Defense chief says states can use National Guard to enforce stay-at-home orders

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that states have the option of using the National Guard to enforce stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“[T]hat would be an option for the governors,” Esper said on CBS News. “Again, the guard is active in all 50 states and territories. I'm very proud of what our guardsmen are doing, but we have a whole lot more capacity out there in the guard right now to do more.”

Esper compared having the National Guard deal with the coronavirus to its duties when a hurricane or another natural disaster strikes the country, saying the force would be used to curb the outbreak’s effects.

“You know, we typically think of National Guard dealing with a hurricane in a state or a series of tornadoes, and this case right now, we have 54 hurricanes out there,” he said. “And every single state and territory, and we know they're going to grow in size and in their power.”

The remarks come as a growing number of states order their residents to shelter in their homes to try to blunt the spread of COVID-19, which has infected over 189,000 people and killed at least 3,900 in the U.S. Last weekend the National Guard in Rhode Island began going door-to-door to enforce quarantine orders for those leaving New York.

However, not all areas are expected to use heavy-handed tactics to impose their stay-at-home orders. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said Tuesday that her city is unlikely to make arrests to enforce the rule.

“We don’t expect that we will have to issue any fines and jail penalties, because we expect the people of the District of Columbia to comply,” Bowser said at a press briefing. “The point is not to arrest anybody, the point is for people to stay at home.”

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/490522-defense-chief-says-states-can-use-national-guard-to-enforce-stay-at-home

Attorney General William P. Barr Announces the Appointment of Peter McCoy as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina

Attorney General William P. Barr announced today the appointment and swearing in of Peter M. McCoy, Jr. as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546.

As Interim U.S. Attorney, McCoy is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the District of South Carolina. He supervises an office of approximately 62 Assistant U.S. Attorneys, 75 support staff, and 18 contract support staff, all of whom are responsible for prosecuting federal crimes affecting the district, including narcotics and firearms cases, gang violence, human trafficking, white-collar crime, securities fraud, public corruption, terrorism and civil rights violations. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

“I am pleased to appoint Peter McCoy as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina. Peter’s extensive legal and prosecutorial experience, and strong commitment to public safety and the rule of law will make him an able leader of this office,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Peter has been a fierce advocate for the rights of children and strict accountability for sex offenders and other violent criminals. He will make an outstanding U.S. Attorney for the people of South Carolina.”

Before being sworn in as Interim U.S. Attorney, McCoy was a partner at McCoy and Stokes Law Firm. McCoy also served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and focused his legislative work on protecting children and keeping neighborhoods safe.

A Charleston, South Carolina, resident and graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and Regent University Law School, McCoy spent more than five years as a criminal prosecutor in the Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, handling thousands of crimes involving violence, guns, and drugs. As a legislator, McCoy was the lead sponsor of legislation requiring the mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse as well as legislation establishing a mandatory minimum sentence for anyone who commits a crime while out on bond. He worked to pass statutes that ensure violent repeat criminal offenders do not remain out of bond if they continue to commit crimes.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-william-p-barr-announces-appointment-peter-mccoy-interim-us-attorney

SEC Awards $450,000 to Whistleblower

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced an award of $450,000 to a whistleblower whose significant information helped focus an ongoing investigation on the violations that were ultimately charged.

The whistleblower, who had compliance-related responsibilities, is eligible for an award because the whistleblower reported concerns about the relevant conduct internally within the company and then waited 120 days before reporting to the SEC. This is the SEC’s third whistleblower award to an individual who had compliance or internal audit responsibilities.

“To ensure that important information about securities laws violations is reported to the SEC when appropriate corrective action is not taken by the company, the rules permit awards to compliance professionals in certain limited circumstances,” said Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower. “Here, the whistleblower made reasonable efforts to work within the company’s compliance structure, suffered unique hardships as a result, and reported to the Commission after the requisite time period had passed, ultimately providing meaningful assistance to the Commission’s investigation and subsequent enforcement action.”

The SEC has awarded over $396 million to 77 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. All payments are made out of an investor protection fund established by Congress that is financed entirely through monetary sanctions paid to the SEC by securities law violators. No money has been taken or withheld from harmed investors to pay whistleblower awards. Whistleblowers may be eligible for an award when they voluntarily provide the SEC with original, timely, and credible information that leads to a successful enforcement action. Whistleblower awards can range from 10 percent to 30 percent of the money collected when the monetary sanctions exceed $1 million.

https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-75

don't forget about Mark Meadows…

Published December 6, 2018

Clinton Foundation whistleblowers have come forward with hundreds of pages of evidence, Meadows says

Three people have come forward with hundreds of pages of evidence of potential wrongdoing by the Clinton Foundation, including misappropriation of funds and allegations of quid-pro-quo promises made to donors during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told Fox News on Thursday.

Meadows, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is also the chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations. The panel is set to hold an investigative hearing next week on the status of the Foundation case.

U.S. Attorney John Huber was tasked to investigate the foundation last year by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The Clinton Foundation consistently has maintained that it is a charity, and never traded on Hillary Clinton's position as America's top diplomat, which she held from 2009-2013. The organization has a four-star rating from the watchdog site Charity Navigator and has touted its mission "to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/clinton-foundation-whistleblowers-have-come-forward-with-hundreds-of-pages-of-evidence-meadows-says

Meadows knows where the bodies are buried and now he is COS to POTUS.