bonginoreport--2020-02-05--Hollywood Legend Kirk Douglas Dies at 103

The actor starred in such films as 'Champion , ' 'The Bad and the Beautiful , ' 'Lust for Life , ' 'Gunfight at the O.K .
Corral ' and 'Spartacus , ' to name just a few .
Kirk Douglas , the son of a ragman who channeled a deep , personal anger through a chiseled jaw and steely blue eyes to forge one of the most indelible and indefatigable careers in Hollywood history , died Wednesday in Los Angeles .
He was 103 .
“ It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 103 , ” son Michael Douglas wrote on his Instagram account .
“ To the world , he was a legend , an actor from the Golden Age of movies who lived well into his golden years , a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.
” Douglas walked away from a helicopter crash in 1991 and suffered a severe stroke in 1996 but , ever the battler , he refused to give in .
With a passionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last man standing of all the great stars of another time .
Nominated three times for best actor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — for Champion ( 1949 ) , The Bad and the Beautiful ( 1952 ) and Lust for Life ( 1956 ) — Douglas was the recipient of an honorary Oscar in 1996 .
Arguably the top male star of the post-World War II era , he acted in more than 80 movies before retiring from films in 2004 .
`` Kirk retained his movie star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonderful life , and I 'm honored to have been a small part of his last 45 years , '' Steven Spielberg said in a statement .
`` I will miss his handwritten notes , letters and fatherly advice , and his wisdom and courage — even beyond such a breathtaking body of work — are enough to inspire me for the rest of mine . ''
The father of two-time Oscar-winning actor-director-producer Michael Douglas , the Amsterdam , New York native first achieved stardom as a ruthless and cynical boxer in Champion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he played a hated , ambitious movie producer for director Vincente Minnelli , then was particularly memorable , again for Minnelli , as the tormented genius Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life , for which he won the New York Film Critics Award for best actor .
Perhaps most importantly , Douglas rebelled against the McCarthy Era establishment by producing and starring as a slave in Spartacus ( 1960 ) , written by Dalton Trumbo , making the actor a hero to those blacklisted in Hollywood .
The film became Universal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that stood for a decade .
Douglas ’ many honors include the highest award that can be given to a U.S. civilian , the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
The broad-chested Douglas often bucked the establishment with his opinions , and he had the courage to back them up .
“ I ’ ve always been a maverick , '' he once said .
`` When I was new in pictures , I defied my agents to make Champion rather than appear in an important MGM movie they had planned for me [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starring Gregory Peck ] .
Nobody had ever heard of the people connected to Champion , but I liked the Ring Lardner story , and that ’ s the movie I wanted to do .
Everyone thought I was crazy , of course , but I think I made the right decision.
” Never one to toe the line with synthetic , movie star-type parts , Douglas played classic heels in a number of films .
In 1951 , he showed a keen flair for portraying strong-minded characters like the sleazy newspaper reporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carnival ( aka Ace in the Hole ) and the sadistic cop in William Wyler ’ s Detective Story .
He played more sympathetic types in Out of the Past ( 1947 ) , Gunfight at the O.K .
Corral ( 1957 ) as Doc Holliday , Paths of Glory ( 1957 ) and The List of Adrian Messenger ( 1963 ) .
Douglas was very particular in his role selection .
“ If I like a picture , I do it .
I don ’ t stop to wonder if it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said in a 1982 interview .
“ I loved Lonely Are the Brave and Paths of Glory , but neither of them made a lot of money .
No matter ; I ’ m proud of them.
” His independent nature led him in 1955 to form his own independent film company , Bryna Productions .
In the post-World War II era , Douglas was the first actor to take control of his career in this manner .
Captaining his own ship , he soon launched a number of heady projects .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a young Stanley Kubrick with Paths of Glory and Spartacus , films that feature two of Douglas ’ finest performances .
( He hired Kubrick for the latter after firing Anthony Mann a week into production . )
Indeed , Douglas backed his artistic and political opinions with action : His public announcement that blacklisted writer Trumbo would script Spartacus was a key moment in Hollywood ’ s re-acceptance of suspected communist figures .
During a Tonight Show appearance in August 1988 to promote his first book , The Ragman ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he often drew from personal experience for his work on film .
“ What I found out when I wrote this book is I have a lot of anger in me , ” he said .
“ I ’ m angry about things that happened many , many years ago .
I think that anger has been a lot of the fuel that has helped me in whatever I ’ ve done.
” Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in the industrial town of Amsterdam .
His parents , Jewish immigrants from Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon as he was old enough , Douglas went to work to help support the family .
He put himself through St. Lawrence University by working as a janitor .
After receiving his bachelor of arts degree , he moved to Manhattan where , as a result of a single reading for the head of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts , received a special scholarship .
Soon after graduating from the academy in 1941 , Douglas made his Broadway debut in Spring Again , starring Grace George and C. Aubrey Smith , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1942 , he enlisted in the Navy , attending the Midshipman School at Notre Dame , and was commissioned an ensign .
He served on anti-submarine patrol in the Pacific as a communications officer until 1944 , when he was honorably discharged as a lieutenant .
Returning to civilian life and Broadway , he replaced Richard Widmark as the juvenile lead in Kiss and Tell and appeared in Trio and Star in the Window .
It was his widely praised performance in The Wind Is Ninety that brought him to Hollywood ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , at the suggestion of Lauren Bacall , producer Hal Wallis invited him to come to California for a screen test .
Wallis was so impressed with Douglas that he cast him in the lead opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers ( 1946 ) .
Douglas would work with some of the century ’ s top directors , starring in such memorable films as Joseph L. Mankiewicz ’ s A Letter to Three Wives ( 1949 ) and There Was a Crooked Man ( 1970 ) , John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corral and John Huston ’ s The List of Adrian Messenger .
For Bryna , Douglas also starred in The Indian Fighter ( 1955 ) , The Vikings ( 1958 ) , Lonely Are the Brave ( 1962 ) , Seven Days in May ( 1964 ) and The Brotherhood ( 1968 ) .
One regret the actor-producer had was with one of his longtime pet projects , One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’ s Nest .
Douglas starred as Randle Patrick McMurphy in the 1963 Broadway adaption of the Ken Kesey book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he never managed to make it into a film .
His son Michael and Saul Zaentz eventually produced the movie , and released in 1975 , it collected five Academy Awards , including one for best picture .
He received half of Michael 's share of the profits , and his son often joked that it was the most money dad had ever made as a producer .
`` He 's completely inspirational , '' Michael said during an interview at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival .
`` When you finally reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like you have to compete with your father and you can look at him [ as an equal ] … of course , that took me until I was 60 . ''
A man of restless energy and various interests , Douglas supported many causes and worked in public service .
During the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson eras , he toured widely for the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. State Department as a goodwill ambassador , going on missions to South America , Europe , the Middle East and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf of the State Department , Douglas visited six Iron Curtain countries : Poland , Romania , Bulgaria , Hungary , Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia .
He often regaled acquaintances about a visit to Yugoslavia , where he managed a private visit with President Tito , much to the chagrin of the British ambassador who had been waiting for weeks for such an opportunity .
When the baffled British ambassador asked Douglas how he ’ d managed it , he replied , “ Mr .
Ambassador , how many movies have you made ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a unique position to enter domains beyond even established professionals , he sagely used his celebrity status to meet important people from all walks of life .
Successive presidents recognized Douglas ’ good works : A citation of his efforts was inserted into the Congressional Record .
In 1981 , he received the Medal of Freedom for his “ significant cultural endeavors as an actor and a goodwill ambassador.
” Further honors came to him in 1968 when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association , during its Golden Globe ceremony , presented him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( In January 2017 , he made a surprising visit to the Globes , serving as a presenter with his daughter-in-law , actress Catherine Zeta-Jones . )
His humanitarian efforts earned him the American Award , presented by the Thomas A. Dooley Foundation .
He was perhaps most proud of the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts conferred on him by his alma mater , St. Lawrence .
In March 2009 , Douglas starred in an autobiographical one-man show , Before I Forget , at the Center Theater Group ’ s Kirk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making a film in France , Douglas met Parisienne Anne Buyden .
They were married in 1954 and had two sons , Peter and Eric .
She 's 100 and survives him .
In May 2017 , the actor 's 11th book , Kirk and Anne : Letters of Love , Laughter , and a Lifetime in Hollywood , was published .
( His first was his 1988 autobiography , The Ragman 's Son . )
On his 99th birthday , Douglas and his wife donated $ 15 million toward a new $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Picture Television Fund home in Woodland Hills .
Sons Michael and Joel ( a producer ) were from Douglas ’ 1943-51 marriage to actress Diana Dill , who died in 2015 at age 92 .

Kirk Douglas, the son of a ragman who channeled a deep, personal anger through a chiseled jaw and steely blue eyes to forge one of the most indelible and indefatigable careers in Hollywood history, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 103.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” son Michael Douglas wrote on his Instagram account. “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the Golden Age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.”
Douglas walked away from a helicopter crash in 1991 and suffered a severe stroke in 1996 but, ever the battler, he refused to give in. With a passionate will to survive, he was the last man standing of all the great stars of another time.
Nominated three times for best actor by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — for Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1956) — Douglas was the recipient of an honorary Oscar in 1996. Arguably the top male star of the post-World War II era, he acted in more than 80 movies before retiring from films in 2004.
“Kirk retained his movie star charisma right to the end of his wonderful life, and I’m honored to have been a small part of his last 45 years,” Steven Spielberg said in a statement. “I will miss his handwritten notes, letters and fatherly advice, and his wisdom and courage — even beyond such a breathtaking body of work — are enough to inspire me for the rest of mine.”
The father of two-time Oscar-winning actor-director-producer Michael Douglas, the Amsterdam, New York, native first achieved stardom as a ruthless and cynical boxer in Champion. In The Bad and the Beautiful, he played a hated, ambitious movie producer for director Vincente Minnelli, then was particularly memorable, again for Minnelli, as the tormented genius Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life, for which he won the New York Film Critics Award for best actor.
Perhaps most importantly, Douglas rebelled against the McCarthy Era establishment by producing and starring as a slave in Spartacus (1960), written by Dalton Trumbo, making the actor a hero to those blacklisted in Hollywood. The film became Universal’s biggest moneymaker, an achievement that stood for a decade.
Douglas’ many honors include the highest award that can be given to a U.S. civilian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The broad-chested Douglas often bucked the establishment with his opinions, and he had the courage to back them up. “I’ve always been a maverick,” he once said. “When I was new in pictures, I defied my agents to make Champion rather than appear in an important MGM movie they had planned for me [The Great Sinner, which wound up starring Gregory Peck]. Nobody had ever heard of the people connected to Champion, but I liked the Ring Lardner story, and that’s the movie I wanted to do. Everyone thought I was crazy, of course, but I think I made the right decision.”
Never one to toe the line with synthetic, movie star-type parts, Douglas played classic heels in a number of films. In 1951, he showed a keen flair for portraying strong-minded characters like the sleazy newspaper reporter in Billy Wilder’s The Big Carnival (aka Ace in the Hole) and the sadistic cop in William Wyler’s Detective Story. He played more sympathetic types in Out of the Past (1947), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) as Doc Holliday, Paths of Glory (1957) and The List of Adrian Messenger (1963).
Douglas was very particular in his role selection. “If I like a picture, I do it. I don’t stop to wonder if it’ll be successful or not,” he said in a 1982 interview. “I loved Lonely Are the Brave and Paths of Glory, but neither of them made a lot of money. No matter; I’m proud of them.”
His independent nature led him in 1955 to form his own independent film company, Bryna Productions. In the post-World War II era, Douglas was the first actor to take control of his career in this manner. Captaining his own ship, he soon launched a number of heady projects. Most auspiciously, he took a risk on a young Stanley Kubrick with Paths of Glory and Spartacus, films that feature two of Douglas’ finest performances. (He hired Kubrick for the latter after firing Anthony Mann a week into production.)
Indeed, Douglas backed his artistic and political opinions with action: His public announcement that blacklisted writer Trumbo would script Spartacus was a key moment in Hollywood’s re-acceptance of suspected communist figures.
During a Tonight Show appearance in August 1988 to promote his first book, The Ragman’s Son, Douglas told Johnny Carson that he often drew from personal experience for his work on film.
“What I found out when I wrote this book is I have a lot of anger in me,” he said. “I’m angry about things that happened many, many years ago. I think that anger has been a lot of the fuel that has helped me in whatever I’ve done.”
Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky in the industrial town of Amsterdam. His parents, Jewish immigrants from Russia, raised seven children, and as soon as he was old enough, Douglas went to work to help support the family.
He put himself through St. Lawrence University by working as a janitor. After receiving his bachelor of arts degree, Douglas moved to Manhattan where, as a result of a single reading for the head of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, received a special scholarship.
Soon after graduating from the academy in 1941, Douglas made his Broadway debut in Spring Again, starring Grace George and C. Aubrey Smith, playing a singing messenger boy. In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy, attending the Midshipman School at Notre Dame, and was commissioned an ensign. He served on anti-submarine patrol in the Pacific as a communications officer until 1944, when he was honorably discharged as a lieutenant.
Returning to civilian life and Broadway, Douglas replaced Richard Widmark as the juvenile lead in Kiss and Tell and appeared in Trio and Star in the Window. It was his widely praised performance in The Wind Is Ninety that brought him to Hollywood’s attention. The year was 1946, and, at the suggestion of Lauren Bacall, producer Hal Wallis invited him to come to California for a screen test. Wallis was so impressed with Douglas that he cast him in the lead opposite Barbara Stanwyck in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946).
Douglas would work with some of the century’s top directors, starring in such memorable films as Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and There Was a Crooked Man (1970), John Sturges’ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and John Huston’s The List of Adrian Messenger.
For Bryna, Douglas also starred in The Indian Fighter (1955), The Vikings (1958), Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Seven Days in May (1964) and The Brotherhood (1968).
One regret the actor-producer had was with one of his longtime pet projects, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Douglas starred as Randle Patrick McMurphy in the 1963 Broadway adaption of the Ken Kesey book and had optioned the project, but he never managed to make it into a film.
His son Michael and Saul Zaentz eventually produced the movie and, released in 1975, it collected five Academy Awards, including one for best picture. He received half of Michael’s share of the profits, and his son often joked that it was the most money dad had ever made as a producer.
“He’s completely inspirational,” Michael said during an interview at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival. “When you finally reach an age when you’re not feeling like you have to compete with your father and you can look at him [as an equal] … of course, that took me until I was 60.”
A man of restless energy and various interests, Douglas supported many causes and worked in public service. During the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson eras, he toured widely for the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. State Department as a goodwill ambassador, going on missions to South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
In 1966, on behalf of the State Department, Douglas visited six Iron Curtain countries: Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. He often regaled acquaintances about a visit to Yugoslavia, where he managed a private visit with President Tito, much to the chagrin of the British ambassador who had been waiting for weeks for such an opportunity.
When the baffled British ambassador asked Douglas how he’d managed it, he replied, “Mr. Ambassador, how many movies have you made?” Realizing that a Hollywood star was in a unique position to enter domains beyond even established professionals, he sagely used his celebrity status to meet important people from all walks of life.
Successive presidents recognized Douglas’ good works: A citation of his efforts was inserted into the Congressional Record. In 1981, he received the Medal of Freedom for his “significant cultural endeavors as an actor and a goodwill ambassador.”
Further honors came to him in 1968 when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, during its Golden Globe ceremony, presented him with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. (In January 2017, he made a surprising visit to the Globes, serving as a presenter with his daughter-in-law, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.)
Douglas’ humanitarian efforts earned him the American Award, presented by the Thomas A. Dooley Foundation. He was perhaps most proud of the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts conferred on him by his alma mater, St. Lawrence.
In March 2009, Douglas starred in an autobiographical one-man show, Before I Forget, at the Center Theater Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
While making a film in France, Douglas met Parisienne Anne Buyden. They were married in 1954 and had two sons, Peter and Eric. She’s 100 and survives him.
In May 2017, the actor’s 11th book, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood, was published. (His first was his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman’s Son.)
On his 99th birthday, Douglas and his wife donated $15 million toward a new $35 million care center at the Motion Picture Television Fund home in Woodland Hills.
Sons Michael and Joel (a producer) were from Douglas’ 1943-51 marriage to actress Diana Dill, who died in 2015 at age 92.


bonginoreport--2020-02-05--Mitch McConnell Immediately Moves to Begin Confirming Judges After Acquittal

The morning began with the release of the January jobs report , showing the biggest monthly job growth in nearly @ @ @ @ @ the inevitable acquittal on both articles of impeachment .
And less than an hour after @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mitch McConnell wasted no time to get to work on confirming a handful of @ @ @ @ @ Twitter account posted the news that McConnell had filed cloture below : This is merely @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mounting victories in the courts .
Just over one out of every five @ @ @ @ @ by Trump , and he ’ s flipped the historically liberal Ninth Circuit Court of @ @

It’s a very good day for President Donald Trump.
The morning began with the release of the January jobs report, showing the biggest monthly job growth in nearly five years. Then came the inevitable acquittal on both articles of impeachment. And less than an hour after the acquittal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wasted no time to get to work on confirming a handful of judges.
The Senate Cloakroom Twitter account posted the news that McConnell had filed cloture below:
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #562 Andrew Lynn Brasher to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit. — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #563 Joshua M. Kindred to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Alaska — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #565 Matthew Thomas Schelp to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #461 John Fitzgerald Kness to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
Leader McConnell has filed cloture on Executive Calendar #535 Philip M. Halpern to be U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
Vote Scheduled: At 5:30 pm on Monday, February 10th, the Senate will proceed to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #562 Andrew Lynn Brasher to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit. — Senate Cloakroom (@SenateCloakroom) February 5, 2020
This is merely a continuation of President Trump’s mounting victories in the courts. Just over one out of every five federal judges has been appointed by Trump, and he’s flipped the historically liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.


bonginoreport--2020-02-05--Woman Who Lost 2016 Election Very Upset With Trump Acquittal

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ripped Senate Republicans after they voted to acquit President Trump on two impeachment charges @ @ @ @ @ abuse of power .
`` As the president 's impeachment trial began , Republican senators @ @ @ @ @ the Constitution , '' Clinton tweeted .
`` Today , 52 of them voted to @ @ @ @ @ us .
We ’ re entering dangerous territory for our democracy .
It ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ together to restore it . ''
Clinton , 72 , lost to Trump , 73 @ @ @ @ @ election and has spent much of the time since repeatedly claiming she actually won because @ @ @ @ @ Last week , she said attacks from Sen. Bernie Sanders 's supporters were part of @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 .
Clinton faces a $ 50 million defamation lawsuit that Democratic Rep. Tulsi @ @ @ @ @ against the former first lady after she called Gabbard a `` Russian agent '' in @ @

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ripped Senate Republicans after they voted to acquit President Trump on two impeachment charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.
"As the president's impeachment trial began, Republican senators pledged an oath to defend the Constitution," Clinton tweeted. "Today, 52 of them voted to betray that oath—and all of us. We’re entering dangerous territory for our democracy. It’ll take all of us working together to restore it."
Clinton, 72, lost to Trump, 73, in the 2016 presidential election and has spent much of the time since repeatedly claiming she actually won because of the popular vote. Last week, she said attacks from Sen. Bernie Sanders's supporters were part of the reason she was unsuccessful in 2016.
Clinton faces a $50 million defamation lawsuit that Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii is bringing against the former first lady after she called Gabbard a "Russian agent" in 2019.


bonginoreport--2020-02-05--Mitt Romney Punishes Everyone Who Votes for Him

He attempts to portray himself as a moral bulwark , but as his shifts indicate , many of his political leanings seem to be more a product of self-interest than of genuine moral clarity .
In a recent interview with McKay Coppins of The Atlantic , Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said he would vote to convict President Donald Trump on the impeachment article alleging abuse of power , but not on the article alleging obstruction of Congress .
“ This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life , ” Romney told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only Republican who voted to convict on any of the articles of impeachment .
Romney ’ s decision was terrifically predictable , and given his vote did not swing the results in either direction , the gravitas that he already assigned to his decision — in the form of two interview “ exclusives ” — seems a bit theatrical and self-indulgent .
There ’ s an unshakeable self-satisfaction that Romney exudes when he goes on heavy-headed tours , demarcating to the adoring left how he is decidedly different from all the other GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different from many others within the GOP in the sense that he has no firm principles upon which to base his political decisions besides self-interest and self-importance .
He is vaguely in favor of free markets insofar as he appreciates a pro-business environment , having been a businessman once .
But that seems to be the extent of his political personality .
Romney ’ s efforts to appear above the “ lesser ” GOP fray in many cases has translated into a repudiation of conservatism .
To be clear , Romney may vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with our media betters , will likely portray his alleged defection as a more principled approach to conservatism .
That takeaway is incorrect .
Romney has been voting against his own party ’ s voters for his entire political career , and on core moral issues , not just pragmatic choices such as the level of tax rates or regulation .
For starters , Romney ’ s track record on religious freedom has been poor .
Catholic leaders in Massachusetts , the state in which Romney formerly served as governor , have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic hospitals to administer the abortifacient Plan B , even if doing so violated the consciences of the employee required to administer the deadly drugs .
“ The injury to the conscience rights of Catholic hospitals was not done so much so much by the church ’ s ideological enemies on the Left but by the Romney administration , ” C.J .
Doyle , executive director of the Catholic Action League , explained to LifeSiteNews.com back in 2012 .
Furthermore , as Rolling Stone points out , Romney has flipped on everything from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to determine whether he means what he espouses at any given moment .
In a 1994 debate with Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts , he proudly announced , “ I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country .
I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years , that we should sustain and support it .
I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.
” He “ evolved ” to eventually arrive at the pro-life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment he decided to run on the Republican ticket The playbook is the same for health care , where he went from supporting an insurance mandate – arguing that he would love to export the Massachusetts Romneycare model to the nation at large – to accusing Bret Baier of being “ wrong ” when the Fox host attempted to remind him of this .
The Baier interaction occurred in 2011 , as Romney geared up for yet another presidential bid .
In 2003 , when Romney appeared at a legislative conference in Massachusetts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take a position on the George W. Bush tax cuts , presumably at an event heavily attended by Democrats .
Yet , just four years later , Romney had the audacity to declare he had supported the tax cuts , accusing former Sen. John McCain of not doing so .
It ’ s no surprise that the “ flop ” reared its ugly head in the year leading up to his 2008 presidential bid .
The same transformation vis-à-vis his opinion on former President Ronald Reagan unfolded before his 2008 presidential attempt .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ independent ” at the time of Reagan-Bush to declaring Reagan to be one of his “ heroes ” in 2006 .
He spent the early 1990s attempting to distance himself from presidents Reagan and Bush , only to embrace them for politically convenient purposes upon seeking the presidency himself .
None of these examples are to suggest that Romney must hold the same positions forever and be lambasted if his positions ever change .
But as my friend Josh Hammer , Daily Wire Editor-at-Large , suggested to me , Romney is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinions are not founded upon any transcendent principles but based solely upon what he perceives as capable of granting him the most approval from DC sycophants .
He attempts to portray himself as a moral bulwark , but as the above shifts in opinion indicate , many of his political leanings seem to be more a product of self-interest than of genuine moral clarity .
In the coming days , he will be paraded around by the media as the model Republican for all the reasons GOP voters increasingly dislike him .
Contrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney as the only principled figure within the GOP , it ’ s ironically all politics to him .
No principles .

In a recent interview with McKay Coppins of The Atlantic, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said he would vote to convict President Donald Trump on the impeachment article alleging abuse of power, but not on the article alleging obstruction of Congress.
“This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life,” Romney told Coppins yesterday afternoon. Romney is the only Republican who voted to convict on any of the articles of impeachment.
Romney’s decision was terrifically predictable, and given his vote did not swing the results in either direction, the gravitas that he already assigned to his decision — in the form of two interview “exclusives” — seems a bit theatrical and self-indulgent. There’s an unshakeable self-satisfaction that Romney exudes when he goes on heavy-headed tours, demarcating to the adoring left how he is decidedly different from all the other GOP members.
Yes, he’s different from many others within the GOP in the sense that he has no firm principles upon which to base his political decisions besides self-interest and self-importance. He is vaguely in favor of free markets insofar as he appreciates a pro-business environment, having been a businessman once. But that seems to be the extent of his political personality.
Romney’s efforts to appear above the “lesser” GOP fray in many cases has translated into a repudiation of conservatism. To be clear, Romney may vote however he pleases, but he, along with our media betters, will likely portray his alleged defection as a more principled approach to conservatism. That takeaway is incorrect. Romney has been voting against his own party’s voters for his entire political career, and on core moral issues, not just pragmatic choices such as the level of tax rates or regulation.
For starters, Romney’s track record on religious freedom has been poor. Catholic leaders in Massachusetts, the state in which Romney formerly served as governor, have emphasized Romney’s role in forcing Catholic hospitals to administer the abortifacient Plan B, even if doing so violated the consciences of the employee required to administer the deadly drugs. “The injury to the conscience rights of Catholic hospitals was not done so much so much by the church’s ideological enemies on the Left but by the Romney administration,” C.J. Doyle, executive director of the Catholic Action League, explained to LifeSiteNews.com back in 2012.
Furthermore, as Rolling Stone points out, Romney has flipped on everything from abortion to health care, making it hard to determine whether he means what he espouses at any given moment.
In a 1994 debate with Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, he proudly announced, “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years, that we should sustain and support it. I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.” He “evolved” to eventually arrive at the pro-life position in 2011, at the convenient moment he decided to run on the Republican ticket
The playbook is the same for health care, where he went from supporting an insurance mandate – arguing that he would love to export the Massachusetts Romneycare model to the nation at large – to accusing Bret Baier of being “wrong” when the Fox host attempted to remind him of this. The Baier interaction occurred in 2011, as Romney geared up for yet another presidential bid.
In 2003, when Romney appeared at a legislative conference in Massachusetts, he earned ire for failing to take a position on the George W. Bush tax cuts, presumably at an event heavily attended by Democrats. Yet, just four years later, Romney had the audacity to declare he had supported the tax cuts, accusing former Sen. John McCain of not doing so. It’s no surprise that the “flop” reared its ugly head in the year leading up to his 2008 presidential bid.
The same transformation vis-à-vis his opinion on former President Ronald Reagan unfolded before his 2008 presidential attempt. He claimed in 1994 that he was an “independent” at the time of Reagan-Bush to declaring Reagan to be one of his “heroes” in 2006. He spent the early 1990s attempting to distance himself from presidents Reagan and Bush, only to embrace them for politically convenient purposes upon seeking the presidency himself.
None of these examples is to suggest that Romney must hold the same positions forever and be lambasted if his positions ever change. But as my friend Josh Hammer, Daily Wire Editor-at-Large, suggested to me, Romney is an “inveterate chameleon” whose political opinions are not founded upon any transcendent principles but based solely upon what he perceives as capable of granting him the most approval from DC sycophants.
He attempts to portray himself as a moral bulwark, but as the above shifts in opinion indicate, many of his political leanings seem to be more a product of self-interest than of genuine moral clarity. In the coming days, he will be paraded around by the media as the model Republican for all the reasons GOP voters increasingly dislike him. Contrary to the media’s deification of Romney as the only principled figure within the GOP, it’s ironically all politics to him. No principles.
Erielle is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA).


bonginoreport--2020-02-05--Kevin McCarthy Rips Up Impeachment Articles in Pelosiesque Fashion

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy trolled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday by tearing up House Democrats ’ partisan articles of impeachment immediately following Trump ’ s acquittal in the Senate .
McCarthy made the remark in a video that he posted to Twitter which showed him ripping up the articles of impeachment , which comes less than 24 hours after Pelosi ripped up Trump ’ s widely liked State of the Union Address .
McCarthy added another shot at Pelosi , saying , “ Acquitted for life , ” which follows Pelosi ’ s repeated comments that Trump had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Trump has been totally vindicated and it ’ s now time to get back to the business of the American people , ” Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement .
“ The do-nothing Democrats know they can ’ t beat him , so they had to impeach him.
” “ This terrible ordeal was always a campaign tactic to invalidate the 2016 votes of 63 million Americans and was a transparent effort to interfere with the 2020 election only nine months away , ” Parscale continued .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense , this impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history.
” Kellyanne Conway , Counsel to the President , responded by writing on Twitter : “ # AcquittedForever ” “ Today ’ s vote to acquit President Trump ends the latest political witch hunt , a dark moment in our nation ’ s history , that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars , ” Republican National Committee ( RNC ) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again , Democrats have failed in their quest to erase the votes of 63 million Americans and destroy a duly-elected President .
The American people won today , but they will not forget the division that Democrats brought upon our country for three years .
This November , voters will hold Democrats accountable at the ballot box and vote to re-elect President Trump and Republicans across the board.
” Later Trump announced that he will be giving a speech tomorrow , writing , “ I will be making a public statement tomorrow at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our Country ’ s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax !
” White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded with the following statement : Today , the sham impeachment attempt concocted by Democrats ended in the full vindication and exoneration of President Donald J. Trump .
As we have said all along , he is not guilty .
The Senate voted to reject the baseless articles of impeachment , and only the President ’ s political opponents – all Democrats , and one failed Republican presidential candidate – voted for the manufactured impeachment articles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consistent tradition for Democrats , this was yet another witch-hunt that deprived the President of his due process rights and was based on a series of lies .
Rep. Adam Schiff lied to Congress and the American people with a totally made up statement about the President ’ s phone call .
Will there be no retribution ?
Speaker Nancy Pelosi also lied to the American people about the need to swiftly pass impeachment articles they dreamt up , only to sit on them for a month before sending over to the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued to make their political motivations clear – Rep. Schiff proclaimed the issues “ can not be decided at the ballot box ” – proving once again they think they know better than the voters of this country .
This entire effort by the Democrats was aimed at overturning the results of the 2016 election and interfering with the 2020 election .
Throughout this wholly corrupt process , President Trump successfully advanced the interests of the United States and remained focused on the issues that matter to Americans .
He spent his time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country , and the Democrats – once again – have nothing to show for their fraudulent schemes .
The President is pleased to put this latest chapter of shameful behavior by the Democrats in the past , and looks forward to continuing his work on behalf of the American people in 2020 and beyond .

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy trolled House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday by tearing up House Democrats’ partisan articles of impeachment immediately following Trump’s acquittal in the Senate.
McCarthy made the remark in a video that he posted to Twitter which showed him ripping up the articles of impeachment, which comes less than 24 hours after Pelosi ripped up Trump’s widely liked State of the Union Address.
McCarthy added another shot at Pelosi, saying, “Acquitted for life,” which follows Pelosi’s repeated comments that Trump had been “impeached for life.”
WATCH:
“President Trump has been totally vindicated and it’s now time to get back to the business of the American people,” Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. “The do-nothing Democrats know they can’t beat him, so they had to impeach him.”
“This terrible ordeal was always a campaign tactic to invalidate the 2016 votes of 63 million Americans and was a transparent effort to interfere with the 2020 election only nine months away,” Parscale continued. “And since the President’s campaign only got bigger and stronger as a result of this nonsense, this impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history.”
Kellyanne Conway, Counsel to the President, responded by writing on Twitter: “#AcquittedForever”
“Today’s vote to acquit President Trump ends the latest political witch hunt, a dark moment in our nation’s history, that wasted millions of taxpayer dollars,” Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement following Trump’s acquittal. “Once again, Democrats have failed in their quest to erase the votes of 63 million Americans and destroy a duly-elected President. The American people won today, but they will not forget the division that Democrats brought upon our country for three years. This November, voters will hold Democrats accountable at the ballot box and vote to re-elect President Trump and Republicans across the board.”
Trump responded in a tweet trolling Democrats:
Later Trump announced that he will be giving a speech tomorrow, writing, “I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!”
I will be making a public statement tomorrow at 12:00pm from the @WhiteHouse to discuss our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 5, 2020
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded with the following statement:


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--DOJ Reviewing 10-Month-Old Criminal Referral Against Blackwater Founder by Adam Schiff

The Justice Department is reviewing a 10-month-old criminal referral against Blackwater founder Erik Prince that accused him of misleading congressional investigators .
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd informed House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Wednesday the agency `` acknowledges '' receipt of his letter from April about Prince , a former Navy SEAL who is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos .
The Justice Department `` will refer your request for investigation to the proper investigative agency or competent for review , '' Boyd added .
Back in April , Schiff wrote to Attorney General William Barr , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ materially false statements '' made by Prince to the intelligence panel as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election .
The California Democrat made his case by comparing Prince 's answers to the committee to what was written in special counsel Robert Mueller 's report .
Seeking `` prompt '' action from the DOJ , Schiff claimed Prince `` hindered '' his committee 's work with deceptive answers about meetings with Kirill Dmitriev , chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment , and his relationship with President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it took 10 months for the Justice Department to respond , although Boyd said : `` We apologize for the delay . ''
In the intervening months , it was revealed that Barr tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham with reviewing the origins of the FBI 's Russia investigation , during which Mueller found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin .
“ There is nothing new here .
Erik Prince ’ s House testimony has been public for more than a year and was available at all times that Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice during the special counsel ’ s investigation , '' Matthew Schwartz , a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP , told the Washington Examiner .
`` Mr .
Prince cooperated completely with the special counsel ’ s investigation , as its report demonstrates .
There is nothing new for the Department of Justice to consider , nor is there any reason to question the special counsel ’ s decision to credit Mr .
Prince and rely on him in drafting its report . ''

The Justice Department is reviewing a 10-month-old criminal referral against Blackwater founder Erik Prince that accused him of misleading congressional investigators.
Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd informed House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff on Wednesday the agency "acknowledges" receipt of his letter from April about Prince, a former Navy SEAL who is the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Justice Department "will refer your request for investigation to the proper investigative agency or competent for review," Boyd added.
Back in April, Schiff wrote to Attorney General William Barr, identifying "at least six categories of materially false statements" made by Prince to the intelligence panel as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The California Democrat made his case by comparing Prince's answers to the committee to what was written in special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
Seeking "prompt" action from the DOJ, Schiff claimed Prince "hindered" his committee's work with deceptive answers about meetings with Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive officer of the Russian Direct Investment, and his relationship with President Trump's campaign.
It's unclear why it took 10 months for the Justice Department to respond, although Boyd said: "We apologize for the delay."
In the intervening months, it was revealed that Barr tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham with reviewing the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation, during which Mueller found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
A lawyer for Prince downplayed the Justice Department's review.
“There is nothing new here. Erik Prince’s House testimony has been public for more than a year and was available at all times that Mr. Prince met with the Department of Justice during the special counsel’s investigation," Matthew Schwartz, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, told the Washington Examiner. "Mr. Prince cooperated completely with the special counsel’s investigation, as its report demonstrates. There is nothing new for the Department of Justice to consider, nor is there any reason to question the special counsel’s decision to credit Mr. Prince and rely on him in drafting its report."


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--President Trump to Address Nation on “Victory on the Impeachment Hoax” at Noon Thursday

President Donald Trump was acquitted on both articles in his impeachment trial on Wednesday , shortly after announcing that he will be making a public statement on Thursday regarding “ our Country ’ s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax !
” The president plans to make his impeachment statement at 12 p.m .
ET / 9 a.m. PT at The White House .
The president also tweeted a video featuring him in a manipulated version of a TIME Magazine cover in the minutes after his acquittal .
The video features a parade of Trump signs from different campaign years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final sign .
The year on the final sign continues to climb , first into the 2,100s , then into new millennia , until the year finally transforms into a message reading “ TRUMP 4EVA.
” The president had previously shared the video on Twitter in June 2019 .
The official TIME account was quick to respond by sharing the unaltered version of the video .
A statement from Stephanie Grisham , White House Press Secretary , released shortly after news of the acquittal referred to the impeachment hearings as a `` totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` have nothing to show for their fraudulent schemes . ''
This story was reported from Los Angeles .

President Donald Trump was acquitted on both articles in his impeachment trial on Wednesday, shortly after announcing that he will be making a public statement on Thursday regarding “our Country’s VICTORY on the Impeachment Hoax!”
Trump was acquitted of both counts of impeachment on Wednesday. Senators cast a 52-48 vote for acquittal of abuse of power, and a 53-47 vote for acquittal of obstruction of justice. The votes mark the end of several months of testimonies and proceedings regarding arguments for Trump's impeachment.
Mitt Romney, the U.S. Senator from Utah and a former Republican presidential candidate, was among those who crossed party lines by casting a vote in favor of conviction for abuse of power but not obstruction of justice. Senators would have needed a two-thirds voting majority to be successful in conviction.
Related: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney votes guilty on 1st article of impeachment, not guilty on 2nd
Trump's acquittal also comes just a day after he delivered his third State of the Union Address, where he proclaimed a "great American comeback." At the end of the address, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ripped up a written copy, signaling the furthering divide between the two parties.
A statement from Stephanie Grisham, White House Press Secretary, released shortly after news of the acquittal referred to the impeachment hearings as a "totally corrupt process" and that the Democrats "have nothing to show for their fraudulent schemes."
The president also tweeted a video featuring him in a manipulated version of a TIME Magazine cover in the minutes after his acquittal.
The video features a parade of Trump signs from different campaign years, until the president himself appears behind a final sign. The year on the final sign continues to climb, first into the 2,100s, then into new millennia, until the year finally transforms into a message reading “TRUMP 4EVA.”
The president had previously shared the video on Twitter in June 2019. The official TIME account was quick to respond by sharing the unaltered version of the video.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--Federal Judge Strips Citizenship of Convicted Al-Qaeda Member Who Plotted to Bomb Brooklyn Bridge

A federal judge stripped U.S. citizenship from Iyman Faris , an al Qaeda terrorist linked to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and who ’ d plotted to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge .
Faris , 50 , a Pakistani-born naturalized citizen , was sentenced in 2003 for supporting terrorism .
This included a post-9/11 plot to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge using gas cutters ; passing coded messages about the plot to al Qaeda ; meeting with Osama bin Laden pre-9/11 ; doing research on ultralight planes for al Qaeda ; and arranging for airline tickets for terrorists .
Faris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later recanted , and worked as a double agent for the bureau before being sentenced in October 2003 to 20 years in prison .
His sentence concludes in August .
The Trump Justice Department has worked for years to revoke his citizenship .
“ The United States of America has produced clear and unequivocal evidence that defendant Iyman Faris obtained his naturalization unlawfully , ” U.S. District Court Judge Staci M. Yandle ruled this week .
“ The December 16 , 1999 court order admitting Iyman Faris to citizenship is hereby revoked and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is hereby cancelled.
” “ A top priority at the Department of Justice is protecting our national security , and one of the things we do in support of that goal is tirelessly pursue denaturalization of known and suspected terrorists , ” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt .
“ What Faris did is unconscionable — he pretended to support the United States and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Osama bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the United States.
” “ Iyman Faris is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renouncing foreign allegiances and pledging to defend the Constitution and our American way of life , ” said U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois .
Faris immigrated to the U.S. in 1994 , marrying a U.S. citizen in 1995 and obtaining U.S. citizenship in 1999 under false pretenses .
He was accused of fraudulently using another person ’ s passport to enter , lying under oath to naturalization examiners , and meeting with and providing information to senior al Qaeda leaders .
Faris worked in Columbus , Ohio , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested a couple of weeks after Mohammed was swept up in Pakistan in early March 2003 .
Since Faris no longer is a U.S. citizen , the DOJ said he “ may be subjected to removal proceedings ” from the U.S. after his sentence at an Illinois penitentiary concludes this summer .
“ We are disappointed that Mr. Faris will not be afforded his day in court in a full-blown trial where the government ’ s war on terror tactics and promises could be fully aired , ” Tom Durkin , a defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Examiner .
“ This is a dangerous precedent being set that could well have serious consequences for all U.S. citizens.
” Faris has found himself at the center of the debate over the CIA ’ s use of enhanced interrogation techniques , which critics call torture .
“ The CIA provided the ‘ identification , ’ ‘ arrest , ’ ‘ capture , ’ ‘ investigation , ’ and ‘ prosecution ’ of lyman Faris as evidence for the effectiveness of the CIA 's enhanced interrogation techniques , ” the Democratic committee ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were inaccurate .
Iyman Faris was identified , investigated , and linked directly to al Qaeda prior to any mention of Iyman Faris by KSM or any other CIA detainee.
” In response , the agency wrote in a memo to Congress : “ The CIA most often represented accurately that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 's information enhanced the FBI 's understanding of the role of lyman Faris , a US-based extremist whom KSM tasked to support an attack against the Brooklyn Bridge .
In a few cases , we incorrectly stated or implied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation of Faris , but we should have stated that his reporting informed and focused the investigation.
” “ CIA , FBI , and Department of Justice documents show that information obtained from KSM after he was waterboarded led directly to Faris 's arrest and was key in his prosecution , ” the Republican-led Senate minority response stated .
The successful move to revoke Faris ’ s citizenship by the DOJ followed the controversy stemming from the early release of “ American Taliban ” John Walker Lindh , who was sentenced to 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrorism but was released with conditions in 2019 after less than 18 years .
Lindh , then 20 , grew up in California and traveled to Afghanistan in early 2001 to fight alongside the Taliban and spent weeks at al Qaeda training camps , where he met Osama bin Laden .
He stayed with al Qaeda and the Taliban following 9/11 and was captured by Northern Alliance fighters in November 2001 .
Lindh was taken to the Qala-i-Jangi fortress , where an uprising by prisoners killed CIA officer Mike Spann .
A D.C.-based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ISIS bride Hoda Muthana was not a U.S. citizen and could n't return to the U.S. from Syria .

A federal judge stripped U.S. citizenship from Iyman Faris, an al Qaeda terrorist linked to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and who’d plotted to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge.
Faris, 50, a Pakistani-born naturalized citizen, was sentenced in 2003 for supporting terrorism. This included a post-9/11 plot to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge using gas cutters; passing coded messages about the plot to al Qaeda; meeting with Osama bin Laden pre-9/11; doing research on ultralight planes for al Qaeda; and arranging for airline tickets for terrorists.
Faris confessed to the FBI, though he later recanted, and worked as a double agent for the bureau before being sentenced in October 2003 to 20 years in prison. His sentence concludes in August. The Trump Justice Department has worked for years to revoke his citizenship.
“The United States of America has produced clear and unequivocal evidence that defendant Iyman Faris obtained his naturalization unlawfully,” U.S. District Court Judge Staci M. Yandle ruled this week. “The December 16, 1999 court order admitting Iyman Faris to citizenship is hereby revoked and the certificate of naturalization No. 23952581 is hereby cancelled.”
President Trump’s DOJ greeted the ruling as a big win.
“A top priority at the Department of Justice is protecting our national security, and one of the things we do in support of that goal is tirelessly pursue denaturalization of known and suspected terrorists,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt. “What Faris did is unconscionable — he pretended to support the United States and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Osama bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the United States.”
“Iyman Faris is a traitor to the oath he took renouncing foreign allegiances and pledging to defend the Constitution and our American way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Steven Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois.
Faris immigrated to the U.S. in 1994, marrying a U.S. citizen in 1995 and obtaining U.S. citizenship in 1999 under false pretenses. He was accused of fraudulently using another person’s passport to enter, lying under oath to naturalization examiners, and meeting with and providing information to senior al Qaeda leaders. Faris worked in Columbus, Ohio, as a truck driver when he was arrested a couple of weeks after Mohammed was swept up in Pakistan in early March 2003.
Since Faris no longer is a U.S. citizen, the DOJ said he “may be subjected to removal proceedings” from the U.S. after his sentence at an Illinois penitentiary concludes this summer.
“We are disappointed that Mr. Faris will not be afforded his day in court in a full-blown trial where the government’s war on terror tactics and promises could be fully aired,” Tom Durkin, a defense lawyer for Faris, told the Washington Examiner. “This is a dangerous precedent being set that could well have serious consequences for all U.S. citizens.”
Faris has found himself at the center of the debate over the CIA’s use of enhanced interrogation techniques, which critics call torture.
“The CIA provided the ‘identification,’ ‘arrest,’ ‘capture,’ ‘investigation,’ and ‘prosecution’ of lyman Faris as evidence for the effectiveness of the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques,” the Democratic committee’s report stated. “These representations were inaccurate. Iyman Faris was identified, investigated, and linked directly to al Qaeda prior to any mention of Iyman Faris by KSM or any other CIA detainee.”
In response, the agency wrote in a memo to Congress: “The CIA most often represented accurately that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's information enhanced the FBI's understanding of the role of lyman Faris, a US-based extremist whom KSM tasked to support an attack against the Brooklyn Bridge. In a few cases, we incorrectly stated or implied that KSM's information led to the investigation of Faris, but we should have stated that his reporting informed and focused the investigation.”
“CIA, FBI, and Department of Justice documents show that information obtained from KSM after he was waterboarded led directly to Faris's arrest and was key in his prosecution,” the Republican-led Senate minority response stated.
The successful move to revoke Faris’s citizenship by the DOJ followed the controversy stemming from the early release of “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in 2002 for supporting terrorism but was released with conditions in 2019 after less than 18 years.
Lindh, then 20, grew up in California and traveled to Afghanistan in early 2001 to fight alongside the Taliban and spent weeks at al Qaeda training camps, where he met Osama bin Laden. He stayed with al Qaeda and the Taliban following 9/11 and was captured by Northern Alliance fighters in November 2001. Lindh was taken to the Qala-i-Jangi fortress, where an uprising by prisoners killed CIA officer Mike Spann.
A D.C.-based federal judge ruled last year that so-called ISIS bride Hoda Muthana was not a U.S. citizen and couldn't return to the U.S. from Syria.


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--President Trump Slams “Democrat Secret Asset” Romney in New Campaign Ad Following Acquittal

• President Donald Trump posted a video attacking Sen. Mitt Romney over Romney 's decision to vote in favor of convicting Trump of abuse of power on Wednesday .
• Romney was the only GOP senator to go against Trump , who was acquitted of both impeachment charges he faced .
• The video posted by Trump included footage of Romney praising Trump and failing to win the 2012 presidential election .
• `` Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one 's oath of office that I can imagine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explaining his decision .
President Donald Trump on Wednesday posted a video attacking Republican Sen. Mitt Romney after his stunning vote to convict the president of abuse of power at his Senate impeachment trial .
Romney was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting Trump of abuse of power , though he joined the rest of the GOP in voting to acquit Trump of obstruction of Congress .
Trump was acquitted of both charges .
The Utah Republican was the first senator in US history to cast an impeachment vote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or her party .
Here is the video : The video is a spliced-together collection of news clips , which at one point described Romney as `` a Democrat secret asset . ''
It juxtaposes footage of Romney publicly praising Trump shortly after the 2016 election with narration describing how Romney later turned on the president .
It also includes news footage of Romney failing to beat President Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012 , followed by footage of Trump beating Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 , a moment Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor before the vote said he was compelled to vote for Trump 's conviction despite agreeing with many of his actions as president .
Romney said he could not ignore the oath of impartiality he took at the start of the trial .
He said his faith compelled him to make an extraordinary break with his party .
Romney condemned Trump for his effort to urge Ukraine to launch investigations into political rivals , including former Vice President Joe Biden , who is a leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one 's oath of office that I can imagine , '' Romney said .
Romney was promptly praised by Democrats while facing swift criticism from fellow Republicans after announcing his decision .
`` I sat silently across the chamber , listening to my friend give one of the most important speeches I have ever had the good fortune to hear in person , '' Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut tweeted .
`` At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is left in public life , there stands Mitt Romney . ''
Comparatively , Ronna McDaniel , the chair of the Republican National Committee and Romney 's niece , in a statement said : `` This is not the first time I 've disagreed with Mitt , and I imagine it will not be the last .
The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong , and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him . ''
Donald Trump Jr. , the president 's eldest son , called for Romney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party .
The House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump on December 18 , one charging him with abuse of power over his dealings with Ukraine and the other charging him with obstruction of Congress over his efforts to stonewall the impeachment inquiry .
Trump froze almost $ 400 million in crucial military aid to Ukraine , which is at war with pro-Russian separatists , as he sought to pressure Kyiv into helping him dig up dirt on his political opponents .
Democrats essentially accused Trump of using congressionally approved security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of soliciting foreign election interference .
The impeachment proceedings spiraled out of a whistleblower complaint centered on a July 25 phone call in which Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden as well as into a debunked conspiracy theory linked to the 2016 election .
The president wanted Zelensky to announce investigations into the Bidens in relation to Hunter 's work for Burisma Holdings , a Ukrainian natural-gas company , despite no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his son with regard to Ukraine .
Documents and witness testimony gathered in the impeachment inquiry revealed a broad effort to pressure Ukraine that was engineered by Trump 's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and went well beyond the July 25 phone call .
Trump has maintained he did nothing wrong and has continued to call his July 25 conversation with Zelensky a `` perfect '' call .

President Donald Trump posted a video attacking Sen. Mitt Romney over Romney's decision to vote in favor of convicting Trump of abuse of power on Wednesday.
Romney was the only GOP senator to go against Trump, who was acquitted of both impeachment charges he faced.
The video posted by Trump included footage of Romney praising Trump and failing to win the 2012 presidential election.
"Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine," Romney said in a speech explaining his decision.
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President Donald Trump on Wednesday posted a video attacking Republican Sen. Mitt Romney after his stunning vote to convict the president of abuse of power at his Senate impeachment trial.
Romney was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting Trump of abuse of power, though he joined the rest of the GOP in voting to acquit Trump of obstruction of Congress. Trump was acquitted of both charges.
The Utah Republican was the first senator in US history to cast an impeachment vote in favor of removing a president from his or her party.
Here is the video:
The video is a spliced-together collection of news clips, which at one point described Romney as "a Democrat secret asset."
It juxtaposes footage of Romney publicly praising Trump shortly after the 2016 election with narration describing how Romney later turned on the president.
It also includes news footage of Romney failing to beat President Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012, followed by footage of Trump beating Hillary Clinton for president in 2016, a moment Trump has returned to often on social media.
Romney in an impassioned speech on the Senate floor before the vote said he was compelled to vote for Trump's conviction despite agreeing with many of his actions as president.
Romney said he could not ignore the oath of impartiality he took at the start of the trial. He said his faith compelled him to make an extraordinary break with his party.
Romney condemned Trump for his effort to urge Ukraine to launch investigations into political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden, who is a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
"Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one's oath of office that I can imagine," Romney said.
Romney was promptly praised by Democrats while facing swift criticism from fellow Republicans after announcing his decision.
"I sat silently across the chamber, listening to my friend give one of the most important speeches I have ever had the good fortune to hear in person," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut tweeted. "At a time when many wonder what honor is left in public life, there stands Mitt Romney."
Comparatively, Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee and Romney's niece, in a statement said: "This is not the first time I've disagreed with Mitt, and I imagine it will not be the last. The bottom line is President Trump did nothing wrong, and the Republican Party is more united than ever behind him."
Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, called for Romney to be "expelled" from the Republican Party.
The House passed two articles of impeachment against Trump on December 18, one charging him with abuse of power over his dealings with Ukraine and the other charging him with obstruction of Congress over his efforts to stonewall the impeachment inquiry. Trump froze almost $400 million in crucial military aid to Ukraine, which is at war with pro-Russian separatists, as he sought to pressure Kyiv into helping him dig up dirt on his political opponents.
Democrats essentially accused Trump of using congressionally approved security assistance to extort Ukraine with the goal of soliciting foreign election interference.
The impeachment proceedings spiraled out of a whistleblower complaint centered on a July 25 phone call in which Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden as well as into a debunked conspiracy theory linked to the 2016 election.
The president wanted Zelensky to announce investigations into the Bidens in relation to Hunter's work for Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural-gas company, despite no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on the part of the former vice president or his son with regard to Ukraine.
Documents and witness testimony gathered in the impeachment inquiry revealed a broad effort to pressure Ukraine that was engineered by Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and went well beyond the July 25 phone call.
Trump has maintained he did nothing wrong and has continued to call his July 25 conversation with Zelensky a "perfect" call.


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--IRA Dissidents Attempted Truck Bomb Attack on Brexit Day

LONDON ( AP ) – Irish Republican Army dissidents planted a bomb on a truck that was intended to explode on the day Britain left the European Union last week , police in Northern Ireland said Thursday .
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said a Belfast newspaper had received a call Friday – Brexit day – saying there was a bomb on a truck at Belfast docks .
The caller said the truck was headed for a ferry to Scotland .
Despite a search , nothing was found .
On Monday , another call was made to the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search lasting into the next day , police found a bomb aboard a truck at an industrial park in the Northern Ireland town of Lurgan .
Police assistant chief constable George Clarke said the caller said “ the intention had been for that device to explode on Friday evening at around the time the United Kingdom left the European Union.
” The bombers appear to have picked the wrong truck , because the explosives-laden vehicle remained at a haulage company ’ s yard in Lurgan until it was discovered .
Police said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a group known as the Continuity IRA .
Detectives said they want to speak to anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the area on Friday .
“ Once that device had left that yard , if it had … it was exposing people on the public road , at a busy time , and at busy places , to huge levels of risk , ” Clarke said .
“ These people are absolutely callous and reckless in what they have done.
” More than 3,700 people died during decades of violence before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Most militants have renounced violence , but small groups of IRA dissidents continue to carry out occasional bombings and shootings .
The violent dissidents were emboldened by several years of political drift in Northern Ireland , whose power-sharing government was suspended between January 2017 and last month – and by uncertainty about the future of the currently invisible border between the U.K.´s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Brexit .

LONDON (AP) – Irish Republican Army dissidents planted a bomb on a truck that was intended to explode on the day Britain left the European Union last week, police in Northern Ireland said Thursday.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland said a Belfast newspaper had received a call Friday – Brexit day – saying there was a bomb on a truck at Belfast docks. The caller said the truck was headed for a ferry to Scotland.
Despite a search, nothing was found.
On Monday, another call was made to the same newspaper with new information. After a search lasting into the next day, police found a bomb aboard a truck at an industrial park in the Northern Ireland town of Lurgan.
Police assistant chief constable George Clarke said the caller said “the intention had been for that device to explode on Friday evening at around the time the United Kingdom left the European Union.”
The bombers appear to have picked the wrong truck, because the explosives-laden vehicle remained at a haulage company’s yard in Lurgan until it was discovered.
Police said they believed the bomb plot was the work of a group known as the Continuity IRA.
Detectives said they want to speak to anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the area on Friday.
“Once that device had left that yard, if it had … it was exposing people on the public road, at a busy time, and at busy places, to huge levels of risk,” Clarke said. “These people are absolutely callous and reckless in what they have done.”
More than 3,700 people died during decades of violence before Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace accord. Most militants have renounced violence, but small groups of IRA dissidents continue to carry out occasional bombings and shootings.
The violent dissidents were emboldened by several years of political drift in Northern Ireland, whose power-sharing government was suspended between January 2017 and last month – and by uncertainty about the future of the currently invisible border between the U.K.´s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland after Brexit.


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--Intersectionality and Islam Collide in U.K.

A Muslim father in Birmingham , England , is being prosecuted for removing his son from LGBT lessons , which he claim risk the safety of his child .
Jabar Hussain , 51 , faces fines and potentially time in prison for removing his son for months from the Parkfield Community School in Alum Rock , Birmingham .
The dispute emerged after the introduction of the LGBT inspired ‘ No Outsiders ’ curriculum , that inspired protests from mostly Muslim parents in the school district .
Mr Hussain argued that curriculum is contrary to his faith , and that forcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infringed upon his religious rights .
The Muslim father cited a book entitled Introducing Teddy , in which a boy teddy bear says that he would prefer being a girl , as an example of unacceptable coursework for a child , according to the Birmingham Mail .
Should the court decide against Mr Hussain , he could face a fine of up to £2,500 and a possible prison sentence of three months .
“ This prosecution criminalises him for not submitting to teaching in breach of his rights , ” said Hussain ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hussain ) considers the school ’ s approach presents a safeguarding risk to his child , ” added the attorney .
Jabar Hussain has said in the past that he did not want his child to be taught that ‘ it is okay to be gay ’ and argued that the ‘ No Outsiders ’ lessons created by Parkfield Community School ’ s former assistant headmaster , Andrew Moffat , promoted transgendersim and homosexuality to the young pupils .
“ We are not against anyone expressing their sexuality or being homosexual if that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said at a protest in September .
“ We have no issue if Mr Moffat wants to put on a dress , or dance around like a ballet dancer , or put on a skirt , we have no issue .
We have an issue with teaching that nonsense to our kids , ” Hussain added .
In March of 2019 , approximately 600 children were removed by parents , in protest over the LGBT curriculum , from the same Birmingham primary school , in which 98 per cent of the student @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abdul Ma , said at the time : “ This is a brainwash .
We bring our children here so they can later work as a solicitor or a teacher , not to be taught about being gay or a lesbian .
”

A Muslim father in Birmingham, England, is being prosecuted for removing his son from LGBT lessons, which he claim risk the safety of his child.
Jabar Hussain, 51, faces fines and potentially time in prison for removing his son for months from the Parkfield Community School in Alum Rock, Birmingham. The dispute emerged after the introduction of the LGBT inspired ‘No Outsiders’ curriculum, that inspired protests from mostly Muslim parents in the school district.
Mr Hussain argued that curriculum is contrary to his faith, and that forcing his nine-year-old son to attend LGBT classes infringed upon his religious rights. The Muslim father cited a book entitled Introducing Teddy, in which a boy teddy bear says that he would prefer being a girl, as an example of unacceptable coursework for a child, according to the Birmingham Mail.
Should the court decide against Mr Hussain, he could face a fine of up to £2,500 and a possible prison sentence of three months.
“This prosecution criminalises him for not submitting to teaching in breach of his rights,” said Hussain’s lawyer.
“He (Mr Hussain) considers the school’s approach presents a safeguarding risk to his child,” added the attorney.
Muslim Parents Permanently Banned From Protesting LGBT Education Outside British School https://t.co/099nAhEjF8 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 26, 2019
Jabar Hussain has said in the past that he did not want his child to be taught that ‘it is okay to be gay’ and argued that the ‘No Outsiders’ lessons created by Parkfield Community School’s former assistant headmaster, Andrew Moffat, promoted transgendersim and homosexuality to the young pupils.
“We are not against anyone expressing their sexuality or being homosexual if that’s what they want,” he said at a protest in September.
“We have no issue if Mr Moffat wants to put on a dress, or dance around like a ballet dancer, or put on a skirt, we have no issue. We have an issue with teaching that nonsense to our kids,” Hussain added.
In March of 2019, approximately 600 children were removed by parents, in protest over the LGBT curriculum, from the same Birmingham primary school, in which 98 per cent of the student body follow Islam.
One parent, Abdul Ma, said at the time: “This is a brainwash. We bring our children here so they can later work as a solicitor or a teacher, not to be taught about being gay or a lesbian.”
Muslim Parents Pelt LGBT Activists with Eggs in Row over ‘Equality Lessons’ https://t.co/xJiFW18QvE — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 22, 2019
Follow Kurt on Twitter at @KurtZindulka


bonginoreport--2020-02-06--The Democrat Establishment’s Anti-Trump Witch Hunt Has Irreparably Damaged the Nation

The degrading of ‘ high crimes and misdemeanors ’ may prove the most damaging legacy of the Democrats ’ charade .
No election will be over , ever .
No president will be legitimate ever again .
For more than three years , Democrats , Never Trump Republicans , and the left-leaning media proved themselves willing to destroy the country to destroy one man : Donald J. Trump .
From foreign affairs to counterintelligence to law enforcement , from domestic governance to congressional oversight to separation of powers , Trump ’ s enemies manipulated and misused our government powers because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Senate ’ s acquittal yesterday of the president on the two spurious articles of impeachment concluded ( for now ) the years-long coordinated efforts at a coup .
But while Trump escaped the onslaught , the damage inflicted on our country will not be easily abated .
The FBI ’ s malfeasance in the launch and handling of Crossfire Hurricane provides the starkest example of damage wrought without regard to the ramifications .
Americans no longer trust the world ’ s premier law enforcement agency because of men like James Comey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and women like Lisa Page .
They no longer believe in equal justice under the law , or the integrity of sworn affidavits and judicially authorized surveillance .
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray has promised a clean-up , but that likely won ’ t be enough either for the public or for the FISA court .
And it is the damage in the eyes of the FISA court that risks much more than the faith Americans place in law enforcement agencies—it puts at risk the lives of Americans .
The FISA courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to combat terrorism .
A FISA court distrustful of the Department of Justice and FBI will demand more , and believe less , and when the target is a terrorist and not a political opponent , the real-world results may mean lost American lives .
That is , if Congress allows the FISA court to continue .
Following the revelations of FISA abuse , some senators are calling for an end to the secret court , instead of instituting reforms to protect against government overreach .
Removing the FISA court from the arsenal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devasting to our country , and if that comes to pass , the fault will rest in hands of Comey ’ s FBI .
Comey also holds responsibility for irreparably damaging the relationship between future presidents and holdover political appointees and career employees .
What president will trust an FBI director appointed by his predecessor after the stunts Comey pulled , including summarizing private meetings with Trump in memorandums Comey later leaked to the press via a lawyer buddy ?
And then there was Comey ’ s briefing to Trump on the dossier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hook to report on Christopher Steele ’ s salacious ponderings .
That wasn ’ t the only briefing that destroyed the trust necessary between politicians and career employees .
As the IG report detailed , the FBI tasked a supervisor on the Crossfire Hurricane team to brief candidate Trump and his team in order to spy on Michael Flynn .
That agent , known publicly as Joe Pientka , later teamed with Strzok to question Flynn about conversations Flynn had had with the Russian ambassador , even though the FBI already knew the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Flynn ’ s classified conversations , and then the subsequent criminal charges brought against Trump ’ s former national security advisor , will surely lead to less trust between incoming political appointees and career employees .
That former President Barack Obama had also warned Trump about bringing Flynn into his new administration also suggests there was a concerted effort to interfere in Trump ’ s relationship with his preferred advisors .
When added to the other efforts to take out Flynn , future presidents are likely to receive advice from their predecessor with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two years suggest the malfeasance extended beyond the FBI to the CIA and the broader intelligence community , although we won ’ t know the extent of the IC ’ s complicity until Attorney General William Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham complete their investigation .
But any distrust between the commander-in-chief and intelligence agencies flowing from their role in pushing the Russia collusion hoax could prove devasting for generations of Americans .
The left-leaning press ’ participation in this gambit is also destructive to our republic : A media without credibility is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Crossfire Hurricane witch hunt hurt more than domestic relations and the trust necessary between a president and the intelligence community and career government employees .
The targeting of Trump had international tentacles and thus the long-term fall out will as well .
The United Kingdom , Italy , and Australia have all found themselves pulled into the investigation of the investigators .
No matter the outcome of the Barr-Durham investigation , a strain between our countries will likely remain for some time .
More devastating , though , may be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other adversaries learned from the debacle : It is easy to undermine American democracy by feeding bad intel to political operatives .
While we don ’ t know that ’ s what Russia did in 2016—it could be that Steele lied about his Russian “ intel ” instead—there ’ s nothing stopping Russia from doing that in 2020 .
Or North Korea .
Or China .
Special Counsel Robert Mueller provided the playbook ; they need only execute .
Even Mueller ’ s report , which detailed every Russia connection and claim of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Trump conspiracy , didn ’ t end the efforts to destroy Trump—because the investigation was never about possible Russia collusion .
It was always about Trump .
So next came the claim that Trump threatened to withhold aid from Ukraine unless its newly elected president agreed to launch an investigation into Joe Biden .
Democrats ’ sequel to the Russian hoax did even more damage to our country by weaponizing the whistleblowing statutes and turning congressional oversight committees into political bludgeons .
Foreign affairs will suffer as a result , with presidents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international counterparts , and foreign leaders restrained in their responses for fear that someone listening may politicize the conversation .
And politicized it was , so much so that the hearsay-laden “ whistleblower ’ s ” complaint , contrived with the assistance of Rep. Adam Schiff and who knows who else , provided a hook to finally seek the impeachment of the president the Democrats have wanted gone since the day he won the 2016 election .
The degrading of “ high crimes and misdemeanors ” may prove the most damaging legacy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be over , ever .
No president will be legitimate ever again .
And our country will remain divided .
Forever ?
That is the question .

For more than three years, Democrats, Never Trump Republicans, and the left-leaning media proved themselves willing to destroy the country to destroy one man: Donald J. Trump. From foreign affairs to counterintelligence to law enforcement, from domestic governance to congressional oversight to separation of powers, Trump’s enemies manipulated and misused our government powers because Americans dared to elect the wrong leader.
The Senate’s acquittal yesterday of the president on the two spurious articles of impeachment concluded (for now) the years-long coordinated efforts at a coup. But while Trump escaped the onslaught, the damage inflicted on our country will not be easily abated.
The FBI’s malfeasance in the launch and handling of Crossfire Hurricane provides the starkest example of damage wrought without regard to the ramifications. Americans no longer trust the world’s premier law enforcement agency because of men like James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok, and women like Lisa Page. They no longer believe in equal justice under the law, or the integrity of sworn affidavits and judicially authorized surveillance.
Current FBI Director Christopher Wray has promised a clean-up, but that likely won’t be enough either for the public or for the FISA court. And it is the damage in the eyes of the FISA court that risks much more than the faith Americans place in law enforcement agencies—it puts at risk the lives of Americans.
The FISA courts exist not for political warfare, but to combat terrorism. A FISA court distrustful of the Department of Justice and FBI will demand more, and believe less, and when the target is a terrorist and not a political opponent, the real-world results may mean lost American lives.
That is, if Congress allows the FISA court to continue. Following the revelations of FISA abuse, some senators are calling for an end to the secret court, instead of instituting reforms to protect against government overreach. Removing the FISA court from the arsenal of anti-terrorism tools would be even more devasting to our country, and if that comes to pass, the fault will rest in hands of Comey’s FBI.
Comey also holds responsibility for irreparably damaging the relationship between future presidents and holdover political appointees and career employees. What president will trust an FBI director appointed by his predecessor after the stunts Comey pulled, including summarizing private meetings with Trump in memorandums Comey later leaked to the press via a lawyer buddy? And then there was Comey’s briefing to Trump on the dossier that quickly leaked, providing CNN a hook to report on Christopher Steele’s salacious ponderings.
That wasn’t the only briefing that destroyed the trust necessary between politicians and career employees. As the IG report detailed, the FBI tasked a supervisor on the Crossfire Hurricane team to brief candidate Trump and his team in order to spy on Michael Flynn. That agent, known publicly as Joe Pientka, later teamed with Strzok to question Flynn about conversations Flynn had had with the Russian ambassador, even though the FBI already knew the content of those conversations. Leaks of Flynn’s classified conversations, and then the subsequent criminal charges brought against Trump’s former national security advisor, will surely lead to less trust between incoming political appointees and career employees.
That former President Barack Obama had also warned Trump about bringing Flynn into his new administration also suggests there was a concerted effort to interfere in Trump’s relationship with his preferred advisors. When added to the other efforts to take out Flynn, future presidents are likely to receive advice from their predecessor with reticence.
Many revelations over the last two years suggest the malfeasance extended beyond the FBI to the CIA and the broader intelligence community, although we won’t know the extent of the IC’s complicity until Attorney General William Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham complete their investigation. But any distrust between the commander-in-chief and intelligence agencies flowing from their role in pushing the Russia collusion hoax could prove devasting for generations of Americans. The left-leaning press’ participation in this gambit is also destructive to our republic: A media without credibility is unable to check government power or abuse.
The Crossfire Hurricane witch hunt hurt more than domestic relations and the trust necessary between a president and the intelligence community and career government employees. The targeting of Trump had international tentacles and thus the long-term fall out will as well. The United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia have all found themselves pulled into the investigation of the investigators. No matter the outcome of the Barr-Durham investigation, a strain between our countries will likely remain for some time.
More devastating, though, may be the lesson Russia and our country’s other adversaries learned from the debacle: It is easy to undermine American democracy by feeding bad intel to political operatives. While we don’t know that’s what Russia did in 2016—it could be that Steele lied about his Russian “intel” instead—there’s nothing stopping Russia from doing that in 2020. Or North Korea. Or China. Special Counsel Robert Mueller provided the playbook; they need only execute.
Even Mueller’s report, which detailed every Russia connection and claim of collusion, and found no evidence of a Trump conspiracy, didn’t end the efforts to destroy Trump—because the investigation was never about possible Russia collusion. It was always about Trump.
So next came the claim that Trump threatened to withhold aid from Ukraine unless its newly elected president agreed to launch an investigation into Joe Biden. Democrats’ sequel to the Russian hoax did even more damage to our country by weaponizing the whistleblowing statutes and turning congressional oversight committees into political bludgeons.
Foreign affairs will suffer as a result, with presidents cautious in having frank discussions with their international counterparts, and foreign leaders restrained in their responses for fear that someone listening may politicize the conversation. And politicized it was, so much so that the hearsay-laden “whistleblower’s” complaint, contrived with the assistance of Rep. Adam Schiff and who knows who else, provided a hook to finally seek the impeachment of the president the Democrats have wanted gone since the day he won the 2016 election.
The degrading of “high crimes and misdemeanors” may prove the most damaging legacy of the Democrats’ charade. No election will be over, ever. No president will be legitimate ever again. And our country will remain divided. Forever? That is the question.
Margot Cleveland is The Federalist's senior legal correspondent. She is also a contributor to National Review Online, the Washington Examiner, Aleteia, and Townhall.com, and has been published in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Cleveland is a lawyer and a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School, where she earned the Hoynes Prize—the law school’s highest honor. She later served for nearly 25 years as a permanent law clerk for a federal appellate judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Cleveland is a former full-time university faculty member and now teaches as an adjunct from time to time. As a stay-at-home homeschooling mom of a young son with cystic fibrosis, Cleveland frequently writes on cultural issues related to parenting and special-needs children. Cleveland is on Twitter at @ProfMJCleveland. The views expressed here are those of Cleveland in her private capacity.