Patricia Blagojevich says same people who took down her husband are gunning for Trump: 'Now they’ve got their sights much higher’

Patricia Blagojevich, wife of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, suggested that President Trump is interested in commuting her husband’s sentence because “the same people” involved in her husband’s case are now involved in the federal Russia investigation.

Fox News’ Martha McCallum asked Blagojevich if she believed Trump was “sensitive” to the her family’s situation because “of what he is going through.”

“I see that, I see that the same people that did this to my family, the same people that you know, secretly taped us and twisted the facts and perverted the law that ended up my husband in jail. These same people are trying to do the same thing that they did to my husband, just on a much larger scale. They were emboldened. They took down a governor and now they’ve got their sights much higher.”

The comments come after Trump shared with reporters on Air Force One Thursday that he was considering commuting Blagojevich's sentence.

Rod Blagojevich was convicted of attempting to cheat a hospital for campaign donations, and for efforts to sell former President Barack Obama’s Senate seat after he was elected to the White House. He was charged with wire fraud, extortion, and soliciting bribes. He has served almost half of his 14-year prison sentence.

Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is spearheading the investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 election and if the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin, served as FBI director when Rod Blagojevich was being investigated. At the time, former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017, was also serving as deputy attorney general.

Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to oversee the Russia probe after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself. Additionally, it was reported Mueller expanded his investigation to look at possible obstruction of justice charges after Comey’s ouster.

Trump has repeatedly called Mueller’s probe a “witch hunt” and has denied that any collusion occurred.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/patricia-blagojevich-says-same-people-who-took-down-her-husband-are-gunning-for-trump-now-theyve-got-their-sights-much-higher

DOJ officials have interviewed James Comey as part of Andrew McCabe probe, indicates serious consideration of criminal charges: Report

A new report claims that investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. recently interviewed former FBI director James Comey in relation to the Justice Department's probe of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horrowitz issued a criminal referral for McCabe in April - which led to his eventual firing - on the grounds that he intentionally mislead DOJ officials on four separate occasions.

A source familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post the Comey interview indicates officials are seriously weighing criminal charges for McCabe, which are not guaranteed in a referral.

"A little more than a month ago, we confirmed that we had been advised that a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney’s Office had been made regarding Mr. McCabe," Michael Bromwich, McCabe's attorney, told the Post when asked about the new revelations. "We said at that time that we were confident that, unless there is inappropriate pressure from high levels of the Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office would conclude that it should decline to prosecute. Our view has not changed."

Bromwich further criticized the DOJ employee who leaked the interview and pointed to Wednesday's reports on a memo, written by McCabe, which purported to show an intentional effort by President Trump to coerce Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein into framing Comey's 2017 firing in a beneficial manner.

"We think it is no coincidence that these leaks follow within 24 hours of media stories — based on other leaks whose source is unknown to us — about memos written by Mr. McCabe that suggest potential criminal conduct by the President,” Bromwich further stated. “We will be demanding a leaks investigation.”

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that special counsel Robert Mueller had obtained McCabe's memo and was considering its implications as he seeks to determine whether obstruction of justice has occurred in the wake of multiple investigations into alleged Russian election tampering.

In the document, McCabe allegedly wrote that Rosenstein told him about a conversation in which Trump asked that the deputy ag's letter on Comey's firing specifically cite Russia as a primary cause.

The president denied on Twitter Thursday morning that Russia led to Comey's dismissal.

"Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia!" he wrote. "The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true!"

Not that it matters but I never fired James Comey because of Russia! The Corrupt Mainstream Media loves to keep pushing that narrative, but they know it is not true!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/doj-officials-have-interviewed-james-comey-as-part-of-andrew-mccabe-probe-indicates-serious-consideration-of-criminal-charges-report

Bob Corker: Trump tariffs 'an abuse of authority'

President Trump’s imposition of steel and aluminum tariffs on three American allies is “an abuse of authority,” according to a senior Senate Republican.

“Imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on our most important trading partners is the wrong approach and represents an abuse of authority intended only for national security purposes,” Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Thursday.

Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. He rooted the move in a federal law that allows the administration “to determine the effects of imports of any article on the national security of the United States,” as the Commerce Department put it. But the decision provoked condemnation from U.S. allies and Republican lawmakers.

“[W]e run a trade surplus on steel [with Mexico],” Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., tweeted. “In addition to higher prices, these tariffs invite retaliation.”

The EU has threatened to impose $7.5 billion worth of tariffs on American exports, while Canada may retaliate to the tune of $12.8 billion. “It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a threat to the United States' national security,” Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday.

Trump’s team maintained that the tariffs offer the double benefit of “major, positive effects on steel and aluminum workers and jobs,” in addition to the national security implications connected to the U.S. steel industry.

“[T]he Trump Administration’s actions underscore its commitment to good-faith negotiations with our allies to enhance our national security while supporting American workers,” the White House said. “The Administration will continue to monitor steel and aluminum imports and adjust the measures in effect as necessary to protect the national security of the United States.”

Corker dismissed that idea. “If we truly want to level the playing field for American companies, we should be working with our friends and allies to target those actually responsible for tipping markets in their favor,” he said.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/bob-corker-trump-tariffs-an-abuse-of-authority

Yes, Amazon is tracking people

When most people think of the tech giant Amazon, they think of an innovative, consumer-friendly company responsible for affordable deliveries. Recent news is shattering that image.

According to documents obtained by American Civil Liberties Union affiliates in three states, Amazon is providing police departments in Orlando, Fla., and Washington County, Ore., with powerful facial recognition technology.

The documents show that the company’s interests go beyond efficient shopping, and should serve as a reminder not only that police departments ought to be prohibited from using real-time facial recognition technology, but also that most lawmakers have been asleep at the wheel when it comes to the proliferation of surveillance technology.

Amazon's facial recognition service, Rekognition, is designed to identify and track people going about their daily business. This isn't hyperbole — a Rekognition spokesperson explicitly mentioned real-time tracking and identification at an Amazon Web Services summit earlier this year. The same spokesperson went on to call Orlando a "smart city," with cameras everywhere that allow authorities to track persons of interest in real time.

Orlando Police Department spokesman Sgt. Eduardo Bernal issued a statement stressing that the department's use of Rekognition is limited and is in an early testing phase. Police with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon have built a database of at least 300,000 mugshot photos for use in conjunction with Rekognition via a mobile app. Last year, an "Information Systems Analyst" with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office emailed an unnamed Amazon employee, saying that while Rekognition's tattoo identification feature can recognize tattoos, it would be better if it could specify what the tattoo shows (dragons, flowers, etc.).

Other emails mentioned merging real-time facial recognition with body cameras, something Axon, one of the largest body camera manufacturers in America, is pursuing. Axon isn't alone. According to a 2017 Department of Justice survey, nine of 38 body camera manufacturers either have facial recognition capability or have that capability built in for future use. The Orlando Police Department does not put any limits on biometric tools such as facial recognition being used on body camera footage. Fortunately, an official with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office pointed out in one of the released emails that using facial recognition in conjunction with body cameras is illegal in Oregon. However, the majority of major police departments across the country are not bound by such restrictions.

News that Amazon has been supplying powerful facial recognition technology is an indictment of local lawmakers. Across the country, police have been deploying powerful surveillance tools without informing the public. In one particularly egregious example, police in Baltimore conducted persistent aerial surveillance without informing the mayor, the city council, or public defenders.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/yes-amazon-is-tracking-people-and-sending-their-data-to-police

>>1602070

>>1602107

Yes he was to the benefit of himself and others which is why he's finished and another of the loudest voices.

>>1602172

I am surprised that more haven't picked up on this. They already know what's coming, and they need to defend him in hopes that he will not give any other them up to save himself. Here comes the pain… how much is the question.

>>1602228

>>1602233

This is some creepy stuff I don't like the direction its going, this company, with the cia ownership connections has much too much power.

>>1602004

>>1602014

>>1602040

Okay so, Blogo is from Chicago, along with lets see:

Rahm Emanuel, Obummer, Eric Holder, Bill Ayers, Hillary. (All Criminal Cabal Swamp)

I think Blago has some serious stories to tell, he definitely knows all and he's going to need a security team when they let him out.

>>1602236

Thanks for the link I will check it out:)

Top Democrat suggests Trump may be breaking law with pardon talk

The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Democrat sent a cryptic tweet Thursday suggesting President Trump may be breaking the law by announcing potential pardons.

“The President’s ad hoc use of the pardon power is concerning enough,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said on Twitter. “But the possibility that he may also be sending a message to witnesses in a criminal investigation into his campaign is extremely dangerous. In the United States of America, no one is above the law.”

Trump said Thursday he is giving a full pardon to conservative writer and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza and considering a presidential pardon for Martha Stewart and former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who both appeared on Trump’s former show “The Apprentice.”

Blagojevich, a Democrat and former House lawmaker, is serving 14 years for corruption.

Stewart served five months in prison for making false statements to federal investigators about a stock sale.

Trump has pardoned several people, including Bush administration officials Scooter Libby and former Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Trump does not always use the official Office of the Pardon Attorney to make pardon decisions.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/congress/mark-warner-trump-breaking-law-pardon-talk

With a simple name change, Jim Mattis builds a strategic bridge to India

One word explains why Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is changing the title of the Pentagon's U.S. Pacific Command to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

India.

Explaining the title change on Wednesday, Mattis declared that "It is our primary combatant command, it's standing watch and intimately engaged with over half of the Earth's surface and its diverse populations, from Hollywood, to Bollywood, from polar bears to penguins …" The secretary's reference to Bollywood is not incidental but rather a reference to India's cultural (free discourse and capitalist entertainment) alignment with the United States.

Mattis also evidenced why the U.S. regards India as a landmark defensive ally: "Relationships with our Pacific and Indian Ocean allies and partners have proven critical to maintaining regional stability." The secretary continued, "We stand by our partners and support their sovereign decisions, because all nations large and small are essential to the region if we're to sustain stability in ocean areas critical to global peace."

The key here is Mattis' focus on the need "to sustain stability in ocean areas critical to global peace." Mattis knows that ongoing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea and China's development of an oceanic navy with port access in Gwadar, Pakistan, has not gone unnoticed in New Delhi. Nor has China's territorial expansionism along India's northern borders. That's relevant because these concerns align with the Trump administration's Indo-Pacific strategy. That strategy seeks a regional balance of power that favors free trade, free movement and the multilateral stability of the oceanic commons. Considering that the majority of the world's trade flows through these waters, their importance cannot be overstated.

That brings us back to India.

As the world's most populous democracy led by an economic-reform minded leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India offers the U.S. a natural partner. Moreover, India's military modernization is proceeding at pace. For one, a new class of Indian guided missile destroyers will soon complement its navy's relatively robust submarine fleet. The U.S. rightly hopes that India will take its place alongside the Australian and Japanese navies as a key military partner. Japan's navy retains highly advanced vessels and the Australians will soon deploy their new anti-air focused Hobart-class destroyers. Together with the U.S. navy, the Australians, Japanese and Indians thus offer a powerful diplomatic and military alliance with which to deter Chinese aggression.

So yes, this command name change might seem simple on paper. But it serves as an olive branch of American respect and a means of building a crucial strategic partnership.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/with-a-simple-name-change-jim-mattis-builds-a-strategic-bridge-to-india

Canada hits back at U.S. with threat of $12.8 billion in tariffs

Canada said Thursday that the U.S. would be hit with $12.8 billion in tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other products such as beer and whiskey, in retaliation for the U.S. lifting an exemption for the country from its new tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said the U.S.’ claim that its tariffs were needed for national security reasons is wrong, noting that the U.S. and Canada are long-standing allies.

“It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a threat to the United States' national security,” Freeland said during a press conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau said Canada regretted the move but argued the U.S. gave them no choice. "The American administration has made a decision today that we deplore, and obviously is going to lead to retaliatory measures, as it must," he said.

The tariffs announced by Freeland will cover $12.8 billion.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Thursday that the U.S.' tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum would go into effect Friday against Canada, the European Union, and Mexico, following months of wrangling between the respective governments to resolve the dispute. The White House said its tariffs had "already had major, positive effects on steel and aluminum workers."

The tariffs are particularly harsh for Canada, which sends 90 percent of its exported steel to the U.S.

The Trump administration announced the tariffs in March but initially excluded Canada, Mexico, and the E,U, countries from them. An administration official said at the time that the Canadian and Mexican exclusions were temporary and intended to pressure the countries to agree to concessions during talks to update the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement.

https:/ /www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/canada-retaliates-threatens-us-12-8-billion-tariffs

>>1602638

Yes it is.

Ethics investigation clouds Rep. David Schweikert’s political career

Democrats have Rep. David Schweikert in their sights at the same time that the Arizona Republican finds himself and his top aide under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

The committee said Thursday that there was enough evidence to suspect an ethics violation by Schweikert and his chief of staff, Oliver Schwab, an announcement that could hamstring the congressman’s political career.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Arizona’s 6th Congressional District to its list of targets in 2018 earlier this May. And before the Ethics Committee even opened their investigations, Democrat frontrunner, Heather Ross, was slamming Schweikert for allowing Schwab to essentially take two salaries. No doubt the allegations will now take on increased significance.

here is plenty of material to pull from. While Schweikert prides himself on his reputation as a fiscal conservative penny-pincher, Schwab has been described by sources as the “Aaron Schock of staffers.” A November investigation by the Washington Examiner found records of lavish spending that reveal serious shortcomings in stewardship of both taxpayer and donor money.

According to Member Reimbursement Account disclosures, Schwab spent more than $5,000 to travel to Arizona during the 2015 Super Bowl. He dropped $381 on meals, $660 for a three-day rental car, and $4,027 for a five-night hotel. Other dubious reimbursements to Schwab include tens of thousands of dollars spent on office supplies and $7,000 spent to send the chief of staff to Harvard for a class in leadership.

Schwab also has a side gig off of Capitol Hill: Chartwell LLC. He runs that consulting firm out of his Alexandria condo. His best client? His boss Schweikert who, according to Federal Election Commission reports, has paid Schwab $137,709 in consulting fees through his various campaign committees. It’s a small operation, he told me last November: “Anytime you see Chartwell, that’s Oliver Schwab.”

And that could land Schwab in hot water. Congressional rules limit outside income of senior level staffers to just $26,955.

Both Schweikert and Schwab maintain innocence of any wrongdoing. The congressman told me in February that the discrepancies were the result of lazy bookkeeping and reimbursements for things like “a cup of coffee.” The staffer told me in November he would be “happy to cut a personal check to the Treasury to help pay down the national debt.”

As the Washington Examiner first reported in March, Schwab paid back the Schweikert campaign more than $50,000 in “erroneous reimbursements.” That came after an official ethics complaint was filed and two weeks before the House Office of Congressional Ethics referred the matter to the Ethics Committee for investigation.

Now the committee has until Nov. 14 to finish its inquiry and to decide its “next course of action.” That means Schweikert will run for re-election with the cloud of an investigation over his head. According to the latest analysis by the Cook Political Report though, the district is “likely Republican.” But re-election to the House might not be the congressman’s only goal.

While Schweikert passed at a chance to run for the seat of Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., he could be a competitive candidate to succeed Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., sometime in the future. Sources inside Schweikert World say that running for Senate as a fiscal conservative was always the goal. Before that happens, the congressman will have to survive the investigation and explain the profligate spending of his chief of staff.

Schweikert and his office did not respond to numerous requests for comment.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rep-david-schweikert-will-run-for-re-election-despite-ethics-allegations