Tag Archives: Tick Tock

Feb 19 2025

Senate Cloture Vote on FBI Director Nominee Kash Patel Likely Tonight


Posted originally on the CTH on February 18, 2025 | Sundance 

According to Senator Markwayne Mullin, the Senate is anticipated to hold a confirmation vote for U.S. Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick later today.

Immediately following the Lutnick vote, in this executive session of the Senate, Senator Mullin anticipates the cloture vote to end debate on FBI Director Kash Patel will also follow.  That would put the full senate vote for Patel’s confirmation on a timeline for final vote Thursday.

Feb 19 2025

WATCH CLOSELY: Zelenskyy Cancels Pre-Planned Trip to Saudi Arabia


Posted originally on the CTH on February 18, 2025 | Sundance 

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cancelled his planned trip to Saudi Arabia, citing his anger that he was not a participant in the U.S-Russia discussions which took place in Riyadh, earlier today. [SEE REUTERS REPORT]

“We want no one to decide anything behind our backs…No decision can be made without Ukraine on how to end the war in Ukraine,” Zelenskiy told reporters during a visit to Turkey where he held talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. (more)

I am not going to say much about this, except to remind readers what I mentioned yesterday morning.  Things are about to get very sketchy.

[YESTERDAY] Zelensky said in an interview Sunday that his country would “never” accept a peace deal struck by the United States and Russia if Ukraine was not involved in the talks.

If Zelenskyy is in the region (UAE), watch President Trump -through Rubio- to use those recent statements by Zelenskyy and say, ‘well then, get in here and talk.’  If that were to happen, Zelenskyy would reject the move because he is entirely unprepared to operate from a position of independent leadership.

Watch this part closely because President Trump seems increasingly close to exposing the truth about the Ukraine war and how U.S. politicians are motivated in their influence positions by the financial benefits of the conflict.  Sparks could fly if the pretending stops. [END]

Zelenskyy was in Poland, Germany, the UAE and Turkey since last weekend.  For a nation “at war” President Zelenskyy has a lot of time to travel to various countries outside his own.

♦ The USA delegation was in Riyadh to organize the channels for communication.  Organizing the diplomatic process for communication is the first stage in construct where dialogue can begin.  Zelenskyy’s participation in the organization of how the USA and Russia talk to each other is irrelevant and moot.

♦ Last night, drones from Ukraine attacked a pumping station responsible for transporting oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).  This is not exclusively a Russian oil infrastructure asset.  This is partly a western asset belonging to American energy corporations.  As noted by Medvedev: “In 2024, American businesses accounted for over 40% of CPC oil shipments, and together with other Western companies, their total share exceeded 65%.”

Now, think carefully about what the Western control elements behind the Ukraine military operations are doing.  “They” are, essentially, using U.S. provided military weapons, to target energy infrastructure -ancillary to Russia- that is owned by American corporations.  Who are “they”?

As previously said, things are going to get very sketchy if Zelenskyy remains the front-face of the elements from withing the west who are leveraging their control and influence over Zelenskyy to retain the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

While there are elements within the United States who would love to drive a wedge between President Trump and Elon Musk, there are also elements within the larger geopolitical forces (IC) who need to retain a wedge between President Trump and President Putin.

Eyes wide open.

[Orban Tweet – Article Citation]

Feb 19 2025

U.S and Russia Agree to Communication and Consultation Mechanism for Peace Talks, Embassy Staffing Will Return in Moscow and DC


Posted originally on the CTH on February 18, 2025 | Sundance

A high-level diplomatic meeting between USA and Russia has not happened in more than three years.  The first goal was to figure out how to talk to each other again, what processes to use and what the consultation mechanism would be for when peace negotiations would begin.  That ‘deconfliction’ goal seems to have been achieved.

Additionally, in a very positive sign, both the USA team and the Russian team agreed to return to normal embassy operations, in diplomatic speak “missions,” in both Moscow and Washington DC, that includes staffing support to reestablish contacts and communications. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff spoke to reporters after their meeting with the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia.

Pay close attention to the specific words Marco Rubio uses at 14:40 of the video, in the bigger of the big pictures, that is the goal of President Trump and President Putin. WATCH:

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – […] The U.S. team was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The Russian negotiating delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the U.S. team agreed to establish “a consultation mechanism to address irritants to our bilateral relationship with the objective of taking steps necessary to normalize the operation of our respective diplomatic missions.” Rubio told the Associated Press the two sides agreed to restore embassy staffing as part of this normalization.

The two sides also agreed to appoint “high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible in a way that is enduring, sustainable and acceptable to all sides,” Bruce said, plus to “lay the groundwork for future cooperation on matters of mutual geopolitical interest and historic economic and investment opportunities which will emerge from a successful end to the conflict in Ukraine.”

“The parties to today’s meetings pledge to remain engaged to make sure the process moves forward in a timely and productive manner,” Bruce added. (read more) 

Feb 18 2025

BENSMAN: US Special Forces To Assist In Training Mexican Soldiers


Posted originally on Rumble By Bannon’s War Room on: Feb17, 2025, at 8:00 pm EST

Feb 18 2025

DHS Produces Domestic and International Illegal Immigration Ad Campaign: “We Will Hunt You Down”


Posted originally on the CTH on February 18, 2025 | Sundance

What a difference one election can make.  Secretary Kristi Noem announced a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar ad campaign warning illegal aliens to leave our country now or face deportation with the inability to return to the United States.

The international ads warn criminal illegal aliens not to come to America and break its laws or they will be hunted down and deported. This series of ads will run on radio, broadcast, and digital, in multiple countries and regions in various dialects.

Ads will be hyper-targeted, including through social media, text message and digital to reach illegal immigrants in the interior of the United States, as well as internationally.  Here’s the domestic version to play in USA media:

“Thank you, President Donald J. Trump, for securing our border and putting America first. President Trump has a clear message: if you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return. But if you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally: Don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States.”

Here’s the international version that will play in targeted nations:

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Feb 18 2025

Congressman Tim Burchett Believes DOGE Money Trail Will Reveal “Foreign Aid Payments” Returning to Congress


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2025 | Sundance

When Elon Musk asked how Norm Eisen could be financed, I replied, “If the United States govt gave money to Qatar, knowing Qatar was going to send that money to organizations within the USA intended to carry out an objective of a small group in U.S. govt., what would that be called?”

Qatar is a major source of funding for the Brookings Institute.  Brookings funds various Lawfare operations, including Norm Eisen.  The extended process is quite simple. If elements within the U.S. Govt., wanted to indirectly fund Brookings, could they do it by sending funds to Qatar?

The question is not supposition, because this was the exact process Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta used for the State Dept to send weapons to the Libyan “rebels,” aka Operation Zero Footprint.

Operation Zero Footprint was the State Dept/CIA sending funds to Qatar, and the Qatari govt then purchasing missiles from the CIA to give to al-Qaeda affiliates in Libya.  We can consider the historic Iran-Contra scandal under a similar framework. However, the nuanced difference is about sending money toward a foreign govt (via USAID), while knowing the money would return to fund a domestic agenda inside the USA.

Example: USAID sends money to the U.K, and then British political allies send political operatives into the USA to support Kamala Harris.  We know the latter part of that sentence happened.  So, did the Biden administration (Samantha Power) fund the Labour Party operation?

Are the various political NGOs and activist groups in the USA actually funded, indirectly, by U.S. taxpayers?  Many signs point to, yes.

Against this high likelihood, it becomes just a natural extension of the process if U.S. politicians are beneficiaries of the circular laundry operation. That is what Representative Tim Burchett believes will surface if the DOGE team follow the money trail.  WATCH:

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Feb 18 2025

Facing DOGE Review/Audit, Democrat Senators Wyden and Warren Shout “Privacy, Privacy, Privacy” – So, Here’s Some Context


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2025 | Sundance

Democrats and allied media are pushing a hard narrative that Elon Musk and his DOGE review team may have access to sensitive systems at the IRS, creating what they call “privacy concerns.”

In a letter Monday to IRS Acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell the lawmakers wrote that the proposal raises “serious concerns that Elon Musk and his associates are seeking to weaponize government databases containing private bank records and other confidential information to target American citizens and businesses as part of a political agenda.” (source)

The quote (emphasis mine) attributed to Senator Ron Wyden, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Finance, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, is more than a little ironic.

DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz testified on April 27, 2023, that more than 3.4 million search queries into the NSA database took place between Dec. 1st, 2020, and Nov. 30th, 2021, by government officials and/or contractors working on behalf of the federal government.

Within that data set, approximately 30% of those 3.4 million search queries were outside the rules and regulations that govern warrantless searches, what the politically correct government calls “non-compliant searches.”

That means more than 1 million searches of private documents and communication of Americans were illegal. IG Horowitz also admitted that somewhere north of 10,000 federal employees have workstation access to conduct these searches of the NSA database; a database which contains the electronic data of every single American, including emails, text messages, social media posts, instant messages, direct messages, phone calls, geolocation identifiers, purchases by electronic funds, banking records and any keystroke any American person puts into any electronic device for any reason. {GO DEEP}

Suddenly, Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are concerned about ‘privacy.’

Earlier today, Elon Musk highlighted millions of people “marked in Social Security as “ALIVE” when they are definitely dead – a HUGE problem.”

(Source)

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1891575837956133266
Feb 18 2025

Lawfare Pushback: President Trump is Nominating Ed Martin as U.S. District Attorney in Washington DC


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2025 | Sundance

With an appeal to the Supreme Court to stop the unconstitutional Lawfare restraining orders, and with support from growing district appellate court reviews, earlier today federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan surprisingly refused to issue another temporary restraining order.

Hours before, President Trump announced his nomination of Ed Martin to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.  It appears the Lawfare pushback operation is actively underway.

President Trump – “It is my honor to nominate highly respected Edward R. Martin, Jr., for the full and permanent term of United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Ed has led a distinguished career of service, including as Human Rights Office Director for the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, where he supervised legal clinics for low-income residents. He later worked as judicial clerk to Judge Pasco M. Bowman, II, of the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals, and launched his own successful Law practice. He has also invested his expertise in other roles, but always with the same goal, of serving his community, and creating a brighter future for all.

Since Inauguration Day, Ed has been doing a great job as Interim U.S. Attorney, fighting tirelessly to restore Law and Order, and make our Nation’s Capital Safe and Beautiful Again. He will get the job done.

Congratulations Ed!” [Truth Social]

WASHINGTON DC – […] Since serving as the interim U.S. attorney, Mr. Martin has worked to dismantle the office’s investigations into those who participated in the attack on the Capitol. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia led the probe, charging more than 1,500 people.

Mr. Martin also fired about two dozen prosecutors who oversaw the Jan. 6 investigations. He launched a review of how the U.S. Attorney’s Office used the charge of obstructing an official proceeding against hundreds of pro-Trump protesters.

The U.S. Supreme Court last year ruled that the obstruction charge only applied in the few Jan. 6 cases when the defendant tampered or destroyed documents. The decision severely limited the use of the charge in the Jan. 6 cases and resulted in some convicts receiving reduced sentences and others getting released from jail. (link)

Feb 18 2025

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan Refused to Issue Restraining Order Against Musk or DOGE, After Calling Unusual Holiday Hearing


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2025 | Sundance

The background here is interesting.  Late last night, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan called for an unusual hearing on a federal holiday to hear the arguments of 14 states who are seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Elon Musk and the Dept of Govt Efficiency (DOGE).

It’s interesting because Judge Chutkan called for the hearing today just 45 minutes after Trump’s U.S Solicitor General asked the Supreme Court to intervene on the matter of judicial TRO’s issued against President Trump’s Title II authority.  Last night in another case, Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris filed an “APPLICATION TO VACATE THE ORDER ISSUED BY THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND REQUEST FOR AN IMMEDIATE ADMINISTRATIVE STAY” with the Supreme Court. [pdf HERE] 45 minutes later Chutkan called for today’s TRO hearing.

District Judge Chutkan refused to issue the TRO today, saying she would take up the matter later.

(Via Politico) – […] the judge said granting the temporary restraining order sought as part of a lawsuit brought by Democratic attorneys general required much clearer evidence that DOGE’s actions were causing grave, permanent damage. Instead, she said, states had relied primarily on news reports that speculated about the risks of Musk and DOGE’s actions, some of which she said could potentially be remedied in further litigation.

“I’m not seeing it so far. … It’s sort of like a prophylactic TRO and that’s not allowed,” Chutkan said, adding that she hoped to issue a ruling within 24 hours. “The courts can’t act based on media reports. We can’t do that.” 

[…]  Chutkan’s skepticism of their position follows another judge’s rejection of a restraining order on DOGE’s efforts to access databases within a handful of federal departments. Chutkan repeatedly cited the decision by U.S. District Judge John Bates as she noted her skepticism. (more)

Over the weekend, the Trump administration, in the application to the Supreme Court, outlined the series of Lawfare tactics the president has faced, telling the high court that lower court rulings “irreparably harm the Presidency by curtailing the President’s ability to manage the Executive Branch in the earliest days of his Administration.”

“The district court’s order exemplifies a broader, weeks-long trend in which plaintiffs challenging President Trump’s initiatives have persuaded district courts to issue TROs that intrude upon a host of the President’s Article II powers,” wrote Solicitor General Sarah Harris.

Judge John Bates support for President Trump, ruling discussion on CTH HERE.

Judge Gregory Katsas support for President Trump, ruling discussion on CTH HERE.

Feb 18 2025

Secretary Rubio Lands in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Gaza Talks Today, Ukraine Talks Tomorrow


Posted originally on the CTH on February 17, 2025 | Sundance

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will need to maintain a lot of energy to operate foreign policy advancement at the “optimal resolution” speed of President Donald Trump.

Rubio departed Israel for his visit to Saudi Arabia where two major topics are on the agenda. The U.S. Secretary was welcomed by Saudi Foreign Minster Faisal bin Farhan and is scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On the agenda today is what to do about Gaza, tomorrow the discussion changes direction to address Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia has expressed opposition to the Trump plan for the temporary relocation of Gaza Palestinians while a complete restructuring, revitalization and rebuilding of the region takes place. However, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have not proposed an alternative to the Trump plan.

Saudi Arabia (MbS), Egypt (al-SiSi) and Jordan (King Abdullah II) have balked at the idea of Israeli Prime Mister Benjamin Netanyahu that Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan temporarily host Palestinian refugees; a plan suggested by President Trump. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan do not want more Palestinians to worry about.

Ultimately, Secretary Rubio is in Saudi Arabia to ask Crown Prince MbS directly, if not the Trump plan – then what? What solution can be proposed by the Arabs that creates long lasting stability, peace and the opportunity for residents in Gaza to live without terrorism, Hamas, chaos and war?

♦ Tomorrow the agenda switches to discuss the Russia -v- Ukraine conflict. Secretary Rubio will be joined by Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. The Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.

Oddly, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the region; however, according to most public reporting he is not expected to participate in the U.S-Russia negotiations. I would not be surprised if something in the background is triggered by President Trump that pulls-in Zelenskyy while the Ukraine President is in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky said in an interview yesterday that his country would “never” accept a peace deal struck by the United States and Russia if Ukraine was not involved in the talks.

If Zelenskyy is in the region (UAE), watch President Trump -through Rubio- to use those recent statements by Zelenskyy and say, ‘well then, get in here and talk.’

If that were to happen, Zelenskyy may have to reject the move because he is entirely unprepared to operate from a position of independent leadership.

Watch this part closely because President Trump seems increasingly close to exposing the truth about the Ukraine war and how U.S. politicians are motivated in their influence positions by the financial benefits of the conflict.  Sparks could fly if the pretending stops.

Feb 17 (Reuters) – Russia said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on Tuesday that will focus on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring “the whole complex” of Russia-U.S. ties.

Rubio arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday on a previously planned trip. U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who are set to arrive later on Monday, will be joining him at the talks with the Russians.

The talks will be among the first high-level, in-person discussions in years between Russian and U.S. officials and are meant to precede a meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to President Vladimir Putin, would fly to the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday.

“They are expected to hold a meeting with their American counterparts on Tuesday, which will focus primarily on restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations,” Peskov said. “It will also be devoted to the preparation of possible negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement and the organization of a meeting between the two presidents.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that Rubio, Waltz, and Witkoff will meet with the Russian delegation in Riyadh on Tuesday. (read more)