DOJ defends Barr after reports of Mueller investigators' concerns

A Justice Department spokesperson defended Attorney General William Barr’s letter summarizing the conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, amid reports that members of Mueller's team are concerned that the letter downplayed the evidence against President Trump.

DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement Thursday that each page of Mueller’s report was marked saying that it may contain confidential grand jury information “and therefore could not be publicly released.”

“Given the extraordinary public interest in the matter, the Attorney General decided to release the report’s bottom-line findings and his conclusions immediately – without attempting to summarize the report – with the understanding that the report itself would be released after the redactions process,” Kupec said.

She added that Barr stands by his past statement that he doesn’t believe the report should be released gradually .

“The Department continues to work with the Special Counsel on appropriate redactions to the report so that it can be released to Congress and the public,” Kupec said.

The statement comes shortly after The New York Times reported that members of Mueller’s team were concerned about Barr’s letter late last month summarizing the special counsel’s conclusions, saying that Mueller’s findings are more damaging for Trump than the summary made them appear.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/437360-doj-defends-barr-after-reports-of-mueller-investigators-concerns

Brink Of War: Pakistan On High Alert, Indian Military Ready To Strike

The situation at the LoC (Line of Control) between India and Pakistan remains critical, as both countries are ready for an all-out conflict, reported Sputnik.

"There is a difficult situation with India. We wish for de-escalation and are taking steps for this. The situation like the prime minister [Imran Khan] said remains on alert", Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal said in a television report earlier this month.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held meetings with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and military commanders, over its "readiness to initiate war against Pakistan," India TV News reported.

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) discussed war planning strategies against Pakistan, wherein Doval told PM Modi that the Army, Air Force, and Navy are now ready for battle against the neighboring country

PM Modi reportedly told military chiefs to minimize collateral damage, and only use surgical strikes in the upcoming fight.

Here are the four critical takeaways from the meeting:

The attacks will be target-specific

No non-military targets

Not only Pak-occupied Kashmir, the targets can also be inside Pakistan

The attacks will be pro-active, not reactive

Sputnik said besides India TV News, there was no direct confirmation of the war planning by the Modi government.

Tensions between the two countries soared when a deadly suicide bomb attack allegedly claimed by Pakistan-based Jaish-e Mohammad struck a convoy of Indian troops in Pulwama on February 14.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, however, maintained that Jaish is not associated with Islamabad.

In retaliation to the Pulwama attack, India launched an airstrike on Pakistan's Balakot on February 26. Pakistan retaliated by bombing Indian military installations. The Indian Air Force thwarted the attempt.

Tensions have eased in the last few weeks. However, territorial disputes, Pakistan-based jihadist groups waging a hybrid war in India, increasing nuclear stockpiles, and the emergence of militant Hindu nationalism in India mean the next crisis is nearing. The question is when, not if.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-04/brink-war-pakistan-high-alert-indian-military-ready-strike

Scoop: Trump expected to name Herman Cain to the Fed

President Trump has told confidants he wants Herman Cain on the Federal Reserve board, but will wait until his background check is completed before making the formal announcement, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the decision.

Why it matters: It's likely confirmation that Trump is ready to move ahead with the former presidential candidate, whose possible nomination was reported by Bloomberg in January. "He won't formally announce until the vet is completed…But he likes Cain and wants to put him on there," said a senior official who has discussed the matter with the president.

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Between the lines: As with any Trump "decision," administration officials are quick to attach an asterisk. This time, their hesitation is less about Trump changing his mind than about something coming up in Cain's background check that could complicate the situation.

The administration did not conduct a thorough vetting of Trump's most recent Fed pick, Stephen Moore, and they've had to weather stories about back taxes owed by Moore and that he had failed to pay alimony to his ex-wife. Moore told the New York Times earlier this week that "it's full speed ahead" and said that the White House was "100%" behind him.

The backstory: Cain served in multiple positions within the Fed system at the Kansas City Federal Reserve between 1992 and 1996. He served as CEO of Godfather's Pizza and ran for the 2012 GOP president nomination, but dropped out after sexual harassment allegations sank his candidacy.

President Trump regards his selection of Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell as one of the greatest mistakes of his administration. He has told aides that Powell has no "feel" for the markets and compares him to a golfer who cannot putt.

Trump tells aides that Powell is the biggest threat to the economy due to his 2018 decisions to raise interest rates, and even as Powell halted the rate rises he failed to win back Trump's affection. Trump considers Powell to be "weak" and blames Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for encouraging him to pick him, according to sources who've discussed the matter with the president.

Trump considered replacing Powell with Kevin Warsh for a brief moment last year, as Axios reported earlier this week.

https://www.axios.com/trump-wants-herman-cain-federal-reserve-4b497361-d12a-4c5a-a2db-28ffe1d36b58.html

Trump pick for Interior heads toward Senate confirmation

President Trump’s nominee to take over as head of the Interior Department cleared his first hurdle Thursday, winning approval from the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee in a 14-6 vote.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Rep. Angus King (I-Maine) joined the panel's Republicans in backing David Bernhardt's confirmation.

“He’s clearly qualified and has the experience to serve as Secretary," Manchin said at the vote. "He knows the Interior inside and out, that may be a blessing to some and may be a concern to others.

“Based on the assurances he has given, I’m prepared to vote on him this morning.”

Bernhardt only needs a majority vote on the floor to be confirmed as Interior's next secretary.

Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) called Bernhardt “well qualified” for the position.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) argued Bernhardt's ties to energy interests would make him no better than his predecessor Ryan Zinke, who left the department in the wake of a series of controversies.

“Every single Senator should be interested in restoring honor and integrity to the office of the Interior Secretary. Unfortunately, the Bernhardt nomination… doesn’t even come close,” Wyden said.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/437364-trump-pick-for-interior-heads-toward-senate-confirmation

Marine general let emails leak to demonstrate border deployment hurt readiness: report

The Marines’ top general allowed the leak of internal Pentagon memos to publicize hardships military families faced during the deployment of troops to the southern border, according to a Newsweek report.

Marine Corp Commandant Gen. Robert Neller allowed two Defense Department memos to leak to NBC News and the Los Angeles Times in the past two weeks, Newsweek reported, citing two Pentagon sources.

In the documents, Neller describes unplanned service spending bills, including for the border deployment, forcing him to cancel or scale back planned training exercises, including the Integrated Training Exercise, or ITX, for II Marine Expeditionary Force, which was canceled outright, and Exercises Northern Edge, a joint exercise between the Marines and allied partners aimed at preparing for the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, which was “significantly reduced,” according to the report.

“The combat readiness of II Marine Expeditionary Force—1/3 the combat power of the Marine Corps—is degraded and will continue to degrade given current conditions,” Neller wrote in the memos.

The letter leaked to NBC also describes the slow pace of funding for repairs to Camp Lejeune, which was affected by Hurricane Florence last year. Neller told Navy Secretary Richard Spencer the total damage to the base was estimated at $3.5 billion, including $1.3 billion in building repairs and $1.7 billion in building replacements, with the remaining $500 million for operations and maintenance costs.

The Hill has reached out to the Marine Corps for comment.

Last week, the Pentagon moved ahead with plans to transfer $1 billion from its accounts toward construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The transfer followed a letter by Rep. Pete Visclosky (D-Ind.), chair of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, denying the transfer. “These funds were neither requested nor appropriated for the activities described in the reprogramming,” Visclosky wrote.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/marine-corps/437363-marine-general-let-emails-leak-to-demonstrate-border-deployment

Senator: IRS needs to review SPLC's tax exemption

Only days after a former worker claimed that employees of the much-troubled Southern Poverty Law Center knew they were “part of the con,” a U.S. senator has written to the Internal Revenue Service asking for a review of the organization’s tax exemption.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said in a letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon that reports have “confirmed the long-established fact that the SPLC regularly engages in defamation of its political opponents. In fact, SPLC’s defining characteristic is to fundraise off of defamation.”

And since “engaging in systematic defamation is not a tax-exempt purpose,” the IRS needs to review SPLC’s status and “take immediate action.”

“While IRS guidance lists several examples of tax-exempt purposes, engaging in defamation as a business model is of course not one of them,” the senator wrote. “The SPLC defames other organizations in several ways. Each year, the SPLC publishes a so-called ‘hate map,’ which ostensibly identifies hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Nation of Islam. But under the guise of its ‘hate map,’ the SPLC also lists its mainstream political opponents and faith-based groups, including reputable organizations such as the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Center for Immigration Studies.”

He pointed out SPLC also targets individuals, and its political agenda and activism has resulted in real injury.

“In 2012, Floyd Lee Corkins entered and shot up the Family Research Council’s headquarters, while carrying fifteen Chick-fil-A sandwiches that he planned to smear in his victims’ faces. Corkins told investigators that he selected the Family Research Council because the SPLC labeled the organization as a ‘hate group.'”

https://www.wnd.com/2019/04/senator-irs-needs-to-review-splcs-tax-exemption/#SBrtk4BTi8g6Bjo4.99