"Diamond & Silk Testify Before Congress And All Hell Breaks Loose"

"As reported by CBN News, the women slammed Facebook for censorship in a prepared statement that read: "Facebook along with other social media sites have taken aggressive actions to silence conservative voices such as ourselves by deliberately restricting and weaponizing our page with algorithms that censored and suppress our free speech...We've also noticed how someone with a liberal point of view that spewed hate against the President can garner up to 19 million views with only 539,000 followers, yet we have 1.2 million followers and only received 13,000 views on our video."

Trump supporters discuss whether the social network is trying to silence conservatives on 'The Ingraham Angle.'

Daily Wire

"If the shoe was on the other foot and Mark Zuckerberg was a conservative and we were liberals, all fences and all chains would have broke loose."

"On Thursday, social media sensations known as Diamond and Silk appeared before Congress to testify about alleged censorship and discrimination practiced by Facebook, and all hell broke loose.

"In one tense exchange, the two women went toe-to-toe with Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia, who dismissed the women's concerns and slammed them for "bashing Facebook" while making "a ton of money" on the platform.

"Diamond and Silk refuted the claim and said they were merely bringing the issue of censorship of conservatives "to the light" and had not in fact made a ton of money because of said censorship. The women claim they were effectively demonetized for six months.

" 'You still selling merchandise," contended Rep. Johnson.

"The women then went off on the congressman, suggesting his indifference over the issue was rooted in partisanship. If they were liberal and Facebook had a conservative bias, they suggested, there would be hell to pay." . . .

Roseanne supports Diamond and Silk

Democrats' outrageous charges against former VA nominee begin to unravel

Happy Hayride

Rick Moran  . . . "Ronny Jackson never knew what hit him.

"The Democrats and the media really did a number on him. Not one single allegation was corroborated. The report that he was an abusive boss was based on a couple of disgruntled employees. It didn't matter that they may have had an ax to grind, the allegations were published as if they were the truth anyway.

"Besides, being mean to people should not disqualify a nominee.

"I want to say this is a classic smear campaign, except I don't recall any other example of media malpractice were unnamed or anonymous sources and uncorroborated smears were all thrown out there as if they were the gospel truth. This was a planned hit directed not so much against Jackson but against Trump.

"And the media comes out looking a lot worse than the president."

The grotesque record of Democrats and the press of smearing the blameless

Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), other Democrats, and the media, should be embarrassed that they destroyed Jackson's life. But they don't care. Take a look at this which ran in the Washington Post:

" This . . . tells us why we have to fight and why, even though the Republicans have failed us many times, letting the Democrats take over the House or the Senate, or both, would be a disaster of unparalleled magnitude."

Declassified Congressional Report: James Clapper Lied About Dossier Leaks To CNN

The Federalist

A newly declassified report on Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections reveals that former intelligence chief James Clapper lied to Congress about information he shared with CNN on the infamous Steele dossier.

"Buried within a newly declassified congressional report on Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections is a shocking revelation: former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper not only leaked information about the infamous Steele dossier and high-level government briefings about it to CNN, he also may have lied to Congress about the matter.

"In one of the findings within the 253-page report, the House intelligence committee wrote that Clapper leaked details of a dossier briefing given to then-President-elect Donald Trump to CNN’s Jake Tapper, lied to Congress about the leak, and was rewarded with a CNN contract a few months later.  

“Clapper flatly denied ‘discussing[ing] the dossier [compiled by Steele] or any other intelligence related to Russia hacking of the 2016 election with journalists,'” the committee found.

"When asked directly whether he had ever discussed the dossier with any journalists, Clapper replied that he had not, according to a transcript of the proceedings:" . . .

"REDACTED":  "We have highlighted the revelation of the House Intelligence Committee report that former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper leaked the Steele Dossier to Jake Tapper/CNN, lied about it to the committee, and then went on the CNN payroll to continue the anti-Trump hatefest. At the Weekly Standard, Eric Felten sketches out the ramifications of Clapper’s treachery. Based on his reading of the Comey memos, Felten speculates reasonably that it resulted in the appointment of the Special Counsel (i.e., the Mueller Switch Project).

Related: Comey’s Memos Indicate Dossier Briefing Of Trump Was A Setup

Newly released memos from former FBI director James Comey indicate that an early 2017 briefing for Trump on the contents of an unverified dossier was part of a setup to enable media to report on the the most salacious details of the dossier.

Alfie Evans Foreshadows a Dark American Future

National Review

"Yes, it could happen here."

"How? How does a nation reach a point where it will essentially kidnap a child from a loving, functioning family, yank that same child off life support, deny him care as he unexpectedly fights to stay alive, and then block attempts by a foreign government to rescuehim and provide him top-notch care free of charge? How does a great civilization sink to such barbarism and tyranny? 

"There are two stories one could tell — one about policy, the other about philosophy. The policy story traces events like the nationalization of health care, the evolution of family law, and changing doctrines of individual liberty. It is far less important. Policy flows from philosophy, and the philosophy of government is the central reason for the monstrous injustice in Great Britain. 

"The scary thing is that the same philosophy could well bring the same injustice to the United States. Let’s back up a bit — all the way to July 1776. That’s the month when the members of the second Continental Congress signed a Declaration stating the fundamental founding principle of a new republic: that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Critically, the Declaration of Independence also stressed that governments are instituted “to secure these rights.” [Emphasis added.]" . . . 

Alfie Evans Priest Reportedly Kicked Out Of Hospital For Telling Them God Was Watching  "Not welcome at Alder Hey Hospital is apparently common sense, empathy, and now God.

"According to the Life Site, an Italian newspaper claims that an Italian priest sent to look over baby Alfie Evans, who is currently fighting for his life despite the doctors’ best hopes that he’d have died by now." . . .

Obama's Top Foreign Policy Aide Is Eating Some Serious Crow Over North & South Korea Peace Talks

Matt Vespa

"If there’s one thing about the Trump administration, it’s that there’s never a dull moment. Also, there are a lot of moments that you can file under “not under Obama” concerning domestic and foreign policy. We’ve all but defeated ISIS. Millions of working and middle class families benefited from the tax reform package in December, the economic growth has been better than originally projected, a better job-creating and investing climate has been created, and now peace has broken out on the Korean peninsula. Or at least that’s what’s been announced. The Korean War will officially end, a peace treaty is to be signed, and the peninsula will be nuclear-free (via NYT):

The leaders of North and South Korea agreed on Friday to work to remove all nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula and, within the year, pursue talks with the United States to declare an official end to the Korean War, which ravaged the two nations from 1950 to 1953.

. . .
 "And whom can we thank for brining North Korea to the bargaining table? Well, that would be President Donald J. Trump—and that’s not conservative media saying this; it’s the South Koreans. CNN, the network so anti-Trump that they couldn’t accurately report on him feeding koi fish, added that South Korea’s foreign minister had this to say:

South Korea's foreign minister has said she believes President Donald Trump is largely responsible for bringing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table.
Speaking ahead of Friday's historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, Kang Kyung-wha told CNN that the US President had played a significant role in bringing the two sides together.
"Clearly, credit goes to President Trump," . . .

President Trump is not too quick to pat himself on the back; 
Trump Wary on NKorea's Nuke Offer: 'They Seem to Be Acting Positively'
. . . "When a reporter noted that Trump was more hopeful than in the past, he responded: "I'd like to be optimistic, but maybe this has gone further than anyone has taken it before. 
" 'This should have been handled a long ago. This should have been handled over years by many different administrations, not now." . . .

 

To bring this about our president must have supreme confidence in his nation, it's military, and in the rightness of this cause. No president who is ashamed of America could have ever had the steel spine it takes to confront evil in this world. As Barack Obama showed us for eight years.

When Trump and Kim meet, do not expect to see our president to bow before him or any despot.  TD

Just asking...

Hat tip to  Randy Broyles at Expose Liberal Media Bias

Texas Democrat group crops Melania out of THAT viral photo featuring the four former presidents and first ladies . . .

UK Daily Mail

Former First Lady and former next president Hillary Clinton was there as well.

"A Democratic Party official in Texas has apologized after he cropped out First Lady Melania Trump from a photo in which she poses with former presidents and their wives at Barbara Bush’s funeral.

"The original photo, which was taken by a spokesperson for former President George H.W. Bush, went viral on Sunday.

"It shows Bush; his son, former President George W. Bush; former first lady Laura Bush; former President Bill Clinton; his wife, Hillary Clinton; former President Barack Obama; his wife, Michelle Obama; and Melania Trump.

"President Donald Trump was conspicuously absent from the photo.

"He stayed home in Florida amidst reports that he was told he was not wanted at Barbara Bush’s funeral." . . .

And here is the "dog ate my homework" excuse given that should be more than adequate for the average Democrat and talk-show viewer:

With James Comey, Bret Baier was, thankfully, NOT Stephen Colbert

Comey Makes Surprising New Claims In Disastrous Fox News Interview
"Former FBI Director James Comey made startling new statements on Thursday during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier that many instantly said was a disaster for Comey.
"Comey defended sharing his classified memos about conversations with President Donald Trump with his friend, Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman.
“ 'That memo was unclassified then,” Comey told Baier. “It's still unclassified. It's in my book. The FBI cleared that book before it could be published.”

“ 'I didn't consider it part of an FBI file," Comey continued. "It was my personal aid to memoir.' ” span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif;">"Notable moments from the interview include:". . .

In his interview with Bret Baier, James Comey’s lies and evasions were stunning

"Oozing charm from every pore, he oiled his way around the floor."  

. . . "The always perspicacious Bret Baier interviewed Comey and the result was almost comical for Comey's dissembling.  He's just released a book, but he knows nothing!  He has nebulous recollections.  He's not sure.  "It's possible"...He thinks.....!   It's not for him to say.... It's his understanding.... He doesn't remember clearly, 'I'm not allowed to say,' and on and on. 

"Comey’s ability to communicate vagueness is stunning. " . . .

Turns out James Comey was a blabbermouth all along

Tour De Force: FNC’s Baier Grills Comey Over Dossier, E-Mail, Leaks in Epic Interview "Former FBI Director and new author James Comey has spent the past 12 days on his book tour promoting A Higher Loyalty, the supposed greatness of Comey himself and the lack thereof on the part of President Trump. 

"However, no prior interview compared to his Thursday hit on the Fox News Channel’s Special Report as host Bret Baier offered a masterfully tough tour de force akin to interviews of yesteryear by the late Tim Russert." . . .

It was soon after that Baier showed his mettle, telling Comey that “you already knew that she had been telling, whatever you want to say, lies, mistruths about this investigation of what — and how she handled those emails” and played a clip of Comey stating just that in congressional testimony in July 2016. 

Byron York: Is Comey telling the truth about his memos?  . . . "Comey made some of the same arguments Thursday night in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. "I don't consider what I did with Mr. Richman a leak," Comey said. "I told him about an unclassified conversation with the president."

" 'That's a leak, isn't it?" Baier asked a bit later. "It's not," Comey responded." . . .

The Double Standards of the Mueller Investigation

The more Mueller searches for hypothetical lawbreaking, the more he ignores the actual lawbreakers.

This column by Mr. Hanson is linked to elsewhere in the  Tunnel Wall. We feel it is a strong enough commentary on leftist journalism and leftist politics that it should stand alone. TD

Victor Davis Hanson  "The country is about to witness an investigatory train wreck.

"In one direction, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation train is looking for any conceivable thing that President Donald Trump’s campaign team might have done wrong in 2016.. . . 

"If so, then the DOJ will have to look at Comey himself and DOJ officials who obstructed a federal court. On at least four occasions, they were not honest about the deeply flawed Christopher Steele dossier being the source of information used in applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

"Comey also has said that he predicated the nature of the Clinton email investigation on his assumptions about her chances of winning the presidency — another investigatory abuse.

"The Mueller team is reportedly still looking into the possibility of election-cycle collusion with Russia by Trump officials.

"That track will require Mueller’s DOJ counterparts to look carefully at the Clinton campaign, which paid opposition researcher Steele, a British subject, for dirt on Trump that was produced through collusion with Russian sources.

"Mueller is also said to be investigating whether Trump or his advisers broke laws concerning the release of confidential government information.

"If so, the DOJ may have to indict Comey. He confessed to passing along confidential FBI memos to a friend for the expressed purpose of leaking their contents to the press.

"High-ranking Obama administration officials may also be subject to indictments, given that they may have requested the “unmasking” of American citizens whose communications were intercepted during the surveillance of foreign parties and then leaked the names of those citizens to the press.

"Mueller’s team apparently has assumed that Michael Cohen’s status as Trump’s attorney offers no protections under normal attorney-client privilege protocols.". . . 

Politics have infected these investigations. Trump was seen as a threat to the status quo, and FBI and DOJ lawbreakers were seen as custodians of it.The more Mueller searches for hypothetical lawbreaking, the more he is inadvertently underscoring that actual lawbreakers must be subject to the same standard of justice. Ironically, Mueller’s investigation has reminded America that it is past time to call Comey, McCabe, and a host of Obama-era DOJ and FBI officials to account.For over a year, we have had two standards of legality when there can only be one.A reckoning is near.

Highlights and cropping by TD 

Donald Trump and the Star Chamber of Horrors

What's a star chamber"? . . . "it became synonymous with social and political oppression through the arbitrary use and abuse of the power it wielded."

By Michael Walsh  "Fifteen months into his administration, Donald Trump remains the object of a dedicated attempt by the Democratic Party, the media, NeverTrump Republicans, and rogue members of the deep state to take him down. From the night he was elected, lifelong members of the Permanent Bipartisan Fusion Party and the embedded bureaucracy have refused to accept the results of a national election, and have instead waged a campaign of “lawfare” against a man they consider an interloper—a situation unique in the annals of American democracy.

"From Hillary Clinton to James Comey to Robert Mueller to Stormy Daniels, to various minor federal judges, to CNN and MSNBC, the list of Trump’s enemies continues to grow.

"Their tactics are breathtakingly simple—and amazingly brazen. As the past year-plus of Robert Mueller’s tedious investigation has proven, there is no very great crime behind Trump’s very great fortune of having been elected the 45th president of the United States. The entire notion of Russian “collusion” (not in itself actionable in the first place) was cooked up in the witches’ cauldron that was Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The resulting brew was liberally dispensed to the cadres of media operatives pretending to be dispassionate reporters in order to assuage the failed candidate’s rage over losing what she thought—what she was assuredby her friends at the CIA and the FBI—was a fixed fight.

"And so the Big Lie—that Trump had collaborated with Vladimir Putin to change the course of an American election—was born." . . .

The more Mueller searches for hypothetical lawbreaking, the more he ignores the actual lawbreakers.  . . . "By charging former national-security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI, Mueller emphasized that even the appearance of false testimony is felonious behavior.

"If that is so, then the DOJ will probably have to charge former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe with perjury or related offenses. A report from the Office of the Inspector General indicates that McCabe lied at least four times to federal investigators." . . .

"Mueller has searched far and wide for wrongdoing but so far has found little. Meanwhile, there is plenty of other wrongdoing already found, but no one seems to be looking at it.

"Flynn, Cohen, and other Trump aides are considered small enough fry to go after. Clinton, Comey, McCabe, and others seem big enough fry to leave alone."

Dr. Ronny Jackson Withdraws as VA Secretary Nominee (Updated)

Legal Insurrection

Jackson described the allegations against him as “false and fabricated.”

Peter Baker

✔@peterbakernyt

White House @PressSec says Dr. Jackson remains on duty as White House physician, at least today. "Admiral Jackson is a doctor in the United States Navy assigned to the White House and is here at work today,” she says in statement.

. . . "On Wednesday, The New York Times published an article that contained a summary of allegations against Jackson from 23 former and current colleagues. What got me is that these stem back to 2006 and yet former President Barack Obama and Trump kept him as White House physician:" . . .

Trump warns Senate Democrat will 'have a big price to pay' for disclosing Ronny Jackson allegations

But the amazing thing about this smear campaign against Jackson is the ease with which unsubtantiated allegations are gaining traction.  . . . "The Democrats are using Jackson as a whipping boy because they believe he favors a form of VA privatization, as some in the administration have proposed. He will probably drop out before long, a victim of the partisan times in which we live. "

Happy Hayride

Dr. Ronny Jackson and the Curious Case of Sudden Journalism

American Spectator  "There were any number of news stories that one could have been paying attention to on April 25, 2018. The most entertaining was Kanye West’s brilliant trolling of every liberal breathing.
"French President Emmanuel Macron addressed a joint session of Congress, which must have thrilled the Democrats on Capitol Hill, as every one of them is a raging Francophile.
"The story that the mainstream media seemed most interested in, however, involved Navy Admiral Ronny Jackson, the president’s personal physician and nominee to head the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
"Few had heard of Adm. Jackson until he shared the results of President Trump’s first physical in office. Jackson didn’t just appear on the Washington scene when Trump did though, he was President Obama’s doctor for almost three and a half years.
"No one was interested in Jackson for several years, but now that Trump wants him to have higher profile job the “journalism” knives are out and wrecking him has become a media priority:" . . .

Amber Athey‏Verified account 

CNN is covering the Ronny Jackson allegations over French President Macron's live address to a joint session of Congress.. . .

. . . "The allegations are so damning and overwhelming that even a casual observer could be prompted to ask, “Why now?”"Adm. Jackson has been a high ranking Naval officer and physician for quite a number of years — surely some of this should have come to light before now. Maybe say… when he was named the personal physician to the most powerful man on Earth and given a full time office the White House."It’s understandable that the Veterans Affairs Committee would dig into Jackson’s background now. However, it is mind-boggling that the litany of grievances wouldn’t appear until they did so."Not everyone close to the situation is buying the “charges”: . . .

Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino had this defense of Admiral Jackson. See his video at the link:

"This is a book of trips I took in the Secret Service, where I ran that show and Ronny Jackson was the doctor on that trip for the president. I didn't hear a peep from you fake, phony cowards. You sicko animals...This man was a gentlemen. This man was a patriot." —@dbongino