[Just The News] A security expert who worked with the Secret Service for over 20 years says he's "surprised" the agency is closing the investigation into how cocaine was found at "one of the most secure buildings in the world" without identifying any suspects.
In briefing Congress earlier this month about the July Fourth weekend discovery at the White House, the agency said it did not conduct interviews as part of its internal investigation, citing the roughly 500 potential suspects, and that it planned to close the probe in the coming weeks.
"I'm surprised because we're talking about agents who are extremely intelligent, dedicated and exceptional criminal investigators," Charles Marino, a former supervisory special agent, told Just the News last week. "If you tell them to go out and get to the end of something, that's exactly what they're going to do."
He also said: "You've got a designated timeframe, you've got the holiday ... in which this occurred. We're fairly certain that this item did not linger for a long period of time in the West Wing, based on the security measures that we know are in place in terms of checking on that area and conducting sweeps."
#3
It is not the job of the Secret Service to provide scandalous truth to the American people. Neither is it their job to facilitate illegality. This is a very bad situation for them because the drug drop was done sloppily and the test results were broadcast in the clear. Their job description was written with the idea that they would be protecting principals with principles.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/23/2023 12:22 Comments ||
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#4
You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the blow investigation blows.
#6
Perfect summation in a phrase -"... protecting principals with principles. over the years, the USSS turned a blind-eye to lots of misbehavior's, mostly involving the Presidential libido, especailly among democrats. But the Puppet Show has installed a residential nightmare, whose behaviors plumb new depths of shamelessness.
I suspect even for the most disciplined Secret Service Agent, witnessing the behaviors is challenging for their gag reflex! (my father was on the PPD for Roosevelt and Truman, so I know the mindset well)
#7
I suspect that you have to tick someone off to get the Hunter assignment. If you mess that up, you will be driving north to partake of the thankless Hillary detail.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/23/2023 18:09 Comments ||
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In which the Dawn editorialist whines because a free-thinking English politician in the end is not quite treated like a bunch of convicted, jihad-supporting Moslem organizations by English banks.
[Dawn] British politician and former Brexit party leader Nigel Farage on Thursday received an apology from a private bank over the closure of his account, but the entire episode left some raising questions about the silence and lack of support surrounding bank account closures linked to British Moslems. Mr Farage made headlines in the United Kingdom this week after Coutts, a private wealth management company catering to royals and the ultra rich, had shut his accounts with no explanation. It prompted Tory MPs and even the prime minister to criticise the move as "wrong".
This week, the Brexit campaigner released documents obtained from the bank, which stated it was concerned about Mr Farage’s "xenophobic, chauvinistic and racist views" and believed maintaining his accounts posed a risk to the bank’s reputation. The Chief Executive of the Natwest Group, of which Coutts is a part, apologised for the "deeply inappropriate comments" made about Mr Farage in an internal report.
NatWest Group plc is a British banking and insurance holding company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
But the scandal has prompted some to draw parallels between Mr Farage’s bank account closure scandal to the close of scores of accounts linked to Moslem individuals and Moslem charities in the UK.
Several news reports in the last decade covered how British NGOs such as the Finsbury Park mosque in north London,
...former pulpit of Abu Hamza al-Masri (Mustafa Kamel Mustafa to his mother, and possibly his wife), the one-eyed, hook-handed, Al Qaeda-linked preacher extradited to America to stand trial for everything evil except mopery and dopery on the spaceways. He makes his home in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison now, which must be an illuminating experience...
international development charity the Ummah Welfare Trust (UWT)
...also called the Amanat Charity Trust. Opened in 2001, it’s based in the UK but operates schools and masjids in sixteen countries of the Ummah ...
and the Cordoba Foundation thinktank
...an Islamist pressure group that offered a platform to the international jihad feeder group Hizb ut-Tahrir...
had their HSBC bank accounts closed because banks said their accounts fell "outside of our risk appetite". Though Moslems called this out at Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... at the time, the bank denied the accusations and defended its decisions.
Writing for Middle Eastern Eye, prominent British journalist and broadcaster Peter Oborne compared Mr Farage’s banking conundrum with that of British Moslems, saying "Welcome to the world of British Moslems."
He drew attention to the articles he had written about the closing down of Moslem charities accounts, and how little space they got in newspapers as compared to Mr Farage’s case.
"Contrast the Westminster reaction when a Moslem loses her or his account — total lack of any interest, let alone concern, but when Farage supposedly loses his, Fleet Street has an attack of the vapours."
He continued, "I can’t help comparing the alacrity with which the government has gone into battle on behalf of Farage to its total indifference to the fate of British Moslems and others over many years. This shows two things: first and foremost, the structural Islamophobia which has long poisoned British media and politics. When Moslems have their bank accounts closed, nobody cares. When the same thing allegedly happens to Nigel Farage it’s close to a national scandal."
Not everyone agrees with the comparison. Wasiq Wasiq, an academic and counter-terrorism commentator, told Dawn. "’The closure of Nigel Farage’s bank account, based on his political views, sets a dangerous precedent — that if your views do not align with those of the organization, then you are not welcome to bank with us. This can have an impact on not only prominent political figures, but also the general public.
"However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... the closure of accounts is something banks are entitled to do. Nearly a decade ago, it was widely reported by the BBC, Guardian and the Independent that HSBC closed the bank accounts of prominent Moslems and Islamic NGOs. At the time, the accusation levied against HSBC was that the decision was based on ’Islamophobia’. But the decision to close the accounts was because they fell ’outside of our risk appetite’.
"It is important to note, because of the regions these organizations were working in, they were vulnerable to exploitation by money launderers and forces of Evil seeking to use them for financing purposes. This risk is not the same as the potential risk of Nigel Farage having an account with Coutts. To conflate the two, makes a mockery of when banks act in a way that could affect the average Brit, as opposed to organizations being vulnerable to exploitation by money launderers and terrorists."
UK banks are free to deny services to customers for a number of reasons, including suspicions over financial crime. Banks can also choose to close or refuse an account if they believe customers pose a risk to their reputation — one of the key reasons Coutts cited for shutting Nigel Farage’s account.
Mr Farage has had the support and sympathy of several key people in government who criticised Coutts and asked for an explanation, with some ministers saying a new law could be drawn up to prevent banks closing accounts of people because of their political views.
#3
Lots of "honest mistakes" in the modern era. They always seem to only happen to conservatives.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/23/2023 7:35 Comments ||
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#4
Re: Nigel Farage...amazing how the Brit media also jumped all over him complicit with the banks.
And remember what queen scumbag Chrystia Freeland did in Canada with truckers and supporters of the demonstrators in Ottawa in early 2022. Accounts were blocked (and remember GoFundMe was also blocked from providing donations to the truckers and their supporters). Canada has, like, five banks, so not many choices to switch. It's said that Ottawa/the banks reversed this policy [only] as Canadians began to withdrawal their money from banks.
And people think it can't happen here. Digital currency, anyone?
[Gateway] Retired four-star General Stanley A. McChrystal, who was removed from his command by Barack Obama following critical comments on his administration, has made explosive comments suggesting that the United States was behind the Nord Stream pipeline bombing, in a covertly recorded conversation obtained by Valuetainment Media.
The decorated general, known for his command of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the mid-2000s and later for his role as Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, voiced these speculations during a seemingly impromptu conversation that was secretly recorded and subsequently leaked.
Speculations. Does he actually know more than we do here?
The clip begins with McChrystal discussing Russia and its leadership.
#6
Certainly the US is on the short list of suspects, but in an era where private individuals build submersibles it is a long, long list of 'maybe they did it' suspects.
#7
^ As one or another of our professional cynics here opined on this matter, if USMIL was involved, there would have been 5-6 "I was there" books out by now.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/23/2023 10:29 Comments ||
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#8
Nord Stream pipeline was at a depth that a diver could work.
#9
Ukraine probably did it. The US could have done it, but, I bet Ukraine did it and I don't blame them for it. If they could they'd be OK to explode all of Russia.
The Hersch idea has been struck down by researchers, what he said did not happen, the vessels were not there for it according to these OSINT type researchers. A Finland professor also proved his ideas could not have happened.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Elena Karaeva
[RIA] Tourists who flood the cities and coasts of the Old World at this time of year are fleeing and canceling bookings. Admiring ancient stones and monuments in the heat of 40 degrees Celsius and above is a dubious pleasure, if not deadly at all. Heat and sunstroke can be fatal. Europeans, though not far-sighted in mind, are practical in everyday life. To die from the heat, admiring the Acropolis or the Roman ruins, and even for big money, there are no fools. The tourism industry cries bitter tears (Russian tourists, if not for the restrictions, could fill the cash boxes), but sees no way out: it can do nothing but distribute water and fans.
#4
Reality has a way of doing that.
I never really understood the fixation of vacationing at the height of summer. Unless you're someplace that actually doesn't have a summer to speak of.
Spring and autumn are much nicer I would have thought.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
07/23/2023 8:20 Comments ||
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#5
Kids are out of school in summer. You are less likely to have to drive thru a snowstorm in summer.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/23/2023 8:44 Comments ||
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#6
40 degrees Celsius = 104F
It's been that since the start of June at my house by noon. There was a reason for siesta. While stationed in the Med, the locals had lunch, went home, and didn't open for business till much later. They stayed up late with dinner at 8 or 9.
Over the last several years, there has been a significant increase in the growth of the private military sector. In the midst of this growth, the Turkish company SADAT Defense Inc. separates itself from more conventional private military companies (PMC).
SADAT PMC claims to be the only one of its kind to provide consulting services and military training services internationally (source). Providing various services and focusing on consultation, conventional and unconventional training, ordnance services, and military logistical support. However, in contrast to other PMCs, it does not openly promote having a capacity in direct action or combat. The ideologic agenda of SADAT’s founder and its presence in the company’s agenda also separates SADAT PMC from other companies.
[Breitbart] Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for the MAGA Inc PAC, told Sirius XM’s Breitbart News Saturday that the $10 million bribery allegations levied against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, amounts to “the greatest political scandal in American history.”
Leavitt, the interim host of the Grace Curley Show on the Howie Carr Radio Network, discussed the bombshell allegations laid out in an FBI FD-1023 form, which Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) made public this week, with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle.
The document, which refers to “the Big Guy” and dates back to June 30, 2020, alleges “President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden each received $5 million from Mykola Zlochevsky, the founder of Burisma Holdings after Joe Biden threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine until President Petro Poroshenko fired a prosecutor investigating Burisma,” as Breitbart News Politics reporter Wendell Husebø noted.
🚨BREAKING🚨
The FD-1023 form alleging then-Vice President JOE BIDEN was involved in a $5,000,000 bribery scheme with a Burisma executive has been released by @ChuckGrassley.
Leavitt called it the most significant “political scandal” the United States has seen, dubbing it “worse than Watergate.”
“This is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist stuff, but the mainstream media doesn’t want to cover it. Our president is compromised by our enemies around the world and was involved in an international bribery scheme,” she said. “He and his corrupt crackhead son accepting $10 million from a corrupt Ukrainian, Mr. Z as I like to call him, the founder of Burisma, and that man is a corrupt and very bad man. But he was right about one thing, according to this 1023 document. It’s that Hunter Biden is dumber than his own dog. These people don’t respect Joe Biden and they were using him to funnel him cash, and he sold out the integrity of the United States and our national security in this bribe. It’s really unbelievable.”
#8
My hope stems from my belief that the Bidens are blatantly stupid. You have to be dumber than Florida Man to compile that amount of unencrypted evidence on an electronic device, turn it over to a random dude and then refuse to pick it back up. Joe is no better. He shares the story of his extortion at a recorded speech for the CFR. He announces his intention to stop a pipeline that later is blown up. Hunter arranges a drug deal or forgets his eightball at the WH. What does he do in his first public appearance after that? He uses blow on camera. My belief is that the American people will be very demanding that Biden be further investigated and that the amount of undiscovered evidence will be impossible to hide from more whistleblowers.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/23/2023 15:15 Comments ||
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[CompactMag] Recently, I was asked to make the “pessimistic case for the future.” I present instead more of a “pessimistic take on the present.” The future, while imminent, is obscure. The present, by contrast, is knowable. This is also not so much a “case” replete with exhaustive evidence—there isn’t space for that, nor is there a need—as a quick tour through our present hell. No one who thinks “everything is fine” will be persuaded otherwise. Those who see the seriousness of our problems hardly need proof. Nor have I made any attempt to be evenhanded, much less philosophically detached. My account is perforce one-sided. I hope it is wrong.
“In conventional terms, the United States peaked around 1965.”
TRENDING DOWN FOR TWO GENERATIONS
Think of the fortunes of the United States—if you will, of the whole West—like a stock-price chart. There will be a lot of ups and downs, positive and negative spikes. But zoom out and the trendline is clear. In conventional terms, the United States peaked around 1965. One may quibble over that date. Why not the moon landing? Victory in World War II or the Cold War? Fine. When do you think our political, moral, and spiritual health were at their peak? When was our power, prestige, wealth, cohesion, competence, and confidence—on balance and in the aggregate—highest? (For instance, gross domestic product was lower and infant mortality higher in 1965, but by those other metrics, we were healthier.)
Whatever date you pick, part of the answer must be: not today, and not recently. The great exception might appear to be the “Reagan Era,” which I might amend to the “Reagan-Clinton Era,” to capture both our emergence from malaise and our post-Cold War decade or so of unchallenged preeminence. This period was sold to us at the time, and interpreted by its partisans ever since, as the restoration of the American spirit, a burial of the twin albatrosses of Vietnam Syndrome and stagflation. In hindsight, though, it was one of those spikes on the chart. Most, if not all, causes of our pre-Reagan anomie have returned with a vengeance, and are accompanied by many more causes for concern.
THE CONSTITUTION IS ALL BUT DEAD
We Americans are supposed to govern ourselves via a constitution that rests on a specific understanding of natural right (right and wrong, good and evil, better and worse exist by nature) and natural rights (government’s job is to secure people’s God-given rights to life, liberty, property, etc.). The Constitution specifically declares and delimits the purposes of government and its powers, and it specifies how we the people choose the officers of the state, who are supposed to exercise those powers.
And so forth. Useful for seeing where we are at the moment, though an optimistic argument can be made that pushback is happening on all sorts of different battlefields across the country, and beyond.
[Breitbart] Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday on MSNBC’s “Deadline’ that Republicans were using “illegitimate power” to create a governing structure supported by “America electoral apartheid.”
Holder said, “A three-judge panel ruled before the last election that what Alabama had done was inappropriately dilute the power of black citizens in Alabama and nevertheless, because the Supreme Court reached down staying that opinion, people in Alabama voted on a map that was declared violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965. We go into court, and we try to move things along as quickly as we can and yet, we end up with the result that I have just described.”
He continued, “Republicans have proven quite crafty in ways in which they have tried to do undemocratic things. You know, they’re all about the retention, the acquisition of and retention of power. Even if it’s illegitimate power, they will use that to keep themselves in power.” Projection. It's what's for dinner
He added, “I look at what’s going on in Ohio right now, where there is going to be on August 8, an election that Republicans have called in the middle of the summer to try to raise the level at which the citizens of that state can amend their Constitution. It’s always been 50%, now they want to raise it to 60% in anticipation of a vote in November where abortion would be enshrined into the Ohio, the right to an abortion would be enshrined into the Ohio Constitution.”
Holder added, “So there’s a variety of things Republicans have done to hold onto power illegitimately. I think too many in the Republican Party have made peace with the notion that they are going to be a minority party that exercises majority power. They are okay, in essence, with an American electoral apartheid. That’s where one of our two great parties now finds itself.”
#4
/\ And with a great deal of success I might add. When the goal is Haiti or Zimbabwe, the key to controlling the narrative rests with proper demographics.
#5
Eric Holder said......
Seriously who gives $__T what Obama's Radical AG said on racism or anything
Eric Holder conducted Operation Fast and Furious, to advance Federal Gun Control. An illegal operation that ended up killing federal, state agents and civilians to accomplish his political parties' Anti-Gun agenda..
Avoided a serious DOJ investigation into Lois Lerner's abuses of the IRS.
Posted by: Chris ||
07/23/2023 9:58 Comments ||
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#7
Anything is illegitimate that limits the liberal hegemony.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/23/2023 12:12 Comments ||
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#8
Given all the illegitimate behaviors this POS did and the nightmare he finished making at DOJ, it is brazen for him to try and play the South Africa ploy.
[IsraelTimes] International relations & media lecturer at the Hebrew University explains why Israel’s democracy is stronger than ever – despite inflamed rhetoric capturing headlines on all sides
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploration into one key issue shaping Israel and the Jewish world — right now.
What is the tipping point between democracy and dictatorship? Why do some nations fall under one supreme leader’s sway? And what, actually, is the perfect storm that can turn a thriving democratic nation into a totalitarian nightmare?
“Economic ruin, war, massive immigration, no money, no water, no nothing… this is a recipe for a strong leader to take over and for the army to have a coup d’etat,” according to Dr. Yonatan Freeman, our guest on this week’s What Matters Now.
Freeman is an international relations and media expert who lectures at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem on national security, government and politics, Israel’s relations with the world and civil-military relations.
This week, the Brothers in Arms protest group is signing on thousands of IDF reservists to a document objecting to the Israeli government’s judicial overhaul, stating “We will not serve in a dictatorship.”
At the same time, hundreds are marching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to build a tent city near the Knesset ahead of next week’s fateful vote on the Reasonableness Bill.
All of this is to prevent what they see as steps leading to a dictatorship.
However, unlike most Israelis you meet today, Freeman is passionately optimistic about the strong state of Israel’s democracy. So this week, we ask Dr. Yonatan Freeman, what matters now?
Just one question from the interview:
Times of Israel: But at the same time, it’s so divided right now, and the rhetoric is at such a hateful point that this idea of our prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, being a dictator is basically a slogan that’s been going on, of course, before the judicial overhaul protests. Of course, there were the Balfour protests too, but this idea of a “dictatorship” is just not going away in any way.
Dr. Yonatan Freeman: Yeah, I agree that this is something that has stuck, but I think, and we all know about this sentence, the moment you say it’s a dictatorship and nothing happens to you, I think that really negates this description.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
[Gateway] Retired four-star General Stanley A. 
