Puppet MastersS


Attention

IG Horowitz on Clinton Probe: FBI, DOJ violated federal criminal law, refers to prosecutor for criminal charges

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Fri, 18 May 2018 18:23 UTC
IG Horowitz
© YouTubeInspector General Michael Horowitz
As we reported on Thursday, a long-awaited report by the Department of Justice's internal watchdog into the Hillary Clinton email investigation has moved into its final phase, as the DOJ notified multiple subjects mentioned in the document that they can privately review it by week's end, and will have a "few days" to craft any response to criticism contained within the report, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Those invited to review the report were told they would have to sign nondisclosure agreements in order to read it, people familiar with the matter said. They are expected to have a few days to craft a response to any criticism in the report, which will then be incorporated in the final version to be released in coming weeks. -WSJ
Now, journalist Paul Sperry reports that
"IG Horowitz has found 'reasonable grounds' for believing there has been a violation of federal criminal law in the FBI/DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation/s and has referred his findings of potential criminal misconduct to Huber for possible criminal prosecution."
Sperry also noted on Twitter that the FBI and DOJ had been targeting former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn before his December 2016 phone call with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, stemming from photos of Flynn at a December 2015 Moscow event with Vladimir Putin (and Jill Stein).

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Arrow Down

To afford a 'Russia First' agenda, Putin takes the ax to military spending

Fred Weir
The Christian Science Monitor
Tue, 08 May 2018 00:00 UTC
Putin Ax
© RT.com
Inaugurated for his fourth official term as Russia's president Monday, Vladimir Putin surprised many by declaring what sounds like a "Russia first" program: a relentless focus on domestic development, to be partially paid for by sharp cuts in defense spending.

It may sound contrary to Western perceptions of Russia's global intentions. But the priorities listed in the new Kremlin strategic program suggest that Mr. Putin has decided to use what seems likely to be his final term in office to cement his already substantial legacy as a nation-builder.

The projected surge in spending on roads, education, and health care will have to be paid for. A key source of that funding will be the military budget, which had been growing by around 10 percent annually for much of the Putin era.

Comment: See also: Putin's primary objective of his new presidential term

Read More...
Umbrella

Putin, Merkel talk defense against Trump's sanctions drive


RT
Fri, 18 May 2018 19:29 UTC
Vlad and Angela
© Mikhail Klimentyev / SputnikPresident Vladimir Putin • Chancellor Angela Merkel
Sanctions imposed by the Trump administration that could hurt companies in Germany and Russia were among the issues discussed by President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor Angela Merkel during their latest meeting.

Merkel arrived in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi to meet Putin on Friday, around a year after her previous visit in 2017. Both leaders have had their mandates reconfirmed by their respective electorate since - Putin during the March election, which he won in a landslide, and Merkel after winning the September 2017 general election in Germany and, arguably more impressive, securing a coalition agreement after a daunting six months of negotiations.

The way Putin greeted Merkel may have reminded her of the coalition talks. After the agreement was finalized and she was finally elected chancellor by the parliament in mid-March, Merkel received flowers from fellow members of the coalition. Similarly, the Russian president also handed his guest a bouquet when meeting her on the porch of his residence in Sochi, before having a three-way chat with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, whose cabinet reshuffle has just been completed.

While the two leaders had plenty of issues to discuss, from humanitarian aid and the political transition in Syria, to the crackdown on a Russia-linked news agency in Ukraine, the latest actions by the US were among the top priorities. President Donald Trump's decision to break a nuclear deal with Iran by re-imposing economic sanctions poses a potential threat to European companies doing business in Iran.

Merkel said that the Trans-Atlantic partnership was valued by Berlin and that European nations are currently discussing ways in which the EU can provide a safety net to companies dealing with Iran. The German leader added she hoped Tehran would see the benefit of observing the terms of the deal despite Washington's move.
Read More...
Snakes in Suits

US House Intelligence Committee declares China a pre-eminent threat to American values and security


RT
Fri, 18 May 2018 01:53 UTC
ChineseDragonUSFlagship
© washingtontimes.com
Having bitterly split along partisan lines in the probe over Russian influence and "meddling," the House Intelligence Committee united in decrying the "pre-eminent threat" posed to the US by another rising power ‒ China.

"China has only become emboldened and now may be the pre-eminent threat to American security, our economy and our values," Committee Chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-California) said at the hearing on Thursday, even as US and Chinese diplomats began a second round of negotiations to stave off a trade war.

Ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) agreed, saying he hoped there would be more public hearings about China.

"We need to consider that the military challenge is part of a larger national strategy by China to project its power and to secure its national interests by whatever means necessary," Schiff said, adding that this included sales of "potentially compromising" telecommunications equipment by companies like ZTE and Huawei.

Nunes is planning a series of hearings on China in the coming weeks, focusing on a variety of threats to the US, such as "aggressive territorial claims, unfair trade policies, espionage and cyber-attacks," he told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday.

Comment: Not so surprising the House Intelligence Committee members are in near agreement on its China focus. The year-plus division amongst them, given Russiagate and the DNC mess, has extracted a toll. Therefore, a cause they can unify against is just the ticket -- even if it means attributing common US tactics and maneuvers to China. At least everyone on the unintelligent committee are intrinsically familiar with the perceived motivations, ploys and results.

Read More...
Binoculars

It's confirmed: FBI was spying on Trump campaign

Katie Pavlich
Townhall
Fri, 18 May 2018 10:30 UTC
FBI guy
© Elizabeth Brockway/Daily Beast
When President Trump tweeted in March 2017 that the Obama administration "had his wires tapped" during the 2016 presidential campaign, he wasn't entirely wrong.

Earlier this week the New York Times published a story revealing the FBI was not only spying on the Trump campaign, but had at least one FBI informant embedded within it. Further, the piece reveals the FBI didn't have enough evidence to open a criminal investigation into members of the Trump campaign, so a counterintelligence investigation was launched instead.

Comment: The MSM sources such as NYT and WaPo, were puppets in the hands of those colluding against the Trump administration, choosing to protect the guilty and implicate the innocent - doing what they were told.

Justice Department's IG Horowitz found 'reasonable grounds' to believe there was a violation of federal criminal law in the FBI/DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigations, and has referred findings to US Attorney John Huber for possible criminal prosecution.

See also:

Read More...
Target

Pipeline penalties? Trump may threaten Germany, Russia with sanctions on Nord Stream 2 project


RT
Fri, 18 May 2018 11:15 UTC
Nord Stream 2
© Centre for European Reform
Washington has warned that proceeding with the Russian-led gas pipeline project, aimed at bringing natural gas to Germany's northeastern Baltic coast, could result in sanctions for those involved.

The US opposes the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and may introduce penalties on the project due to its potential to increase Russia's "malign influence" in Europe, according to Sandra Oudkirk, US deputy assistant secretary of state for energy diplomacy. "We would be delighted if the project did not take place," the senior diplomat told reporters in Berlin, stressing that the project could be sanctioned under a bill passed by Congress in August 2017.

The legislation, allowing the US government to take steps against Russian energy projects, was passed in response to Russia's alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis, as well as the Kremlin's alleged meddling the US presidential elections.

Map Nordstream 2
© Wikipedia
"Any pipeline project - and there are many multiple pipeline projects in the world that are potentially covered by this sanctions authority - is in an elevated position of sanctions risk," Oudkirk said.

The official added that Washington also has security concerns connected to the project, as it provides Moscow with an opportunity to install undersea surveillance equipment in the Baltic Sea, which is seen as a sensitive military region. Moreover, the White House is concerned that Ukraine will be bypassed as a transit point for Russia's gas, and thus deprived of transit fees.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during talks on Friday, that the launch of Nord Stream-2 does not mean Russia will halt gas transit through Ukraine. Putin said Moscow is ready for talks with Kiev about a new transit deal.

Comment: Russia is about connecting. The US is about disconnecting.

Read More...
Star of David

Netanyahu accused of 'backdoor' talks to influence ongoing probe


Sputnik
Fri, 18 May 2018 12:10 UTC
NetanyahuRed
© imagesforward.com
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is embroiled in a new scandal, this time over claims that private investigators were hired to probe police officers investigating him.

Senior police officials have accused Jerusalem police head Yoram Halevy of holding secret talks with Netanyahu in a possible effort to affect the outcome of an ongoing probe into the prime minister and make Halevy the country's top cop, Israel's Channel 2 television reported on Thursday.

Thursday's report comes amid tensions between Netanyahu and Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich, whom the premier has accused of [leaking] information to the press and of conducting a "witch hunt" against him.

The prime minister's office dismissed the report as "a total and tendentious lie," while other senior police officers accused Alsheich, who is stepping down in December, of attempting to prevent Halevy from getting the job.

"[Alsheich] is trying to topple a potential successor via lies... He is trying to prepare himself for a fourth year in office," they were quoted as saying.

The police deny a rift between the two commanders.

Comment: It's what Neti does best: lie, manipulate and divert.

Read More...
X

Beijing disputes offering Trump a $200B trade surplus cut


RT
Fri, 18 May 2018 11:47 UTC
TrumpDragon
© Unknown
China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that, contrary to reports, the country hasn't offered to cut its trade surplus with the US by $200 billion. The ministry's spokesman Lu Kang was cited by Reuters as saying that the claims about China's offer to meet US President Donald Trump's demands were not true.

Some media citing US officials reported earlier that Beijing proposed boosting Chinese purchases of American goods by around $200 billion. The offer was explained as an attempt to reduce the massive trade imbalance between the two countries.

President Donald Trump has long been criticizing China's widening trade surplus with the US. He has vowed to cut the deficit with Beijing, which stood at $375 billion last year. In March, Trump proposed import tariffs on a number of Chinese goods.

The move sparked a tit-for-tat dispute, with the world's two biggest economies threatening in recent months to slap tens of billions in tariffs on each other's products.

Comment: See also:

Read More...
Magic Wand

James Clapper denies FBI was spying on Trump team, then says it was a good thing they were doing so

Cristina Laila
Gateway Pundit
Fri, 18 May 2018 19:05 UTC
James Clapper
James Clapper, CNN Contributor, former Director of National Intelligence
Obama's former DNI Chief James Clapper said Thursday evening on CNN it's a good thing the Deep State FBI was spying on Trump's camp.

Now of course this is after he initially denied the Intelligence Community was spying on Donald Trump.

The Deep State liars have gone from denial to celebrating the illegal spying.

While speaking to Clapper, CNN's Don Lemon referenced the NY Times article which revealed the FBI embedded at least one spy in Trump's camp during the 2016 election.

Clapper the leaker immediately went into spin mode and brought up those pesky Russians.

"They may have had someone who was talking to them in the campaign, but, you know, the focus here is not on the campaign, per se, but what the Russians were doing," Clapper said.

Right, the Russians were the focus, not American citizens...

Comment: Clapper is a liar.

Read More...
Info

Netherlands ready to expand ties with Iranian petchem companies

Kamyar Eghbalnejad & Fikret Dolukhanov
Trend News Agency
Sat, 19 May 2018 20:56 UTC
Chemical plant
Chemical plant
Dutch as well as other European companies are interested in working with Iranian businesses and transferring technology to them, Siavoush Shojaee, director for Regional Sales at Control Seal, a Netherlands-based valve manufacturer, told NIPNA.

"We are planning to take steps in the long run to bring technology forward through formation of a joint venture with Iranian companies," Shojaee said.

Talking about the company's activities, he said Control Seal is active in the production of special valves, such as high temperature valves for downstream and petrochemical industries.

Comment: Iran's Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh said on Saturday that visiting EU Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete has conveyed the European Union's message of Support for Iran nuclear deal.
He said that during today's meeting, they reviewed issues earlier discussed between Iran's foreign minister and his counterparts from three European countries - Britain, France and Germany.

The meeting was a joint effort to find ways to resolve oil, petrochemical and oil products issues Iran is facing, Zangeneh said.


Read More...