Erik Prince's 'Secret' Meeting With Venezuelan Government "Flagged" By US Treasury

Earlier this month we detailed the bizarre story of controversial Blackwater founder Erik Prince's trip to meet with top Maduro government officials in Venezuela in late November. Prince had held "secret talks" with no less than Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, which reportedly included the Frontier Services Group executive pressing Caracas for the release of six imprisoned Citgo executives, something that apparently happened, according to a Bloomberg report. Other details of what was discussed or possibly agreed to remain a mystery.

At the time speculation abounded as to whether or not his trip had the approval or knowledge of the Trump administration, given that as we pointed out at the time VP Delcy Rodríguez is a sanctioned individual, meaning discussion of any business arrangement with her or other officials without authorization is against US law. Now it appears Prince could be in hot water over the meetings:

Erik Prince, a major Republican donor and founder of controversial security firm Blackwater, has been referred to the U.S. Treasury Department for possible sanctions violations tied to his recent trip to Venezuela for a meeting with a top aide of President Nicolas Maduro, two senior U.S. officials said.

There’s no indication that Prince, whose sister is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, will be sanctioned for the meeting last month in Caracas with Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/erik-princes-secret-meeting-venezuelan-government-flagged-us-treasury

Orange County Man Charged with Federal Hate Crimes for December 28, 2019, Machete Attack at Rabbi’s Home

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/orange-county-man-charged-federal-hate-crimes-december-28-2019-machete-attack-rabbi-s-home

Full indictment

Fired FBI agent Strzok Doubles Down On His Own Malfeasance. Claims his Anti-Trump Tweets Protected by the 1st Amendment.

Fired FBI agent Peter Strzok – who played a central role into the now debunked investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia – is now arguing that his politically charged anti-Trump text messages are protected under the First Amendment.

This argument is so weak, considering his texts were mainly made on the bureau’s government issued phones, which require FBI agents to use them for work purposes only.

Strzok, who once was head of the FBI’s counterintelligence, is suing the Department of Justice for reinstatement into the FBI and he stressed in a new court filing Monday, with the federal district court that “firing an employee for the content of his or her non-public communications is unconstitutional, irrespective of any balancing interests,” which would include damage to the FBI’s reputation and other mitigating factors.

In his claim against the DOJ he argues that he didn’t leak his texts, instead it was the DOJ, therefore he argues, his texts should be considered private speech. He then argues that he shouldn’t be held to a higher legal standard, using the 1968 Supreme Court case Pickering v. Board of Education. The case applied to public statements by government employees.

Strzok, once the FBI’s head of counterintelligence, said he was entitled to “develop a full factual record through discovery,” and that it would be premature to dismiss the case at this early stage. He went on to argue that the DOJ’s position would “leave thousands of career federal government employees without protections from discipline over the content of their political speech.”

Strzok’s filing was a response to the DOJ’s motion to dismiss his lawsuit to be reinstated to the FBI by November. The Justice Department slammed Strzok in its motion to dismiss Strzok’s case stating that the embattled former FBI agent admitted to conducting official FBI business on his personal iMessage account and violated FBI regulations in use of his work issued cell phone.

For example, the DOJ included a letter from the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) regarding its own investigation of Strzok that stated in part that “the investigation uncovered numerous occasions on which you used your personal email account to conduct FBI business…you claimed your ‘usual practice’ was to double delete the work emails after you sent them. You acknowledged you had been issued an FBI laptop to work from home but claimed you did not know how to properly log on to use the machine.”

Unbelievable that Strzok gave these excuses to OPR, considering he was the top of the bureau’s counterintelligence division.

https://saraacarter.com/fired-fbi-agent-strzok-doubles-down-on-his-own-malfeasance-claims-his-anti-trump-tweets-protected-by-the-1st-amendment/

>>7666576

kek

US Judge Dismisses Kupperman Lawsuit Regarding Trump Impeachment Testimony, Declares Claims 'Moot'

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by former Deputy National Security Adviser Charles Kupperman that would have settled whether he should have complied with a congressional subpoena or obeyed the federal executive's order not to do so.

Judge Richard Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed Kupperman's case on Monday, calling the issue "moot" as the US House of Representatives has concluded its impeachment investigation and US President Donald Trump has already been impeached.

Shortly after the House began its impeachment inquiry into Trump, probing his attempts to pressure the Ukrainian government into investigating former US Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden​ and his son, Hunter, the White House directed members of the federal government's executive branch not to comply with subpoenas for testimony or documents issued by the House committees heading the investigation.

Kupperman, who was the US deputy national security adviser from January until September 2019, covering the period under investigation by House lawmakers, was one of the figures subpoenaed for testimony. Unsure of whether to comply with the legal subpoena or follow Trump's commands not to do so - and judging that either option could potentially land him in hot water if he was wrong - Kupperman filed a suit with the federal courts seeking guidance.

However, as the House concluded its investigation and passed formal articles of impeachment between then and now and the House Intelligence Committee has withdrawn its subpoena, Judge Leon ruled the subpoena was highly unlikely to be reissued and Kupperman cannot be punished for failing to comply, and thus the case was moot.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201912311077905140-us-judge-dismisses-kupperman-lawsuit-regarding-trump-impeachment-testimony-declares-claims-moot/

>>7666630 sauce

https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/1211728585272287244

Joe Biden: ‘We’re All Dead’ if We Don’t Stop Using Fossil Fuels

Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed during a Sunday campaign event that “we’re all dead” if fossil fuels continue to be used as one of the world’s primary energy sources.

Biden made the apocalyptic pronouncement while discussing climate change before a crowd of supporters in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

“If we don’t stop using fossil fuels–” an attendee began a question to the candidate.

“We’re all dead,” Biden interrupted.

Earlier in the event, Biden vowed as president to hold energy giants liable for global warming and made a pledge to even jail executives.

“We have to set sort of guide rails down now, so between the years 2021 and 2030, it’s irreversible – the path we set ourselves on. And one of which is doing away with any substance for fossil fuels – number one,” Biden said.

“Number two, holding them liable for what they have done,” he said of fossil fuel executives, “particularly in those cases where your underserved neighborhoods and – you know the deal, okay. And by the way, when they don’t want to deliver, put them in jail. I’m not joking about this.”

It is unclear whether Biden meant he would also imprison his own son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of directors of Ukrainian gas giant Burisma Holdings between 2014-2016. The younger Biden was reportedly paid up to $83,000 as a Burisma board member, despite having no expertise in the energy sector.

Sunday’s remarks weren’t the first in which Biden advocated jailing business people. During June’s DNC debate, the former vice president called for insurance executives to be jailed for what he described as false advertising practices.

In September, Biden received blowback for attending a fundraiser hosted by a fossil fuel company co-founder — Andrew Goldman of Western LNG — after pledging not to accept contributions from the fossil fuel industry.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/30/joe-biden-were-all-dead-if-we-dont-stop-using-fossil-fuels/