Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, real tough guy picks on women and children.
A mother of two teenage daughters, who was seen in a confrontation with a Democrat state lawmaker outside a Pennsylvania abortion clinic last month, told her side of the story Tuesday night on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "I
was concerned for my girls, you can see me speaking in that video,"
Ashley Garecht told host Tucker Carlson. "I was genuinely trying to
enter into just a dialogue with him to try to bring the situation, calm
it down a little bit and say to him on film we are really here just
praying for these women and babies." Garecht, along with her two
teenage daughters and their teenage friend, say they were praying
outside a southeastern Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood clinic on April
18 when Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, whose district is in
Philadelphia, began confronting them "aggressively" and accusing them of
protesting the clinic. According
to Garecht, Sims then briefly left, but returned with a camera and
filmed Garecht and the girls. He then offered viewers money if anyone
would reveal the teens' identities. “So, here’s the deal," Sims is
heard saying in the video. "I’ve got $100 to anybody who will identify
these three, and I will donate to Planned Parenthood." Sims had posted the video on his Facebook page, but then posted a statement Tuesday, saying " I can do better." "I
will fiercely protect a woman’s right to make the best choices for her
health & her body, unimpeded. I also know that two wrongs don’t make
a right, especially on the front lines of a civil rights battle. I can
do better, and I will do better, for the women of Pennsylvania," Sims
wrote in a message accompanying the video. Garecht told Carlson she had no intention of getting involved in an altercation. "I
never come to a clinic looking for a fight," she said. "It's always
just with peaceful, prayerful intent. Yes, I was concerned that he said
multiple times that he wanted the identities of my daughters. We were,
at that point, already done. We had finished our prayers." "We
were leaving and so when I realized he was not going to enter into any
kind of productive dialogue I thought we will just continue our exit and
we will just leave," she said. Just last week,
Sims went on an eight-minute video rant, verbally harassing an elderly
woman protesting outside a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. The
state representative recorded the woman outside the same clinic in
Philadelphia, which is in his district, telling her to pray at home,
calling her an "old white lady" and lecturing her about her Christian
beliefs on the Periscope app. Fox News' Caleb Parke contributed to this report.
The
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals late Tuesday granted the Trump
administration's request to send asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait
out court proceedings temporarily. The court order reversed a
decision by a San Francisco judge that would have blocked the policy —
giving President Trump a temporary victory on immigration. The case must still be considered on its merits at a lower court in San Francisco and could end up at the Supreme Court. U.S.
District Judge Richard Seeborg ruled April 8 that the policy should be
halted while a lawsuit, filed on behalf of 11 asylum applicants and
several other organizations, proceeds. The American Civil
Liberties Union, which brought the suit along with the Southern Poverty
Law Center, and Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, said that
despite the ruling, "there is good reason to believe that ultimately
this policy will be put to a halt." “Asylum seekers are being put
at serious risk of harm every day that the forced return policy
continues," Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights
Project, said in a statement.
"Notably, two of the three judges that heard this request found that
there are serious legal problems with what the government is doing." The
lawsuit on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from Central America and legal
advocacy groups says the Trump administration is violating U.S. law by
failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico. It
also accuses Homeland Security and immigration officials of depriving
migrants of their right to apply for asylum by making it difficult or
impossible for them to do so. The Trump administration says the
policy responds to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed
the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants. Growing numbers
of families are fleeing poverty and gang violence in Guatemala,
Honduras and El Salvador. Last year, the Justice Department eliminated gang violence and domestic abuse as a possible justification for seeking asylum. The so-called
"Remain in Mexico" policy was one of the primary innovations of
former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who left her role
with the Trump administration last month. Asylum
law, conservatives point out, is intended to shield individuals from
near-certain death or persecution on account of limited factors like
religious or political affiliation — not poor living conditions and
economic despair. Most asylum applicants are
ultimately rejected for having an insufficient or unfounded personalized
fear of persecution, following a full hearing of their case before an
asylum officer or an immigration judge. Fox News' Raymond Bogan, Gregg Re and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"The View" co-host Meghan McCain and "Late Night" host Seth Meyers butted heads on Wednesday morning's show over McCain's criticisms of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, who has repeatedly been accused of anti-Semitism. It escalated to the point where McCain asked the NBC host if he was Omar's "publicist." Meyers
brought up McCain's commentary on ABC's "This Week" following the
deadly synagogue shooting at the Poway, Calif., last month where she
invoked the Omar's tweets, and asserted that both Democrats and
Republicans have to tackle anti-Semitism within their own parties. "I
do think it's fairly dangerous and you brought it up after
Congresswoman Omar had some death threats against her," Meyers said. "Do
you think, you know, she has obviously now stated that she needs to be
more careful with her language, don't you think other people who talk
about her need to be more thoughtful as well? Or do you stand by those
comments of tying her to this, her rhetoric to this synagogue shooting?" "I
don't think I tied her to it in particular," McCain responded. "I'm
calling out what I see as anti-Semitic language and when you're talking
about -- " "But even after, you called her out even after she
apologized for it," Meyers interrupted. "I do want to establish the
timeline." "I think that Democrats are hedging on this and I think
it's very dangerous," McCain continued. "And I think [Senate Minority
Leader] Chuck Schumer and I are in alignment about Israel's stance in
geopolitical politics. I think it is of the utmost importance and I
think she is bringing her party to extremism on this. And I think we
have to look to Europe and what's happening over there and in British
politics. Anti-Semitism is very common and I see it happening over there
and I worry about it happening over here. I stand by everything that
I've said and if that makes me unpopular in this room or in front of
you, so be it."
"Anti-Semitism is very common and I
see it happening over there and I worry about it happening over here. I
stand by everything that I've said and if that makes me unpopular in
this room or in front of you, so be it." — Meghan McCain
Meyers
said he found McCain's argument "weird" about whether she was being
"popular" in the room since he was trying to "find common ground." "Were you bothered by her language on 9/11?" McCain asked. "I thought it was taken out of context," Meyers answered, "and I think if you watched that whole speech -- " "Would
you give President Trump the same leverage if he had said the same
thing?" McCain challenged the NBC host. "I just think you have to give
people the same credence." Meyers responded by saying President Trump was
"in no position" to criticize Omar's language on 9/11 based on his own
language about 9/11. He also argued that Omar has apologized and
promised to be more educated "by people who know about this" while the
president hasn't. "It's an interesting thing when we have two
Muslim women for the first time, they do have a different perspective on
things," Meyers continued. "And I think when we talk about the idea of
'Let's all try to meet in the middle on things,' we have to listen to
other people's perspective." "I agree, I work on 'The View' with
Joy Behar every day," McCain shot back. "I listen to other people's
perspectives all the time." When
asked if there's a way to talk about Israel without being considered
anti-Semitic, McCain responded by saying don't talk about "Jews
hypnotizing the world" and "all about the Benjamins." "You do keep
bringing up the two tweets she apologized for," Meyers told
McCain, "and I think it's a little unfair to her, especially because -- " "Are you her publicist?" McCain reacted. "Are you her press person?" "No,"
Meyers answered.
"omg." That
was the three-letter response from top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin
-- familiar Internet shorthand for "Oh my God!" -- when Justin Cooper,
the technology pro overseeing Clinton's private home-based email
servers, told her shortly after midnight on Jan. 9, 2011, that "someone
was trying to hack us." The revelation was contained in a trove of newly released, partially redacted FBI documents
from the agency's investigation into whether Clinton mishandled
classified information -- a probe known as the "Midyear Exam." The
document release reveals numerous episodes in which the Clinton team
either suspected it had been hacked or seemingly acknowledged that
security measures had come up short. In a tense email exchange,
Cooper wrote to Abedin at 2:57 a.m. Sunday: "I had to shut down the
server. Someone was trying to hack us and while they did not get in i
didnt want to let them have the chance to. I will restart in the
morning." At 6:30 the next morning, Abedin wrote to State
Department officials -- including Clinton's chief of staff at the time,
Cheryl Mills -- "Don't email hrc [Hillary Rodham Clinton] anything
sensitive. I can explain more in person."
"omg." — Clinton aide Huma Abedin, when told of hacking attempt
Later
that year, Cooper wrote to Clinton, "It is a constant fight to keep up
with the security measures and unfortunately we keep seeing reminders of
why we need to." And in August 2010, according to the
documents, Clinton aide Monica Hanley wrote to Abedin after receiving a
suspect spam email: "Yeah I wonder if someone hacked in. that stinks." The
files also included the handwritten notes of agents' March
2016 interview with Cooper, who described the presence of a “SCIF” — an
acronym "sensitive compartmented information facility" -- in
Clinton's Chappaqua, N.Y., and Washington, D.C., homes.
Sept. 20, 2011: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with her
deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, during the Open Government
Partnership event in New York. (Reuters)
According to Cooper's comments as described in the notes, the server rooms in both locations were often left exposed. “Open door — not always secured, sometimes when HRC not @ residence was not closed. (both resid)," the notes said. The
interview document also said Cooper described "safes" in at least one
of the SCIFs, followed by a note from the agent, "No understanding of
when open/closed" -- although it was unclear whether that comment
referred to the safes or the doors leading to the server room. There
were "home computers" but "no secure computers" in the SCIFs, according
to the notes. However, "phone/fax/video" were "secure" in the
residences. Cooper, a previous FBI report said, acknowledged at
least "two instances where he destroyed Clinton's old mobile phones by
breaking them in half or hitting them with a hammer." In August,
it was reported that a Chinese state-owned company hacked Clinton’s
email server, then inserted code that forwarded a copy of virtually
every email she sent or received after that -- a revelation President
Trump demanded be investigated. The Daily Caller reported
that the firm operating in the D.C. area wrote code that was then
embedded in the server and generated a “courtesy copy” for almost all
her emails -- which were then forwarded to the Chinese company. The
code reportedly was discovered in 2015 by the Intelligence Community
Inspector General (ICIG), which then warned FBI officials of the
intrusion. A source briefed on the matter confirmed to Fox News the
details of The Caller’s reporting, and said that the ICIG was so
concerned by the revelation that officials drove over to the FBI to
inform agents -- including agent Peter Strzok, seen as a strong Trump
critic -- of the development after it was discovered via the emails'
metadata. The source told Fox News the hack was from a Chinese company, describing it as a front for Chinese intelligence. A
second source briefed on the matter told Fox News that officials
outside the FBI indicated code on the Clinton server suggested a foreign
source was receiving copies of emails in real time. The
FBI disputed the claims: “The FBI has not found any evidence the
servers were compromised,” an FBI official told Fox News at the time. However, a May 2016 email from Strzok,
obtained by Fox News last year, said “we know foreign actors obtained
access” to some Clinton emails, including at least one “secret” message
“via compromises of the private email accounts” of Clinton staffers. Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
New York Rep. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is learning a lot of new things in Washington — including about what a garbage disposal is.
The
29-year-old freshman congresswoman posted photos and videos on
Instagram showing the apparently “terrifying” contraption at work in her
swanky DC apartment and saying she’d never seen one before.
“OK everyone I need your help because I just moved into this
apartment a few months ago and I just flipped a switch and it made that
noise and it scared the daylights out of me,” Ocasio-Cortez can be heard
saying in footage.
“I am told this is a garbage disposal. I’ve
never seen a garbage disposal. I never had one in any place I’ve ever
lived,” she later said.
The “Green New Deal”-touting Bronx Democrat wondered whether the device was “environmentally sound.”
“This
DC apartment is bougie and has things I’ve never seen before…”
Ocasio-Cortez captioned the video, later noting: “Is this what social
mobility is? Using kitchen appliances you never saw growing up?”
The
Bronx-born representative ended her Instagram story by quipping, “All
you people telling me to reach in and grab whatever’s there are just
Republicans trying to test my health insurance.”
“I’m onto you.”
President Trump has pardoned a former Army lieutenant who was convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner suspected of being an Al Qaeda terrorist, the White House announced Monday evening. White
House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders cited "broad support" for Michael
Behenna, of Edmond, Okla., "from the military, Oklahoma elected
officials, and the public" -- including 37 generals and admirals, along
with a former Pentagon inspector general -- as the reason for Trump's
clemency grant. Sanders also said Behenna had been a "model prisoner"
while serving his sentence. "In light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving of this Grant of Executive Clemency," Sanders concluded.
Michael Behenna, pictured in 2018, now runs his own cattle ranch in his native Oklahoma.
(Courtesy of Behenna family)
A military
court originally sentenced Behenna to 25 years for unpremeditated murder
in a combat zone. However, the Army's highest appellate court noted
concern about how the trial court had handled Behenna's claim of
self-defense, Sanders said. The Army Clemency and Parole Board reduced
his sentence to 15 years and paroled him in 2014, as soon as he was
eligible. Behenna acknowledged during his 2008 trial that instead
of taking prisoner Ali Mansur home as he was ordered, he took the man to
a railroad culvert, stripped him, and then questioned him at gunpoint
about a roadside bombing that had killed two members of Behenna's
platoon.
Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, at left in front of the American
flag, pictured in Iraq with some members of his platoon. In the back
right holding the flag is Adam Kohlhaas, who was killed in a roadside
bombing tied to an Al Qaeda cell.
(File image from Behenna family)
Behenna,
who was 24 at the time, said he acted in self-defense when Mansur threw
a chunk of concrete at him and reached for the lieutenant’s handgun.
Army prosecutors said the argument didn’t stand up because Behenna was
already pointing his weapon at the prisoner. In 2018, Behenna's
parents told Fox News the prosecution failed to disclose that their own
expert's analysis supported their son’s version of events. The expert
felt so strongly that he reached out to the Behennas about his findings. Oklahoma
Attorney General Mike Hunter initially requested a pardon for Behenna
in February 2018 and renewed his request last month. Hunter said he
believed Behenna's conviction was unjustified because of erroneous jury
instructions and the failure of prosecutors to turn over evidence
supporting a self-defense claim. The White House statement said that
former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and "numerous members" of Oklahoma's
congressional delegation had also expressed support for Behenna. Fox News' Elizabeth Llorente and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in a letter Monday, denied House Ways and
Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal's request for President Trump's tax returns, saying the request lacked a “legitimate legislative purpose.” “As
you have recognized, the Committee’s request is unprecedented, and it
presents serious constitutional questions, the resolution of which may
have lasting consequences for all taxpayers,” the letter read. Mnuchin
told the Massachusetts Democrat he'd relied on the advice of the
Justice Department. He concluded that the department was “not authorized
to disclose the requested returns and return information.” “The
Department of Justice has informed us that it intends to memorialize
its advice in a published legal opinion as soon as practicable. Out of
respect for the deadlines previously set by the Committee, and
consistent with our commitment to a prompt response, I am informing you
now that the Department may not lawfully fulfill the Committee’s
request,” the letter read. The move, which was expected, is sure
to set in motion a legal battle over Trump’s tax returns. The likely
options available to Democrats would be to subpoena the Internal Revenue
Service for the returns or to file a lawsuit. Neal originally
demanded access to Trump’s tax returns in early April under a law that
said the IRS “shall furnish” the returns of any taxpayer to a handful of
top lawmakers, including the chair of the tax-writing Ways and Means
Committee. The White House and the president’s attorneys declined
to comment on the deadline to turn over Trump’s returns. Trump already
has signaled he has no intention of turning over the much-coveted
records. The
president has long told confidants that he was under audit and
therefore could not release his taxes. But in recent weeks, he has added
to the argument, telling advisers that the American people elected him
once without seeing his taxes and would do so again, three White House
officials and Republicans told The Associated Press anonymously. Fox News’ Mike Emanuel, Kelly Phares and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former independent counsel Ken Starr on Monday sharply criticized the leak of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's letter to Attorney General William Barr following Barr's summary of the Russia report, calling the release of the letter an "unforgivable sin." "His
letter, that was then leaked on the very eve of Bill Barr's testimony,
was essentially, I believe, an unfair, whiny complaint," Starr argued on "The Story with Martha MacCallum." Details
of the March 24 letter went public shortly before Barr testified before
the Senate Judiciary Committee in a tense hearing last week. Multiple
news outlets reported that Mueller raised concerns about how Barr's
conclusions from the investigation were being portrayed, before the
Justice Department had released a redacted version of Mueller's report. Starr also said Barr had been "obliged" to summarize Mueller's findings. Democrats have urged Mueller to testify after his March letter leaked. Barr
skipped a House Judiciary Committee hearing last Thursday over the
terms of the session, though he testified for hours a day earlier on the
Senate side. He also has refused requests for the unredacted Mueller
report, though he has offered access to a less-redacted version to
certain lawmakers. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold
Nadler, D-N.Y., in a letter to Barr last Friday, threatened to launch
contempt proceedings and "seek further legal recourse" should the
attorney general and Justice Department continue what he called a
"baseless refusal to comply with a validly issued subpoena" for the full
Mueller report. Starr said Barr was trying to do the right thing, only for Mueller to set him up for criticism. "Here
comes Bob Mueller with this letter which is then leaked. That is, to
me, the unforgivable sin. He, Bob Mueller, badly injured this attorney
general and the attorney general didn't deserve that but, of course,
that created its own huge firestorm including suggestions that the
attorney general was totally mischaracterizing the report and so forth,"
Starr said. Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report. Fox News' Martha MacCallum contributed to this report.
Sept. 20, 2011: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with her
deputy chief of staff, Huma Abedin, during the Open Government
Partnership event in New York. (Reuters)
Michael Behenna, pictured in 2018, now runs his own cattle ranch in his native Oklahoma.
(Courtesy of Behenna family)
Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, at left in front of the American
flag, pictured in Iraq with some members of his platoon. In the back
right holding the flag is Adam Kohlhaas, who was killed in a roadside
bombing tied to an Al Qaeda cell.
(File image from Behenna family)
CNN’s Scott Jennings once again took liberals to the cleaners on the Abrego Garcia case, the ‘Maryland man...
