Senator Ted Cruz Walks Through Likely Senate Trial Process – Holds Same Concerns as Rand Paul…


Senator Ted Cruz appears for a discussion on the Senate impeachment trial.  Cruz walks through the most likely scenario of 24 hours prosecution case (two or three days), then 24 hours of defense case (two or three days); then the individual Senators submitting questions to the Chief Justice, John Roberts, to ask both sides.   This phase of the process should take two to three weeks total.  Then the issue of “witnesses” will be debated.

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While the first week is unfolding in the Senate, President Trump will be attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and negotiating more economic benefits for the U.S.  Quite a remarkable contrast.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Words of wisdom. Thank you Ted! https://twitter.com/sentedcruz/status/1217855192399601665 

Senator Ted Cruz

@SenTedCruz

TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: This is the beginning of the end of the abuse of the Constitution. The Senate will provide a fair trial for @realDonaldTrump. #impeachment #ArticlesOfImpeachment #ImpeachmentTrial #senate #SenateImpeachmentTrial

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Adopted yesterday by unanimous consent:

  • A Summons to the White House notifying them of the impeachment trial will be issued by the Senate and delivered by Saturday January 18th, 2020, 6:00pm,
  • The House of Representatives (impeachment managers) have a deadline of 5:00pm Saturday, January 18th, 2020, for the filing of their impeachment brief to the Senate.
  • The White House (defense lawyers) have a response deadline of 5:00pm Monday, January 20th, for their response to the House impeachment brief.
  • The House of Representatives (impeachment managers) have a deadline of Noon Tuesday, January 21st, for their rebuttal brief to the White House defense brief.
  • The Senate Trial begins at 1:00pm Eastern, Tuesday January 21st, 2020.

Senators will not be allowed to bring their cell phones or any electronic device into the Senate chamber while the trial is underway.

Alan Dershowitz Discusses His Role During President Trump Impeachment Trial…


I’m skipping any further discussion of Pam Bondi because, quite frankly, while she may be considered a member of President Trump’s team, if we are honest about her background –particularly in the Zimmerman case fraud– there’s nothing good to say.

Bondi was the Florida AG and convinced Gov. Scott to appoint a special prosecutor.  Bondi picked her campaign manager, Jacksonville state attorney, Angela Corey; who constructed a fraudulent witness against the accused. AG Pam Bondi specifically knew Witness #8 was manufactured. In ’12/’13 Pam Bondi attempted to frame a transparently innocent man.

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz appears on Fox News for a discussion of his role in the upcoming senate impeachment trial of President Trump. Mr. Dershowitz states he will be presenting the constitutional argument against the entire premise for the insufferable impeachment. WATCH:

Defense Lawyers

President Trump Celebrates National Champion LSU Tigers at White House – Video and Transcript…


Earlier today President Trump honored NCAA Football Champion LSU Tigers with a celebration at the White House.  [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript] – THE PRESIDENT: Well, this is an exciting day in the White House. We have very exciting days — more than most Presidents, I would say, times 10. (Laughter.) We like to keep it that way. The coach likes to keep it that way. But we really do. We just had a — I was just telling the coach; I said, “I know I just made some additional money. We just had another all-time high for our stock market. Just hit.” So that will be 149 times in less than three years. That’s not bad. Coach, that’s good, right? (Applause.)

COACH ORGERON: It is.

THE PRESIDENT: Steve, that’s good. We’ll take that, Coach. Right?

COACH ORGERON: Yes, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: But today, it’s about the coach and the team and that unbelievable quarterback, unbelievable players.

It’s really my great privilege to welcome to the White House the College Football National Champions: the Louisiana State University Tigers. (Applause.)

And, Coach, we have a lot of politicians out there. So many I won’t really mention all of them. Well, there’s one I have to. Hello, Bill — your senator. But we have a lot of great politicians out here and some football players. The politicians — I have — I really respect the football players a lot more — (laughter) — to be honest.

We’re joined by many loyal fans of the purple and gold, including Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, who just did our great deal. Where’s Robert? Just did our great two deals. We just made the two largest trade deals in history: one with China and the other one with Mexico, Canada. (Applause.) And with China, we’ll be taking in $250 billion a year. And with Mexico, Canada, we’ll be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars a year, Bill. So that’s pretty good, right? And it makes our country stronger and better.

And you did a fantastic job. You could almost stand up here. Mentally, you could; physically, I don’t think you have what it takes, if I must be honest. (Laughter.)

And again, Senator Bill Cassidy. Bill, you’ve been a tremendous supporter of the team and your state. And we appreciate your being here very much. Thank you very much.

Steve Scalise, a special man. Got a lot of courage. You know, I went to the hospital. (Applause.) Coach, I went to the hospital. He had a problem — you know that problem. And I went to the hospital and the doctor was saying, “It doesn’t look good, sir. It doesn’t look good.” And he looks better now than before the accident. (Laughter.) It’s a hell of a way to happen, but Steve Scalise got a lot of guts, I’ll tell you that.

COACH ORGERON: Fights like a Tiger!

THE PRESIDENT: He’s a tiger. He fights — he “fights like a Tiger” is right. (Applause.)

And Mike Johnson. Mike, you’re around here someplace. Mike? Good, Mike. Thank you very much for being here. And Garret Graves. Thank you very much, Garret. Thank you for being here.

Also here with us are Louisiana’s Attorney General — terrific guy — Jeff Landry, and Secretary of State Ardoin. You know that, huh? (Laughter.) Where is — where’s — where are you? Yes. Thank you very much. Thank you, folks.

To all of the incredible coaches and players and — this team, your head coach. I watched him on television. I said, “Man, that guy is all — he’s all man. He’s a big, strong-looking guy.” (Laughter.) I didn’t know if he had laryngitis or was that his real voice? (Laughter.) It’s true. I think it was a combination of both. It was tough to start with, and then he had a little laryngitis. But, man, whatever the hell it was, Ed Orgeron — and, Ed, it worked. It really worked. You did a job that few people will ever be able to do again. The team is said to be one of the greatest teams — maybe the greatest team in the history of college football. Right? (Applause.) And that’s pretty amazing.

As well as interim President of LSU, Thomas Galligan. Where’s Thomas? Thomas?

MR. GALLIGAN: Right behind you.

THE PRESIDENT: Behind me? You’ve done a good job. Interim. I think we got to make him permanent. Forget about it. (Laughter.) That’s a hell of a job you’ve done, Tom.

MR. GALLIGAN: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Pretty good job.

Your football program has inspired countless fans across the country, and it’s not just for what you have done on the football field — which is true.

In the face of a heartbreaking tragedy, you rallied together behind Offensive Coordinator Steve Ensminger. Where is Steve? Steve? Come up, Steve. (Applause.)

MR. ENSMINGER: (Inaudible.) (Off-mic.)

THE PRESIDENT: This guy. This guy. Come up here. Come up. Okay.

I mean what — your whole story — the whole — tragedy, and yet, so incredible the way you handled it. And the coach said you never wavered. The coach was just talking to me about it. You never wavered. So I want to thank you very much for being here. Thank you for everything you’ve done. Very inspirational, Steve. (Applause.)

This team showed the world what it means to look out for one another. And Steve is a real case study in that. But I want to thank you.

Three years ago, when LSU needed a head coach, they considered choosing someone younger. You’re a pretty young guy, right? Younger? That’s discrimination. You could sue them for that. (Laughter.) See, nowadays, you sue if you hear that. They want younger? Let’s sue them. (Laughter.) They made the right choice — that, I can tell you. And some might say a little bit less gruff. Does that make sense? And yet, to me, if I was casting a movie — I told him today, that’s my football coach. (Laughter.) There’s nobody in Hollywood that can play the role better than this guy. Right, Coach?

Instead, they put their faith in a hometown boy from Lafourche Parish. (Laughter.) Ed Orgeron did not let Louisiana down in any way. And today — Coach “O”, as they call him — you may well be the most beloved coach anywhere in the land. And we have some great coaches. (Applause.) We have some great coaches. And you played against a great coach, who was here last year. He’s a great coach. But we have great coaches. But the job you’ve done is incredible.

On the road to the title, this team overcame a brutal schedule. And I had no idea how brutal until I looked at these numbers: You defeated seven teams in the top 10, four in the top 5, and beat the national champions of the past four years. So what did you do? You get the schedule and you look at it. What did you do when you first saw the schedule, Coach? You weren’t happy.

COACH ORGERON: “Hopefully we have a great quarterback.” (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Now, think of that for a schedule. You know, you get your schedule and you say, “Wait a minute. Every team is like a great team we have to play.” You didn’t have too many easy weeks.

But your explosive offense pushed every opponent from the breaking point and to the breaking point. And for the first time since the legendary Coach Paul Dietzel — a name we all know — and the Fighting Tigers of 1958, LSU had a perfect, undefeated season. So rare. (Applause.) It’s really rare. And it’s amazing how seldom you see that, Coach, right? It’s really — it’s a hard thing to do.

But your opponents did not make it easy for you. In late October, number nine Auburn — really great football school, great school — headed to Death Valley, as they say, hoping to put a stop to the LSU juggernaut.

It was all tied up at the start of the second half when Auburn took the lead for the third time that game. An LSU touchdown in the third quarter put you on top. And from that point until the championship, you never trailed again for a single second in a single game. Although, I must tell you, in the championship you did. I was getting a little bit concerned. (Laughter.) You were a little behind there. I said, “Hey, what’s going on over here?” Must be a pretty unusual feeling, right? He didn’t — he didn’t know that feeling.

The next game, I was in the stands in Tuscaloosa where you beat your archrival Alabama in another great game — (applause) — and that was for the first time in eight years. Alabama also, great coach, great team. LSU was unstoppable, and soon you faced Oklahoma in the opening round of the playoffs. And Oklahoma had a great season.

You shut the Sooners down from the very first drive. LSU held Oklahoma to their lowest total yards in a single game since 2015 — I’m sure they weren’t happy — as wide receiver Justin Jefferson had 14 receptions for 227 receiving yards and four touchdowns. (Applause.) A college football playoff record.

Where is Justin? (Applause.) He’s going to be so rich. (Laughter.) Oh — we’re looking at money. (Laughter.) And this guy, Chase, wherever the hell he is, he was catching — (laughter) — where the hell is Chase? He was catching balls all over the place. You guys are going to make so much money. (Laughter.)

And I don’t think your quarterback is going to do too badly, Coach. I don’t know. (Laughter.) Right? I don’t think going to do too badly. You beat Oklahoma 63 to 28. That doesn’t happen to Oklahoma.

Then it was on to New Orleans. You needed one final big win against a truly great team. And one last time, LSU learned that its star quarterback, Joe Burrow, was something very special.

After breaking a bone in his hand playing at Ohio State, Joe sat on the bench and wasn’t happy about it. I heard he was not thrilled. (Laughter.) That was not your happiest moment.

MR. BURROW: Not my best one.

THE PRESIDENT: He didn’t like it. I heard stories. He was going a little crazy. Then the coach took charge and took a chance and brought him to LSU.

Joe soon became the best quarterback in all of college football — and not close — because he set an NCAA record with 60 touchdowns — I’ve never even heard of that, 60 — in a single season, averaging a touchdown every quarter, and won the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin in the history of the Heisman Trophy. (Applause.) That’s incredible.

And as he received the trophy, Joe fought back tears. I don’t know, I don’t think he’s ever cried in his life. I don’t believe it. Did you actually fight back tears?

MR. BURROW: A little bit. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: A little bit. (Laughter.) It’s like the coach: If you told me he cried, I — I don’t believe it. Maybe when he was a baby, but I doubt it. (Laughter.)

He dedicated it to the kids in his beloved hometown of Athens, Ohio — a great state. Within weeks, Joe’s heartfelt speech raised over a half a million dollars for the Athens County Food Pantry. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, Joe.

And, Joe, I want to say, on behalf of the country, that you make our country very, very proud. You’re really an inspirational talent and all of that. But you’re an inspirational player and you’re an inspirational person. And you have a heart that’s incredible, and you have a team that respects you so much.

With Joe quarterbacking, and a team of unrivaled talent right alongside him and beside him, LSU had to beat the reigning champions — a team that was here last year, and nice guys and they were very large. (Laughter.) You know, we served them a lot of food. They ate so much food, we didn’t know what the hell to do. (Laughter.) They kept eating and eating. A team that had not lost a game in 741 days, the Clemson Tigers. They really are really special, right? Amazing.

Before the game, the First Lady and I were honored to walk out on the field escorted by the ROTC cadets from both schools. We then joined tens of thousands of proud, patriotic Americans to watch the battle of the titans. This was a great game. This was a tremendous game. And, Coach, they had tremendous ratings on television. The ratings came in, they were — not surprisingly, but they were tremendous — beyond what normally would be for even a championship game.

On your first drive — I think you might have had something to do with that, (inaudible), I don’t know. Although these two guys maybe too, but you had a lot to do with it.

On your first drive, the celebrated LSU offense was pinned back at your own goal line. I watched it. I’ve never seen — I bet you haven’t been pinned back that many times, because every time I saw you, you were on the three-yard line like — (laughter) — what happened? It was just, like, constantly. But you kept doing just fine. You did just fine, Coach.

COACH ORGERON: We were rope-a-dope —

THE PRESIDENT: You were — right, that was a rope-a -dope. (Laughter.) That’s true. The first time you got the ball — and then you made that great play and they called it back, as usual. You made the great pass. He’s all over the place. He’s — he was going to be tackled four times, like, on the first play.

And you threw the ball and everybody was excited, and then they said, “There’s a flag on the field.” Too many flags, Coach. Right? (Laughter.) Too many flags. You know, the referees, they want to get themselves in the limelight, but — (laughter) — that was a play that should have not been called back, but that’s all right.

You punted after a rare three and out, and soon Clemson struck first with a touchdown and for the first time. All season they were behind. Then, Ja’Marr Chase — that’s the man; I was watching him — caught a 52-yard bomb from Burrow to tie it up. By the end of the game, Ja’Marr had nine catches and two touchdowns, setting a playoff championship record with 221 receiving yards. That’s phenomenal. (Applause.) Come here, Ja’Marr. Come here. (Applause.)

I said, “You got to say something.”

MR. CHASE: How y’all doing? How y’all doing? I’m just happy to be in the White House, to be honest. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: That was very good. (Applause.)
Hey, Coach, if I practiced, could I beat him in a race? What do you think? Could I beat him in a race? (Laughter.)

COACH ORGERON: You may need — may need a little head start. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) A little head start, right? I think I might need a head start.

Midway through the third quarter, it was a tight three-point game. You increased your lead with a touchdown. Then in the fourth quarter, Terrace Marshall stretched out and caught a beautiful 24-yard pass in the end zone, and LSU went up 42 to 25, and all hope of a Clemson comeback — and they were used to winning games. It was — they won, I think, 28 in a row or something, Coach. It’s a pretty unusual feeling for them too. Shows how great a team you have.

But all hope of a Clemson comeback came to an end when LSU forced a fumble. The ball was picked up by a true freshman cornerback who had spent the game shutting down Clemson’s offense — that’s for sure — on his side of the field: Derek Stingley, Jr. Where’s Derek? (Applause.) That was a good feeling, Coach. With that play, the game was over.

With an eye-popping 628 yards, the most passing touchdowns in a playoff championship game, and the SEC’s first-ever 15 and 0 season, LSU became the College Football National Champions.

And Coach Orgeron said after the game, “God had a plan…All I did was follow the plan.” The fact is God had a great coach here. This is a great, great coach. I really mean that, too. (Applause.) And the truth is, with a great coach, an outstanding quarterback, an entire team filled with heart and skill and hope, and courage and passion and strength, and unbreakable will to win — that’s what they have; they have an unbreakable will and confidence. They went into that game against a team, 28 and 0. They went into the game; I don’t think they had a doubt about what was going to be happening, I don’t think. Did you ever doubt?

MR. BURROW: No.

THE PRESIDENT: Not even a little bit? (Laughter.)

MR. BURROW: No.

THE PRESIDENT: Huh? (Laughs.) That’s — oh, he’s going to be so rich. (Laughter.) Looks sort of like a young Tom Brady. Does that make sense to you? We call him “young Tom Brady.”

This LSU team will long be remembered as one of the greatest in college football history. And I just want to say congratulations, and go Tigers! (Applause.) Go Tigers. (Applause.)

So, Coach, there’s another coach that I respect a lot. His name is Bill Belichick, right? Do you respect him? Yes. Everybody respects him. He has a lot of respect for you. I talked to him; he has a lot of respect for you. And he thinks you’re a great coach, and we know that. The results speak louder than anything — or anything I can say.

I just want to congratulate you. It’s great to get to know you. You have a real friend here.

COACH ORGERON: Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: If I can ever help you with rescheduling, like next year, where we give you a little bit easier schedule. What do you think? (Laughter.) Bill, we’ll work that out. But let’s have the coach say a few words. Boy, does he deserve it. It’s great to have you in the White House. (Applause.)

COACH ORGERON: Thank you, President Trump. What an honor to be here at the White House. I speak on behalf of our football team and our great assistant coach and staff. I do have the best organization in the world. One team, one heartbeat.

This is a player-driven program. It’s about the men behind me and the men in front of me. You guys did it. You guys set out on a plan, last year, January 17, that you were going to win the national championship. You never talked about it. You went about it through hard work, dedication, and you did it. And we’re so proud.

I’d like thank my wife Kelly, and my boys and my family, who are here to be with me. (Applause.) And all the coaches’ wives. I’d like to thank Scott Woodward, (inaudible) the administration, for all the great things that they did for us. One team, one heartbeat. Go Tigers! (Applause.)

At this time, I’m like to bring up our interim President, Tom Galligan.

MR. GALLIGAN: Thank you, Coach. Good morning.

AUDIENCE: Good morning.

MR. GALLIGAN: On behalf of everyone at Louisiana State University and the entire LSU Tiger family, I want to say what an honor it is for us to be here today at the White House representing our great university as national champions.

Now, while a trip to the White House is traditional for national champions, Mr. President, I don’t think you have ever had a team quite like ours visit before. The achievements of Coach O and these young men are truly historic. If I were a poet, I would say they are absolutely epic. This group will forever be known as one of the best to ever take the field in college football.

Now, as I’m sure you’ve heard and seen, there is no group of supporters more passionate and dedicated than LSU’s. And I can tell you that our entire university, our community, and our state take immense pride in what this team and what you all have done.

At LSU, we are champions on the football field, and we are champions in the classroom, in the laboratory, on the stage, in the art studio, in the Moot courtroom, and more.

Our state gives much to this great nation: from commerce, to culture, to cuisine, and always character. Now we have given the country what we believe is the greatest college football team ever. (Applause.)

Mr. President, Coach O and this team represent not only the best of LSU, but the best of Louisiana. Thank you, and go Tigers! (Applause.)

It’s now my privilege to introduce — originally from Athens, Ohio, but now we claim him in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — the most decorated player in college football history, the Heisman Trophy winner, and a man who is already rich, because he is a recent LSU graduate, Joe Burrow. (Applause.)

MR. BURROW: I’ll keep this short and sweet, because I’m sure Mr. President has some more pressing matters to get to. (Laughter.) But, no, I just want to say it’s truly an honor to be here. And thank you for having us so soon after the game so the seniors could be here. That means a lot to us. This is a moment we’ll never forget, and it truly does mean a lot that you — that you did that so soon. So thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

MR. BURROW: Um, yeah, it’s so awesome to be here. It’s a moment we’ll never forget. It was a great season, but this is a great way to cap it off. So thank you so much. And we got — we got a little jersey for you right here. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I thought he was going to give me the Heisman.

MR. BURROW: Sorry, you can’t have my Heisman. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: I thought he was going to give me the Heisman Trophy. (Laughter.) He’s just giving me a jersey.

(A jersey is presented.) (Applause.)

So, Joe, I just told the coach, we don’t normally do this, but I’m doing it for this team: Anybody who would like to come with me to the Oval Office, we’ll take pictures in the Oval. It’s a special place. There’s no place like the Oval. They come from all over the world, they have their own big offices and everything; they go into the Oval and they say, “There’s no place like this.”

So, Coach, if you’d like, we can take whoever wants to come to the Oval Office. We’ll take pictures behind the Resolute Desk. It’s been there a long time. A lot of Presidents — some good, some not so good. (Laughter.) But you got a good one now, even though they’re trying to impeach the son of a bitch.

Can you believe that? (Laughter.) Can you believe that? Got the greatest economy we’ve ever had, Joe. We got the greatest military. We rebuilt it. We took out those terrorists like — like your football team would have taken out those terrorists, right? But we’re doing good.

So we’re going to go to the Oval Office with some of the players — and all of the players, I guess.

And again, I want to just congratulate the team. I want to congratulate your great representatives, all of you. You’ve been fantastic all season long — before they went on this big streak.

And it’s an honor to have everybody at the White House. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

[End Transcript]

Manufacturing President Jay Timmons: President Trump Made Promises, President Trump Kept Promises…


MAGAnomics – National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President and CEO Jay Timmons describes how President Donald Trump has “delivered” for manufacturers, noting that “promises are being kept” on tax reform, regulation, and trade.

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The passage of USMCA in combination with incentives for domestic manufacturing investment in the U.S.; and overlayed with the framework of the China ‘phase-one’ agreement, has set the foundation for a competitive North American manufacturing alternative to southeast Asia.  The capital investment will follow.  America First!

Wow, The Economy is Hot – U.S. Housing Starts Jump 16.9% in December, 1.608 Million Units…


Jumpin’ ju-ju bones this is the best recession ever!  The Commerce Department announces U.S. housing starts in December jumped a whopping 16.9 percent in December with 1.608 million units.  Blowing away forecast expectation of 1.375 million units; with the largest gain since 2006.

Cross referencing the latest median wage report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics [Table 4] shows that average wages in the construction sector in the fourth quarter increased 9.3%.  There’s obviously a lot of demand for workers in the construction industry.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. homebuilding surged to a 13-year high in December as activity increased across the board, suggesting the housing market recovery was back on track amid low mortgage rates, and could help support the longest economic expansion on record.

There was also some encouraging news on manufacturing, with other data on Friday showing production at factories increasing for a second straight month in December.

[…] “The shockingly large rise in home construction is likely to provide an unexpected boost to growth,” said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.

Housing starts jumped 16.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.608 million units last month, the highest level since December 2006. The percentage gain was the largest since October 2016. Groundbreaking activity last month was likely flattered by unseasonably mild weather and probably overstates the health of the housing market.

Data for November was revised higher to show homebuilding rising to a pace of 1.375 million units, instead of advancing to a rate of 1.365 million units as previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts would increase to a pace of 1.375 million units in December. (read more)

One of the excellent details within the latest data is the single family home growth and specifically the regions with the largest gains.  Remember, MAGAnomics is the reversal of prior economic policy that was destroying the mid-west and upper-mid-west manufacturing centers (creating the rust belt).

(Via CNBC) Single-family homebuilding, which accounts for the largest share of the housing market, jumped 11.2% to a rate of 1.055 units in December, the highest level since June 2007. Single-family housing starts rose in the Midwest and the populous South. They, however, fell in the Northeast and West. (more)

A genuine MAGAnomic revitalization of the exact areas that were most impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs driven to Asia.  This news is WINNING!

Home ownership is a big decision…. a decision at the heart of the middle-class American family.  These purchases are not made unless workers and families feel confident about their financial and employment stability.  Great news all around.

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Sec. Wilbur Ross

@SecretaryRoss

What a week of historic wins for the US economy and President @realDonaldTrump!

✅US homebuilding soared to a 13-year high.
✅Two major wins on trade.
✅Rising consumer confidence & retail sales.
✅Stocks set record highs.

2020 is off to a great start!

309 people are talking about this

BenTallmadge@BenKTallmadge

US housing starts jump 16.9% to an annual rate of 1,608 million units in December 2019, the highest level since 2006 –
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/17/us-housing-starts-december-2019.html 

US housing starts totaled 1.608 million in December, vs 1.375 million expected

U.S. housing starts were expected to total 1.375 million in December, up from the 1.365 million reported a month earlier.

cnbc.com

206 people are talking about this

Trey Gowdy Discusses Impeachment Trial – President Trump Adds Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz to Defense Team…


Trey Gowdy appears on Fox to discuss the anticipated points and counterpoints, accusations and defenses, and strategy within the upcoming impeachment trial.

Today it was also announced that President Trump’s defense team added Ken Starr, Alan Dershowitz, Robert Ray, Pam Bondi and Jane Raskin.  Those five will join Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow who are the primary defense lawyers.

The IG Report Documentary: “FISA and Spying on Team Trump” – OAN Broadcast 7:00pm ET Tonight….


Few people have read the entire inspector general report on the FBI’s FISA misconduct, and fewer still have an understanding of the depth of troubling findings within it.  In an effort to provide information about the content, John Spiropoulos has produced a documentary going over many of the reports’ more important findings.

The exceptionally well produced documentary called “FISA, Spying on Team Trump” is an hour long broadcast created by John Spiropoulos, a former MSM journalist and producer for Channel 7 in Washington DC (1979 – 1989).  John spent a month going through every page of the report, pulling out some of the key details and overlaying information from IG Michael Horowitz congressional testimony.

The investigative report will premier tonight at 7:00pm EST / 4:00pm PST on One America News (OAN).  Here’s an exclusive preview:

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There are new revelations within the documentary, and the report will rebroadcast on Saturday January 18th, and Sunday January 19th at 11am Eastern / 8am Pacific time.

Pelosi’s Poison Pens!


As we watched Nancy Pelosi sign the articles of impeachment, we were overcome with disgust. What was supposed to be a sad and somber affair (her words), was unnecessarily made into a pompous and grandiose spectacle. Each letter of her name was signed individually with a separate golden pen. Clearly she was enjoying herself as she attempted to aggrandize the ‘historic’ manufactured spectacle.

We know the whole impeachment charade was planned for three years. Nothing is real with the Democrats.

As I watched her, I got the impression of a black widow spider holding many of those pens at once. This cartoon immediately sprung to mind, and since I was making her into an arachnid, I decided to make Schiff as a cockroach and Nadler into a slug-like creature. Why not? After all, they are disgusting traitors who are carrying out a coup against a lawfully elected president.

Pelosi is drunk with power.

She repeatedly talked about the founding fathers and Constitution, but her words ring as hollow as her empty vodka bottle. She’s about power and money and that’s all. Her shame has now been passed onto the Senate for trial. Trump should be exonerated, and quickly.

Pelosi should be condemned, and perpetually mocked forever.

—Ben Garriso

Chaff and Countermeasures? – Timed During Impeachment, Another Report of Former FBI Director James Comey Under Investigation…


Another New York Times report of James Comey under investigation for unscrupulous, potentially illegal, leaks surrounding the FBI Clinton investigation. However, a note of caution: is this simply chaff and countermeasures intended to keep the heat off corruption monitors Bill Barr and John Durham?

In 2018 congressman Jim Jordan noted James Comey had a special employee on assignment ‘off-the-books’.  People started asking questions and Fox News Catherine Herridge detailed how Daniel Richman held special access privileges to the FBI, as an outcome of former FBI Director James Comey authorizing his friend as a “Special Government Employee” or SGE.

According to The Times the current issues surround media leaks from James Comey to his “special FBI employee” friend Daniel Richman related to the Clinton investigation:

(VIA NYT) […] The latest investigation involves material that Dutch intelligence operatives siphoned off Russian computers and provided to the United States government. The information included a Russian analysis of what appeared to be an email exchange during the 2016 presidential campaign between Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat of Florida who was also the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee at the time, and Leonard Benardo, an official with the Open Society Foundations, a democracy-promoting organization whose founder, George Soros, has long been a target of the far right.

In the email, Ms. Wasserman Schultz suggested that then-Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch would make sure that Mrs. Clinton would not be prosecuted in the email case. Both Ms. Wasserman Schultz and Mr. Benardo have denied being in contact, suggesting the document was meant to be Russian disinformation.

That document was one of the key factors that drove Mr. Comey to hold a news conference in July 2016 announcing that investigators would recommend no charges against Mrs. Clinton. Typically, senior Justice Department officials would decide how to proceed in such a high-profile case, but Mr. Comey was concerned that if Ms. Lynch played a central role in deciding whether to charge Mrs. Clinton, Russia could leak the email.

Whether the document was fake remains an open question. But American officials at the time did not believe that Ms. Lynch would hinder the Clinton email investigation, and neither Ms. Wasserman Schultz nor Mr. Benardo had any inside information about it. Still, if the Russians had released the information after the inquiry was closed, it could have tainted the outcome, hurt public confidence in the Justice Department and sowed discord.

Prosecutors are also looking at whether Mr. Richman might have played a role in providing the information to reporters about the Russia document and how it figured into Mr. Comey’s rationale about the news conference, according to the people familiar with the investigation. Mr. Comey hired Mr. Richman at one point to consult for the F.B.I. about encryption and other complex legal issues, and investigators have expressed interest in how he operated. (read more)

People are rightly skeptical of this latest report as all prior reports of Comey misconduct have been summarily dismissed by current DOJ corruption monitors.

Sharyl Attkisson🕵️‍♂️

@SharylAttkisson

I’m not sure why they should bother. The IG referred Comey for charges already and @TheJusticeDept gave him a pass, finding he meant no harm. Why would this be different? https://twitter.com/adamgoldmanNYT/status/1217933267493625866 

Adam Goldman

@adamgoldmanNYT

NEWS: The case is the second time the Justice Department has investigated leaks potentially involving Mr. Comey, a frequent target of President Trump, who has repeatedly called him a “leaker.” https://nyti.ms/2uU6edT 

456 people are talking about this

What Sharyl Attkisson references is the IG referrals to no-where from the prior IG Report on James Comey.  The IG found serious issues with the way James Comey hid information and obstructed the FBI investigation of his memos.  Again another series of leaks to his friend, and special FBI employee, Daniel Richman.  However, the DOJ failed to take any action on those referrals…. so why would this be any different?

There was absolutely no doubt James Comey used his memos akin to FD-302 investigative reports from an FBI agent. Meaning, from beginning-to-end he considered himself an investigative agent against the President-elect and then President Trump.

Note: His recording of his encounter with the target, President-elect Trump should be “treated like FISA derived information in a counterintelligence investigation.” During this January 6th operation, Comey was the active FBI agent gathering evidence for later use. The collected intelligence would be shared with the team via memo #1.

Every encounter, and every aspect of every action within that encounter, was conducted in what Comey perceived as an official investigative capacity.

President Trump was the target of Comey’s operations and he wrote his memos as investigative notes therein. Example: Comey ran the January 6th, 2017, operation:

So the “small group”: Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Baker, Priestap, Rybicki, et al, were running a counterintelligence operation against the incoming administration.

There are parts of the IG report highlighting a stunning amount of self-interest.

Example: Who made the decision(s) about what “was” or what “was not” classified? Or, put another way: who was making the internal decisions about Comey’s exposure to legal risk for sharing his investigative notes (memos) outside the department?

The answer is the same “small group” who were carrying out the operation:

James Baker, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe, James Rybicki and Lisa Page were determining what parts of James Comey’s investigative notes needed to be classified.

The corrupt FBI was in position to police itself. This is not a conflict of interest, it is better described as a profound conflict of self-interest.

The information the ‘small group‘ wanted to use to frame the target would be visible, not classified; however, any material that would outline the construct of their corruption in targeting the target would be hidden, classified. You can’t make this stuff up folks.

The “small group” WAS the sources and methods they were protecting.

Everything needed to understand that level of corruption is outlined in the way the IG report discusses the handling of James Comey’s investigative notes (ie. memos). AND the fact that James Comey kept them hidden, yes hidden. Read this stuff!

First, “no hard copies of any of the memos were found in Comey’s FBI office.”:

So, if the memos were not held in Director James Comey’s official FBI office, the next logical question is where were they?

Well, when Special Agents went to James Comey’s house, he still kept them hidden and never informed the agents:

If Mr. Altruism, James Comey, was simply fulfilling the duty of a concerned and dedicated FBI Director, why not tell the FBI agents -picking up FBI records- that he had copies of FBI investigative notes in his “personal safe” while they were there?

What honorable justification exists for keeping them hidden from valid investigators?

Obviously me, you and God are not the only ones able to see the sketchy nature of this construct. In fact, an internal FBI whistleblower came forward soon after that search of Comey’s home to request official “whistleblower status protection” from the IG.

Think logically…. What would prompt someone inside the FBI; who at some point gained access to the Comey memos; to request ‘whistleblower protected status’?

Doesn’t the “whistleblower request” indicate the requesting FBI official saw something nefarious in the way this was all going down?

Who was that ‘whistleblower’?

Well, first, Captain Obvious would tell you it has to be someone who actually gained possession of those memos right?…. this is not a big group. Second, you only need to read a few more pages of the IG report to see who it was:

The “whistleblower” was the Supervisory Special Agent described in page 38 as above.

The memos were “stored” in a “reception area“, and in locked drawers in James Rybicki’s office. [“Drawer safes” are silly FBI legal terms for fancy locked drawers] Also note…

Reception area“? “May 15th“?

May 10th, no-one knows where the memos are.  May 12th the FBI goes to James Comey’s House; again no mention of the memos he was keeping there.  Then all of a sudden, poof, May 15th and the memos are in the FBI “reception area”?

First, apparently no-one wanted to be the one holding the hot potato of investigative evidence (Comey memos); that ownership would outline them as participatory members in carrying out the targeting of then President Trump.

Oh, yeah, those investigative notes were not in “the office of the FBI Director” on May 10th, when you were here searching the last time,… for some mysterious reason.. they, uh,… well, they were discovered… May 15th in the “reception area“… yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket! Right under the four month old copy of People Magazine, n’ stuff.

….ARE YOU FRIGGIN’ KIDDING ME WITH THIS?

…AND secondly, the very next morning, GUESS what happened?…

Now we see why the FBI Supervisory Special Agent in charge in charge of inventorying Comey records asked the IG for official “whistleblower status.”

The SSA agent was surrounded by sketchy warning flares right there in the FBI executive suites.  May 10th, no memos; May 12th, Comey house, no memos; May 15th the memo’s mysteriously appear; and the next day Comey is taking pictures of the memos and sending them to his BFF Daniel Richman to send to the New York Times.

Of course the FBI SSA gave the Inspector General the seven memos, asked for whistle-blower protection, and likely told the IG the way they were produced stinks to high heaven. Good grief.  And the media can’t see this?

And U.S. Attorney Bill Barr can’t clearly see this?

And we can?

C’mon Man!

With that in mind, is this latest leak about yet another Comey investigation simply an effort by the DOJ to deflect and isolate themselves from anger and frustration while President Trump is going through an impeachment trial?

Given the history, the possibility cannot easily be dismissed.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Discusses MAGAnomics, China Trade and USMCA…


Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the coolest cat in the crew, appeared tonight for a discussion on economics and trade with Lou Dobbs.  Secretary Ross discusses the current status of the economy and how the two trade agreements have established the foundation for a completely restructured U.S. trade relationship for years to come.

Wilburine notes the Europeans are nervous thinking about the wolverine teeth that will soon be heading in their direction.  Good Stuff.  WATCH:

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What makes the Trump economic team so effective is their independence from any influence outside of the America-First agenda.  President Trump, Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Secretary Steven Mnuchin were already independent billionaires -with wealth gained from private industry- before they entered office.  There is no financial influence upon them except to see Main Street USA thrive….

A comparison of First-Term Unemployment Rates – LINK HERE