DEVELOPING: French Ambassador to Niger Held Hostage in Embassy

After President Emmanuel Macron declined the Niger junta ultimatum to withdraw the French diplomatic mission from the West African country, tensions continue to escalate as it now surfaces that France’s ambassador to Niger ‘is being held hostage in the French embassy’.

France 24 reported:

“The ambassador is living off ‘military rations’, Macron told reporters in the eastern town of Semur-en-Auxois.

‘As we speak, we have an ambassador and diplomatic staff who are literally being held hostage in the French embassy’, he said.

‘They are preventing food deliveries’, he said, in an apparent reference to Niger’s new military rulers. ‘He is eating military rations’.

Niger’s military leaders told French ambassador Sylvain Itte he had to leave the country after they overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

But a 48-hour ultimatum for him to leave, issued in August, passed with him still in place as the French government refused to comply, or to recognise the military regime as legitimate.”

This worrying development comes right after Niger military arrested a Frech elected official, Stephane Jullien, counsellor for French citizens abroad.

Associated Press: “The Foreign Ministry did not elaborate on where and how Jullien was arrested or whether officials in Paris knew where he was being held. It said only that France was following the situation closely and was ‘fully mobilized’ to assure him the protections due to anyone in another country.”

The Niger junta also accused France of massing troops and military equipment in neighboring countries, in what seems a clear preparation for an invasion of of post-coup Niger.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/09/developing-french-ambassador-niger-held-hostage-embassy/

Emerging Scandal: Why Are We Giving $8 Billion To Chinese Company With Communist Ties To Build A $2 Billion Battery Factory?

Some politicians are taking notice of the absurdity of subsidizing a Chinese technology company, Gotion. The electric vehicle battery maker is linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and it recently inked a deal with the State of Illinois to build a $2 billion plant in Illinois.

However, the insane size of the subsidies being granted remains to be recognized.

On Wednesday, two members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, imploring her and Congress to take immediate action to stop the CCP from exploiting U.S. taxpayer dollars.

The letter from committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) specifically addressed a very similar Gotion battery production project in Michigan, and the same issues apply to the Illinois project.

The letter documents connections between Gotion and the CCP:

Gotion High-Tech Co. is a PRC company that has direct ties to the CCP and state-owned financial institutions. Gotion has been an active participant in the PRC-based version of the “Thousands Talent Program,” a program the FBI itself says encourages theft of trade secrets and economic espionage. Gotion has established multiple “Communist Party Units” within its operations and has publicly sought PRC provincial government support for its desire to expand its operations overseas. Even when courting major Western investment, Gotion has been adamant about retaining PRC-based control, including requiring that Volkswagen give up part of its voting rights, despite Volkswagen acquiring over 25 percent of the company. [Footnotes omitted.]

“It is perplexing,” says the letter, that the U.S. government would perpetuate China’s domination of key technology “by actively supporting CCP-backed companies expanding their foothold in the U.S. market, especially in a crucial sector such as lithium-ion battery manufacturing.”

Perplexing, indeed.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/emerging-scandal-why-are-we-giving-8-billion-chinese-company-communist-ties-build-2-billion

Biden Is Trying To Make It Harder To Fire Unelected Bureaucrats In Case A Republican Wins In 2024

The Biden administration is trying to protect unelected federal bureaucrats from being fired in the event of a Republican victory in 2024, according to a document filed with the Federal Register on Friday morning.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an agency that manages all federal workers, proposed a rule that would protect the vast majority of career civil servants from being dismissed without cause, and give them the right to appeal, according to the filing. The rule would oppose the efforts of some Republican presidential candidates — should they become president — to unilaterally fire bureaucrats who disagree with conservative policies, as they have vowed to do.

“The 2.2 million career civil servants active today are the backbone of the Federal workforce … [t]hese employees take an oath to uphold the Constitution and are accountable to agency leaders and managers who, in turn, are accountable to the President,” the filing reads. “[M]ere disagreement with leadership—without defiance of lawful orders—does not qualify as misconduct or unacceptable performance.”

Civil servants, unlike political appointees, normally cannot be dismissed by the president or their designees at will, but may only be terminated for certain causes. Republicans have frequently complained about civil servants’ alleged left-wing political bias, which the claim manifests in hidden subversion of conservative policy agendas — leading some GOP candidates to vow to target “the deep state” if elected.

“The myth that has been taken for granted in our national history is that the president is limited in his ability to fire [federal] employees … [but] large-scale reductions in force are not covered by the statute,” said Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a speech about the federal bureaucracy on Wednesday. “Large-scale mass layoffs are absolutely what we will bring.”

Ramaswamy aims to dismiss at least 75% of the federal workforce, Axios first reported.

“On bureaucracy, you know, we’re going to have all these deep-state people, you know, [and] we’re going to start slitting throats on Day 1,” said Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Aug. 3.

Former President Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, had issued an executive order during his term in 2020 that moved many civil servants into the “excepted service” of political appointees, though it was rescinded by President Joe Biden upon taking office.

The OPM’s proposed rule would enable career civil servants reclassified into the excepted service to retain their civil service protections at the time of hiring. It would also add new procedures that are required to move bureaucrats into the excepted service.

Some Republican policy experts do not think the rule would have much effect if a GOP administration takes office. “The next administration can just as easily rescind those restrictions … this proposed rule would be a speed bump, but nothing more,” said James Sherk, a former Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy in the Trump administration, to The New York Times.

The White House and Ramaswamy’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/09/15/biden-administration-attempt-protect-bureaucrats/

Jim Jordan Subpoenas FBI Agent Who Allegedly Lied About Hunter Biden Laptop

The House Judiciary Committee is sending a subpoena to FBI agent Elvis Chan Friday after the Department of Justice (DOJ) blocked him from testifying in front of the committee about the bureau’s response to the Hunter Biden laptop story, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller.

Chan was expected to testify to the House Judiciary over his involvement with the FBI’s pressure on social media companies to censor the Hunter Biden laptop archive and false statements he appeared to make in November 2022 testimony for the ongoing Missouri v. Biden censorship lawsuit.

He volunteered to interview in front of the committee with his personal counsel, according to the letter. Chan’s interview did not end up taking place because the Department of Justice (DOJ) brought agency counsel to the interview, despite Chan’s decision to be represented by his personal counsel. Witnesses cannot be represented by agency counsel and personal counsel during interviews, per committee rules.

The Daily Mail first reported on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) effort to shut down his testimony by bringing an agency counsel to his interview.

“Today, after an FBI employee traveled across the country to voluntarily participate in a scheduled interview, he was denied the right to have his chosen legal counsel accompany him,” the FBI said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “Upon arrival at the Capitol, Committee staff directed agency counsel to leave the premises, and the interview was unable to proceed.”

Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, shared internal Facebook documents in August showing that Chan lied during his previous testimony about his meetings with tech companies regarding the Hunter Biden laptop.

https://dailycaller.com/2023/09/15/exclusive-house-judiciary-subpoena-fbi-agent-hunter-biden-laptop/

Special Counsel Jack Smith asks federal judge for gag order to restrict Donald Trump’s speech related to case against him

Smith asked a federal judge to impose a "narrowly tailored" gag order to stop Trump from making statements that Smith and his team feel could harm their case.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Biden's Department of Justice to go after President Donald Trump, is now seeking to prevent the former president and current Republican front runner from speaking publicly about the federal government's prosecution of him.

In August, Smith asked for a gag order against Trump in the case he brought against him in Florida after the Department of Justice instructed the FBI to raid his Mar-a-Lago home and seize his personal documents. They claim that Trump should not be permitted to speak about "sensitive and confidential information" as it would have a "harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case."

In a Friday filing, Smith asked a federal judge to impose a "narrowly tailored" gag order to stop Trump from making statements that Smith and his team feel could harm their case. Smith claims that the statements he wishes to prevent Trump from making could "present a serious and substantial danger of prejudicing" the case Smith brought stemming from the aftermath of the hotly contested 2020 presidential election.

Smith asked DC Judge Chutkan to impose "a narrow, well-defined restriction" to stop Trump from speaking "regarding the identity, testimony, or credibility of prospective witnesses" or "statements about any party, witness, attorney, court personnel, or potential jurors that are disparaging and inflammatory, or intimidating."

Smith says this would not stop Trump from publicly proclaiming that he is innocent of the charges levied against him by the justice department of his top political rival. As such, if Chutkan allows the gag order to go forward, Trump would likley contend that his first amendment rights are being violated by it.

In trying to get Chutkan to go along with the order, the motion cites times when Trump has taken aim at her personally, such as when he suggested that Chutkan is "a fraud dressed up as a judge" or "a radical Obama hack." Smith also doesn't like when Trump has made comments about his former vice president Mike Pence, or former attorney general Bill Barr, and they want the judge to put a stop to it.

Chutkan has presided over many cases involving January 6 defendants and has frequently imposed harsher sentences than those recommended by the Department of Justice.

"The defendant knows that when he publicly attacks individuals and institutions, he inspires others to perpetrate threats and harassment against his targets," the motion from Smith's team states. "The defendant continues these attacks on individuals precisely because he knows that in doing so, he is able to roil the public and marshal and prompt his supporters."

In asking for the judge to silence Trump, Smith stated that Trump had waged a "public disinformation campaign" after the 2020 presidential election, which is what Smith is charging Trump with. Trump has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

"Like his previous public disinformation campaign regarding the 2020 presidential election," Smith contends, "the defendant's recent extrajudicial statements are intended to undermine public confidence in an institution—the judicial system—and to undermine confidence in and intimidate individuals—the Court, the jury pool, witnesses, and prosecutors."

"The defendant's repeated, inflammatory public statements regarding the District of Columbia, the Court, prosecutors, and potential witnesses are substantially likely to materially prejudice the jury pool, create fear among potential jurors, and result in threats or harassment to individuals he singles out," the motion reads.

"Put simply, those involved in the criminal justice process who read and hear the defendant's disparaging and inflammatory messages (from court personnel, to prosecutors, to witnesses, to potential jurors) may reasonably fear that they could be the next targets of the defendant's attacks."

https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-special-counsel-jack-smith-asks-federal-judge-for-gag-order-to-restrict-donald-trumps-speech-related-to-case-against-him

Jim Jordan Blasts ‘Face-Saving’ Hunter Biden Indictment, Reveals Key Impeachment Inquiry Facts

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview Friday that Thursday’s indictment of Hunter Biden was a “face-saving exercise” for a Department of Justice (DOJ) under increasing scrutiny and revealed the ‘key facts’ that House Republicans will rely on as they begin their impeachment inquiry.

Jordan wrote off Thursday’s indictment of Hunter Biden as a public relations move as evidence mounts linking Hunter’s illegal activities with Joe Biden dating to his time in the Vice President’s mansion and exposing the department’s mishandling of the investigation for years. “At some point, it’s got to do something” Jordan said of Biden’s DOJ. “So they go with the one charge that has no links to the White House, the gun charge, and they announce it two days after the speaker announces that there’s an impeachment inquiry that’s been launched by the House of Representatives.” The younger Biden was charged Thursday with one count of false statement in the purchase of a firearm, one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, and one count of false statement related to information required to be kept by federal firearms licensed dealer.

Jordan, who leads the impeachment inquiry directed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) along with Oversight Committee Chairman Jim Comer (R-KY) and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), blasted talking points from the White House, Democrats, and their media allies talking points that there is “no evidence” linking Joe and Hunter as “disinformation,” laying out the facts his committee has uncovered and explaining that Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company that paid Hunter Biden millions, is the key.

“You got the ‘ten percent for the big guy,’ ’50 percent for pops,’ all the emails, you’ve got the WhatsApp messages, the shakedown message, you got ‘the brand is Joe Biden,’ you got all those things. You got multiple times that Weiss has changed his story, multiple Biden family members getting paid from multiple companies that are set up, all those facts.”

Amid all that evidence of criminality, Jordan noted, “The central facts revolve around Burisma, because that tells the story.”

“The four central facts are one, Hunter Biden was put on the board of Burisma and paid a boatload of money; two he wasn’t qualified to serve on the board of Burisma; three, Burisma asked him to weigh in with D.C. to help them with the prosecutor who was applying pressure to them, who was investigating them; four, Joe Biden goes to Ukraine, leverages American tax dollars to fire that prosecutor. Those are four central facts that are never going to change.

“That fact pattern is consistent with what is in the 1023 form, that the confidential human source conveyed to the FBI, that Joe Biden took policy actions, policy preferences were made, in exchange for money going to his family. That’s the central thing of this investigation. And oh, by the way, when Joe Biden fired the prosecutor, it was an abrupt change from the policy of the administration.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/09/15/exclusive-jim-jordan-blasts-face-saving-hunter-biden-indictment-reveals-key-impeachment-inquiry-facts/

Dr Shiva: the "Swarm" of Politicians Like Trump/Biden& Entertainers Like Alex Jones/Tucker Carlson

https://www.bitchute.com/video/HGGP7W12X1UN/

DOJ Defies House Judiciary Committee – Refuses to Allow FBI Agent Elvis Chan to Testify Before Congress on His Role in Suppressing Hunter Biden Laptop Story – UPDATE: Jim Jordan Subpoenas Elvis Chan

The Department of Justice on Friday blocked testimony by agent Elvis Chan before the House Judiciary Committee.

Chan was involved in the Big Tech’s suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story weeks before the 2020 election in order to help Joe Biden.

The Daily Mail reported:

The Department of Justice pulled a last-minute maneuver to block an FBI agent allegedly involved in Big Tech’s suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story from testifying before Congress.

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating whether Hunter Biden’s laptop was downplayed by social media companies. As part of the probe, Chairman Jim Jordan uncovered that an FBI agent involved in the saga – Elvis Chan – lied about the computer.

Chan had agreed to voluntarily appear Friday to provide the committee testimony and be represented by his personal counsel.

Agency witnesses are allowed to bring either agency counsel or personal counsel to committee interviews, but not both. The rule is set up so agency witnesses can be more candid in testimony without fear of professional retribution, according to the committee.

But two sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell DailyMail.com that DOJ derailed the testimony because agency counsel also showed up Friday morning. As a result, Chan’s interview did not take place as planned.

Now, an official subpoena is expected to be issued later Friday for Chan to appear for a transcribed interview next Thursday, Sept. 21.

This is not the first time the DOJ refused to allow Chan to testify.

In November a Louisiana Federal Judge just spanked the Biden regime and ordered Elvis Chan to sit for a deposition in the Missouri-Louisiana case against the Biden regime.

Gateway Pundit readers know that The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft is a co-Plaintiff, along with the states of Missouri and Louisiana, in suing the Biden Administration (Missouri, et al, v. Biden, et al) , Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the DOJ, Jen Psaki, Anthony Fauci, Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and other federal agents and agencies for colluding with Big Tech to censor Americans all across the nation.

The FBI sent out Agent Elvis Chan last year to ensure Americans that the 2022 midterm election will be “the safest election yet.” This was after he was caught up in the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.

UPDATE: Elvis Chan was just subpoenaed.

@Jim_Jordan just subpoenaed Assistant Special Agent in Charge Elvis Chan to appear for a deposition on September 21, 2023.

The subpoena comes after the Department of Justice blocked Chan from appearing for a voluntary interview with the House Judiciary Committee this morning. pic.twitter.com/LzOK4TzE8O

— Weaponization Committee (@Weaponization) September 15, 2023

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/09/doj-defies-house-judiciary-committee-refuses-allow-fbi/

What are his ties to the Li Clan and the CCP?

Far-Left Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Extends Leave of Absence After Rumors Swirl of Her Resignation

Last month far-left Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she will be taking a leave of absence to seek treatment for clinical depression.

“Based on my doctor’s recommendation, I checked myself into an out-of-state facility to receive inpatient treatment in late July,” the corrupt Democrat said in a statement.

She continued, “It is important for me personally and professionally to confront this issue swiftly, so I will be taking temporary leave from the office while I am receiving treatment.”

Hidalgo was initially supposed to resume her normal schedule by early September.

However, on Thursday Hidalgo announced she will be extending her leave of absence and won’t return to work until October 2nd.

“I am looking forward to being discharged this Saturday, September 16, 2023, starting outpatient care, are re-acclimatizing to life outside a mental health facility. My initial treatment plan had me returning to my regular schedule in September, but my discharge date was moved back, which moves back the re-acclimatization period,” Hidalgo said in a statement.

“The way my doctors explained re-acclimatization to me is that you would not go from heart surgery straight to running a marathon, in the same way that they do not want me to go straight back to my usual schedule,” Hidalgo said. “I am feeling great and looking forward to returning on Monday, October 2, 2023.”

Judge Hidalgo has shared an update on her mental health treatment. pic.twitter.com/ltmk5txF9X

— Office of Judge Lina Hidalgo (@HarrisCoJudge) September 14, 2023

Hidalgo’s former Republican opponent Alex Mealer blasted the Harris County Judge in an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle last week and called for her to resign.

“We are less than a week away from a pivotal Sept. 19 vote to raise taxes on Harris County residents, yet County Judge Lina Hidalgo has yet to resume the duties of her office,” Mealer wrote. “We all applaud her personal decision to receive treatment for depression and are sympathetic to everyone struggling with mental health issues, but we must also be equally sympathetic with the residents of Harris County who are suffering from brutal inflation, unacceptable crime rates and crumbling infrastructure.”

The latest extension of absence comes after rumors swirled that Lina Hidalgo might resign as her office is embroiled in a bid-rigging scandal.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/09/far-left-harris-county-judge-lina-hidalgo-extends/

26 Defendants Charged for Drug Trafficking in Multi-State Operation

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/26-defendants-charged-drug-trafficking-multi-state-operation

U.S. Attorney Charges High School Teacher With Attempted Transfer Of Obscene Material And Receipt And Possession Of Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-charges-high-school-teacher-attempted-transfer-obscene-material-and