Obama's Weaponized IRS and Dept. of Justice

May 14, 2013 - The Obama Administration scandals just keep coming. The bungling of the Benghazi tragedy, and events leading up to it, was enough to make the administration scramble for cover and excuses. Within the past week, however, we've learned that the Department of Justice used a secret subpoena to snag Associated Press phone records of reporters and editors, and that the IRS improperly targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny in 2011 and 2012. These abuses of power have a lot of people upset, including quite a few Democrats.

One of those Democrats is former Clinton Administration attorney Howard Fineman had harsh criticism for the Obama Administration. He was a guest today on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show (video, left).

Fineman spoke about the AP phone records. "Every possible thing that DoJ could have done wrong, they did wrong in this case. Widely overbroad, in terms of the people whose records they got, no notice whatsoever, before or til long after the fact. No evidence that they exhausted other ways to find the information. One of the key things you have to do is look for other ways to find the information before you do this, and they apparently slapped it on quickly, did it very broadly, and the DoJ guidelines say at the top 'our goal here is to be as unintrusive to the press, as protective of the press as we possibly can be.' So, they violated both the letter and the spirit of their own guidelines in doing this. The question is 'Why?'"

Why? Willful abuse of power for political gain might well be the answer, and Fineman himself has said in the past that the Obama Administration is not above using government agencies as weapons. He said that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is a good example of such abuse.

Holder's Cloak Shredded By Issa's Dagger

June 7, 2012 - Sparks flew in a Congressional hearing about Operation Fast and Furious by the House Judiciary committee today. That's the the gun-running scandal that has U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder playing defense. He is accused by Republicans of knowing more about it that he has admitted, and of covering up what they accuse him of knowing. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) laid into Holder during the hearing.

Issa accused Holder of nothing producing enough evidence to the committee. 

Angry, he said to Holder that "since May 18th, nothing, nothing has come from your department, not one shred of paper."

Issa then asked Holder, "Have you and your attorneys produced, internally, the materials responsive to the subpoenas?" Holder responded, "We believe that we have responded to the subpoenas," at which point Issa angrily interrupted him.

"No, Mr Attorney General, you're not a good witness," Issa scolded. "A good witness answers the questions asked. So let's go back again." Have you, and your attorneys, produced internally, the materials responsive - in  other words, have you taken the time to look up our subpoena and find out what material you have responsive to it or have you simply invented a privilege that doesn't exist?"

Digging for truth at Justice

Issa has asked the DOJ for the documents, reports The Hill today, "including wiretap applications it used in the botched federal gun-tracking Operation Fast and Furious, for months." He has "taken preliminary steps to move contempt-of-Congress citations against Holder, but it remains unclear if GOP leaders support that move."

ISSA'S MOLE AT JUSTICE:

Issa has a secret weapon against Holder, however. It has been revealed that he has been getting valuable documents from a mole inside of Holder's Department of Justice. "Issa," reports The Hill, "says the documents show top-ranking DOJ officials signing off on the condemned 'gun-walking' tactics used in the failed operation. Senior DOJ officials have repeatedly denied that they approved the botched initiative." The Hill says that Issa has "apparently broken no laws by being given the information" by his mole, and that the documents have not yet been made public.

Related:

• Fast and Furious: Eric Holder’s bizarre House Judiciary testimony Human Events
• Mole helps Rep. Issa whack Justice Dept. The Hill
• Issa Bypasses Holder to Gain Information About Fast and Furious NewsMax
• Holder concedes ‘inappropriate tactics,’ but mum on ‘Fast and Furious’ blame Washington Times

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald To Quit On June 30

May 23, 2012 - U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald will step down on June 30, reports CBS2 Chicago. "He took over on Sept. 1, 2001, making him the longest-serving U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. He became a national celebrity for going after political corruption in Illinois. Most notably, he led the prosecutions of both Gov. George Ryan and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who are both serving time in prison."

Fitzgerald is, until June 30, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

This morning's official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice said, "Mr. Fitzgerald notified the White House, Attorney General Eric Holder, and U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk this morning of his decision to step down from the presidentially appointed post that he has held since Sept. 1, 2001, making him the longest-serving U.S. Attorney ever in Chicago. Mr. Fitzgerald, 51, has no future employment plans and will take time off this summer before considering career options. Including his tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York, Mr. Fitzgerald is leaving the Justice Department after nearly 24 years."  See the entire statement here (pdf).

The release also noted that Fitzgerald served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, where he took part in the prosecution of United States v. Osama Bin Laden, et al., "involving the August 1998 bombings of the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the trial of United States v. Omar Abdel Rahman, et al., involving the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center and a plot to bomb other New York landmarks." You can see Fitzgerald's official biography here.

 "Fitzgerald has been the longest serving U.S. attorney in Chicago history," says the Chicago Tribune today, "holding the office for more than 10 ½ years."

Greg Hinz at Crain's Chicago Business makes a good point about Fitzgerald's departure: The political games that will surely be played in the effort to replace the irreplaceable crime fighter:

"The question now," ponders Hinz in his column today, "is who President Barack Obama will select for this extraordinarily sensitive job — and whether Senate confirmation will come before the November election."

Obama Admin Ordered To Pay $120K To Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselor Susan Pine

April 2, 2012 - Sometimes, justice is served. And sometimes, Justice gets served -- and loses.

LifeNews.com

"The Obama administration has been forced to pay a pro-life advocate it targeted with a lawsuit $120,000," reports LifeNews.com, "and it has dropped its case against the Florida woman helping women find abortion alternatives." The pro-life advocate is Mary Susan Pine, who counsels women against abortion and steers them to non-abortion alternatives.

The Obama Administration did not like that, and Attorney General Eric Holder charged Pine with blocking an abortion clinic entrance. That, said Holder's Justice Department, was a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (“FACE”).

In late 2010, Holder went for an injunction to keep Pine and anyone with her off of the driveways of the Presidential Women's Center in West Palm Beach. A lawsuit filed in August 2012 in U.S. District Court was  "the first time anyone in Florida has been charged under the 16-year-old Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act," according to Sharon Levin, vice president and general counsel of the National Abortion Federation as quoted by the Sun-Sentinel.

This is only the first round of the Obama court battle against a pro-life advocate in Florida. It's "a battle that saw the administration unfairly seek to punish a peaceful sidewalk counselor under a law meant to stop violence and intimidation," says LifeNews. See the full story: "Obama Admin Forced to Pay $120K After Targeting Pro-Lifer."

Breaking: Darrell Issa Threatens Eric Holder With Contempt, Demands Fast and Furious Documents

January 31, 2012 - BREAKING - "House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) threatened Tuesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress if the Justice Department did not provide certain documents in response to the committee’s subpoena," reports Politico.com tonight.

"In a letter to Holder," says Politico, "Issa wrote that “this committee will have no alternative but to move forward with proceedings to hold you in contempt of Congress” if Holder and the DOJ didn’t produce documents they demanded relating to the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. Holder has until Thursday, Feb. 9. to comply, according to Issa." More at politico.com...

Fast and Furious victim: Agent Brian Terry

To put it bluntly, Issa is calling Holder a liar. Which may or not be fair. It's just as possible that Holder is merely an incompetent boob who has no idea what is going on within his own Dept. of Justice. Then again, he may simply be a clumsy liar. "Holder knew of Fast & Furious killing months before congressional testimony," says The Washington Times.

For those of you who still don't know about "Fast and Furious," here's a nice summary by the Washington Examiner:


"Fast and Furious is the Justice Department program that allowed thousands of weapons to be sold in 2009 to known buyers for Mexican drug cartels in the hope that the tainted guns would show up at future crime scenes. The department's cockeyed theory was that the "walked" weapons would enable authorities to tie the drug bosses to specific crimes in the United States and Mexico. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats lost track of the weapons until it was too late."

Too late, that is, for murdered U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry who was killed with one of those weapons. (A second suspect was arrested yesterday for Agent Terry's murder.)

"Now," says the Examiner, "Holder wants Americans to believe an obvious fantasy, namely that he didn't know about Fast and Furious until witch-hunting House Republicans made it a highly charged partisan issue a few months ago. But after reviewing new emails made public by the Justice Department last Friday, it seems clear that accepting Holder's claim at face value would be credulous in the extreme."

In other words, Holder is lying through his pearly whites.

Related articles

• Issa levels 'cover-up' accusation, threatens Holder with contempt charge (dailycaller.com)
• Emails Show How 'Fast And Furious' Ambush News Unfolded At Justice Dept. (NPR)
• Brian Terry border case: 2nd suspect revealed (AZcentral.com)
• Daily Benefactor News - Issa Levels 'Cover-Up' Accusation, Threatens Holder With Contempt Charge (thedaleygator.wordpress.com)
• AG Holder Threatened With Contempt (foxnews.com)

Former CIA Officer, HuffPo Contributor, Charged With Violating Espionage Act

John Kiriakou, left, and his attorney John Hundley, leave
federal court in Alexandria, VA. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP 
Source: The Guardian (UK)

January 23, 2012 - Former CIA officer John Kiriakou was arrested and accused of leaking classified information to reporters.

The Justice Department today charged Kiriakou, 47, with leaking classified information to reporters repeatedly, "including the identity of a covert officer and details about the capture of terrorism suspect Abu Zubaydah," the U.S. Justice Department said.

The Justice Department's actions agains Kiriakou, notes Don Grandoni at The Atlantic Wire, is "the second time this month the agency is sending the message that it doesn't like its ex-agents to be talking to reporters." However, added Grandoni, "the leaks do involve the identities of two CIA officiers."

A federal grand jury charged Kiriakou with one count of violating the Intelligence Agencies Protection Act, two counts of violating the Espionage Act and one count of lying to the CIA about his actions.

NBC reported today that Kiriakou surrendered to the FBI this morning. "In an initial court appearance in Alexandria Monday afternoon," wrote NBC's Michael Isikoff, "Kiriakou waived a preliminary hearing and was released on a $250,000 bond after surrendering his passport and agreeing to stay in the Washington area and not to contact any witnesses in the case. His lawyer, Plato Cacheris, did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

The "Lawfare" blog notes today that Kiriakou, 47, of Arlington, VA, "was a CIA intelligence officer between 1990 and 2004, serving at headquarters and in various classified overseas assignments. He is scheduled to appear at 2 p.m. today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson in federal court in Alexandria." Lawfare also posted the full criminal complaint against Kiriakou (filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia).

Kiriakou has been a busy journalist himself. In addition to being a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post. According to his bio post at HuffPo, "John Kiriakou is an intelligence and counterterrorism consultant for ABC News and a former senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, focusing on the Middle East, South Asia, and international terrorism."

Kiriakou also co-authored a book (with Bruce Riedel and Michael Ruby) called "The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA's War on Terror." In fact, much of what Kiriakou is charge with involves the time during which he was writing it. (See a video interview of Kiriakou about his book at booktv.org.)

NBC Washington notes that the U.S. Attorney's office "also said that while Kiriakou was writing his book, he lied to agency investigators in an attempt to secure permission to write about a confidential surveillance technique. Kiriakou wanted to include information about the 'magic box,' a device that could locate any switched-on cell phone, and allegedly told investigators lies about his knowledge of the device and whether or not it was confidential."

Oddly, his bio at HuffPo omits the fact that his tenure with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was actually as an investigator for Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) between 2009 and 2011. It's also odd that his HuffPo bio does not mention that he is one of their own frequent contributors.

Related articles

• Ex-CIA Agent Charged With Leaks (myfoxphoenix.com)
• Former CIA Officer Charged With Leaking Classified Info To Press (legaltimes.typepad.com)
• Canadian naval officer arrested, charged with espionage (news.nationalpost.com)
• US soldier in Alaska arrested, accused of espionage (colonel6.com)
• Iran Gives Death Sentence to American Accused of Spying (theatlanticwire.com)

Three Tragic Thanksgivings for Flores and Lagunas Families

Miguel Flores, 22, and Erick Lagunas, 21, were killed on Thanksgiving Day, 2007 when a police officer's car hit them. Two years later, the wheels of justice seem to be stuck. Or spinning. Whichever metaphor you choose, the case has gone nowhere but nowhere. Last year, Chicago News Bench covered a candelight vigil for Miguel and Erick. That was on Friday, June 20, 2008. The two young Chicago men died when struck by an allegedly drunk police officer. The quiet and peaceful vigil was held in front of Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine's home in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood on the north side. Please see that report for some background. ABC7 Chicago has a followup on the story, dated Nov. 22, 2009. Another vigil was held, they report, this time at the home of the officer who was allegedly under the influence on that fatal Thanksgiving in 2007. The accident happened exactly two years ago, which was Thanksgiving Day in 2007. A judge threw out the initial charges in the case. New charges were filed in September 2008 after surveillance video surfaced that appeared to show Ardelean drinking a number of shots at a bar while off duty. More at ABC7 Chicago... Leave a Comment Conservative T-Shirts Follow CNB on Twitter RSS Feed

How Pat Quinn Is Violating His Oath

When Pat Quinn was sworn in as Illinois' new governor on January 29, he swore an oath that included upholding and defending the Constitution of the United States. So far, he has been complicit in violating the very US Constitution that he swore to honor. Every minute that goes by without Governor Quinn demanding that the State of Illinois stop protecting illegal immigrants is another minute that he violates the part of his oath in which he swore to uphold and protect the US Consitution. Here's why. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution outlines some of the powers granted to Congress. It states that "The Congress shall have power to.... establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization." This means that the US Constitutional gives Congress - and only Congress - the power to establish all laws and rules of naturalization or immigration. Not the states, but Congress and only Congress. Yet, the State of Illinois is known as a "sanctuary state," meaning it ignores and violates federal laws - laws made by Congress - regarding immigration policy. In September, 2007 the US Department of Justice sued the State of Illinois for violating the US Constitution and federal laws pertaining to immigration policy, specifically Illinois' House Bill 1744. A DoJ press release summed it up: The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit in federal district court seeking to invalidate an Illinois state law that attempts to prevent employers from using DHS's E-Verify system, which allows them to check in real-time whether new hires are authorized to work in the United States. The lawsuit seeks a declaration that a law passed earlier this year by the Illinois legislature and signed by the Governor [Rod Blagojevich] that prohibits employers from enrolling in the Department's E-Verify system is invalid. "E-verify or the Basic Pilot Program, authorized by Congress, is the on-line system that allows employers to verify whether new hires are allowed to work in the United States," said Carl Nichols, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Division. "Today's lawsuit seeks to invalidate an Illinois state law that frustrates our ability to assist employers in making sure their workforce is legal, and in doing so conflicts with federal law." That Illinois law, passed in 2007 - Section 12(a) of the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act - prohibited employers in Illinois "from enrolling in the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program." Employers use E-Verify to confirm that new hires are legally authorized to work in the United States. On Sept. 24, 2007, an editorial on Illinois Review asked this: So, are we to expect Attorney General Lisa Madigan to rise to the defense of Governor Rod Blagojevich and the Illinois General Assembly, who are being sued by the feds for passing a state law allow federal immigration laws to be usurped? Illinois Review also noted that, in response to the DoJ suit, Congressman Peter Roskam (R-8) issued a statement, in which he said, "Governor Blagojevich is attempting to preempt federal law by creating a virtual sanctuary within the State of Illinois for illegal aliens. Subsequently, the Department of Justice has filed suit in federal court today, and I applaud their actions." Today, Illinois still forbid the use of E-Verify, but the law is still being litigated (source). In other words, the State of Illinois is busy spending time and your tax dollars defending pro-illegal alien laws that violate Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution. That's the same US Constitution that Pat Quinn just swore (again) to uphold. By the way, Illinois' Attorney General Lisa Madigan also swore an oath to uphold the US Constitution. So did each and every Illinois State Legislator. Governor Blagojevich is no more, but today we have no indication that Governor Quinn will be any different regarding the violation of federal law - and the US Constitution that he swore to uphold - as regards the sanctuary of illegal aliens and the setting of a non-uniform immigration policy. RELATED: Reps. Roskam and Shuler Urge Omaba Not to Delay E-Verify Requirement United States: Final Rule Amends FAR Requiring E-Verify Homeland Security Takes Strong Measures to Fight Illegal Hiring Illinois House approves driver's licenses for illegal aliens Harvard Jr. High transforms into Mexican consulate illinoisreview: Illegal Aliens Cost Illinois Taxpayers $3 Billion+ Illegal aliens captured with HAZMAT licences Illinois bends to feds on weeding out illegal workers: The Swamp Durbin takes off the gloves – and mask Most in Illinois favor laws targeting illegal immigration CNB RSS Feed

Fagus, Master of the Black Hole

David Fagus is the COO of Cermak Health Services of Cook County. The US Dept. of Justice is not happy with Cook County or with Cermak Health. Why? Because it's an information black hole. As the chief operations officer of Cermak, David Fagus ought to know this. To the naive, he does not. To the non-naive, he certainly does. In Fagus's many years at Cermak, he's had ample opportunity to correct the problems. It would seem that he has been more interested in his duties as Chicago's 49th Ward Democrat Committeeman, however, a purely political position in which he can create an information black hole for Alderman Joe Moore. This has worked for Moore, so far. (For example, where did that missing ballot box go for several hours back in April, 2007 exactly?) Cermak's info black hole, however, now threatens to suck David Fagus into the abyss. Will it? (And could a black hole accept such a massive object?) David Fagus hopes Barack Obama becomes president and hopes a nationalized health care system becomes reality. Let us pray to God Almighty that Fagus's hopes do not come true. Excerpts from the July 11, 2008 DOJ letter to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart give interesting clues [emphasis added]. (Full document as a PDF or plain text.) "IAD also reported a backlog in resolving use of force cases and incidents involving inmate-on-inmate assaults because it is difficult to obtain medical releases from Cermak, CCJ's on-site health care provider, in a timely manner." "Obtaining medical IAD is under the Sheriff's Office while Cermak is part of the Cook County Bureau of Health. [Obtaining] records from Cermak can take anywhere from six to 12 months, which prevents IAD from bringing prompt closure to an investigation. This type of delay is totally unacceptable, and is devastating for any investigation." "Despite having Cermak physicians treat these serious dental emergencies, inmates continue to suffer needlessly because they do not receive appropriate follow-up care." "...staff involved in the inmate grievance process are frustrated that once a medical or mental health related grievance is referred to Cermak, a response is not forthcoming.... We reviewed numerous grievance files that alleged the need for medical services, some of an emergent nature that showed a referral to Cermak, but contained no actual response to the grievance." "Drain flies are small flies that are found in shower and toilet areas where they lay their eggs in gelatinous organic matter that builds up under the rim of toilets and in floor drains. These flies were noted in several of the divisions including the Cermak medical area where fly traps were being used to capture adult flies. Outbreaks of adult flies have been associated with bronchial asthma in susceptible individuals. Their presence is also a sign of inadequate housekeeping and sanitation." FULL DOCUMENT as a PDF or plain text. RELATED: Feds Give Fagus 49 Days to Turn Around Decades of Patronage-Fueled Mismanagement The Coming US Health Care Nightmare