Campaigners urged President Obama to raise press freedom concerns with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Thursday, but the only media freedom issue raised during their joint press conference was much closer to home the secret seizure of Associated Press phone records.
Under Erdogans Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, press freedom has deteriorated sharply. In its annual international assessment of press freedom, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders this year ranks Turkey 154th out of 179 countries, and calls it currently the worlds biggest prison for journalists.
On the eve of Erdogans visit, Reporters Without Borders head Christophe Deloire joined with Committee to Protect Journalists executive director Joel Simon in urging Obama to give him the message that Turkey's failure to address its press freedom crisis is undermining the country's strategic relationship with the United States and hindering its regional aspirations.
#1
but the only media freedom issue raised during their joint press conference was much closer to home -- the secret seizure of Associated Press phone records
The union representing the State Department's security officers has endorsed House Republicans' call for a special panel to investigate the Obama administration's handling of Benghazi.
J. Adler, the national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, wrote to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) on Friday to call for a bipartisan select committee to be formed immediately. The union represents 26,000 federal officers, including those working for the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
In supporting this measure, I would expect full bipartisan cooperation of both parties, and save the sticks and stones feuding for trivial matters, Adler wrote. We have grieving family members and a seriously injured DSS [Diplomatic Security Service] Special Agent that deserve the unwavering respect and commitment of our Congress. Our heroes didn't take pause while confronting fatal risk. Congress should not take pause in confronting the need to properly investigate this matter.
Two former Navy SEALs working as independent contractors for the CIA, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, were killed in the attack on the U.S. mission last Sept. 11. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and Information Management Officer Sean Smith were also killed.
#1
I suspected that federal employee unions would not sit back and quietly tolerate their members being thrown under the bus by this venal, feckless administration. Good.
The State Department, under Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, created an arrangement for her longtime aide and confidante Huma Abedin to work for private clients as a consultant while serving as a top adviser in the department.
Ms. Abedin did not disclose the arrangement -- or how much income she earned -- on her financial report. It requires officials to make public any significant sources of income. An adviser to Mrs. Clinton, Philippe Reines, said that Ms. Abedin was not obligated to do so.
Really? Why not? Did Mr. Reines fail to explain or did the reporter conveniently forget to ask the next most obvious follow-up question?
The disclosure of the agreement that Ms. Abedin made with the State Department comes as her husband, former Representative Anthony D. Weiner, a Democrat, prepares for a mayoral run in New York City.
Ms. Abedin declined a request for an interview,
"No comment. Go away. Infidel."
but the picture that emerges from interviews and records suggests a situation where the lines were blurred between Ms. Abedin's work in the high echelons of one of the government's most sensitive executive departments and her role as a Clinton family insider.
Blurred? Damned well erased and shoved into the usual Clinton black hole...
While continuing her work at the State Department, in the latter half of 2012, she also worked for Teneo, a strategic consulting firm, which was founded by Doug Band, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton. Teneo has advised corporate clients like Coca-Cola and MF Global, the collapsed brokerage firm run by Jon S. Corzine, a former governor of New Jersey.
My what a tangled web we weave. It's a fair number of the usual suspects all conveniently -- again -- in one place...
At the same time, Ms. Abedin served as a consultant to the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation and worked in a personal capacity for Mrs. Clinton as she prepared to transition out of her job as secretary of state.
How many hours a week did Huma work for State in the end? I can't imagine it was that much with all these other arrangements...
It is not clear what role Mrs. Clinton played in approving the arrangement.
Did the reporter ask?
Some good-government groups have been critical of such situations, saying public employees' loyalty should be solely to the public and their government work, rather than private firms and figures.
What an old-timey view. After all, IRS employees are perfectly capable of doing political work while on the public dime...
Ms. Abedin reached her new working arrangement in June 2012, when she returned from maternity leave, quietly leaving her position as deputy chief of staff and becoming a special government employee, which is essentially a consultant. A State Department official said that change freed her from the requirement that she disclose her private earnings for the rest of the year on her financial disclosure forms.
And that was all around the time that she and Weiner-boy needed money, since he was out of a job and was still radioactive.
Still, during that period, she continued to be identified publicly in news reports as Mrs. Clinton's deputy chief of staff.
It was an easy mistake...
Officials in the State Department and Clinton circles seem especially sensitive about the arrangement, and no one would speak about it on the record.
"Go away or you'll be audited."
Earlier this month, Mr. Weiner released a copy of the couple's 2012 tax return showing that they had income of more than $490,000.
How much of that was the consulting gigs?
But when pressed on the matter, Mr. Weiner declined to discuss what, if any, income Ms. Abedin derived from work done outside the State Department.
An associate of Ms. Abedin's said on Thursday that the arrangement allowed her to work from her home in New York, rather than at the State Department's headquarters in Washington, and to spend more time with her child and husband. She earned approximately $135,000 from the department during 2012.
Nice work if you can get it...
It is not clear how much Ms. Abedin was paid by Mrs. Clinton privately, or from the Clinton Foundation and Teneo. The Clintons have described Ms. Abedin as a surrogate daughter to them.
Must .. resist .. temptation...
Ms. Abedin, who is one of Mrs. Clinton's most trusted advisers, ended her consulting practice in March, when she moved on to become director of Mrs. Clinton's transition office.
When Hilde declares for the presidency Huma will move into a consulting gig at the campaign office. It's all seamless .. and seamy...
Melanie Sloane, executive director of CREW, an ethics watchdog group, said the arrangement that Ms. Abedin had seemed unusual. "If she was being held out as a deputy chief of staff, it would be highly unusual for her to be a part-time employee or a consultant," she said. "Being a deputy chief of staff at the State Department is generally considered more than a full-time job."
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/17/2013 11:23 ||
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The parasites gorge on the blood of the host until they kill the host, or the host does something about it.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/17/2013 11:38 Comments ||
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Did Mr. Reines fail to explain or did the reporter conveniently forget to ask the next most obvious follow-up question?
There is a lot of that going around.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/17/2013 11:47 Comments ||
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#3
In summary: State Department beaurocrat 2012 income = $500,000.00. It's all about the Aermican money, not about Americans in Benghazi, protecting the border (cartel gun running to Sinola Mexican lords with Chicago connections), Revenue Service fairness (tageting opposition to thier political corruption), or Obama Care (union labor payoff scheme).
#5
so Hillary's consortlover chief of staff is making dollars on the down-low while taking a gubbamint pay check too? Sounds like selling access and favors. Do all those "work at home on the internet jobs" pay that well? It almost appears as if Madam Clinton doesn't pay attention to laws
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/17/2013 15:31 Comments ||
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#6
Muruna: it covers all sorts of things when you're a deep agent of the Muslim Brotherhood. Even marrying a Jew. Even having intimate relations with (gulp) Hillary Rodham Clinton... something so dangerous even her husband won't attempt it!
#1
No instructions need be given. When your government civilian personnel offices recruit and promote employees who vote democrat by a two thirds majority, what we might consider to be nefarious partisan conduct becomes the accepted norm.
Signals and communication can take many forms. A nod, a stylized hello, a gang-style hand gesture known only to certain elements. The acknowledgment of certain demographics in a room or social setting, and the ignoring of others. Little if anything need actually be said. It is an accepted social norm. No instructions need be given
#2
In the military, the commander sets the tone and is responsible for the actions of subordinates below them. Failure to police their own organization is known as 'deselection of duty'. There is no question based upon the record of speeches and comments that Obama set the tone and put subordinates in positions that would 'tow the line' as he saw it. It's the Chicago Way(tm).
[Chicag Tribune] President Barack Obama I am the change that you seek... on Thursday chose a White House budget official to lead the beleaguered Internal Revenue Service temporarily and vowed to ensure that the tax-collection agency will not single out any more groups based on their political beliefs.
Danny Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget who served as a point man on the controversial automatic spending cuts known as "sequestration," will start in the new post on May 22.
The head of the Internal Revenue Service's tax exempt/government entities division also plans to retire, the IRS said on Thursday, marking the second personnel change at the agency after a scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups by IRS agents.
"Joseph Grant, commissioner of tax exempt/government entities division, has announced his plans to retire on June 3rd," the agency said in a statement.
Obama is racing to get out in front of a scandal that threatens to derail his second-term agenda as Republicans and conservative groups accuse his administration of using the levers of power to persecute political enemies.
"I think we're going to be able to figure out exactly what happened, who was involved, what went wrong, and we're going to be able to implement steps to fix it," Obama said at an unrelated news conference with the Turkish prime minister.
"It is just simply unacceptable for there to even be a hint of partisanship or ideology when it comes to the application of our tax laws," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Danny Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget
#2
The head of the Internal Revenue Service's tax exempt/government entities division also plans to retire, the IRS said on Thursday, marking the second personnel change at the agency after a scandal involving the targeting of conservative groups by IRS agents.
"Joseph Grant, commissioner of tax exempt/government entities division, has announced his plans to retire on June 3rd," the agency said in a statement.
They failed to mention that:
Grant's predecessor at the IRS was Sarah Hall Ingram, who is now director of the agency's Affordable Care Act Office. (OBAMACARE)
Ingram was in charge of the tax exempt division when IRS agents first started targeting conservative groups.
The IRS said Ingram's new assignment in the agency is to implement the health care law.
#3
Finding loyal party apparatchiks and minders is indeed a difficult task. Overlaying a Chicago Machine template over the entire country and every federal agency is a challenge. While democrats in congress are a help, ward bosses and community organizers at the federal level simply do not exist. It is what it is.
#4
The damage done to the nation by O in using Federal Government agencies to attack political enemies is worse than any al Qaaeda attack because these actions destroy the trust of the general public toward their government.
O has poisoned the well, put a turd in the punchbowl; call it any metaphor you want, but the damage will affect us all, even after O is long gone from office. The effects are profound.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/17/2013 11:35 Comments ||
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Remember that thread from a few years ago when we were trying to come up with things we would do differently from what Obama's doing right now if our intent was to destroy the country?
[Chicag Tribune] A bill that would set up the rules to allow concealed weapons to be carried in Illinois has started moving through the state senate.
The measure would require a gun owner to get a special endorsement from the Chicago police in order to legally carry guns in the city. It also bans weapons from being carried while riding public trains and buses as well as in bars, hospitals, schools, casinos and private businesses that choose to prohibit weapons in their stores.
The paramaters on concealed carry remain a contentious issue that is sure to be challenged by gun rights supporters who want fewer restrictions. After a two hour hearing, the bill advanced out of the Senate Executive Committee on a 10-4 vote with another senator voting present. It could be taken up on the Senate floor as early as Friday.
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, hailed South Side Sen. Kwame Raoul, the sponsor, for forging the parameters of the legislation.
"I want to commend Sen. Raoul for negotiating another tough issue on behalf of our caucus," Cullerton said in a statement. "The framework of this proposal acknowledges the diversity of our state, embraces local control, and provides for sensible safeguards."
Republican Sen. Tim Bivins, a former sheriff from Dixon, said he was concerned about allowing home rule communities to pick and choose where guns could be carried. Bivins said it would create a confusing patchwork of regulations that would make it difficult for gun owners to know if they were carrying legally.
"It's problematic," Bivins said. "You just wouldn't know from town to town whether you are in violation or not."
Bivins said he expects heavy opposition to the legislation from gun rights advocates.
Under the measure, State Police would be required to give concealed carry licenses to a person if he or she meets a series of qualifications.
But local law enforcement officials could object to allowing someone in their community to get a permit over public safety concerns. Chicago officials would be allowed to do their own investigations on applicants beyond any done by the State Police. To get a permit, a person would have to complete training.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Another very limited "Freedom" Designed to pretend to be a Freedom, but really another restriction.
Follow the Obama preCedent, ignore it.
You know "Do as I do, not as I say."
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/17/2013 11:25 Comments ||
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As is usual in the Democratic Party Paradise of Illinois, law abiding citizens will be flogged and punished, criminals and gang-bangers will still have their 'concealed carry' options, the connected will be gunned up to the eyeballs.
[An Nahar] U.S. President Barack Obama Why can't I just eat my waffle?... warned Thursday that national security leaks to the news media could cost lives, defending his administration's pursuit of those who reveal classified information.
But Obama said it was important to find a balance between security and press freedom, as he addressed the furor triggered by the Justice Department's secret seizure of the phone records of news hounds at the News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
"Leaks related to national security can put people at risk," Obama told news hounds at the White House, as he met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"They can put men and women in uniform that I've sent into the battlefield at risk. They can put some of our intelligence officers who are in various dangerous situations that are easily compromised at risk.
"I make no apologies, and I don't think the American people would expect me, as commander in chief, not to be concerned about information that might compromise their missions or might get them killed."
But Obama added that "we also live in a democracy where a free press, free expression and the open flow of information helps hold me accountable, helps hold our government accountable and helps our democracy function."
He said his administration is working on "finding a way to strike that balance appropriately."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Now this jerk wants to hide behind National Security leaks after HE was biggest National Security leaker ever. As in Bin Laden raid expose that cost 16 brave Navy Seals their lives.
#3
As Hot Air says: Ahem. Didnt Barack Obama warn American news agencies that all your phone records are belong to us if they published leaks about US intel and military efforts? Oh, wait that apparently doesnt apply to stories that make the White House look good at least relatively speaking. Fire away, CNN: CNN: US updates plan for capture or kill mission in Libya over Benghazi attack
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.
