do not forget Syria!”
It was later revealed Altıntaş had used his law enforcement identification to enter the gallery; but at the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin railed against the attacker, thin security allowing him to enter the exhibit, “Russia Through Turks’ Eyes,” without issue, and the possible implications for resolving the conflict in Syria, stating,
This murder is clearly a provocation aimed at undermining the improvement and normalization of Russian-Turkish relations, as well as undermining the peace process in Syria promoted by Russia, Turkey, Iran and other countries interested in settling the conflict in Syria.
3. Petr Polshikov:
At some point on the same day — and prior to the brazen assassination of Karlov — Petr Polshikov, a senior diplomat in the Latin America division at the Russian foreign ministry, died in his Moscow apartment of a gunshot wound to the head. An announcement of the suspicious death did not become public until a few hours after Altıntaş shocked the world in Ankara.
Detailed information on Polshikov’s untimely demise remains difficult to obtain, but reports at the time alleged authorities found two bullet shells on the scene and a firearm under a sink in the bathroom.
4. Oleg Erovinkin:
Ex-KGB chief, Oleg Erovinkin — believed to have assisted former British spy, Christopher Steele, with a lurid dossier alleging explicit acts by President Donald Trump — was found dead in his black Lexus on December 29.
Erovinkin had been close to Igor Sechin, a former deputy prime minister and now head of State-owned oil company, Rosneft, and had acted as a key liaison between Sechin and Putin.
Although validity of the contents of that dossier have been called into serious question, Erovinkin’s alleged involvement in compiling the information makes his death dubious by nature. An investigation is ongoing.
5. Andrey Malanin:
Despite living alone on a tightly-guarded street, Andrey Malanin — head of the consular section at Russia’s embassy in Athens — was “found on the floor of his bedroom by a member of the embassy’s staff with no evidence of a break-in, the official said on condition of anonymity,” Reuters reported January 9.
Authorities also told Reuters there were no indications Malanin had been murdered, but homicide officials are investigating the death due to his status as a diplomat.
6. Aleksandr Kadakin:
On January 26, Russian ambassador to India, 67-year-old Aleksandr Kadakin — who had served in the position since 2009 and spent over two decades as a diplomat — died in New Delhi, ostensibly from heart failure.
Although it appeared the man’s death was unrelated to the others and had been natural, the timing in conjunction with Karlov, Polshikov, Erovinkin, and Malanin raised some eyebrows.
7. Vitaly Churkin:
Then, last week, Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died one day before his 65th birthday in New York City — reportedly of a heart failure.
According to the New York Times on February 20, “The Russian government said he died suddenly but did not specify a cause. The New York City police said there were no indications of foul play.”
However, Pravda reported, “According to ABS-CBN, a post-mortem examination of Churkin’s body showed the presence of poison in his kidneys. Allegedly, the diplomat had had late supper, at around midnight, hours before his death. Perpetrators could have added an unknown substance in his food.”
Churkin had been a vocal critic of hypocritical Western foreign policy, particularly concerning military actions in Syria.
An obituary in the Guardian stated Churkin “hated the moralising tone of his US, British and French counterparts on the UN security council who, he felt, were not only hypocritical but were playing to the global gallery and aiming to score rhetorical points instead of looking for compromises that could lead to the resolution of differences. This applied particularly to the war in Syria, about which western governments tabled resolutions that could lead, in the Russian view, to full-scale military intervention against the Syrian government and which they knew Churkin was bound to veto. Russia preferred to produce resolutions that criticised the Syrian army for using ‘disproportionate’ force and sought agreement on ceasefires. Churkin consulted the security council’s five permanent members on these resolutions, but chose not to provoke vetoes when he realised there was no consensus.”
What, if anything, this growing Russian diplomat body count actually means might never be fully known, but many suspect the deaths evince a methodical, covert war between the Deep State and Russia — particularly as hostilities continue mostly unabated — as a shift in power away from the ailing imperialist U.S. empire gathers speed. (For more from the author of “Deep State War? 7 Russian Officials Murdered or Found Dead Since Election Day” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/russians-assassinated.jpg415790Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-28 22:59:442017-03-04 21:48:46Deep State War? 7 Russian Officials Murdered or Found Dead Since Election Day
When the main stream media rely on anonymous sources, friendly relationships with current and former government officials, and recycling previously reported stories to promote an agenda, readers are right to suspect a set up.
We expect less from outlets like the Gateway Pundit, who rely on hyper-sensationalized headlines and slanted, even made-up, stories to generate clicks to their websites. The public demands, and serious consumers of news expect, a higher standard from established newspapers and cable news operations.
Instead, we get stories that are so selective, and so coordinated, as to constitute a subtler form of fake news. At the moment, the media have latched on to anything remotely related to Russia to tarnish the Trump administration, especially in the wake of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn’s resignation as National Security Adviser.
The flood of weakly-related and even unsupported Russia stories smacks of a partisan effort to destroy the Trump administration, not an objective search for truth.
For example, CNN is still recycling reports about the evidence-starved Russian “dossier” that had been examined by the intelligence community and the press for months before Buzzfeed dumped them on its website in early January. The New York Times and CNN took Buzzfeed to task for publishing the unverified reports; but they are still being cited.
Another example is this breathless reporting of Russian cruise missiles.
The New York Times and Washington Post, along with CNN have all written similar stories about the Russian deployment of the ground-launched cruise missile known as the SSC-8, which is a violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The INF treaty was signed in 1987 by President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev of the former USSR. It bans ground-launched cruise missiles with a range between 300 and 3400 miles.
The Russians first tested the SSC-8 in 2008. President Obama’s administration declared Russia in violation of the INF treaty in 2014. Do you have any memory of that? Probably not. But suddenly, this is a front-burner issue, because it provides yet another chance to connect Russia with Donald Trump.
A third example is the Russian spy ship sighted off the U.S. eastern seaboard. How is this news? The Russians have for years deployed spy ships to America’s Atlantic coast and the Caribbean. It’s only top news because … well, you know why.
In reality, there is no “crisis” with Russia that didn’t exist before the Trump administration. There are no “new” facts relating to U.S.-Russian relations since Trump took office.
Flynn’s downfall was hurried along by leaks of highly classified information within the Trump administration of telephone intercept transcripts of a call between Flynn and the Russian ambassador. Yes, the call took place, but it now appears the details discussed on the call were innocuous. But again, the use of anonymous sources, who may have an axe to grind with Trump, and the selective reporting of details, is at best editorializing, not fair reporting.
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that there’s evidence of a pattern in the media reports:
Representative Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told me Monday that he saw the leaks about Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak as part of a pattern. “There does appear to be a well orchestrated effort to attack Flynn and others in the administration,” he said. “From the leaking of phone calls between the president and foreign leaders to what appears to be high-level FISA Court information, to the leaking of American citizens being denied security clearances, it looks like a pattern.”
This confluence of government leaks, anonymous sources, hyper-sensational headlines, and unsupported stories does nothing to contradict Trump’s accusations that the media is engaged in reporting “fake news.” If the media don’t want the Trump administration to treat them as the opposition, then they need to quit playing the role of opposition so blatantly. (For more from the author of “The Mainstream Media Treatment of Trump and Russia Smacks of Fake News” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Note-Study-People-Memo-Hand-Writing-Author-Pen-325321.jpg640960Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-16 20:32:572017-02-16 20:32:57The Mainstream Media Treatment of Trump and Russia Smacks of Fake News
Almost right out of the gate, the Trump administration is facing its first arms control challenge from Moscow.
Russia has reportedly deployed its new cruise missile in an apparent violation of the Reagan-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, in effect since 1988.
The treaty prohibits the possession of ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Russia’s ground-launched SSC-8 cruise missile has been under development and testing for several years.
Russia initially violated the treaty by testing the missile during Barack Obama’s presidency. Despite becoming aware of this apparent violation, the Obama administration did not take any forceful action to bring Russia back into compliance with the treaty, merely sending President Vladimir Putin a letter of concern in July of 2014.
The Obama administration was less than forthcoming in discussing challenges that the treaty violation poses for the United States and its allies. The State Department’s annual compliance reports prior to July 2014 wrongly led Americans to believe there was no reason for concern over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, even though the missile has reportedly been tested as early as 2008.
The Trump administration must do better.
The missile range limit of 500 kilometers is significant for U.S. allies in Europe situated close to the Russian borders and to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave that borders Poland and Lithuania. The presence of Russian intermediate-range missiles would considerably complicate any U.S. efforts to defend its allies in the Baltics and Central and Eastern Europe should Russia decide to violate their territorial integrity.
Such a scenario is not as far-fetched as it might seem. Russia has a recent history of violating other nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also periodically issues nuclear threats against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and conducts military exercises that simulate nuclear strikes against Poland.
Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander of Supreme Allied Command Europe and of U.S. European Command, said NATO allies are “concerned” over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty issue and argued that violations “can’t go unanswered.”
For its part, Russia accuses the United States of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty violations. But Russian accusations are baseless. U.S. missile defense systems do not violate the treaty because the treaty itself contains an exception for them.
Neither do U.S. drones violate the treaty, as they are simply not mentioned by the treaty at all.
The Trump administration has a range of options to respond to the Russian treaty violations. Purely diplomatic measures to address the violation first begun during the Obama administration may not be sufficient.
Historically, arms control tends to limit how the United States learns about military systems and their interactions in a broader context. This is why terminating the treaty is a viable option.
Currently, Moscow is doing whatever it deems necessary to its strategic interest regardless of the treaty, while the United States continues to abide by it. The administration should not ponder any future arms control initiatives and nuclear weapons reduction agreements at least until this issue is resolved. (For more from the author of “Moscow Issues Its First Nuclear Challenge to Trump” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/XxEoTmAH8ExXpsJFUjw9jP6w5oCfirKo.jpg580940Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-15 20:31:052017-02-15 20:31:05Moscow Issues Its First Nuclear Challenge to Trump
A Russian spy ship was spotted patrolling off the East Coast of the United States on Tuesday morning, the first such instance during the Trump administration — and the same day it was learned the Kremlin had secretly deployed controversial cruise missiles inside Russia and flew within 200 yards of a U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S. officials told Fox News.
The Russian ship was in international waters, 70 miles off the coast of Delaware and heading north at 10 knots, according to one official. The U.S. territory line is 12 nautical miles.
It was not immediately clear where the ship is headed.
Later Tuesday, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Russia had deployed ground-launched cruise missiles to two locations inside the country in December. The New York Times first reported that the Obama administration had previously seen the missiles — then in a testing phase — as a violation of a 1987 treaty between the U.S. and Russia that banned ground-launched intermediate-range missiles.
But Russia has pressed ahead with its program, apparently testing a Trump administration which has sought better ties with Moscow — but is also fresh off the loss of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who resigned Monday night in the wake of a scandal surrounding his communications with Russia. (Read more from “Russia Sends Spy Ship Near US Coast, Deploys Banned Missiles at Home, Officials Say” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Flag-of-Russia-russia-13511410-1920-1200.jpg12001920Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-02-14 19:30:432017-02-14 19:30:43Russia Sends Spy Ship Near US Coast, Deploys Banned Missiles at Home, Officials Say
Fake news or conspiracy theory? Or the most epic troll since Dan Rather was conned into accepting forged documents about George Bush? Or a hilarious amalgam of all three?
All elements of this story are as yet unknown, but what is unfolding has the makings of historical high comedy. Here’s a rundown.
Buzzfeed, a website whose specialty is celebrity tittle-tattle, asinine quizzes such as “Which ‘Pixie Hollow Fairy Are You?“, and get-skinny-quick-by-petting-cats articles, published a document, which they gave the graduated title of dossier, which purported to show how Russia, under the devious and genius scheming of Vladimir Putin, had been grooming and bribing Donald Trump for many years, and blackmailing him by threatening to reveal perverted sexual practices, so that Trump would be induced to enter the US Presidential election, win it by secret dirt supplied by Russian intelligence agents, and so place the once United States of America under the control of a foreign government.
Yes, really.
Even Hollywood would never believe a story like that. But many others did. Like, some allege, virulent Never-Trumper, and legacy Republican political strategist, Rick Wilson, the man who accused Trump supporters (this is, unfortunately, relevant) of being childless single men who masturbate to anime.
That disgusting comment is relevant because after Wilson made it, he became a target of ridicule across the Internet, including at the Wild West site 4Chan, a place were folks delight in trolling, which might be defined as pranking-with-intent. After Buzzfeed revealed their conspiracy theory, and probably because of the conspiracy theory’s reliance on certain perverted sexual acts and because of Wilson’s tie-in with sexual commentary, members on 4chan claimed that they were the authors of the dossier. The claim is that the dossier was fan fiction, and that it was leaked to Wilson who believed it and who then turned it over to the CIA. Wilson denies this. And it isn’t plausible 4chan hoaxed the entire USA intelligence community, but the fracas adds a delightful twist to the story.
A better angle involves Republican Senator John McCain, personal enemy of Trump. McCain was first given a copy of the conspiracy document, which he later handed over to the FBI because, he said, he didn’t “know if it is credible or not.”
How did McCain come into possession of the document in the first place? It is being reported he got it from Christopher Steele, an Ex-British Intelligence Officer, and member of Orbis Intelligence Limited, a company that performs “oppo research,” or opposition research, also known as the art of digging up dirt. Yet if it is true Steele is the author of the conspiracy theory, who paid Steele to create it?
The Wall Street Journal tried tracking down Steele, but they only discovered a colleague who told the paper Steele “would be away for a few days.” The colleague didn’t know where. Perhaps they should search in Phoenix, where Senator McCain has his official residence? Or maybe in a dim bar in Moscow? One wonders if Steele has a 4chan account. Never mind.
Enter CNN. That network presented the conspiracy theory as if it were true, and hinted with all possible strength that the US intelligence community also believed it was true, and that Trump had been briefed by “Intel chiefs” about the damning information Russia had on him.
Only it turns out that Trump was never briefed. Intelligence agencies had the document, which is now known to have been “originally generated as part of opposition research by anti-Trump Republicans and then shopped by Democrats,” but they “planned to show it as an example of disinformation campaigns.”
The tale grows stranger still, because Trump himself claims to have conducted his own “sting operation” to detect leaks from American intelligence agencies, an operation he says was a success, proving somebody was leaking details about his intelligence briefings. This has led to all kinds of rumors about bad feelings between Trump and the intelligence community.
Reacting to CNN and Buzzfeed, Trump said at a news conference Wednesday, “It’s all fake news. It’s all phony stuff. It didn’t happen.” The kicker is that when a CNN reporter tried to ask a question, Trump shot him and CNN down, saying “You are fake news.”
It will be recalled that during the election, CNN had given up any pretence of impartiality, openly touting Clinton and denigrating Trump. The network’s bias soon became so blatant that when a CNN crew was spotted, Trump supporters taunted them with cries of “Clinton News Network,” or worse.
Now that Hillary has faded from the scene, CNN has not given up its visceral hatred of Trump, and has proved willing to broadcast any information that might be damaging to Trump, even when that information has less veracity than an out-of-focus photograph which purports to show Bigfoot riding the Loch Ness Monster.
The story isn’t over. The news on why Steele wrote the document, if he wrote it, and why, including who paid him for it, is bound to generate even more fun. (For more from the author of “Is the Trump/Russia “Dossier” the Fake News of the Decade?” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/donald-trump6-1024x682.jpg6821024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-01-12 21:11:282017-01-12 21:11:28Is the Trump/Russia “Dossier” the Fake News of the Decade?
Russia is the principal threat facing the United States, and the new administration should increase support to allies in the face of the Kremlin’s attempts to “break the North Atlantic alliance,” Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary testified Thursday.
Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, speaking at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. and its NATO partners must strengthen the mutual defense alliance.
“NATO from my perspective is the most successful military alliance in modern world history—maybe ever,” Mattis, 66, testified. “My view is nations with allies thrive and nations without allies don’t. If we did not have NATO today, we would need to create it. It is vital to the security of the United States and vital to the protection of the democracies we are allied with.”
Trump said during the campaign that under his administration, American military support for NATO could be conditional on whether member states have met their financial obligations to the alliance.
Mattis tried to assuage concerns that the U.S. would not commit to the alliance, telling senators he is “confident the president-elect expects us to live up to our word with Article 5” of the NATO treaty, which enshrines the principle that an attack against one member is an attack against all.
To underline that point, Mattis said he supports a permanent U.S. military presence in the Baltic nations to deter Russian aggression.
In a moment where Russia is under fire for interfering in the U.S. election, and the Kremlin’s fingerprints are all over some of the world’s dominant conflicts, including the war in Syria, Mattis urged caution on working with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I am all for engagement, but we also have to recognize reality and what Russia is up to,” Mattis said. “He [Putin] has chosen to be both a strategic competitor and adversary in key areas. I have very modest expectations about areas of cooperation with Mr. Putin.”
Mattis is known and admired as “Mad Dog” in the military, though it is a nickname he says he loathes because it doesn’t fit the sober-mindedness with which he views the use of military force.
His forecasting of world challenges, and his proposed approach to them, seemed to impress members of both parties on the Armed Services Committee.
After the hearing, the Senate quickly voted 81-to-17 to grant Mattis a waiver to run the Pentagon, an action required because he retired from the military only four years ago.
Under federal law, defense secretaries must have been retired from military service for seven years, unless Congress grants a waiver.
The House must still vote on the waiver before the Senate votes on formally confirming Mattis.
Senators who questioned Mattis said they hoped he would take seriously the doctrine of civilian control of the military. Mattis was careful in describing how he would use America’s military might, saying he views force to be a “last resort” that the U.S. can avoid by deterring adversaries with strong alliances and diplomatic leadership:
America has two fundamental powers. One is the power of intimidation. America will defend itself and this experiment in democracy. And the other power that perhaps we have used less in recent years is the power of inspiration. That has to be deployed at times just as strongly.
Central to that power, Mattis said, is adequately funding the military so that it has the best equipment and weaponry.
Mattis warned that because of spending cuts mandated by a budget device known as sequestration, the U.S. may lack the military strength to easily confront Russia and other adversaries, and to manage conflicts such as the war in Afghanistan and the military campaign against the Islamic State terrorist group, or ISIS, in Syria and Iraq.
The Budget Control Act of 2011, which set spending caps, cut a projected $487 billion from defense spending over a decade.
Yet at the same time, Mattis concurred with Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who asked whether Mattis agrees the national debt is the greatest threat to national security.
“I understand the need for solvency and security. No nation has maintained its military power if it did not maintain its fiscal house,” Mattis said, adding:
At the same time, this country needs to be prepared to defend itself. I believe we can afford survival. I don’t believe in a mathematical calculus that makes Congress spectators as salami-slice cuts come in and you [Congress] don’t have control of it.
Here are other highlights from Mattis’ confirmation hearing, in which the retired four-star Marine general described his policy vision on issues he would encounter as defense secretary:
Iran Nuclear Deal
Mattis reportedly left his last job as leader of U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, because he disagreed with the Obama administration on how hawkishly to approach Iran.
In the past, Mattis has said Iran is a greater threat than terrorist groups such as ISIS or al-Qaeda.
But in the confirmation hearing, Mattis did not advocate canceling the nuclear deal the Obama administration and other foreign powers negotiated with Iran.
“I think it is imperfect arms control agreement—it’s not a friendship treaty,” Mattis said. “But when America gives its word, we have to live up to it and work with our allies.”
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Bolstering relations with Israel, Mattis said, could help settle a turbulent Middle East.
“We have to restore a better relationship with Israel and Arab allies,” Mattis said. “There is a sense on their part we are indifferent to the security situation they face.”
Mattis said he favors a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and he did not commit to Trump’s campaign pledge to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Women in the Military
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., pressed Mattis on whether he supports Obama administration decisions to open combat positions to women and to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
While stressing that having the most “lethal” fighting force would be his priority, Mattis said he would not try to roll back Defense Department policies in those areas.
“I have never come into any job with an agenda of changing anything,” Mattis said. “I come in assuming the people before me deserve respect for the job they did and decisions they made. I believe military service is a touchstone for people of every stripe.”
Defeating ISIS
Mattis said he is confident in ongoing U.S.-assisted military operations to take back from ISIS the major cities of Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria.
But he said he would undertake a more “accelerated campaign” to defeat ISIS, understanding that the military effort is only part of the battle.
“There has to be a military defeat, but it has to be a broader approach,” Mattis said. “You need to go after recruiting and fundraising as well. The most important thing to know when you get into a shooting war is how you want it to end.” (For more from the author of “Pentagon Nominee James Mattis Warns of Russian Attempts to ‘Break NATO'” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/Vladimir_Putin_20090128_2-1.jpg27304096Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-01-12 20:51:122017-01-12 20:51:12Pentagon Nominee James Mattis Warns of Russian Attempts to ‘Break NATO’
Donald Trump was presented classified documents last week containing allegations that Russian operatives obtained compromising personal and financial information on the president-elect, according to a new report by CNN.
Included in the documents were allegations that there was communication between Trump surrogates and Russian government intermediaries during the campaign.
The allegations were presented in a two-page appendix to the report on the alleged Russian campaign aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election.
The four most senior U.S. intelligence officials — Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers — briefed both Trump and President Obama on the findings.
Top congressional leaders and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees were also briefed on the allegations.
The allegations presented to the president and president-elect did not originate from the American intelligence community — rather, they came from a former British intelligence agent, CNN reported.
According to the report, the former MI6 agent was originally commissioned by anti-Trump Republicans to perform opposition research during the primaries, and was later funded by Democrats.
CNN reported that soon after the former British intelligence agent began researching Trump’s business ties, he came across questionable information about Trump’s businesses in Russia. He then took the findings to an FBI colleague, and they eventually made their way to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
McCain personally delivered the findings to FBI Director James Comey after becoming “sufficiently disturbed” by the allegations, the report said.
The former MI6 agent has a reputation within the intelligence community and is considered to be a reliable source, according to CNN. That said, the FBI is still reviewing the findings to establish their veracity.
The rather unprecedented decision to present the unconfirmed findings to the president-elect was to make Trump aware that intelligence agencies and senior congressional officials are circulating allegations involving him personally.
The senior intelligence officials also wanted to demonstrate to Trump that Russia had compiled harmful information about both parties, but only released damaging information about Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. (For more from the author of “Report: Russia Obtained Compromising Personal, Financial Information on Trump” please click HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/25475874370_82f4151df4_b-2.jpg6831024Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2017-01-11 22:56:082017-01-10 23:02:14Report: Russia Obtained Compromising Personal, Financial Information on Trump
