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Tag: Politics

  • Russia initiates terrorism investigation into Washington Examiner journalists over Crimea article

    Russian authorities have initiated criminal proceedings after The Washington Examiner, a D.C.-based magazine and website, published an article urging Ukraine to bomb Russia’s newly opened bridge to Cr

    Russian authorities have initiated criminal proceedings after The Washington Examiner, a D.C.-based magazine and website, published an article urging Ukraine to bomb Russia’s newly opened bridge to Crimea.

    Washington Examiner editorial director Hugo Gurdon and columnist Tom Rogan are both being criminally investigated in connection with the article, “Ukraine Should Blow Up Putin’s Crimea Bridge,” a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday.

    The article was written by Mr. Rogan, 32, and published on the Examiner’s website Tuesday, the same day Russian President Vladimir Putin personally oversaw the opening of a controversial 12-mile bridge connecting the country’s mainland with Crimea, a peninsula in the Black Sea annexed from Ukraine in early 2014.

    “Ukraine has the means to launch air strikes against the bridge in a manner that would render it at least temporarily unusable,” Mr. Rogan wrote in the article.

    “Bombing the bridge,” he added, “would thus be a very personal rebuke to Putin’s ambitions and his propaganda narrative.”

    Russia’s Investigative Committee announced Thursday that it had opened a criminal case against Mr. Rogan, and the committee confirmed Friday that its probe had been widened to encompass the Examiner’s editorial director as well.

    “According to the investigators, Gurdon had negotiated the approval and published Tom Rogan’s article on the Washington Examiner’s website, calling for blowing up the Crimean Bridge by carrying out bomb attacks,” said Svetlana Petrenko, the committee’s spokeswoman.

    Investigators believe the article’s publication violates Russia’s law against publicly calling for terrorist activities on the territory of the Russian Federation, Ms. Petrenko said.

    “In the actions of Hugo Gurdon, propaganda of terrorism is seen,” she said in a statement.

    In an editorial, The Washington Examiner described Russia’s response to the article as “wacky.”

    “Our writers don’t normally advocate destruction of bridges, but then again, most bridges aren’t built as part of an illegal armed invasion of another sovereign nation,” the editorial said. “Crimea is rightly Ukrainian. Russia controls it through illegal force, and this bridge is an effort to cement that control.

    “In America, the right to express that opinion to whomever we want is protected,” the editorial said.

  • Trump calls Texas shootings a ‘horrific attack’

    President Trump called Friday’s school shooting in Texas a “horrific attack” and said the government must do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

    President Trump called Friday’s school shooting in Texas a “horrific attack” and said the government must do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

    “This has been going on for too long in our country,” Mr. Trump said at the White House, calling it “a very sad day.”

    Mr. Trump said the administration is “closely monitoring” the situation in Texas, where at least nine people were killed Friday morning in a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe.

    “My administration is determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools and keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others,” the president said. “Everyone must work together at every level of government to keep our children safe. May God be with the victims, and with the victims’ families.”

  • Russia will ‘fight’ for German pipeline project despite U.S. opposition: Putin

    President Vladimir Putin on Friday vowed to oppose any actions from the Trump administration targeting Nord Stream 2, a pipeline project expected to significantly increase Russia’s natural gas exports

    President Vladimir Putin on Friday vowed to oppose any actions from the Trump administration targeting Nord Stream 2, a pipeline project expected to significantly increase Russia’s natural gas exports to Europe.

    Mr. Putin defended the project in the wake of news outlets reporting this week that President Trump has pressured German Chancellor Angela Merkel to withdraw her support for the pipeline in lieu of possibly provoking a transatlantic trade war.

    “Donald is not just the U.S. president, he’s also a good, tough entrepreneur,” Mr. Putin said at a joint news conference held with Ms. Merkel in Sochi, The Moscow Times reported.

    “He’s promoting the interests of his business, to ensure the sales of liquefied natural gas on the European market,” Mr. Putin added. “I understand the U.S. president. He’s defending the interests of his business, he wants to push his product on the European market. But it depends on us, how we build our relations with our partners, it will depend on our partners in Europe.”

    “We believe it (the pipeline) is beneficial for us, we will fight for it,” said Mr. Putin.

    The pipeline is expected to transport upwards of 55 billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany beginning in 2019, doubling Russia’s current exports and consequently reducing Germany’s demand for resources from competing countries.

    Mr. Trump urged Ms. Merkel in April to withdraw support for the pipeline in exchange for kickstarting a new trade deal between the U.S. European Union, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S. and European officials.

    The U.S., German and their allies have been at odds with Russia particularly after Mr. Putin’s government annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, though leaders in both Berlin and D.C. have advocated for being on better terms with Moscow as of late.

    “We have a strategic interest in having good relations with Russia” Ms. Merkel said Friday.

  • Sessions: Trump administration will defend religious freedoms

    Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday the Trump administration will not treat religious individuals as an “afterthought” and vowed that the Justice Department will get involved in more cases rega

    Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday the Trump administration will not treat religious individuals as an “afterthought” and vowed that the Justice Department will get involved in more cases regarding freedom of religion.

    Mr. Sessions’ remarks came at a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a conservative networking organization founded in 1981.

    “The threats to religious freedom are threats to our First Amendment right to freedom of speech,” Mr. Sessions told the group.

    In October, the Justice Department issued a directive to give religious organizations and individuals stronger protections to express their beliefs, even when they conflict with government regulations.

    The directive was criticized because it provided stronger protections for employers making hiring decisions based on their religious faith. Some claimed the directive would lead to discrimination against individuals whose sexual orientation clashed with their employers’ faith.

    The department directive came on the heels of the Trump administration announcing it would expand religious exemptions for employers who object to providing insurance coverage for birth control.

    Former Sen. Sam Brownback was confirmed in February as the United States’ ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Mr. Brownback is the first former politician and first Catholic to hold that position, which has existed through previous administrations.

    “The Trump administration understand the value of free religious expression,” Mr. Sessions told the crowd.

    The Justice Department has also become fairly active in defending religious liberty cases under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the department filed court papers alleging that Georgia Gwinnett College violated the constitutional rights of a student who claimed he was told he couldn’t distribute fliers promoting his Christian faith in a campus open space. In its 26-page statement of interest, the department said the students’ right to free speech was violated.

    Mr. Sessions emphasized the link between freedom of speech and freedom of religion, two constitutional protections, in his speech Friday.

    “I would argue that free expression of religious views and values is doubly protected in the First Amendment,” he said.

  • Mark Inch, Federal Bureau of Prisons director, resigns

    The embattled director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons abruptly announced his resignation Friday, the Justice Department confirmed.

    The embattled director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons abruptly announced his resignation Friday, the Justice Department confirmed.

    No reason was given for the departure of Mark Inch, who had been named to the position in September.

    Hugh J. Hurwitz, assistant director of the Bureau of Prisons‘ Reentry Services Division, will serve as acting director, according to a department statement. The bureau runs the nation’s largest federal dentition system, overseeing 122 facilities, 39,000 workers and 186,000 inmates across the country.

    “Hugh has honorably served the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the American people throughout his distinguished career of federal service,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “I would also like to thank Mark Inch for proudly serving the Department of Justice as the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and wish him luck in his future endeavors.”

    The announcement came as the White House held a Friday summit on prison reform.

    The bureau has been the target of a probe by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. For the past year, the bureau has been dogged by sexual harassment staffing shortages. An April USA Today article alleged the bureau had used hundreds of staffers to fill guard posts because of shortages and overtime rules.

    It is not clear if the allegations are related to Mr. Inch’s resignation.

    Mr. Hurwitz began his career at the bureau as a law clerk in 1988. He has also held positions at the FDA, Department of Education and NASA before returning to the bureau in 2015.

  • First lady returns to White House after kidney treatment

    Melania Trump is back at the White House after an extended hospitalization for a kidney procedure.

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump is back at the White House after an extended hospitalization for a kidney procedure.

    The White House says the first lady returned to the White House on Saturday morning. She had been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington since having an embolization procedure Monday for an unspecified kidney condition that the White House said was benign.

    President Donald Trump visited his 48-year-old wife during several of the evenings that she was in the hospital.

    The first lady said Wednesday on Twitter that she was “feeling great.” She thanked the Walter Reed staff and her well-wishers, and added that she was looking forward to going home.

  • President Trump demands DOJ give informant documents to Congress

    President Donald Trump late Saturday demanded Justice Department give members of Congress the documents related to an FBI informant who had contacted campaign officials during the 2016 election.

    President Donald Trump late Saturday demanded Justice Department give members of Congress the documents related to an FBI informant who had contacted campaign officials during the 2016 election.

    “If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal,” Mr. Trump Tweeted. “Only the release or review of documents that the House Intelligence Committee (also, Senate Judiciary) is asking for can give the conclusive answers. Drain the Swamp!”

    The tweet references allegations that have been circulating among Republicans and conservative media outlets that an FBI informant was planted into the campaign as part of the Russian collusion investigation.

    It is also the latest Tweet from Trump calling upon Justice Department to give Congress documents related to the Russian probe.

    Lawmakers had requested the documents related to the Russia investigation – which could include details about the FBI informant, – several months ago, but the Justice Department continues to stall. Earlier this month, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Republican California, threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt if the documents are turned over.

    On Friday, multiple media outlets reported an FBI informant met with Trump campaign officials George Papadopoulos and Carter Page regarding their alleged Russia Times. The Washington Post reported the informant also met with Trump co-chairman Sam Clovis.

    The New York Times said the informant was “an American academic who teaches in Britain,” but said it would not name the person to “preserve their safety.” In addition, CNN reported the informant has been an FBI and CIA source “for years.”

    Justice Department and FBI officials have maintained that turning over the documents to Mr. Nunes would put the informant’s life in danger.

    Mr. Trump said earlier this month that he could force the Justice Department to provide lawmakers with the documents

    “A Rigged System – They don’t want to turn over Documents to Congress,” Trump tweeted. “What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal “justice?” At some point, I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!”

    Rudy Giuliani, who is serving as the president’s attorney, told CNN Friday morning that he didn’t know for sure if the FBI had embedded an informant in the Trump campaign.

    “Here’s the issue that I really feel strongly about with this informant, if there is one. First of all, I don’t know for sure, nor does the President, if there really was. We’re told that,” the former New York City mayor told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on “New Day,” without providing details on the source for that information other than to hint some are “gone from the FBI.”

  • Cory Gardner pushes to give police officers new body armor

    Sen. Cory Gardner introduced a new proposal to give every law enforcement officer body armor strong enough to absorb shots from a rifle.

    Sen. Cory Gardner introduced a new proposal to give every law enforcement officer body armor strong enough to absorb shots from a rifle.

    “Most have vests, but not the right kind,” Mr. Gardner, Colorado Republican, said on Fox News.

    He said that a stronger type of body armor may have saved the fallen officer killed in his state in the past week. Four officers were ambushed after responding to an incident, leaving one policeman and wounding three others.

    “This would equip our officers with type III body armor that’s good for rifles. Some of the things that could’ve protected the officers in Colorado,” Mr. Gardner said.

    Most officers currently have a type of armor, but it’s not as strong as type III, or has been worn down. The senator acknowledged that the new protective gear would be more expensive, but said that he thinks it’s an expense worth making.

    “This is going to be expensive there’s no doubt about it, but this country sent $1.7 billion to Iran. I think we can find $1 billion to back the blue,” he said.

  • Rudy Giuliani: Jeff Sessions could have prevented a special counsel investigation

    Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions could have prevented a special counsel investigation, attributing that as the reason President Trump remains upset with him.

    Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani said Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions could have prevented a special counsel investigation, attributing that as the reason President Trump remains upset with him.

    “What Jeff Sessions has done to him is stick him with a special counsel because he didn’t step up and say, ‘I can make this decision.’ Stick him with a special counsel, that has now $20 million later, has come up with nothing,” Mr. Giuliani said on CNN.

    He said there is no need for a special counsel investigation into collusion claims between the Trump campaign and Russia. Mr. Giuliani argued that Mr. Sessions’ recusal triggered the need for an outside counsel in the case and damaged the Justice Department’s ability to handle the investigation.

    SEE ALSO: EXCLUSIVE: Mueller agrees to narrow scope of questions in bid to interview Trump

    “Nobody else in the Justice Department is recused because Sessions is recused,” Mr. Giuliani said.

    He also stood by his previous statements that Mr. Trump should not testify in the case saying special counsel Robert Mueller’s team will try to trap the president.

    “Explain to me why they even need to interview the president if it isn’t to try and trap him into perjury,” Mr. Giuliani said.

    The former New York City mayor has also said that he does not believe Mr. Mueller’s team will indict Mr. Trump.

  • Robert Mueller agrees to narrow scope of questions in bid to interview Donald Trump

    Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s lawyer, says that special counsel Robert Mueller has agreed to avoid a “fishing” expedition by narrowing the subject of questions in an effort to get the president to

    Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s attorney, says special counsel Robert Mueller has agreed to avoid a “fishing” expedition by narrowing the subject of questions in an effort to get the president to submit to an interview with the prosecutor.

    Mr. Giuliani also says he thinks fired FBI Director James B. Comey is “not going to be worth anything as a witness” and thus less a threat to the president.

    Mr. Giuliani told The Washington Times that Mr. Mueller’s team displayed a good-faith effort during a Wednesday meeting that might result in an interview in July and a final Mueller report by Labor Day.

    SEE ALSO: Robert Mueller files unredacted copy of Russia investigation memo in Manafort case

    “He’s eliminated a lot of subjects that would have indicated he was fishing,” Mr. Giuliani told The Times on Thursday. “He’s eliminated those, and he’s into a much more relevant area where we know the answers and we know the answers really can’t be effectively contradicted.”

    He declined to specify what topics have been dropped.

    He has contended from the start that there is no evidence of Trump collusion in Russian election interference. The other two major topics: whether the president somehow obstructed justice in the firing of Mr. Comey, a Mueller friend, and whether he might commit perjury in answering questions under oath.

    SEE ALSO: Giuliani eviscerates Comey, says ex-FBI boss won’t be ‘worth anything’ as witness

    Mr. Giuliani is a longtime Trump friend who was brought in to try to bring an end to Mr. Mueller’s inquiry. He said a final agreement on testifying would include the subjects; an exchange of questions and any Trump objections; a place and time; and a schedule for a final report.

    “What I’m telling you, none has been agreed to,” he said, putting the chance of an interview at 50-50. He said he could agree to a two- to three-hour interview.

    On perjury, the issue would be Mr. Comey’s word in contemporaneous memos he wrote of discussions with the president versus Mr. Trump’s recollection.

    Mr. Comey leaked his memos to the press with the express purpose of prompting the appointment of a special counsel. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein complied.

    Mr. Comey said Mr. Trump urged him to end an investigation into retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, his brief national security adviser. Mr. Trump said he did not.

    Mr. Giuliani said Mr. Comey has revealed himself to be a leaker of confidential material.

    He also believes Mr. Comey’s credibility will be damaged by an upcoming report by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz on how the director handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

    “We don’t have a problem with him under oath,” Mr. Giuliani said. “What we have a problem is they’re using somebody else as the arbiter of truth, like Comey. We think when Horowitz gets finished with him he’s not going to be worth anything as a witness.”

    Mr. Giuliani said he wants Mr. Mueller to “show a realistic attitude toward the guy I think was going to be their chief witness, Comey, who is falling apart in front of us.”

    Asked whether Mr. Mueller’s team believes they have evidence of collusion, Mr. Giuliani said, “Actually, when you press them really hard, they say they can put this together and that together. But do they have any hard evidence of it? Do they have evidence that could be sustained in some kind of a proceeding? No.”

    Asked about Mr. Mueller’s strategy, Mr. Giuliani said:

    “I think they are relying more on obstruction and they wish perjury from their point of view than they are on collusion with the Russians. I think every time they’ve gone up the collusion alley it’s gone nowhere. That becomes the biggest obstacle to our testifying. Why are we going to get them to use the president’s word against himself? He’s already given all the explanations that they need to make a decision in his public comments. His comments under oath are not going to be materially different than this public comments. And if they would be we would tell them that. ‘On further reflection, he remembers this and that.’ So far, there haven’t been too many further reflections.”

    Mr. Giuliani said the Mueller team understands that Mr. Trump could not sit for questioning before the proposed summit with North Korea on June 12.

    “Of course Mueller agrees with that,” he said. “I think he’s anxious to wrap up because he’s become a bit of a target now. He realized he would get nowhere if he tried to do it now. We couldn’t prepare. He couldn’t force him if he went to court. It might jeopardize his ability to question him at all.”

    Mr. Giuliani previously said one agreement he procured is that Mr. Mueller agrees he cannot legally indict the president.