Tag Archives: Uranium One

Jul 23 2018

President Trump and Secretary of State Pompeo Respond to Threats From Iran…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 23, 2018 by

Against the backdrop of U.S. withdrawing from the ill-fated Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA); and against the backdrop of looming U.S. sanctions therein; there has been an ongoing geopolitical simmering/positioning between allies and adversaries surrounding the current and future disposition of Iran.

Recently China, likely responding to economic trade leverage from the U.S., made a deal with Saudi Arabia for petroleum purchases weakening their alliance with Iran.  At the same time Turkey, a tenuous NATO ally, began positioning in advance of U.S. sanctions and removing Iran oil purchases.  Collectively, and with President Trump putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin via Syria and Iranian influence, this has led to Iran feeling an economic squeeze similar to the previous Trump Doctrine leverage as witnessed in N-Korea.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is feeling the heat.  On Sunday he said “war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” That led to the tweet reply from President Donald Trump:

This follows on the immediate heels of a speech given by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library in Simi Valley, CA.

There is a clearly coordinated and unified message:

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[Transcript] SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you all. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Well, thank you, Fred, for that kind introduction. It reminded me when I was going through my confirmation process they were chasing down all the people I’d known my whole life, and they found one of the young men who played basketball with me at Los Amigos, and his quote was – they asked how good I was. And he said, “Well, he made the most of what he had.” (Laughter.)

Thanks for the kind introduction and thanks for hosting me here at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library. It’s a very special place and an honor for me to be here.

I also want to thank my friend Tom for joining me here tonight. He and I have been on multiple missions together, and I am confident we will continue to do so in the days and weeks and years ahead.

And it’s great to see Governor Wilson here. I voted for you a couple times a long time ago. (Laughter.)

And I know we have many members of the Iranian American community with us this evening. This is just a fraction of the quarter million Iranian Americans in Southern California alone. We have many Iranian American guests from all across the United States here as well. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you this evening, learning more about the situation in Iran as you see it, and understanding what your loved ones and friends are going through living in that place.

And I recognize the Iranian diaspora is diverse. There are many faith backgrounds and many different walks of life, and that’s a good thing, and not all Iranian Americans see things the same way. But I think everyone can agree that the regime in Iran has been a nightmare for the Iranian people, and it is important that your unity on that point is not diminished by differences elsewhere.

To our Iranian American and – to our Iranian American friends, tonight I want to tell you that the Trump administration dreams the same dreams for the people of Iran as you do, and through our labors and God’s providence that day will come true. (Applause.)

Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. As I’ll spell out more in a moment, the 40 years of fruit from the revolution has been bitter. Forty years of kleptocracy. Forty years of the people’s wealth squandered on supporting terrorism. Forty years of ordinary Iranians thrown in jail for peaceful expression of their rights. Why has the regime conducted itself in such an abhorrent way over the past 40 years and subjected its people to these conditions? It’s an important question.

The answer is at root in the revolutionary nature of the regime itself. (Applause.)

The ideologues who forcibly came to power in 1979 and remain in power today are driven by a desire to conform all of Iranian society to the tenets of the Islamic Revolution. The regime is also committed to spreading the revolution to other countries, by force if necessary. The total fulfillment of the revolution at home and abroad is the regime’s ultimate goal. It drives their behavior. Thus, the regime has spent four decades mobilizing all elements of the Iranian economy, foreign policy, and political life in service of that objective. To the regime, prosperity, security, and freedom for the Iranian people are acceptable casualties in the march to fulfill the revolution.

Economically, we see how the regime’s decision to prioritize an ideological agenda over the welfare of the Iranian people has put Iran into a long-term economic tailspin. During the time of the nuclear deal, Iran’s increased oil revenues could have gone to improving the lives of the Iranian people. Instead they went to terrorists, dictators, and proxy militias. Today, thanks to regime subsidies, the average Hizballah combatant makes two to three times what an Iranian firefighter makes on the streets of Iran. Regime mismanagement has led to the rial plummeting in value. A third of Iranian youth are unemployed, and a third of Iranians now live below the poverty line.

The bitter irony of the economic situation in Iran is that the regime uses this same time to line its own pockets while its people cry out for jobs and reform and for opportunity. The Iranian economy is going great – but only if you’re a politically-connected member of the elite. Two years ago, Iranians rightfully erupted in anger when leaked paystubs showed massive amounts of money inexplicably flowing into the bank accounts of senior government officials.

And there are many more examples of the widespread corruption.

Take Sadeq Larijani, the head of Iran’s judiciary. He is worth at least $300 million dollars. He got this money from embezzling public funds into his own bank account. The Trump administration sanctioned Larijani in January for human rights abuses, because we aren’t afraid to tackle the regime at its highest level. (Applause.) Call me crazy – you won’t be the first – but I’m a little skeptical that a thieving thug under international sanctions is the right man to be Iran’s highest-ranking judicial official. (Laughter and applause.)

Former IRGC officer and Minister of Interior Sadeq Mahsouli is nicknamed “the Billionaire General.” He went from being a poor IRGC officer at the end of the Iran-Iraq war to being worth billions of dollars. How’d that happen? He somehow had a knack for winning lucrative construction and oil trading contracts from businesses associated with the IRGC. Being an old college buddy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just might have had something to do with it as well. (Laughter.)

The ayatollahs are in on the act, too. Judging by their vast wealth, they seem more concerned with riches than religion. These hypocritical holy men have devised all kinds of crooked schemes to become some of the wealthiest men on Earth while their people suffer.

Grand Ayatollah Makaram Shirazi is known as the “Sultan of Sugar” for his illicit trading of sugar, which has generated over $100 million for him. He has pressured the Iranian Government to lower subsidies to domestic sugar producers while he floods the market with his own more expensive imported sugar. This type of activity puts ordinary Iranians out of work.

Another ayatollah, one of Tehran’s Friday prayer leaders for the last 30 years, had the government transfer several lucrative mines to his foundation. He too is now worth millions of dollars.

And not many people know this, but the Ayatollah Khamenei has his own personal, off-the-books hedge fund called the Setad, worth $95 billion, with a B. That wealth is untaxed, it is ill-gotten, and it is used as a slush fund for the IRGC. The ayatollah fills his coffers by devouring whatever he wants. In 2013 the Setad’s agents banished an 82-year-old Baha’i woman from her apartment and confiscated the property after a long campaign of harassment. Seizing land from religious minorities and political rivals is just another day at the office for this juggernaut that has interests in everything from real estate to telecoms to ostrich farming. All of it is done with the blessing of Ayatollah Khamenei.

This list goes on, but we’ve got places to go tonight. The level of corruption and wealth among Iranian leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government.

On foreign policy, the regime’s mission of exporting the revolution has produced a decades-long campaign of ideologically-motivated violence and destabilization abroad. Assad, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Shia militant groups in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen feed on billions of regime cash while the Iranian people shout slogans like “Leave Syria, think about us.”

Our partners in the Middle East are plagued by Iranian cyberattacks and threatening behavior in the waters of the Persian Gulf. The regime and its allies in terror have left a trail of dissident blood across Europe and the Middle East.

Indeed, our European allies are not immune to the threat of regime-backed terrorism.

Just earlier this month, an Iranian “diplomat” based in Vienna was arrested and charged with supplying explosives for a terrorist bomb scheduled to bomb a political rally in France. This tells you everything you need to know about the regime: At the same time they’re trying to convince Europe to stay in the nuclear deal, they’re covertly plotting terrorist attacks in the heart of Europe.

And because fighting the United States and destroying Israel is at the core of the regime’s ideology, it has committed and supported many acts of violence and terrorism against both countries and our citizens. As just one example, well over a thousand American service members have been killed and wounded in Iraq from Iranian-made IEDs.

Today, multiple Americans are detained and missing inside of Iran. Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, Xiyue Wang are unjustly held by the regime to this day, and Bob Levinson has been missing in Iran for over 11 years. There are others, too. And we in the Trump administration are working diligently to bring each of those Americans home from having been wrongfully detained for far too long. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Shouting.) President Trump imprisons children. The Trump-Pence regime is kidnapping children. Trump and Pence —

AUDIENCE: (Booing.)

SECRETARY POMPEO: Despite – despite the regime’s –

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Shouting off-mike.)

AUDIENCE: (Booing.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Shouting off-mike.)

AUDIENCE: USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Shouting off-mike.)

SECRETARY POMPEO: If there were – if there were only so much freedom of expression in Iran. (Cheers and applause.)

You know, despite the regime’s clear record of aggression, America and other countries have spent years straining to identify a political moderate. It’s like an Iranian unicorn. (Laughter.) The regime’s revolutionary goals and willingness to commit violent acts haven’t produced anyone to lead Iran that can be remotely called a moderate or a statesman.

Some believe that President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif fit that bill. The truth is they are merely polished front men for the ayatollahs’ international con artistry. Their nuclear deal didn’t make them moderates; it made them wolves in sheep’s clothing. Governments around the world worry that confronting the Islamic Republic harms the cause of moderates, but these so-called moderates within the regime are still violent Islamic revolutionaries with an anti-America, anti-West agenda. You only have to take their own words for it. And for that matter, the evidence reveals that their agenda is a anti-Iran agenda as well.

The regime’s absolute adherence to the Islamic Revolution mean it cannot endure any ideas in the Iranian society that would contradict or undermine it – unlike we just did here this evening. It’s why the regime has for decades heartlessly repressed its own people’s human rights, dignity, and fundamental freedoms.

It’s why the Iranian police detained a teenage Iranian gymnast for posting an Instagram video of herself dancing.

It’s why the regime arrests hundreds of Ahwazis, members of Iran’s minority Arab community, when they speak out to demand respect for their language and for their basic beliefs. The government’s morality police beat women in the streets and arrest those who do not wish to wear the hijab.

On “White Wednesday” activist recently – one activist was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison for protesting compulsory hijab wearing.

The desire to uphold the Islamic Revolution has especially resulted in gross suppression of the freedom of religion in Iran, often to barbaric ends.

Last month, a simple man, a bus driver, a father of two children, and a member of the Iranian Gonabadi Sufi Dervish Community, was convicted and sentenced to death. His sentence came on questionable grounds following violent clashes between security forces and the Dervishes. He was reportedly denied access to a lawyer before, during – before and during his grossly unfair trial. This man, Mr. Salas – and his supporters – maintains his innocence throughout, reportedly stating he had been tortured into a forced confession. Sadly, on June 18th, the regime hanged Mr. Salas in prison.

His death was part of a larger crackdown that began in February, when at least 300 Sufis demanding the release of their fellow faith members were unjustly arrested. Right now, hundreds of Sufi Muslims in Iran remain imprisoned on account of their religious beliefs, with reports of several having died at the hands of the regime’s brutal security forces.

Among those imprisoned is the 91-year-old leader, Dr. Noor Ali Tabandeh, who has been under house arrest for at least the last part of four months – the greatest part of four months. He is in need of immediate medical care.

The religious intolerance of the regime in Iran does not only extend to Sufi Muslims. The same goes for Christians and Jews and Sunnis and Baha’is and Zoroastrians and members of many other groups inside Iran who live with the fear that their next prayer may be indeed their last.

What grieves us so badly about the treatment of religious minorities in Iran is that their presence far pre-dates the regime. They are a historic part of the rich fabric of an ancient and vibrant Iranian civilization. That fabric has been torn by intolerant, black-robed enforcers. When other faiths are suppressed, the image of Iran becomes a self-portrait of the ayatollahs and of the IRGC.

In response to myriad government failures, corruption, and disrespect of rights, since December Iranians have been taking to the streets in the most enduring and forceful protests since 1979. Some shout the slogan, “The people are paupers while the mullahs live like gods.” Others choose to shut down the Grand Bazaar in Tehran. The specific grievances do differ, but all those voicing dissatisfaction share one thing: They have been ill-treated by a revolutionary regime. Iranians want to be governed with dignity, accountability, and respect. (Applause.)

The regime – this is important. The regime’s brutal response to these peaceful protests reflects the intolerance that its revolutionary worldview has produced. Last January, the regime welcomed in the new year with the arrests of up to 5,000 of its own people. They were peacefully calling for a better life. Hundreds reportedly remain behind bars, and several are dead at the hands of their own government. The leaders cynically call it suicide.

Overall, it is clear the regime’s ideology has led many Iranians to be angry they cannot call their homeland a “normal” country.

They know that a constitution that enshrines the export of Islamic revolution and the destruction of its neighbors and the restriction of citizenship is not normal.

Ordinary Iranians know that their government’s torture of its own people is not normal.

Earning multiple rounds of sanctions by the UN Security Council is not normal.

Inciting chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” is not normal.

Being the number one state sponsor of terror is similarly abnormal.

Sometimes it seems the world has become desensitized to the regime’s authoritarianism at home and its campaigns of violence abroad, but the proud Iranian people are not staying silent about their government’s many abuses.

And the United States under President Trump will not stay silent either. (Applause.)

In light of these protests and 40 years of regime tyranny, I have a message for the people of Iran: The United States hears you; the United States supports you; the United States is with you.

When the United States sees the shoots of liberty pushing up through rocky soil we pledge our solidarity, because we too took a hard first step towards becoming a free country a few years back.

Right now, the United States is undertaking a diplomatic and financial pressure campaign to cut off the funds that the regime uses to enrich itself and support death and destruction. (Applause.) We have an obligation to put maximum pressure on the regime’s ability to generate and move money, and we will do so.

At the center of this campaign is the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran’s banking and energy sectors.

As we have explained over the last few weeks, our focus is to work with countries importing Iranian crude oil to get imports as close to zero as possible by November 4th. Zero.

Recently – (applause). Recently, as part of this campaign, we designated the Bahraini Shia militia terrorist organization Saraya al-Ashtar, and with the UAE we have jointly disrupted a currency exchange network that was transferring millions of dollars to the IRGC.

And there’s more to come. Regime leaders – especially those at the top of the IRGC and the Quds Force like Qasem Soleimani – must be made to feel painful consequences of their bad decision making. (Applause.) We are asking every nation, every nation who is sick and tired of the Islamic Republic’s destructive behavior, to join our pressure campaign. This especially goes for our allies in the Middle East and Europe, people who have themselves been terrorized by violent regime’s activity for decades.

And you should know that the United States is not afraid to spread our message on the airwaves and online inside of Iran either. (Applause.) For 40 years the Iranian people have heard from their leaders that America is the “Great Satan.” We do not believe they are interested in hearing the fake news any longer. (Laughter and applause.)

Today, one in four Iranians – 14 million people – watches or listens to U.S. Government broadcasts each week. And it’s more important than ever now to refute the regime’s lies and repeat our deep desire for friendship with the Iranian people. Right now, our U.S. Board – Broadcasting Board of Governors is taking new steps to help Iranians get around internet censorship as well. The BBG is also launching a new 24/7 Farsi-language TV channel. It will span not only television, but radio, digital, and social media format, so that the ordinary Iranians inside of Iran and around the globe can know that America stands with them. (Applause.)

And finally – and finally, America is unafraid to expose human rights violations and support those who are being silenced.

We continue to raise our concerns over the Islamic Republic’s dire record of human rights abuses each time we speak at the UN and with our partners who maintain diplomatic relations with that country. We make it clear that the world is watching, and as the regime continues to make its own people the longest-suffering victims, we will not stand silent. (Applause.)

And now we call on everyone here in the audience and our international partners to help us shine a spotlight on the regime’s abuses and to support the Iranian people.

The goal of our efforts is to one day see Iranians in Iran enjoying the same quality of life that Iranians in America enjoy. (Cheers and applause.)

Iranians in America enjoy all the freedoms secured by their government, not trampled by it. They are free to pursue economic opportunities they believe are best for them and their families, and they can be proud of their country and practice their faiths in the way they desire.

There are a few individuals with us I want to highlight tonight who embody what we hope for the Iranian people.

Goli Ameri came to the United States as a freshman at Stanford and has founded successful companies and has served at the State Department and at the UN.

Susan Azizzadeh was forced to leave everything behind and come here in 1979. Today she is the leader of the Iranian American Jewish Federation. (Cheers and applause.)

Makan Delrahim – I think I saw him – came to America with his family when he was just 10 years old. (Applause.) He is now the Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice – quite amazing. (Applause.)

We hope that the successes of Goli and Susan and Makan and the many others American – Iranian Americans among the diaspora in the United States remind all Iranians of what is possible under a government that respects its people and governs with accountability. Iranians should not have to flee their homeland to find a better life. (Applause.)

While it is ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine the direction of their country, the United States, in the spirit of our own freedoms, will support the long-ignored voice of the Iranian people. Our hope is that ultimately the regime will make meaningful changes in its behavior both inside of Iran and globally. As President Trump has said, we’re willing to talk with the regime in Iran, but relief from American pressure will come only when we see tangible, demonstrated, and sustained shifts in Tehran’s policies.

I thought I’d close tonight in a perfectly appropriate way by invoking the words of a man who routinely made the case for freedom and respect far more eloquently than I ever could, President Ronald Reagan. In 1982 – (applause).

In 1982, President Reagan gave a speech to the British Parliament that became known as the Westminster address. He urged other Western governments to support those around the world trying to break free of tyranny and injustice. His reason why was simple and powerful. He said, “Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable right and universal right of every human being.”

This is why we also call on all governments to end their flirtations with a revolutionary regime and come quickly to the aid of the Iranian people. (Applause.) On that same day in those same remarks, President Reagan said, “Let us ask ourselves: ‘What kind of people do we think we are?’ And let us answer, ‘Free people, worthy of freedom, and determined not only to remain so, but to help others gain their freedom as well.’”

Today, the United States condemns oppression levied on the Iranian people by those who rule unjustly, and we proudly amplify the voices of those in Iran longing to have those inalienable and universal human rights cease to be ignored and instead to be honored. We do so knowing that many in the streets and marketplaces speak for those who the regime has permanently silenced over the years – who may even have been loved ones who are in the audience tonight.

It’s America’s hope that the next 40 years of Iran’s history will not be marked by repression and fear – but with freedom and fulfillment – for the Iranian people.

Thank you. (Applause.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, you’ve answered all the questions.

SECRETARY POMPEO: We’ll take another swing. Thank you.

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, Mr. Secretary, I had some questions for you, but you actually answered almost all of them quite eloquently.

SECRETARY POMPEO: We’ll see if I can give the same answer when I’m not – got remarks in front of me. (Laughter.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, let me just start with this one. Is it realistic to think that the Iranian people will ever regain control of their country in what we would term the foreseeable future?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Of course. (Applause.) Well, of course. Of course. I always remind those who think it’s not possible or think the time horizon will be measured in centuries not hours, I always remind them that things change. There are disjunctive moments. There are times when things happen that are unexpected, unanticipated. Our revolution would be one of them. I could go on. You all could name them, too.

We don’t know the right moment. We don’t know the day that the behavior of the Iranian regime will change. But we do know the things that the world is obligated to do so that when the right time comes, when the right moment comes, that opportunity is even more likely to find its fulfillment.

GOVERNOR WILSON: Would you synthesize your excellent speech and really in a few words say what you think the best way to effect that change within the Iranian Government is and how the Trump administration is helping the Iranian people in their struggle to become freed from this current tyrannical administration there?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So President Trump has been absolutely unequivocal on this not only in the message but in the fact that this is a real priority for the administration as well. I think that’s important. One could have a objective, but if one doesn’t rank it sufficiently high attention spans are short and resources limited. The President has put this as something he considers to be incredibly important.

The mission set for our team is clear. It’s to deny the Iranian leadership the resources, the wealth, the funds, the capacity to continue to foment terrorism around the world and to deny the people inside of Iran the freedoms that they so richly deserve. How’s that in 30 seconds? (Laughter.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: That’s pretty good. (Applause.) There is a perception among some that Iranians, including students and including legitimate visitors, can’t obtain U.S. visas because of a travel ban. Would you clarify what U.S. policy is regarding what we will call Iranian civil society visitors?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Sure, I’d be happy to do that. So President Trump has made clear with respect to a number of countries that weren’t providing us with sufficient information that we had risks of American security that we were going to do our best to work with those countries to develop the information that we needed. Iran continues to deny us the basic data-sharing systems that hundreds of countries – or, excuse me, dozens and dozens of countries have already provided us. We would like Iran to do that.

We still allow students to come in. There are many students. I’m sure there are students here tonight who are Iranians who are here studying. We welcome that. But this administration does have as one of its primary policies to make sure that we appropriately vet all those who come to the nation so that we can keep our country safe. That’s the plan. That’s the policy. (Applause.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, on perhaps an unduly optimistic note, what could be a basis for reconciliation between the United States and Iran?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So it’s always possible. (Laughter.) And the President has made clear the fact that – I shouldn’t have joked. The President has made clear he would love that, he would welcome that. I’ve now made three trips to Pyongyang, a regime that has treated its citizens in way that also denies them their freedoms.

The President has said if we can get this change, if we can get the leadership to make a strategic decision about how to ensure its well-being and the well-being of its peoples, that we’re prepared to have a conversation and to discuss how that might proceed. The President has stated at least once, perhaps more than once, that he is prepared to do that with the leadership in Iran, but not until such time as there are demonstrable, tangible, irreversible changes in the Iranian regime that I don’t see happening today. But I live in hope. (Applause.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: And what would be your advice for students – hopefully many in the audience today – who will be interested in being part of that effort and seek a career at the State Department? How can they best prepare and what challenges should they anticipate?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So we welcome all hardworking, talented patriotic folks to come be part of a great diplomatic team in the United States. It’s an incredible honor. I’m now 12 weeks, almost to the day, as the Secretary of State. The team is fantastic. My wisdom for them is no different than the same wisdom I gave my son. If he was here he’d be rolling his eyes about now. (Laughter.)

Work hard, study, tell the truth every place you go. We have lots of folks who speak different languages who have spent time in other countries who have been able to learn about other cultures. It’s critically important that we get that skill set at the State Department. Those are the kinds of things that young people who want a wonderful, exciting, rewarding, important career working as an American diplomat ought to think about doing as they move their way through college and beyond and we welcome. Go to state.gov. It’s easy to find. We’ve got lots of great places for talented young Americans to come be part of our great team. (Applause.)

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, Mr. Secretary, you have been quite clear, and it’s, I think, clear to all of us who are privileged to be in this audience and in this house dedicated to the preservation and the enhancement of the Ronald Reagan legacy that you understand it better than perhaps anybody I’ve come across in a long time. (Applause.)

We, I think, both remember that at a critical time in the history of this country he said, with a smile, “Trust, but verify.” (Laughter.) And it seems to me that’s your message very clearly, and we thank you for the distinguished service that you have given from the moment that you left the Point, number one in your class. I find that quite impressive. (Applause.) And whoever that opponent was against whom you were playing basketball at Los Amigos, I think he would have to say when he said, “Well, he made the most of what he could,” you made the most of a very generous helping from the good Lord of brains and courage and directness. We are lucky to have you.

SECRETARY POMPEO: Thank you, Pete. That’s very kind. (Applause.) Thank you, thank you. That’s very kind.

GOVERNOR WILSON: Well, it’s sincere.

SECRETARY POMPEO: That’s very, very kind. Thank you, sir. (Applause.) [link]

This was all very predictable:

Jul 23 2018

Trump Revolution Spreads to Democrats & They Miss the Point of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Jul 23, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

The Trump Revolution has clearly now spread to the Democrats. People do not understand that the Trump Revolution is NOT about a particular philosophy. It is about just throwing those in power out. The year 1933 was the same thing. That year saw the extreme-right elect Hitler, the left elect Franklin Roosevelt, and the extreme-left put Mao and communism in power. It did not matter then and as we head into 2019, this will be 86 years from 1933 so expect more dramatic political changes as we have seen in Malaysia, Catalonia, Hungary, and Italy. We should also not forget BREXIT as it enters the critical year 2019.

People are rising up against career politicians on both sides of the political spectrum. In New York City, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old who’s never held elected office and was a waitress/bartender, ousted New York City Congressman Joe Crowley in the primary. This has really shaken up the Democrats. Crowley had been considered to be a candidate to become House speaker if Democrats win the majority in November. Now the California Democratic Party issued a stunning rebuke of Senator Dianne Feinstein by decisively handing their official endorsement to State Senator Kevin de Leon, who has been the longshot Democratic challenger against Feinstein. Yet Alexandria has no experience in anything to contribute. She was a bartender and co-workers claim she was greedy, which seems to be a curious trait of socialists for they eye-up what other people have and want to take it with the rule of law.

Of course, Feinstein will be THE oldest politician in Congress. She refuses to step down but the establishment Democrats are facing the Trump Revolution themselves. After the primary victory of 28-year-old Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democrats see this as a new lease on life. The fact that she is a socialist, this is what the Democrats have focused on. They think she won simply because of her political stand against capitalism instead of the fact that the people voted for her because they are sick and tired of career politicians regardless of their political philosophy.

This is the danger I see directly in Washington. As I have said before, there are no mirrors. Consequently, they look at Bernie Sanders who they cheated out of the nomination to stuff Hillary in the White House and now Alexandria. They conclude they want more socialism rather than they do not want career politicians. This will result in the Democrats moving EXTREME-LEFT because they cannot understand what this Trump Revolution is really about – THEM

Jul 23 2018

Oh My, This is Either A Sting -OR- The Most Corrupt U.S. Dept of Justice in History…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

I don’t believe in coincidences, especially not when they are THIS STARK.   Consider:

From June 8th – The indictment of former senior senate intelligence committee staffer James Wolfe is filled with information to highlight a much bigger picture. [Indictment pdf here] CTH has continually stated the SSCI is one of the most corrupt committees in congress.  It did not come as a surprise to see the staff from this specific committee leaking secret and top-secret classified information.  The committee rots from the head down.

From Page #6 of the Wolfe indictment:

Notice how the document is described.

Now Look at the Date of the COPY of the FISA application against Carter Page as released:

Back to the Wolfe indictment:

The document described above in the indictment of James Wolfe is the FISA application of Carter Page, released to the public yesterday.

We already know from prior reporting and research that Male #1 is Carter Page.  We already know that Reporter #2 is Ms. Ali Watkins.  We now know the document that James Wolfe leaked to Ali Watkins, and the content therein, was the October 21, 2016, FISA application of Carter Page [Copied to the SSCI on March 17,2017].

What is new, is the knowledge this copy of the FISA application was requested by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and submitted to the executive branch via the FISA court on March 17th, 2017.

The Senate Intelligence Committee was the leak sourcing for the information within the FISA application.   Yes, but more stunningly…. the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence had this FISA application since March 2017.

Why did the SSCI request the Carter Page FISA application?

This is way before any of the competing Nunes and Schiff memos in Jan/Feb 2018.  Heck, the Senate Intel Committee had the FISA application on March, 17, 2017, before Robert Mueller was in the picture.  March 17th is two days after James Comey testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee: Didn’t believe Mike Flynn lied (March 15th).

The Senate Intelligence Committee, the most corrupt committee in congress (Chairman Burr and Vice-Chair Warner) orders and receives the FISA application.

And what was Vice-Chairman Senator Mark Warner doing at the exact time this FISA application was delivered to the Senate Intelligence Committee?

Why, he was only making secret and off-the-record contact with Christopher Steele. (read and scroll):

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/371101285/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-pMEa6x5I0qt6SU7fudq7

(Media Story)

But wait…. it gets worse.

Based on the James Wolfe indictment we know the DOJ was aware of the leaking of the FISA application since at least mid-December 2017.

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

Let that sink in.

The U.S. Department of Justice has known, with certainty, since December of last year, that the United States Senate Intelligence Committee had leaked the content of a classified FISA application to the media.

Again, let this stunning revelation simmer intellectually and reflect upon it.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is one of the most politically corrupt committees in congress. This is the committee where:

•Dianne Feinstein was Vice-Chair in 2016, and her former staffer, Dan Jones, is heavily involved in Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele. [See Here]  By position Feinstein was on the Gang-of-Eight during the 2016 CIA, DOJ and FBI Counterintelligence Operation.  The same Feinstein that arbitrarily released the testimony of Glenn Simpson in 2018 without discussing with anyone [See Here]

•Mark Warner took over as Vice-Chair in 2017 and was involved in covert attempts to contact Christopher Steele [See Here]  By position Warner is currently on the Gang-of-Eight, and participated in the DOJ-NSD, FBI and efforts of the Mueller investigation.  The same Mark Warner who demanded the FBI and DOJ must not comply with document production for congressional oversight [See Here]

•Richard Burr was/is the Chairman of the Committee and was an active participant in all of the CIA, DOJ-NSD and FBI operations past and present.  Not accidentally Burr and Warner wrote a committee report supporting the Russian Collusion Narrative.

The entire committee has been transparently compromised for years.  Even James Comey refused to meet with the committee.  If you review the names on the committee you will note the alignment of Never-Trumpers and secret Sea Island meeting participants.  So it doesn’t come as a surprise to see the DOJ looking into unauthorized releases of information coming from within the committee and/or staff connected to the committee.

The darkest part of the corrupt intelligence community hangs over the Senate Intelligence Committee like an ever-present cloud destined to block sunlight.  Bad, corrupt and sketchy stuff goes on inside this committee

Oh, this story ain’t nowhere near finished yet….  NOT EVEN CLOSE.

Allow me to repeat for emphasis:

The U.S. Department of Justice has known, with certainty, since December of last year, that the United States Senate Intelligence Committee had leaked the content of a classified FISA application to the media.

As you review the FISA Application again, keep this in mind.  Despite their being released as one FISA dispatch, each of the segments -original application and each renewal- should be considered distinct and separate.

  • Why did the IC release the 3/17/17 copy of the FISA application?
  • [The release copy that was purposed for, and given to, the SSCI]
  • Why use this copy?
  • Who exactly released this?

I have a pretty good idea, but prudence dictates caution.

Stay tuned.

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RESOURCES:

The Wolfe Indictment

The FISA Application

The Bigger Story Behind the Wolfe Indictment

The Story Inside the FISA Application

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https://www.scribd.com/embeds/384380664/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-V5JqoILhPOBEswhMeqyl

Jul 22 2018

Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte Discusses Fraudulent/Misleading FISA Application…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte is deeply connected to the investigation on the specifics of the FISA abuse.  The House Judiciary Committee has primary oversight over the FISA Court and the use therein by the DOJ.   Additionally, Bob Goodlatte and FISC Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer have exchanged letters, and inquiries, relating to the FISA application against U.S. Person Carter Page.  We now know Collyer was the original FISC judge who approved the sketchy and misrepresented FISA application.

Earlier today Goodlatte joined Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures to discuss the Carter Page FISA Warrant, all it’s redactions, and plans to proceed. Additionally Chairman Goodlatte discusses John Brennan, James Comey, and Loretta Lynch being sought for questioning on their actions during the 2016 Presidential Election; as well as compliance responses from Peter Strzok, Rod Rosenstein and Lisa Page.

The current DOJ and FBI elements of the intelligence community are only slightly less corrupt internally than they were prior to the Trump inauguration. Institutionally they are still full of corrupt individuals; and administratively they are managed by people concerned about retaining/protecting the institutions – not eliminating the corruption. In our ongoing opinion this institutional emphasis is misplaced and misguided at best, and complicit at worst; likely more the latter.

Jul 22 2018

Alan Dershowitz Discusses Fraudulent FISA Application…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

Please permit my indulgence to stand alone and state an entirely different context:

Despite the popular and repeated presentation, the FISA application release was not the result of a FOIA lawsuit; rather, the existence of a FOIA lawsuit provided the opportunity for the release of FISC documents.

Now, here’s uncomfy Alan Dershowitz:

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Be careful what you wish for Mr. Dershowitz, you might not like where it ends.

Jul 22 2018

Thank You John Brennan, Sally Yates, James Comey and Ash Carter….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

Because WITHOUT THIS we would never have THIS:

And Thank You Dan Coats, yet again….

Despite our frustration, things are progressing.

[…]  in a rather unusual way, an elevated urgency in attack formation by the Scheme Team; their UniParty allies in the DC swamp; and their media advocates writ large; might end up pushing Trump toward a position where he decides to unleash the atomic sledgehammer of truth and declassify material that will finally outline the plot publicly.

One thing is sure, Trump won’t quit the fight; I’m not sure they realize that… yet.  So in an odd way, and specifically because there’s an abundant amount of material available for declassification that can highlight the fraud, I find myself happy to see the increased vitriol.   Example: Think about what would happen if Trump took away the redactions from the April 2017 FISA Court Order/Ruling on the 2015/2016 FISA abuse.

As President Trump noted in his interview with Maria Bartiromo recently, his ‘advisers’ have all recommended he stay away from the ongoing congressional battles against current FBI and DOJ officials.   The one thing that can change the geography of that dynamic is if the schemers (being protected by the career officials) begin taking ground.

One thing is sure, amid the timely coordination between Team Mueller and the former officials the desperation is more visible.  And when an increased desperation is visible, that generally means there’s something closer to the surface that needs to be hidden.  (link)

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/384380664/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-V5JqoILhPOBEswhMeqyl

Jul 22 2018

Andrew McCarthy Discusses The Stunningly Scant and Manipulated FISA Application….


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

Andrew McCarthy appears on Fox weekend to discuss the released FISA Court application used to obtain and conduct Title-1 active surveillance on U.S. Person Carter Page.

McCarthy’s response is worth watching because he only recently (May) red-pilled himself and realized how corrupt the DOJ and FBI had actually become.  Prior to May of this year he was defending/reconciling every new detail to the benefit of DOJ/FBI.

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Jul 22 2018

A Review of the DOJ/FBI FISA Application Release…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 22, 2018 by

Having read, re-read and re-re-read, the recent FISA application release, here’s my take at both the 30,000 ft and granular level.

First, the elevated review is actually more interesting than the granular, which is remarkably odd considering how far we have traveled with this story.

Why publicly release the FISA application?  After all, even with the voluminous redactions, it is very unusual and it would have been exceptionally easy to deny any FOIA request under the auspices of national security.  To highlight this question, consider how stunned Fran Townsend was at the release: “Having run The Justice Dept office responsible for #FISA The release of these documents is irresponsible & will irreversibly weaken counterintelligence & Counterterrorism investigations going forward.”

Here is where a similar, I would say parallel, release will be overlooked.  Remember, it was April 2017 when ODNI Dan Coats released the 99-page FISA Court ruling/opinion on the historic 2015/2016 FISA abuse by the FBI and DOJ-NSD.  That release, like this one, while also heavily redacted, seemed out-of-custom for the intelligence apparatus.  Coincidentally FISA Court Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer is a central figure in both releases.

In the 2017 FISC abuse opinion release, Judge Collyer wrote the ruling.  In this 2018 FISA application release, Judge Collyer was the authorizing FISC authority granting the Title-1 search warrant.  In an odd way, there’s a particular appearance of connectivity here.  For those who are unfamiliar, FISA material is not subject to FOIA; everything connected to FISA and the FISC is considered “classified” at the origination. [Remember that.]

You see, it was July 17th (a few days ago) when the Comey, Brennan, Yates, Carter criticisms were on full boil (due to the Trump/Putin presser), when I began to wonder when DNI Coats would reach the point –AGAIN– of saying ‘enough is enough’?  My suspicions were that something was soon to happen… because the ridiculousness of it all was nearing the apex.  Methinks this FISA release is in line with that general disposition.

Anyone who thinks this FISA application release is not a big deal has not followed the details, and does not comprehend what is attested to within the FISA application.  But that’s in the granular…. for now, let’s stick to the 30,000 ft review.

The overall FISA application is ridiculously short on substance, and generally is a long way from providing the evidence needed for Title-1 surveillance authority over a U.S. person.  In fact, the FISA application is very sloppy… almost as if it wasn’t a priority to have a solid and defensible document.  I think there’s a simple reason for that.

After all, the DOJ and FBI never thought anyone would ever be looking at this issue; they thought Hillary Clinton was going to win. To quote the disposition of FBI Counterintelligence Agent Peter Strzok: “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office that there’s no way he gets elected – but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk. It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”  Key word: “unlikely“, they never contemplated -until later- the full scope of justification that would be needed…. they were setting up something no-one really thought would need to be utilized…. all of the legal apoplexy and ass-covering came in hindsight.

So when we review the FISA application, it is worth reminding yourself this was a tool, a temporary means to an end, they never thought they would actually need…. so they didn’t spend a great deal of time hammering out the finer points.  The political surveillance was useful, but it was likely never to be known how it was utilized.  Ms. Lisa Page was focused on empowering Hillary Clinton, stupid -albeit useful and obnoxiously arrogant- Pete was in charge of the less-than and likely unneeded insurance.

We begin to get increasingly granular now:

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/384380664/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-V5JqoILhPOBEswhMeqyl

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Context:  The current DOJ and FBI elements of the intelligence community are only slightly less corrupt internally than they were prior to the Trump inauguration.  Institutionally they are still full of corrupt individuals; and administratively they are managed by people concerned about retaining the institutions – not eliminating the corruption.  In our ongoing opinion this institutional emphasis is misplaced and misguided at best, and complicit at worst; likely more the latter.

This context frames the very first identifiable issue with the release: why redact the dates?  There appears to be a purposeful set of date redactions in this release.  There is no “sources or methods” reason to redact the dates…. which leads to the second issue: why release a March 17, 2017, copy [see FISC Clerk stamp] of the original October 2016 FISA application material (the only date not redacted):

♦Why did the FISC send the DOJ a copy of the FISA application in March 2017?  This copy was not sent to file a renewal, the first renewal was in January 2017.   So why is the release using a March 17th issued copy from the FISC, to present the original October 2016 application?   Secondly, why are the filing dates for the next three sets of renewal documents all redacted?  [There is a purpose here…. CTH has suspicions]

♦Haphazard/Conflicting construct.  For this first take I defer to Mr. Piddles eloquence:

First, page #2. They say outright: “The target of this application [Page] IS an agent of a foreign power”. Emphasis mine.

Second, page #4. They spell out their definition of a “foreign agent” — basically, somebody who KNOWINGLY engages in clandestine intelligence activities for a foreign power, or who KNOWINGLY conspires with others to do the same.

Then in the very next paragraph they say: “This application targets Carter Page. [According to page #2, a known foreign agent] The FBI believes Page has been the subject of TARGETED RECRUITMENT by the Russian Government …”. As always, emphasis mine.

How the F*CK can Page be a “foreign agent” who KNOWINGLY engaged in activities FOR A FOREIGN POWER, but at the same time be a “target for recruitment” by THE SAME FOREIGN POWER??????

He’s either RECRUITED. Or he’s NOT RECRUITED. He can’t be both. Duh.

WTF? Or maybe all this comes down to what the meaning of the word “is” is. As in Carter Page IS an agent of a foreign power.

A very righteous opinion. Though remember: (1) this was part of the insurance policy aspect the DOJ/FBI never fathomed they would have to justify in detail; and (2) FISA stuff is classified, the DOJ/FBI never thought it would see the light of day.

Remember also, oddly, and damned sure not coincidentally, Carter Page was an FBI asset in March of 2016…. and yet somehow by October the same year he was a foreign agent, acting on behalf of mother Russia, and deserving of a FISA Title-1 Surveillance Warrant to ensure every second of every move was tracked and monitored as if he was an activated terrorist en-route to the detonation site:

(Full Memo pdf)

In 2013 the U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of New York, announced an indictment against a Russian Operative Evgeny Buryakov.  LINK HERE  In March of 2016 Buryakov pleaded GUILTY: Carter Page was an FBI cooperating asset in 2013, and remained the primary FBI witness through May of 2016 throughout the duration of the Buryakov case.

If Carter Page was an FBI asset and witness, responsible for the bust of a high level Russian agent in 2013, and remained so throughout the court case UP TO May of 2016, how the f**k it is possible that on October 21st, 2016, Carter Page is put under a FISA Title-1 surveillance warrant as an alleged Russian agent?

Conclusion:  He wasn’t.

The DOJ National Security Division and the FBI Counterintelligence Division, knew he wasn’t a Russian agent.  The DOJ-NSD and FBI  flat-out LIED to the FISA court.

Now, go back to the March 2016 DOJ Press Release of the guilty pleading for Evgeny Buryakov, announced from the New York office:

…”Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced”…

Because “FISA Title-I” surveillance authority against a U.S. citizen is so serious (the U.S. government is essentially calling the target a spy), only a few people are authorized to even apply for such surveillance warrants.

One of the four people authorized to make such a filing is the Asst. Attorney General who is head of the National Security Division of the DOJ.  At the time that person was John P Carlin.  The same John P Carlin who worked with the FBI counterintelligence unit, conscripted Carter Page as an FBI asset/witness, gained a guilty plea, then turned around six months later accuses their star witness of being a Russian Spy?

Think about this?

Apply common sense.

Why?  Likely because the DOJ-National Security Division (DOJ-NSD) and FBI Counterintelligence needed to find a legal way to spy on the Trump campaign. The 2016 FISA Title 1 surveillance of former FBI employee Carter Page became that legal way. [“The Insurance Policy”]

In October of 2016, at approximately the same time the DOJ was making the FISA Court filing against Page, and successfully gaining the surveillance warrant, Asst. Attorney General  John P Carlin resigned as head of the DOJ-NSD.    –SEE HERE–  Did Carlin resign in protest? or, did Carlin resign knowing he too had served a larger purpose?

Occam’s Razor: The FISA Title I surveillance authority over Carter Page was cover, most likely retroactive cover, for the DOJ and FBI conducting surveillance on the Trump campaign.  Previous to the October 21st, 2016, FISA Warrant the FBI was limited to using illegal searches of FISA(702)(16)(17) FBI and NSA databases {see here}; and according to the New York Times: “National Security Letters”.

National Security Letters are a type of administrative subpoena designed to allow the FBI to access the records of people suspected of being foreign agents. Section 505 of the Patriot Act expanded the FBI’s ability to use these subpoenas: FBI agents now only have to state that the information sought is “relevant” to a national security investigation in order to obtain sensitive financial, communications and other personal records. The letters are issued by FBI field offices and are not subject to judicial oversight. Recipients of these letters are under a gag order. (link)

The DOJ-National Security Division and FBI Counterintelligence Unit didn’t care about Carter Page because to them he was a useful tool.  It wasn’t Page they needed, per se’, they just needed someone, anyone, who had contact with the Trump campaign that they could apply the label “foreign agent” upon.  After all, it’s only a damn insurance policy etc.

♦ OK, for the next part I’m going to quote Ristvan (and expand):

Read thru the key parts quickly. Several notable facts.
•P. 2 Nunes is correct, the initiating ‘info’ came from State.
•P. 5 The ‘instigator’ was Clapper.
•P. 8. Timing onset suspicions confirmed. The ‘surveillance’ started 3/16, NOT with the official opening of ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ on 7/31/16.
•P. 53 ‘verified in accordance with FBI 4/5/2001 policy.’ NOT. Both Comey and McCabe testified under oath to congress otherwise.
•Pp. 63 and 65. Attested to by Comey and Yates. Both in violation of 18USC1018, felonious false attestation by federal officials.

The heavy redactions do NOT obscure the basic illegality of this FISA application. A BIG DEAL.

Ristvan did a great job boiling down the crux of the issue, and outlining the most damaging aspects.

♦ Page #2: The initiating information came from the U.S. State Dept:

♦ Page #5: The instigator was ODNI James Clapper:

The funny thing is, James Clapper didn’t even know he was in the FISA application…. and you know what,… I believe him.  Why? Because he’s a complete doofus and the people pulling off this FISA fraud/scheme wouldn’t want him to actually be a part of it.  Secondly, Clapper published this in January, 2017:

(link)

♦ Page #8  The FISA application shows ‘surveillance’ started March 2016, referencing a meeting with George Papadopoulos -sourced from Christopher Steele- NOT with the official opening of ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ on 7/31/16.

Again, sloppy in hindsight to use Christopher Steele and Stephan Halper for these tenuous at best justifications, but they never anticipated having to justify any of this.

♦ Page #53 ‘verified in accordance with FBI 4/5/2001 policy.’

No, actually, the FBI did not review this verified application for accuracy.  Quite the contrary: Both James Comey and Andrew McCabe testified under oath to congress the content of the Steele Dossier, Chris Steele, FBI source #1, was never verified for accuracy.

They might have made this affirmation on the application; but in answering questions about the dossier that underpins the application they stated exactly the opposite.

♦ Pages #63 and #65.  This FISA application is attested to by FBI Director James Comey and Asst Attorney General Sally Yates.  Both swear on the authenticity of the information  in violation of 18USC1018, felonious false attestation by federal officials.

•On page #15 they attest the FBI is unaware of any derogatory information about Source #1 Christopher Steele.  However, they knew when they filed this application that Chris Steele was shopping the information to the media and talking to Fusion GPS, his employer, and to media outlets.

•The FBI knew the Clinton Campaign was paying for the dossier yet they never informed the court of the political motive behind Christopher Steele.

•The FBI knew they were using media articles (page 21, 22, 24) that were entirely the outcome of their own leaks to the media.  On page #23 the FBI correctly states their opinion that Chris Steele was *not* the source of one of the articles; however, they only knew that because the FBI *was* the source of the article. They cited their own leaks as confirmation for the original application.

There is one original application in October of 2016, and three subsequent renewals (Jan, April, June, 2017).  Each is valid for 90 days.  Curiously the June 2017 renewal was filed a month earlier than needed.  This is the one signed by Rod Rosenstein.  Why the rush?

Additionally, other than a February 2017 letter to the DOJ by Carter Page about Hillary Clinton, there is nothing new in the three follow-ups which would legally validate any reason to renew or continue the intrusive surveillance.

We suspect the final renewal (Rosenstein/McCabe) a month early was due to the IG conducting his investigation in the background and discovering the motives and text messages with Lisa Page and Peter Strzok.

It is likely Rosenstein/Mueller rushed to extend the FISA knowing bad news was inbound from the IG that might disrupt plans for the insurance policy.

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https://www.scribd.com/embeds/384380664/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-V5JqoILhPOBEswhMeqyl

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Jul 22 2018

Coins of the Siege of Masada


Armstrong Economics Blog/Ancient History

Re-Posted Jul 22, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

 

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I tried to search to see if the Romans ever issued any coins to announce the victory over Masada. I did not find any mention of Masada and coins whatsoever. I assumed if anybody knew it must be you. Were there any coins to commemorate that event?

BK

 

ANSWER: No. The battle for Masada was necessary politically. The Judaean War was already declared to be a victory with the destruction of the Temple and conquest of Jerusalem in 70AD. Masada fell three years later in 73AD. The Roman governor of Judaea, Lucius Flavius Silva, headed the Roman legion X Fretensis and laid siege to Masada. The Tenth Legion was created by Octavian in 41/40BC and was created during the Civil War at that point in time. The Tenth Legion was very distinguished for it was named after the Tenth Legion formed by Julius Caesar and its symbol was that of a bull which was the holy animal of the goddess Venus, which was supposed to be the goddess of the Julian clan. The Tenth Legion fought against Sextus Pompey but later it also fought with Octavian against Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

Flavius Silva wanted a truce. But there were factions in the Roman Senate that used Judaea as a political tool of power against the new emperor Vespasian (69-79AD) who had won the Civil War after Nero’s death. Like the press today who seem to be begging for war by constantly painting Russia as the enemy, the exact same process was taking place in Rome. This forced Vespasian into going after Masada. They were using the Jews as a sign of weakness just as CNN uses Russia against Trump today. It was the political opponents of Vespasian who forced him to deny a truce and to lay siege to Masada. The press in the USA also created the Spanish-American War. Today, we have CNN leading the charge to create World War III because their champion Hillary lost the election.

You will find Vespasian coins in all metals announcing the victory over Judaea in 70AD. There were no coins to proudly announce the victory over Masada three years later. The only coins you can attribute to the siege of Masada are bronze coins of the former Emperor Nero (54-68AD) counter-stamped with “X” which was Legion X that was stationed in Judaea during the conquest. These two coins counter-stamped “X” are quite rare. They obviously cannot be prior to Nero and the coins were not new when counter-stamped. Legion X Fretensis and V Macedonica were sent to Alexandria, Egypt in 66AD in preparation for an invasion of Ethiopia planned by Nero. However, both of these legions were diverted to Judaea to suppress a revolt that was beginning on a large scale. Following the death of Nero in 68AD, another civil war broke out. Vespasian was then compelled to go to Rome the following year where he seized power. His son, Titus finished the suppression of the revolt in Judaea. Legion X Fretensis remained in Judaea and completed the siege of Masada. Therefore, these coins counter-stamped “X” must be post-66AD and that places them in Judaea. Consequently, the only coins that we can attribute to the possible siege of Masada are those of Nero counter-stamped “X” for Legion X Fretensis.

I have been to Masada and I climbed it rather than taking the cable car. It sits at the base of the Dead Sea. By the time I reached the top, I looked like Moses. My hair was pure white filled with the salt that is carried by the wind over the Dead Sea. My hair was so thick, I could not even get your fingers in it at all.

Jul 21 2018

BREAKING: DOJ Releases 412 Pg FISA Application Used Against U.S. Person Carter Page….


RE-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on July 21, 2018 by

The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI have released the 412 page FISA application used to gain a Title I surveillance warrant against U.S. Person Carter Page in 2016 while he was working as a low-level unpaid adviser for the campaign of Donald Trump.  [The full pdf is available here – and embedded below]

The October 2016 application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Mr. Page, along with several renewal applications — was released to The New York Times and several other news organizations that had filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to obtain them.  [Link to source pdf here]

The application is heavily redacted, but there’s enough information available to seriously impact the prior narratives as written by the media.  As we review the content carefully, CTH will have much more on this in the coming hours/days.  However, here’s the FISA application – please add your comments on the content therein:

https://www.scribd.com/embeds/384380664/content?start_page=1&view_mode=&access_key=key-V5JqoILhPOBEswhMeqyl

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There is a ton of new information within this version of the application. More later…