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Nuke

Uranium One: Informant makes Clinton allegations to three congressional committees

John Solomon
The Hill
Wed, 07 Feb 2018 08:18 UTC
uranone
© youtube/KJN
An FBI informant connected to the Uranium One controversy told three congressional committees in a written statement that Moscow routed millions of dollars to America with the expectation it would be used to benefit Bill Clinton's charitable efforts while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quarterbacked a "reset" in U.S.-Russian relations.

The informant, Douglas Campbell, said in the statement obtained by The Hill that he was told by Russian nuclear executives that Moscow had hired the American lobbying firm APCO Worldwide specifically because it was in position to influence the Obama administration, and more specifically Hillary Clinton.

Democrats have cast doubt on Campbell's credibility, setting the stage for a battle with Republicans over his testimony.

Campbell added in the testimony that Russian nuclear officials "told me at various times that they expected APCO to apply a portion of the $3 million annual lobbying fee it was receiving from the Russians to provide in-kind support for the Clintons' Global Initiative."
"The contract called for four payments of $750,000 over twelve months. APCO was expected to give assistance free of charge to the Clinton Global Initiative as part of their effort to create a favorable environment to ensure the Obama administration made affirmative decisions on everything from Uranium One to the U.S.-Russia Civilian Nuclear Cooperation agreement."

Comment: For more background on this controversy, see also:

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Document

Leaked US documents may be used as evidence, rules UK Supreme Court


RT
Fri, 09 Feb 2018 13:44 UTC
wikileaks logo
© wikileaks
In a groundbreaking ruling, the UK Supreme Court has said diplomatic cables leaked to WikiLeaks by whistleblower Chelsea Manning are admissible. "The Supreme Court unanimously holds that the [WikiLeaks] cable should have been admitted into evidence," the bench ruled on Thursday, with five of the seven judges going against the lower court's decision.

The ruling comes as a form of vindication for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who tweeted that it was a "big win... that will affect many court proceedings around the world: leaked diplomatic cables are admissible as evidence."
The case was brought by Chagos Refugees Group, representing Chagos Islanders who were expelled from their home in the Indian Ocean by the UK in the 1960s and '70s. The islands were vacated to make way for a US Air Force base on Diego Garcia.

The displaced islanders have been fighting to return to their homelands for decades. The UK government wants to make the islands a marine park. This would ban fishing, which would affect the Chagossians' ability to sustain a living should they be allowed to return home.
Thursday's ruling focused on efforts to overturn a Court of Appeal decision that found there was no improper motive behind the marine park proposal.


Comment: See also:

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Clipboard

Trump to Dems: Rewrite memo, it's too long and political


RT
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 15:44 UTC
Trump
© Somodevilla/Getty ImagesRewrite the Memo
US President Donald Trump told Democrats they would have to "re-do" their rebuttal to a Republican memo alleging FBI bias against him because it is "very political and long."

The 10-page document, written by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee in response to the Republican memo which accused both the FBI and the Department of Justice of bias against Trump in the investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Trump allowed the release of that memo on February 2 but blocked the Democrats' memo on Friday. He took to Twitter Saturday to explain why he instructed the congressional Democrats to re-do their memo.

The president alleged that the Democrats knew the memo would have to be heavily redacted and said they would use that as evidence of a "lack of transparency" in the White House. The decision to block the memo, which was authored by Representative Adam Schiff, raised the ire of Democrats who accused Trump of double standards.

Comment: Trump has the authority to 'yea' or 'nay' the memo. Dems should respect that he is playing fair.

According to RT:
Trump is "inclined" to declassify the memo, but is "unable to do so at this time," says the letter, adding that the committee should work with the Department of Justice to revise the memo to mitigate the risks to US law enforcement and intelligence. [...]

The DoJ and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have identified passages that would create "significant concerns for the national security and law enforcement interests.

However, the White House has instructed the DoJ to provide personnel that could assist the committee if they wish to revise the document, "given the public interest in transparency."
See also:

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Windsock

In light of intra-Korean summit, Seoul is in no rush to renew joint military drills with US


RT
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 11:27 UTC
Moon Jae-in Kim Jong-un
© Yonhap NewsMoon Jae-in • Kim Jong-un
South Korean President Moon Jae-in reportedly rejected a call from Japan to quickly resume joint US-Korean military drills. Moon has been invited to visit Pyongyang for what may become the first top-level summit in over a decade.

At a bilateral summit on Friday, Moon called on the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to wait before resuming the drills, Yonhap reported, citing a government official. The drills have been paused for the duration of the Winter Olympics, as part of Seoul's attempt to mend relations with Pyongyang. North Korea considers the drills a major threat to its national security, saying they may be used to conceal a build-up for an invasion.

According to the report, Abe argued that the time to delay exercises scheduled for spring was not right and that Pyongyang had to change its behavior before receiving concessions.

Comment: Dutiful Abe is repeating the US' demands for a 'declaration of repentance' from North Korea. Pushing the nuclear issues of those involved to the brink has created a desperate atmosphere to come to some other solution than annihilation. A fine line to walk extremely carefully.

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Star of David

US Ambassador Friedman clashes with Haaretz over who lacks more 'decency'


RT
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 02:40 UTC
Friedman
© Breitbart
An Haaretz columnist, who has been attacked for an opinion piece criticizing David Friedman's support for Israeli settlements, has told RT he stands by the freedom of speech, something the US ambassador knows little about.

"I still think, and cannot think otherwise, that all the settlements are in violation of international law," Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy, at the center of the recent scandal, told RT. "I guess the ambassador knows too little about freedom of speech, about the right to criticize even his Excellency the Ambassador to the United States."

The story began developing on Monday, when a 29-year-old Rabbi Ben Gal was stabbed and later succumbed to wounds in a fatal attack near the entrance to Har Bracha, a West Bank settlement located between Ariel and Nablus. The alleged terrorist, a 19-year old Israeli-Arab resident of Jaffa, Abed al-Karim Adel Assi, fled the scene. While searching for the suspect, a large number of IDF troops entered the village of Kifl Haris which triggered clashes with local Palestinians. At least one Palestinian was killed in the confrontation, and dozens of others injured, while the attacker has still not been found.

Comment: Friedman is not an advocate for an equally beneficial peace solution for Israel and Palestine. Levy is right to call him out.

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Snakes in Suits

James Clapper perjury and why those like him are never charged for lying to Congress

Jonathan Turley
USA Today
Fri, 19 Jan 2018 07:30 UTC
Clapper
© CBS News/KJN
Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper is about to celebrate one of the most important anniversaries of his life. March 13th will be the fifth anniversary of his commission of open perjury before the Senate Intelligence Committee. More importantly, it also happens to be when the statute of limitations runs out - closing any possibility of prosecution for Clapper. As the clock runs out on the Clapper prosecution, Democrats like Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have charged that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen committed perjury when she insisted that she could not recall if President Donald Trump called Haiti and African countries a vulgar term. The fact is that perjury is not simply tolerated, it is rewarded, in Washington. In a city of made men and women, nothing says loyalty quite as much as lying under oath.

Even in a city with a notoriously fluid notion of truth, Clapper's false testimony was a standout. Clapper appeared before the Senate to discuss surveillance programs in the midst of a controversy over warrantless surveillance of the American public. He was asked directly, "Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions, or hundreds of millions of Americans?" There was no ambiguity or confusion and Clapper responded, "No, sir. ... Not wittingly." That was a lie and Clapper knew it when he said it.

Comment: A 'least truthful answer' is still a lie. And, the largest and most invasive surveillance program in the history of the USA doesn't just slip the National Intelligence Director's mind. Interesting how the precepts about 'equal justice under law' and 'justice for all' seem to conveniently slip many 'government minds'.

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Popcorn

Europe ready to defy US economic sanctions on Iran

Frank Sellers
The Duran
Fri, 09 Feb 2018 17:50 UTC
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
The EU is preparing to continue trade with Iran even if the US slap economic sanctions on Iran, and if the US withdraws from the JCPOA

The EU is mulling its options in the event of a US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 multinational nuclear deal struck with Iran. Various European nations have been exploring ways of increasing business with the middle eastern country since the deal was struck, and are invested in making sure that the deal sticks and that sanctions are not reimposed.

Comment: Also See: Also check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Trump Wags the Iran Riot Dog, Kim Talks Korean Peace

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Cell Phone

Did Strzok break classified-information protocols too? May have used cell phone in a 'Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility'

Luke Rosiak
The Daily Caller
Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:46 UTC
strzok
Released texts between Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who ran the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's email server, and his lover, FBI attorney Lisa Page, reveal the possibility that Strzok used his cell phone in a SCIF - a strict violation of protecting classified information.

Such a breach would compromise Strzok's ability to probe Clinton for mishandling classified info and show a lack of awareness about security breaches, which is what he was tasked to investigate. The text messages that the Senate released Wednesday show that Strzok texted his mistress on Aug. 11, 2016, "We're in Jims SCIF."

SCIF stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, and it is where the most sensitive classified material is kept and stored. SCIFs strictly bar all electronic equipment and require all people place their phones in lockers before entering.
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Propaganda

WaPo propaganda fail: 'ISIS is there' (but only when convenient for US)


Moon of Alabama
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 18:24 UTC
David Ignatius
David Ignatius, Washington Post
David Ignatius, a CIA and Pentagon mouthpiece writing at Jeff Bezos's blog, stenographs the U.S. claims about yesterday's massacre against local pro-government forces in Deir Ezzor.

There is a funny contradiction in his tale.

In a first step Ignatius must justify the U.S. presence and action in the area. He does so by pointing to "remnants" of the Islamic State
The rout ended at about 5:30 a.m. When we arrived about seven hours later, the Kurdish commander was still flush with victory. He took us on a tour later of the SDF's front-line positions against scattered Islamic State remnants east of Shaddadi.
See, there is ISIS and that's why the U.S. and the Kurds are there.

Comment: Here are more examples of Ignatius and his ilk being called out on the quality of their "journalism"

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Eye 1

We could 'destroy all US bases in region & unleash hell for Zionist regime' - Iranian commander


RT
Sat, 10 Feb 2018 18:05 UTC
Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards
© Morteza Nikoubazl / ReutersMembers of Iran's Revolutionary Guards
Tehran has dismissed Tel Aviv's claims concerning an Iranian UAV and a downed Israeli jet as "ridiculous." An Iranian commander also warned Iran could unleash "hell" on the "Zionist regime" and destroy all US bases in the area.

"The claim about the flight of an Iranian drone and Iran's involvement in the downing of a Zionist fighter jet is so ridiculous that it does not merit a comment," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said. He added that Iranian officials are acting in Syria only as advisers and do so "at the request of the... legitimate and lawful government."

What's more, any "aggressive actions" by Tel Aviv would trigger a serious response. That is because Iran is capable of creating "hell for the Zionists," Brigadier General Hossein Salami, the deputy head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, said.

Comment: See also: Syria Shoots Down Israeli Jet - It's About Time

Little known fact: according to the rules of the Israeli lexicon, there is no such thing as an Israeli offensive attack. Such a thing is morally, physically, and linguistically impossible. When Israel's enemies strike first, Israel responds in self-defense. When Israel strikes first, it is only "self-defensing" itself against future attacks. And according to said lexicon's grammar, this also means that no other country can similarly "self-defense" itself against Israel. If their enemies fire first, it is never to protect against future Israeli offensives (which don't exist in theory or in practice), and when they attack in response to an Israeli attack, it is only because said enemies were planning to strike first anyway, but Israel "self-defensed" itself first.

With that in mind, here's Netanyahu's response:
"Our policy is clear: Israel will defend itself against any aggression and any attempt to violate its sovereignty," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, as cited by Israeli media. He also accused Iran of undertaking such an attempt on Saturday, referring to an incident involving an Iranian drone intercepted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) earlier that day.
What all this really means, of course, is that Israel feels it has free license to violate other nations sovereignty routinely - as it has done countless of times in its history. When Israelis invade foreign airspace, launch unprovoked military strikes, and kill foreign nationals, they are explicitly violating that nation's sovereignty. That would ordinarily be considered an act of war. (Technically, Israel and Syria are still in a state of war and have been for decades, but that only means that only Israel can violate Syria's sovereignty and not vice versa.)

According to an Israeli commander, the recent attack on Syria was the largest in decades:
Brigadier General Tomer Bar, the Israeli Air Force's second-in-command, told journalists that its airstrikes on Syria on Saturday morning were "the biggest and most significant attack the air force has conducted against Syrian air defenses since Operation Peace for the Galilee" during the Lebanese Civil War in 1982.

The strikes were launched in response to the downing of an F-16 fighter jet earlier this morning, which was claimed by Syria. The F-16 was sent on a combat run over Syria after the Israeli military said an Iranian drone was spotted in northern Israel.

Bar said the retaliatory airstrikes inflicted "significant harm to the Syrian Air Force's defenses," which included "anti-aircraft batteries purchased in recent deals [with Russia]," along with Iranian targets.


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