Monthly Archives: July 2018

Jul 3 2018

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte Files Subpoena To Compel Strzok Public Testimony July 10th…


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

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte has filed a subpoena to compel open hearing testimony from FBI Agent Peter Strzok, July 10th, 2018 at 10:00am.

Chairman Goodlatte tweets notification (link); Committee Announces/Schedules (link)

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., the House Committees on the Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform will hold a joint hearing on “Oversight of FBI and DOJ Actions Surrounding the 2016 Election: Testimony by FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok.” The House Judiciary Committee today issued a subpoena to Peter Strzok – a former senior official in the FBI’s counterintelligence division – to testify publicly before the Committees regarding FBI and DOJ actions surrounding the 2016 presidential election. (link)

Strzok’s attorney has indicated he would not comply with the request: “Having sharpened their knives behind closed doors, the committee would now like to drag back Special Agent Strzok and have him testify in public — a request that we originally made and the committee denied,” Goelman said. “What’s being asked of Special Agent Strzok is to participate in what anyone can recognize as a trap.”  (CNN Reports)

Jul 3 2018

Walking With Jackals – Sarah Sanders Conducts Press Discussion…


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

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks with a group of narrative engineers from the White House driveway.

Jul 3 2018

Yesterday Brian Ross, Today Ali Watkins – New York Times Moves “Reporter #2” out of Washington DC…


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

The executive suite corporate media are making moves of journalists who all circle around the recently indicted senate intelligence committee staffer James Wolfe. The motivation for the moves is transparent.

James Wolfe has pleaded not guilty. A trial seems likely. It is virtually guaranteed that many, if not all, of James Wolfe’s media contacts will become part of the trial record if he takes his defense all the way to criminal court without coping a plea deal. That means there are potentially dozens of reporters, and corporate media outlets, who might find themselves -and their contacts with Wolfe- in the headlines as part of the evidence.

Anticipating this possibility, yesterday Brian Ross departed ABC and today the New York Times begins dealing with deep throat journalist Ali Watkins.

(Via NYT) The New York Times demoted a reporter who acknowledged a romantic relationship with a Senate staffer who is suspected of leaking information to journalists.

Times editor Dean Baquet said Tuesday he would reassign the reporter, Ali Watkins, from the paper’s Washington bureau to New York in the wake of revelations that she had been involved with James Wolfe, the former head of security for the Senate Intelligence Committee. Watkins covered the committee for a number of publications, although not the Times.

Interestingly, the Times is upset with Watkins not revealing the executed search warrant that seized her records.

A secondary issue for the Times was Watkins’s failure to tell her editors for nearly four months that federal prosecutors had seized her records as part of their investigation. The Department of Justice notified Watkins in February that her records were part of the investigation, but she withheld this highly unusual — and newsworthy — information on the advice of her attorney until early June.  (read more)

Here again the reasoning is simple. The indictment against Wolfe was sealed until June 7th, 2018. The feds nailed Wolfe on December 15th, 2017. Everything happening between December 15th and June 7th is six months of the FBI hunting leakers and connecting leaks to journalists.

Ms. Ali Watkins, was identified and an appropriate search warrant was authorized by the court.  Ms. Watkins was notified February 13, 2018.  [Document link]  No doubt part of that notification included her agreement, based on conversation with her lawyers, to keep quiet while the FBI continued the investigation; OR Ms. Watkins could be charged with interference and easily go from being a “subject in” to “the target of” an investigation…

 

Key word is “notified” on February 13th, 2018.  While it is difficult to gain a search and seizure warrant on a journalist, it is noted a judge authorized a very extensive search warrant against “Reporter #2”.  Cited statute  HERE and HERE

Why is the New York Times apoplectic about not being notified?  Because Ms. Ali Watkins was essentially a legal surveillance virus infecting all of her contacts at the newspaper for a period of four months.  All of her electronic communication was at risk of being monitored; including all of the contacts and instructions she was getting from her bosses at the New York Times HQ.

D’oh.

The Bigger Story Behind the James Wolfe Indictment HERE

Jul 3 2018

Hogwash – Brian Ross Didn’t Resign Over the Fake News Flynn Story, He Resigned Because He Was “Reporter 4” Within James Wolfe Indictment – Senate Intelligence Leak Investigation…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 2, 2018 by

By now everyone has reported about ABC journalist Brian Ross and his Producer Rhonda Swartz resigning from the network.  However, almost everyone pointing back to Ross’s fake news report on Michael Flynn in December; and almost no-one is pointing out the more obvious motive for the resignation.

Brian Ross was almost guaranteed to be “Reporter 4” in the federal indictment of Senate  former senior senate intelligence committee staffer James Wolfe.  The notorious Senate Intelligence “leaker”.

CTH originally pointed this out when the details of the indictment were released (full pdf below), and research was possible to determine each reporter.  It did not come as a surprise to see the staff from this specific committee leaking secret and top-secret classified information.  The committee rots from the head down.

According to the indictment Wolfe was notified by the FBI of a classified intelligence leak investigation on/around October 30th, 2017.  From the indictment we see that Wolfe was interviewed and confronted by FBI investigators on December 15th, 2017.  After admitting he lied to those FBI investigators Wolfe resigned from his position.

On December 15th, 2017 Wolfe was busted; the FBI had him dead-to-rights.  However, the grand jury proceedings didn’t start until May 3rd, 2018; and the indictment was sealed until June 7th, 2018.   That means six months of investigative work was taking place between busting Wolfe on Dec. 15th, and indicting Wolfe on June 7th.

On December 15th, according to the indictment, the FBI investigators were aware of four specific journalists, “reporters”, who participated in the leak material.  The FBI likely had more to choose from, but selected those four reporters -with specific intents and purposes- during the interview with Mr. Wolfe.  The four reporters are not named, but their activity is outlined enough to make it possible to determine who is who.

From the indictment [Note Male-1 is Carter Page]:

  • Reporter #1 is likely Manu Raju of CNN.
  • Reporter #2 is definitely Ali Watkins of New York Times.
  • Reporter #3 is likely Marianna Sotomayor of NBC
  • Reporter #4 is likely Brian Ross of ABC

Accepting there has been a great deal of work on the leak investigation; and accepting the purpose therein; the Wolfe indictment appears strategic in that it captures four of the largest media outlets within the net.  Four mainstream media enterprises are now on notice.   With more than six months of investigation, and with the timing of the indictment becoming public, it’s likely the FBI leak task-force caught more than just Wolfe.

Wolfe is simply the first to be identified. Suspicion: Wolfe will likely lead to Dan Jones.

On December 15th, with the evidence and admissions therein; and specifically noting the FBI showed Mr. Wolfe photographic evidence (he was also under physical surveillance); James Wolfe opened the door to an investigative path that was almost certainly followed.  In essence, anyone in contact with Wolfe would now be inside the investigative review.

[*Side-note* Consciousness of Guilt – On the day before this December 15th interview, Reporter #2 Ali Watkins (NYT), announced she would no longer be covering the Senate Intelligence Committee.]

This is important because Wolfe wasn’t arrested until six months after he was clearly busted. Within this time-frame other people would be under investigation.

The FBI would be able to use the information gathered from Wolfe, and exploit his compromise, for search and surveillance warrants on other participants within his contact circle.  The investigators would not want the downstream participants to know.

Hence, while it is difficult to gain a search and seizure warrant on a journalist, it is noted Reporter #2, Ms. Ali Watkins, was identified and an appropriate search warrant was authorized by the court.  Ms. Watkins notified February 13, 2018.  [Document link]

Interview 12/15/17; one search warrant executed Jan-Feb 2018; grand jury seated May 2018; indictment/arrest June 2018.

Another key aspect also seems confirmed.  Following the timeline from the start of the leak investigation (August 2017, per AG Jeff Sessions); to the FBI notification of Wolfe on Oct 30, 2017; and the subsequent interview Dec. 15, 2017.   The Black Hat Hunting is clear.

We suspected a sting operation because it was entirely too coincidental how the media were getting false information. Look at the timeline and you can see where the FBI was  coordinating false leaks to track:

•Dec. 01, 2017 Reporter #4 (ABC Brian Ross) gets fake news leak about Michael Flynn. later retracted and Brian Ross suspended.  [LINK]

•Dec. 04, 2017 Fake news leak about Manafort broadcast by ABC.  Later retracted [LINK].

•Dec. 05, 2017 Fake News leak about Duetsche Bank subpoena for Trump bank records. Reported by Bloomberg; later retracted. [LINK]

•Dec. 08, 2017 Reporter #1 (CNN Manu Raju) gets fake news leak about WikiLeaks and Don Trump Jr. email.  The date on the email was wrong.  Broadcast by CNN, later retracted.  [LINK – and Follow Up]

Dec. 15, 2017 – James Wolfe interview with the FBI.

Overlay the details and the big picture emerges.  There is no doubt the operation to catch the DC intelligence leakers is a carefully executed FBI task-force effort.   The capture of James Wolfe in December, 2017, opened the door to six months of surveillance on all contacts. Remember, he was not charged with the most serious aspects of his leaking of classified intelligence.  He was charged with lying to the FBI.

No doubt some kind of deal was structured where the FBI investigation would continue and Wolfe would stay quiet.  Those investigators have been working from that door being opened December 15th, all the way to today. We haven’t seen the full outcomes yet, but suffice to say with the June 7th public indictment, the investigators are now comfortable enough to visibly shake the tree.

Lastly, notice the direction of all the stories.  Each leak, and the subsequent story therein, was/is designed to undermine the Trump presidency and reinforce opposition to the president.  Notice how no leaks ever flow in the other direction; all leaks frame a narrative against the administration.

Stay tuned….

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/381310366/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-Dc7NS5aX0Co0rYCNkHbw

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Jul 3 2018

U.S. Factory Activity Reflects Exceptionally Strong Economy, Demand and Production Output…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 2, 2018 by

Pontificating economic globalists are stuck between empirical good news and their preferred anti-Trump tariff narrative.  Economic media like the Wall Street Journal are filled with angst, as Trump’s manufacturing MAGAnomics continues to destroy their decades-long talking points and globalist preferences.

The analysis of June factory and manufacturing indicators from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) highlight an expanding reality: increased production, increased new orders, increased employment, and demand outpacing supplies and transportation capacity.  Yes, all of this means the Main Street U.S. economic engine is firing on all cylinders.  We can only imagine what the Q2 numbers will reflect when it’s all rolled up.

ISM DATA – “Comments from the panel reflect continued expanding business strength. Demand remains strong, with the New Orders Index at 60 percent or above for the 14th straight month, and the Customers’ Inventories Index remaining low. The Backlog of Orders Index continued to expand, reading at 60 percent of higher for the third consecutive month. Consumption, described as production and employment, continues to expand in spite of labor, skill and material shortages.

What does this mean in blue collar language?  Short term: OVERTIME pay folks…. maximum earnings possibilities as demand for factory and manufacturing has all employment working maximum production shifts. Long term: upward wage pressure, jobs, jobs, jobs.

For the Truck Drivers?  Work, work, work.  You got a rig, they need it hauled. Everywhere.

Cont…. Inputs, expressed as supplier deliveries, inventories and imports, had expansion increases, due primarily to negative supply chain issues. Lead-time extensions, steel and aluminum disruptions, supplier labor issues, and transportation difficulties continue. Export orders expanded at higher rates  (read more)

Inventory backlogs, “supply chain issues” equals not enough drivers and haulers to keep up with production shipment demand. Thirst for raw materials.  “Supplier labor issues”, sources of raw materials and ancillary origination parts are having a hard time staffing up for the demand.   Yup, more upward blue collar wage pressure.  “Transportation difficulties“, again, Truckers and shippers in high demand.

Do you know how many countries would love to have these problems?   All of ’em.

These are good ‘problems‘ for Main Street.

MAGAnomic success everywhere.

Big, fat, beautiful blue-collar paychecks baby….

Winnamins, stock up; we ain’t slowing down!

We ain’t seen nothing yet…

Jul 3 2018

Diversity in Europe is the Key to Understanding the Eurozone Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/European Union

Re-Posted Jul 3, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong; I find your analysis refreshing here in Europe. Sometimes we cannot always look in the mirror objectively. You are correct that perhaps the greatest fault in trying to create the euro has been this idea of forcing one culture upon everyone in Europe. The feelings about the EU are very different in the south compared to the north.

Thank you for being unbiased. It does help to see things through different eyes.

PD

REPLY: Perspective is everything. When I speak to people in government in Italy, they see the EU as oppressive and believe their country is now occupied with the will of Brussels being imposed against their own culture. I have lived in Europe and I have probably spent 1/3rd of my life there. What I LOVED about Europe was indeed the diverse culture. Language has been the greatest stumbling block. Even myself, very short trips running around between countries puts a different strain on you. In just 10 days, I was in Germany, then flew to Zurich, then down to Milan, over the Paris, off to London, and then back to Frankfurt. While I was checking into a hole in Paris, there was a Japanese couple trying to check in and the hotel had nobody to speak Japanese. I then stepped in trying to help. After a few days, you try to speak and a missmash comes out of several languages combined and you are so tired, it gets hard to keep flipping between the languages. I LOVE Europe for that, but not on a business trip of rushing around in the middle of madness. Even getting cash from an ATM varied depending on the country you were in. In Switzerland, 1,000 CHF was no problem. In Paris, €200 euros was max.

There is absolutely no open question that the European Union remains a very diverse Union. There are significant differences in the concerns of the people in the EU as a whole. I have explained that Southern Europe got the worse deal. They converted their debts to Euro and then the Euro rose from 80 cents to $1.60 doubling their national debts and the austerity policy forced economic recession upon their economies. In southern European countries, the YouGov polls showed that unemployment was seen as the major issue, but this was less so elsewhere in northern Europe where the number one issue was terrorism.

The terrorism was viewed as a major issue in Britain, France and Germany, where the terrorist acts have been primarily targeted. The number one concern was health and social security when you turned to Poland and it was a top concern also in northern European countries. Lithuania was the only place where inflation was the most important current issue. Sweden was the only country where crime came in the top three, but this was related to the immigration issue which is beginning to create a new Separatist movement there as well.

While the whole thing with global warming seems to be mostly confined to northern Europe rather than southern. Nevertheless, the refugee crisis, of immigration crisis as well as rising terrorism as a result, are clearly the two top issues across the EU as a whole. The YouGov poll is indeed showing the diversity among the cultures within the Eurozone. This idea that one central government can dictate policies to be imposed on the whole is a failed model that has brought about the communist revolutions. Even in the USA, there are 12 branches of the Federal Reserve BECAUSE after the Panic of 1907, it was realized that there was a great diversity economically throughout the United States. We have called it the Texas-New York Arbitrage for when commodities boom, New York suffers. That diversity was suppressed by Roosevelt to impose one central policy on the nation to fight World War II. It was never returned to normal and this once again is fueling regional discontent despite the single language. ONE-SIZE does not fit all and Europe copies the Roosevelt model rather than understand the history behind the economy. It was the diversity that made America work. The same is true in Europe. You cannot force cultural change to this ONE-SIZE fits all policy. It will fuel the separatists as it is doing in the United States to a lessor degree driven more by left v right politics

Jul 3 2018

Soros Sneaking Around to Meet with the President of Spain off the Official Agenda


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Jul 3, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

Sources in Spain have confirmed that the new president, Pedro Sánchez, met with George Soros secretly last Wednesday afternoon in Moncloa. They met around 7 PM for about 1.5 hours. What is strange is that Soros had two other unidentified people with him and the meeting was NOT on the public schedule. Soros has been pushing his Open Society and people do not criticize him because he has too much money. They just smile and say, “You are right.” Then they hold out their hands.

As they say, if you want honesty, fairness, and a straight up deal where you get what you pay for without pretense, go to a brothel. If you want to really get screwed, go to politics where there is plenty of corruption, lies, back stabbing, and backroom deals off the books

Jul 2 2018

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Launches Yet Another Financial Campaign Against U.S. Workers and Main Street…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 2, 2018 by

Today U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue announced another campaign to protect and defend his Wall Street contributors against initiatives that benefit Main Street U.S.A. This is not the first time, and unfortunately it will likely not be the last time.

For a great historic reference consider THIS ARTICLE from 2014; when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced their direct attack against the Tea Party backed candidates that threatened to remove the massive lobbying power of Tom Donohue’s corrupt officials. That 2014 reference point has two parts. I strongly urge anyone who would defend the U.S. CoC approach to read both.

The overwhelming majority of economic punditry and opinion come from salespeople on the purchased payroll, direct and indirect, of the chamber. It is one of the most, check that, it is the most corrupt and abusive enterprise in the history of our nation. They are pulling out a very familiar playbook.

(Reuters) – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday denounced President Donald Trump’s handling of a global trade dispute, issuing a report that argued the tariffs imposed by Washington and retaliation by its partners would boomerang badly on the American economy.

The Chamber, the nation’s largest business lobby group and a traditional ally of Trump’s Republican Party, argued the White House is risking a global trade war with the push to protect U.S. industry and workers with tariffs.

The group’s analysis of the potential hit each U.S. state may take from retaliation by U.S. trading partners painted a gloomy picture that could increase pressure on the White House from Republicans ahead of congressional elections in November.

[…] The Chamber is expected to spend millions of dollars ahead of the November elections to help candidates who back free trade, immigration and lower taxes. It has already backed candidates who share those goals in Republican primaries. (read more)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce consists of a massive multinational DC lobbying group that four consecutive administrations’ have allowed to write the actual language in U.S. trade deals and trade negotiations.  Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush, Obama, Obama all gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce the keys to the U.S. economy, and walked away.  The U.S. middle-class was nearly destroyed in the process.

CTH has stood alone, for years, against the insufferable horde of CoC political mouthpieces and their media conscripts.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is at the corrupt center of almost every scheme that fund the Deep Swamp to the detriment of our nation. They are the most vile and insidious UniParty group of lobbyists in Washington DC.

Until Donald Trump came along, they held virtually unlimited power over the U.S. economy.  The Chamber is a cancer; and any politician who associates with that abhorrent group should be excised from existence with extreme prejudice.

Jul 2 2018

President Trump Oval Office Remarks With Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 2, 2018 by

President Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House.

During remarks President Trump notes a phone call with Mexico’s winning presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador; and ongoing interviews/discussions with possible Supreme Court nominees.  [Four SCOTUS nominees were interviewed today and three or four more will come in the next few days.]

On the trade front President Trump notes the ongoing issues with the WTO (World Trading Organization), and a possible confrontation looming over structural changes needed to reset global trade disparities and establish open markets.