Justice Department gives update on when to expect 'pivotal' report from John Durham

U.S. Attorney John Durham's criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation is on track to release a report by the end of the summer, according to the Justice Department. Kerri Kupec, a top spokeswoman for the agency, told Fox News this week that a report is not "the goal" of the criminal investigation, but it will nevertheless "be really pivotal to the restoration of that one tiered system of justice." The politically charged review, which shifted into a criminal investigation last fall, has been decried by Democrats as a scheme to damage President Trump's rivals ahead of the 2020 election and hailed by Republicans who claim the Russia investigation was a partisan hit job. "There is a story to be told there. The American people deserve resolution, and frankly, justice deserves resolution," Kupec declared.

Attorney General William Barr said last month he anticipates "developments" in Durham's investigation "hopefully before the end of the summer." Kupec reinforced the notion that this was only a guess. "There are no guarantees in life, but we certainly hope to see one by the end of the summer. I think it’s important," she said. As some Trump allies raise concerns about Durham's work being buried by a Biden administration, should Trump lose in his reelection bid, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer asked Kupec if she can at least guarantee some sort of announcement before the November election. "I will just tell you this. We are hopeful, and we expect to see a report by the end of the summer," Kupec said.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice-department-gives-update-on-when-to-expect-pivotal-report-from-john-durham

White House moves portraits of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush out of sight

The White House reportedly moved the official portraits of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to a place President Trump and visitors would not see them. The portraits were pulled out of the Grand Foyer of the White House, where Trump often passes through, within the last week, according to CNN. They were moved into the Old Family Dining Room, a small, rarely used room, which visitors do not normally see.

In a break from the tradition in which the portraits of recent presidents are displayed more prominently, those honoring William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, Republican presidents who served more than 100 years ago, have replaced those of Clinton and Bush. It has also been tradition for a president's portrait to be unveiled during their successor's tenure, but it appears unlikely that former President Barack Obama's portrait will be released during Trump's first term. Obama's vice president, Joe Biden, is now running for the presidency. "You've got a president who's talking about putting the previous one in legal jeopardy, to put it nicely. We have not seen a situation like that in history. It takes antipathy of a new president for a predecessor to a new level," presidential historian Michael Beschloss told NBC News about the situation with Obama's portrait unveiling.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house-moves-portraits-of-bill-clinton-and-george-w-bush-out-of-sight

'Pigs are highly intelligent': Biden staffer rushes to delete anti-police posts after Fox News reaches out

A staffer for Joe Biden's presidential campaign quickly deleted anti-law enforcement commentary on social media after Fox News inquired about the posts. Sara Pearl, who describes herself as a supervising producer for the Biden campaign, repeatedly derided law enforcement in recent weeks amid calls for police departments to be defunded. In one post from June, Pearl urged others not to call police officers "pigs," a label commonly used to deride law enforcement, because “pigs are highly intelligent and empathetic animals who would never racially profile you.” She also retweeted a comment to that post that labeled cops as "monsters," who "don't deserve to be called pigs." Pearl, who deleted the tweets after Fox News inquired about them, also promoted the idea that police departments should be defunded, which is a sentiment not shared by Biden.

The Trump campaign took a shot at Biden for Pearl's commentary. “Joe Biden can’t hide from the fact the radical left-wing party he leads has such visceral hatred of the police, the men and women who bravely put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. At a time when police officers are under increasingly violent attack, Joe Biden has allowed a sickening anti-police culture to pervade his campaign. He sits silently and says nothing as police are viciously assaulted by left-wing mobs," Bob Paduchik, the Trump campaign's senior adviser for law enforcement and labor unions, said in a statement. The former vice president explicitly said he doesn't support defunding the police in an interview with CBS last month, instead stressing that he backs the idea of tying federal funding to make certain “they meet certain basic standards of decency, honorableness, and, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community, everybody in the community.”

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pigs-are-highly-intelligent-biden-staffer-rushes-to-delete-anti-police-posts-after-fox-news-reaches-out

Pennsylvania lawmaker tells governor to resign or face impeachment

Butler County Republican Rep. Daryl Metcalfe asked Gov. Tom Wolf to step down on Thursday before the Legislature pursues impeachment. This, after Wolf and the Department of Health tightened restrictions on bars and restaurants amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. “Following the shame and struggles you have placed upon the state, we ask that you save us further strife by resigning on your own accord,” Metcalfe said in a letter to the administration. "Your further authoritarian dictates, as of yesterday, have only strengthened our resolve.” Metcalfe, one of the most outspoken GOP members against Wolf’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said the administration’s heavy-handed shutdowns and continued mitigation efforts have strengthened support for the articles of impeachment he introduced via House Resolution 915 last month. “Through your executive actions you have endangered the lives and livelihoods of Pennsylvanians from all walks of life,” he said. "Had you followed the rule of law, conferred with the co-equal branches of government, respected the Constitution, and acknowledged the need for the consent of the governed, the confusing Orwellian predicament we currently face could have been avoided." Some 25 lawmakers signed onto the resolution, though it has languished in the House Judiciary Committee since June 23.

The Center Square reached out to the administration for comment on the letter, but received no response. Lyndsay Kensinger, Wolf’s spokesperson, dismissed the impeachment articles as a political stunt in a media statement last month. “In the last weeks, House Republicans have continued their efforts to divide the commonwealth and score cheap political points instead of taking the challenge before them seriously,” she said. “This is just the latest example of the House Republicans wasting time instead of helping to protect Pennsylvanians during this public health crisis.” It’s not the first articles of impeachment to be filed against Wolf during his six years in office. None have ever come up for a vote, despite a persistent and strong conservative majority in the House of Representatives.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/pennsylvania-lawmaker-tells-governor-to-resign-or-face-impeachment

https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/group-of-25-republican-lawmakers-sign-on-to-impeachment-articles-against-pennsylvania-gov-wolf/article_f35110fc-b0b6-11ea-bec2-b3f0b59e7bf0.html

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=H&type=R&bn=0915

>>9994246

Kek, Now that would be some truth telling…not in their DNA, sadly.