Eric Trump says Chicago restaurant employee spit on him: report

Eric Trump said in an interview that he was spat on by a worker at a Chicago restaurant on Tuesday night in an incident he called a “disgusting act.”
Trump told Breitbart, “For a party that preaches tolerance, this once again demonstrates they have very little civility. When somebody is sick enough to resort to spitting on someone, it just emphasizes a sickness and desperation and the fact that we’re winning.”
Reports of the alleged assault first surfaced when Mary Ann Ahern, a political reporter for NBC 5 Chicago, reported rumors on her Twitter account. She said reports indicated that the incident occurred at the Aviary cocktail bar in the city. She said the offender was in Secret Service custody.
Trump reportedly told Breitbart that it was a “purely disgusting act by somebody who clearly has emotional problems.”
The Chicago Police Department confirmed that they were at the scene “assisting” the U.S. Secret Service. They did not confirm that Trump was the target. The Secret Service, representatives for Trump and the cocktail bar did not immediately respond to emails from Fox News.
Last year at the height of the Brett Kavanaugh hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and his wife were confronted in a restaurant and were forced to make an early exit. Kirstjen Nielsen, the former Homeland Security secretary, was similarly harassed at a restaurant around that time.
Fox News' Edmund DeMarche contributed to this report

Jay Sekulow: Obama administration’s anti-Trump actions revealed in newly disclosed documents

Jay Sekulow

Stunning new information just released by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) shows that the Obama administration stepped up efforts – just days before President Trump took office – to undermine Trump and his administration.
The ACLJ, where I serve as chief counsel, has obtained records that show the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, under Director James Clapper, eagerly pushed to get new procedures as part of an anti-Trump effort. The procedures increased access to raw signals intelligence before the conclusion of the Obama administration, just days before President Trump was inaugurated.
By greatly expanding access to classified information by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats, the Obama administration paved the way for a shadow government to leak classified information – endangering our national security and severely jeopardizing the integrity and reputation of our critical national security apparatus – in an attempt to undermine President Trump.
No president-elect or president should be targeted in this manner – and those responsible must be held accountable.
As I told Sean Hannity on his Fox News Channel program, the documents were obtained as a result of one of our Freedom of Information Act lawsuits – this one against the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Agency.
The documents confirmed what we suspected: the Office of the Director of National Intelligence rushed to get the new “procedures signed by the Attorney General before the conclusion of this administration,” referring to the Obama administration.

We have been working to unearth the facts of this Obama administration anti-Trump effort through our Freedom of Information Act lawsuits for more than two years.

The documents also reveal that Robert Litt, who worked in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense’s Director of Intelligence Strategy, Policy, & Integration: “Really want to get this done ... and so does the Boss.” Presumably “the Boss” is a reference to Director Clapper. 
And documents the ACLJ received that were produced by the National Security Agency show that NSA officials discussed that they “could have a signature from the AG as early as this week, certainly prior to the 20th of Jan.” In other words, certainly before President Trump’s inauguration.
Consider what we now know about the nature and degree of Deep State opposition to President Trump.
There have been public revelations about the infamous disgrace known as the Steele dossier, a report by a former British spy funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign that made false and baseless allegations against presidential candidate Trump.
There were also documented abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that led to an FBI investigation – codenamed Crossfire Hurricane – of possible ties between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller later concluded after an exhaustive investigation lasting nearly two years that the Trump campaign did not conspire with Russia to advance Trump’s election chances.
We are also now aware of Director of National Intelligence Clapper’s open hostility to President Trump and intentional leaking by senior law enforcement and intelligence officials who were also hostile to Trump.
All of these facts point to a coordinated effort across agencies during the Obama administration to oppose the incoming Trump administration.
As part of the ACLJ’s Government Accountability Project and Freedom of Information Act practice, we uncovered key information about the embedded “resistance” operating within our government.
In this particular instance, it concerned us when we heard that, according to The New York Times, “in its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections.”
On December 15, 2016 – after President Trump’s election – Director of National Intelligence Clapper executed a document titled “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency Under Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333.”
On January 3, 2017 – just days before President Trump’s inauguration – then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch executed the document, indicating her approval.
According to The New York Times, “the new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations.”
The New York Times had first reported in 2014 that deliberations by Obama administration officials on developing the new procedures were occurring. But apparently, the new procedures were not completed by the director of national intelligence and approved by the attorney general until just weeks before the end of President Obama’s term.
We have been working to unearth the facts of this Obama administration anti-Trump effort through our Freedom of Information Act lawsuits for more than two years. We will continue to pursue new information about this strategy to embolden the Deep State.

Chad Pergram: Media coverage of Mueller testimony will be 'off the Richter scale'

Media coverage of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's upcoming testimony on Capitol Hill will "dwarf" that of past congressional hearings linked to the Russia investigation, Fox News' Capitol Hill senior producer Chad Pergram predicted Tuesday.
"We've had some explosive hearings on Capitol Hill before," Pergram said on "Hannity." "You think of James Comey testifying, Jeff Sessions in the Senate a couple of years ago. You think about Michael Cohen in February. This will dwarf that. The pure magnitude of this will be off the Richter scale."
Pergram also broke down the events that led to Mueller's scheduled July 17 appearances before both the House judiciary and intelligence committees.
"I'm told Bob Mueller would only appear if he was subpoenaed, and will stick to the 'four corners' of his report. That is what he said in a statement several weeks ago when they released the report. Of course, you can imagine Democrats wanting to get at him and see if there was distance between him and William Barr, the attorney general," Pergram said, describing the subpoenas as "friendly."
Pergram also predicted the probable line of questioning from House Republicans.
"They want to know the genesis of the Steele dossier, the [Lisa] Page and [Peter] Strzok text messages, one source said to me tonight, a Republican source. How many informants were on the campaign, and what were they looking at?" Pergram said.
Pergram also noted that if Mueller doesn't adequately answer Republicans' questions, they may say he is "not very credible."
He also revealed the reasoning behind Nadler and Schiff arranging the testimony.
"They said "Americans have demanded to hear directly from the special counsel so they can understand what he and his team examined," and that is why they want him to appear. That's very key," Pergram said.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg Cartoons

Prosecution expert witness admits no evidence of stab wound in Navy SEAL war crimes trial

SAN DIEGO- An expert witness called by the prosecution in the court-martial trial of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher told the court Monday that there is no physical or photographic evidence to prove a stabbing occurred in the death of an ISIS prisoner back in 2017.
Dr. Frank Sheridan, a forensic pathologist, told a Navy prosecutor earlier that the alleged victim's injuries were consistent with a stab wound, but later-- when questioned by Gallagher's attorney-- appeared to cast doubt on his earlier comments.
"There is no evidence at all that a stabbing occurred,” said Maj. Nelson Candelario, a Marine defense attorney representing Gallagher.
“That’s true,” Sheridan replied.
“As far as you can see, there is no blood on his hands?” Candelario asked, displaying a photo of Gallagher at the scene. “As far as I can see,” the pathologist said.
“Your testimony here is built on possibilities and maybes,” Candelario said, pointing out that there was no autopsy or physical evidence.
Gallagher's trial has drawn national attention and even a response from President Trump.
Its most dramatic moment came last week when a SEAL Team Seven medic-- testifying under an immunity agreement--  told the court that he held his "thumb over his TT tube" until the ISIS teen "quit breathing." He earlier claimed that he saw Gallagher stab the boy in his neck.
Gallagher, 39,  served nine months in prison while he awaited trial in the fatal stabbing of the 15-year old ISIS fighter in Iraq. He has also been accused of shooting two civilians in the same year, and opening fire on crowds, all claims he has denied.
Investigators allege that, while the teen was receiving medical treatment from SEAL medics, Gallagher walked up and stabbed him in his neck and side with a knife, killing him. Then, they say, he posed for photographs with the fighter’s body, holding his head in one hand and his blade in the other.
Those allegations have been called into question by top Iraqi military officials.
In a tense exchange later in the day, Gallagher’s lead defense attorney attacked an agent from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for “dragging” Gallagher’s children—8 and 18 at the time— to the street during a raid of Gallagher’s home in 2018.
“They were taken out of the house in their underwear,” charged attorney Timothy Parlatore. “Yes, sir,” said NCIS Special Agent James Frank. The agent cited “standard protocol,” explaining that investigators clear a house before searching it.
The trial resumes Tuesday with the lead NCIS investigator on the stand. Special Agent Joseph Warpinski oversaw the investigation into the alleged stabbing and has been accused of misconduct by defense attorneys.
“This is the guy who put his own career ambition ahead of his sworn duty as a law enforcement officer,” Parlatore told reporters after court on Friday. “He's going to have to answer for a lot of the misdeeds that he has committed over this past two years.”

Emergency aid bill challenges Pelosi’s grip on Democrats

A $4.5 million House bill aimed at providing more funding to migrant families detained at the U.S.-Mexico border is posing a challenge to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s grip on her party, as its liberal faction argue that the bill doesn’t go far enough while moderates worry that pushing for perfection will result in inaction at the border.
Calls for more funding at the border come amid reports that children detained entering the U.S. from Mexico are being held under harsh conditions. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News on Monday that the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is dire. Azar said HHS shelters are at capacity and the budget is not there to increase it unless Congress acts.
Customs and Border Protection Chief Operating Officer John Sanders told The Associated Press that Border Patrol stations are holding 15,000 people – more than three times their maximum capacity.
A $4.5 trillion House bill aimed at alleviating circumstances like these is up for a vote Tuesday, but liberal Democrats are calling for provisions to strengthen protections for migrant children, and challenge the Trump administration’s border policies. Democrats met on Capitol Hill with Pelosi late Monday to try and reach a compromise. The meeting reportedly eased some Democratic complaints.
Asked before the meeting about her concerns that Democrats’ push for perfection might result in inaction at the border, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called it “a delicate situation.” Afterward, she appeared to have left the door open saying: “My main goal is to keep kids from dying,” before calling the humanitarian bill a “short-term” measure.”
But others weren’t swayed. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said after the meeting: “We cannot continue to throw money at a dysfunctional system. We are not just asking for simple changes to be made into this bill, but to go back to the drawing board and really address this from a humanitarian issue.”
The White House accused lawmakers in a letter earlier Monday of trying to undermine its efforts at the border, arguing that the House package does provide enough money to toughen border security or funds for Trump’s proposed border wall.
Congress plans to leave Washington in a few days for a weeklong July 4 recess. While lawmakers don’t want to depart without acting on the legislation for fear of being accused of not responding to humanitarian problems at the border, it seems unlikely that Congress would have time to send a House-Senate compromise to Trump by week’s end.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hannity: Democrat 2020 presidential candidates looking to be the 'most radical'

Fox News host Sean Hannity previewed this week's Democratic primary debate,  calling the Democratic Party "unhinged" and "extreme."
"2020 Democrats are ramping up their radicalism. They want to be the most radical. Let me be clear, what we're witnessing from this new extreme socialist Democratic Party, this is beyond socialism even, it is unhinged," Hannity said on his television show Monday. "It is beyond impractical. It is divisive and destructive to the country."
Hannity played a multitude of clips highlighting what he felt were the more extreme elements the Democratic presidential candidates were promising and he went after South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg who has been criticized over his handling of a police officer shooting a African-American man, highlighting racial tensions in the city.
"Buttigieg has been a total absentee mayor and a failure," Hannity said. "He's hardly ever in South Bend."
Hannity  warned his viewers the that Democrats have moved even further left and want to take the country in a direction beyond even what the Obama administration had wanted to.
"Instead of sticking to any principles real agenda real policy that will help the forgotten men and women that got destroyed under the Biden-Obama economy, the extreme left now has gone further out to the fringe pandering to every corner of the Democratic Party," Hannity said.
The host blasted candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for supporting reparations for gay Americans and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., for saying he would meet with controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
"Of course specifics aren't a priority for the new radical Democrats and they're not going to tell us how to pay for anything they'll say and do anything to try and get elected, to take away every person's fear with false promises and lies that really are about their power," Hannity said,

Iran says latest US sanctions ends ‘channel of diplomacy forever’

A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a tweet Tuesday that the new U.S. sanctions that target Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian officials permanently end any chance of diplomacy between countries.
The comment was followed by Iranian President Rouhani, who mocked the White House and said it is "afflicted by mental retardation." Rouhani spoke live in a televised address on Tuesday.
The U.S. and Iran have seen tensions increase exponentially in the past few weeks after an initial U.S. sanctions squeeze that Washington said led to the attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The situation became increasingly dire last week after Tehran admitted to downing a $100 million U.S. Navy drone.
Abbas Mousavi took to Twitter to call out President Trump’s latest decision to impose additional sanctions and said the sanctions means “closing channel of diplomacy forever,” according to Reuters.
“Trump’s desperate administration is destroying the established international mechanisms for maintaining world peace and security,” the tweet read.
John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser, later said the U.S. is open to negotiations, all Iran needs to do is "walk through that open door." It was unclear if his response was in connection to Mousavi's tweet.
Trump, for his part, has been largely credited for his show of prudence while dealing with a hostile country. Trump appears hesitant to enter another hot war in the region but said Monday that his “restraint” is not limitless.
Trump said the sanctions “will deny the supreme leader and the supreme leader's office and those closely affiliated with him and the office access to key financial resources and support.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the sanctions “lock up literally billions of dollars more of assets.”
Fox News has confirmed that the U.S. military also carried out a cyberattack against Iran last Thursday even as the president nixed plans for airstrikes in response to the downing of an American drone.
Sources said U.S. Cyber Command launched the cyberattack targeting the Iranian intelligence and radar installations used to down the U.S. Navy drone last week.
Fox News' Alex Pappas and the Associated Press contributed to this report