wnd--2020-07-10--FBI agent caught up in surveillance scandal now teaching spy ethics

[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations . ]
The unnamed FBI “ Supervisory Intelligence Analyst ” cited by the Justice Department 's watchdog for failing to properly vet the so-called Steele dossier before it was used to justify spying on the Trump campaign teaches a class on the ethics of spying at a small Washington-area college , records show .
The senior FBI analyst , Brian J. Auten , has taught the course at Patrick Henry College since 2010 , including the 11-month period in 2016 and 2017 when he and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an adviser to the Trump campaign based on false rumors from the dossier and forged evidence .
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' Auten , identified by congressional sources who spoke on condition of anonymity , never confirmed the most explosive allegations in the dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele , cutting a number of corners in the verification process , Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz pointed out in his December report on FBI abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead analyst had ample evidence the dossier was bogus .
Auten could not get sources who provided information to Steele to support the dossier ’ s allegations during interviews .
And collections from the wiretaps of Trump aide Carter Page failed to reveal any confirmation of the claims .
Auten even came across exculpatory evidence indicating Page was not the Russian asset the dossier alleged , but was in fact a CIA asset helping the U.S. spy on Moscow .
Nonetheless , he and the FBI continued to use the Steele material as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Page , who was never charged with a crime .
Auten did not respond to requests for comment , and the FBI declined to comment .
In his report , Horowitz wrote that the analyst told his team of inspectors that he did not have any “ pains or heartburn ” over the accuracy of the Steele reports .
As for Steele ’ s reliability as an FBI informant , Horowitz said , the analyst merely “ speculated '' that his prior reporting was sound and did not see a need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s case file , which showed that past tips from Steele had gone uncorroborated and were never used in court .
According to the IG report , Auten also wasn ’ t concerned about Steele ’ s anti-Trump bias or that his work was commissioned by Trump ’ s political opponent , calling the fact he worked for Hillary Clinton 's campaign “ immaterial.
” Perhaps most disturbing , the analyst withheld the fact that Steele ’ s main source disavowed key dossier allegations from a memo Auten prepared summarizing a meeting he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have violated his own stated “ golden rule ” for spying .
A 15-year supervisor at the bureau , Auten has written that he teaches students in his national security class at the Purcellville , Va. , college that the FBI applies “ the least intrusive standard ” when it considers surveilling U.S. citizens under investigation to avoid harm to “ a subject ’ s reputation , dignity and privacy.
” At least three Senate oversight committees are seeking to question Auten about fact-checking lapses , as well as “ grossly inaccurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as part of the committee ’ s investigation of the FBI ’ s handling of wiretap warrants the bureau first obtained during the heat of the 2016 presidential race .
FBI veterans worry Auten ’ s numerous missteps signal a deeper rot within the bureau beyond top brass who appeared to have an animus toward Donald Trump , such as former FBI Director James Comey and his deputy Andrew McCabe , as well as subordinates Lisa Page and Peter Strzok .
They fear these main players in the scandal enlisted group-thinking career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result .
“ Anyone in his position has tremendous access to information and is well-positioned to manipulate information if he wanted to do so , ” said Chris Swecker , a 24-year veteran of the FBI who served as assistant director of its criminal investigative division , where he oversaw public corruption cases .
“ Question is , was it deliberate manipulation or just rank incompetence ?
” he added .
“ How much was he influenced by McCabe , Page , Strzok and other people we know had a deep inherent bias @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if overlooked , figure in the Horowitz report and the overall FISA abuse scandal , though his identity is hidden in the 478-page IG report , which refers to him throughout only as “ Supervisory Intelligence Analyst ” or “ Supervisory Intel Analyst.
” In fact , the 51-year-old analyst shows up at every major juncture in the FISA application process .
Auten was assigned to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from its opening in July 2016 and supervised its analytical efforts throughout 2017 .
He played a key supportive role for the agents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the probable-cause section of the applications and providing the agents with information about Steele ’ s sub-sources noted in the applications .
He also helped prepare and review the renewal drafts .
Auten assisted the case agents in providing information on the reliability of Steele and his sources and reviewing for accuracy their information cited in the body of the applications , as well as all the footnotes .
His job was also to fill gaps in the FISA application or bolster weak areas .
In addition , Auten personally met with Steele @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reportedly a Russian émigré living in the West , as well as former MI6 colleagues of Steele .
He also met with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and processed the dirt Ohr fed the FBI from Glenn Simpson , the political opposition research contractor who hired Steele to compile the anti-Trump dossier on behalf of the Clinton campaign .
Auten was involved in the January 2017 investigation of then-Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn , according to internal emails sent by then-FBI counterintelligence official Strzok .
What ’ s more , the analyst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attached to the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference , which described Steele as “ reliable.
” Other intelligence analysts argued against incorporating the dossier allegations — including rumors about potentially compromising sexual material — in the body of the report because they viewed them as “ internet rumor . ''
According to the IG report , `` The Supervisory Intel Analyst was one of the FBI 's leading experts on Russia.
” Auten wrote a book on the Russian nuclear threat during the Cold War , and has taught graduate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Still , he could not corroborate any of the allegations of Russian “ collusion '' in the dossier , which he nonetheless referred to as “ Crown material , ” as if it were intelligence from America ’ s closest ally , Britain .
To the contrary , `` According to the Supervisory Intel Analyst , the FBI ultimately determined that some of the allegations contained in Steele 's election reporting were inaccurate , ” the IG report revealed .
Yet the analyst and the case agents he supported continued to rely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spy on Page -- and by extension , potentially the Trump campaign and presidency -- through incidental collections of emails , text messages and intercepted phone calls .
Steele Got the Benefit of the Doubt According to the IG report , the supervisory intelligence analyst not only failed to corroborate the Steele dossier , but gave Steele the benefit of the doubt every time sources or developments called into question the reliability of his information or his own credibility .
In many cases , he acted more as an advocate than a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the dossier ’ s red flags .
Examples : • When a top Justice national security lawyer initially blocked the Crossfire team ’ s attempts to obtain a FISA warrant , Auten proactively turned to the dossier to try to push the case over the line .
In an email to FBI lawyers , he forwarded an unsubstantiated claim from Steele 's Report 94 that Page secretly met with a Kremlin-tied official in July 2016 , and asked , `` Does this put us at least *that* much closer to a full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' ( Emphasis in original ) .
• Even though internal FBI emails reveal Auten knew Steele was working for the Clinton campaign by early January 2017 , he did not share this information with the Justice lawyer or the FISA court before helping agents reapply for warrants .
He told the IG he viewed the potential for political influences on the Steele reporting as “ immaterial.
” • While most of Steele ’ s past reporting as an informant for the FBI had not been corroborated and had never been used in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an international soccer corruption investigation , Auten wrote that it had in fact been `` corroborated and used in criminal proceedings.
” His language made it into the FISA renewal applications to help convince the court Steele was still reliable , despite his leaking the FBI ’ s investigation to media outlet Mother Jones in late October 2016 .
Auten had merely “ speculated ” that Steele ’ s prior reporting was sound without reviewing an internal file documenting his track record .
• Auten ’ s notes from a meeting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele described one of his main dossier sources — identified in the IG report only as `` Person 1 , ” but believed to be Belarusian-American realtor Sergei Millian — as a `` boaster '' who `` may engage in some embellishment.
” Yet the IG report noted the analyst `` did not provide this description of Person 1 for inclusion in the Carter Page FISA applications despite relying on Person 1 's information to establish probable cause in the applications . ''
• Auten failed to disclose to the FISA court negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steele .
They told Auten during a visit he made to London in December 2016 that Steele exercised `` poor judgment ” and pursued as sources `` people with political risk but no intel value , ” the IG report said .
• In January 2017 , Steele 's primary sub-source told Auten that Steele `` misstated or exaggerated ” information he conveyed to him in multiple sections of the dossier , according to a lengthy summary of the interview by the analyst .
For instance , Steele claimed that Kremlin-tied figures offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 10 billion in return for lifting U.S. economic sanctions on Russia .
`` We reviewed the texts [ between Steele and the source ] and did not find any discussion of a bribe , ” the IG report found .
Still , Auten let the rumor bleed into the FISA applications .
• The primary sub-source also told the analyst he did not recall any discussion or mention of WikiLeaks conspiring with Moscow to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails , or that the Russian leadership and the Trump campaign had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as described by Steele in his Report 95 .
The primary sub-source “ did not describe a ‘ conspiracy ' between Russia and individuals associated with the Trump campaign or state that Carter Page served as an ‘ intermediary ' between [ the campaign ] and the Russian government , ” the IG found .
Yet `` all four Carter Page FISA applications relied on Report 95 to support probable cause . ''
• In addition , Auten 's summary of the primary sub-source cast doubt on the dossier ’ s allegation that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was made in exchange for a GOP convention platform change regarding Ukraine .
Yet this unsubstantiated rumor also found its way into the applications .
Confronted by Horowitz ’ s investigators about all the discrepancies , the analyst offered excuses for Steele .
He said that while it was possible that Steele exaggerated or misrepresented information he received from the source , it was also possible the source was lying to the FBI .
• Even though the primary sub-source ’ s account contradicted the allegations in Steele ’ s reporting , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have any `` pains or heartburn '' about the accuracy of the Steele reporting .
• Auten didn ’ t try to get to the bottom of discrepancies between Steele and his sources until two months after the third and final renewal application was filed .
The analyst ’ s September 2017 interview with Steele revealed clear bias against Trump .
According to the FBI 's FD-302 summary of the interview , Steele and his London business partner , Christopher Burrows , who was also present , described Trump as their `` main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` fearful '' about the negative impact of the Trump presidency on the relationship between the United States and Britain .
• The analyst also appeared to mislead , or at least misinform , the FBI ’ s counterintelligence chief , Bill Priestap , by omitting the primary sub-source ’ s claim that Steele “ exaggerated '' much of the information in the dossier .
In late February 2017 , Auten sent a two-page memo to Priestap briefing him about his meeting with the source , “ but the memorandum did not describe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted .
• Finally , recently declassified footnotes in the IG report directly contradict statements provided by Auten in the IG report concerning the potential for Russian disinformation infiltrating Steele ’ s reporting .
The analyst told Horowitz ’ s team that “ he had no information as of June 2017 that Steele ’ s election reporting source network had been penetrated or compromised [ by Russian intelligence ] .
” Yet , in January 2017 , the FBI received a report that some of Steele ’ s reporting “ was part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February 2017 , the FBI received a second report that another part of Steele ’ s reporting was “ the product of [ Russian Intelligence Services ] infiltrat [ ing ] a source into the network.
” Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley recently questioned the analyst ’ s candor and integrity in a letter to the FBI .
`` We are deeply troubled by the grossly inaccurate statements by the supervisory intelligence analyst , ” they wrote .
The powerful senators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records shedding light on what the analyst and other officials knew about Russian disinformation as they were drafting the FISA applications .
Meanwhile , Auten ’ s name appears on a list of witnesses Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham recently gained authorization to subpoena to testify before his own panel investigating the FISA abuse scandal .
Graham intends to focus on the investigators , including the lead analyst , who interviewed Steele ’ s primary sub-source in January 2017 and discovered the Steele allegations were nothing more than “ bar talk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent interview , and should never have been used to get a warrant in the first place , to say nothing of renewing the warrant .
In a Dec. 6 letter to Horowitz , FBI Director Christopher Wray informed the inspector general he had put every employee involved in the 2016-2017 FISA application process through “ additional training in ethics.
” The mandatory training included “ an emphasis on privacy and civil liberties.
” Wray also assured Horowitz that he was conducting a review of all FBI personnel who had responsibility for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would take any appropriate action to deal with them .
It ’ s not immediately known if Auten has undergone such a review or has completed the required ethics training .
The FBI declined comment .
“ That analyst needs to be investigated internally , ” Swecker said .
Auten appears to have violated the ethics training he provides his students at Patrick Henry College .
“ When I teach the topic of national security investigations to undergraduates , we cover micro-proportionality , discrimination , and the 'least intrusive standard ' via a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ namely , if you were being investigated for a national security issue but you knew yourself to be completely innocent , how would you want someone to investigate you ?
” Auten wrote in a September 2016 article in Providence magazine , headlined “ Just Intelligence , Just Surveillance & the Least Intrusive Standard.
” He wrote the six-page paper to answer the question : `` Is an intelligence operation , national security investigation or act of surveillance being initiated under the proper authorities for the right purposes ?
Will an intelligence operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveillance achieve the good it is meant to ?
And , in the end , will the expected good be overwhelmed by the resulting harm or damage arising out of the planned operation , investigation or surveillance act ? ''
“ National security investigations are not ethics-free , ” he asserted , advising that a federal investigator should never forget that “ the intrusiveness or invasiveness of his tactics places a subject ’ s reputation , dignity and privacy at risk and has the ability to cause harm.
” At the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as electronic eavesdropping may be justified -- “ If it is judged that the threat is severe or the targeted foreign intelligence is of key importance to U.S. interest or survival.
” National security “ may necessitate collection based on little more than suspicion.
” In these cases , he reasoned , the harm to the individual is outweighed by the benefit to society .
“ Surveillance is not life-threatening to the surveilled , ” he said .
However , Page , a U.S. citizen , told RealClearInvestigations that he received `` numerous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was a “ traitor , ” based on leaks to the media that the FBI suspected he was a Russian agent who conspired with the Kremlin to interfere in the 2016 election .
Auten also rationalized the risk of “ incidental ” surveillance of non-targeted individuals , writing : `` If the particular act of surveillance is legitimately authorized , and the non-liable subject has not been intentionally targeted , any incidental surveillance of the non-liable subject would be morally licit.
” A member of the International Intelligence Ethics Association , Auten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and statecraft ” at Patrick Henry College , where he is an adjunct professor .
He also sits on the college ’ s Strategic Intelligence Advisory Board .
FBI veterans say the analyst ’ s lack of rigor raises alarms .
“ I worked with intel analysts all the time working counterintelligence investigations , ” said former FBI Special Agent Michael Biasello , a 25-year veteran of the FBI who spent 10 years in counterintelligence .
“ This analyst ’ s work product was shoddy , and inasmuch as these FISA affidavits concerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided [ to agents ] should have been pristine.
” He suspects Auten was “ hand-picked ” by Comey or McCabe to work on the sensitive Trump case , which was tightly controlled within FBI headquarters .
“ The Supervisory Intel Analyst must be held accountable now , particularly where his actions were intentional , along with anyone who touched those fraudulent [ FISA ] affidavits , ” Biasello said .
[ Editor 's note : This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations . ]

[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]
By Paul Sperry
Real Clear Investigations
The unnamed FBI “Supervisory Intelligence Analyst” cited by the Justice Department's watchdog for failing to properly vet the so-called Steele dossier before it was used to justify spying on the Trump campaign teaches a class on the ethics of spying at a small Washington-area college, records show.
The senior FBI analyst, Brian J. Auten, has taught the course at Patrick Henry College since 2010, including the 11-month period in 2016 and 2017 when he and a counterintelligence team at FBI headquarters electronically monitored an adviser to the Trump campaign based on false rumors from the dossier and forged evidence.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Auten, identified by congressional sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, never confirmed the most explosive allegations in the dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, cutting a number of corners in the verification process, Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz pointed out in his December report on FBI abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
By January 2017, the lead analyst had ample evidence the dossier was bogus. Auten could not get sources who provided information to Steele to support the dossier’s allegations during interviews. And collections from the wiretaps of Trump aide Carter Page failed to reveal any confirmation of the claims. Auten even came across exculpatory evidence indicating Page was not the Russian asset the dossier alleged, but was in fact a CIA asset helping the U.S. spy on Moscow.
Nonetheless, he and the FBI continued to use the Steele material as a basis for renewing their FISA monitoring of Page, who was never charged with a crime.
Auten did not respond to requests for comment, and the FBI declined to comment.
In his report, Horowitz wrote that the analyst told his team of inspectors that he did not have any “pains or heartburn” over the accuracy of the Steele reports. As for Steele’s reliability as an FBI informant, Horowitz said, the analyst merely “speculated" that his prior reporting was sound and did not see a need to “dig into” his handler’s case file, which showed that past tips from Steele had gone uncorroborated and were never used in court.
According to the IG report, Auten also wasn’t concerned about Steele’s anti-Trump bias or that his work was commissioned by Trump’s political opponent, calling the fact he worked for Hillary Clinton's campaign “immaterial.” Perhaps most disturbing, the analyst withheld the fact that Steele’s main source disavowed key dossier allegations from a memo Auten prepared summarizing a meeting he had with that source.
Auten appears to have violated his own stated “golden rule” for spying. A 15-year supervisor at the bureau, Auten has written that he teaches students in his national security class at the Purcellville, Va., college that the FBI applies “the least intrusive standard” when it considers surveilling U.S. citizens under investigation to avoid harm to “a subject’s reputation, dignity and privacy.”
At least three Senate oversight committees are seeking to question Auten about fact-checking lapses, as well as “grossly inaccurate statements” he allegedly made to Horowitz, as part of the committee’s investigation of the FBI’s handling of wiretap warrants the bureau first obtained during the heat of the 2016 presidential race.
FBI veterans worry Auten’s numerous missteps signal a deeper rot within the bureau beyond top brass who appeared to have an animus toward Donald Trump, such as former FBI Director James Comey and his deputy Andrew McCabe, as well as subordinates Lisa Page and Peter Strzok. They fear these main players in the scandal enlisted group-thinking career officials like Auten to ensure an investigative result.
“Anyone in his position has tremendous access to information and is well-positioned to manipulate information if he wanted to do so,” said Chris Swecker, a 24-year veteran of the FBI who served as assistant director of its criminal investigative division, where he oversaw public corruption cases.
“Question is, was it deliberate manipulation or just rank incompetence?” he added. “How much was he influenced by McCabe, Page, Strzok and other people we know had a deep inherent bias?”
Auten is a central, if overlooked, figure in the Horowitz report and the overall FISA abuse scandal, though his identity is hidden in the 478-page IG report, which refers to him throughout only as “Supervisory Intelligence Analyst” or “Supervisory Intel Analyst.” In fact, the 51-year-old analyst shows up at every major juncture in the FISA application process.
Auten was assigned to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation from its opening in July 2016 and supervised its analytical efforts throughout 2017. He played a key supportive role for the agents preparing the FISA applications, including reviewing the probable-cause section of the applications and providing the agents with information about Steele’s sub-sources noted in the applications. He also helped prepare and review the renewal drafts.
Auten assisted the case agents in providing information on the reliability of Steele and his sources and reviewing for accuracy their information cited in the body of the applications, as well as all the footnotes. His job was also to fill gaps in the FISA application or bolster weak areas.
In addition, Auten personally met with Steele and his “primary sub-source,” reportedly a Russian émigré living in the West, as well as former MI6 colleagues of Steele. He also met with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr and processed the dirt Ohr fed the FBI from Glenn Simpson, the political opposition research contractor who hired Steele to compile the anti-Trump dossier on behalf of the Clinton campaign.
Auten was involved in the January 2017 investigation of then-Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to internal emails sent by then-FBI counterintelligence official Strzok.
What’s more, the analyst helped draft a summary of the dossier attached to the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference, which described Steele as “reliable.” Other intelligence analysts argued against incorporating the dossier allegations — including rumors about potentially compromising sexual material — in the body of the report because they viewed them as “internet rumor."
According to the IG report, "The Supervisory Intel Analyst was one of the FBI's leading experts on Russia.” Auten wrote a book on the Russian nuclear threat during the Cold War, and has taught graduate courses about U.S. and Russian nuclear strategy.
Still, he could not corroborate any of the allegations of Russian “collusion" in the dossier, which he nonetheless referred to as “Crown material,” as if it were intelligence from America’s closest ally, Britain.
To the contrary, "According to the Supervisory Intel Analyst, the FBI ultimately determined that some of the allegations contained in Steele's election reporting were inaccurate,” the IG report revealed. Yet the analyst and the case agents he supported continued to rely on his dossier to obtain the warrants to spy on Page -- and by extension, potentially the Trump campaign and presidency -- through incidental collections of emails, text messages and intercepted phone calls.
Steele Got the Benefit of the Doubt
According to the IG report, the supervisory intelligence analyst not only failed to corroborate the Steele dossier, but gave Steele the benefit of the doubt every time sources or developments called into question the reliability of his information or his own credibility. In many cases, he acted more as an advocate than a fact-checker, while turning a blind eye to the dossier’s red flags. Examples:
When a top Justice national security lawyer initially blocked the Crossfire team’s attempts to obtain a FISA warrant, Auten proactively turned to the dossier to try to push the case over the line. In an email to FBI lawyers, he forwarded an unsubstantiated claim from Steele's Report 94 that Page secretly met with a Kremlin-tied official in July 2016, and asked, "Does this put us at least *that* much closer to a full FISA on [Carter Page]?" (Emphasis in original).
Even though internal FBI emails reveal Auten knew Steele was working for the Clinton campaign by early January 2017, he did not share this information with the Justice lawyer or the FISA court before helping agents reapply for warrants. He told the IG he viewed the potential for political influences on the Steele reporting as “immaterial.”
While most of Steele’s past reporting as an informant for the FBI had not been corroborated and had never been used in a criminal proceeding, including his work for an international soccer corruption investigation, Auten wrote that it had in fact been "corroborated and used in criminal proceedings.” His language made it into the FISA renewal applications to help convince the court Steele was still reliable, despite his leaking the FBI’s investigation to media outlet Mother Jones in late October 2016. Auten had merely “speculated” that Steele’s prior reporting was sound without reviewing an internal file documenting his track record.
Auten’s notes from a meeting with Steele in early October 2016 reveal that Steele described one of his main dossier sources — identified in the IG report only as "Person 1,” but believed to be Belarusian-American realtor Sergei Millian — as a "boaster" who "may engage in some embellishment.” Yet the IG report noted the analyst "did not provide this description of Person 1 for inclusion in the Carter Page FISA applications despite relying on Person 1's information to establish probable cause in the applications."
Auten failed to disclose to the FISA court negative feedback from British intelligence service colleagues of Steele. They told Auten during a visit he made to London in December 2016 that Steele exercised "poor judgment” and pursued as sources "people with political risk but no intel value,” the IG report said.
In January 2017, Steele's primary sub-source told Auten that Steele "misstated or exaggerated” information he conveyed to him in multiple sections of the dossier, according to a lengthy summary of the interview by the analyst. For instance, Steele claimed that Kremlin-tied figures offered Page a bribe worth as much as $10 billion in return for lifting U.S. economic sanctions on Russia. "We reviewed the texts [between Steele and the source] and did not find any discussion of a bribe,” the IG report found. Still, Auten let the rumor bleed into the FISA applications.
The primary sub-source also told the analyst he did not recall any discussion or mention of WikiLeaks conspiring with Moscow to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails, or that the Russian leadership and the Trump campaign had a "well-developed conspiracy of cooperation,” as described by Steele in his Report 95. The primary sub-source “did not describe a ‘conspiracy' between Russia and individuals associated with the Trump campaign or state that Carter Page served as an ‘intermediary' between [the campaign] and the Russian government,” the IG found. Yet "all four Carter Page FISA applications relied on Report 95 to support probable cause."
In addition, Auten's summary of the primary sub-source cast doubt on the dossier’s allegation that the disclosure of DNC emails to WikiLeaks was made in exchange for a GOP convention platform change regarding Ukraine. Yet this unsubstantiated rumor also found its way into the applications. Confronted by Horowitz’s investigators about all the discrepancies, the analyst offered excuses for Steele. He said that while it was possible that Steele exaggerated or misrepresented information he received from the source, it was also possible the source was lying to the FBI.
Even though the primary sub-source’s account contradicted the allegations in Steele’s reporting, the supervisory intel analyst said he did not have any "pains or heartburn" about the accuracy of the Steele reporting.
Auten didn’t try to get to the bottom of discrepancies between Steele and his sources until two months after the third and final renewal application was filed. The analyst’s September 2017 interview with Steele revealed clear bias against Trump. According to the FBI's FD-302 summary of the interview, Steele and his London business partner, Christopher Burrows, who was also present, described Trump as their "main opponent" and said that they were "fearful" about the negative impact of the Trump presidency on the relationship between the United States and Britain.
The analyst also appeared to mislead, or at least misinform, the FBI’s counterintelligence chief, Bill Priestap, by omitting the primary sub-source’s claim that Steele “exaggerated" much of the information in the dossier. In late February 2017, Auten sent a two-page memo to Priestap briefing him about his meeting with the source, “but the memorandum did not describe the inconsistencies,” the IG report noted.
Finally, recently declassified footnotes in the IG report directly contradict statements provided by Auten in the IG report concerning the potential for Russian disinformation infiltrating Steele’s reporting. The analyst told Horowitz’s team that “he had no information as of June 2017 that Steele’s election reporting source network had been penetrated or compromised [by Russian intelligence].” Yet, in January 2017, the FBI received a report that some of Steele’s reporting “was part of a Russian disinformation campaign” and in February 2017, the FBI received a second report that another part of Steele’s reporting was “the product of [Russian Intelligence Services] infiltrat[ing] a source into the network.”
Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley recently questioned the analyst’s candor and integrity in a letter to the FBI. "We are deeply troubled by the grossly inaccurate statements by the supervisory intelligence analyst,” they wrote.
The powerful senators have asked the FBI to provide additional records shedding light on what the analyst and other officials knew about Russian disinformation as they were drafting the FISA applications.
Meanwhile, Auten’s name appears on a list of witnesses Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham recently gained authorization to subpoena to testify before his own panel investigating the FISA abuse scandal. Graham intends to focus on the investigators, including the lead analyst, who interviewed Steele’s primary sub-source in January 2017 and discovered the Steele allegations were nothing more than “bar talk,” as Graham put it in a recent interview, and should never have been used to get a warrant in the first place, to say nothing of renewing the warrant.
In a Dec. 6 letter to Horowitz, FBI Director Christopher Wray informed the inspector general he had put every employee involved in the 2016-2017 FISA application process through “additional training in ethics.” The mandatory training included “an emphasis on privacy and civil liberties.”
Wray also assured Horowitz that he was conducting a review of all FBI personnel who had responsibility for the preparation of the FISA warrant applications and would take any appropriate action to deal with them.
It’s not immediately known if Auten has undergone such a review or has completed the required ethics training. The FBI declined comment.
“That analyst needs to be investigated internally,” Swecker said.
Auten appears to have violated the ethics training he provides his students at Patrick Henry College.
“When I teach the topic of national security investigations to undergraduates, we cover micro-proportionality, discrimination, and the 'least intrusive standard' via a tweaked version of the Golden Rule — namely, if you were being investigated for a national security issue but you knew yourself to be completely innocent, how would you want someone to investigate you?” Auten wrote in a September 2016 article in Providence magazine, headlined “Just Intelligence, Just Surveillance & the Least Intrusive Standard.”
He wrote the six-page paper to answer the question: "Is an intelligence operation, national security investigation or act of surveillance being initiated under the proper authorities for the right purposes? Will an intelligence operation, national security investigation or act of surveillance achieve the good it is meant to? And, in the end, will the expected good be overwhelmed by the resulting harm or damage arising out of the planned operation, investigation or surveillance act?"
“National security investigations are not ethics-free,” he asserted, advising that a federal investigator should never forget that “the intrusiveness or invasiveness of his tactics places a subject’s reputation, dignity and privacy at risk and has the ability to cause harm.”
At the same time, Auten said more intrusive methods such as electronic eavesdropping may be justified -- “If it is judged that the threat is severe or the targeted foreign intelligence is of key importance to U.S. interest or survival.” National security “may necessitate collection based on little more than suspicion.” In these cases, he reasoned, the harm to the individual is outweighed by the benefit to society.
“Surveillance is not life-threatening to the surveilled,” he said.
However, Page, a U.S. citizen, told RealClearInvestigations that he received "numerous death threats" from people who believed he was a “traitor,” based on leaks to the media that the FBI suspected he was a Russian agent who conspired with the Kremlin to interfere in the 2016 election.
Auten also rationalized the risk of “incidental” surveillance of non-targeted individuals, writing: "If the particular act of surveillance is legitimately authorized, and the non-liable subject has not been intentionally targeted, any incidental surveillance of the non-liable subject would be morally licit.”
A member of the International Intelligence Ethics Association, Auten has lectured since 2010 on “intelligence and statecraft” at Patrick Henry College, where he is an adjunct professor. He also sits on the college’s Strategic Intelligence Advisory Board.
FBI veterans say the analyst’s lack of rigor raises alarms.
“I worked with intel analysts all the time working counterintelligence investigations,” said former FBI Special Agent Michael Biasello, a 25-year veteran of the FBI who spent 10 years in counterintelligence. “This analyst’s work product was shoddy, and inasmuch as these FISA affidavits concerned a presidential campaign, the information he provided [to agents] should have been pristine.”
He suspects Auten was “hand-picked” by Comey or McCabe to work on the sensitive Trump case, which was tightly controlled within FBI headquarters.
“The Supervisory Intel Analyst must be held accountable now, particularly where his actions were intentional, along with anyone who touched those fraudulent [FISA] affidavits,” Biasello said.
[Editor's note: This story originally was published by Real Clear Investigations.]


wnd--2020-07-10--5 ways to conquer the cancel culture

5 ways to conquer the cancel culture

As expected , the cancel culture is already out of control , now devouring itself .
One day it 's the statue of Teddy Roosevelt .
The next day it 's the smash musical `` Hamilton . ''
One day it 's J.K. Rowling .
The next it 's a Vox editor who stood with Rowling .
How do we overcome this dangerous and self-destructive culture ?
Here are five simple steps .
1 .
Speak louder .
The concept is simple .
The more people try to silence you , the louder you speak .
The more they try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you shout .
The more doors they shut in your face , the more you open .
You use the attempts to silence you as the platform on which you stand .
But you do n't do this as a victim .
You do it as someone who is unfettered , who will not be muzzled , who is emboldened by the opposition .
Feed off of the attacks that come against you just as a fire feeds on wood .
The cancel culture will help you get your message out .
2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life to save your life .
This is something Jesus spoke of frequently , saying , `` For whoever would save his life will lose it , but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it '' ( Matthew 16:25 ) .
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' What , exactly , did he mean ?
I believe these words from a famous sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explain the essence of what the Lord was saying .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Alabama , March 8 , 1965 , King said `` … if a man happens to be 36 years old as I happen to be and some great truth stands before the door of his life – some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right – he 's afraid his home will get bombed or he 's afraid he will lose his job or he 's afraid that he will get shot or beat down by State Troopers ; he may go on and live until he 's 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at 36 as he would be at 80 , and the cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit . ''
Yes , he continued , `` A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right ; a man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice ; a man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true . ''
So , we lose our lives by trying to save them , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people ; compromising our convictions for our companions ; becoming a slave to human opinions .
Conversely , we save our lives by losing them , meaning , by standing for what is right no matter the cost or consequence .
When we forfeit our lives , in that respect , we gain our lives .
We become free .
The cancel culture can take nothing from us because we have surrendered our lives to God and His purposes .
In doing so , we die to human threats .
They can no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the folly of the cancel culture .
Winston Churchill once said , `` Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough , the crocodile will eat him last .
All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured . ''
( This became , `` An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile – hoping it will eat him last . ''
) We need to expose this reality , demonstrating how the cancel culture will ultimately cancel itself out .
It must , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To illustrate this point , on June 21 , I tweeted , `` In the spirit of pulling down historic statues and removing 'racist ' brand names , should there be a move to cancel the Democratic Party , since the Democrats were the party of slavery , segregation , and Jim Crow ? ''
I even wrote an article as to why Charles Darwin should be canceled because of his racist theories .
Where does it end ?
Who will be left standing ?
There is now a movement within Planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which should soon lead right back to its founder Margaret Sanger .
But of course .
( For the record , I would be thrilled to see Planned Parenthood canceled and Sanger denounced .
But I trust you get my larger point . )
When the cancelers realize they might be next on the list , they might just think twice .
Better still , they will recognize the folly of the cancel culture .
4 .
Learn to forgive from the heart .
The NFL 's Desean Jackson recently made a horrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hitler in a plainly anti-Semitic comment .
This is inexcusable under any circumstance .
Since then , Jackson has offered multiple apologies and has pledged to meet with a local rabbi to learn and understand .
He should be forgiven , not canceled .
He should be educated , not eradicated ( I mean , from the NFL ) .
All of us are the recipients of divine mercy ( otherwise we would be dead ) .
And I would dare say that all of us have also received human mercy at some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show mercy to others .
In Paul 's words , `` bearing with one another and , if one has a complaint against another , forgiving each other ; as the Lord has forgiven you , so you also must forgive . ''
( Colossians 3:13 ; for a very strong parable of Jesus about forgiveness , see Matthew 18:21-35 . )
5 .
Make room for differing opinions .
Another Pauline principle is this : `` Do not be overcome by evil , but overcome evil with good '' ( Romans 12:21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancel culture by becoming like it .
We must become the opposite of it .
We must be so secure in our views that we welcome dissenting opinions and that we do not marginalize those who differ with us .
We can speak our minds clearly and forcefully .
We can vote for policies we believe are in the best interest of our country .
We can be dogmatic in our convictions and values .
But we can not silence or cancel out those who differ with us .
In the words attributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what you say – and will defend to the death your right to say it . ''
We 're not talking about someone 's `` right '' to break the law with his or her speech , since not everything is protected by the First Amendment .
And you have every right to forbid certain speech or opinions from your own platform .
( For example , if you run a vegan recipe website , you have the right to remove comments that offer beef recipes or that mock vegans . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ square , be it the university classroom , the workplace , or Facebook , if the law is not being broken , let freedom reign .
This is how we overcome the cancel culture .
By gaining strength from it .
By becoming oblivious to it .
By exposing it .
By being merciful .
And by being better than it .

As expected, the cancel culture is already out of control, now devouring itself. One day it's the statue of Teddy Roosevelt. The next day it's the smash musical "Hamilton." One day it's J.K. Rowling. The next it's a Vox editor who stood with Rowling. How do we overcome this dangerous and self-destructive culture? Here are five simple steps.
1. Speak louder. The concept is simple. The more people try to silence you, the louder you speak. The more they try to shut you up, the louder you shout. The more doors they shut in your face, the more you open. You use the attempts to silence you as the platform on which you stand.
But you don't do this as a victim. You do it as someone who is unfettered, who will not be muzzled, who is emboldened by the opposition. Feed off of the attacks that come against you just as a fire feeds on wood.
The cancel culture will help you get your message out.
2. Learn the principle of losing your life to save your life. This is something Jesus spoke of frequently, saying, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25).
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
What, exactly, did he mean? I believe these words from a famous sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explain the essence of what the Lord was saying.
Speaking at a church gathering in Selma, Alabama, March 8, 1965, King said "… if a man happens to be 36 years old as I happen to be and some great truth stands before the door of his life – some great opportunity to stand up for that which is right – he's afraid his home will get bombed or he's afraid he will lose his job or he's afraid that he will get shot or beat down by State Troopers; he may go on and live until he's 80, but he's just as dead at 36 as he would be at 80, and the cessation of breathing in his life is merely the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit."
Yes, he continued, "A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right; a man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice; a man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true."
So, we lose our lives by trying to save them, meaning, trying to be accepted by people; compromising our convictions for our companions; becoming a slave to human opinions.
Conversely, we save our lives by losing them, meaning, by standing for what is right no matter the cost or consequence. When we forfeit our lives, in that respect, we gain our lives. We become free.
The cancel culture can take nothing from us because we have surrendered our lives to God and His purposes. In doing so, we die to human threats. They can no longer hurt us.
3. Expose the folly of the cancel culture. Winston Churchill once said, "Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured." (This became, "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile – hoping it will eat him last.")
We need to expose this reality, demonstrating how the cancel culture will ultimately cancel itself out. It must, since it will never be sufficiently woke.
To illustrate this point, on June 21, I tweeted, "In the spirit of pulling down historic statues and removing 'racist' brand names, should there be a move to cancel the Democratic Party, since the Democrats were the party of slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow?"
I even wrote an article as to why Charles Darwin should be canceled because of his racist theories.
Where does it end? Who will be left standing?
There is now a movement within Planned Parenthood to renounce its white supremacy, which should soon lead right back to its founder Margaret Sanger. But of course. (For the record, I would be thrilled to see Planned Parenthood canceled and Sanger denounced. But I trust you get my larger point.)
When the cancelers realize they might be next on the list, they might just think twice. Better still, they will recognize the folly of the cancel culture.
4. Learn to forgive from the heart. The NFL's Desean Jackson recently made a horrible mistake, posting the alleged words of Hitler in a plainly anti-Semitic comment. This is inexcusable under any circumstance.
Since then, Jackson has offered multiple apologies and has pledged to meet with a local rabbi to learn and understand. He should be forgiven, not canceled. He should be educated, not eradicated (I mean, from the NFL).
All of us are the recipients of divine mercy (otherwise we would be dead). And I would dare say that all of us have also received human mercy at some point in our lives. We should show mercy to others.
In Paul's words, "bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13; for a very strong parable of Jesus about forgiveness, see Matthew 18:21-35.)
5. Make room for differing opinions. Another Pauline principle is this: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
We cannot defeat the cancel culture by becoming like it. We must become the opposite of it.
We must be so secure in our views that we welcome dissenting opinions and that we do not marginalize those who differ with us.
We can speak our minds clearly and forcefully. We can vote for policies we believe are in the best interest of our country. We can be dogmatic in our convictions and values.
But we cannot silence or cancel out those who differ with us. In the words attributed to Voltaire, "I wholly disapprove of what you say – and will defend to the death your right to say it."
We're not talking about someone's "right" to break the law with his or her speech, since not everything is protected by the First Amendment. And you have every right to forbid certain speech or opinions from your own platform. (For example, if you run a vegan recipe website, you have the right to remove comments that offer beef recipes or that mock vegans.)
But when it comes to the public square, be it the university classroom, the workplace, or Facebook, if the law is not being broken, let freedom reign.
This is how we overcome the cancel culture. By gaining strength from it. By becoming oblivious to it. By exposing it. By being merciful. And by being better than it.


wnd--2020-07-10--'The devil' invoked to chase conservatives away from campus

Progressive and leftist students and their friends at the University of North Texas are taking advantage of the time 's `` cancel culture '' by demanding that the school banish those who disagree with them .
And one even has gone to the extreme of calling on the devil to help with the campaign .
The overall issue is outlined in a Change.org petition in which student groups called UNT Glad , MUEVE and College Democrats are demanding the banishment of the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter .
They publicly object to the Conservatives ' `` transphobic '' remarks about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HIV , and about National Coming Out Day , during which the conservatives simply suggested people gather at `` the fountain mall '' to `` come out as conservative and get snacks . ''
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' But it was a report in the Free Beacon that explained one former student `` posted a picture of items for a 'hex ' with 'intentions of misfortune ' against YCT leader Kelly Neidert . ''
The recent graduate , Anna Katz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drawing of a goat captioned 'the devil ' and a cauldron , '' the report said .
Neidert said the message was disturbing .
`` I think that is a demonstration of pure evil , '' Neidert told the Free Beacon .
`` It 's not cute , it should n't be a trend , that 's actually evil .
Considering the card said ‘ the devil ' on it … we should n't be interacting with anything that has something to do with him . ''
The YCT organization was active on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discontinued in 2005 .
Neidert said there had been some `` distasteful '' events that had happened .
She and others restarted the organization only last year , more than a decade later , specifically disavowing the previous activities .
The online petition lumps the two organizations together .
It alleges the new organization must be punished for the actions of the previous chapter .
The Beacon put the fight in context : `` In light of national Black Lives Matter protests , student activists appear emboldened to cancel fellow students and groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups have been targeted by accusations of 'hate speech ' from left-leaning groups on college campuses . ''
The petition , which on Friday was short of its signature goal , accused the Young Conservatives of `` a pattern of racism , transphobia , and homophobia throughout the 2019 through 2020 school year . ''
The petition insists on a `` 3-strike '' policy that would demand that , `` the fourth opportunity for reprimandation ( sic ) onward would result in the organization being permanently disbanded and barred from future reinstatement on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported a College Democrats spokesman condemned harassment of Neidert but offered no comment on a `` hex . ''
`` GLAD echoed the sentiment , saying it is planning a letter-writing campaign if the university does not take direct action against the conservative group , '' the report said .

Progressive students and their friends at the University of North Texas are taking advantage of the current "cancel culture," demanding that the school banish a conservative group.
And one student is even calling on the devil to help with the campaign.
In a Change.org petition, the student groups UNT Glad, MUEVE and College Democrats are demanding the banishment of the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter.
They object to the group's "transphobic" remarks about people posting their preferred pronouns, about HIV and about National Coming Out Day, during which the conservatives suggested people gather at "the fountain mall" to "come out as conservative and get snacks.''
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
The Washington Free Beacon reported a former student "posted a picture of items for a 'hex' with 'intentions of misfortune' against YCT leader Kelly Neidert."
The recent graduate, Anna Katz, "tweeted a picture of a drawing of a goat captioned 'the devil' and a cauldron," the report said.
Neidert said the message was disturbing.
"I think that is a demonstration of pure evil," Neidert told the Free Beacon. "It's not cute, it shouldn't be a trend, that's actually evil. Considering the card said ‘the devil' on it … we shouldn't be interacting with anything that has something to do with him."
The YCT organization was active on campus in the early 2000s but was discontinued in 2005.
Neidert said there had been some "distasteful" events that had happened.
She and others restarted the organization last year, more than a decade later, specifically disavowing the previous activities.
The online petition lumps the two organizations together.
It alleges the new organization must be punished for the actions of the previous chapter.
The Free Beacon put the dispute in context: "In light of national Black Lives Matter protests, student activists appear emboldened to cancel fellow students and groups that critique progressive messages. Conservative campus groups have been targeted by accusations of 'hate speech' from left-leaning groups on college campuses."
The petition, which on Friday was short of its signature goal, accused the Young Conservatives of "a pattern of racism, transphobia, and homophobia throughout the 2019 through 2020 school year."
The petition insists on a "3-strike" policy in which "the fourth opportunity for reprimandation (sic) onward would result in the organization being permanently disbanded and barred from future reinstatement on UNT's campus."
The Free Beacon reported a College Democrats spokesman condemned harassment of Neidert but offered no comment on the "hex."
"GLAD echoed the sentiment, saying it is planning a letter-writing campaign if the university does not take direct action against the conservative group," the report said.


wnd--2020-07-10--Why Trump must not pardon Roger Stone

Why Trump must not pardon Roger Stone

The president of the United States is the chief executive officer who presides over a number of executive branch agencies , including my once proud alma mater , the U.S. Department of Justice .
Indeed , the oath of office , which was administered to Donald J. Trump on Jan. 20 , 2017 , when he ascended to the presidency , is as follows : '' I do solemnly swear ( or affirm ) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States , and will to the best of my Ability , preserve , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States . ''
In short , the president took an oath to uphold the laws of the United States , embodied and reflected in our Constitution .
Roger Stone , contrary to the spin that is peddled by his surrogates at Fox News and elsewhere , was justly convicted of seven felony counts of perjury , witness tampering and obstruction of justice .
I know because I sat in the courtroom listening and observing during his two-week trial , while the pundits seeking to gain political favor with the president by supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regardless of whether the judge , Amy Berman Jackson , or the jury foreperson , was biased against Stone , the hard fact of life is that Stone 's lawyers , who could have themselves been indicted for providing false information to Congress on their client 's behalf , did not present one witness , repeat , one witness , including Stone himself , in defense of the prosecutors ' case in chief .
Though Stone sat at counsel 's table frequently smirking and smiling during the trial , the bottom line is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now-convicted felon had no defense .
This in a nutshell is why he does not want a new trial , even in another forum outside of Washington , D.C. , because he was convicted by his own words and deeds .
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' Whatever one thinks of Judge Jackson – and I am not a fan in my own right , having had bad experiences with her in a number of cases , including one involving Hillary Clinton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this is something Stone and his surrogates have difficulty admitting , he would be convicted again in rapid order even if given a retrial before another judge and jury .
And that this why Stone 's only objective has ever been to get a presidential pardon from the man for whom he was a lobbyist in the gambling industry for many years , Donald J. Trump .
But for the president to provide such a favor to his friend , who committed perjury , threatened and defamed witnesses such as Randy Credico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be to telegraph that The Donald has little to no respect for the rule of law .
Indeed , coming at a time when President Trump has touted his respect and desire to enforce the rule of law with regard to those who would burn , loot , maim and kill in our nation 's streets , an act of pardon would say that the rule of law only applies to those whom he rightly opposes – the socialists , communists , radical blacks , radical Muslims , radicals on the Jewish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and radical feminists who are bent on tearing the republic apart so they can seize control of the United States .
I have said it before and I will say it again , and in fact over an over until President Trump , whom I continue to support , takes it to heart : One is who one associates with .
And The Donald 's prior association with the likes of his sleazy fixer lawyer Michael Cohen , Paul Manafort ( Stone 's prior partner at Black , Manafort , Stone , Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to name just a few of the unsavory bottom-feeders that infested his presidential campaign , and Stone himself , does not speak well of the ethical underpinnings of the president .
As the old expression goes : `` When you hang around poop , you start to smell like it . ''
So this is a good-natured warning to President Trump .
While you have done many good things in office , you need independent voters in Florida , Michigan , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Ohio and other so-called swing states to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it with a pardon for Roger Stone .
He is not worth it !
Believe me , I know .
And , if you want to see why , just pick up a copy of my autobiography , `` Whores : Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment ! ''
which chronicles my personal experience with this self-styled Mafia admirer and dirty trickster .
Or go on the Pacer court internet system and find the defamation complaints in Florida and elsewhere that I have been forced to file against him for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom Stone smeared with disgusting slander and libel because he feared that Corsi would testify against him in his criminal trial – something Jerry never wanted to do .
Stone , having also threatened the judge with internet postings of cross-hairs to her head , went on a jihad to attempt to destroy Dr. Corsi and me , even putting up convicted felons like fourth-rate internet/radio host Pete Santilli to file a fraudulent bar complaint against me .
Santilli and Stone have been sued for this too !
Indeed , this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Credico , a witness in Stone 's criminal trial , knows full well .
Here Stone threatened that he would file a bar complaint against Credico 's best friend , Margaret Kunstler , a lawyer , if Credico would not lie under oath or take the Fifth .
Stone also threatened to harm Credico 's service dog .
So you can see that the facts concerning Stone 's conviction on seven felony counts of perjury witness , tampering and obstruction of justice are quite different that the dribble that emanates from his mindless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought , if you really want to know who the real Roger Stone is , then digest this .
As I write about in my autobiography , `` Whores , '' after Stone served as my campaign manager during my 2003 U.S. Senate race in Florida , before he was let go , I learned that he also had been secretly representing the conman , fraudster and race baiter Al Sharpton in his bid for political office .
Take that to the bank , Mr. President , as Sharpton and his black , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down your presidency and the country as a whole .
Mr. President , do not pardon Stone , not just out of principle but because it could cost you reelection .
That is my friendly advice .
For more advice , listen to my podcast below :

The president of the United States is the chief executive officer who presides over a number of executive branch agencies, including my once proud alma mater, the U.S. Department of Justice. Indeed, the oath of office, which was administered to Donald J. Trump on Jan. 20, 2017, when he ascended to the presidency, is as follows:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
In short, the president took an oath to uphold the laws of the United States, embodied and reflected in our Constitution.
Roger Stone, contrary to the spin that is peddled by his surrogates at Fox News and elsewhere, was justly convicted of seven felony counts of perjury, witness tampering and obstruction of justice. I know because I sat in the courtroom listening and observing during his two-week trial, while the pundits seeking to gain political favor with the president by supporting his supposed friend Stone did not. Regardless of whether the judge, Amy Berman Jackson, or the jury foreperson, was biased against Stone, the hard fact of life is that Stone's lawyers, who could have themselves been indicted for providing false information to Congress on their client's behalf, did not present one witness, repeat, one witness, including Stone himself, in defense of the prosecutors' case in chief.
Though Stone sat at counsel's table frequently smirking and smiling during the trial, the bottom line is that regardless of any bias, the now-convicted felon had no defense. This in a nutshell is why he does not want a new trial, even in another forum outside of Washington, D.C., because he was convicted by his own words and deeds.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Whatever one thinks of Judge Jackson – and I am not a fan in my own right, having had bad experiences with her in a number of cases, including one involving Hillary Clinton and Benghazi – the truth is, and this is something Stone and his surrogates have difficulty admitting, he would be convicted again in rapid order even if given a retrial before another judge and jury.
And that this why Stone's only objective has ever been to get a presidential pardon from the man for whom he was a lobbyist in the gambling industry for many years, Donald J. Trump.
But for the president to provide such a favor to his friend, who committed perjury, threatened and defamed witnesses such as Randy Credico and my client Dr. Jerome Corsi, would be to telegraph that The Donald has little to no respect for the rule of law. Indeed, coming at a time when President Trump has touted his respect and desire to enforce the rule of law with regard to those who would burn, loot, maim and kill in our nation's streets, an act of pardon would say that the rule of law only applies to those whom he rightly opposes – the socialists, communists, radical blacks, radical Muslims, radicals on the Jewish left, radical atheists, radical LGBTQs and radical feminists who are bent on tearing the republic apart so they can seize control of the United States.
I have said it before and I will say it again, and in fact over an over until President Trump, whom I continue to support, takes it to heart: One is who one associates with. And The Donald's prior association with the likes of his sleazy fixer lawyer Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort (Stone's prior partner at Black, Manafort, Stone, Kelly and Atwater), and Rick Gates, to name just a few of the unsavory bottom-feeders that infested his presidential campaign, and Stone himself, does not speak well of the ethical underpinnings of the president.
As the old expression goes: "When you hang around poop, you start to smell like it."
So this is a good-natured warning to President Trump. While you have done many good things in office, you need independent voters in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and other so-called swing states to win reelection, so don't blow it with a pardon for Roger Stone. He is not worth it! Believe me, I know. And, if you want to see why, just pick up a copy of my autobiography, "Whores: Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment!" which chronicles my personal experience with this self-styled Mafia admirer and dirty trickster.
Or go on the Pacer court internet system and find the defamation complaints in Florida and elsewhere that I have been forced to file against him for my brave client Dr. Corsi and me, whom Stone smeared with disgusting slander and libel because he feared that Corsi would testify against him in his criminal trial – something Jerry never wanted to do. Stone, having also threatened the judge with internet postings of cross-hairs to her head, went on a jihad to attempt to destroy Dr. Corsi and me, even putting up convicted felons like fourth-rate internet/radio host Pete Santilli to file a fraudulent bar complaint against me. Santilli and Stone have been sued for this too!
Indeed, this is Stone's modus operandi, as Randy Credico, a witness in Stone's criminal trial, knows full well. Here Stone threatened that he would file a bar complaint against Credico's best friend, Margaret Kunstler, a lawyer, if Credico would not lie under oath or take the Fifth. Stone also threatened to harm Credico's service dog.
So you can see that the facts concerning Stone's conviction on seven felony counts of perjury witness, tampering and obstruction of justice are quite different that the dribble that emanates from his mindless and exploitive surrogates.
As a final thought, if you really want to know who the real Roger Stone is, then digest this. As I write about in my autobiography, "Whores," after Stone served as my campaign manager during my 2003 U.S. Senate race in Florida, before he was let go, I learned that he also had been secretly representing the conman, fraudster and race baiter Al Sharpton in his bid for political office. Take that to the bank, Mr. President, as Sharpton and his black, racist, anti-white friends try to tear down your presidency and the country as a whole.
Mr. President, do not pardon Stone, not just out of principle but because it could cost you reelection. That is my friendly advice. For more advice, listen to my podcast below:


wnd--2020-07-10--Why Biden's 'buy American' shtick is so brazen

Joe Biden 's habit of copying other people 's work and lying about his own past knocked out his previous bids for the presidency .
In his 1988 presidential bid , Biden plagiarized portions of speeches made by former President John F. Kennedy , Sen. Robert F. Kennedy , D-N.Y. , and British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock .
He 'd also been cited for plagiarism in a paper he submitted during law school , the Washington Post reports .
And as for his law school career , Biden was caught lying about that .
He claimed he had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of his class and earned three degrees .
In truth , he had only a partial scholarship , graduated near the bottom of his class and never earned three degrees .
You ca n't teach an old dog new tricks .
Last year , his campaign lifted language word for word from progressive groups ' websites and presented them off as its own education and environmental policies .
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' Now he 's at it again .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ global corporations move American jobs overseas .
With much fanfare , Joe Biden this week unveiled a plan to bring manufacturing jobs back to America .
I ca n't say it 's `` his '' plan because , true to form , he has lifted the plan from President Donald J. Trump .
President Trump has already done , or is in the process of doing , everything Biden promises to do in the `` Made in America '' department .
Biden says he will use the purchasing power of the federal government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Well , we know where that idea came from .
Last month , the Trump administration awarded a $ 354 million contract to a private company to manufacture generic medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients used to treat COVID-19 .
Those drugs , like so many others , are now made overseas , mostly in China and India .
The American-made drugs will be stored in a strategic stockpile to be used in the event of shortages or emergency – another proposal Biden claims to be `` his . ''
Then Biden says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Buy American requirements .
Well , President Trump did that in one of his first executive orders in 2017 .
Maybe Joe did n't know that President Trump has already done these things .
Or maybe he forgot .
Just like Joe forgets where he is , or in this case , where he 's been .
Joe Biden has been the tribune of the globalists .
As a senator from Delaware , he represented the state multinational corporations used as their mail drop ; they feel little loyalty to the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he voted to reward Beijing with most favored nation trade treatment , as if it was our closest ally .
Realists suspected China was only interested in obtaining America 's high technology and would use it against us .
Not Joe .
In 1993 , Biden voted for NAFTA , the North American Free Trade Agreement , ignoring warnings of a `` giant sucking sound '' of jobs leaving the United States for Mexico .
The warning came true , but Joe continued to stand by his NAFTA until … he forgot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden voted to make China 's special trade treatment permanent , giving corporate America the green light to invest up to the hilt in China – and replace well-paid American workers with Chinese workers earning 18 cents an hour .
One senator called it `` the most ill-advised piece of legislation to come to the Senate floor in my 28 years as a member of this body . ''
Senators offered amendment after amendment to hold the CCP accountable for its religious persecution , prison labor , forced abortions and labor rights violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying , `` Nor do I see a collapse of the American manufacturing economy , as China , a nation with the impact on the world economy about the size of the Netherlands , suddenly becomes our major economic competitor . ''
In 2013 , Biden negotiated an agreement that exempts Chinese corporations selling securities in the U.S. from standard accounting and auditing standards as American companies .
His agreement gives preferential treatment to fraudulent Chinese businesses enterprises at the expense of American investors and American companies .
In 2015 , Biden was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12-nation trade deal designed to outsource more American jobs to Asia .
Biden sold it with the line , `` It 's in our interest for China to prosper . ''
President Trump killed it .
In 2019 , who can forget Joe Biden telling us , `` Come on , man – China is n't in competition with us . ''
Now we are supposed to believe Biden 2021 is not Biden 1980 , 1993 , 2000 , 2013 , 2015 and 2019 .
No one believes Joe Biden is capable of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He 's not capable of standing up to the crazies in the streets who want to abolish ICE , tear down our country and defund the police .
He 's not capable of standing up to the `` teachers '' union that does n't want to teach our children in September or perhaps ever .
He 's not capable of standing to the tyrants of communist government who have bought his son Hunter .
No one believes Biden will be running the show if he were elected .
We all know who will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party , control the permanent government of Washington , and control Beijing .

The serial plagiarist strikes again.
Joe Biden's habit of copying other people's work and lying about his own past knocked out his previous bids for the presidency.
In his 1988 presidential bid, Biden plagiarized portions of speeches made by former President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., and British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock. He'd also been cited for plagiarism in a paper he submitted during law school, the Washington Post reports.
And as for his law school career, Biden was caught lying about that. He claimed he had a full scholarship, graduated in the top half of his class and earned three degrees. In truth, he had only a partial scholarship, graduated near the bottom of his class and never earned three degrees.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Last year, his campaign lifted language word for word from progressive groups' websites and presented them off as its own education and environmental policies.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
Now he's at it again.
Biden has spent his entire career helping global corporations move American jobs overseas.
With much fanfare, Joe Biden this week unveiled a plan to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. I can't say it's "his" plan because, true to form, he has lifted the plan from President Donald J. Trump.
President Trump has already done, or is in the process of doing, everything Biden promises to do in the "Made in America" department.
Biden says he will use the purchasing power of the federal government to coax medical supply chains back to the U.S.
Well, we know where that idea came from.
Last month, the Trump administration awarded a $354 million contract to a private American company to manufacture generic medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients used to treat COVID-19. Those drugs, like so many others, are now made overseas, mostly in China and India.
The American-made drugs will be stored in a strategic stockpile to be used in the event of shortages or emergency – another proposal Biden claims to be "his."
Then Biden says he will curtail waivers to the government's Buy American requirements. Well, President Trump did that in one of his first executive orders in 2017.
Maybe Joe didn't know that President Trump has already done these things. Or maybe he forgot.
Just like Joe forgets where he is, or in this case, where he's been.
Joe Biden has been the tribune of the globalists. As a senator from Delaware, he represented the state multinational corporations used as their mail drop; they feel little loyalty to the U.S. and neither did Joe.
In 1980, he voted to reward Beijing with most favored nation trade treatment, as if it was our closest ally. Realists suspected China was only interested in obtaining America's high technology to use it against us. Not Joe.
In 1993, Biden voted for NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, ignoring warnings of a "giant sucking sound" of jobs leaving the United States for Mexico. The warning came true, but Joe continued to stand by his NAFTA until … he forgot.
In 2000, Biden voted to make China's special trade treatment permanent, giving corporate America the green light to invest up to the hilt in China – and replace well-paid American workers with Chinese workers earning 18 cents an hour.
One senator called it "the most ill-advised piece of legislation to come to the Senate floor in my 28 years as a member of this body." Senators offered amendment after amendment to hold the CCP accountable for its religious persecution, prison labor, forced abortions and labor rights violations.
Biden voted against them all, saying, "Nor do I see a collapse of the American manufacturing economy, as China, a nation with the impact on the world economy about the size of the Netherlands, suddenly becomes our major economic competitor."
In 2013, Biden negotiated an agreement that exempts Chinese corporations selling securities in the U.S. from the same rigorous accounting and auditing standards as American companies. His agreement gives preferential treatment to fraudulent Chinese business enterprises at the expense of American investors and American companies.
In 2015, Biden was salesman for the TransPacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade deal designed to outsource more American jobs to Asia. Biden sold it with the line, "It's in our interest for China to prosper." President Trump killed it.
In 2019, who can forget Joe Biden telling us, "Come on, man – China isn't in competition with us."
Now we are supposed to believe Biden 2021 is not Biden 1980, 1993, 2000, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
No one believes Joe Biden is capable of doing whatever it is he says.
He's not capable of standing up to the crazies in the streets who want to abolish ICE, tear down our country and defund the police. He's not capable of standing up to the "teachers" union that doesn't want to teach our children in September or perhaps ever.
He's not capable of standing up to the tyrants of China's communist government who have bought his son Hunter.
No one believes Biden will be running the show if he were elected.
We all know who will be – the radicals who control his party, control the permanent government of Washington, and control Beijing.


wnd--2020-07-10--Something's coming, folks – and we must become 'self-dependent'

Last week I discussed why it 's essential to become `` anti-fragile '' to fight back against the cancel culture .
What do I mean by becoming anti-fragile ?
I mean taking steps to making yourself less vulnerable to having some leftist bullies destroy everything you 've worked for – your job , your business , your career , your home , your family 's security and your physical safety – because you 're not marching in lockstep with their violent communist ideals .
This week I 'd like to continue the theme , but in a broader sense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not because I did n't have enough to say , but because I have too much to say .
Something is coming , folks .
Something much bigger than we as individuals can fight against .
Whether that something is medical , economic , societal , political , or some combination therefore – the point is , something is coming .
Whatever this `` something '' will be , it 's almost a sure bet it will nullify our constitutional rights of speech , religion , defense and other critical issues .
Interpret @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't ignore the ramifications .
This `` something '' may also impact your financial security ( if it has n't already ) and even your food supply .
Do you really want to be so vulnerable ?
That 's why I urge you to become anti-fragile .
We must brace ourselves , prepare ourselves , and be in a position to cope with things on our own , rather than looking to other people ( local , state , federal ) to protect us .
We must become , to the greatest extent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ columnist Pat McLene called it , `` self-dependent . ''
You must become self-dependent .
TRENDING : Trump : 'We are in a culture war ' and Republicans need to 'toughen up' During the Obama years , I spent a great deal of time urging people to become preppers .
Some people listened ; most people did n't .
But when Trump was elected , even dedicated preppers experienced a general sense of relief and let their guard down .
Here at last was a man who would defend our Constitution .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As recent events have demonstrated , Trump 's election was merely a breather , an opportunity for everyone to focus on making themselves less vulnerable to whatever this `` something '' may be .
Whether or not Trump wins in November ( and some models are giving him a 91 percent chance of reelection ) , do n't assume America 's domestic terrorists will rest .
They wo n't .
They 'll get worse .
They will destroy more properties , ruin more lives , burn more homes , loot more businesses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual level , they will do everything possible to destroy your reputation , hack your accounts , dox your home , shut down your social media and plague your church .
Do not doubt this .
The future – both economic and societal – is uncertain .
To that end , it 's more important than ever to make yourself `` anti-fragile '' by joining the ranks of preppers .
Here 's a question : If your grandparents or great-grandparents knew what 1929 would bring , what could they have done in 1928 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew what was coming in 2021 , what would you do in 2020 to prepare ?
How will you answer that question ?
And more importantly , will you act upon your reply ?
Preparedness is not the realm of the doomsday idiots as portrayed on the National Geographic show .
It 's for everyone , of every race , of every socio-economic class , of every religion ( or non-religion ) .
It 's just plain common sense .
Think of it as a form of insurance .
Contrary to what some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't terribly complicated , though it often requires a mental readjustment and a lifestyle change .
Think of preparedness as a three-legged stool .
One leg is supplies , another leg is skills and knowledge , and the third leg is community .
The significance of a three-legged stool is it never wobbles .
But if you take away one of the legs – if you neglect one of these factors in prepping –your stool will topple .
I urge you to use this pause as a window of opportunity to batten down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Club up with like-minded people .
Move to a less urban location .
Stock up on necessities .
Learn new skills .
Go to church .
Get involved in your local community .
Monitor the positions of your local elected officials .
Consider this famous passage from Ayn Rand 's `` Atlas Shrugged '' : `` When you see that in order to produce , you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing ; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men get rich more easily by graft than by work , and your laws no longer protect you against them , but protect them against you … you may know that your society is doomed . ''
Now is not the time to fall prey to the Normalcy Bias ( `` It ca n't happen here , it ca n't happen to me '' ) .
It 's only when you 're physical and spiritual needs are taken care of that you have the strength to fight , so do n't neglect that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we should all hope for the best and prepare for the worst .
While the former is easy , very few people partake of the latter .
It 's time for that to change .
The left is doing everything possible to divide us because they know a house divided can not stand .
`` We are weaker when we are not united .
We are ripe for the picking , '' warns the Organic Prepper .
`` We 're watching people whose only goal is to destroy our country .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took it to a dark place , inciting violence and hatred between fellow Americans .
They are trying to erase our history and our culture .
They 're brainwashing a generation of young Americans and turning them into the new Red Guard .
They 're creating an environment of mob justice and terrorizing our cities and saying their cause is just .
They 're canceling out dissent by calling anyone who dares criticize the wholesale violence and vandalism a racist . ''
If there is an element of hope America has over any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it 's the Second Amendment .
Sure , there will come a time when that Amendment is suspended ; but at the moment , there are a minimum of 393 million firearms in the hands of private citizens ( and probably a great deal more than that ) .
Cling ( bitterly ) to those guns and your Bible , folks .
There 's a very good chance you 'll need them both .
Patrice Lewis is pleased to announce the availability of the complete collection of 52 Country Living Series ebooklets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience .
Subjects include preparedness , frugality , rural skills , food preservation , and more .
Click this link for details .

Last week I discussed why it's essential to become "anti-fragile" to fight back against the cancel culture. What do I mean by becoming anti-fragile? I mean taking steps to making yourself less vulnerable to having some leftist bullies destroy everything you've worked for – your job, your business, your career, your home, your family's security and your physical safety – because you're not marching in lockstep with their violent communist ideals.
This week I'd like to continue the theme, but in a broader sense. I struggled with writing this column – not because I didn't have enough to say, but because I have too much to say.
Something is coming, folks. Something much bigger than we as individuals can fight against. Whether that something is medical, economic, societal, political, or some combination therefore – the point is, something is coming.
Whatever this "something" will be, it's almost a sure bet it will nullify our constitutional rights of speech, religion, defense and other critical issues. Interpret that as you will, but don't ignore the ramifications. This "something" may also impact your financial security (if it hasn't already) and even your food supply. Do you really want to be so vulnerable?
That's why I urge you to become anti-fragile. We must brace ourselves, prepare ourselves, and be in a position to cope with things on our own, rather than looking to other people (local, state, federal) to protect us. We must become, to the greatest extent possible, self-reliant – or, as columnist Pat McLene called it, "self-dependent." You must become self-dependent.
TRENDING: Is this the 'Final Battle'?
During the Obama years, I spent a great deal of time urging people to become preppers. Some people listened; most people didn't. But when Trump was elected, even dedicated preppers experienced a general sense of relief and let their guard down. Here at last was a man who would defend our Constitution.
But the forces of evil are strong. As recent events have demonstrated, Trump's election was merely a breather, an opportunity for everyone to focus on making themselves less vulnerable to whatever this "something" may be.
Whether or not Trump wins in November (and some models are giving him a 91 percent chance of reelection), don't assume America's domestic terrorists will rest. They won't. They'll get worse. They will destroy more properties, ruin more lives, burn more homes, loot more businesses and make more cities uninhabitable. On an individual level, they will do everything possible to destroy your reputation, hack your accounts, dox your home, shut down your social media and plague your church. Do not doubt this.
The future – both economic and societal – is uncertain. To that end, it's more important than ever to make yourself "anti-fragile" by joining the ranks of preppers.
Here's a question: If your grandparents or great-grandparents knew what 1929 would bring, what could they have done in 1928 to prepare? Similarly, if you knew what was coming in 2021, what would you do in 2020 to prepare? How will you answer that question? And more importantly, will you act upon your reply?
Preparedness is not the realm of the doomsday idiots as portrayed on the National Geographic show. It's for everyone, of every race, of every socio-economic class, of every religion (or non-religion). It's just plain common sense. Think of it as a form of insurance.
Contrary to what some may have you believe, prepping isn't terribly complicated, though it often requires a mental readjustment and a lifestyle change. Think of preparedness as a three-legged stool. One leg is supplies, another leg is skills and knowledge, and the third leg is community. The significance of a three-legged stool is it never wobbles. But if you take away one of the legs – if you neglect one of these factors in prepping –your stool will topple.
I urge you to use this pause as a window of opportunity to batten down your personal hatches. Pay down debt. Club up with like-minded people. Move to a less urban location. Stock up on necessities. Learn new skills. Go to church. Get involved in your local community. Monitor the positions of your local elected officials.
Why?
Consider this famous passage from Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged": "When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you … you may know that your society is doomed."
Now is not the time to fall prey to the Normalcy Bias ("It can't happen here, it can't happen to me"). It's only when you're physical and spiritual needs are taken care of that you have the strength to fight, so don't neglect that three-legged stool. As the saying goes, we should all hope for the best and prepare for the worst. While the former is easy, very few people partake of the latter. It's time for that to change.
The left is doing everything possible to divide us because they know a house divided cannot stand. "We are weaker when we are not united. We are ripe for the picking," warns the Organic Prepper. "We're watching people whose only goal is to destroy our country. They latched onto a good cause and then took it to a dark place, inciting violence and hatred between fellow Americans. They are trying to erase our history and our culture. They're brainwashing a generation of young Americans and turning them into the new Red Guard. They're creating an environment of mob justice and terrorizing our cities and saying their cause is just. They're canceling out dissent by calling anyone who dares criticize the wholesale violence and vandalism a racist."
If there is an element of hope America has over any other nation that has succumbed to communism, it's the Second Amendment. Sure, there will come a time when that Amendment is suspended; but at the moment, there are a minimum of 393 million firearms in the hands of private citizens (and probably a great deal more than that). Cling (bitterly) to those guns and your Bible, folks.
There's a very good chance you'll need them both.
Patrice Lewis is pleased to announce the availability of the complete collection of 52 Country Living Series ebooklets, representing over 17 years of homesteading experience. Subjects include preparedness, frugality, rural skills, food preservation, and more. Click this link for details.