Gaslight Supreme: Mayorkas Says "We Don't Bear Responsibility" For Border Crisis

The Biden administration can't stop lying to the American public.

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had the audacity to claim that the Biden administration doesn't bear responsibility for the border crisis, despite, among other things:

Terminating the National Emergency at the Southwest border

Revoking a Trump-era Executive Order that was designed to ensure there was meaningful enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

Issuing an executive order protecting DACA recipients

Unveiling the U.S. Citizenship Act, which would provide amnesty to millions of illegal aliens in the U.S., demonstrating intent to reward illegal border crossers with a path to citizenship.

Announcing a 100-day moratorium on deportations and immigration enforcement, effectively providing amnesty to criminal and other removable aliens

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/gaslight-supreme-mayorkas-says-we-dont-bear-responsibility-border-crisis

Update: Secretary Austin is still at the hospital and receiving treatment. At approximately 4:55 pm today, he transferred the functions and duties of the office of the Secretary of Defense to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. Full statement:

https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec/status/1756840367700214211

Trump threatens not to defend ‘delinquent’ NATO members

Former US president claims he would even encourage Russia to take action against states who refuse to meet the bloc’s spending requirements

Former US President Donald Trump has said he would “encourage” Russia to attack any NATO states whom he considers to have not met their financial obligations. All bloc members are required to spend 2% of their GDP on defense, but in practice most fail to meet this target.

Speaking at a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump slammed a proposed $118 billion security bill, $60 billion of which is earmarked for Ukraine. US lawmakers have struggled for months to approve the measure amid opposition from Republicans, who want to see more done to address the crisis on America’s southern border.

According to the former president, when the leader of an unnamed NATO country asked him whether Washington would offer protection if they did not increase defense spending and were attacked by Russia, he replied in the negative.

”I said you didn’t pay, you’re delinquent… No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You got to pay your bills,” he said, adding that after that exchange, the money “came flowing.”

President Joe Biden's White House quickly took aim the former leader's comments, saying in a statement: “Encouraging invasions of our closest allies by murderous regimes is appalling and unhinged – and it endangers American national security, global stability, and our economy at home.”

The US should offer loans and not unconditional aid to Ukraine and other countries it funds, Trump told supporters.

“They want to give like almost $100 billion to a few countries… I said why do we do this? You give it to them as a loan,” he said.

Trump conceded that the money might not be repaid, but suggested that if the recipients “go to another nation” and “drop us like a dog,” then the US could “simply… call the loan.” Ukraine, the former president suggested, “could make a deal with Russia in the next three weeks and all of a sudden they don’t want to deal with us anymore.”

Trump compared the current Ukraine situation to his often tense relations with NATO allies during his time as president. “I did the same thing with NATO. I got them to pay up… NATO was busted until I came along,” he claimed.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow has “no interest… geopolitically, economically or militarily,” in attacking any NATO countries.

https://www.rt.com/news/592271-trump-us-aid-ukraine-loans/

>>20398909

NATO chief condemns Trump remarks

The former US president had challenged Washington’s NATO allies over their failure to pay their share of the bloc’s defenses

Former US president Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about NATO members’ failure to pay their share of the bloc’s defense costs put the whole alliance at risk, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned in a statement on Sunday.

“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk,” he said, reiterating that the bloc remained “ready and able to defend all allies.”

Any attack on a NATO member country would trigger a “united and forceful response,” Stoltenberg pledged.

“I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election, the US will remain a strong and committed NATO ally,” he added.

Speaking to a rally crowd in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump had suggested Washington might leave a NATO member that hadn’t paid its membership dues to fend for itself in the event of an attack, in order to teach a lesson about fiscal responsibility.

“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” the former president recalled addressing the unnamed nation. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”

NATO members pledged in 2014 to spend 2% of their GDP on defense by 2025. Just 10 of the bloc’s 30 members had met those obligations and 13 were spending 1.5% of GDP or less as of last year, according to its own estimates.

While much of the media discussion of Trump’s supposed threat framed it as a challenge to the Baltic states and Poland, Warsaw actually led the bloc in defense contributions by percentage last year, tithing 3.9% of its GDP - more than Washington’s 3.49% donation. Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia all gave over 2% last year as well, placing all of them well out of reach of any threatened lapse in mutual defense under another Trump presidency.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk nevertheless expressed concern about the “hot war” at his country’s border with Ukraine, questioning whether the US would show “full solidarity with other NATO countries in this confrontation that promises to last for a long time with Russia.”

His words echoed Stoltenberg’s own in an interview with Germany’s Die Welt on Sunday, in which the NATO chief urged members to ramp up arms production to wartime levels in order to prepare for a “confrontation” with Moscow “that could last decades.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied his country is interested in attacking any NATO country, even Poland or the Baltics. Last week, he told journalist Tucker Carlson it was instead western governments “trying to intimidate their own population with an imaginary Russian threat.”

https://www.rt.com/news/592283-stoltenberg-trump-russia-nato-contributions/

Palestinians report intensive strikes in Rafah; IDF says it hit ‘significant’ targets

The IDF confirms it carried out a wave of airstrikes against “significant” targets in the Shaboura area in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

It says The IDF confirms it carried out a wave of airstrikes against “significant” targets in the Shaboura area in southern Gaza’s Rafah.

It says the strikes have concluded, and does not immediately provide further information.

the strikes have concluded, and does not immediately provide further information.

A statement from the Palestinian Red Crescent says ‘violent’ Israeli strikes have been launched on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.

There are no immediate details on the targets of the strikes or casualties.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-11-2024/

Home Affairs contracts awarded to companies with suspected links to drugs, firearms and bribery

A review has found Australia awarded offshore asylum seeker processing centre contracts to companies with suspected links to arms and drug smuggling, corruption and bribery.

The federal government launched the review last year after questions were raised about the Home Affairs department's conduct while the Coalition was in power, including why it gave a contract to a company whose director was convicted of bribing foreign officials.

Former secretary of the Department of Defence Dennis Richardson was appointed to conduct the review and found Home Affairs lacked "proper due diligence".

"The department was operating within an environment of high pressure where time was often of the essence. However, with proper due diligence, Home Affairs could have considered alternative suppliers, and, if this was not possible, the implementation of mitigating measures. But this was not done," the review found.

"Intelligence and other information, which was readily available, was not accessed. As a consequence, integrity risks were not identified."

The review found coordination, communication and information flows within Home Affairs were inadequate, as was communication between Home Affairs and other areas of government, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

"In one instance, the AFP did not advise Home Affairs over a three year period that it was investigating an individual who it knew had a contractual relationship with Home Affairs," the review found.

According to the review, Home Affairs had contractual relationships with:

A company whose owners were suspected, through the ownership of another company, of seeking to circumvent US sanctions against Iran, and had extensive suspicious money movements suggesting money laundering, bribery and other criminal activity

Companies under investigation by the AFP

A company whose CEO was being investigated for possible drugs and arms smuggling into Australia. Although, at the time, it would have been unrealistic to have expected those responsible for contract and procurement to be aware of this

An enterprise suspected of corruption

Mr Richardson made several recommendations, including that Home Affairs "enhance its integrity risk process and culture to better inform procurement and contract decision-making for regional processing arrangements".

"A failure to do this exposes the Commonwealth to unacceptable risks and to reputational damage," Mr Richardson said.

He also recommended "Home Affairs should foster and promote an 'ask and tell' operating environment that encourages collaboration, cooperation, proactive enquiry and information sharing."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-12/home-affairs-contracts-awarded-to-companies-with-links-to-drugs/103455026