Tag: Trump

Twitter, Facebook, #metoo, and a rare rebuke from one liberal to another

First, James Clapper took John Brennan to task over the weekend over his rhetoric.  Clapper, the former Director of National Intelligence, said that Brennan says what’s on his mind, but that is becoming a problem.  Brennan is the former director of the CIA and recently lost his security clearance after becoming an MSNBC commentator and insisting that the President committed treason.  Brennan has offered no evidence for his claims except his heartfelt belief that Trump colluded with the Russians.

The problem with insisting on baseless claims of Russian collusion is that Brennan speaks as someone who has authority as a former CIA director, not just as as a political commentator.  Bill Nelson recently ran into the same problem when he claimed the Russians had infiltrated Florida’s election system.  It’s either a flat out lie used to influence an election, or it’s the illegal release of classified information.  Since John Brennan and Bill Nelson have not had criminal referrals for illegally giving out classified information, it’s clear they are lying.

Former Obama officials battle over the appropriateness of public accusations

If you thought Social Media platforms might have an inherent bias against conservative outlets, it’s because that is true.  Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted they have a left leaning bias, but said they are aware of their own bias and try not to let it affect their decisions.

Meanwhile, Facebook is in hot water for letting real estate companies and lenders violate the Fair Housing Act by using advertising that targets their desired demographics.  So apparently they aren’t quite as leftist when it comes to making money.  If a leftist company violates leftist principles, does anyone care?

Facebook violates 1968 Civil Rights Act by allowing advertisers to discriminate against minorities

Speaking of hypocrisy, one of the first accusers of Harvey Weinstein secretly paid off one of her own victims.  Ground floor member of the #metoo movement Asia Argento paid $380,000 to silence a male actor who she had raped when he was 17.  The payment came shortly after Argento accused Weinstein.  She was 37 and child actor Jimmy Bennett was 17 when she assaulted him.

Weinstein accuser pays off her own victim

Cuomo: America was never great

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in hot water for countering Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan with one of his own: “America was never that great”.  I don’t know how far that’s going to get him with the majority of Americans, but it will play well with the radical Democratic Socialists on the Left.  Just yesterday Bernie Sanders said America is “fundamentally immoral and wrong”.  Andrew Cuomo’s brother and CNN commentator Chris Cuomo recently got himself in trouble suggesting that punching right-wingers was morally justifiable.

Democrat governor says America was never great

Economists are taking Elizabeth Warren to task over her far fetched Accountable Capitalism Act.  Warren, who opposes free market capitalism, came up with the idea of having corporations have to obtain a “Federal charter” to operate.  The license, in addition to the hoops they have to jump through to work in their state, would raise $1 billion in fee taxes.  Warren’s so-called “charter” would require corporate directors to consider not just their stakeholders, but also their employees and communities.

Of course, this is moronic.  Any well run company has to consider the well-being of their employees and communities or the free market will eliminate that company from competition.  In fact, that point was made by none other than BET co-founder Robert Johnson.  The Black Entertainment Television co-founder said “Most companies and most boards look at all of their stakeholders, not only their shareholders. They look at their employees, they look at the community where they reside and do business, they look at even the vendors that they do business with. So I think it’s a solution in search of a problem that’s absolutely not necessary,”

What Warren’s bill, along with the exemptions for friends of the ruling party that we have seen with previous Socialist overreaches, would create a new avenue for crony capitalism.  In other words, to get an exemption for your federal charter or to guarantee you have your charter maintained, you have to stay friendly with the party in power.  We saw the same thing with ACA where Obama’s biggest supporters received exemptions to various new labor rules.

Warren’s new socialist measure to control businesses gets a failing grade

Trump is implementing what Obama failed to do with his new Buy America push.  Trump is planning on using an executive order to create rules to ensure that federal agencies use American made goods and services for their projects.  There are questions about the legality of the executive order and sure to be legal challenges.  There are also issues of increased costs to the taxpayers if the government has to buy more expensive American goods.

Obama tried and failed to pass a buy American provision in 2009 and again in 2011.  He backed off of the provision in 2009 after American companies who sell overseas swayed him away from the influence of the US labor unions with fears of foreign retaliation.  When Obama flopped back to supporting Buy American, the Jobs Act of 2011 was squashed by the GOP.

Our opinion?  It was wrong when Obama tried it, it’s wrong now.  Free trade produces lower prices for consumers and taxpayers, and competition helps American producers to be efficient.  A better way to help American producers is to cut taxes and regulation so that they can compete on the high end of the global scale.  But Trump is doubly wrong by doing this as an executive order rather than through Congress.  Many Democrats support Buy American provisions.  Labor unions love it.  By going it alone, Trump will alienate conservative and free market GOP members, but I doubt he’ll receive any recognition from the left.  Democrats also supported protectionist tariffs, until Trump did it.  All around this is poor strategy and contrary to free market principles.

Trump to accomplish Obama agenda item with Buy American executive order

Fox News and CNN earn 100% bias rating on the same story

It’s rare to see too competing and ideologically different media outlets get the same issue so wrong.  But that’s what happened on Wednesday when Sarah Sanders refused to guarantee that Donald Trump has never and would never behave a specific way.  That sparked unfounded accusations from the two media outlets that Trump was on some secret tape somewhere using racial slurs.  Of course, if that tape ever did arise it would be a glorious day for liberal and establishment Republican allies.  So glorious in fact, that if the tape existed it, like Russian collusion evidence, would be on a 24/7 news cycle until even the spaghetti spine GOP establishment would be voting to impeach Trump.  But no tape has surfaced.

In fact, Trump himself made a statement that no tape exists because he doesn’t use those words.  “They aren’t in my vocabulary” tweeted the President.  Mark Burnett who produced The Apprentice has confirmed no such tape exists.  But the media took one ridiculous question from a reporter and Sarah Sanders’ reasonable response and turned it into the big story.

CNN took it a step further with Anderson Cooper “explaining” how Sarah Sanders basically admitted there is a Trump N-word tape out there somewhere:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/08/14/kth-omarosa-trump-white-house-nword-dog-ac-vpx.cnn

“Today the woman who speaks for the President of the United States said she cannot rule out…” was how Cooper begins.  But that is a complete mischaracterization of what actually happened.  In fact CNN tweeted the exchange before driving their unhinged narrative that Sanders was admitting something.  As a reporter asks her about the possibility of the existence of the tape, Sanders says several times that President Trump has addressed the question directly and she would refer them to him.

The reporter pressed and asked if she could guarantee that no tape with Trump using a racial slur will ever show up.  But Sanders can’t predict the future, nor can she speak beyond what she knows.  So she directed them back to the President’s statement.  Sanders’ refusal to guarantee that there will never be a tape now or in the future of Trump saying something turned into the Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC headline.

We spelled it out for CNN on our Instagram page:

As a result of this media narrative, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC have earned a 100% bias rating on the story, and our Brief’s On Fire label.

Drain the Swamp: Brennan loses security clearance

Former CIA director turned far left political commentator John Brennan saw his security clearance finally revoked on Wednesday.  Brennan was cited for “lying” and conduct unbecoming for someone who has access to the nation’s secrets.  But Brennan isn’t the only one on the list being considered.

Politico also names FBI Director James Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden, former national security adviser Susan Rice, former FBI attorney Lisa Page, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and Bruce Ohr.  McCabe and Strzok were fired from the FBI for misconduct.

Bruce Ohr has been demoted from assistant deputy attorney general and may not have a job much longer.  He was a crucial part of the Russian investigation, even though his wife worked for Fusion GPS.  In addition to Bruce Ohr’s connections to Fusion GPS, Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya was also a client of Fusion GPS when she set up her meeting with Donald Trump, Jr. in Trump tower.  Nothing happened at the meeting, but it has been cited by liberals as Russian collusion.  Some speculate that entire meeting was a Fusion GPS setup.

It’s possible these late moves are more than just cleaning house.  Many of these individuals have a very suspect past when it comes to the botched Clinton investigation and the unnecessary Trump investigation.  We have seen plenty of evidence from Strzok’s texts of collusion with the Obama administration to stop Trump.  And when you add in the Fusion GPS connections, everyone seems to be in bed with everyone else.  In some cases, literally.

The Inspector General’s office continues it’s investigation into these individuals, but Horowitz’s conclusions have thus far been suspect.  His decision that Strzok’s texts didn’t show bias gives me little hope for the future of that investigation.

8/15/18: What’s going on in Turkey

Tensions have continued to rise between the US and Turkey.  At the center of the dispute is a US pastor who was arrested as part of retaliation for a failed coup in Turkey in 2016.  Andrew Brunson is being held under house arrest and charged with espionage, but the US denies all charges.  To get Brunson back, Trump has used tariffs as more than just economic retaliation for another country’s tariffs, but is now using them for diplomatic pressure as well.  Turkey’s court of appeals refused to release Brunson this week.

Trump hits Turkey with tariffs, Turkey responds in kind over detained pastor

In an update to a story we brought you a few days ago, there are now over 200 papers in the US set to write anti-Trump editorials to supposedly prove that they are unbiased and don’t deserve to ever be called out for fake news.  Media outlets led by CNN’s cry baby Jim Acosta and the Boston Globe have feared that the “fake news” label on news that isn’t true is going to cause violence against the media.

Meanwhile, as we reported on our Facebook page yesterday, CNN’s Chris Cuomo made a feeble attempt to ask Antifa to cool it when it comes to actually physically assaulting members of the media.  Cuomo’s rambling charge against Antifa seemed to suggest that they were ok to be violent as long as it was against bigots, but that they really ought to leave the press and the cops alone.  He ignored their attacks on non-white supremacist Trump supporters who happened to be in the area and were assaulted.

200+ Media outlets set to attack Trump to show they aren’t biased

Twitter has joined the ranks of social media platforms in banning Alex Jones, but only for a short period of time after he violated one of their rules with a video he linked to.  Twitter had stated that they would not ban him unless he violated one of their rules.  The current restriction is temporary.  Jones has gotten a lot of mileage out of the bans on other social media platforms.  Alex Jones’ site, Infowars, tends to be a cesspool of conspiracy theory and Jones’ lawyer admitted in a recent court battle that he is “playing a character” in his role as a media personality.

At Political Brief, we don’t follow Alex Jones.  We support his right to free speech and expression, but we also support the right of private businesses to make the economic decision to discriminate when it comes to hosting private individuals.  Consumers will need to decide for themselves if blocking Alex Jones is enough to get them to leave those social media platforms.  It also is a good caution to consumers to remember that political commentators have an agenda.  Be sure to double check sources and treat any political story with skepticism, whether it’s Alex Jones or Jim Acosta.  Also, know that Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and other platforms are privately run and push content to you.  The best way to navigate politics online is to do your research and find people you trust.

Twitter restricts Alex Jones after video violation

8/14/18:The missing tape

CBS is leading off today with a new recording from Omarosa from 2016 in which Omarosa insists to other campaign officials that Trump used the N word while filming the Apprentice.  Omarosa has maintained this claim and that there is a recording, although the existence of the recording remains unverified.  In the recorded phonecall with Lynne Patton and Katrina Pierson, Patton says she asked Trump if he had used the word and he said no.  Someone believed by CBS to be Pierson then says “no, he said it”, although that could be Omarosa talking.  Pierson has denied that they knew about this tape or were trying to spin it.

Omarosa insists that she heard this supposed recording of Trump using the N word, but has not given any details about the specific context.  Producer Mark Burnett apparently called Trump to reassure him no such tape exists.  Omarosa was fired for multiple ethics violations and potentially violated the law by illegally taping White House meetings.

Omarosa cites phantom recording of Trump, but has no evidence

Al Gore is out there now resetting the Global Warming apocalypse timeframe.  Gore said Trump hasn’t been as bad as he thought, and with a new President we could be back on track to save the planet.  Gore has previously cited Global Warming studies to predict that the polar ice caps would be melted and gone by 2014.  Gore also predicted 2016 would be the point of no return for hoping to stop Global Warming.  Apparently, having survived two previous near apocalypses, if only we can get a new President we’ll be OK.  I wonder who he has in mind?

Al Gore discovers the Global Warming apocalypse hasn’t happened yet

Radical Democrat protesters are being investigated by the Secret Service after calling for violence against the President.  The Antifa group, made up of Democrats, Democratic Socialists, and Communists, attacked Trump supporters, beat cops, and tangled with Secret Service in violent demonstrations over the weekend.  Some protesters were asked on camera what they would do if they saw Trump.  Their suggestions ranged from unhinged violence to sodomy and murder.  It is a felony to threaten to harm or kill the President.  The protesters also called on violence towards “fascists”, but their definition is broad and includes pretty much anyone who disagrees with them.

We believe that if Trump has a duty to denounce white supremacist groups over and over, then Democrat leaders have a duty to denounce Antifa as well.  Last year when a tiny group of white supremacists clashed with violent Antifa members, Trump was severely criticized for denouncing violence “on both sides”.  We are now calling out Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and anyone else who considers themselves leaders on the Left.  It’s time to condemn the violent bigotry of Antifa and call on them to go home and consider joining only in the civil debate our political system is built on.

Violent Democrats and Leftists under investigation

Breaking: Almost two years later, Peter Strzok is fired

The FBI agent who was an integral part of the Clinton and Trump investigations has finally been fired.  Peter Strzok, who became infamous for his anti-Trump and election meddling texts, was originally only to be demoted and suspended.  However, FBI Deputy Director David Bodwich overruled the disciplinary office and fired Strzok.

Strzok’s private texts were a goldmine for Trump supporters as the Trump Russia collusion investigation fell apart.  Strzok was having an affair with FBI attorney Lisa Page and texted her about his progress in investigating Trump.  Strzok texted her that Hillary should win, even though he was still investigating Hillary for her illegal email server.  Strzok went on to text that they would “stop Trump”, and went as far as colluding with her to spark the Russian investigation.

Strzok texted with Page about Andrew McCabe’s idea of the Russian investigation being an “insurance policy” in case Trump was elected.  They also texted about Strzok’s relationship with FISA Court judge Contreras in the context of how to spy on the Trump campaign.

In testimony before Congress, Strzok appeared angry, confident, and incredulous that he would be questioned over his texts.  He attempted to explain them away as simply personal political activism that didn’t affect his job, however even Lisa Page admitted that everyone understood his activism in the context of his job at the FBI.

Strzok’s friend and boss, Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, was fired earlier this year for leaking to the media.  McCabe was in charge of the Clinton and Trump investigations, and responsible for using Hillary’s bought and paid for Russian dossier propaganda to get FISA warrants to spy on Trump.  McCabe refused to recuse himself, even though his wife was running for office in Virginia as a Democrat.

With McCabe and Strzok fired in disgrace and admissions from Comey and Mueller that Trump was never a target of the Russia investigation, the only thing left for Mueller is the possibility of a perjury rap if he can get Trump under oath.  This isn’t likely at this point unless Mueller subpoenas Trump.

8/13/18: Omarosa and the age of disgruntled tell all book profits

Trump is once again the victim of someone looking to sell books.  Although honestly, he should have seen this one coming.  Omarosa Newman, the former bad guy from the Apprentice turned Trump advocate is promoting her tell all book about her brief time with the Trump administration.  Of course, this means she needs to sell books.  Among her claims are unverified attacks on Trump and his associates, including the claim that she has heard a recording of Trump using the N word.  She doesn’t have the recording, but I’m sure we can take her word for it.

Omarosa also may be in trouble.  In preparation for her book, she had been recording private meetings which could get her in big trouble for national security violations.  Omarosa was fired for unethical behavior, but claims that chief of staff John Kelly threatened her.  The threat though sounds more like he was saying he did not intend to  make public what she did to get herself fired. That may change now, and she may find herself in legal trouble for the illegal recordings.

However, as of press time, we have a new recording from Omarosa of a phonecall with Trump, where he says he didn’t know she was getting fired and that was a shame.

Omarosa could be in trouble for secret tapes

Speaking of unseen videos, Democrat Representative Keith Ellison’s ex-girlfriend’s son is claiming to have video of Ellison abusing her during their relationship.  Like Omarosa’s claims, nothing has been put out there yet and Ellison is denying it.  Keith Ellison has also recently denied having a relationship with Louis Farrakhan, although his claims of not knowing Farrakhan were easily debunked.  Ellison is currently running for Attorney General in Minnesota.

Keith Ellison accused of domestic abuse

Speaking of he said, she said and secret recordings, Rudy Guiliani is now saying Trump never told Comey to go easy on Flynn.  Guiliani said that was Comey’s version of the events and when he discussed it previously on ABC’s This Week, he was discussing their version of events.  It appears though that none of this will matter.  Guiliani is very carefully threading a needle with a hostile prosecutor who seems to be looking for perjury or obstruction of justice.  But Comey had already testified that Trump’s actions did not constitute obstruction of justice, even if they had discussed Flynn as Comey said.  Like Omarosa, Comey released unverified memos of his supposed private conversations with Trump to bump his book sales.

Guiliani clarifies differences with Comey

8/11/18: Press coordinates attack on Trump to prove they aren’t biased

Trump has stated that the press is not the enemy of the people.  He said fake news is the enemy of the people.  Trump has maintained this stance and repeats it when the media lies about him or produces fake news.  The media, only all too happy to prove him right, has taken the phrase “enemy of the people” very personally.  Media outlets have continuously charged that Trump was calling all news the enemy of the people.  I suppose that’s their mea culpa.

Trump’s charge that the media is biased stems from their coverage of the Russian collusion fake story.  While Trump has never been the target of a Russian collusion investigation, and while Hillary Clinton is the candidate who demonstrably colluded with Russia, you can ask any friend on the left and they will tell you Trump colluded with Russia.  It’s a fake narrative created by the media.  Trump has good reason to criticize the media for bias.

The media isn’t helping themselves.  On Friday, Marjorie Pritchard of the Boston Globe called on media outlets throughout the country to write coordinated editorial attacks against Trump.  70 media outlets have agreed to the coordinated attack on Trump to prove they aren’t biased.

70 papers agree to coordinated attack on Trump to prove they aren’t biased fake news

The US Navy is back in the South China sea to enforce sanctions against North Korea.  North Korea has taken some symbolic steps towards peace and the end to their nuclear program, but continues to develop ballistic missiles.  The Trump administration had stated that sanctions would remain in place until Kim completely and verifiably eliminates their weapons of mass destruction program.

US sanctions on North Korea continue

Republicans and Conservatives are taking full advantage of the Ocasio-Cortez gaff machine.  And we are enjoying every bit of it.

 

 

Did Bill Nelson lie or break the law?

Rick Scott hit Bill Nelson on Facebook Friday for his unverified claims that Russia has infiltrated Florida’s election system.  Nelson claimed that the Russians had hacked Florida’s election system, but did not cite any actual evidence for the claim.  When pressed, Nelson stated that it was classified.

According to Gov. Scott, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner sent a letter to the US Senate Intelligence Committee asking for more information.  None has been provided.  Nelson claimed that the Trump administration is withholding information but still has no evidence for his salacious claim.  How Nelson even came across the supposed information is also unclear.  Nelson is in the toughest race of his life after 18 years in the Senate.

If the Russians have in fact compromised the Florida election system, then the intelligence community has a duty to disclose that information to the governor of Florida and the appropriate state officials.  If Nelson’s unverified claims have any merit, the government has a responsibility to help Florida identify the compromised areas and protect the voters of the state.

Bill Nelson is either lying or illegally releasing classified information in a press conference to meddle with the election.  Either way, his attempt to scare voters into thinking Russia is coming in on Gov. Scott’s side is backfiring.  Whether the 75 year old Democrat Senator is making stuff up or compromising national security for political gain, it’s a lose-lose for Nelson.