Kayleigh McEnany: Media ‘Desperately Trying to Smear’ Trump, Who Has Already Donated $1.4 Million of Salary to Government

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Breitbart News exclusively that the New York Times piece on President Donald Trump’s taxes represents “liberal media” in an attempt to “desperately” engage in a “smear” of the president ahead of the election.

The Times claimed that Trump only paid $750 in taxes in a piece over the weekend, but McEnany said this hit piece will not convince voters to turn on Trump, because the public sees Trump donating his entire $400,000 annual salary as president back to the government every quarter and that he has “sacrifice[d]” his successful business career to serve as president.

“Democrats and the liberal media are desperately trying to smear President Trump ahead of the election, but this trivial attack did not persuade the American people in 2016,” McEnany told Breitbart News on Monday. “For four years, the forgotten men and women of America have watched their President sacrifice his eminently successful business career, generously donate his salary, and tirelessly fight for them every single day.”

In addition to the president’s generosity when it comes to donating his entire salary—he technically actually has to legally keep $1 per year, as the president is by statute not allowed to work for free—he has also, as McEnany said, taken hits in his business because he is not running that day-to-day right now. In other words, it’s costing Trump lots of money to serve as president—meaning it would be much easier for his business prospects to just go run his business. Trump has made this point repeatedly on the campaign trail.

Several experts have already critiqued the Times story on Trump’s tax situation, including the Center for Tax Freedom’s Ryan Ellis in a tweet thread and in an op-ed for the Federalist.

What should people think about the @nytimes Trump tax story? A thread. 1/https://t.co/1LxVEbJlRG

— Ryan Ellis (@RyanLEllis) September 28, 2020

Breitbart News economic editor John Carney has as well, and it’s worth noting the Times tried these same attacks in 2016 and in subsequent years, to no avail.

Carney: How the New York Times Misread Trump‘s Tax Bills https://t.co/d6ArEQZ5Rw via @BreitbartNews

— John Carney (@carney) September 27, 2020

2016. https://t.co/J7tjhFwnAB

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) September 28, 2020

Democrat candidate former Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats—as well as establishment media figures—quickly latched onto the latest Times attack to try to bash Trump with it. Within hours of the Times piece publishing, Biden had already launched a stock-footage-filled web advertisement claiming Trump did not pay as much in taxes as many other professions.

A big problem in their logic, however, is that Biden and his wife actually created a series of corporations to avoid paying payroll taxes on millions of dollars of income they brought in after Biden’s time as Vice President. As Breitbart News reported earlier on Monday, the Bidens created a pair of S Corporations to avoid tax liability, saving themselves—albeit in a legal manner, through a loophole that even former President Barack Obama tried to close—hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of dollars they would have owed to the federal government.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/28/exclusive-kayleigh-mcenany-media-desperately-trying-to-smear-trump-who-has-already-donated-1-4-million-of-salary-to-government/

Over 3,100 Shooting Victims in Mayor Lightfoot’s Chicago this Year

Over 3,100 people have been shot in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago thus far in 2020.

The Chicago Tribune reports the exact number of shooting victims at 3,132, and that includes the fatally wounded as well as those who survived.

The Tribune reports the number of homicides January 1, 2020, through September 28, 2020, at 576, CNN reported fewer than 500 for all of 2019.

Breitbart News reported at least 49 people were shot over the past weekend alone, at least seven fatally. Nearly 40 were shot, including six fatally, the weekend prior, and at least 50 were shot, 11 fatally, the weekend before that.

Homicides in Dem0crat-controlled St. Louis are surging too. In fact, on September 21, 2020, Breitbart News reported murders in Mayor Lyda Krewson’s (D) St. Louis are on pace to reach a level not seen in 50 years.

Moreover, Breitbart News reported that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (D) New York City surpassed 1,000 shootings for the year before August 2020 was over. The New York Post reported NYPD data indicating there were 1,004 shootings in NYC as of August 30, 2020. There were 537 shootings by that same time in 2019.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/09/28/3100-shooting-victims-mayor-lightfoot-chicago-year/

Chinese State Media Floats Trump 'October Surprise' Theory Centered On Disputed Islands

The editor-in-chief of the Chinese Community Party run Global Times, Hu Xijin, has once again raised eyebrows with his typical bellicose and provocative statements and predictions.

This time he took things to a new level, cryptically citing "information learned" — as if from an insider source or perhaps even Chinese intelligence — to suggest President Trump has a major 'October Surprise' in store, and of course it relates to the prospect of military conflict with China at a moment things are fast heating up over the Taiwan issue in particular.

The Global Times editor and writer claimed on Monday: "Based on information I learned, Trump govt could take the risk to attack China’s islands in the South China Sea with MQ-9 Reaper drones to aid his reelection campaign," in a Tweet that was a among his more provocative lately.

It's unclear where he came by this "information" and he certainly didn't back it up with proof or specific sources, but he added that "If it happens, the PLA will definitely fight back fiercely and let those who start the war pay a heavy price."

Hu Xijin has been closely following the TikTok controversy, lately labelling the US as being in a "hysterical state" over advanced Chinese tech and popular aps.

He also days ago said "The US is clearly preparing for new provocative actions" related to the potential expelling of Chinese diplomats amid the ongoing tit-for-tat on multiple fronts.

China's English language mouthpiece publication geared toward Western audiences often in an indirect way "relays" Beijing's threats and warnings. Typically Hu himself reflects the insider thinking of the Chinese Communist Party, but with a more hawkish tinge, so it's more than likely there are many officials in the party who actually believe there's some level of a US election October surprise related to China coming.

Perhaps it's also related to PLA forces kicking off military drills in no less than four regional seas on Monday, expected to run through Wednesday.

Recall that just last week he also warned that China "would definitely start a just war" if American soldiers ever returned to being stationed on Taiwan. They had permanently departed in 1979 upon US normalized relations with the People's Republic of China.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/chinese-state-media-floats-trump-october-surprise-theory-centered-disputed-islands

As many as 140,000 New Yorkers receive absentee ballots with wrong names and addresses

'Voting absentee is going to work. It really is. (Fingers crossed.)'

Voters in New York City are sounding the alarm after several have reported receiving absentee ballots containing either the wrong name and address, or another person's ballot altogether — and officials estimate as many as 140,000 mismatched absentee mailings were sent out.

The Gothamist reported Monday that multiple voters in Brooklyn said "they have received a mislabeled 'official absentee ballot envelope.' Normally, the voter inserts their completed ballot into the envelope and signs the outside. But in these cases, their ballot envelopes bear the wrong name and address. If a person signs their own name to this faulty ballot envelope, the ballot would be voided."

The outlet noted that "the New York City Board of Elections has mailed out nearly half a million absentee ballots ahead of Election Day this November," and "more than 140,000 absentee ballots have gone out across the borough."

Business Insider reporter Grace Panetta tweeted, " And it looks like some people are getting not just the wrong return envelopes with their ballot, but other's people's ballots entirely. I can only hope this isn't a widespread problem bc it's a pretty serious safety/privacy issue."

And it looks like some people are getting not just the wrong return envelopes with their ballot, but other’s people… https://t.co/Tji8eG1s3T

— Grace Panetta (@Grace Panetta)1601333420.0

Impacted New Yorkers also took to social media to sound the alarm. One Brooklyn resident called out her city councilman, Brad Lander, tweeting, "I, too, received somebody else's absentee ballot. Pls help your constituents/our democracy, @bradlander?"

Lander responded, "Sigh. You and apparently as many as 140,000 others. Here's what we know so far," pointing to his own Twitter feed where he had linked to the Gothamist article. He had written earlier, "Emerging from Yom Kippur to dozens of emails from Brooklyn voters who were mailed absentee ballots with the wrong name/address on the return envelope. Just so enraging & depressing."

"Voting absentee is going to work. It really is," he also tweeted, followed by a "fingers crossed" emoji.

Voting absentee is going to work. It really is. (🤞) But if you're immunocompromised or out-of-town or uncomfortabl… https://t.co/3KDVlU5Tsh

— Brad Lander (@Brad Lander)1601338031.0

He added, "As @commoncauseny's Susan Lerner says: 'Look, this is a stupid error, but there is time to get it fixed.' And I know it won't affect the Presidential race (fortunately, swing states have been doing mail-in ballots longer & better). But still, [New York City Board of Elections], please. I can't take it."

https://www.theblaze.com/news/ready-as-many-as-140-000-new-yorkers-receive-absentee-ballots-with-wrong-names-and-addresses

Never mind the body bags from Serbia to Syria: British Labour Party MP nominates Joe Biden for Nobel Peace Prize

Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by UK Labour Party lawmaker Chris Bryant, who credited the politician for easting political tensions amid violent protests across the US.

“When American cities have been in flames and citizen has been pitched against citizen, Joe has been a calming influence to bear,” Bryant reportedly said Monday. “When others have resorted to violent solutions, he has argued that the best force is the force of argument because guns can stop a heart, but well-placed words can change many hearts, and many hearts can change the world.”

The nomination came just one day before the first US presidential debate. Biden's rival, President Donald Trump, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times this year, most recently on Monday by Australian law professors praising the “Trump Doctrine” against endless wars.

Trump's other nominations came from Swedish Parliament member Magnus Jacobsson for helping to broker a peace and economic deal between Serbia and Kosovo, and Norwegian lawmaker Christian Tybring-Gjedde for brokering a peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The Trump administration later followed up on that deal by getting Bahrain to join the UAE in a normalization agreement with Israel.

While Bryant praised Biden's efforts to ease civil unrest, the UK politician was largely silent about the violent nature of many Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests this summer. Even CNN host Don Lemon warned in late August that riots across the US – and the failures of Biden and other Democrat politicians to condemn and quell the violence – was a "blind spot" that could cost Biden votes in November.

The nomination also raised eyebrows among critics of Biden's record of supporting wars and military interventions as a Senator and later as vice president under former President Barack Obama. The Obama-Biden administration campaigned on peace – and Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 largely on speculation that he would deliver on his promises – but the US instead started new wars and prolonged existing ones. The administration finished its last full year, 2016, by dropping more than 26,000 bombs around the world and expanded the presence of US special forces to 70 percent of the world’s nations, more than doubling their reach under former President George W. Bush.

https://www.rt.com/usa/501987-biden-nobel-peace-nomination/

Ex-OPCW Member Says Syria 2018 Chemical Attacks Report May Not Reflect Actual Events

A former lead investigator from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ian Henderson, said the final report of the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) into the alleged use of toxic chemicals in an attack in Douma, Syria, in 2018, may not reflect what happened on the ground.

Henderson was speaking at an informal meeting of the UN Security Council, organised by the Russian Mission, to openly discuss the treatment of the Syrian chemical dossier, in contrast to traditionally closed gatherings of the council on the issue.

"I speak for myself, but I know there are other Douma FFM inspectors who hold the similar concerns that I do about the manner in which the investigation was controlled, locked-down… [as well as] the findings reflected in the final FMM report", Henderson said. "We believe that there is more than sufficient information out there today that has demonstrated our points that the findings of the FFM report on Duma may not reflect the actual situation".

Henderson said the launching of a transparent technical inquiry aimed at clarifying the actual course of events in Douma in 2018 is justified, given the scope of the available information and facts on the alleged incident.

"And this needs to be done in a way that demonstrates scientific rigour and integrity because that currently has not been done", he said. "perhaps, more importantly, we continue to hope that there's someone who's willing and able, someone who has the courage to do something about this".

The OPCW concluded that chlorine was most likely used in the suspected April 2018 attack on the city, which lies on the northeastern outskirts of the Syrian capital. This led the United States, France and the United Kingdom to launch missile strikes on Syrian targets.

The OPCW relied in its probe on data provided by the White Helmets, a rebel-linked group that bills itself as a volunteer rescue force.

However, the group has faced severe criticism from the Syrian and Russian governments who accuse the organisation of supporting terrorists and staging provocations involving chemical weapons aimed at justifying potential foreign interventions.

In December 2019, whistleblowing website WikiLeaks made public documents from the OPCW on the accuracy of the investigation in Douma.

One is an internal email exchange between a senior OPCW official, Chief of Cabinet Sebastian Braha, and his colleagues regarding a technical assessment by Henderson into allegations that the Syrian government had dropped two gas cylinders in a civilian area of Duma from an aircraft.

Henderson, who was assisting the FFM with information collection in Douma, in particular, found that all evidence from the ground suggest that cylinders were placed there manually and, given that the area was not controlled by Damascus at the time, most likely by no one else but the anti-government rebels.

The final report of the OPCW has no mention of these findings. Henderson faced pressure from the OPCW leadership and was eventually fired.

https://sputniknews.com/world/202009291080604436-ex-opcw-member-says-syria-2018-chemical-attacks-report-may-not-reflect-actual-events/

Photos of Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein Maskless in DC Airport Emerge After She Called For Mandatory Airport Mask Mandate

Rules for thee, but not for me.

Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) was spotted in a DC airport sans mask on Friday.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusively obtained the photos of 87-year-old Dianne Feinstein waltzing through a private terminal at Dulles airport without a mask on her face.

Just three months ago Feinstein called for a mandatory airport mask mandate because Covid is so dangerous.

But the mask mandate is only for the peasants.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/photos-democrat-senator-dianne-feinstein-maskless-dc-airport-emerge-called-mandatory-airport-mask-mandate/

Rules for thee but not for we….."one big club and we ain't in it"

Greek police clash with protesters at rally against Pompeo's visit to Athens

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Athens and Thessaloniki to protest the arrival of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Greece, with clashes erupting outside the American embassy in the capital.

The protest march, organized by students and left-wing groups, remained peaceful along most of its route. The demonstrators carried red flags and chanted slogans, including "Pompeo is unwanted!" and "Yankee, go home!"

But things became heated as the group reached the heavily-guarded US embassy, where there were clashes, with police reportedly employing batons and tear gas.

A similar protest was staged in Thessaloniki. Demonstrators in the country's second largest city made a stop outside the US Consulate, stretching the American flag on the pavement and trampling on it.

Pompeo landed in the country for a two-day visit on Monday, amid tensions between Greece and Turkey over conflicting maritime boundary claims in the Mediterranean Sea.

Athens and Ankara, who previously mobilized warships and planes over the dispute, have recently agreed to start negotiations on the divisive issue.

https://www.rt.com/news/501976-pompeo-greece-protest-clashes/

‘Gee, I wonder why?’ Trump bashes Biden campaign’s drug-test refusal as MSM renew push to CANCEL ‘useless’ debates

US President Donald Trump has pointed to rival Joe Biden's refusal to be drug-tested before Tuesday's debate, after accusing the Democrat candidate of doping. Meanwhile, pundits are ramping up calls to cancel the debate entirely.

Trump took to Twitter to speculate on the Democrat’s sobriety on Monday. “Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a Drug Test,” the president announced, adding sarcastically, “Gee, I wonder why?”

Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a Drug Test. Gee, I wonder why?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2020

After weeks of suggesting Biden was taking performance-enhancing drugs, Trump tweeted on Sunday that he would be “strongly demanding” the Democrat take a drug test before the first presidential debate on Tuesday – also volunteering to take one himself.

I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2020

Biden’s “Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly,” the president observed, wondering whether “only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???”

While Biden and his campaign had largely avoided responding to the president’s needling on the drug question, the campaign finally lashed out on Sunday evening through MSNBC, slamming Trump’s “attempts to make up a drug test policy for the upcoming presidential debate.”

Biden “intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in the statement, piling on the pee puns as she accused Trump of “piss[ing] away the chance to protect the lives of 200K Americans when he didn’t make a plan to stop Covid-19.”

The candidate himself has avoided publicly addressing the matter, brushing off a reporter’s question about whether he would take a drug test on Sunday with a “no comment.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/501964-biden-drug-test-response-debates/