Julian Assange Moves to Force U.S. to Reveal Charges Against Him and Compel Ecuador to Prevent Extradition

Lawyers for Julian Assange have moved to force the Trump administration to reveal the charges against them and compel Ecuador, the nation that has granted him asylum, to prevent extradition to the United states.

According to a press release on Wednesday, the lawyers filed an urgent application to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR), based in Washington D.C., to direct the Trump Administration to unseal the charges it has secretly filed against Assange.

The statement explains that they are additionally asking the Commission to compel Ecuador to “cease its espionage activities against Mr. Assange, to stop the isolation imposed on him and to protect him from U.S. extradition.”

“The urgent request is in the form of a comprehensive 1,172-page application for ‘precautionary measures’ directed to the international body which monitors compliance of the U.S. and Ecuador with their binding legal obligations. The calls to extradite Mr. Assange to the United States, as the result of his work as a publisher and editor, is the reason Mr. Assange obtained political asylum at Ecuador’s embassy in London in August 2012,” the press release says.

The international coordinator of Assange’s legal team, Baltasar Garzón, explained that the situation “gravely undermines the legal safeguards that must be guaranteed by the state protecting Mr. Assange from the Trump administration’s political persecution.” He is requesting that the IACHR urgently intervene in favor of Assange and is calling for “international solidarity for this case in which the right to access and impart information freely is in jeopardy.”

The US has refused to reveal what the sealed charges against Assange are, despite the fact that proof that he has been charged was recently made public in a filing error for another case. Sources from the Department of Justice have also confirmed the existence of charges to the Associated Press and New York Times.

“The revelation that the U.S. has initiated a prosecution against Mr. Assange has shocked the international community”, the legal submission states. The U.S. government “is required to provide information as to the criminal charges that are imputed to Mr. Assange in full”, it adds.

The submission also reveals that U.S. federal prosecutors have formally approached people in the United States, Germany and Iceland — pressing them to testify against Assange in return for immunity from prosecution.

“Those approached are associated with WikiLeaks’ joint publications with other media about U.S. diplomacy, Guantanamo bay and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The joint publication effort between WikiLeaks, The New York Times, McClatchy, The Guardian, The Telegraph, the UK’s Channel 4, Al Jazeera, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El País, The Hindu, and Reuters, among others, won numerous journalistic awards and created the collaborative model subsequently used for other large disclosures such as the Panama Papers,” the statement explains.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/01/julian-assange-moves-to-force-u-s-to-reveal-charges-against-him-and-compel-ecuador-to-prevent-extradition/

Russia unveils evidence on missile that US claims violates INF Treaty, Washington snubs briefing

The Russian military presented evidence contrary to the US claim that Moscow possesses a missile which violates the terms of the INF Treaty. The Americans had been invited to the event but apparently were not interested.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by the US and the USSR to denuclearize the European continent. The treaty bans ground-based missiles with a range between 500km and 5,500km – plenty of which had been deployed by both sides of the Cold War by the time it was signed. The US is about to scrap it, citing alleged violations by Russia.

Despite claims from Washington, the American move is motivated by America’s self-interest, not anything done by Russia, told journalists on Wednesday Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. He took part in a joint conference with top generals from the Russian Defense Ministry, meant to provide extra details about the missile, which the US claims are in breach of the INF. The diplomat stressed that complaints from Washington are simply a pretext to walk away from the deal, which the current US leadership no longer wants.

The recent events make it obvious that some forces in the US are not interested in allowing us to overturn through technical expert dialogue the erroneous – or even fabricated – information, which could resolve this issue once and for all. Hyping up this problem was not done to simply resolve it, obviously.

Speaking alongside Ryabkov was General Lieutenant Mikhail Matveevsky, the commander of the Russian Missile and Artillery Troops, who went into details about the 9M729 missile, the one that the Americans claim to be violating the agreement. Washington says it has intelligence data, which prove that the projectile was tested several years ago for a range banned by the INF. But apparently, it was not interested in evidence from Russia, since no American experts were sent to the event, according to Ryabkov.

https://www.rt.com/news/449507-russian-evidence-inf-compliance/

Bombshell expose: More men come out with accusations of sexual misconduct against Hollywood director Bryan Singer

Four men allege they were preyed upon as teens by the famed 'X-Men' director

Four more men have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Hollywood film director Bryan Singer, according to a bombshell expose published Wednesday by The Atlantic magazine.

The magazine reportedly interviewed more than 50 sources, which included the four men who claim they had not previously spoken about their experiences with Singer. All claim they were under the age of 18 when they were assaulted, according to the report.

In December 2017, Singer was fired by Sony 20th Century Fox during the production of "Bohemian Rhapsody," the Queen biopic which was released in 2018. Sony executives said he was fired after unexplained absences from the set and tensions with actor Rami Malek.

At about the same time, the 53-year-old director was sued by Cesar Sanchez-Guzman, who claimed he was sexually assaulted by the director. The incident allegedly occurred on a yacht in Seattle when Sanchez-Guzman was 17.

What are the new allegations?

One man, who's being called Eric, told The Atlantic that he was 17 when he had sex with Singer at the director's home during a party in 1997. Another man, dubbed Andy, claimed he had sex with Singer that same year at a Beverly Hills mansion. Andy was 15 at the time.

Both men asked The Atlantic to protect their identity for fear of retaliation and certain details of their past to be revealed.

Singer would have been in his early 30s at the time.

"The accusations against Singer cover a spectrum," the report emphasized. "Some of the alleged victims say they were seduced by the director while underage; others say they were raped. The victims we interviewed told us these experiences left them psychologically damaged, with substance-abuse problems, depression, and PTSD."

The report describes predatory behavior that was aided by the director's accomplices.

"If you weren't young and cute enough to be their boy, you could still ingratiate yourself by bringing boys to them," he is quoted as saying.

Lawyer Andrew B. Brettler, who represents Singer, pointed out that the director has never been arrested for or charged with any crime, the report said. Singer has also denied ever having sex with underage men.

What happened at the school?

Also in 1997, Victor Valdovinos, who was in seventh grade at the time, attended the Eliot Middle School in Altadena, California, where "Apt Pupil" was filmed. It was Singer's first film after his breakout movie, "The Usual Suspects."

One afternoon after basketball practice, Valdovinos was standing at the urinal in an empty restroom at the school when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned around and saw a man in his 30s standing there.

Valdovinos told the magazine that Singer looked him over and said, "You're so good-looking. What are you doing tomorrow? Maybe I could have somebody contact you about putting you in this movie."

He was 13.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/bryan-singer-atlantic-misconduct-allegations

New Bill Forces Citizens to Install Gov’t Software and Pay Porn Access Fee To Fund Border Wall

Lawmakers have drafted a bill that will require ALL DEVICES to run government software which will block ALL content deemed 'obscene' by the state.

The free thinking argument, that blows away the notion of illegal prostitution, is that of pornography. Pornography, or porn, is nothing more than prostitution that has been state-sanctioned, taxed, filmed, and distributed. However, because it is taxed — politicians have generally left it alone — until now. A ridiculous new way for the state to generate revenue has appeared as an act of legislation in Arizona this week as law makers try to force citizens to pay the state before they view porn online. But it gets much worse.

The newly proposed legislation, House Bill 2444 is proposed by State Rep. Gail Griffin and will implement software that is designed to block any material on the internet deemed “obscene” by the state.

The bill would force the installation of this software on all devices in the state which access the internet. According to the legislation, no product that accesses the internet can be sold, leased, distributed or made in the state unless it contains software that blocks obscene materials by default.

Yes, we know how Orwellian this sounds.

According to FOX 4, under the bill, people who wish to deactivate the blocking software must make a request to the person or company that distributed the device, present ID to prove he or she is at least 18, and, among other things, pay a deactivation fee of at least $20 to the Arizona Commerce Authority. The fees will then go to a fund that will finance a number of initiatives via grants, including the building of a border wall between Mexico and Arizona, or fund border security.

The bill goes on in detail to explain what type of content it deems obscene. Its description would be laughable outside the ominous implications for such software. Some of the “obscene” content are things like the top of a woman’s breast—because to statists, the woman’s body is “obscene.”

(a) LESS THAN COMPLETELY AND OPAQUELY COVERED HUMAN GENITALS, PUBIC REGION, BUTTOCK OR FEMALE BREAST BELOW A POINT IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE TOP OF THE AREOLA.

(b) HUMAN MALE GENITALS IN A DISCERNIBLY TURGID STATE, WHETHER COVERED OR UNCOVERED.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/new-bill-forces-citizens-to-install-govt-software-and-pay-porn-access-fee-to-fund-border-wall/

Democrats investigate WH security clearances of Jared Kushner and other Trump associates

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have begun an investigation into the White House security clearance policy in a move that will likely focus on how Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner got access to classified information.

The committee said on Wednesday that it was launching an “in-depth investigation" into the security clearance process followed by Trump’s transition team after he won the presidential election in 2016.

It said the investigation was a response to “grave breaches of national security at the highest levels” of the Trump administration.

The investigation follows a report last year that more than 130 political appointees working in the Executive Office of the President did not have permanent security clearances, including Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter.

Democrats are concerned that Kushner was targeted for manipulation by foreign governments.

In a letter to the White House, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who chairs the Oversight Committee said it wanted to know why the White House appeared to have “disregarded established procedures for safeguarding classified information" and to figure out "the extent to which the nation's most highly guarded secrets were provided to officials who should not have had access to them."

Kushner was given “top secret” clearance, which does not afford him access to the country’s most heavily guarded intelligence, though he was still tasked with major responsibilities including negotiating a peace deal between Israel and Palestine and reforming the criminal justice system.

Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly said last year that there had been “shortcomings” in White House security clearance policy and that it must “do better” in the future.

https://www.rt.com/usa/449525-us-democrats-probe-kushner/

Prosecutor Who Brought Down Republican Governor Now Finds Herself Under Grand Jury Investigation

The team of the prosecutor who brought down former Missouri Republican Gov. Eric Greitens is under investigation for possible perjury involving the same case.

Kim Gardner, the St. Louis circuit attorney who led the charge in the Greitens case, was accused of suborning perjury by the former governor’s defense team. A state grand jury is now considering evidence pursuant to a police investigation that began in May of 2018, according to a Tuesday morning report from local St. Louis radio station KMOX.

The local ABC affiliate reported at the time:

Police say the decision to investigate was made after meeting with two of Greitens’ attorneys, who announced earlier Tuesday they would ask for an investigation. The defense attorneys allege that William Tisaby, an investigator hired by Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, lied to the court and withheld evidence.

Prosecutors dropped a felony invasion-of-privacy charge against Greitens on Monday after a court ruled that Gardner had to answer questions under oath from Greitens’ attorneys.

Local conservative talk show host Marc Cox, who has been covering the case since the very beginning, told The Daily Caller that he felt like the initial prosecution of former Gov. Greitens was political — and that Gardner has continued in that vein since.

I’ve argued all along that this was a political prosecution, with Democrat politician-turned-prosecutor Kim Gardner more than happy to embarrass the sitting Republican Governor. It started with a rush to file any charge simply to beat the statute of limitations, and was an impossible case to prove from the beginning. There was never a photo produced, or even evidence a photo ever existed. The St. Louis Police Chief seemed mystified that Kim Gardner ever brought charges, and questioned from the beginning the decision to hire Tisaby from out of state to investigate.

Since the charges were dropped, Gardner has continued to make questionable decisions, including recently declining to prosecute an opioid dealer busted by St. Louis Police with 1,000 pills, over a personal grudge with police. It’s safe to say that law enforcement long ago lost faith in her willingness to enforce the law. Let’s hope a grand jury can hold her office accountable if lies were told during the Greitens case.

https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/22/eric-greitens-kim-gardner-perjury/

Report: Kushner, GOP Senators Suggest Giving Green Cards to DACA Illegals

White House adviser Jared Kushner and a handful of Republican senators are suggesting President Trump offer Democrats a deal to give amnesty in the form of green cards to more than half-a-million illegal aliens to secure funding for a border wall.

Sources tell Axios‘ Jonathan Swan that Kushner and Republican Senators like Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) are touting a plan that would give green cards — and thus a quick path to U.S. citizenship — to about 700,000 illegal aliens enrolled in the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Currently, the Trump administration has endorsed a Senate GOP budget deal that puts restrictions on the $5.7 billion in border wall funding, only allowing the president to construct bollard-style fencing at the U.S.-Mexico border which both Presidents Bush and Obama used.

That plan hitches amnesty in the form of three-year work permits to about a million DACA illegal aliens and foreign nationals in the country on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who would be shielded from deportation.

Giving a pathway to U.S. citizenship to DACA-enrolled illegal aliens, though, is already being met with skepticism from Republican lawmakers who tell Axios‘ Swan that Trump’s coalition of voters “fall over on the right.”

“If you start putting citizenship on the table in any meaningful way, Democrats will have to give more, and they’re not ready to give more,” a Republican Senator anonymously told Swan.

Trump’s base and pro-American immigration reformers have warned the administration to steer clear of any amnesty deals which they say is “detrimental” to the nation because such a plan would codify Obama’s DACA program into law, drive up illegal immigration, implement a never-ending flow of foreign relatives to DACA illegal aliens arriving in the U.S., and further suppress American workers’ wages by flooding the labor market with additional foreign workers.

In the 2016 presidential election, Trump campaigned strictly against amnesty for illegal aliens, committing to voters that such a plan would not be considered until “illegal immigration is a memory of the past.”

The Senate is expected to vote this week on dueling legislation to reopen the federal government, though Capitol Hill watchers say neither bills have enough support to pass.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/23/report-kushner-gop-senators-suggest-giving-green-cards-to-daca-illegals/