Monthly Archives: July 2018

Jul 4 2018

Why We Celebrate The 4th Of July


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 4, 2018 by

The colonies had been in conflict with England for over a year in June of 1776. A Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on June 7 of that year. Richard Henry Lee from Virginia offered up a resolution with these now famous words:

“Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

Lee’s words spurred the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. A committee of five was appointed to draft a statement making the case for the colonies, a statement to the world of the intent and the reason behind that intent.

Members of the Committee were John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Jefferson took on the task of actually drafting the document as we know it today.

The Continental Congress reconvened on July 1, 1776, and on the following day, the resolution for independence by Lee was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, with  New York not voting. Minor changes were made to the Jefferson document.

Work on the document continued through July 3 and into the afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted by the Congress. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two — Pennsylvania and South Carolina — voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York again abstained.

As we all know, John Hancock, President of the Congress made his signature large enough for King George to read “without his spectacles.”

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. – Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The complete list of those who signed were:

John Hancock (president of the Continental Congress), Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean, Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

Check out this link for the sobering fate of many of those who so pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. H/T to TheOriginalG-d&Country for this source.

Those are the facts about our Declaration of Independence, the history that we as school children have learned since the creation of this great nation that we celebrate, that we love and honor so.

Usually we humans can’t adequately find words to express our own sentiments, let alone those of a nation and successive generations to come, but Jefferson and that Continental Congress did just that.

The words have stood throughout several centuries as a clarion call for freedom, for breaking free of tyranny, for men to put aside their individual causes and join together to battle for the right of every man, woman and child together to become a people united in goal and resolve.

Today as we celebrate, today as we pledge allegiance to a flag that has gone from 13 stars to 50, may we remember not only the sacrifice, but the resolve. May we honor not only the words, but the unity and deeds of our forefathers. May each of us dig deep into our hearts and work out our differences for the betterment of our nation and our children and grandchildren.

Say a prayer for America today. Rekindle hope today. Honor the past by determining the future.

Please remember that this is a post in honor of our Independence Day. No political content, no rants, so slamming the other side. Today we are just Americans, honoring our country and each other.

Thanks to asawasa for posting this on another thread. I wanted to add it here.

Jul 4 2018

Chairman Devin Nunes Discusses List of Officials For Questioning…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House  on July 4, 2018 by

Jul 4 2018

Happy Fourth of July


Armstrong Economics Blog/History

Re-Posted Jul 4, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

Happy 4th of July – Independence Day

Now All We Need is to Restore the Constitution to the Way it Was Intended

Jul 4 2018

ABC News Anchor Leaves Because of Fake News


Armstrong Economics Blog/Press

Re-Posted Jul 4, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

 

One of the prominent faces of ABC news has been Brian Ross, one of their star investigative correspondents. He has been forced to resign because he embarrassed the network late last year when he did an on-air report suggesting former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had been told by President Donald Trump to make contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign for president. Ross and Rhonda Schwartz, who was the chief investigative producer for Ross’ team, has had to step down when that report proved to be false.

FAKE NEWS has been building because there have been no checks and balance. I have had my encounters over the years that will make your head spin. I was flying to Australia to give a public conference there and a journalist, who was obviously a socialist and President Reagan-hater calling it “trickle-down” economics,  ran a full-page story on me and said I was the author of just about everything and Reagan did everything I instructed so I was an evil capitalist and nobody should go listen to me. When I landed, the staff informed me about the article. I called the journalist who never bothered to interview me that I was only called in for that dog & pony show to launch G5 and that I disagreed with that policy. As for “trickle-down” supply-side economics, I told him that was Arthur Laffer – not me. Of course, there was never a retraction. I went to a cocktail party and someone called me a liar. His interpretation of that article was that I had worked in the White House as the Chief Economic Advisor. When I denied that, I was a liar because I was “embarrassed” to admit I worked for Reagan. That was just one of many encounters I had with FAKE NEWS.

Journalists have for decades interjected their personal philosophies into the news and see it as justified to try to persuade people to their point of view. The fact it has come to the surface because Trump has taken on the press is a good thing. British newspapers, who didn’t like the fact that I had been a friend of Margaret Thatcher, accused me of manipulating silver and then a couple days later Warren Buffet came out and said he had bought $1 billion. Again, no retraction was ever printed. I was simply attacked by Labour journalists because it fits their mindset of a greedy capitalist. Why let fact or truth stand in the way of a good story and Brian Ross simply revealed his true color – was it pink?

 

Jul 4 2018

The Future of the Democrats – A New Age of Socialism to Exploit Everyone Else?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Economics

Re-Posted Jul 4, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: It seems that the Democratic Party is turning really socialist. The DNC Chair Tom Perez said the Socialist Ocasio-Cortez is the “future of our party” and it seems they just ignore the socialist path in places like France which you pointed out their stock market peaked back in 2000 and has not participated in the bull market like just about every other country. They also ignore how socialism destroyed Venezuela. Is this the socialist fight and last stand?

UT

ANSWER: I have said before that we are in the throes of the collapse of socialism. All the socialistic programs are collapsing. That said, the socialists will make a major attempt to force their will upon the majority. They see the economy as a zero-sum game. They do not believe that someone can get rich without exploiting the worker following Marx. They do not believe in human individuality, talent, or economic advancement. Anyone who comes up with a new invention that furthers the economy and creates jobs like the automobile is really exploiting the working class. It is a logic that is just so fundamentally anti-humanity and remains just astonishing. What about a sports player? The salaries they earn also exploit the poor?

The Democratic Party had effectively a knee-jerk reaction to the Great Depression. The soared for that first election and have been in a bear market ever since. Yes, you are correct. France is the MOST socialistic country in Europe. Macrone is trying to break the unions, but it is not easy. The cab drivers encircled Paris and blocked traffic until Uber was declared illegal. Nobody looks at the consumer and how Uber would lower the costs of transportation for the average person rather than cab drivers who are exploiting the people under the socialist flag. Since Uber, restaurants are doing better because people can drink without worry and just call Uber instead of driving.

The truth is that socialism exploits the average person. It robs them of their individuality, freedom, and ability to ever rise up the economic ladder. So while the Democrats are celebrating the 28-year old Ocasio-Cortez as the future of their party, they ignore that the Constitution was supposed to guarantee Equal Protection of the law, with no exception that you make too much money. Even the Ten Commandments prohibits lusting after another’s property. It does not matter that what they preach is anti-human, converts everyone to an economic slave of indentured servitude. How? If you are born American and live in another country, then you still must pay taxes they call your fair share. However, exactly how is this a fair share when you use no such services? Their version of “fair share” is simply you owe taxes as an economic slave for whatever you produce anywhere in the world entitles them to their “fair share” of your productive capacity.

In all honesty, I see no logic in what they preach. It is exploiting other people because they are indistinguishable from a thief who enters your home in the dark of night. They justify what they do in saying you have too much and you should share it also with them.

Well happy 4th of July. Perhaps just maybe one day we will really win our independence and be free of exploitation by socialists who cannot sleep at night dreaming of how they will spend your money. The Democrats want to raise taxes to 70% and reverse everything that Trump has done on taxes. If they did that, I just quit. There is no point in working anymore for them. It is time for Atlas to shru

Jul 3 2018

FUBAR – FLAK: NSA Purge – CHAFF: DOJ Removal – COUNTERMEASURES: Senate Intel Committee Report…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 3, 2018 by

Three rather significant events surface today that might seem disconnected; but are actually related.  1) Trump NSA Tweet – 2) Scott Schools Removal – 3) Corrupt Senate Intelligence Committee [report released.]

Following Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee CTH has been mostly quiet on issues surrounding SpyGate and the DOJ/FBI corruption investigations. The reason was/is: during the Rosenstein testimony something became obvious.

In mid 2017 the DOJ-NSD small group executed a strategy to continue their Insurance Policy efforts; the FISC was a critical component and Rosenstein was a participant, wittingly or unwittingly, in the outcome.  More on that will follow later.

However, today, the downstream consequences from the Rosenstein revelations, missed by almost all who follow the details closely, begin to surface.  This is going to take a great deal of explanation; and believe me – there is no fun in writing this outline.

FLAK ♦It starts with a seemingly ‘out-of-nowhere’ tweet from President Donald Trump about the NSA and a data purge.  This tweet was actually anticipated; or, well, at least a few of us were looking for a signal that would confirm the ramifications to Rosensteins’ earlier testimony.

Remember, the NSA and FBI database abuse is at the heart of the FISA abuse story:

It might seem disconnected, but this tweet is directly in line with a finding from within Rosenstein’s testimony about the FISA application he signed (against Carter Page).

In 2015 and 2016 the FBI, DOJ (and approved “contractors” therein), were using FISA-702(16) “To/From” and (17) “About” database queries as tools to conduct political opposition research.   In a FISA court ruling, declassified in April 2017, the DOJ National Security Division and NSA admitted more than 85% of the prior searches were unauthorized.  [FISA Court Ruling – Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer]

NSA Director Mike Rogers had shut out “contractor access” in April of 2016; and in October 2016 he stopped allowing FISA-702 (17) “About Queries” entirely.  There was no identifiable process which could be put into place to stop the human factor from abusing the process.

Later in 2017, as a result of the 2016 NSA compliance audit; and as a result of admitting no system change could stop future abuse; and immediately following the FISA Court opinion on the abuse; NSA Director Mike Rogers made an official statement ending the FISA-702(17) “about” search process completely.    Within the statement:

[…]  After considerable evaluation of the program and available technology, NSA has decided that its Section 702 foreign intelligence surveillance activities will no longer include any upstream internet communications that are solely “about” a foreign intelligence target. Instead, this surveillance will now be limited to only those communications that are directly “to” or “from” a foreign intelligence target. These changes are designed to retain the upstream collection that provides the greatest value to national security while reducing the likelihood that NSA will acquire communications of U.S. persons or others who are not in direct contact with one of the Agency’s foreign intelligence targets.

In addition, as part of this curtailment, NSA will delete the vast majority of previously acquired upstream internet communications as soon as practicable.

NSA previously reported that, because of the limits of its current technology, it is unable to completely eliminate “about” communications from its upstream 702 collection without also excluding some of the relevant communications directly “to or from” its foreign intelligence targets. That limitation remains even today. Nonetheless, NSA has determined that in light of the factors noted, this change is a responsible and careful approach at this time.  (link – and read more)

Obviously with the tweet today from President Trump reflects this purge. The NSA continues to inappropriately capture phone calls and communications of U.S. citizens within its network.

POTUS Trump, and his campaign, having been victims to the abuse of the database, has an aversion to allowing warrant-less NSA communications captures; yet understands the importance of data collection as a tool for national security.   The intelligence apparatus wants to keep all FISA processes as tools; however, the executive branch is in a tenuous position if those tools are abused.

CHAFF ♦ The second related event that surfaced today was the replacement of Scott Schools.

Today, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he will be appointing Bradley Weinsheimer as Acting Associate Deputy Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice. Weinsheimer will replace Scott Schools, who is leaving on July 6th to take a position in the private sector after close to two decades of service in the Department of Justice.

Weinsheimer will began serving as Acting Associate Deputy Attorney General upon Schools’ departure. In this position he will have no role in overseeing the Special Counsel.

“Scott Schools has been a fabulous lawyer for the Department of Justice for close to twenty years, rising through the ranks at the Department to become our most senior career attorney,” said Attorney General Sessions. “He has served with distinction in several positions in the Department, including as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, the U.S. Attorney for South Carolina and the Northern District of California, and as an Associate Deputy Attorney General. Scott has provided invaluable leadership and counsel in his years at the Department, and his service is an example to all. He will be greatly missed, and I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”  (read more)

As @almostjingo points out: Scott Schools authorized Robert Mueller (link) Scott Schools delivered Page/Strzok text messages to Horowitz [He could also filter them] (link)  Scott Schools was a decision-maker in Jeff Sessions recusal (link).  The guy is all over the DOJ aspects to the issues surrounding prior conduct.

Scott Schools looks to have been a key player; a careerist within the DOJ who was likely part of the internal self-preservation system.  A defensive position for the interests of the Main Justice “small group” who were engaged in all of the political activity.

COUNTERMEASURES ♦ The third related event is a release of a report by Richard Burr and Mark Warner from the highly corrupt Senate Intelligence Committee.

Those of you who have been around a while might remember this exact playbook from the Benghazi corruption scandal.  Remember when HPSCI Chairman Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger report. I don’t like cussing for a whole bunch of reasons, but I’ll be damned if the similarities to 2014 are not jaw dropping [SEE HERE]

For the 2018 version, Deep State Richard Burr and Deep State Mark Warner team up with the Deep State Senate Intelligence Committee to produce a report that tries to make the 2015/2016 [Brennan/Clapper/Comey] Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA).

The Committee has concluded an in-depth review of the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) produced by CIA, NSA, and FBI in January of 2017 on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election (Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections; declassified version released January 6, 2017) and have initial findings to share with the American people.

• The ICA was a seminal intelligence product with significant policy implications. In line with its historical role, the Committee had a responsibility to conduct an in-depth review of the document.

• In conducting its examination, the Committee reviewed thousands of pages of source documents and conducted interviews with all the relevant parties – including agency heads, managers, and line analysts – who were involved in developing the analysis and drafting the assessment.

• The Committee is preparing a comprehensive, classified report detailing our conclusions regarding the ICA on Russian activities. That report, when complete, will be submitted for a classification review, and the unclassified version will be released to the public.

Senators Burr and Warner, both gang-of-eight members, are attempting to bolster manufactured lies from the Obama administration about Russian election interference in an almost identical way that Rogers and Ruppersberger, also former gang-of-eight members, were bolstering manufactured lies from the Obama administration about the precipitating events in Benghazi.   The parallels and similarities around both sets of reports are spooky.

Here’s the nonsense from Burr and Warner:

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/383142696/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-p8a62YW8wcuiIs4zPeTd

.

This is getting too long, so I’m cutting it off here and will write a Part II with a specific breakdown of the Rod Rosenstein testimony and how it overlays all of these issues and highlights a predictable DC end to this entire investigative outcome.

Jul 3 2018

President Trump Salute to Service Speech – Greenbrier, West Virginia 6:45pm Livestream…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 3, 2018 by

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice welcomes President Donald J. Trump at the Salute to Service Dinner at the Greenbrier Resort as part of A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.  Anticipated speech 6:45pm EDT:

FOX10 Livestream Link – Governor Justice Livestream – Alternate Livestream

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Jul 3 2018

Washington DC Chaff and Countermeasures…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 3, 2018 by

 

A “Countermeasure” is a measure or action taken to counter or offset a preceding one.

Politically speaking, the deployment of countermeasures is a tactic used by professional politicians in Washington DC to counter incoming public inquiry and protect themselves from anger expressed by the electorate.

Weaponized government takes action and creates victims. Beyond the strategy – the countermeasures are politicians assigned a role to control the incoming righteous inquiry from voters who find out about the weaponized or corrupt governmental action.

1.) The electorate become aware of a political issue or action; often illegal.

2.) The electorate become angry.

3.) DC needs to protect itself.

4.) Countermeasures are assigned and deployed to delay, obfuscate and create the illusion of investigation of the illegal governmental action.

5.) Electorate watch.

6.) Investigation goes nowhere.

7.) Countermeasure deployment successful.

Repeat.

Recent and ongoing examples:

The countermeasures are deployed to act as shiny distractions keeping the larger electorate satisfied something is being done. Countermeasures are designed to create investigations that go nowhere.

The goal is not resolution or justice; the goal is to deflect, create distraction and eventually dilute/diminish the outrage over time. Keep kicking the can until it rusts and simply falls apart.

Nothing to see here. Move along, move along now folks.

The political system in Washington DC has become so massive it is now capable of protecting itself. Any attempt to reduce the influence, scope or size of the system is considered a risk. The system is, in essence, protecting itself. Deep State is self-aware.

Political countermeasures are now deployed as human articles of self-preservation.

Cue the audio visual demonstration – NOTE 07:43 (just hit play)

Jul 3 2018

The Potomac Two-Step: Imran Awan Allowed To Escape any Charges That Would Implicate Congress….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 3, 2018 by

Imran Awan pleaded guilty today to one count of bank fraud.  However, all of the more serious charges; that were based on intelligence compromises and national security; and that naturally would implicate members of congress; were dropped and dispatched by federal prosecutors.

Add in the date of the announcement today, when everyone is headed to a long July 4th holiday weekend, and voilà we see the all-too-familiar Potomac Two-Step:

(Via Daily Caller)  An assistant US attorney said Tuesday he would not prosecute Imran Awan, a former systems administrator for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other Democrats, for any crimes on Capitol Hill in a plea agreement that had him plead guilty to one count of bank fraud.

Only one person sat at the prosecutors’ table: J.P. Coomey, who unsuccessfully prosecuted New Jersey Democrat Sen. Bob Menendez for corruption and was only added to the case Monday. There was no sign of Michael Marando, who had previously led the prosecution.

Coomey did not object to the removal of Awan’s GPS monitor, said he would not oppose a sentence of probation, and agreed to drop charges against his wife, fellow former systems administrative Hina Alvi.  (continue reading)

Reminder Here