Conservative Blogger
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Nunes demands Schiff testify in private as part of House impeachment inquiry
The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee has formally requested that the panel's chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., testify in a closed-door setting as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Trump.
Fox News has obtained a letter written by committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who demanded that Schiff appear for a deposition in private before lawmakers.
"On November 6th, you announced the beginning of public hearings associated with the Democratic Party's partisan impeachment inquiry into President Donald J. Trump," Nunes wrote Friday. "Based on the precedent and lack of jurisdiction, the House Intelligence Committee should not take the lead in conducting such hearings; however, by now the American people know your desire to see the duly-elected president removed from office outweighs your sense of responsibility to running a functioning intelligence oversight committee.
"Prior to the start of your public show trial next week, at least one additional closed-door deposition must take place," he continued. "Specifically, I request that you sit for a closed-door deposition before the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees."
Nunes went on to note that in August 2019, Schiff and his staff "met with or talked to the whistleblower who raised an issue with President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelensky."
"Although you publicly claim nothing inappropriate was discussed, the three committees deserve to hear directly from you the substance and circumstances surrounding any discussions conducted with the whistleblower, and any instructions you issued regarding those discussions," Nunes wrote. "Given that you have reneged on your public commitment to let the committees interview the whistleblower directly, you are the only individual who can provide clarity as to these conversations."
He added: "As you know, the House Intelligence Committee has precedent for such an arrangement. During the Committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, sitting Members of Congress agreed to participate in closed-door depositions. Given your championing of such an arrangement two years ago, you should have no problem with you appearing before the three committees to discuss your interactions with the whistleblower."
Schiff maintains that he has not personally spoken with the anonymous whistleblower. However, it was revealed several weeks ago that the whistleblower had early contact with his office, essentially giving them a heads-up about the complaint concerning Trump's July 25 phone call with Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to release a full list of proposed witnesses for testimony in a public setting in the coming days.
Nunes’ and Republicans’ effort to devise a strategy going forward comes after the House approved rules for the impeachment inquiry process last week. While Republicans opposed the resolution and complained the rules were unfair, Democrats still gave GOP lawmakers the ability to subpoena witnesses with the concurrence of Democratic committee chairs. If the chair does not consent, the minority can appeal to the full committee.
This process still gives Democrats final say over witnesses. A GOP source told Fox News this week that it's unlikely Democrats would go along with the efforts to call Schiff -- who is essentially leading the impeachment probe.
The source told Fox News that Republicans want answers to questions like: “How many times did he [Schiff] meet with the whistleblower? What did they advise the whistleblower to do? How much was Schiff involved in this? Did he recommend the whistleblower give the complaint to the intelligence community inspector general, even though there was no intel component so that he could be involved?”
But GOP lawmakers for days had telegraphed that they were interested in making the attempt.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Schiff is the "first person" who should be brought in, along with his staff.
Last week, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins, R-Ga., publicly challenged Schiff to come before the judiciary panel.
“Come to the Judiciary Committee," Collins said after the passage of the impeachment rules resolution. "Be the first witness and take every question asked of you. Starting with your own involvement [with] the whistleblower.”
Schiff’s office last month said that the whistleblower had reached out to them before filing the complaint in mid-August, giving Democrats advance warning of the accusations that would lead them to launch the inquiry days later. The inspector general's complaint about Trump’s phone call with Zelensky flagged concerns about efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter as military aid to the country was being withheld.
A transcript released by the White House shows Trump making that request, but he and his congressional allies deny, and plan to continue to deny, that military aid was clearly linked to the request, or that there was any "quid pro quo." Some witnesses who have appeared before House committees as part of the impeachment proceedings have challenged that assertion.
Meanwhile, Republicans are also hoping to call the whistleblower to testify, according to the source, who pointed to Schiff’s recent reversal on the issue.
Schiff in September had promised testimony from the whistleblower “very soon." But in recent weeks has suggested that testimony is unnecessary.
Meanwhile, Schiff announced Wednesday that his committee would hold the first open hearings of the impeachment inquiry next week, featuring current and former officials with knowledge of the Ukraine controversy.
“On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, we will hear from [U.S. charge d'affaires for Ukraine] William Taylor and [diplomat] George Kent,” Schiff announced. “On Friday, November 15, 2019, we will hear from [former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine] Marie Yovanovitch.
Last victim of Mexico border killings to be laid to rest
COLONIA
LEBARON, Mexico (AP) — Family and friends prepared to bury on Saturday
the last victim of a cartel ambush that slaughtered nine American women
and children from a community of U.S.-Mexican dual citizens in a corner
of northern Mexico where having gangsters in their midst has long been
an unavoidable fact of life.
Christina
Langford Johnson jumped out of her vehicle and waved her hands to show
she was no threat to the attackers and was shot twice in the heart,
community members say. Her daughter Faith Marie Johnson, 7 months old,
was found unharmed in her car seat.
Her
burial ceremony, the third in as many days, culminates an outpouring of
grief in the closely knit community with family ties in two Mexican
states and across the border in many western U.S. states.
The
shocking attack has many in the small farming town of La Mora,
established in Sonora state by their Mormon ancestors decades ago,
wondering whether they should stay or leave to flee the cartel threat.
On
Friday, the bodies of Rhonita Miller and four of her children were
brought from La Mora to Colonia LeBaron in neighboring Chihuahua state
by a convoy of pickup trucks and SUVS that followed the same
dirt-and-rock mountainous road where they were killed. Many residents of
the two communities that lie a five-hour, bone-jarring drive apart are
related. They are not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints.
The
three simple wooden coffins arrived at the cemetery about a mile east
of Colonia LeBaron off a rural road flanked by cotton fields and were
lowered into three graves under white tents set up to guard from the
intermittent rain.
“Nita,”
as she was affectionately known, was laid to rest in the middle grave
with the remains of her 8-month-old twins, Titus and Tiana, in her arms.
Twelve-year-old Howard Jr. and 10-year-old Kristal were buried in their
own coffins on either side.
Kenny Miller, Rhonita Miller’s father-in-law, said she was “like an angel” and the children “little angels.”
Miller
said that with the eyes of the world upon these communities, he hopes
their deaths may not be in vain and can spotlight what he deems a
nationwide concern with thousands of Mexicans mourning missing and dead
loved ones amid record-setting homicide levels.
“We’ve got terrorists here,” he said.
“I would like this to be used for people who have no voice,” Miller said, “and I think ‘Nita’ would approve wholeheartedly.”
What
had been a largely peaceful existence in a fertile valley ringed by
rugged mountains and desert scrub about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from
the border with Arizona became increasingly dangerous in recent years as
the cartels exerted their power and battled each other in a region that
is a drug smuggling hotbed.
But
La Mora, a hamlet of about 300 people where residents raise cattle and
cultivate pomegranates and other crops “will be forever changed”
following the killings Monday as the women traveled with their children
to visit relatives, a tearful David Langford told mourners at the
funeral for his wife, Dawna Ray Langford, and their 11-year-old and
2-year-old sons.
“One
of the dearest things to our lives is the safety of our family,” said
Langford. “And I won’t feel safe. I haven’t for a few years here.”
On
the other side of the mountains in Chihuahua, Colonia LeBaron has been
largely peaceful since the 2009 killing of one of its members who was an
anti-crime activist prompted Mexican authorities to establish a
security base. But the police presence in La Mora was negligible until
the women and children were killed and authorities sent a swarm of
soldiers and state and federal police officers to the area.
How long they stay could be crucial to the community’s future, residents said.
The
governments of Chihuahua and Sonora said in a statement Friday that an
“important number” of security agents had been deployed to the state
border region that the road traverses since the “lamentable” attack,
resulting in arrests and seizures of weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles.
“We
will not waver, I reiterate, not a single step backward,” Sonora state
security commissioner Óscar Alberto Aparicio Avendaño was quoted as
saying.
The
motive in the killings still isn’t known, though Mexican authorities
have suggested the victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time as
competing cartels fought over turf and may have mistaken the SUVs the
women and children were in for rivals who travel in similar vehicles.
Residents of La Mora dispute the theory that the victims were not
targeted.
Joe
Darger, of Salt Lake City, said his daughter who lives in Utah but
maintains a second home in La Mora won’t be spending more time in a
place that had been part of her family’s life, at least for now.
“Until there’s answers, she’s not bringing her kids,” Darger said in La Mora after traveling there to attend the funerals.
The
biggest concern for residents is finding out why the women and children
were massacred. The answer will help them decide whether to stay or
leave.
“I just
think the innocence is gone,” Darger said. “And so unless people feel
safe, they’re going to look for other places they can feel safe.”
He added: “It’s a matter of what do we do going forward? That’s the question.”
___
Associated Press Writer Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Tom Steyer’s top aide resigns following bribery allegations
 |
| Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer, left, addresses an environmental justice forum. Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Orangeburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) |
The campaign manager for Tom Steyer has resigned, following news he was secretly attempting to bribe local politicians for votes. In a Friday statement released by his team, Pat Murphy’s resignation was made effective immediately.
This comes after the Associated Press reported Murphy was reaching out to politicians in Iowa and offering money in exchange for endorsing Steyer’s campaign. When asked about the allegations against his aide, the presidential candidate said no payments were given to Iowa officials.
“We haven’t given any money to anyone in Iowa, nor are we planning to,” stated Steyer. “There’s no way we would ever do that.”
Following an investigation into those claims, the campaign said the behavior was not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Our campaign policy is clear: that we will not engage in this kind of activity, or any kind of communication that could be perceived as improper,” stated campaign manager Heather Hargreaves. “Violation of this policy is not tolerated.”
The campaign’s statement went on to say Steyer and his team will continue building on his momentum in Iowa and across the country.
Murphy has since apologized for his alleged propositions. So far, no evidence has come forward proving these bribes.
President Trump launches nationwide grassroots initiative for black voters
 |
| President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks at his Black Voices for Trump rally Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) |
"Democrats want to invest in green global projects. I want to invest in Black American communities." – @realDonaldTrump #BlackVoicesForTrump pic.twitter.com/n3OCAN6DxA— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 8, 2019
A
supporter of President Donald Trump waits for Trump to arrive for a
Black Voices for Trump rally Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP
Photo/John Bazemore)
President Trump claimed Democrats have taken advantage of the black vote, despite many African Americans continuing to struggle with poverty. He touted his administration’s efforts to lower unemployment rates among the nation’s black youth.
“African American youth unemployment…has now reached the lowest number ever recorded in the history of our country,” stated the president. “This was so important to me — we’re doing really well.
"We created 9,000 opportunity zones…8 million African-Americans live in opportunity zones, yet every Democrat voted against giving these black citizens the future they deserve. The Republicans got it passed." – @realDonaldTrump #BlackVoicesForTrump pic.twitter.com/Qqij3tylDR— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) November 8, 2019
The president also took a swing at Democrats for their alleged attempts to censor religion.
“African American churches have always been lifted up and they’ve always been the conscience of our nation,” said President Trump. “Yet, Democrats now want to drive faith out of the public square and attack Christians.”
The Trump campaign reportedly chose the location because it’s an epicenter of black life, including the region’s fast growing population. The trip marks his second visit to Georgia this year.
A
supporter of President Donald Trump holds a Trump campaign banner as he
waits for Trump to arrive for Black Voices for Trump rally Friday, Nov.
8, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Friday, November 8, 2019
Ivanka Trump: Whistleblower’s ID irrelevant to impeachment
RABAT, Morocco
(AP) — Ivanka Trump on Friday echoed her father’s view that the House
impeachment investigation is an attempt to overturn the 2016 election.
But, in an interview with The Associated Press, she parted ways with
President Donald Trump by calling the identity of the impeachment
whistleblower “not particularly relevant.”
The
Republican president and some of his allies have been pressing the news
media to publicize the whistleblower’s name, but Ivanka Trump said the
person’s motives were more important. And she declined to speculate on
what they may have been.
“The
whistleblower shouldn’t be a substantive part of the conversation,” she
told the AP, saying the person “did not have firsthand information.”
She added that, “to me, it’s not particularly relevant aside from what the motivation behind all of this was.”
In
a wide-ranging, 25-minute interview, Ivanka Trump also addressed her
family’s criticism of Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, whether she
wants four more years in the White House and the possible future sale
of her family’s landmark Washington hotel, which she helped develop and
referred to as “my baby.”
She
said she shares her father’s oft-repeated view that the impeachment
investigation is about “overturning the results of the 2016 election.”
House Democrats, by contrast, maintain the inquiry is about whether
Trump abused his office by putting his political interests first.
“Basically
since the election, this has been the experience that our
administration and our family has been having,” Ivanka Trump said of
persistent criticism of the president. “Rather than wait, under a year,
until the people can decide for themselves based on his record and based
on his accomplishments, this new effort has commenced.”
Asked
whether impeachment marked a low point for the president, she demurred:
“I think when Americans are winning, we’re feeling great, so I wouldn’t
consider it a low point. I think Americans are prospering like never
before.”
Ivanka
Trump noted that the whistleblower was not among administration
officials who heard the president ask Ukraine’s leader during a July 25
telephone conversation to investigate Biden, a former vice president
who’s currently a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential
nomination to challenge Trump.
While
her brothers Don Jr. and Eric have been vocal critics of the
impeachment inquiry, Ivanka Trump has largely stayed out of the
discussion. She did recently tweet a quote from Thomas Jefferson about
the “enemies and spies” who surrounded him and added that “some things
never change, dad.”
In
the interview, she again placed her father in august company when it
comes to being the target of criticism, saying, “This has been the
experience of most.”
“Abraham
Lincoln was famously, even within his own Cabinet, surrounded by people
who were former political adversaries,” she said.
She
rejected any suggestion that her family has been profiting off the
presidency even as President Trump and his allies have criticized the
involvement of Biden’s son with a Ukrainian oil venture when Biden was
vice president.
Hunter
Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time
his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings
with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption
advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former
vice president or his son.
Still,
Ivanka Trump said the Bidens had “created wealth as a derivative” of
public service while her family had made its money in business before
her father became president.
Good
government groups, however, have criticized the president for
unethically mixing official business with promotion of his own
interests.
Trump
is the first president in modern history who has not separated himself
from his business holdings. He makes frequent trips to his for-profit
golf clubs, collects dues at his members-only properties and hosts
fundraisers and foreign delegations at hotels that bear his family’s
name.
Ivanka
Trump said she hasn’t been involved in discussions about the possible
sale of the president’s landmark Washington hotel after nearly three
years of ethics complaints and lawsuits accusing him of trying to profit
off the presidency. She led the acquisition and development of the
hotel a few blocks from the White House.
But, a possible future sale “should satisfy the critics,” she said.
The
president’s daughter is wrapping up a three-day visit to Morocco, where
she has been promoting a U.S. program aimed at empowering women in
developing countries.
___
Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Yovanovitch communicated with Dem staffer on 'delicate' issue after complaint, emails show, despite testimony
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, a key witness in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, communicated via her personal email account with a Democratic congressional staffer concerning a "quite delicate" and "time-sensitive" matter -- just two days after the whistleblower complaint that kickstarted the inquiry was filed, and a month before the complaint became public, emails obtained Thursday by Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" show.
The emails appear to contradict Yovanovitch's deposition on Capitol Hill last month, in which she told U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., about an email she received Aug. 14 from the staffer, Laura Carey -- but indicated under oath that she never responded to it.
The communication came "from the Foreign Affairs Committee," and "they wanted me to come in and talk about, I guess, the circumstances of my departure," Yovanovitch testified, describing Carey's initial email. "I alerted the State Department, because I'm still an employee, and so, matters are generally handled through the State Department."
Yovanovitch continued: "So, she emailed me. I alerted the State Department and, you know, asked them to handle the correspondence. And, she emailed me again and said, you know, 'Who should I be in touch with?'"
Fox News is told it is a breach of normal procedure for congressional staff to reach out to a current State Department employee at their personal email address for official business.
Yovanovitch did not indicate that she had responded to Carey's first email in any way, and testified explicitly that she did not reply to Carey's follow-up email concerning whom she should contact at the State Department.
However, emails obtained by Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" showed that in fact, Yovanovitch had responded to Carey's initial Aug. 14 email, writing that she "would love to reconnect and look forward to chatting with you."
On Aug. 14, Carey reached out to Yovanovitch with pleasantries about the last time the two had "crossed paths" -- "when I was detailed to" the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- before noting that Carey had resigned from the State Department to join the House Foreign Affairs Committee staff performing oversight work.
"I'm writing to see if you would have time to meet up for a chat — in particular, I’m hoping to discuss some Ukraine-related oversight questions we are exploring," Carey then wrote to Yovanovitch. "I'd appreciate the chance to ground-truth a few pieces of information with you, some of which are quite delicate/time-sensitive and, thus, we want to make sure we get them right."
Carey continued: "Could you let me know if you have any time this week or next to connect? Happy to come to a place of your choosing, or if easier, to speak by phone at either of the numbers below. I'm also around this weekend if meeting up over coffee works."
On Aug. 15, Yovanovitch responded: "Thanks for reaching out -- and congratulations on your new job. I would love to reconnect and look forward to chatting with you. I have let EUR [Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs] know that you are interested in talking and they will be in touch with you shortly."
On Aug. 19, Carey wrote, "Great -- thanks for the response and I look forward to hearing from them. As mentioned, it would be ideal to connect this week... assuming this week is doable for you schedule-wise?"
Zeldin told Fox News on Thursday it was "greatly concerning" that Yovanovitch may have testified incorrectly that she did not personally respond to Carey's email.
"I would highly suspect that this Democratic staffer's work was connected in some way to the whistleblower's effort, which has evolved into this impeachment charade," Zeldin said. "We do know that the whistleblower was in contact with [House Intelligence Committee Chairman] Adam Schiff's team before the whistleblower had even hired an attorney or filed a whistleblower complaint even though Schiff had lied to the public originally claiming that there was no contact. Additionally, while the contents of the email from this staffer to Ambassador Yovanovitch clearly state what the conversation would be regarding, Yovanovitch, when I asked her specifically what the staffer was looking to speak about, did not provide these details."
Zeldin added: "I specifically asked her whether the Democratic staffer was responded to by Yovanovitch or the State Department. It is greatly concerning that Ambassador Yovanovitch didn't answer my question as honestly as she should have, especially while under oath."
"It is greatly concerning that Ambassador Yovanovitch didn't answer my question as honestly as she should have, especially while under oath."A Democratic House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesperson, however, characterized the outreach as innocuous, saying it was related to Yovanovitch's public ouster as the envoy to Ukraine.
— U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y.
"The committee wanted to hear from an ambassador whose assignment was cut short under unusual circumstances," the spokesperson said. "This staff outreach was part of monthslong efforts that culminated in the September 9 launch of an investigation into these events. Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight. The State Department doesn’t tell Congress how to do that job, and should be more concerned with the culture of retaliation and impunity that has festered under this administration."
Neither Carey nor the State Department immediately responded to Fox News' requests for comment.
President Trump ordered Yovanovitch to be recalled from her post this past May following allegations of partisanship and political bias. Democrats have suggested her service was terminated so that the Trump administration could carry out illicit foreign policy with Ukraine.
George Kent, a career official at the State Department, told House investigators conducting the impeachment inquiry that a Ukrainian official told him Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani had conspired with Yuriy Lutsenko, the then-prosecutor general of Ukraine, to "throw mud" as part of a “campaign of slander” against Yovanovitch.
That accusation came out in testimony released earlier Thursday.
"Well, Mr. Giuliani was almost unmissable starting in mid-March," Kent told investigators. "As the news campaign, or campaign of slander against, not only Ambassador Yovanovitch unfolded, he had a very high media presence, so he was on TV, his Twitter feed ramped up and it was all focused on Ukraine."
"Tucker Carlson Tonight" investigative producer Alex Pfeiffer contributed to this report.
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