Friday, May 31, 2019

UPDATED: Obama Tells Multiple Lies About Guns In The U.S. To A Crowd In Brazil

Daily Wire  
"Former President Barack Obama told multiple lies on Thursday to a crowd in Brazil while discussing gun laws in the United States — something that he repeatedly did during his presidency.' . . .
'Everything stated by Obama was a blatant lie.
"Stephen Gutowski, a Second Amendment reporter for The Washington Free Beacon, highlighted some of Obama's in a series of tweets on Friday.
" 'Former President Obama just straight up lied about America's gun laws while at an event in Brazil--a country with strict gun laws and an unfathomably-high gun murder rate," Gutowski tweeted. "Former President Obama told the Brazilian crowd 'anybody can buy any weapon any time without much, if any, regulation' of our gun laws which is just plain false on its face. A complete lie.' " . . .




Thomas Lifson UPDATE:  Obama offers blatant lies about US gun laws in speech given in Brazil

. . . "Brazil, where Obama was speaking, has had strict gun control laws, but also has one of the highest murder rates in the world. just like Chicago. However, Jessica Chasmar in the Washington Times notes that Brazil’s new populist president is moving the country in the direction of firearms freedom in order to stem the tide of lawlessness:
Mr. Obama’s comments come just weeks after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree easing restrictions on gun imports and increasing the amount of ammunition a person can buy. In January, Mr. Bolsonaro signed a decree making it easier for Brazilians to keep weapons at home without first demonstrating that they have a need to own a gun.
"Abysmally ignorant or blatant liar?  Either way, Barack Obama is a hideous ex-president."

William Barr's thoughts on the Mueller Report


William Barr interview on CBS  . . . "Here is one quotable quote on the president’s authorization of Barr to declassify relevant documents in which Barr makes a point that I have made here repeatedly this week: “I’m amused by these people who make a living by disclosing classified information, including the names of intelligence operatives, wringing their hands about whether I’m going to be responsible in protecting intelligence sources and methods. I’ve been in the business as I’ve said for over 50 years long before they were born and I know how to handle classified information and I believe strongly in protecting intelligence sources and methods. But at the same time if there is information that can be shared with the American people without jeopardizing intelligence sources and methods that decision should be made and because I will be involved in finding out what the story was I think I’m in the best [position?] to make that decision.” . . .


Barr: Counter-intelligence Probe of Trump Campaign Crossed ‘Serious Red Line’




Donkey Hotey

The Fabulous William Barr, The Right Man At The Right Moment  . . ."Barr sat for an interview with CBS News legal correspondent Jan Craw. ford in Alaska to discuss Robert Mueller’s controversial “statement,” which was essentially an assault on the rule of law. Barr did not engage in the analysis of Mueller’s motives, nor did he criticize Mueller for triggering a new round of calls for the President’s impeachment. (I posted about Mueller’s comments herehere and here.)
"However, Barr did make it crystal clear that, despite the Office of Legal Counsel guidance, Mueller “could have made a decision about whether it was criminal activity. He had his reasons for not doing it, which he explained. I’m not going to argue about those reasons, but when he didn’t make a decision, the deputy attorney general and I felt it was necessary for us, as the heads of the department, to reach that decision.”
"He expressed his surprise when Mueller informed him he had not come to a conclusion. Because that’s what he was hired to do. " . . .

Never Trumper shows his ignorance


Don Surber [Klein] wrote, "First, in the most direct way, raising tariffs on Mexico will mean a tax incre [ ase of up to 25% on American families and businesses purchasing any products from Mexico, one of the U.S.' leading trade partners. In 2018, Americans imported $346.5 billion in goods from Mexico, so on that basis it would amount to a nearly $87 billion tax increase. It also will punish industries that will be affected by inevitable retaliatory tariffs."

"Wrong.

"A tariff is a voluntary tax. It is easily avoided by buying an American-made product. That is why every Republican president from Lincoln to Reagan supported protectionist tariffs." . . 

Robert Mueller: the dreams of CNN and MSNBC realized.

Rich Terrell
The Wayward Special Counsel "In the end, the by-the-book Robert Mueller wildly departed from the book. 
"He invented an extraconstitutional legal standard for his obstruction investigation and acted, at the very least, in violation of the spirit of the special counsel regulations. 
"His departing act was a public statement meant to influence the public debate in a manner inappropriate for a prosecutor, in part because the public report he wrote that was inappropriate for a prosecutor failed to achieve clarity despite its hundreds of pages." . . .

"Mueller Tried to Entrap Trump" . . . "Mueller knew indictments for obstruction of justice would never hold up in court.  An innocent man screaming. “I’m innocent and this is a witchhunt,” is no more committing obstruction than a guilty man screaming the same thing.  Also, an innocent man screaming, “I want that SOB fired” but then who doesn’t fire him is not obstructing either.  In addition, the president allowed Mueller to interview any executive officer, never declared executive privilege, or attorney-client privilege, and submitted 1.4 million requested documents." . . .

Greenwald righteously concludes that Mueller's inability to find that Trump had engaged in illegal activity also made "it virtually impossible to find that he criminally obstructed the investigation." Scam over, case closed.



Thursday, May 30, 2019

Buttigieg brother-in-law accuses 2020 candidate of lying about his family for political gain

Washington Examiner  ."CLIO, Michigan — Pete Buttigieg’s brother-in-law is accusing the gay Democratic presidential hopeful of hijacking his family’s history for political advantage by crafting a bogus backstory of poverty, homelessness, and homophobia.
"Rhyan Glezman, 34, a pastor in small-town Michigan, said he was inundated by death threats and hate mail when stories surfaced this month claiming he was a bigot who had fallen out with his younger brother Chasten when Chasten came out of the closet.
"The reports were based on a Washington Post article, which described how Chasten, 29, was forced out of the family home and never reconciled with his two brothers.
. . . 
“He went away,” is how Glezman put it. “He was struggling for a time. But there was nothing on the family end that said he had to leave.”. . . 
It was all part of a public discourse, Glezman believes, that frequently writes off principled Christians as bigots. “I believe for me, as a Christian, we’re the people being shunned, people being silenced, and a lot of the liberal side of things are becoming the bigots to Christianity and faith,” he said. “They are becoming the intolerant side.” . . .

New Damaging Info Comes Out On Disgraced FBI Agent Peter Strzok

Daily Wire "The FBI did not warn the Trump campaign that two members of its campaign were under FBI investigation when agents met with the campaign in August 2016 to warn it about national security threats."
. . . 
Strzok, "who was later removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigative team for sending anti-Trump texts, was a central coordinator for the FBI on the defensive briefing, which included multiple agencies. Three weeks earlier, Strzok opened an FBI counterintelligence investigation into campaign aide George Papadopoulos.
A source familiar with sensitive records documenting the August briefing told Fox News that Strzok was in a unique -- and apparently conflicted -- position. Strzok opened the FBI investigation into Russian outreach to Trump campaign aides, while at the same time he was supposed to be warning the Trump campaign about Russian activities.

Former CNN Contributors Allege Network Has Become ‘Anti-Trump’ Platform

USSA News


"A number of conservative commentators who were formerly CNN contributors have come out to say the network has become a hate-fuelled platform against President Donald Trump, with one stating that it “openly despises conservatives” who support the president.
"CNN has struggled to keep on pro-Trump contributors over the past years, according to a report from Mediaite. The most recent example occurred last week when the network let go of former contributor Ken Cuccinelli after reports emerged that the president was considering him to fill a top Homeland Security position. Cuccinell’s departure further culled the already endangered intellectual diversity at CNN.
Photo of CNN screen added by TD
"In 2017 the network unveiled a new slogan with the company vowing to put “facts first” and reaffirmed that they would not be affected by emotion or bias. But several former contributors for the network disputed their ex-employer ever following through on that promise.
“ 'Most of us got squeezed out involuntarily,” former Georgia Congressman Jack Kingston told Mediaite. Kingston’s CNN relationship was left to expire earlier this year.
"He continued: “I was there for 2 years and was certainly willing to continue. It was clear to me in the end that the Republicans they prefer are anti-Trump Republicans.”
"Economic analyst Stephen Moore, also a former CNN contributor, was fired earlier this year after Trump nominated him to serve on the board of the Federal Reserve. Moore later withdrew from consideration after other media, including his former employer, dug into his personal history including unsealing his divorce records and unearthing humor columns he wrote nearly two decades ago.
“ 'Who are the Republicans?” Moore told Mediate in reference to the those still remaining on CNN. “John Kasich? He hates Trump!' ” . . .
A family member showed me her class handout on their media choices. As you see by this chart on her school picture, the California school endorses CNN to their students. TD

Jurisprudence and the Failed Coup

Stephen B. Presser


"The indispensable Victor Davis Hanson recently noted, “Real coups against democracies rarely are pulled off by jack-booted thugs in sunglasses or fanatical mobs storming the presidential palace. More often, they are the insidious work of supercilious bureaucrats, bought intellectuals, toady journalists, and political activists who falsely project that their target might at some future date do precisely what they are currently planning and doing—and that they are noble patriots, risking their lives, careers, and reputations for all of us, and thus must strike first.”
"He was discussing what we are now beginning to understand was the attempt to oust Donald Trump begun by officials in the Obama Administration, including certainly former FBI Director James Comey, assistant director Andrew McCabe, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI counterintelligence chief Peter Strzok, former FBI attorney Lisa Page, and quite possibly President Obama himself." 
"This will, in the long light of history, be regarded as the greatest misuse of governmental power ever to appear in our politics, and yet there has been very little attention paid to how this could occur and why at this particular time in our political development." . . .

Weasel Zippers gives Mueller and Democrats both barrels

Barr And Mueller Teams: Mueller Is Not Saying That But For Policy He Would Have Found Obstruction  "Mueller had previously told Barr three times that he wasn’t making his decision/non-decision based on the policy."  "Via RedState:" . . .

Barr And Mueller Teams: Mueller Is Not Saying That But For Policy He Would Have Found Obstruction  "Further clarification, signed by DOJ and Mueller team spokesperson. Shoots down Democratic narrative." . . .

Scarborough: Pelosi Impeaching Trump Is Like Lincoln Freeing Slaves


One of the deepest, darkest secrets of Russiagate soon may be unmasked. Even President Trump may be surprised.

Reporter Claims Name Of USS John McCain Covered During Japan Trip. Then More Info Comes Out.

Daily Wire  "A Wall Street Journal reporter with a history of anti-Trump bias claimed on Wednesday that the White House covered the name of the USS John McCain during President Donald Trump's recent visit to Japan — which was later disputed by multiple sources." . . .  


NEW: The White House wanted the USS John McCain “out of sight” for Trump’s visit to Japan. A tarp was hung over the ship’s name ahead of the trip, and sailors—who wear caps bearing the ship’s name—were given the day off for Trump’s visit. w/


. . . "Ballhaus has a history of distorting things to attack the president.
"Earlier this year, Ballhaus took a quote from Trump out of context when the president was responding to the threat of white nationalism.
"When asked if Trump saw white nationalism as a growing threat around the world, Trump said: "I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems."
"Yet, in her tweet, Ballhaus only reported part of Trump's comment, writing: "I don’t really. I think it’s a small group of people."
"Ballhaus faced widespread criticism over her dishonest framing of the president's quote, including from the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted at her: "When you leave out the part of the quote that negates the narrative you’re trying to push you really bolster the argument of all those complaining about media bias and #fakenews. I would expect more from the @WSJ, but I probably shouldn’t.' " . . .

WSJ journo Rebecca Ballhaus who reported WH wanted USS John McCain out of sight has history of ‘fake news’
. . . "It would’ve only taken Rebecca a little digging to find out what really happened but ya’ know, the narrative is way more important than the actual story." . . .

Robert Mueller as seen from the Right


Patricia McCarthy: Robert Mueller is a Sleazy, Shameful, Partisan Hack
. . . "Much has been written already about the sheer pettiness of what Mueller did and said on Wednesday morning.  Many actual legal scholars have commented; Alan DershowitzSean Davis, the guys at Powerline and of course Mark Levin.  Given their analyses, it is safe to say that Mueller stepped in a tar pit that may well fossilize this pathetic man.   He has sacrificed his entire career on the altar of the unscrupulous politics of the Democrats, who refuse still to accept the results of the 2016 election." . . .

Thomas Lifson: Mueller’s shameful exaggeration of Russia’s election ‘interference’

. . . "Barack Obama’s campaign advisors traveled to Israel to interfere in that nation’s election during his presidency, for instance. And remember that before the UK’s Brexit vote, Obama stated that if it left the EU, Britain would go the “the back of the queue” in trade negotiations with the United States, an open placing of his thumb in the scale, telling Britons that the United States would punish a Brexit vote. Obama even pronounced “queue” the way the English do (sounds like cue), and years later, “Ben Rhodes, an ex-White House adviser, admitted Mr Obama's dramatic intervention in the EU referendum campaign came at the personal request of the former prime minister.' ” . . .

Another Mueller-Comey One-Two Punch  . . . "In fact, their prior relationship should have disqualified Mueller from overseeing an investigation into one of Comey’s fiercest critics and the man who fired him, President Donald Trump. Without Comey helping to fabricate the Trump-Russia collusion narrative in 2016, there wouldn’t have been a Mueller investigation into fabricated Trump-Russia election collusion." . . .
 Andrew C. McCarthy:  Mueller’s Press Conference Makes the Impeachment Tightrope Tougher to Walk for Democrats  "The special counsel just upped the pressure on those in the party who think impeaching Trump is politically ill-advised." . . .

Pelosi: Impeachment Not ‘Off the Table’ but Dems Still Need to Make a ‘Compelling’ Case  . . . "Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer have long resisted their colleagues’ calls to begin impeachment proceedings, believing that doing so would unnecessarily inflame partisan divisions and potentially deprive the American people of an opportunity to rebuke Trump in 2020. They maintained that posture Wednesday in their respective written statements despite the urging of the party’s presidential contenders." . . .
The group that cheers cries of "Impeach the Motherf****r!"


Tony Branco

Trump Has Become the Democrats’ Great White Whale

Alamy
Victor Davis Hanson
"Even if the quest to destroy Trump eclipses all else, it seems not to matter to these modern Ahabs."

"One way of envisioning the Democratic obsessions with Donald Trump is as an addiction. We have seen the initial impeachment efforts; the attempt to get him under the emoluments clause, the Logan Act, and the 25th Amendment; the Russian collusion hoax; the Mueller investigation; the demand for his tax returns; and the psychodramas involving Michael Avenatti, Michael Cohen, and Stormy Daniels. Relentless progressives have needed a new Get Trump fix about every two months. 

"More practically, their fixation also substitutes for a collective poverty of ideas. The Democratic party has no plan to secure the borders other than to be against whatever Trump is for. They would not build a wall, deport illegal entrants, end sanctuary cities, fine employers, or do much of anything but allow almost anyone to enter the U.S.

"The homeless crisis is reaching epidemic proportions in our cities, almost all of them run by progressive mayors and city councils. None have any workable plan to clean the sidewalks of needles and human excrement. None know what to do with the hundreds of thousands who have camped out in public spaces, endangering their own health and that of everyone around them due to drug addiction and inadequate sanitation and waste removal." . . .

America's strength in international affairs matters not at all to this party, its media, and its horde of silly - but frightening - Presidential hopefuls. TD