CIA Joins Barr in Investigating Origins of Trump Campaign Surveillance

National Review  

"Attorney General William Barr has enlisted the help of the CIA to investigate whether the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign was motivated by partisan bias, CNN reported Tuesday.

"CIA director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and FBI director Chris Wray are all participating in the investigation, which Barr first announced publicly during a congressional hearing last month.

"The Wall Street Journal reported Monday evening that Barr has tapped Connecticut U.S. attorney John Durham to help examine the origins of the FBI counterintelligence investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election, which served as the pretext for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s appointment.

"The investigation was launched in response to long-held Republican concerns that the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign was politically motivated and relied on dubious opposition research. These concerns were in part fueled by the revelation that the FISA warrant obtained to surveil Trump campaign national-security adviser Carter Page was based on information provided in the unsubstantiated Steele dossier." . . .

Bernie Sanders' Soviet Honeymoon

http://www.terrellaftermath.com/

What Bernie Sanders Missed on His Soviet Honeymoon

"This is the true face of the Cuban Revolution, one that an all-too-gullible Bernie Sanders didn’t seem interested in seeing."

"Bernie Sanders and I have little in common, given his passionate commitment to “democratic” socialism and my firm belief in individual freedom. But we do share one thing: We both visited Moscow in 1988, albeit for differing reasons. 

"Sanders was on what he called “a very strange honeymoon” with his bride Jane. I was traveling in the Soviet Union with a delegation of Western journalists and opinion leaders.  

"According to The Washington Post, Sanders, then 46, had a wonderful time combining business and pleasure as the socialist mayor of Burlington, Vermont, met “ordinary people” from everyday walks of life (carefully selected by the Communist Party, you may be sure).

"He walked through Red Square and saw Lenin’s tomb, visited Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and took a boat ride down the Volga River. He traveled to Yaroslavl — Burlington’s “sister city” — where he toured factories, hospitals, and schools, all spruced up for the American visitors like a 20th-century Potemkin village.

"Although visiting for only 10 days, Sanders found things that he liked, including the housing, which cost only 5% of a Russian’s income instead of the 40% in the United States. He was obviously unable to visit, as I did, a cramped Moscow apartment of two small rooms occupied by a family of five." . . .

A Soviet-era apartment block in Moscow’s Presnensky District.

. . . "What else did Sanders miss on his honeymoon in Moscow?

"A visit to GUM, the gigantic department store fronting Red Square. When I visited, I saw desperate shoppers roaming the aisles like hungry wolves looking for hats, gloves, and coats. Dozens of women lined up to buy a pair of boots, which, if they didn’t fit, they would exchange with one other on the sidewalk.

"Clearly, Sanders did not have the opportunity, as I did, to visit an official government “grocery” store empty of goods, save for dozens of unlabeled cans ignored by shoppers and a few withered yellowish chickens that even a starving man would have rejected.

"Back in Vermont, reported The Washington Post, Sanders held a news conference in which he eulogized Soviet housing and health care and openly criticized America. But he left out the systematic Soviet repression of courageous dissidents like Natan Sharansky, who might still be in the gulag if President Ronald Reagan hadn’t determined to end the Cold War by winning it." . . .

The Net Grows Tighter: Barr Now Working With CIA, FBI, National Intelligence To Investigate Alleged Surveillance Of Trump Campaign

Daily Wire  "In what could be really bad news for Democrats, according to CNN’s Laura Jarrett, Attorney General William Barr is now drawing the net tighter around those people who may have targeted Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign; he’s working with the CIA, National Intelligence and the FBI to investigate surveillance issues related to the Trump campaign." . . .
An excerpt from Sen. Graham's statement:

. . . We're going to, in a bipartisan way, I hope deal with Russia, but when the Mueller report is put to bed, and it soon will be, this committee is going to look long and hard at how this all started. We're going to look at the FISA warrant process. Did Russia provide Christopher Steele the information about Trump that turned out to be garbage that was used to get a warrant on an American citizen, and if so, how did the system fail? Was there a real effort between Papadopoulos and anybody in Russia to use the Clinton emails stolen by--stole by the Russians, or was that thought planted in his mind? I don't know, but we're going to look. And I can tell you this. If you change the names, you all would want to look, too. Everything I just said, just substitute Clinton for Trump and see what all these people with cameras would be saying out here about this.

Does the Left ever defend America from those who hate it?

Does the Left ever defend America from those who hate it?  Does the Left ever condemn the fifty-year feminist jihad against men and boys, which has savaged and destroyed so many tens of millions of lives?  Does the Left champion the vital values of Christianity from those who mock and sneer at it?  Does the Left censure the growing global pox of anti-Semitism? 

Tony Branco

Bruce Walker on "The Left's love of hate".

. . . No, the Left simply tries to caricature anyone and anything that opposes it politically and philosophically as "hate."  Nothing the Left says or does can ever be "hate" even when it manifestly is hate.  So when Obama in the salons of the wealthy refers to those who he wishes to govern as people "bitterly clinging to their guns and religion" or when Hillary calls the hardworking people of Flyover Country "deplorable," that is never seen as hate. 

"Leftists view "hate" as leftists view everything: it must be something "collective" or "social."  So certain people, simply by belonging to a particular race or sex or faith or class, are either official victims or official victimizers, and anyone who challenges that gross lumping together of individuals is targeted by the Left as someone motivated by "hate."

"All collective or social judgments of individuals are wrong.  That talisman that seems at times to mesmerize even otherwise sensible people, "social justice," is among the greatest evils of all.  Nazis, Stalinists, fascists, and every other totalitarian monster of the Left genuflected reverently at the altar of social justice.

"All justice is individual justice, or it is simply injustice.  All responsibility is personal, or it is instead irresponsibility.  Conservatives and other normal people grasp this fact and generally behave accordingly.  We are not conscript masses in some vast rhetorical war, but rather people with minds and hearts and consciences." . . .    

What are the odds that the Durham investigation is for real and will bring the bad actors to justice?

America's adversaries root fervently for these aforementioned "bad actors".

Thomas Lifson  "Following the disclosure that US Attorney John Durham has been tasked with investigating and prosecuting potential crimes in the origin of the Russia Hoax, we learned some very encouraging facts that suggest the Russia Hoax will be fully aired and miscreants brought to justice. Like Howie Carr, who had a front-row seat when John Durham went after corruption in the FBI Boston office, I am “cautiously optimistic”  (Howie’s term) that Durham and his boss AG Barr want to get to the bottom of the hoax and put those who may have committed crimes in prison.

"In Boston, Durham faced a gigantic scandal that was very damaging to the FBI and did not blink. He got John Connelly, Whitey Bulger’s protector, sentenced to 40 years in prison. This does not sound like a prosecutor who can be persuaded to lay off getting to the truth in order to protect the reputations of important people and institutions.

"But we must concede that there are plenty of reasons to worry that the biggest political scandal in American history – the political weaponization of both the federal intelligence and law enforcement communities to spy on political opponents of the sitting president and remove a duly elected president from office – would be swept under the rug. Even a sober-minded man of integrity like William Barr might be persuaded that the harm to public trust in our system would be too profound and that our allies and foes overseas might see us as so weakened that they would take actions inimical to our interests.

"Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh provided a fascinating insight into the level of distrust the conservative base has in the ability of our institutions and their leaders to right themselves. After reviewing what Durham could accomplish, he came back after a commercial break and said:" . . .

U.S. Women's Soccer Co-Captain: ‘I’ll Probably Never Sing The National Anthem Again’

Daily Wire

"The co-captain of the United States Women’s national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe, told Yahoo Sports, "I'll probably never put my hand over my heart. I’ll probably never sing the national anthem again,” boasting that she is "a walking protest when it comes to the Trump administration,” because of "everything I stand for.” She added, “I feel like it's kind of defiance in and of itself to just be who I am and wear the jersey, and represent it. Because I'm as talented as I am, I get to be here, you don't get to tell me if I can be here or not. So it's kind of a good ‘F you' to any sort of inequality or bad sentiments that the [Trump] administration might have towards people who don't look exactly like him. Which, God help us if we all looked like him. Scary. Really scary. Ahh, disturbing.' " . . .

Romney casts lone GOP vote against Trump judicial pick because of a ‘disparaging’ comment about Obama

Conservative Review 

 "On Tuesday, the Senate voted to confirm Michael J. Truncale of Texas as the United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas by a vote of 49-46. 

"The vote was mostly along party lines in the upper chamber, with Sens. Cassidy, R-La., Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Hirono, D-Hawaii, Kennedy, R-La., Rounds, R-S.D., not voting; there was, however, one party defection, as Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, voted with Democrats against the nominee. 

"For Romney, it wasn’t a matter of jurisprudence or legal qualifications, but remarks made about former Democratic President Obama Truncale made in 2011, calling him an “un-American imposter.” 

"In a written response to questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Truncale said that the comments were some of many made while in previous “capacities as a candidate for the United States Congress or as a political commentator” and that such opinions would be inappropriate for a judge to express.

"Back in 2011, Truncale threw his hat into the political ring and ran for Congress in a crowded field to replace the outgoing congressman and then-Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul. 

“ 'I will note that it is possible, however,” Truncale later added in his response to Feinstein, “that I was merely expressing frustration by what I perceived as a lack of overt patriotism on behalf of President Obama.” 

"However, that explanation just didn’t cut it for Romney, who told Politico after the vote that he voted against Truncale in defense of Obama, citing his own 2012 presidential run against the Chicago Democrat. 

“ 'He made particularly disparaging comments about President Obama. And as the Republican nominee for president, I just couldn’t subscribe to that in a federal judge,” Romney told the outlet. “This was not a matter of qualifications or politics; this was something specifically to that issue as a former nominee of our party.' ” 

Ocasio-Cortez Horrified [When A] Woman At Nail Salon Offered To Get Rid Of Her Mustache…

Was there ever a time in the life of Winston Churchill, Lady Margaret Thatcher or Franklin D. Roosevelt when they would have thought of saying things like this? Did their thoughts ever go into these sort of things? TD

Weasel Zippers

Some of the things Lady Thatcher contemplated: 

I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you pretty near.

There is no such thing as society: there are individual men and women, and there are families.

One of the things being in politics has taught me is that men are not a reasoned or reasonable sex.

I owe nothing to Women's Lib.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

I don't mind how much my ministers talk -- as long as they do what I say.

I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.

Of course, it is the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story.

In contrast with Lady Thatcher, AOC took part in this stimulating conversation with a talk show host.

Sorely missed by talk show hosts and dictators

Tony Branco

Be sure to put that Milano Sex Strike on your calendar.

A Sex Strike to Nowhere

It’s always amusing to get a lecture about the interests of women from representatives of Hollywood.

"Lysistrata, the character from the Aristophanes play of the same name, declared a sex strike to try to stop a devastating war in ancient Greece.

"Alyssa Milano, the actress and political activist, declared a sex strike to try to stop Georgia from protecting unborn children in the womb.

"The state just passed and signed into law a so-called heartbeat bill to outlaw abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detectable. This led Milano to conclude that women can’t risk pregnancy until further notice, and that they must stop having sex, at least stop having sex with “cis men.”

Getting some cheap publicity at the expense of
A good man and his family reputation.

"It’s apparently never occurred to Milano that women, not just cis men, support pro-life legislation, and that unborn babies are both boys and girls. In her fictional cause, Lysistrata had mercy and humanity on her side. Milano has neither, although her lack of seriousness makes her a perfect spokesperson for the backlash against the Georgia bill. 

"It is one of a spate of heartbeat bills around the nation that are sure to get enjoined in the courts, but have highlighted the hysterical opposition to the idea that a tiny human being with a heartbeat should be afforded protection under the law. " . . .

Liberal Sex Strike Fails To Score  . . . "They have to play to the no-limits edge to get the nomination, but Trump is going to slam them with it in the general. And the liberal game plan – deny that anyone would ever have a late-term abortion while demanding that anyone can have a late term abortion because it’s the mostest importantest right ever was – just will not fly." . . .

I'm reminded of an episode of "The Mentalist" where the hero, talking with an ex-boss fishing on a pier, lectures him about killing fish for his personal enjoyment. TD

Publicity is where you find it: Alyssa Milano Has A New Crusade: Boycott Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Nuggets

Obama’s Defense Secretary questions Biden’s ‘intellectual acuity’: He’s been wrong for past 40 years

BPR

"Former Vice President Joe Biden’s “intellectual acuity” in potentially leading the nation seemed a cause of concern for a former Obama administration official.
"Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did not exactly give the 2020 Democratic contender a glowing reference as he simply said he “didn’t know” if Biden would make an effective commander-in-chief, telling CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face The Nation” that he stood by his view that Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue” in the last 40 years.
"Brennan read from Gates’ comments on Biden in his 2015 memoir:

Joe Biden is impossible not to like. He is a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks and one of those rare people you know you can turn to for help in a personal crisis. Still, I think he’s been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.

"After reminding the highly respected former Defense Secretary of his own words, the CBS News moderator and senior foreign affairs correspondent asked if he thought Biden would make a good president.
“ 'I don’t know. I think I stand by that statement,” Gates said.
“ 'He and I agreed on some key issues in the Obama administration. We agreed on, to oppose- we both opposed the intervention in Libya. We both opposed the way that President Mubarak was handled- the situation in Egypt. We disagreed significantly on Afghanistan and some other issues,” Gates explained." . . .

With all Trump has coming up, how would Joe handle all this?

A self-proclaimed world-class dealmaker, a perhaps overconfident Trump is confronting not one, not two, but a half-dozen serious foreign policy problems simultaneously. None of these escalating challenges, save perhaps Venezuela, are new. And solving them has stumped all other recent presidents.

Comrade de Blasio gets a rude reception from 'the people'

DML

Monica Showalter  "Hoping to make a big splash ahead of his hankered-after run for the presidency, things didn't go quite the way New York's socialist mayor thought they would go as he staged a green new deal press conference in the lobby of New York's Trump Tower.

"According to the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio staged a chaotic news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower on Monday in which he touted a city anti-pollution law, was heckled by President Donald Trump's supporters and said he will announce this week whether he's running for president.

Speaking at a podium steps from the spot where Trump announced his own run in 2015, the Democrat said he had come to warn the president that Trump Organization buildings could face a combined $2.1 million in annual fines by 2030 if they don't comply with a new law requiring skyscraper owners to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

"Problem is, he not only got booed, he got trolled - big time - with camera visuals that showed Trumpsters riding up and down on the escalators behind him, bearing signs calling de Blasio New York's worst-ever mayor . . . 

"Seems the working class masses De Blasio purports to represent had other ideas. No[t] only did De Blasio get booed, he actually got trolled. Look:" . . .

. . . 

"There they are, riding up and down the escalator behind him and his pre-printed Green New Deal placards, with hand printed grassroots signs calling him 'Worst Mayor Ever' and 'Trump 2020' signs, up and down, up and down.

"That's some hella street theater. That's 'seizing the narrative' as Ben Rhodes would say.

"And it couldn't happen to a nicer socialist commissar, a man who has made life for New Yorkers utterly miserable as he caters to socialism's favorite special interests at the expense of the metropolis." . . .