Category Blogger C0nservative Tree House

Feb 10 2025

Sunday Talks: Dana Bash Questions DHS Secretary Kristi Noem About Gitmo, DOGE, FEMA and DHS Operations


Posted originally on the CTH on February 9, 2025 | Sundance

In this almost comically odd interview, CNN host Dana Bash tries her hardest to defend criminal aliens from holding facilities at Guantanamo Bay. Bash asks for the details of detainees, their names, their associations, their crimes, the housing standards and the transportation agreements of DHS that are now being executed.   One can easily imagine cartel leaders sitting on the other side of the interview taking notes and making plans thanks to Ms. Bash’s lines of inquiry.

Later in the interview with Secretary Noem, Dana Bash clutches her pearls at the possibility that DOGE would have access to “privacy data” held inside government databases.  It’s almost as if Ms Bash forgets that ¹DNC Lawyers at Perkins Coie have FBI workstations in their offices where DNC lawyers can access the NSA database and personal data of every American.  Odd that she would forget that reference point.  Seriously, WATCH:

¹Mainstream conservative defenders of the DOJ and FBI institutions, as a result of their prior tenure inside those same agencies, have long denied the Dept of Justice and FBI are corrupt political entities.  The revelation of the FBI and Perkins Coie working collaboratively to exploit this data portal is something that people like Margot Cleveland, Andrew McCarthy, Johnathan Turley and many others need to deny in order to retain the premise of institutional credibility.

However, the FBI and DNC law firm working collaboratively on issues of joint importance goes far beyond the ‘image of impropriety or conflicted interest‘ and extends to the actual corruption within the foundational institutions of government.  Transparently, if these reports are accurate all of the inexplicable dynamics within the “two tiers of justice” suddenly reconcile.  The FBI and Perkins Coie having the ability to conduct electronic surveillance of any target is a thermonuclear level of sunlight, that reconciles years of visible issues. [LEARN MORE]

Feb 10 2025

President Trump Has Begun Discussions with President Putin


Posted originally on the CTH on February 9, 2025 | Sundance 

In an interview with President Trump, the New York Post reveals President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun discussions. You can read the article here. However, as would be expected, it is short on details.

This is a critical dynamic because the larger question that will not be pondered by Western media, but will weigh heavily in the background of President Trump’s perspective is, “is it too late?”

Staying in close contact with friends in Russia, it is apparent to me from the reality on the ground as well as the datapoints from all political angles, that President Putin is no longer in a position to feel any impact from non-military geopolitical pressure.  Quite simply the consideration in the mind of Russian President Putin is something entirely different than it was a few years, or even a few months ago.

The Western economic sanctions against Russia have failed.  There is no outward pressure or internal concern about Western financial and economic sanctions any longer.  The Russian economy (govt) and the Russian people (civic society) in aggregate have now organized their economy and their consumer reality without further need for Western connection.

At this point, Putin almost certainly doesn’t care if the sanctions remain.  Those pressure points are now moot to Russian interest, and in many ways the outcome has been beneficial from an economic nationalist perspective.  While the most severe Western sanctions ever delivered in history, did – at first, create a problem for Russia; those problems are now resolved.

Factually, it may sound silly but McDonalds in Russia is better without McDonald’s Inc controlling it.  Starbucks in Russia is now better delivering better products, under Russian management under a new name.  The products and systems of commerce the Russian people initially missed, have all been replaced and new connections to finance have been established with commercial allies outside the zone of western influence.

One of the reasons why the Russian people are comfortable with the new dynamic inside their country relates to a cultural difference between those who live in Russia and those who live in the “west.”  Russians seem deliberate and harsh, in part because there is no acceptance of a sub-optimal outcome in their broad view of commerce.

“Comrade, do it right, give me what I expect, or don’t do it… there is no middle ground.”

It is a strange dichotomy that few appreciate or understand.  While Russians accept a ridiculous ‘caste’ system in their society; as delivered by govt, where those connected to power benefit; the Russian people simultaneously do not accept poor quality or sub-optimal products and services in their economic life.

The absence of western commercial economic activity has been replaced with Russian commercial activity, products, services and systems that are better than they were before.  The market processes within Russia are now fully detached from western influence and tailored to the nuances of the Russian people.

Many would argue the only benefit to sanctions ending would be the ability of the average Russian to travel into Europe without hurdle. That’s essentially the only thing the average Russian would notice if the sanctions were removed.  As a consequence, that arrow in the quiver of carrots is dull, moot and of no great consequence.

The only aspect to the Ukraine dynamic that weighs on President Vladimir Putin, is whether the West will put more military might into the war in Eastern Ukraine.

Putin is not going to withdraw.

Putin is not going to cede an inch of territory he has gained.

Putin is in a strong position and they only facet that remains is literally the blood-cost of this protracted conflict.

As a consequence, President Trump can offer President Putin very little.  That makes things complicated.  As noted in the article, “he believes Putin “does care” about the killing on the battlefield.”

[…] Trump said he has a concrete plan to end the war. “I hope it’s fast. Every day people are dying. This war is so bad in Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing.”

Addressing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who joined him in his study aboard Air Force One Friday night, the president said: “Let’s get these meetings going. They want to meet. Every day people are dying. Young handsome soldiers are being killed. Young men, like my sons. On both sides. All over the battlefield.” (more)

Given the nature of everything as it exists, not as we would wish it to be, President Trump will likely have to present a very stern and even horrible forward-face to Vladimir Putin that might even shock the American people.

MAGA has no desire for the USA to engage in expanded military conflict with Russia.  The overwhelming majority of the American people, in combination with an ever-increasing number of Europeans, do not want to see any escalation of the military hostilities with Russia.  Vladimir Putin is well aware of this. Well aware.

President Putin knows there is no willingness within the citizens of the West for U.S/NATO blood to join the conflict.  However, he is also well aware that no economic incentive really holds value any longer.  Quite simply, Putin has very little to gain from the removal of sanctions; this puts the peace dynamic into a context of human suffering.   That reality shows in the tone of comments and word choices from President Trump.

President Putin will evaluate Trump’s lack of wanting to escalate conflict against the core expressed desire by Trump to end the human suffering.  This is yet again a dichotomy likely to soon unfold.

President Putin will know, with great deliberation, that President Trump does not want to push the USA/NATO military into direct combat against Russian troops.  Yet, he will also know that if President Trump does decide to fully engage and enter the war, Trump will do it with the intense ferocity he is known for; nothing would be off the table, and he could lay waste to Eastern Ukraine.

It is entirely possible for President Trump to publicly present a forward-face to Vladimir Putin that could shock the American people.

P

Feb 9 2025

Treasury Secretary Bessent and Elon Musk Announce Preliminary Spending Standards for UST


Posted originally on the CTH on February 8, 2025 | Sundance

Before getting to the announcement, let me first answer a repeated question. “Why is it so easy for DOGE to identify wasteful spending?” ..in simple form.

When the trillion-dollar American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was passed, those “shovel ready jobs” in fiscal year 2009, that was the last year of a full federal budget.  Every budget year thereafter has been a process of continuing resolutions and omnibus spending.  Within the CR process they use “baseline budgeting,” which essentially accepts all prior spending as the starting point for the next spending allotment within the Continuing Resolution process.

That means, the $1 trillion ARRA was not only spent in 2009 (Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on behalf of Barack Obama), but it was also spent again in ever year thereafter.  Without a formally followed federal budget process, every year there is an extra trillion dollars (that’s a thousand billion) injected into federal spending.  That accounts for $16 trillion of the current deficit.  Make sense now?

Elon Musk and DOGE announce the following:

To be clear, what the DOGE team and U.S Treasury have jointly agreed makes sense is the following:

– Require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits. This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible.

– All payments must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank. Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale but simply requiring that SOME attempts be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING!

– The DO-NOT-PAY list of entities known to be fraudulent or people who are dead or are probable fronts for terrorist organizations or do not match Congressional appropriations must actually be implemented and not ignored. Also, it can currently take up to a year to get on this list, which is far too long. This list should be updated at least weekly, if not daily.

The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from DOGE. It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already!

Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious.

When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!!

This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately. {link}

Within the budget process there are two different facets. Congress is charged by the Constitution with making decisions about how to spend public money. Those spending decisions are split into two parts: authorization and appropriations.  In the recent political era, the “authorization” process has essentially been nulled; no one ever asks if the program (Ukraine, Israel, FBI, etc.) should be funded. 

“Authorization” is done by Congress via legislation that “can establish, continue, or modify an agency, program, or activity for a fixed or indefinite period of time,” per the Congressional Research Service. In other words, authorization is Congress saying that money can be spent on a given item — not that it necessarily will be spent on that item.

“Appropriations” are done by Congress via legislation that authorizes agencies to make payments from the federal Treasury (i.e. it allows them to spend the money that had previously been authorized). Appropriations bills are ordinarily passed each year, but in recent years it has been common for Congress to fund the government “on autopilot” via continuing resolutions that simply allow agencies to continue spending the same amount of money they were spending under the previous funding bill.

The external recipients of the appropriation spending, the lobbyists, are the ones driving the continuation of the CR approach. The lobbyists pay congress via campaign donations. Those donations come from congressional appropriation. The CR process maintains the largesse.

Feb 9 2025

Leftist Lawfare – Manhattan Judge Issues Emergency Order Removing Secretary of Treasury, All Political Appointees and DOGE Personnel from Federal Govt., Only Bureaucrats Allowed in DC


Posted originally on the CTH on February 8, 2025 | Sundance 

In a stunning and sweeping emergency injunction that has even stunned the people who demanded it, a Manhattan-based District Judge has just removed Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent from his authority over the Treasury Department; blocked any political appointee from accessing records within the Treasury Department; blocked any “special appointee” of President Trump from records within Treasury; and demanded that all information previously extracted be destroyed.

The emergency injunction was signed by District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan, {Ruling pdf Here} determined without any input from the Trump administration and applies until Friday, February 14, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas will hear the full arguments of the lawsuit.

The emergency ruling comes as a result of 15 (Soros installed) attorneys general from New Jersey, New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont, all filed suit in New York seeking to block Elon Musk and DOGE from access to information that would reveal how activist groups in their states have been funded by the U.S. government. [Link to Press Release Here]

WASHINGTON – […] The lawsuit said Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, and that Republican President Donald Trump could use the information to further his political agenda.

DOGE’s access to the system also “poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril,” the state attorneys general said. They sought a temporary restraining order blocking DOGE’s access.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said the states’ claims were “particularly strong” and warranted him acting on their request for emergency relief pending a further hearing before another judge on February 14.

“That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking,” Engelmayer wrote.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office is leading the case, welcomed the ruling, saying nobody was above the law and that Americans across the country had been horrified by the DOGE team’s unfettered access to their data.

“We knew the Trump administration’s choice to give this access to unauthorized individuals was illegal, and this morning, a federal court agreed,” James said in a statement.

“Now, Americans can trust that Musk – the world’s richest man – and his friends will not have free rein over their personal information while our lawsuit proceeds.”

Engelmayer’s order bars access from being granted to Treasury Department payment and data systems by political appointees, special government employees and government employees detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department.

The judge also directed that anyone prohibited under his order from accessing those systems to immediately destroy anything they copied or downloaded. (read more)

The order by the judge is transparent judicial activism; it will almost certainly be overturned and nullified by later rulings.  However, it creates blocks and slows down the goal of the Dept of Government Efficiency and the objective of the Trump administration.

On what basis do states think they can sue the federal government to stop the federal government from auditing federal spending?  How can a judge block the executive branch from executing the functions of the executive branch?  This Lawfare activism is ridiculous.

Within the ruling:

…”restrained from granting access to any Treasury Department payment record, payment systems, or any other data systems maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information and/or confidential financial information of payees, other than to civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties within the Bureau of Fiscal Services who have passed all background checks and security clearances and taken all information security training called for in federal statutes and Treasury Department regulations.” {source}

So, the unelected bureaucracy is in charge and not the Secretary of the Treasury?

Feb 9 2025

Tucker Carlson Interviews Mike Benz About USAID, NED and CIA Revelations


Posted originally on the CTH on February 8, 2025 | Sundance 

Tucker Carlson sits down with Mike Benz, one of the prominent voices who was speaking out about the corruption within the USAID, NED and CIA operation.  WATCH:

Chapters:
0:00 The USAID Rabbit Hole Runs Deep
5:29 Trump Is Performing Open Heart Surgery on the Country
9:50 Is USAID Truly a Humanitarian Operation?
19:41 What Is the Point of Funding Transgender Surgeries in Foreign Countries?
27:13 How USAID Secretly Organizes Riots Around the World


46:23 Is The Blob a Necessary Evil?
52:24 Joe Biden and USAID’s Role in Social Media Censorship
1:07:20 USAID and Russiagate
1:17:08 How DC’s Economy Is Dependent on Foreign Aid Spending
1:22:40 Why USAID Created a Cuban Twitter
1:29:01 USAID’s Control of the Global Narcotic Empire
1:34:15 How Will the Fall of USAID Impact Our Position as Leader of the Free World?
1:38:28 How USAID Benefits Major Corporations
1:45:17 USAID and the Black Lives Matter Riots
1:55:42 The Stupidity of Our Foreign Policy Establishment
2:01:29 The Soros Prosecutors
2:04:17 How Do We Fix This?

Feb 9 2025

A Brief Note About the USAID Larger Issues – Humanitarian Aid and National Security


Posted originally on the CTH on February 8, 2025 | Sundance 

CTH readers are several years ahead of the current news cycle, and I doubt any of the recent revelations about USAID spending and objectives are surprising to most readers here.  What we are now seeing are the receipts proving a conversation we have outlined exhaustively on these pages.

There are many ‘revelations’ certain to surface, including how the USAID priorities included the control of information on the internet through their partnerships in the private sector.  The larger objective was always information control and manipulating political outcomes both domestically and abroad. That is the impetus for the USAID spending.

The ‘humanitarian’ angle was always a cover, a ruse, tradecraft to hide how taxpayer money was gained and being distributed. That’s why none of their humanitarian endeavors ever solved anything.

Food, clean water, medicine and global aid was the visible claim by the USAID administrators; however, as you see from the surfacing receipts, that was always just a cover for their activity in political influence operations.

Do not think the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations was blind to this USAID operation, they were not.  The Senate held oversight, and they knew exactly what was going on, who was doing the orchestration of the agenda, and what the priorities of the USAID operation was all about.

Senator Marco Rubio sat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio advanced with a confirmation vote of 99-0.  Secretary Rubio now controls USAID.

To understand the issues as they are now surfacing it is very important to retain clear context.

USAID was a sub-silo, a child of the parent organization, the CIA.  The CIA controlled the Big Picture, and USAID was the institution to carry out the objective.

When you see a controversial issue within the USAID operation reaching sunlight, always remember it is the CIA behind it.  When USAID targeted a foreign government for removal, it was the CIA behind it.  When USAID engaged with domestic and foreign media to control mis-dis-malinformation, it is the CIA behind it.  The CIA is defining the information.

When USAID pressured various global news agencies and organized advertiser boycotts against information sources averse to the interests of USAID, it is the CIA behind it.  When USAID funds the Clinton Foundation, or McCain Institute, or any of the cause celebre’ NGOs you now see in the headlines, it is factually the CIA behind them.  When USAID funds media for influence control, it is the CIA behind it.

This is also the context for the envelopes at the George H.W. Bush funeral.  An argument can be made that GHW Bush as CIA Director was the originator and architect of the CIA/USAID business model we are now discussing.  Bush knew the politicians would have to benefit from the business, in order to advance the operation.

When Chuck Schumer says, “the Intelligence Community has “six ways from Sunday to get you,” he is referencing this matrix of Intelligence Community control, that also includes the use of USAID to fund the systems that target the opposition as defined by the CIA.

Yes, in many ways real and yet to be revealed, all roads lead to Langley.

When you see media outlets, or NGOs on the left and right side of the information system being given funds (directly or indirectly) though the USAID funding silo, keep in mind this it is essentially the CIA behind it.

The Central Intelligence Agency is the only silo within Washington DC, specifically empowered to operate in complete darkness.  There is zero CIA oversight, and the mission mandate as authorized by congress permits the CIA to remain entirely closed from any oversight or scrutiny.  The CIA is also authorized to lie about anything as part of their “national security” mission.

It is through that larger IC prism that all information about USAID operations should be evaluated.

This is also the context to remember and perhaps reevaluate the attack on the ‘secret’ U.S. embassy consulate in Benghazi Libya (9/11/12).  This is the context that explains why it took the FBI 19 days to arrive in Benghazi and why the U.S. government allowed the CIA operatives in the Annex a few miles away to remain under attack without aid.  If an event threatens to reveal the IC, CIA, State Dept activity, they throw a bag over it – sacrificing anyone in/around the event.

Many years ago, when we began our discussion on this matrix of domestic manipulations and political outcomes, we presented an image.

This was not an accidental meme.

Evaluate it closely.

Feb 8 2025

President Trump Cancels Joe Biden Security Clearances


Posted originally on the CTH on February 7, 2025 | Sundance 

I don’t know about you, but I’m running low on winnamins.  Almost too much winning.  Almost.

Citing prior evidence of “memory” issues, it looks like President Trump just eliminated a national security threat.

[Source]

In related news, Joe Biden just found out he had a security clearance.

Feb 8 2025

Culture Wars – President Trump Removes Head of Kennedy Center, Appoints Himself and Vows “a Golden Age in Arts and Culture”


Posted originally on the CTH on February 7, 2025 | Sundance 

Switching attack vectors, President Trump moves to the culture war.  In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump announces a shakeup of the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and appoints himself “Amazing Chairman.” lol

This is too good.

[Source]

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Feb 8 2025

U.S Debt Clock Now Tracking DOGE Savings


Posted originally on the CTH on February 7, 2025 | Sundance

This is cool.  The U.S. Debt Clock tracking system is now also monitoring the savings generated through the Dept of Govt Efficiency (DOGE).

$68 Billion and growing.

[LINK HERE]

Feb 8 2025

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Leaves Press Pool Stunned as He Describes President Donald Trump


Posted originally on the CTH on February 7, 2025 | Sundance

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was asked for his first impression of President Donald Trump at the conclusion of their first meeting.  You could hear a pin drop as the White House press pool listens to the respect delivered.  WATCH:

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Regarding the politics of the Japanese military aspect to the reply.  It is the legacy of assassinated Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was a close and dear friend of President Trump, that set Japan on the path to rebuilding their military and independent national security.  PM Abe was crossing the country to talk about the need for a newly built military that would provide American defense forces the ability to draw down.  PM Ishiba is continuing that legacy initiative.

RIP Shinzo Abe. He is greatly missed.