Chicago Mayor's "Gift Room" Stocked With Jewelry, AirPods, Designer Handbags, And Luxury Shoes

Chicago released a video of its "gift room" and announced new protocols for receiving gifts after a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting and failing to report valuable items.

Mayor Brandon Johnson dismissed the watchdog’s findings as a "mischaracterization", insisting he never personally benefited from any gifts. The move aims to increase transparency following an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), according to Fox News.

Unreported gifts allegedly included jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags, and size 14 men’s shoes, raising ethical concerns. Under new protocols effective Tuesday, officials must report gifts within 10 days, store them in a publicly viewable area, and donate excess items.

The Fox News report says that on Wednesday, the city released its first video log, showing artwork, clothing, hats, and shoes, aiming to counter OIG claims that Mayor Johnson previously denied investigators access to the gift room during a November inspection.

"A written log contains 18 pages of items, along with their location and the organization that donated the gifts," Fox reported.

A statement from the Mayor's office said: "These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City."

The OIG report documented luxury items received between Feb. 2, 2022, and March 20, 2024, including Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade purse, and Carrucci size 14 shoes.

All of which are totally necessary to be a Mayor…

Meanwhile some items appeared in the Feb. 11 video log, but the tote bag, purse, and shoes were missing from the online log as of Wednesday. Other gifts, such as the cuff links and pen, lacked donor details.

Inspector General Deborah Witzburg criticized the 22-second video, calling it insufficient for transparency and presenting "practical challenges."

"There are some things visible in the video which are maybe recognizable, but I don't know that anybody is in a position to look at that video and find the pair of Hugo Boss cuff links or the personalized Montblanc pen," Witzburg told Fox News Digital. "I don't know that it lends itself to that. I'm not sure whether it's intended to."

She emphasized that the video does not replace public access and voiced concerns that even recently logged gifts lack information about their donors.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/chicago-mayors-gift-room-stocked-jewelry-airpods-designer-handbags-and-luxury-shoes

CASH FOR MIGRANTS: FEMA NOT THE ONLY AGENCY SPENDING BIG

The Office of Refugee Resettlement has faced questions over transparency, conflict of interest.

Open the Books previously reported that FEMA had an enormous $8 billion shortfall in its Disaster Relief Fund following the catastrophic damage of Hurricane Helene.

Well, FEMA is not the only agency that’s been spending gobs of taxpayer dollars on the immigration crisis. Programs span various agencies.

Included is theOffice of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), housed inside the Department of Health and Human Services subagency called the Administration for Children and Families.

ORR has spent over $22.6 BILLION since 2020 on grants to nonprofits providing everything from help accessing Medicaid to help building credit, help with home and auto loans, and cash assistance. Yes, cold hard cash!

WHAT IS ORR?

While Department of Homeland Security is often thought of as the main agency in charge of migration policy and spending in the United States, ORR spends tens of billions a year setting up refugees in the United States. Programmatic activities had a focus on, but were not exclusive to, unaccompanied children.

As Open the Books previously reported, one ORR program helped participants save for car and home purchases, another gave out business and personal loans to help them build credit. Another program helped with “legal assistance,” “cultural orientation,” and “emergency housing support.”

These acted as giant magnets for those seeking to cross the border and claim asylum.

As spending from ORR exploded, Open the Books also identified instances where the agency was expanding the scope of criteria for individuals eligible for its funding. For example, in its 2023 Congressional Budget Justification, the agency suggested the following changes to expand its mandate:

Advocating that “Special Immigrant Juvenile Minors” within the “Unaccompanied Refugee Minor” (URM) program access the same benefits as refugees, which include access to Medicaid and the same foster care services as American children.

Expanding legal assistance to Ukrainian and Afghan children and other URM-designated youth to legal assistance ensuring permanent residency.

Giving cash assistance to full-time college or technical school student refugees.

Removing the need for refugees to obtain economic self-sufficiency “as quickly as possible.”

Total amount of new grants awarded by ORR, from FY 2020-2024

2020: $2,682,493,224.22

2021: $2,352,120,351.54

2022: $3,378,055,499.50

2023: $10,035,487,466.68

2024: $4,207,541,746.00

https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/cash-for-migrants-fema-not-the-only

Israeli's bragging they OWN TRUMP

Netanyahu Plans to Attack Iran and 'Lure Trump Into War,' Israeli Media Reports

Israel is planning to attack Iran's nuclear sites and "lure" President Trump into the war, according to an analysis piece from the Israeli outlet Haaretz.

From Haaretz, "Netanyahu Plans to Attack Iran and Is Plotting to Lure Trump Into the War":

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has discussed with Trump several possible levels of American backing, ranging from active military support for a kinetic strike – such as intelligence, refueling or other assistance – to more limited political backing for a coercive ultimatum," David Ignatius wrote in The Washington Post on Thursday. He noted the paper's report the previous day: U.S. military intelligence assessed in January that, absent an agreement, Israel would probably strike Iran's nuclear facilities, most likely the Fordow enrichment plant, in the first half of 2025.

Israel lacks "bunker buster" bombs and the capacity to mount a sustained air attack that would destroy Iran's entire nuclear program. That would take the GBU-57A/B MOP, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 14,000-kilogram (31,000-pound) monster that needs a B-2 bomber.

Israel has smaller bunker busters, so whatever damage it could do would set back Iran anywhere between six and 18 months, according to rough estimates. That's not insignificant, but it carries risks. A sense of urgency prevails: Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran now has uranium-enrichment capabilities reaching the 90 percent military-grade level and can theoretically make several bombs in several months if it goes that route.

Despite the threat and challenges that Iran poses, the real urgency isn't uranium enrichment, it's all about Netanyahu's political considerations. By attacking Iran, with or without the United States, he seeks to turn the October 7, 2023, calamity into what he believes would be an epic strategic triumph.

Iran, not Gaza or the Palestinians, has always been Netanyahu's claim to fame and how he defines his self-ordained role as the savior of Israel and Western civilization. That's why, while the hostage deal and the Gaza cease-fire are rightly getting all the attention, we should pay close attention to his Iran policy.

Trump last month shared a video of Professor Jeffrey Sachs saying Netanyahu is a "dark son of a bitch" who conned America into war with Iraq and is trying to con us into war with Iran.

Nonetheless, Trump welcomed Netanyahu to the White House last week and even pulled out his seat for him.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64847