Biden Ally Involved With $60M Dark Money 2020 Strategy Center Shutters PAC

PAC was slated to spend millions backing Biden's candidacy

An ally of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden who is part of a group that launched a "dark money" strategy center that plans to spend $60 million during the 2020 elections has shuttered a separate political action committee that was created to provide support for the former vice president, Federal Election Commission filings show. Matt Tompkins, a Democratic fundraiser, submitted paperwork to the FEC on April 24 establishing the Biden PAC. That same day, additional paperwork was submitted changing the name of the entity from the Biden PAC to the G Street PAC while also removing Tompkins as its treasurer. The PAC would eventually be named For the People and spend millions backing Biden. Biden's communications director, Kate Bedingfield, put distance between the campaign and the PAC and told the Hill that Biden "does not welcome assistance from super PACs."

Tompkins is also involved with a $60 million dark money "strategy center" for the 2020 elections, the Washington Free Beacon previously reported. The "strategy center," called Future Majority, a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)4 "dark money" nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors and whose upcoming plans were reported by Politico, will focus on midwestern states in an effort to "rebrand" the Democratic Party and provide support to liberal organizations. The group will also establish a "war room" to push back against conservative media and fight against the "socialism" label being applied to the Democratic Party. While Tompkins has not been publicly linked to the group, the Free Beacon found that Tompkins was listed as the governor for Future Majority in filings to D.C.'s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Mark Riddle, the executive director of Future Majority, whose group did not respond to previous inquiries from the Free Beacon, brushed it off as "an interesting coincidence" to Real Clear Politics. "The group, however, has a tangential connection to at least one candidate. According to filings publicly available through the Federal Election Commission, Matthew Allen Tompkins serves as the founding treasurer. As the conservative Free Beacon reported, he also founded a political action committee called Biden PAC," Real Clear Politics wrote. "That may be just a byproduct of the incestuous nature of political fundraising, however: Riddle said Future Majority doesn’t coordinate with the Biden PAC and will not favor any candidate. He dismissed the participation of Tompkins, a prolific fundraiser, in both efforts as just ‘an interesting coincidence.'" The PAC has now been terminated, according to filings to the Federal Election Commission.

Kaitlin Saier, who took over as treasurer for Tompkins of the G Street PAC, submitted a miscellaneous filing to the FEC on May 1 to shut down the PAC. "Please perform administrative termination," Saier wrote. "We are not and will not be using this." On May 6, the FEC accepted the PAC's termination report. The PAC, which never became the For the People PAC, would have carried the same name as Future Majority's "For the People" plan posted on its website. Saier did not respond to a request to questions asking if they planned to later relaunch the PAC.

Riddle and Tompkins are both linked to the New Leaders Council, a progressive organization established to act as a "hub for progressive Millennial thought leadership." Riddle is the president and Tompkins acts as vice president of the group. Future Majority was incorporated by Cathedral Strategies LLC. Cathedral Strategies LLC itself was registered by Brett Avery Seifried, who is general counsel at the New Leaders Council. The group, incorporated in January 2018, soft launched during the midterm elections and advised a number of organizations including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, according to Politico‘s report on its 2020 plans.

Future Majority tapped Dan Sena, the executive director of the DCCC during the 2018 elections, to advise the group. Julianna Smoot, a deputy director on President Obama's 2012 reelection campaign will also advise the group. Democratic megadonors Philip Munger, the son of Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charles Munger, and Dan Tierney, who was managing director of KCG Holdings, a global financial services company that sold in 2017, are co-chairing Future Majority.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/biden-ally-involved-with-60m-dark-money-2020-strategy-center-shutters-pac/

Sen. Whitehouse Speaks Out Against ‘Dark Money’—At An Event Funded By Dark Money

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., R.I.) spoke Wednesday on the dangers of ‘dark money' groups funding Congress, at an event funded by the Center For American Progress and the American Constitution Society—both of which have received funding from dark money organizations. During his talk, titled, "The Supreme Corp: How Corporate and Right-Wing Interests Captured The U.S. Supreme Court," Whitehouse accused right-wing institutions of securing favorable court decisions by propping up potential appointees to District Courts and the Supreme Court with dark money. "Big Republican donor interests are at work all around the court, and much of their work is hidden from the public. We must shed light here," he said. "The big influencers are hiding behind dark money channels and a lot of transparency is needed."

CAP recently published a review by Whitehouse outlining 73 Supreme Court decisions in which the Rhode Island senator makes the case that the court unfairly decided in favor of Republican interests. CAP was founded in 2003 by Hillary Clinton ally John Podesta as a left-wing policy think-tank, and is funded in part by the New Venture Fund, a dark money group founded by former President Bill Clinton appointee Eric Kessler. The New Venture Fund gave CAP between $100,000 and $499,999 in 2018, according to CAP's website.

Along with ACS, CAP has also been funded by Democracy Alliance, the largest Democratic dark money group. Since billionaire George Soros founded it in 2005, Democracy Alliance has invested $1.83 billion in various progressive causes. Its influence covers more than 150 left-wing organizations, including Media Matters for America, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. It has also helped fund the growing anti-Trump movement, aiding smaller groups such as the Center for Popular Democracy, Center for Community Change, and Swing Left. Whitehouse has also been connected personally to Democracy Alliance in the past, on the occasion of the publication of his 2017 book, Captured: The Corporate Infiltration of American Democracy. Whitehouse toured the book with Gara LaMarche, the president of Democracy Alliance. La Marche is also the chair of the New Press, which published Whitehouse's book. "I think if Thomas Jefferson and James Madison came back here now and looked around they'd be stunned at a lot of different aspects of our lives," Whitehouse told LaMarche during his book tour, according to a report in the Westerly Sun. "But I think one thing that would really astound them would be the fact that corporations have such a big role in our democracy."

https://freebeacon.com/politics/sen-whitehouse-speaks-out-against-dark-money-at-an-event-funded-by-dark-money/

Former DNC Official on Primary Debates: ‘The Bulls**t Candidates’ Will Steal Time from ‘Our Legitimate Ones’

A former Democratic National Committee official is worried that the party's overly inclusive primary process is going to give too much valuable debate time to "the bullshit candidates" in the race. Speaking with the Hill, the unnamed official didn't single out anyone specifically from the field of 22 candidates. The official did mourn that because of the low threshold for making the first debate stage in June—getting donations from 65,000 unique people or reaching 1 percent in three different national polls—the more serious contenders will get crowded out by the "random people." "It was smart to add the grass-roots fundraising component, but when you throw in the 1 percent polling requirement, now all these random people get a spot on the stage," the official said. "I'm all for inclusion and competitive primaries, but no one can tell me it's actually good for us to have this many candidates on stage. It wasn't good for Republicans and they at least had an undercard debate. My fear is the bullshit candidates will take away from our legitimate ones. We saw how that worked for Republicans. They nominated Donald Trump."

The field is the largest in presidential primary history, with well-known candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), and Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) being joined by lesser-known figures like entrepreneur Andrew Yang, author Marianne Williamson, and congressmen like Reps. Seth Moulton (D., Mass.), Tim Ryan (D., Ohio), and Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii). Other contenders include South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sens. Cory Booker (D., N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Michael Bennet (D., Colo.), Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), former representative Beto O'Rourke (D., Texas), former representative John Delaney (D., Md.), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.), Washington governor Jay Inslee, and former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper.

The DNC will announce the lineup next month for the first two debates, to be held June 26 and 27 and hosted by NBC News, MSNBC and Telemundo. Assuming 20 candidates achieve the minimum, there will be 10 candidates on the stage both nights. Their names will be drawn at random to determine who goes on stage on which night. The Hill reported that if more than 20 qualify, the field will be determined first by those who have met both the polling and fundraising thresholds, followed by those left over with the highest polling average and then the most unique donors. The DNC was sharply criticized by Sanders supporters in 2016 for limiting the number of debates and was accused of rigging the contest in favor of establishment favorite Hillary Clinton.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/former-dnc-official-primary-debates-candidates-steal-time-legitimate-ones/

U.S. indicts operators of 'dark web' drug referral service

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors have filed money laundering charges against two Israelis who allegedly made millions of dollars operating a website connecting customers to sellers of fentanyl, heroin, guns and other illegal goods, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. It said Tal Prihar, an Israeli living in Brazil, and Michael Phan, an Israeli living in Israel, owned and operated a website known as “DeepDotWeb,” or DDW. Robert Johnson, an assistant director of the FBI, said DDW operated for years as a “key gateway to the criminal underbelly” of the so-called dark web, or Darknet, economy. Scott Brady, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, where the federal charges were filed, called the case the “single most significant law enforcement disruption of the Darknet to date.”

The indictment alleges that the DDW referral service operated by Prihar and Phan connected hundreds of thousands of users to dark web marketplaces not accessible through traditional search engines which sold drugs including cocaine, heroin, crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl as well as assault rifles, hacking tools, stolen credit cards and other contraband. Investigators said Prihar and Phan received millions of dollars in kickbacks in the form of commissions on the proceeds of each sale resulting from a referral their website made to a dark web marketplace. Prihar was the administrator of DDW, and Phan was its technical expert.

The Justice Department said Prihar was arrested by French authorities in Paris on May 6 based on a U.S. request, while Phan was arrested in Israel on the same day on Israeli charges. A federal official said it was not clear how the U.S. prosecutors would move forward with their charges while the defendants remain outside the country.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-justice-darkweb/u-s-indicts-operators-of-dark-web-drug-referral-service-idUSKCN1SE2KI?il=0

>>6452562

It's probably more the reason to shut the FBI down, or remove all top brass and start over. Wray is completely useless and hasn't shown improvement in that department on any level imo. With the right people, those things would have long been shut down already.

Matt Gaetz will face Florida Bar grievance committee for tweet about Michael Cohen's 'girlfriends'

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., will face a grievance committee in the Florida Bar's investigation of his intimidating tweet about former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. The Florida Bar said on Wednesday that the panel, described by the Tampa Bay Times as being akin to a grand jury, will take the case up from the initial review and decide if there was probable cause that Gaetz, who is licensed to practice law in Florida, violated state rules for lawyers. The association, as the highest governing body over licensed lawyers in Florida, was tasked with investigating dozens of complaints issued by Florida lawyers against Gaetz, including intimidation of a witness.

Guidelines published by the Florida Bar stipulate Florida's Supreme Court will have the final say on sanctions, if any, including disbarment. “Congressman Gaetz remains confident that the Florida Bar will not impair his vigorous and successful representation of his district," Gaetz's spokeswoman Jillian Lane Wyant told the Washington Examiner.

In late February, the night before Cohen was set to testify to the House Oversight Committee about his work for President Trump, Gaetz asked Cohen on Twitter: "Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot…" Gaetz, who made an appearance at the hearing despite not being a member of the committee, deleted the tweet and apologized for it, claiming he never meant to threaten anybody. In a phone call reported by Vanity Fair, the congressman told Cohen he chose his words "poorly" in his text.

“Congressman Gaetz, I cannot thank you enough for your message," Cohen wrote back. "The tweet, sadly, has only made a bad situation worse … not only for my wife but for my children as well. With your permission, I would like to share your message with my wife and children. Hopefully, it will bring a little peace to their damaged life. We all make mistakes especially in this crazy partisan time. Thank you again for your text and I hope that the tweet does not cause you any harm. If it does, and there is anything I can do to help you correct it, please feel free to reach out and I would be happy to assist.” Cohen, who pleaded guilty to a handful of crimes, including bank fraud, lying to Congress, and illegal campaign contributions, began his three-year prison sentence Monday.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/matt-gaetz-will-face-florida-bar-grievance-committee-for-tweet-about-michael-cohens-girlfriends

>>6452717

He also wasn't around for the contempt vote either. Preparing for the bar hearing or is there more to this story. Florida newspapers don't seem to present him in a positive light….set-up?

Agents Seize More Than 1,000 Guns From Home in Upscale LA Neighborhood, Holmby Hills

More than 1,000 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were found early on May 8 at a home in one of the most exclusive upscale neighborhoods of Los Angeles, Holmby Hills. Dramatic aerial footage shows a massive collection of weapons scattered out on what appears to be blankets in the property’s driveway, as police take inventory. One man, whose name has yet to be released, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful transportation, and of giving, lending, or selling an assault weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said, according to the Los Angeles Times. He is expected to be booked, authorities said. The raid occurred around 4 a.m in the 100 block of North Beverly Glen Boulevard.

Police also found firearm manufacturing equipment and tools at the home. According to KABC, the home has multiple rooms and was cluttered with guns and ammunition. The weapons were described as a wide range of makes and models of different ages, including assault weapons, rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Many were modern, but some were also dated 50 years or more, with a few being fit as collectables as they were dated back to the Civil War, KABC reported. “I had never seen so many weapons in my career of 31 years,” LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez told KABC. “That’s such a big arsenal in a residence like this, in this type of neighborhood. It’s astounding.”

He told the station that it is not illegal for someone to own a large collection of firearms but it is illegal to sell such weapons from a home, and without going through the extensively-regulated state and federal processes. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and LAPD were serving a search warrant. In a written statement to CNN, ATF spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun said that police had received a tip that someone was “conducting illegal firearms transaction outside the scope of the federal firearm license that the individual possess.”

The Daily Mail reported that public property records show the home has five bedrooms and 8,200 square feet of living space. It was last sold in 2001 and its current estimated value is about $7 million. The LA Times reported that court records show the property is owned by Cynthia Beck, who has three daughters with the son of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, Gordon Getty. Beck bought the property in January 2001, but it remains unclear if she has any connection to the firearms find, and the paper could not reach Beck for comment.

Officers from both agencies remained on the scene and continued the investigation. They were going through and disposing of boxes and taking photographs of the evidence, the LA Times reported. ”Obviously it’s a lot,” Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesman with the Los Angeles Police Department, told the LA Times. “They’re going to be there a long time. Possibly even tomorrow.” In a statement sighted by the Times, the ATF said, “ATF and LAPD have no reason to believe the public is in any danger.” In 2015, LAPD seized 1,200 guns, seven tons of ammunition and $230,000 in cash from a home. The owner had died of natural causes and was found in his SUV outside. At the time, it was considered one of the largest weapon’s seizure from one home, the LAPD said

https://www.theepochtimes.com/agents-seize-more-than-1000-guns-from-home-in-upscale-la-neighborhood-holmby-hills_2913113.html

Sri Lanka: U.S. official injured in Easter Sunday bombings has died

May 9 (UPI) – A United States official seriously injured in the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka died this week, officials said. Chelsea Decaminada, an international program specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Sri Lanka on assignment, died Monday as a result of injuries sustained during the April 21 suicide bomb attacks on three hotels and three Christian churches throughout the country, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina Teplitz confirmed Wednesday.

"We mourn the loss of Chelsea Decaminada, who succumbed after a valiant fight to injuries from the attacks," Teplitz said in a tweet. "Our prayers are with her family. We pay tribute to Chelsea – and all those lost and injured – by partnering with Sri Lanka and nations worldwide to bring unity in the face of terrorism."

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was the first to announce her death Tuesday, saying on Twitter, "it was our great hope that Chelsea would recover from her injuries." In a statement, Ross said Decaminada was a talented program specialist in the Department of Commerce's law development program. "Chelsea devoted her life to public service and her dedication and spirit were a model for all of us at Commerce," he said. "She served her country with distinction." He said as they mourn her death they will continue to fight terrorism.

She is the second person from the Washington D.C. area to die in the suicide bombing attack that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for but has been attributed to terrorist organization National Thawheed Jammath. Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa, a fifth-grade student at Sidwell Friends School, was on leave to study in Sri Lanka, his mother's native home, when he died in the blasts, NBC News reported. The 11-year-old was eating breakfast at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo when it was attacked by a suicide bomber. UNICEF said at least 45 children were killed in the attacks. Sri Lankan authorities have said all responsible for the attacks have either been arrested or killed. More than 250 people, including 45 foreigners, were killed in the attacks.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2019/05/09/Sri-Lanka-US-official-injured-in-Easter-Sunday-bombings-has-died/2351557382723/

>>6453067

Indeed, this is starting to come full circle..won't much longer for the roundup.