The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted today to approve Rep. John Ratcliffe to be the next US intelligence director. Senators approved Ratcliffe in an 8 to 7 vote along party lines during a closed-door meeting. The previous SSCI vote to approve Dan Coats in 2017 was 14 to 2. DNI Coats turned out to be a disappointment protecting the swamp.
Mr. Ratcliffe now moves to be confirmed by the full Senate before replacing acting Director of National Intelligence Richard “Ric” Grenell, who also is US ambassador to Germany. As acting DNI Grenell built a strong foundation for Ratcliffe to build upon; and there is a strong likelihood Grenell will stay close to the administration and lead President Trump’s Intelligence Advisory Board.
The ODNI position is important within the intelligence apparatus as the DNI is the hub for all intelligence agencies and the director controls the overall intelligence community. The DNI also coordinates the declassification and release of executive branch documents.
Politico reports Ratcliffe is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate in a vote likely to be held after Memorial Day, according to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo).
Chopper pressers are the best pressers. President Trump delivers remarks to the press pool as he departs the White House for Camp David. [Video and Transcript Below]
A curious group accompanies President Trump to Camp David this weekend along with chief of staff Mark Meadows. POTUS is bringing House Leader Kevin McCarthy, GOP Reps. Dan Crenshaw, Matt Gaetz, Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin.
The House group represents a team well versed in the Obamagate and Spygate issues. Along with the need to organize a political effort against Pelosi’s $3 trillion spending fiasco; perhaps the team is doing some big ugly political planning.
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: So we’ll be going to Camp David. We have a lot of meetings scheduled. I think they’ll be very successful meetings. We’re getting a lot of gear out. We’re getting a lot of gowns out — protective equipment. And the governors have all been very thankful. We received a lot of calls today from governors. They’re very thankful for the job we’re doing. And that’s good.
Do you have any questions? Please.
Q Yeah, what’s the topic of the discussion at Camp David this weekend?
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.
Q What’s the topic of the discussion at Camp David this weekend?
THE PRESIDENT: So we have a lot of discussions going on at Camp David, some military and some other than military. We’ll probably report back on it on Monday.
Q Why are you not wanting to talk to President Xi right now, of China?
THE PRESIDENT: I just don’t want to talk to him right now. We’ll — we’ll see what happens over the next little while. They’re buying a lot of our material. They’re spending a lot on the trade deal, but the trade deal — I don’t know, somehow I lost a little flavor for it. You can understand.
Go ahead.
Q Sir, how many ventilators are you sending to India?
THE PRESIDENT: We’re sending a lot of ventilators to India. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, and we’re sending quite a few ventilators to India. We have a tremendous supply of ventilators . So —
Q Mr. President? Mr. President, right here.
Q Sir, who do you think should go to jail, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Go ahead.
Q Mr. President, what do you make of the images of people with guns, weapons showing up at the Michigan capitol?
THE PRESIDENT: Say it?
Q What do you make of the images of people with weapons showing up at the Michigan capitol to protest? Are you okay with that?
THE PRESIDENT: I haven’t seen it.
Q You haven’t seen those pictures?
THE PRESIDENT: You’ll have to — you’ll have to tell me.
Yeah, go ahead.
Q Should a vaccine be free?
THE PRESIDENT: We’re looking at that, actually. But we’re making a lot of progress on vaccines. But we’ll be speaking to you very soon, and I think we’re going to have a very good couple of meetings at Camp David.
Earlier today President Trump Participated in the Presentation of the United States Space Force Flag, during a ceremony in the oval office. Additionally President Trump signed an Armed Forces Day Proclamation. [Video and Transcript Below]
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. This is a very special moment because this is the presentation of the Space Force flag. So we’ve worked very hard on this. And it’s so important from a defensive standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, from every standpoint there is.
As you know, China and Russia, perhaps others, started off a lot sooner than us. We should have started this a long time ago, but we’ve made up for it in spades. We have developed some of the most incredible weapons anyone has ever seen, and it’s moving along very rapidly. And we have tremendous people in charge.
And I — what I’d like to do is I’d like to just start by asking some of those folks to say a few words. And the importance strategically, militarily, and even from a pure civilian standpoint, and from bringing our economy back — everything — it’s going to help so much. All made right here in the USA. And it’s going to be very special, very important. Space Force.
First time in 72 years-plus that we’ve opened up a new branch of the United States military.
And, Mark, maybe I’ll start with you. You’ll saw a few words. Please.
SECRETARY ESPER: Yes, sir. Let me just say it’s a very historic moment. The United States has been a spacefaring nation for decades, but we know that our adversaries in the last several years have weaponized space. They’ve made it a warfighting domain. And so with the establishment of Space Force and the establishment of Space Command, the United States is now doing what it needs to do to protect our assets in space and ensure that space remains the heavens by which we not only protect America, but we sustain our economy, we sustain our commercial capabilities, we sustain Americans’ way of life.
So again, another very historic moment. I’m confident that both the Space Force and the Space Command will do what is necessary to defend us in space and to keep America great.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Great job you’re doing, too.
General Milley? Please.
GENERAL MILLEY: Sir. Thank you, Mr. President. And as the Secretary said, this is a historic day. Some time ago, we made a decision to establish the Space Force, and that’s because we’re undergoing a changing character of war, which is of historic importance for all nations.
And as part of that, the space part of our universe opened up as a domain of warfare. And it’s critical that if we are going to sustain our way of life, if we’re going to defend our nation, that we’re going to have to defend ourselves in space and therefore the need for Space Force.
And it’s a great day for the nation, it’s a great day, really, for the world that the United States of America establishes its first Space Force.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much.
Please.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Mr. President, thank you for your leadership.
THE PRESIDENT: Congratulations, by the way.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Number one.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s great.
GENERAL RAYMOND: I appreciate the honor.
Sixteen thousand space professionals assigned to the Space Force. We’re proud of this flag. They come to work every day focusing on providing space capabilities for our nation, for our joint coalition forces, and for the world. We’re proud of this flag. We’re proud to have an opportunity to present it to you here for display in the White House.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Thank you for your leadership —
THE PRESIDENT: Appreciate it.
GENERAL RAYMOND: — very much.
Secretary, please.
SECRETARY BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve really demonstrated leadership in establishing the Space Force. This is an important moment and an important month, actually.
Most of the Americans, before their first cup of coffee in the morning, have used space, but very few people realize how important space is —
THE PRESIDENT: That’s right.
SECRETARY BARRETT: — to everything that we do, and that it’s vulnerable, because we need to up our game in space. And you’ve recognized that and built a force that will help to protect our assets in space and deter aggressive action in space and, if deterrence doesn’t work, to be able to defend our assets in space and those of our allies.
So we thank you very much for the leadership you’ve demonstrated and we’re excited for this breakthrough moment.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate it. We’re building, right now, incredible military equipment at a level that nobody has ever seen before. We have no choice. We have to do it — with the adversaries we have out there.
We have a — I call it the “super-duper missile.” And I heard the other night, 17 times faster than what they have right now.
SECRETARY ESPER: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: And you take the fastest missile we have right now — you’ve heard Russia has five times, and China is working on five or six times. We have one 17 times. And it’s just gotten the go-ahead. Seventeen times faster, if you can believe that, General. That’s something, right? Seventeen times faster than what we have right now. Fastest in the world by a factor of almost three.
So I just want to congratulate everybody and thank everybody. Space is going to be — it’s going to be the future, both in terms of defense and offense and so many other things.
And already, from what I’m hearing and based on reports, we’re now the leader in space, and that took place. Don’t forget, we’re having a meeting today. This is really to unfurl the flag. But we’ve been doing this now for quite a while. I have to say that from my standpoint, having a force — a space force, in this case, but to be adding to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which I’ve known about and read about and heard about all my life — just like General Milley to be the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is something that’s a very special thing.
Well, to add another force into the Joint Chiefs and — and we’re getting a four star. In this case, we’re getting a four-star general on your board. So we’re doing something — right here. So we’re doing something that is such a monumental task.
So it’s been more than 72 years. The Air Force, I believe, was the last one. And so we have Air Force. And not since the Air Force has anything like this happened, and now we have Space Force added on with — with full honors, I must add. With full honors.
So today, we’re here for a very important — it’s really an important occasion because we’re unfurling the flag. And with us is Chief Master Sergeant Roger Towberman. And he is — I’d like you to say exactly, because his rank is a very special rank. Tell us about that rank.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: Yes, sir. I’m the senior enlisted advisor for the United States Space Force.
THE PRESIDENT: And the highest — highest sergeant by far, right?
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: Yes, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: There’s no —
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: And at the moment, the only one. So I give counsel to the Secretary and to the Chief —
THE PRESIDENT: That’s — that’s pretty good.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Mr. President, this rank is custom designed.
THE PRESIDENT: Wow. That’s beautiful. Wow. That’s it.
GENERAL RAYMOND: And he’s the only — the only Airman —
THE PRESIDENT: That’s beautiful.
GENERAL RAYMOND: — the only Airman that wears that rank and will be the only Airman that wears that rank. He’s the senior enlisted leader.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s fantastic. And I heard tremendous things about you, Roger.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: Thanks.
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a very important position. And you’re with all these generals. But you know what? He’s an important guy, right?
So why don’t we go ahead and do it? Let’s do it. Yes, please.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: Thank you.
Thank you.
(The flag is unfurled.) (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: That’s fantastic, Roger. I’ll walk over there. That is great. You stay right there.
That’s fantastic. Isn’t that great? Please, get in the picture. That’s beautiful.
SECRETARY ESPER: And, Mr. President, it will stand in your office alongside the other service flags.
THE PRESIDENT: Very, very great honor. It’s a great honor. That’s a beautiful flag, too. Roger, hold that up so they can see. That’s really beautiful. Wow.
It’s a big — that’s a big day.
Q Can somebody explain the logo?
SECRETARY ESPER: General Raymond?
THE PRESIDENT: Please. Go ahead.
GENERAL RAYMOND: So the delta in the middle is a symbol that the space community has used for years and years and years. The North Star signifies our core value — our guiding light, if you will. And the orbit around the globe signifies the space capabilities that fuel our American way of life and our American way of war.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s great. I’m going to do this for Roger. Here, Roger. Please don’t put this on eBay tonight. (Laughter.) Here, Roger. Come here a minute.
And we’re going to sign. Okay, Roger, that’s for you.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT TOWBERMAN: Thank you so much.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s for you.
SECRETARY BARRETT: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay. So let’s do it. This is great stuff.
(The proclamation is signed.)
Okay. Let’s see, I have — I think we have no choice, right? General, come on over here.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Absolutely.
THE PRESIDENT: Good luck.
GENERAL RAYMOND: Mr. President, thanks you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Good luck. Okay?
GENERAL RAYMOND: Thanks for your — thanks for the honor.
THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic. And these are going for everybody, please. Okay?
(Pens are distributed.)
SECRETARY BARRETT: Thank you very much.
THE PRESIDENT: Roger. Thank you very much. Mark, you’re all set? General, come on over here. General Kellogg has been fantastic. Done a great job. He’s working on a special project now, aren’t you?
LIEUTENANT GENERAL KELLOGG: I am, sir. And we’re going to get it done.
THE PRESIDENT: It’s a very special project. (Applause.)
Okay? Got it? Thank you all very much. Thank you.
I’ll be going to Camp David tonight with a lot of different people. We have some big things happening. So I’ll be at Camp David tonight with various people.
Q Who’s going?
THE PRESIDENT: Various people, including some of the folks on the Hill and some of our great leaders.
Q To talk about what exactly?
THE PRESIDENT: Different things. Different things.
Q Phase four?
THE PRESIDENT: Uh, no, not so much phase four. Phase four could happen, but it will happen the right way. We have all the cards because we have the cards for the American people. I know what they want. And I’ve always known what they want. That’s why I’m sitting here.
No, phase four is going to happen, but it’s going to happen in a much better way for the American people.
President Trump delivers remarks at a Presidential Recognition Ceremony: Hard Work, Heroism, and Hope. Anticipated start time 4:00pm ET.
UPDATE: Video and Transcript Added:
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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please. Those are friendly truckers. They’re on our side. It’s almost a celebration in a way. Please sit down. Please.
The First Lady and I are thrilled to welcome you this afternoon for our second event recognizing extraordinary Americans who have responded to the invisible enemy — we know what the invisible enemy is; we’ve learned a lot — with exceptional bravery and commitment and love. And we appreciate it very much. Great job, fantastic job.
In the midst of this pandemic, our nation has been united in grief and in prayer for the precious lives that have been lost. We’ve also come together in awe and admiration for the heroism and patriotism that we’re witnessing all across our country.
Here with us today is Amy Ford, a nurse of 17 years, from Williamson, West Virginia — a great state. Where is Amy? Hi, Amy.
Weeks ago, after telling her children she loved them, Amy got on a plane for the first time in her life and traveled to New York to help. For the past 42 days, she’s been working 12-hour shifts in the intensive care units of Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. I know it well; I know that building well. I passed it many, many times. And Amy has been serving the coronavirus patients around the clock. She once held the hand of an elderly patient all night long, just so the woman would not feel alone. Boy, that’s something. Thank you, Amy. That’s incredible.
I want to thank you for what you’ve done. What a great story. I’ve heard about this story. Please come up and say a few words. Please, Amy. That’s great.
MS. FORD: Hello. I want to thank you for having me here today. Being able to serve our country as a frontline worker during this pandemic has truly been an honor.
I — like you said, I’ve been an RN for 20 — or for 17 years. Under normal circumstances, as a nurse, I would have an idea of a treatment plan. And unfortunately, I was not afforded that comfort in the beginning of this pandemic. These were not normal circumstances. There were times of trial and error and a whole lot of prayer.
I had to adapt to a new way of nursing — one where treatment was still unknown; one where families had to trust my word, and I had to prove that my word was trustworthy; one where I could only provide comfort by holding my patient’s hand because I could no longer give comfort with numbers and statistics of success rates. Those were unavailable in the beginning. I provided families comfort through FaceTime calls — holding my phone up to a patient’s ear, hoping that, by hearing their loved one’s voice, it would in turn give them comfort as well.
This experience has been one of the most emotionally challenging things that I’ve ever been through, but it has made me a better person in the end.
There is a light at the tunnel. We are beginning to see progress, and we’re starting to see stories of success. This virus may have initially caught our great nation off guard, but we will overcome this and we will prevail.
Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Amy, did you ever catch the virus? Did you ever —
MS. FORD: No.
THE PRESIDENT: You never got it. So with all of that long hours and with very, very sick people, you never caught the virus.
MS. FORD: No, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: What do you attribute that to?
MS. FORD: PPE.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, really? Good. Good protection.
MS. FORD: We have had protection.
THE PRESIDENT: So you feel — so you’ve had great protection?
MS. FORD: I have.
THE PRESIDENT: So you feel that if you have the protection, you won’t catch it. You feel that?
MS. FORD: Yeah, I feel that’s what protected me.
THE PRESIDENT: That is fantastic.
MS. FORD: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Good. Wow.
MS. FORD: And I have not had short- — me, personally, I have not had any shortage of PPE.
THE PRESIDENT: And your coworkers, are they — do they —
MS. FORD: Not at the hospital that I’m at. No, we haven’t.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s incredible.
MS. FORD: They have provided excellent —
THE PRESIDENT: So you all have very good equipment —
MS. FORD: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: — as the expression goes, right?
MS. FORD: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: The gowns and the masks. Everything.
Thank you very much, Amy.
MS. FORD: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s great. Amazing. (Applause.) It’s a great story.
Also with us is Ben Ross, the cofounder of a small, custom tie business called Brackish Bow Ties in Charleston, South Carolina. A great place.
Ben has also — with his team — has shifted to producing protective masks for medical workers, and he’s done it completely free of charge. That’s fantastic. As Ben says, “We’ve pushed the gas pedal down, and we haven’t let up.”
So Brackish Bow Ties has donated more than 2,000 masks to 31 medical facilities in 10 states. And Ben’s also been able to keep all 48 of his employees on the payroll thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program. Great, Ben.
Could you come up and say a few words? I can tell it’s you by the tie. I assume that’s — yes, that’s the man I’m talking about. Thanks, Ben.
MR. ROSS: Thank you so much, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
MR. ROSS: It is truly an honor to be here.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Ben.
MR. ROSS: It is because of Jeff Plotner’s guiding hand, the passion of the entire Brackish team, and the leadership of this country that we are being recognized here today. I am humbled to be in this garden today with such an amazing group of individuals making such a difference during these unprecedented times. Congratulations to you all, and thanks so much for all y’all are doing.
I have no doubt that the United States of America will soar above this, and come out stronger and more grateful for family, friends, community, and this nation. Because we all know we’re all in this together, and only together will we be able to curb coronavirus.
Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Great job. Thank you very much.
MR. ROSS: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic. And I like that tie very much, by the way.
Today we also honor Sergeant Spencer Garrett, an officer with the New York PD — that’s New York’s finest, that’s for sure — right? — who contracted the coronavirus. After four weeks of fighting a painful battle against the virus, Spencer recovered and immediately returned to the frontlines. Grateful for all of the support of his family, friends, colleagues, and time — all of the people and the work he’s done, Sergeant Garrett wanted to provide that same kindness to others.
And I know so many of the people on — members of New York’s finest, and we love them. And say hello to them. Okay?
With the aid of his union, Spencer has made it his mission to support these fellow New Yorkers. So, if you would, I’d love to have you come on up and say a few words. Thank you.
SERGEANT GARRETT: Good afternoon. First, I’d like to start by thanking President Trump and the First Lady for their unwavering support of the NYPD.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
SERGEANT GARRETT: As one of your hometown cops, I thank you for your leadership during these uncertain times.
On March 29th, I tested positive for COVID-19. Breaking the news to my parents, Janet and James; my brothers, Lee and Sam; and to my eight-year-old daughter Leanna (ph) was downright scary. I saw the fear in their eyes. I looked at my daughter and I assured her Daddy wasn’t going anywhere.
After a vigorous one-month fight, I returned to duty in late April. After the experience with the virus, I felt compelled to help the residents of the housing development start patrolling in East Harlem, New York. We are all in this fight together.
Almost 6,000 uniformed and civilian members of the NYPD contracted COVID-19. Unfortunately, some of those members didn’t make it home to their loved ones. Handing out N95 masks and engaging in important dialogue by educating the residents that are only — do not have support and access to PPE hit close to home for me — excuse me.
I’m honored to be here. I’m honored to be an NYPD sergeant. And most of all, I’m honored to be an American. God bless police officers, first responders, and all of the frontline workers around the country. Thank you. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: So how was that? You went through that process, and it took quite a while. It took longer than you would have thought.
SERGEANT GARRETT: It took almost four weeks, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: And what was it? Just complications?
SERGEANT GARRETT: Complications. I’m an asthmatic, so it was a little more difficult for me.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I see. I see.
SERGEANT GARRETT: And I took a little extra care, but my daughter was there for me. She helped me out a lot. And she’s my hero.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s fantastic.
SERGEANT GARRETT: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: You’re my hero. Okay?
SERGEANT GARRETT: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Say hello to everybody.
SERGEANT GARRETT: I will.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) That’s great.
We’re also joined by three terrific Girl Scouts. We are also joined by three terrific Girl Scouts — Lauren, Sravya, and Laila of Girl Scout Troop 744 from Elkridge, Maryland — along with their troop leader, Megan Langley. Thank you very much. That’s great. That’s really great. These amazing 10-year-olds have donated 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to local firefighters, doctors, and nurses and have [DEL: spent :DEL] [sent] approximately 200 personalized cards to healthcare workers all over. And they’re going to do a lot more. Their ambition is to do a lot more.
And I think, Laila, you’re going to come up and you’re going to speak? Why don’t you all go up and stand, and maybe, Laila, you say a few words? That’d be great. Thank you very much. Please. (Applause.) That’s great. Thank you.
MS. KHAN: Hello. My name is Laila Khan, with Troop — Girl Scout Troop 744. I just wanted to say thank you, Mr. President. It is an honor to have been invited to the White House, and it has been a very exciting day.
We’d like to first thank you and your staffers for ensuring our safety today. We appreciate all the safety measures that were put into place.
In the middle of March, when everything began to shut down, we, like many Americans, felt compelled to support our healthcare and other essential workers and show our appreciation. We donated cases of cookies to our local firehouses and hospitals, and we made cards to mail to hospitals in our community.
Our troop has a number of parents that are healthcare workers, so one of the parents helped to take our personalized cards and place them on the lockers of doctors, nurses, and other essential workers throughout Children’s National Hospital.
While we are honored that the troop was invited to be here today, we know we are just part of the millions of other children out there that are doing amazing things to support their community, their friends, and their family.
It is a privilege to be here representing all of them. They’ve made cards, painted pictures, held virtual parties, and have demonstrated how we are all in this together. Our message is that everyone can do something, whether it is donating cookies, adjusting to distance learning, or help- — or just helping out our parents.
We have come together to support each other during this uncertain time. Thank you for the opportunity to serve our community, our essential workers, and our country. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thanks, Laila. What a great job. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
MS. KHAN: Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much, all three. Great job.
Also with us today is Clay Young, a real estate developer and landlord from Jonesboro, Arkansas. That’s a fantastic place. In March, one of Clay’s small-business tenants informed him that they were concerned that they would be unable to afford the rent. He immediately took the tenant’s rent check, ripped it up, and then waived April’s rent as well.
Clay had only one condition. He said to his tenant: “Take care of your family and pay your employees. Just take care of those employees, please. We’ll get through this together.” And that’s what’s happening. Clay then told 11 more small-business tenants that he’d waived their rent payments as well.
With the help of PPP loans, many reopened the doors this week — they just reopened. So, Clay, I want to thank you very much on behalf of all of us in this country. And if you’d come up and say a few words. That’s a great thing. Thank you, Clay.
MR. YOUNG: Thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
MR. YOUNG: Thank you so much for having my wife Pam and I here. And the First Lady, thank you. It’s truly an honor. I also want to say how proud I am to be part of a community and a great nation — that we’ve all gathered together to help one another through this trying time.
You know, the — the work that I’ve done in my hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas — the focus of that has been on making my community better. As I saw what the virus was doing and saw what the virus would be doing to the small business and to the employees of the small business, I realized that I needed to work with my tenants, and forgiving the rent was the — the only option.
And I remembered thinking, “You don’t kick people when they’re down.” And that over the last 20 years of being a small business myself and a developer and also a landlord, there’s been tough times. And in those tough times, I remember those people that came and they helped me and my family. And so, in that moment, I thought this is my chance to maybe just have some gratitude and some humility and pay that forward. And I’ll always remember those people.
So then, after that, we — I helped my tenants with the PPP loans. And I helped them — helped to participate in this amazing program that — what has really served as an invaluable bridge for us all and which brings us to where we are this week.
So as we work towards reopening the economy and maybe returning our lives to some sense of normalcy, I just want to say thank you so much, again, for having me here today.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to say to you also — and being a landlord is a pretty good business and I heard you’ve done really well. And it’s nice what you’ve done, Clay. We appreciate it very much.
MR. YOUNG: Thank you, sir. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: Say hello to the people of your state. Your state is wonderful.
MR. YOUNG: Yes, sir. Thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: I like it. You know that. Thank you, Clay. (Applause.)
So during this difficult time, our citizens are rising to the challenge, just as generations of Americans have done before us. America has never faced a trial like this. We’ve never had anything like this happen. But we’re going to endure, and we’re going to thrive, and we’re going to do better than ever before.
The men and women we honor today remind us that the bonds that unite us in times of hardship can also raise us to new heights as we reopen and recover and rebuild. In the months ahead, we will harness our love and all of the things that we hold so dear to our heart for our family, for our community, and for the country, and we’ll make America greater and stronger than ever before.
And we’re going to transition into greatness. We’re going to be seeing it, and you’re going to be seeing it very soon. There’s a pent-up demand, and there’s a pent-up love, and there’s so many things happening, and you’re going to see the fruits of all of the work that we’ve all been doing — working 24 hours a day, in some cases.
So, I’d like to thank everybody for being here, especially our great, great heroes. Because that’s what you are — heroines and heroes. That’s exactly what you are. And I’d now like to ask these wonderful and courageous Americans to come forward as I present them with a letter of recognition.
And I want to thank our First Lady. This was a very important event for First Lady Melania. Thank you very much. Great job you’re doing. Thank you. Thank you, honey. (Applause.)
Okay, please.
(The Presidential Letters of Recognition are presented.)
What is emerging is precisely what I reported. I know for a fact that there were very high up people who sold even everything that they had at the end of January including stocks and bonds and it was on the basis of a coming virus. I believe if investigated, this will be the biggest inside trading scandal in all of history.
Sen. Richard Burr Burr sold off a significant percentage of his stocks shortly before the market crashed on February 13th selling between $628,000 and $1.72 million of his holdings in 33 separate transactions.
Burr is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the health committee. He clearly had access to the government’s most highly classified information about threats to America’s security and public health concerns.
However, it turns out that Burr’s brother-in-law, Gerald Fauth, who has a post on the National Mediation Board, also sold between $97,000 and $280,000 worth of shares in six companies the same day.
What is quite interesting is that just before his sell-off, Burr had assured the public that the federal government was well-prepared to handle the virus. He wrote that on a Feb. 7 op-ed that he co-authored with another senator. He wrote: “the United States today is better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats, like the coronavirus.”
Nevertheless, according to a recording obtained by NPR, Burr had given a VIP group at an exclusive social club a much more dire preview of the economic impact of the the coronavirus. He told them that it could curtail business travel, cause schools to be closed and result in the military mobilizing to compensate for overwhelmed hospitals.
Burr’s stock sales have been under investigation by the FBI. Burr defended his actions, saying he relied solely on public information, including CNBC reports, to inform his trades and did not rely on information he obtained as a senator.
What is really interesting is the source of his information. Insider trading you get to retire in prison for 20-years where you can have your meals cooked for you and you do not have to deal with robo-calls, and you at last get to live tax free.
Every university, agency, and official including at the UN and the WHO, anyone connected with the Climate Change movement, including Green Peace, should now be compelled to reveal all the transactions in February.
There is ABSOLUTELY now way that Burr relied on information from CNBC the day after the high was made. They did not call for a total market crash. I believe based upon his actions, he was told in February what they were planning to do. Someone inside the NIH already new the plan. Let’s see where that info leads. It’s really not that hard – just follow the money!
Michael Flynn’s defense attorney appears for a brief interview with Sean Hannity to discuss the recently unsealed documents showing FBI strategic planning to target Lt. Gen Flynn prior to their interview on January 24, 2017. WATCH:
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A few notes of caution. Don’t fall into the outrage trap; the DOJ will certainly justify the FBI notes as a valid discussion on investigative strategy, nothing more.
Second, Bill Barr did not appoint Missouri Attorney Jensen in an effort to support General Flynn. AG Barr was ordered by the FISA court to review every case and all evidence that touched upon the fraudulent Carter Page FISA application. Be careful about projecting a motive onto Bill Barr around these revelations. Without that FISC ordered sequestration review order; the DOJ/FBI may not have moved on this.
Lastly, despite the known corruption within the existing FBI leadership {outlined here}, and we can now add the FBI hiding these documents for 3 years, AG Bill Barr continues to pour effusive praise upon the FBI. That reality doesn’t reconcile with a good intent.
When the FISA Court responded to the DOJ Inspector General report in December and January 2020 they requested an action plan from the DOJ and FBI to respond to the issues raised about misrepresentations to the court.
The DOJ/FBI replied to the FISA Court admitting the last two FISA renewals (April, June ’17) used against Carter Page were insufficiency predicated while withholding opinion on the original application (Oct ’16) and first renewal (Jan ’17).
To address the consequences of fraudulently obtained FISA warrants the DOJ and FBI informed the court they would begin a process to “sequester” all collected evidence from all four FISA warrants. [FISA COURT LINK]
Sequestering the evidence is essentially a search for what investigative material the FISA warrants were used to obtain; ie. the search for the fruit of the poisoned tree; and then a review of all DOJ/FBI cases that may have utilized that investigative material.
In late January the DOJ contacted the FISA court and asked for an extension to the deadline. The FISA court granted an extension until February 5th [LINK] The final response from the DOJ has not been declassified or released by the FISC for public review.
However, with media reporting of AG Barr using “outside prosecutors” to review current, former and ongoing cases, it simply makes sense this ‘outsider’ effort is part of the DOJ/FBI sequestration review.
If you consider that several DOJ offices may be involved with the material under review, including the Southern District of New York; The Eastern District of New York; The Eastern District of Virginia; The Washington DC District, and even Main Justice itself; it makes sense that outside DOJ personnel would be needed for this review.
Additionally, all of the various FBI field offices who may have used the FISA authorizations as the underpinning evidence to gain separate Title-1 and/or Title-3 warrants, wiretaps or National Security Letters, in their various investigative cases would also need to be reviewed. This is an aspect the media is not discussing while they write opinions about AG Bill Barr bringing in outside DOJ attorneys.
The media are framing the use of outside attorneys as Bill Barr working on behalf of President Trump to undermine current and former prosecutions. However, understanding the FISC order requiring the sequestration effort, the use of outsiders is absolutely necessary.
The same U.S. Attorneys, prosecutors and FBI agents who used evidence gathered from the FISA warrants cannot be the same attorneys, agents and prosecutors making decisions about what parts of the warrants were used to gather evidence and how each part of any case was assembled by the use therein. It is a simple matter of a conflict of interest.
Additionally, the Robert Mueller team of FBI investigators and special counsel prosecutors certainly used the fraudulently obtained FISA warrants as part of their investigative evidence collection. Common sense would tell us this had to be the case or the FBI and Mueller team would not have requested renewals of the FISA warrant.
If the FBI & Special Counsel were not using the FISA warrant(s) to capture information, they would not have needed them renewed. Despite media spin to the contrary, the simple truth of renewals holding investigative value is evident in the renewal itself (ie. common sense).
Under this rather extensive effort to find exactly which investigations -over the course of three years- were touched directly, or indirectly, by the four FISA warrants; and/or which investigative paths may have been influenced downstream or enhanced -by varying degrees of importance- by evidence stemming from the FISA warrants; a reasonable person could see how AG Bill Barr would need to put a team together to retrace the investigative steps and make the sequestration determinations.
Obviously, for reasons of biased intent, corporate left-wing media would like to ignore why outside prosecutors are needed under this framework. Ignored in part because honest reporting would require an admission the FISA warrants were fraudulently obtained; and in part because the left-wing media have never informed the public of the DOJ/FBI sequestration effort in the first place. Likely more than half the country has no idea the DOJ and FBI have been told to go find the material.
There have been numerous articles, thousands of words, and endless hours of pundit protestations about Bill Barr using outside DC lawyers to review all of the previous DOJ Attorney activities; yet not a single time have they ever acknowledged the originating order from the FISA court requiring the DOJ/FBI to conduct the review. Imagine that?
New York Times – Mr. Barr has also installed a handful of outside prosecutors to broadly review the handling of other politically sensitive national-security cases in the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, the people said. The team includes at least one prosecutor from the office of the United States attorney in St. Louis, Jeff Jensen, who is handling the Flynn matter, as well as prosecutors from the office of the deputy attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen. (more)
Likewise, considering AG Barr has been ordered by the court to review all the targets, cases and evidence, we should not be projecting an altruistic “clean up” effort… Arguably, one could say Barr is being forced to reopen, and revisit, all of this material. Certainly Bill Barr would not willingly expose the corrupt intents of his friends Robert Mueller and Rod Rosenstein…. So we should watch carefully.
It would certainly be ironic if the FISA court ends-up in 2020 as the least corrupt institution within a DC network fraught with institutional corruption.
When it comes to DC politics, we cannot be too cynical.
Many people forget that Senator Chuck Grassley has skin in this investigation. Grassley has always suspected Flynn was framed. Back in June of 2018, Senator Grassley was very suspicious of what Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was doing to facilitate the targeting of Michael Flynn when he said:
…”If the facts are inconsistent with the plea agreement, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish.”… (more)
Earlier today Grassley reacted to the previously hidden FBI documents showing that Michael Flynn was targeted for removal by the FBI “small group”. WATCH:
“If the facts are inconsistent with the plea agreement, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish.”
JUNE 2018 – The Department’s reply to my May 11, 2018 letter seeking information about the circumstances surrounding Lt. General Michael Flynn’s reported conversations with the Russian ambassador and FBI records related to those conversations is insufficient. The letter only recounts a series of publicly known facts about Lt. General Flynn’s plea agreement and relies on improper excuses in refusing to provide the requested information. The Committee requires this information to fulfill its Constitutional function and its charge under Senate Rules to conduct oversight of the Department of Justice.
First, as you know, some of that information was first requested on a bipartisan basis before your confirmation. The Committee has waited patiently for much more than a year for the criminal inquiry related to Lt. General Flynn to conclude. It has been more than five months since his guilty plea. Thus, there is no longer any legitimate reason to withhold facts from the Senate about the circumstances of his conversations with the Russian ambassador and his FBI interview.
Second, the Department’s letter erroneously suggests that complying with Congressional oversight would result in “the reality or the appearance of political interference” in a “pending criminal prosecution.” There is no pending prosecution. The guilty plea was more than five months ago.
The Department’s letter describes in detail what everyone already knows. Lt. General Flynn admitted to the Statement of Offense with the able assistance of counsel. All that remains is for Lt. General Flynn to be sentenced. Simply disclosing facts to the Committee could not possibly “interfere” with the case at this late date, assuming those facts are consistent with the representations that prosecutors arranged for Lt. General Flynn to swear to in federal court.
If the facts are inconsistent with the plea agreement, that would be an entirely different kettle of fish. (more pdf link)
The first of the sealed documents provided to the Flynn defense have been unsealed. The documents include emails between: FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, his FBI counsel Lisa Page, as well as FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI Agent Joe Pientka in the lead-up to the January 24, 2017 interview of Michael Flynn.
This specific release is the court filing of five pages that was initially turned-over to the Flynn defense team last Friday. [The pdf is here] [There are an additional 11 pages of documents from another production earlier today; those are not in this release]
The documents today also include handwritten notes taken by FBI counterintelligence chief William “Bill” Priestap; which show him both questioning and outlining the purpose of the interview: to remove National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
According to the Priestap notes it appears the position of the FBI on January 23, 2017, was that Michael Flynn had violated the Logan Act by having a conversation with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on December 29, 2016, prior to the inauguration.
This was a ridiculous position, there was no violation of the Logan Act; however, it was this position from which the questioning the next day, January 24 2017, would be based.
The next page of notes discusses the “Afterwards”:
The redactions are likely “the transcript“; where the FBI has the transcript of the call between Michael Flynn and Ambassador Kislyak. The redaction would be continued to protect the source of the material (“sources and methods”).
Interestingly, on the second day, the actual day of the interview, it appears Bill Priestap had second thoughts and was questioning the goal of the interview: “I thought about it last night and I believe we should rethink this”…
FBI Asst. Director for Counterintelligence Bill Priestap then asks the question: “what is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”
The premise of “wrongdoing” vis-a-vis a Logan Act violation was ridiculous. As the incoming National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn would be talking to many counterparts throughout the globe. Even Priestap started to realize what they were doing was “playing games.”
[…] Multiple officials confirmed to Just the News that the author of the notes is William Priestap, the now-retired FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence and the ultimate supervisor for fired agent Peter Strzok, who led the Russia probe.
[…] A special prosecutor is reviewing DOJ’s and the FBI’s handling of the Flynn prosecution, which led to the former Trump adviser and retired general pleading guilty to lying to the FBI under a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia case.
Flynn’s lawyer Sidney Powell filed a court motion last week saying new evidence has emerged showing Flynn was “framed” and his conviction should be dismissed. The officials said the notes are part of that new evidence and had been withheld from Flynn’s defense team for years even though they were potential evidence of innocence.
More evidence is being produced in the next few days that will further illuminate the FBI’s conduct in the case that is now at the center of the DOJ investigation, officials said. (more)
Keep in mind, the Mueller special counsel knew this all along…
Keep in mind, former DAG Rod Rosenstein knew this all along…
Also keep in mind, current FBI Director Chris Wray and current FBI Legal Counsel Dana Boente knew this all along….
These documents have been inside the DOJ and FBI for more than three years; while they prosecuted him and drove his family into bankruptcy.
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