THIS DAY IN HISTORY – Five people shot, including Republican congressman, at charity baseball game – 2017

On June 14, 2017, a gunman walked onto a baseball field at Eugene Simpson Park in Alexandria, Virginia, opening fire on politicians and wounding House GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana and four others. The representatives had been practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity. James Hodgkinson, a 66-year-old man, asked a passing congressman—South Carolina’s Jeff Duncan—whether Republicans or Democrats were on the field practicing. Once he received confirmation that the Republican representatives were the ones playing ball, Hodgkinson fired off 60 rounds into the unsuspecting elected officials.

A call to police went out shortly after 7 as the political officials scrambled for cover. When officers arrived on the scene, they exchanged fire with the suspect, running towards him while dodging the spray of bullets, and eventually killing him. Unfortunately, Hodgkinson’s damage had already been done. Subsequent investigations revealed Hodgkinson as a man with a clear hatred for Republicans. He had arrived at the field in a white van—he was living out of it—with his legally purchased rifle and a list of six conservative members of congress, presumably his targets.

Just one day later, the planned game went on. 24,959 tickets sold, a record-breaking amount for the game that has been played annually since 1909. More than $1 million was raised for the charity. Scalise, who was shot in the hip, suffered from critical wounds. He underwent several surgeries, and faced a lengthy recovery, before returning to congress on September 28 to a standing ovation. The other victims included Capitol Police Special Agent Crystal Griner, lobbyists Matt Mika and Zack Barth and a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams of Texas.

https://www.theburningplatform.com/2019/06/14/this-day-in-history-five-people-shot-including-republican-congressman-at-charity-baseball-game-2017/

Presidential tweet library draws anti-Trump attendees

The line for the "Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library" stretched from around the building to an encased pair of arms with tiny, child-sized hands. The hands, which hold a smartphone and were displayed in front of portraits of individuals who were the subject of several Trump tweets, including businessman Mark Cuban, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and comedian Kathy Griffin, were the opening to the pop-up exhibit in downtown Washington, D.C., by Comedy Central.

The crowded opening afternoon of the event Friday — which was also Trump's 73rd birthday — drew primarily anti-Trump visitors looking for a bit of levity in a politically chaotic world. “I think laughter is our best defense against the unknown or the threatening,” said 42 year-old Clayton Martin from Atlanta, told the Washington Examiner. Martin said he appreciated the creativity of an exhibit "out of something so simplistic and silly." Headphones were provided underneath the portraits for visitors to listen to the celebrities' responses to the president’s tweets. Exhibits were organized into categories of tweets, such as including “Deleted But Not Forgotten” and “Sad! A Retrospective.” “My favorite part so far is the small hands,” said 50-year-old Cindy Butehorn. Butehorn attended with her daughter, 20-year-old Jessica, a George Washington University student. The two were celebrating Butehorn's birthday. Other parts of the exhibit were still difficult for Jessica Butehorn. “The tougher ones for me to read are just the ones where he says really derogatory things about women.” “It can be a lot to take all at once,” her mother said.

Others show the chronology of Trump’s Twitter highlights, including those sent prior to becoming president. Trump joined the social media service in 2009. “It culminates everything that is Trump,” said 20-year old Rowland Staples, from Silver Spring, Md. Staples thought it was “crazy” to look back on Trump’s tweets questioning the veracity of former President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. His friend Lauren Frost, also 20 and from Silver Spring, said Trump’s back-and-forth with rapper Kanye West over Twitter is “really funny” to look back at. West later met with Trump in the Oval Office, going viral for a nearly eight-minute rant captured by media during the event. At the end of the library, visitors had the opportunity to send out a “presidential tweet” from the “commander-in-tweet account” in a mock Oval Office, complete with golden toilet. The library runs through Sunday at the Showroom.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/presidential-tweet-library-draws-anti-trump-attendees

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/presidential-tweet-library-draws-anti-trump-attendees

Michael Flynn to appear in court for first time since December

President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn has a court date for the first time since last year. In a Friday afternoon filing, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ordered Flynn and his new counsel to appear for a status conference Wednesday afternoon. The filing comes the same day as Flynn’s new lawyer and prosecutors jointly requested a sentencing delay.

Flynn, 60, fired his previous counsel this month and retained former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell as his new attorney. In Friday’s joint request, it is noted that Flynn might testify during the trial of his former business associate, Bijan Kian, whose trial for failing to register as a foreign agent is scheduled for mid-July in the Eastern District of Virginia. “The parties propose filing another status report within 60 days. Based on the current trial date in the [Eastern District of Virginia] case and estimated length of that trial, the government believes 60 days should provide sufficient time for the defendant to complete his cooperation, which was the basis for the defendant’s request for a continuance,” the filing reads.

Flynn’s new legal counsel also cited the voluminous amount of information associated with his case that will need to be parsed through. “Defense counsel’s concerns about the amount of information to review in preparation for sentencing will be addressed again in 60 days, when the defendant’s cooperation is likely to be complete,” the filing reads.

Flynn, who was investigated as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s 22-month investigation, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with then-Russian ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak. The former Army general has been cooperating with prosecutors from the investigation. He has not appeared in a courtroom since December.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-flynn-to-appear-in-court-for-first-time-since-december

>>6752444

I Forgot to add these.

https://twitter.com/dsamuelsohn/status/1139627707686424577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Mark Meadows: Trump got the Left to care about foreign intelligence in elections

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said President Trump's comment about being willing to accept foreign opposition research in the 2020 presidential election was a successful way to get the Left to care about foreign intelligence being used by campaigns. In a tweet on Friday the House Freedom Caucus chairman compared the Democrats' troubled reaction to Trump's remark to their dismissal of the Steele dossier. "This week President Trump was able to do something no one else could: get the left to care about foreign intel in our elections," the North Carolina Republican said. "You’d think Democrats paying for oppo research from Russians, then funneling it to DOJ to open an investigation, would’ve done the trick. Guess not." This week President Trump was able to do something no one else could: get the left to care about foreign intel in our elections.

The dossier contained unverified claims about Trump's ties to Russia and was used extensively in the FBI's Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act applications targeting former Trump campaign associate Carter Page. It was compiled by British ex-spy Christopher Steele, whose work for opposition research firm Fusion GPS was funded by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Republicans say the dossier had Russian sources, and on Thursday Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called Trump’s critics hypocrites, saying Democrats were more than willing to accept outside help in the last presidential election. The counterintelligence investigation began in the summer of 2016 after an Australian diplomat informed the U.S. government that Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told him the Russians had dirt on Clinton.

Trump attracted controversy this week when he said in an interview with ABC News that he would be willing to take opposition research from a foreign government and may not report it to the FBI. The president's statement drew strong rebukes from Democrats in the House and Senate. "The president once again gave us evidence that he does not know right from wrong. It's a very sad thing," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. "But the president to be so cavalier, to disregard, to be indifferent to wrong and any sense of ethics that who we are as a country to say that he would invite foreign intervention," the California Democrat added. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described Trump's comments as "undemocratic, un-American, disgraceful."

Republicans blocked a bill put forward by Democrats this week that would require campaigns to report to the FBI opposition research offered by foreigners.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mark-meadows-trump-got-the-left-to-care-about-foreign-intelligence-in-elections