dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

'We must continue': Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extends Michigan quarantine through June 12

One of the most scrutinized politicians in the United States is pushing back the reopening of businesses in her state amid concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus. Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delayed the reopening of her state from May 29 to June 12. Her executive order will affect public venues such as gyms, casinos, and movie theaters. "If we’re going to lower the chance of a second wave and continue to protect our neighbors and loved ones from the spread of this virus, we must continue to do our part by staying safer at home," Whitmer told the Detroit Free Press.

Though manufacturing and construction have resumed throughout the state, Whitmer's stay-at-home order continues to damage the economic interests of many small businesses that have been instructed to stay closed. Whitmer said that although numbers were dropping in the state, Michigan was still "not out of the woods yet." Schools, summer camps, barbershops, and hair salons have all been instructed to remain closed, and social distancing guidelines will continue to be enforced. More than 5,000 Michiganders, many of whom resided in the Detroit metro area, have died of the coronavirus in a state that has become a flashpoint for anti-lockdown demonstrators who have shown out en masse to protest Whitmer's order.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/we-must-continue-democratic-gov-gretchen-whitmer-extends-michigan-quarantine-through-june-12

‘Those are coming’: Grenell promises to declassify Flynn calls with Russian ambassador

The nation’s outgoing spy chief, Richard Grenell, declared “transparency is a must” as he promised to declassify all of the conversations between retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Grenell, the acting director of national intelligence soon to be replaced by Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas after he was confirmed to post this week on Thursday, pushed back against criticism from Democrats and in the midst of a declassification spree, which has resulted in a series of revelations in recent weeks.

Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief Noah Shachtman tweeted out a podcast link, claiming that Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California “really lets loose here, saying he no longer trusts ODNI and FBI to deliver the truth about Russian interference in 2020.” Swalwell then replied with a “slight correction on your tweet: I trust FBI & Director Wray. I don’t trust ODNI Directors Richard Grenell or Rep. Ratcliffe. They’re the ones with the shovels burying evidence to protect Donald Trump.” That’s when Grenell jumped in. “I’m letting the public see more info. You are the one who worked to hide the information you didn’t like. You listened to multiple people in classified hearings say they had no evidence and yet go on TV and say the opposite,” Grenell tweeted on Friday. “Transparency is now a must!”

That was a reference to Grenell pressuring Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff to release dozens of witness transcripts from the panel’s investigation on Russian election interference, which showed top Obama national security officials saying they did not have direct evidence of Trump-Russia collusion. Grenell also helped declassify dozens of footnotes from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s December report on the FBI's Russia investigations, which revealed the bureau was aware that British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s unverified anti-Trump dossier may have been compromised by Russian disinformation and used it anyway. Last week, Grenell declassified a National Security Agency document containing a list of Obama administration officials, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who were the authorized recipients of information in response to "unmasking" requests that revealed Flynn's identity in surveillance intercepts. Before that, he expressed his concerns about unmasking in a directive obtained by the Washington Examiner to the heads of U.S. spy agencies titled “Protecting the Privacy and Civil Liberties of U.S. Persons.”

In response to Grenell's tweet, Swalwell claimed, “You never once came to brief the Intel Committee (First DNI Director who failed to do so). If you have nothing to hide, why don’t you release Flynn’s call with Russia?” He included a hashtag, #ShowUsTheTape. Grenell said last week that the intelligence community’s top counterintelligence official, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina, would carry out all election security intelligence briefings to 2020 candidates and campaigns instead of the FBI or Department of Homeland Security. Evanina, a widely respected former FBI special agent, briefed Congress earlier this year. He said the intelligence community had not concluded Russia is backing any particular 2020 candidate and warned about interference by multiple countries, noting that election interference “is not a Russia-only problem.”

“Those are coming,” Grenell replied in reference to Swalwell’s call for the Flynn-Kislyak transcripts to be released. “It’s very important for the public to see ALL of them. For too long the public has been misled. Just compare your committee’s transcripts to your public statements!” His tweet was accompanied by a “#troubling” hashtag. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Grenell of "selective declassification" for political reasons and asked Grenell on Wednesday for the disclosure of the underlying intelligence reports in which Obama administration officials unmasked Flynn. Schiff echoed that demand on Friday. Republican senators, too, have piled on the requests for further declassifications.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/those-are-coming-grenell-promises-to-declassify-flynn-calls-with-russian-ambassador