Trump, Feinstein spar over reports of Chinese spy on her staff

At his rally in central Ohio on Saturday night, President Trump took aim at U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, criticizing the longtime member of the Senate Intelligence Committee for reportedly having a suspected Chinese spy on her staff in the past.
“The leader of the Russia investigation, Dianne Feinstein, had a Chinese spy as her driver for 20 years,” Trump said about California’s senior U.S. senator, the Washington Times reported. “And she’s leading the Russian ‘witch hunt.’ Isn’t that something? And then she says to me, ‘What did you know about this and that?’ Give me a break.”

“The leader of the Russia investigation, Dianne Feinstein, had a Chinese spy as her driver for 20 years. And she’s leading the Russian ‘witch hunt.’ Isn’t that something? And then she says to me, ‘What did you know about this and that?’ Give me a break.”
- President Donald Trump, at a rally in Ohio on Saturday

The president’s remarks continued a feud that Trump had begun on Twitter on Friday night, when he reacted to reports of the Feinstein story.
“Dianne is the person leading our Nation on ‘Collusion’ with Russia (only done by Dems),” the president tweeted. “Will she now investigate herself?”
Feinstein retaliated with a pair of tweets Saturday.
“The FBI told me 5 years ago it had concerns that China was seeking to recruit an administrative member of my Calif staff (despite no access to sensitive information),” Feinstein wrote in the first message. “I took those concerns seriously, learned the facts and made sure the employee left my office immediately.
“Compare that to your actions: attacking the FBI and refusing the advice of your national security team. SAD! I appreciated then and now the diligent work of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies and acted in the best interests of the country. Give it a try!”
Earlier in the week, Politico and other outlets reported that Feinstein learned from the FBI about five years ago that a staffer in her San Francisco office was suspected of delivering political intelligence, though nothing top secret, to officials at the local Chinese Consulate.
Feinstein was said to have been “mortified” when she learned the news, according to Politico.
The FBI wasn’t able to charge the individual, but Feinstein “forced him to retire,” a source told the San Francisco Chronicle.
In Ohio, Trump used the Feinstein story as an example that other countries besides Russia are engaged in espionage against the United States.
“Not only China, it’s a lot of people,” Trump said, according to the Washington Times. “And we’ve got to stop it. We’ve got to stop meddling, we’ve got to stop everybody from attacking us. But there are a lot. Russia’s there, China’s there. We’re doing well with North Korea, but they’re probably there [spying]. We’ve got to stop everybody.
“And I like Dianne Feinstein. But I don’t like the fact that she had a Chinese spy driving her, and she didn’t know it.”
Earlier this year, Trump blasted “sneaky Dianne Feinstein” after the Democrat released the transcript of a congressional interview with the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the anti-Trump dossier, claiming the move was “possibly” illegal.
“The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary!” Trump tweeted in January.
Trump’s visit Saturday to Lewis Center, Ohio, was mostly about supporting state Sen. Troy Balderson, a Republican looking to win a special election for a U.S. House seat this coming Tuesday.

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New Law in Israel Sparks Backlash from Arab Minority Group

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:55 AM PT — Fri. Aug. 3, 2018

A new law in Israel is sparking fury and protests among religious minority group in the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked out of a meeting with Druze leaders Thursday, following the backlash from a newly imposed nation-state law.
He was in the meeting to negotiate whether a separate law would be used to protect the religious minority or to add an amendment to the Jewish nation-state law.

Israelis hold a banner showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against the Israel Jewish nation bill, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday, July 30, 2018. Last week Israel’s parliament approved a controversial piece of legislation that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Opponents and rights groups have criticized the legislation, warning that it will sideline minorities such as the country’s Arabs. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

The Druze are the most integrated minority in Israel, but the controversial law has provoked anger and fear.
“We see it as a discriminatory law which doesn’t give expression to our citizenship, doesn’t give expression to our sense of belonging,” stated Rafik Halabi, head of the local Israeli-Druze Council. “We told the prime minister unequivocally – we want civilian equality for all residents, we won’t be able to live in a state where part of its population, especially such a loyal and good population, feels excluded.”
Following the talks, Druze community leaders say the community is planning to demonstrate against the proposed legislation on Saturday.

Deputy AG Rosenstein Says Justice Dept. Should Not Be Driven by Politics

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said the Justice Department is duty-bound to make decisions that are not pleasing to everyone.
He made those remarks Thursday at a meeting with the American Bar Association in Chicago.
Rosenstein said the DOJ must never be driven by politics, but make decisions based on the cautious wisdom required by the law.
While he did not mention his critics by name, Rosenstein said government attorneys often have difficulty dealing with Congress.
Last month, members of the House introduced articles of impeachment against Rosenstein for not complying with congressional records requests.

China Defends Relationship with Iran, Refuses to Halt Oil Imports

China is defending its relationship with Iran, calling their cooperation “justified, reasonable and lawful.”
During a news conference Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China does not support unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic or “long arm jurisdiction.”
Shuang went on to suggest China’s rights and interests should be preserved.
“We hope Japan will translate its positive remarks regarding China-Japan ties into concrete actions, do something conducive to improving ties and push forward with the development of bilateral relations in the right path,” he stated.
The remarks come in response to an American request to halt Iranian oil imports.
According to recent reports, Chinese officials did not agree to stop the oil imports. However, they said the country would agree to not increase them.

RNC Spokeswoman: GOP Must Increase Lead in Senate, House to Get Southern Border Wall Built

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:57 AM PT — Fri. Aug. 3, 2018

A top Republican National Committee spokeswoman is saying she believes the southern border wall will get built if the GOP extends their majorities in Congress leading into the November midterms.
During an interview on The Hill Friday, Kayleigh McEnany called the border wall a “lightning rod issue” for the Republican base.
This comes just a day after President Trump said he was torn on whether to force a government shutdown in order to get border wall funding.
During a speech in Pennsylvania this week, the president reaffirmed his promise to build the wall, but said Democrats could make the process tedious.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent looks at one of border wall prototypes Thursday, June 28, 2018, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

“And we’re going to start to get really nasty over the wall, you know — the Democrats…anything I want they want to oppose,” stated President Trump. “You know, I just figured out how to do the wall — I’ll say ‘I don’t want to build the wall’ and they’ll insist on building it.”
Meanwhile, McEnany suggested that border security is one of the more popular issues for supporters of the RNC.
“I was talking to one of our interns and she said ‘do you know one of the most emailed things I get at the RNC is, when are we going to build the wall?’ — because that really motivates our base, building the wall, immigration,” she explained. “That is a lightning rod issue, it’s in the top three of concerned voters, top issues.”
According to a recent report however, that funding for the wall and border security may not just be a hot button issue exclusively for conservatives.
The report — published by the Bipartisan Policy Center — asserted that “most Americans believe the current immigration system is broken, out of control and antiquated.” Moreover, the status of the border wall is still in question.
The House released a spending bill for the wall last month, but their five billion dollar total is much less than the $25 billion originally requested by President Trump.
Congress will have until next month to agree on a set total when the federal budget year ends on Thursday, September 30.

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Republican running for Oregon governor wants top state Dems to resign over sexual harassment at Capitol

Knute Buehler, who’s running for governor in deep-blue Oregon, says two top Democrats should resign for allowing a culture of sexual misconduct in the state Capitol.  (Associated Press)

The Republican candidate in Oregon's race for governor is calling on two top state Democrats to resign after allegations that they allowed a pervasive atmosphere of sexual hostility to exist in the state Capitol.
Knute Buehler, who recently pulled even in the polls against Democratic incumbent Gov. Kate Brown in the deep-blue state, directed his criticism at Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek.
“For too long casual attitudes and unprofessional behavior has been accepted and tolerated in the Capitol. I am calling on Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek to step down,” Buehler, who’s also a state lawmaker, tweeted.
“Accountability and change begins with the people in charge who failed to prevent, failed to properly investigate and possibly covered-up serious allegations of sexual harassment within the Capitol,” he said in a statement.
The call for resignations comes after Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian on Wednesday filed a complaint accusing Courtney and Kotek of not doing enough to protect women from Republican Sen. Jeff Kruse and covering up a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the state Capitol in Salem.
Kruse was forced to resign in February after an investigation found that he sexually harassed and groped a number of women in the Capitol over the years and ignored warnings about his behavior. Kruse reportedly escalated his inappropriate behavior after being told to stop touching women without their consent.
Buehler, who has a real shot this November to become the first non-Democrat governor of the state since late 1980s, was the first Republican lawmaker to urge Kruse to resign amid the sexual misconduct allegations.
REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER PULLS EVEN WITH ANTI-TRUMP DEMOCRAT IN SOLID BLUE OREGON’S GOVERNOR’S RACE: POLL

In this Feb. 13, 2015, file photo, Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, left, and Speaker of the House Tina Kotek confer at the Capitol in Salem, Ore. The two fellow Democrats are being accused of covering up a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the state capitol.  (Associated Press)

In the complaint, Avakian said that as early as March 2016, Courtney and Kotek "knew or should have known of Senator Kruse's conduct and the broader sexually hostile environment in the Capitol, but did not take immediate and appropriate action."
He also said other powerful officials in the state Capitol – such as top legislative lawyer Dexter Johnson and human resources chief Lore Christopher – told the harassed women not to tell anyone about them being harassed by Kruse or other officials, the Oregonian reported. The victims were also told that they had no standing to sue the harassers.
Courtney and Kotek signed a memo stating they will participate in any subsequent investigation about the allegations laid out by Avakian. “We welcome additional scrutiny and a thorough investigation related to the commissioner's complaint,” reads the memo, according to the publication.
The state House speaker said she takes every complaint seriously and encouraged “anyone with a complaint to come forward. We must do better.”
Kotek, meanwhile, criticized Buehler for calling for their resignation, accusing him of politicizing the situation.
“Let's not politicize this. This is about people's lives," Kotek said. “We want a workplace that is respectful and safe, where everyone can do their best to help the people of Oregon.”