washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Brazilian soccer game goes ahead despite COVID-19 outbreak

SAO PAULO ( AP ) - A top judge authorized a top-flight Brazilian soccer match to go ahead Sunday despite a risk of COVID-19 contagion among players .
Only minutes before the scheduled kickoff , Brasilia-based labor judge Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho overturned two injunctions to allow Palmeiras and defending champion Flamengo to play the game in Sao Paulo .
The match ended 1-1 with Flamengo fielding several young players after 20 members of the squad tested positive for the coronavirus last week .
Flamengo had asked the Brazilian Football Confederation ( CBF ) to postpone the match @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not agree .
Executives of the Rio de Janeiro-based club Flamengo have been among the keenest supporters of a return to sport in Brazil , siding with President Jair Bolsonaro .
More than 140,000 people are reported to have died of COVID-19 in Brazil , second only to the United States where more than 200,000 deaths have been attributed to the pandemic .
On Saturday , another top-flight Brazilian club said it was in trouble with the virus .
Rio-based Fluminense said it had at least five players with COVID-19 , a figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ match against Curitiba .

SAO PAULO (AP) - A top judge authorized a top-flight Brazilian soccer match to go ahead Sunday despite a risk of COVID-19 contagion among players.
Only minutes before the scheduled kickoff, Brasilia-based labor judge Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho overturned two injunctions to allow Palmeiras and defending champion Flamengo to play the game in Sao Paulo.
The match ended 1-1 with Flamengo fielding several young players after 20 members of the squad tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
Flamengo had asked the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to postpone the match, but the soccer soccer body did not agree.
Executives of the Rio de Janeiro-based club Flamengo have been among the keenest supporters of a return to sport in Brazil, siding with President Jair Bolsonaro.
More than 140,000 people are reported to have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, second only to the United States where more than 200,000 deaths have been attributed to the pandemic.
On Saturday, another top-flight Brazilian club said it was in trouble with the virus. Rio-based Fluminense said it had at least five players with COVID-19, a figure that could grow before Monday’s match against Curitiba.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--FBI anti-Trump efforts revealed as William Barnett talks to John Durham

The FBI ’ s most infamous epoch , a stretch of six months in 2016 and 2017 when Obama administration officials targeted Donald Trump and his allies , is coming into its own scandalous light in a steady flow of self-incriminating documents meant to stay secret .
Last week came the latest shocker : a court filing disclosure that William A. Barnett , the Russia probe ’ s first known FBI whistleblower , is telling Crossfire Hurricane ’ s unofficial history to special investigator John Durham ’ s team .
The bottom line : Obama appointees rode roughshod over retired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutors later relied on that pressure to “ get Trump.
” “ The Obama administration used the FBI and special counsel to target , frame and try to destroy the life of a national hero and his family , ” Sidney Powell , Flynn ’ s attorney , told The Washington Times .
“ This hideous abuse of power , lies to courts , and defamation of a great man must not only be remedied by the immediate dismissal of the wrongful prosecution of Gen. Flynn but by the criminal prosecutions of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham , South Carolina Republican , posted additional Justice Department papers on Thursday .
This bombshell : Igor Danchenko , the main source for the Democratic Party-financed Christopher Steele dossier and its dozen anti-Trump felony claims , was suspected by the FBI of being a Kremlin spy .
Obama administration law enforcement officials knew Mr. Danchenko was a supposed Russian agent but continued to use his unproven claims to target Mr. Trump and his aides .
The Danchenko revelation is one of many this year that show that FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuit of nailing Mr. Trump .
“ They knowingly and secretly used a Russian intelligence agent to target Trump and other innocents .
Treasonous , ” Tom Fitton , head of the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch , told The Washington Times .
“ And the goal was the removal and prosecution of an elected president.
” FBI public affairs has declined to address such complaints .
The Danchenko affair creates the possibility that the Steele dossier was a giant Kremlin disinformation campaign designed to destroy President Trump .
The dossier has proven to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Trump and his aides directly controlled Russian computer hacking against Democrats .
Yet the dossier was embraced by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff of California , a cast of other Democrats , the FBI ’ s top agents and the liberal news media .
Documents telling the FBI ’ s 2016-17 epoch have come in 2020 from two main tranches : ⦁ The prosecution of Flynn , for which Missouri U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen is conducting a special inquiry and has obtained once-secret papers that have become @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Department/intelligence community declassifications based on requests by Mr. Graham , Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa , and Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin .
Attorney General William Barr , who ordered the Jensen and Durham inquiries , has accused the FBI of “ sabotage ” against the Trump White House .
He singles out the July 31 , 2016 , decision by agents Bill Priestap and Peter Strzok to open a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign , centered on four individuals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation that Trump campaign volunteer George Papadopoulos had over wine in London with Australian Ambassador Alexander Downer on May 10 , 2016 .
Papadopoulos related that he had shared an April 26 meal with Joseph Mifsud , a Maltese professor .
He said he heard in Moscow that the Kremlin owned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ’ s emails or derogatory information .
After WikiLeaks published the stolen emails in July , Mr. Downer told the FBI .
The FBI thus began a probe into the presidential campaign based on fourth-party hearsay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Downer to the FBI .
After traveling to London to interview Mr. Downer , Mr. Strzok told associates his job was to find out who on the campaign was briefed by Papadopoulos .
Mr. Trump was in his sights .
During the election , Mr. Strzok engaged in numerous texts with his lover , FBI lawyer Lisa Page .
They both derided Mr. Trump .
Mr. Strzok vowed to “ stop ” him from becoming president .
The FBI assigned four informants to spy on Papadopoulos , including U.S. academic Stefan Halper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lying to the FBI about the timing of meeting Mr. Mifsud .
He never tried to obtain any emails and never told the campaign about his Mifsud contact .
Mr. Strzok later would be fired for his inappropriate texts and “ dereliction ” in the Clinton email probe .
Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz published a report in December 2019 documenting FBI misconduct during the Obama years .
His main strike was against agents providing inaccurate information to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) court in sworn affidavits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Page .
Agents cited the dossier as their best piece of evidence that Mr .
Page was a Russian operative .
Agents withheld the fact Mr .
Page worked for the CIA as an informant on Russia .
An agent later would plead guilty in U.S. District Court to altering a CIA email to make it look like Mr .
Page had no agency association .
Agents also withheld from judges the fact that Mr .
Page denied all dossier claims in recorded conversations with the campaign spy Mr. Halper .
Agents asserted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a good source that his information had been used in U.S. criminal trials .
It had not .
The FBI told judges that Mr. Danchenko ( who was not disclosed by name ) was “ Russian-based.
” In fact , the Russian national lived in the Washington , D.C. , area and made trips to Moscow .
Of Mr. Strzok ’ s team , Mr. Horowitz stated : “ The Crossfire Hurricane team failed to inform [ Justice ] Department officials of significant information that was available to the team at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Much of the information was inconsistent with , or undercut , the assertions contained in the FISA applications.
” FBI dissembling was not confined to the FISA court .
Mr. Graham in August posted the official FBI talking points for agent Priestap in 2018 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence .
The topic : three interviews the FBI conducted with Mr. Danchenko to assess the dossier ’ s credibility .
The notes from the first interview in January 2017 showed that Mr. Danchenko said his anti-Trump claims came from friends , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeating second-hand information .
Mr. Danchenko said Mr. Steele exaggerated some of his information .
But the FBI talking points to senators read , “ He did not cite any significant concerns with the way his reporting was characterized in the dossier to the extent he could identify it.
” What ’ s more , the FBI never disclosed to the FISA court or to lawmakers that it was warned in early January 2017 that some major claims came from Kremlin disinformation .
Mr. Priestap told the inspector general that “ the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in early 2017 that Russia was running a disinformation campaign through Mr. Steele .
The disinformation disclosure was in the Horowitz report , but redacted from public view .
Richard Grenell , as acting chief of U.S. intelligence , declassified those footnotes .
Candidate Trump believed he was receiving a matter-of-fact intelligence briefing in New York on foreign intelligence threats .
But the FBI sent in Crossfire Hurricane agent Joe Pientka to see if Mr. Trump or Flynn would in any way incriminate themselves .
He filed a report under the heading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dossier first arrived at FBI headquarters in Washington in September 2016 .
Additional dossier memos would arrive via Bruce Ohr , a senior Justice Department lawyer who became a courier for Mr. Steele and his handler , Fusion GPS , an opposition research firm hired by the Clinton campaign .
By the way agents proceeded to rely on the dossier , one could surmise they believed every word .
First , it became the linchpin to obtain warrants to spy on Carter Page .
Without it , there would have been no electronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Second , FBI Director James B. Comey took the material to a Jan. 5 , 2017 , White House meeting with Mr. Obama , Vice President Joseph R. Biden and other senior officials .
At the meeting Mr. Biden apparently suggested prosecuting Flynn under the 1799 Logan Act for his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador , FBI notes show .
Back at FBI headquarters , things started to happen once the White House meeting broke up .
“ What ’ s the word on how the O ’ s briefing went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The reply : “ Don ’ t know but people here are scrambling for info to support certain things and it ’ s a mad house.
” Then one official referred to a Trump tweet that the FBI still had not briefed him because they were still looking for evidence .
“ Trump was right , ” the FBI official texted .
“ Still not put together … Why do we do this to ourselves .
What is wrong with these people.
” The next day , Mr. Comey took the dossier to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tower with President-elect Trump .
He briefed Mr. Trump in private .
He did not tell him it was financed by Democrats .
He then proceeded to the New York field office to brief Crossfire Hurricane agents .
The previous fall , as the CIA and other intelligence agencies were writing the official assessment of Russian election interference , Mr. Comey insisted that the dossier be incorporated into it .
Intel officials resisted .
One termed it “ internet rumor , ” the Horowitz report said .
As a compromise , CIA officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate report annex .
The sections included were some of the most stunning — and false — claims against Mr. Trump .
The day of the White House meeting on Flynn and the dossier was also the day Mr. Obama ’ s chief of staff , Denis McDonough , requested that the National Security Agency “ unmask ” Flynn ’ s name in an intelligence report on an intercepted phone call .
In all , during the transition in December and January , Obama officials requested 48 unmaskings of Flynn ’ s name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 12 .
Mr. Barr has named an attorney to review the Obama unmasking operation .
FBI agent William J. Barnett questions the very reason the Obama administration began a Trump probe in the first place .
Mr. Barnett was recruited in August 2016 , the early heady days of Crossfire Hurricane , to join the team and focus on Flynn for whom a case , Crossfire Razor , was opened by Mr. Strzok that month .
“ Barnett found the Razor investigation to be unclear and disorganized , ” Mr. Barnett said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyer voluntarily sat down with Mr. Jensen at the Justice Department .
“ Barnett did not understand the point of the investigation.
” Mr. Barr summoned Mr. Jensen from Missouri to head a Flynn review .
He has churned up a multitude of new documents never given to the Flynn defense , such as that the FBI had cleared him in the Russian probe on Jan. 4 , 2017 .
Mr. Jensen subsequently joined the Durham review of how the FBI began its inquiry into the Trump campaign .
The Justice Department has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but U.S. District Judge Emmett G. Sullivan has balked .
A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29 .
Mr. Barnett is not an investigative target .
He is the first known Durham probe whistleblower .
The 13-page Jensen interview report was filed last week in U.S. District Court by Flynn ’ s attorney , Ms. Powell .
Since the spring , she has been challenging the legality of his guilty plea to lying to the FBI .
Ms. Powell argues that he was entrapped by Mr. Strzok and denied access to favorable evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the fact that agents among themselves said they did not think he intentionally lied .
Mr. Barnett said the main predicate for opening a Crossfire Razor case was that he had attended a 2015 dinner in Moscow where he was photographed sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Mr. Barnett thought the speech ill-advised but not illegal .
By Jan. 4 , 2017 , Mr. Barnett had drawn up a closing document ending the Razor case .
But Mr. Strzok suddenly intervened .
From previous reports , it is known that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that information arrived about Flynn talking by phone to the Russian ambassador during the transition .
Days later a Washington Post column appeared saying the two discussed Mr. Obama ’ s economic sanctions against Russia .
The Trump team denied this , providing Mr. Strzok with a reason for going to the White House to interview Flynn , who had just settled into his new job as White House national security advisor .
“ Barnett still did not see any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian Government , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Barnett was willing to follow instructions being given by the Deputy Director as long as it was not a violation of law.
” In addition to Mr. Barnett ’ s testimony , Mr. Jensen turned up more FBI text messages withheld from the Flynn defense .
In one FBI conversation , as Crossfire Hurricane was picking targets in August , an official texted , “ I think some of these guys want a Clinton presidency.
” In October , FBI officials seemed to realize that what was going on was wrong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if this thing ever gets FOIA ’ d [ Freedom of Information Act ] there are going to be some tough questions asked.
” FBI officials also discussed issuing what are called National Security Letters to gain Flynn ’ s financial records .
NSLs avoid the need to ask a judge to issue a subpoena .
Texts indicate it was not “ logical ” but a stalling tactic since no new information had turned up .
“ These Stalinist tactics mandate immediate dismissal of this case , ” Ms. Powell said Thursday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Flynn filings came another bombshell disclosure , this time from Mr. Graham , the Senate intel panel chief .
It had to do with Mr. Danchenko , a 42-year-old Russian national who collected virtually all the dossier ’ s felonious claims against Mr. Trump .
He fed them to Mr. Steele in England , where the British ex-spy heads Orbis Business Intelligence .
Mr. Steele compiled the 17-memo dossier and , through Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS , spread the allegations all over Washington .
Mr. Graham posted an FBI summary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 , when he was an analyst at the Brookings Institution , a premier liberal think tank .
Two witnesses told the FBI that Mr. Danchenko approached them in 2008 .
He was quoted as saying that if they gain jobs in the Obama administration and had access to secrets they could “ make a little extra money.
” The FBI in December 2016 identified Mr. Danchenko as Mr. Steele ’ s “ primary sub-source.
” The FBI summary does not identify Mr. Danchenko by name .
When Mr. Graham posted a declassified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , social media sleuths were able to garner enough personal ID to name him .
Mr. Danchenko ’ s attorney confirmed this to The New York Times .
At some point , the FBI turned a preliminary investigation of Mr. Danchenko into a full-bore one after he was identified as an association of two people agents were watching .
Mr. Danchenko in 2006 had contacts with the Russian Embassy and a known intelligence officer .
The FBI apparently intercepted telephone calls between Mr. Danchenko and the officer .
He told the officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s diplomatic service .
The two discussed the transfer of documents for “ tomorrow ’ s diplomatic mail pouch.
” The FBI then began the process to obtain FISA electronic surveillance , but Mr. Danchenko left the U.S. in 2011 and his visa to return was not renewed .
Agents then closed the case .
When interviewed by the FBI in January 2017 , Mr. Danchenko denied contacts with Russian intelligence .
Mr. Danchenko “ indicated that to his knowledge he has not had any contact with the Russian intelligence security services , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham said , “ The primary source for the Steele dossier was likely a Russian agent.
” The “ stunning and damning ” revelation , the senator said , is that the FBI knew the primary source was a suspected spy during the Obama administration but still vouched for his information to judges to obtain wiretaps on campaign volunteer Carter Page .
The FBI went on to obtain three more surveillance warrants , never telling judges the main source was a suspected Russian operative .
“ A small group of individuals in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held accountable for this fraud against the court , ” Mr. Graham said .
“ The now famous email Susan Rice sent to herself on Inauguration Day where she states that President Obama said that everything has to be done ‘ by the book ’ has become highly suspect , ” he said .
“ If this investigation is ‘ by the book , ’ then the book we ’ re using is the Kremlin playbook.
” At some point , Mr. Danchenko reentered the U.S .
He became a paid analyst for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got the assignment to investigate candidate Trump , for which he traveled to Moscow .
Fusion GPS paid Mr. Steele $ 165,000 from funds from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party .

The FBI’s most infamous epoch, a stretch of six months in 2016 and 2017 when Obama administration officials targeted Donald Trump and his allies, is coming into its own scandalous light in a steady flow of self-incriminating documents meant to stay secret.
Last week came the latest shocker: a court filing disclosure that William A. Barnett, the Russia probe’s first known FBI whistleblower, is telling Crossfire Hurricane’s unofficial history to special investigator John Durham’s team. The bottom line: Obama appointees rode roughshod over retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, and prosecutors later relied on that pressure to “get Trump.”
“The Obama administration used the FBI and special counsel to target, frame and try to destroy the life of a national hero and his family,” Sidney Powell, Flynn’s attorney, told The Washington Times. “This hideous abuse of power, lies to courts, and defamation of a great man must not only be remedied by the immediate dismissal of the wrongful prosecution of Gen. Flynn but by the criminal prosecutions of those who committed these heinous acts.”
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, posted additional Justice Department papers on Thursday. This bombshell: Igor Danchenko, the main source for the Democratic Party-financed Christopher Steele dossier and its dozen anti-Trump felony claims, was suspected by the FBI of being a Kremlin spy.
Obama administration law enforcement officials knew Mr. Danchenko was a supposed Russian agent but continued to use his unproven claims to target Mr. Trump and his aides. The Danchenko revelation is one of many this year that show that FBI officials lied and broke rules in the pursuit of nailing Mr. Trump.
“They knowingly and secretly used a Russian intelligence agent to target Trump and other innocents. Treasonous,” Tom Fitton, head of the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, told The Washington Times. “And the goal was the removal and prosecution of an elected president.”
FBI public affairs has declined to address such complaints.
The Danchenko affair creates the possibility that the Steele dossier was a giant Kremlin disinformation campaign designed to destroy President Trump. The dossier has proven to be a list of falsehoods that alleged Mr. Trump and his aides directly controlled Russian computer hacking against Democrats.
Yet the dossier was embraced by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff of California, a cast of other Democrats, the FBI’s top agents and the liberal news media.
FBI targets Trump
Documents telling the FBI’s 2016-17 epoch have come in 2020 from two main tranches:
• The prosecution of Flynn, for which Missouri U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Jensen is conducting a special inquiry and has obtained once-secret papers that have become an open court file.
• The Justice Department/intelligence community declassifications based on requests by Mr. Graham, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
Attorney General William P. Barr, who ordered the Jensen and Durham inquiries, has accused the FBI of “sabotage” against the Trump White House. He singles out the July 31, 2016, decision by agents Bill Priestap and Peter Strzok to open a counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign, centered on four individuals, including Flynn.
The trigger was a conversation that Trump campaign volunteer George Papadopoulos had over wine in London with Australian Ambassador Alexander Downer on May 10, 2016. Papadopoulos related that he had shared an April 26 meal with Joseph Mifsud, a Maltese professor. He said he heard in Moscow that the Kremlin owned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails or derogatory information. After WikiLeaks published the stolen emails in July, Mr. Downer told the FBI.
The FBI thus began a probe into the presidential campaign based on fourth-party hearsay: from Mr. Mifsud to Papadopoulos to Mr. Downer to the FBI.
After traveling to London to interview Mr. Downer, Mr. Strzok told associates his job was to find out who on the campaign was briefed by Papadopoulos. Mr. Trump was in his sights.
During the election, Mr. Strzok engaged in numerous texts with his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page. They both derided Mr. Trump. Mr. Strzok vowed to “stop” him from becoming president.
The FBI assigned four informants to spy on Papadopoulos, including U.S. academic Stefan Halper. Papadopoulos ended up pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about the timing of meeting Mr. Mifsud. He never tried to obtain any emails and never told the campaign about his Mifsud contact.
Mr. Strzok later would be fired for his inappropriate texts and “dereliction” in the Clinton email probe.
Misleading judges
Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz published a report in December 2019 documenting FBI misconduct during the Obama years.
His main strike was against agents providing inaccurate information to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court in sworn affidavits to approve wiretap warrants on campaign volunteer Carter Page. Agents cited the dossier as their best piece of evidence that Mr. Page was a Russian operative.
Agents withheld the fact Mr. Page worked for the CIA as an informant on Russia. An agent later would plead guilty in U.S. District Court to altering a CIA email to make it look like Mr. Page had no agency association. Agents also withheld from judges the fact that Mr. Page denied all dossier claims in recorded conversations with the campaign spy Mr. Halper.
Agents asserted to judges that Mr. Steele was such a good source that his information had been used in U.S. criminal trials. It had not.
The FBI told judges that Mr. Danchenko (who was not disclosed by name) was “Russian-based.” In fact, the Russian national lived in the Washington, D.C., area and made trips to Moscow.
Of Mr. Strzok’s team, Mr. Horowitz stated: “The Crossfire Hurricane team failed to inform [Justice] Department officials of significant information that was available to the team at the time the FISA applications were drafted and filed. Much of the information was inconsistent with, or undercut, the assertions contained in the FISA applications.”
FBI dissembling was not confined to the FISA court. Mr. Graham in August posted the official FBI talking points for agent Priestap in 2018 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The topic: three interviews the FBI conducted with Mr. Danchenko to assess the dossier’s credibility.
The notes from the first interview in January 2017 showed that Mr. Danchenko said his anti-Trump claims came from friends, one a drinking pal, who were repeating second-hand information. Mr. Danchenko said Mr. Steele exaggerated some of his information.
But the FBI talking points to senators read, “He did not cite any significant concerns with the way his reporting was characterized in the dossier to the extent he could identify it.”
What’s more, the FBI never disclosed to the FISA court or to lawmakers that it was warned in early January 2017 that some major claims came from Kremlin disinformation.
Mr. Priestap told the inspector general that “the FBI didn’t have any indication whatsoever” in early 2017 that Russia was running a disinformation campaign through Mr. Steele.
The disinformation disclosure was in the Horowitz report, but redacted from public view. Richard Grenell, as acting chief of U.S. intelligence, declassified those footnotes.
Candidate Trump believed he was receiving a matter-of-fact intelligence briefing in New York on foreign intelligence threats. But the FBI sent in Crossfire Hurricane agent Joe Pientka to see if Mr. Trump or Flynn would in any way incriminate themselves. He filed a report under the heading of “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Christopher Steele
The Steele dossier first arrived at FBI headquarters in Washington in September 2016. Additional dossier memos would arrive via Bruce Ohr, a senior Justice Department lawyer who became a courier for Mr. Steele and his handler, Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm hired by the Clinton campaign.
By the way agents proceeded to rely on the dossier, one could surmise they believed every word.
First, it became the linchpin to obtain warrants to spy on Carter Page. Without it, there would have been no electronic surveillance, according to the Horowitz report.
Second, FBI Director James B. Comey took the material to a Jan. 5, 2017, White House meeting with Mr. Obama, Vice President Joseph R. Biden and other senior officials. At the meeting Mr. Biden apparently suggested prosecuting Flynn under the 1799 Logan Act for his phone conversations with the Russian ambassador, FBI notes show.
Back at FBI headquarters, things started to happen once the White House meeting broke up.
“What’s the word on how the O’s briefing went,” an FBI official texted. The reply: “Don’t know but people here are scrambling for info to support certain things and it’s a mad house.”
Then one official referred to a Trump tweet that the FBI still had not briefed him because they were still looking for evidence. “Trump was right,” the FBI official texted. “Still not put together … Why do we do this to ourselves. What is wrong with these people.”
The next day, Mr. Comey took the dossier to New York for a meeting at Trump Tower with President-elect Trump. He briefed Mr. Trump in private. He did not tell him it was financed by Democrats. He then proceeded to the New York field office to brief Crossfire Hurricane agents.
The previous fall, as the CIA and other intelligence agencies were writing the official assessment of Russian election interference, Mr. Comey insisted that the dossier be incorporated into it. Intel officials resisted. One termed it “internet rumor,” the Horowitz report said.
As a compromise, CIA officials agreed to make the dossier its own separate report annex. The sections included were some of the most stunning — and false — claims against Mr. Trump.
The day of the White House meeting on Flynn and the dossier was also the day Mr. Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough, requested that the National Security Agency “unmask” Flynn’s name in an intelligence report on an intercepted phone call.
In all, during the transition in December and January, Obama officials requested 48 unmaskings of Flynn’s name. Mr. Biden made one request on Jan. 12.
Mr. Barr has named an attorney to review the Obama unmasking operation.
William J. Barnett
FBI agent William J. Barnett questions the very reason the Obama administration began a Trump probe in the first place.
Mr. Barnett was recruited in August 2016, the early heady days of Crossfire Hurricane, to join the team and focus on Flynn for whom a case, Crossfire Razor, was opened by Mr. Strzok that month.
“Barnett found the Razor investigation to be unclear and disorganized,” Mr. Barnett said on Sept. 17 when he and his lawyer voluntarily sat down with Mr. Jensen at the Justice Department. “Barnett did not understand the point of the investigation.”
Mr. Barr summoned Mr. Jensen from Missouri to head a Flynn review. He has churned up a multitude of new documents never given to the Flynn defense, such as that the FBI had cleared him in the Russian probe on Jan. 4, 2017. Mr. Jensen subsequently joined the Durham review of how the FBI began its inquiry into the Trump campaign.
The Justice Department has moved to dismiss the Flynn case, but U.S. District Judge Emmett G. Sullivan has balked. A hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29.
Mr. Barnett is not an investigative target. He is the first known Durham probe whistleblower.
The 13-page Jensen interview report was filed last week in U.S. District Court by Flynn’s attorney, Ms. Powell. Since the spring, she has been challenging the legality of his guilty plea to lying to the FBI. Ms. Powell argues that he was entrapped by Mr. Strzok and denied access to favorable evidence, such the FBI Jan. 4 exoneration and the fact that agents among themselves said they did not think he intentionally lied.
Mr. Barnett said the main predicate for opening a Crossfire Razor case was that he had attended a 2015 dinner in Moscow where he was photographed sitting next to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Barnett thought the speech ill-advised but not illegal.
By Jan. 4, 2017, Mr. Barnett had drawn up a closing document ending the Razor case. But Mr. Strzok suddenly intervened.
From previous reports, it is known that the reason for halting the exoneration is that information arrived about Flynn talking by phone to the Russian ambassador during the transition. Days later a Washington Post column appeared saying the two discussed Mr. Obama’s economic sanctions against Russia. The Trump team denied this, providing Mr. Strzok with a reason for going to the White House to interview Flynn, who had just settled into his new job as White House national security advisor.
By February, Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe took control.
“Barnett still did not see any evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian Government,” the report of his interview states. “Barnett was willing to follow instructions being given by the Deputy Director as long as it was not a violation of law.”
In addition to Mr. Barnett’s testimony, Mr. Jensen turned up more FBI text messages withheld from the Flynn defense.
In one FBI conversation, as Crossfire Hurricane was picking targets in August, an official texted, “I think some of these guys want a Clinton presidency.”
In October, FBI officials seemed to realize that what was going on was wrong. “I’m telling, man, if this thing ever gets FOIA’d [Freedom of Information Act] there are going to be some tough questions asked.”
FBI officials also discussed issuing what are called National Security Letters to gain Flynn’s financial records. NSLs avoid the need to ask a judge to issue a subpoena. Texts indicate it was not “logical” but a stalling tactic since no new information had turned up.
“These Stalinist tactics mandate immediate dismissal of this case,” Ms. Powell said Thursday in her court filing.
Igor Danchenko
With the new Flynn filings came another bombshell disclosure, this time from Mr. Graham, the Senate Judiciary panel chief.
It had to do with Mr. Danchenko, a 42-year-old Russian national who collected virtually all the dossier’s felonious claims against Mr. Trump. He fed them to Mr. Steele in England, where the British ex-spy heads Orbis Business Intelligence. Mr. Steele compiled the 17-memo dossier and, through Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, spread the allegations all over Washington.
Mr. Graham posted an FBI summary of suspicion about Mr. Danchenko going back to 2009, when he was an analyst at the Brookings Institution, a premier liberal think tank.
Two witnesses told the FBI that Mr. Danchenko approached them in 2008. He was quoted as saying that if they gain jobs in the Obama administration and had access to secrets they could “make a little extra money.”
The FBI in December 2016 identified Mr. Danchenko as Mr. Steele’s “primary sub-source.”
The FBI summary does not identify Mr. Danchenko by name. When Mr. Graham posted a declassified FBI interview with Mr. Danchenko from January 2017, social media sleuths were able to garner enough personal ID to name him. Mr. Danchenko’s attorney confirmed this to The New York Times.
At some point, the FBI turned a preliminary investigation of Mr. Danchenko into a full-bore one after he was identified as an associate of two people who agents were watching.
Mr. Danchenko in 2006 had contacts with the Russian Embassy and a known intelligence officer. The FBI apparently intercepted telephone calls between Mr. Danchenko and the officer. He told the officer he was interested in joining Russia’s diplomatic service. The two discussed the transfer of documents for “tomorrow’s diplomatic mail pouch.”
The FBI then began the process to obtain FISA electronic surveillance, but Mr. Danchenko left the U.S. in 2011 and his visa to return was not renewed. Agents then closed the case.
When interviewed by the FBI in January 2017, Mr. Danchenko denied contacts with Russian intelligence.
Mr. Danchenko “indicated that to his knowledge he has not had any contact with the Russian intelligence security services,” the FBI report says.
Mr. Graham said, “The primary source for the Steele dossier was likely a Russian agent.”
The “stunning and damning” revelation, the senator said, is that the FBI knew the primary source was a suspected spy during the Obama administration but still vouched for his information to judges to obtain wiretaps on campaign volunteer Carter Page. The FBI went on to obtain three more surveillance warrants, never telling judges the main source was a suspected Russian operative.
“A small group of individuals in the Department of Justice and FBI should be held accountable for this fraud against the court,” Mr. Graham said.
“The now famous email Susan Rice sent to herself on Inauguration Day where she states that President Obama said that everything has to be done ‘by the book’ has become highly suspect,” he said. “If this investigation is ‘by the book,’ then the book we’re using is the Kremlin playbook.”
At some point, Mr. Danchenko reentered the U.S. He became a paid analyst for Mr. Steele’s firm and eventually got the assignment to investigate candidate Trump, for which he traveled to Moscow. Fusion GPS paid Mr. Steele $165,000 from funds from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party.
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien: After Hong Kong, China will target Taiwan next

China ’ s recent takeover of Hong Kong is raising fears Taiwan is the next target in Beijing ’ s aggressive push for regional control , said White House National Security Adviser Robert C. O ’ Brien .
China ’ s buildup of military forces for over a decade , notably with missiles and other forces dubbed anti-access , area denial systems , has been a longstanding threat , he said .
“ I ’ m especially concerned about Taiwan given the behavior of China in Hong Kong .
The guardrails seem to be off the [ Chinese Communist Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O ’ Brien said in an interview with The Washington Times .
China ’ s imposition of a draconian national security law in Hong Kong has undermined the former British colony ’ s democratic system that since 1984 had been guaranteed to remain independent of communist rule for 50 years .
“ The swift termination of the democratic experiment that was Hong Kong without any sense of shame was something that took the world and some of us by surprise , ” Mr. O ’ Brien said aboard an Air Force C-40 aircraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The takeover was swift and efficient and effectively shut down Hong Kong ’ s democratic system , he said .
“ So , the next place they would look and the place they talk about incessantly is Taiwan , ” Mr. O ’ Brien said .
China recently conducted aggressive military activities toward Taiwan , an island located 100 miles off the southern Chinese coast that was formed by Nationalist Chinese forces that fled the mainland in 1949 .
Large-scale war games near Taiwan earlier this month were accompanied by bellicose rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could use similar maneuvers as a prelude for an invasion .
Additionally , significant numbers of Chinese warplanes , both fighter jets and bombers , in recent days have been conducting provocative incursions across the unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from the mainland .
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Tan Kefei told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that China will do “ whatever it takes ” to prevent Taiwan from declaring formal independence .
Col. Tan said recent military exercises were intended to “ target foreign interference ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s term for Taiwanese who favor independence rather than future integration .
“ If Taiwan separatist forces dare to attempt Taiwan ’ s secession under any circumstances , we will do whatever it takes to thwart their efforts , ” he said .
China ’ s ruling Communist Party wants Taiwan to rejoin the mainland under its “ one country , two systems ” formulation that would allow Taipei to keep its democratic system .
But China ’ s credibility regarding the pledge was undermined after the crackdown on Hong Kong , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case for the one country , two systems formula .
Chinese threats against Taiwan increased after the recent visit to Taiwan by Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth , Energy and the Environment Keith Krach , who visited the island for the funeral of Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui .
Mr. O ’ Brien said recent threats against Taiwan are a sign that Taipei needs to increase its defense capabilities .
“ The Taiwanese need to get very serious about spending money on defense , ” he said , noting Taiwan ’ s annual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of GDP for many years .
Taiwan recently formalized a deal to buy 66 F-16 fighters worth an estimated $ 8 billion .
The Taiwanese military also is buying 135-mile-range air launched cruise missiles , capable of hitting Chinese targets across the strait .
“ Taiwan needs to demonstrate resolve and will , and I think that Taiwan is starting to move in that direction , ” Mr. O ’ Brien said .
Mr. O ’ Brien urged Taipei to adopt the Reagan-era policy of “ peace through strength ” which has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Look , peace through strength works , ” he said .
“ We want to see peace across the Taiwan Strait and we want to see the mainland and Taiwan getting along and have great relations.
” Mr. O ’ Brien said China ’ s recent aggressiveness are being watched around the world .
“ The bullying and the threats against Taiwan are opening the eyes of not just of people in America but I ’ m hearing from people all over the world , other world leaders and other national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the aggressiveness of China with respect to Taiwan , ” he said .
Asked if the United States would defend Taiwan from a mainland attack , Mr. O ’ Brien said : “ China knows our position on that and it ’ s been consistent and clear across Republican and Democratic administration ’ s since the Taiwan defense act , since we switched our recognition from Taipei to Beijing .
They understand our position and there have been no change in this administration .
That ’ s been conveyed to them very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not explicitly obligate a U.S. defense of Taiwan .
The U.S.-Taiwan defense treaty was jettisoned as part of the deal that gave Beijing full U.S. diplomatic recognition .
However , the act states that the United States will “ maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security , or the social or economic system , of the people on Taiwan.
” On the subject of the China ’ s mishandling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic , Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said China should be held accountable for the disease and the economic consequences .
“ And it should not just be the United States holding China accountable , ” he said .
“ China has caused almost a million deaths worldwide .
China ’ s caused trillions in economic damage around the world.
” Mr. O ’ Brien said China has been the origin of several viruses and needs to better control such outbreaks .
“ China needs to get its house in order , ” he said .
“ They can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Whether they come from labs or wet markets , it doesn ’ t matter , they can ’ t keep being the hotbed of viruses that affect the entire world which they have been.
” Second , China has to “ do something to make things right for the rest of the world , ” Mr. O ’ Brien said .
“ Whether that is debt relief for every country they ’ ve infected or caused damage to , or some other program , China ought to be the country itself taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
It shouldn ’ t be up to others to hold them accountable .
It should up to China itself coming forward to do the right thing.
” On a potential international incident that could impact the U.S. presidential election , Mr. O ’ Brien said “ We ’ re alert every day for any type of event.
” An unpredictable event such as an attack , terrorist attack or some type of military provocation , could be carried out to try and influence the Nov. 3 election .
Numerous “ bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including China , Russia , Iran , Venezuela along with Islamic terrorist groups .
“ So we ’ re on alert 24/7 , ” Mr. O ’ Brien said .
“ There are a lot of bad actors that don ’ t want to see the president reelected .
They don ’ t like peace through strength , they don ’ t like America holding them to account.
” “ So if there were some country that thought they could create an incident or spark an event that would reflect negatively on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me .
Our eyes are open and we ’ re going to monitor things carefully.
” There are no specific indications of potential terrorist attack planning related to the election but Mr. O ’ Brien said there are “ many , many terrorist organizations ” operating today .
“ We ’ ve done a pretty good job curbing them and taking leaders off the battlefield .
We ’ ll continue to do that , ” he said .
“ But I ’ m sure there are terrorist plotting every day to kill Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem they ’ ve got is that we ’ ve got folks in JSOC and the CIA and other organizations that are working every day harder than they are to disrupt their plots.
” JSOC is the acronym for the Joint Special Operations Command , the North Carolina-based military unit that has been leading overt and covert counterterrorism operations .

EXCLUSIVE
China’s recent takeover of Hong Kong is raising fears Taiwan is the next target in Beijing’s aggressive push for regional control, said White House National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien.
China’s buildup of military forces for over a decade, notably with missiles and other forces dubbed anti-access, area denial systems, has been a longstanding threat, he said.
“I’m especially concerned about Taiwan given the behavior of China in Hong Kong. The guardrails seem to be off the [Chinese Communist Party] at this point,” Mr. O’Brien said in an interview with The Washington Times.
China’s imposition of a draconian national security law in Hong Kong has undermined the former British colony’s democratic system that since 1984 had been guaranteed to remain independent of communist rule for 50 years.
“The swift termination of the democratic experiment that was Hong Kong without any sense of shame was something that took the world and some of us by surprise,” Mr. O’Brien said aboard an Air Force C-40 aircraft after a speech last week in Iowa.
SEE ALSO: China military might spur talks of ‘Asian NATO’
The takeover was swift and efficient and effectively shut down Hong Kong’s democratic system, he said.
“So, the next place they would look and the place they talk about incessantly is Taiwan,” Mr. O’Brien said.
China recently conducted aggressive military activities toward Taiwan, an island located 100 miles off the southern Chinese coast that was formed by Nationalist Chinese forces that fled the mainland in 1949.
Large-scale war games near Taiwan earlier this month were accompanied by bellicose rhetoric from state-run China media that noted China could use similar maneuvers as a prelude for an invasion.
Additionally, significant numbers of Chinese warplanes, both fighter jets and bombers, in recent days have been conducting provocative incursions across the unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan from the mainland.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Col. Tan Kefei told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that China will do “whatever it takes” to prevent Taiwan from declaring formal independence.
Col. Tan said recent military exercises were intended to “target foreign interference” and “Taiwan separatists” — Beijing’s term for Taiwanese who favor independence rather than future integration.
“If Taiwan separatist forces dare to attempt Taiwan’s secession under any circumstances, we will do whatever it takes to thwart their efforts,” he said.
China’s ruling Communist Party wants Taiwan to rejoin the mainland under its “one country, two systems” formulation that would allow Taipei to keep its democratic system.
But China’s credibility regarding the pledge was undermined after the crackdown on Hong Kong, the first — and failed — test case for the one country, two systems formula.
Chinese threats against Taiwan increased after the recent visit to Taiwan by Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, who visited the island for the funeral of Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
Mr. O’Brien said recent threats against Taiwan are a sign that Taipei needs to increase its defense capabilities.
“The Taiwanese need to get very serious about spending money on defense,” he said, noting Taiwan’s annual defense spending has been about 1.2% of GDP for many years.
Taiwan recently formalized a deal to buy 66 F-16 fighters worth an estimated $8 billion. The Taiwanese military also is buying 135-mile-range air launched cruise missiles, capable of hitting Chinese targets across the strait.
“Taiwan needs to demonstrate resolve and will, and I think that Taiwan is starting to move in that direction,” Mr. O’Brien said.
Mr. O’Brien urged Taipei to adopt the Reagan-era policy of “peace through strength” which has also been a policy of President Trump.
“Look, peace through strength works,” he said. “We want to see peace across the Taiwan Strait and we want to see the mainland and Taiwan getting along and have great relations.”
Mr. O’Brien said China’s recent aggressiveness are being watched around the world.
“The bullying and the threats against Taiwan are opening the eyes of not just of people in America but I’m hearing from people all over the world, other world leaders and other national security advisers who have been somewhat taken aback by the aggressiveness of China with respect to Taiwan,” he said.
Asked if the United States would defend Taiwan from a mainland attack, Mr. O’Brien said: “China knows our position on that and it’s been consistent and clear across Republican and Democratic administration’s since the Taiwan defense act, since we switched our recognition from Taipei to Beijing. They understand our position and there have been no change in this administration. That’s been conveyed to them very clearly.”
The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act does not explicitly obligate a U.S. defense of Taiwan.
The U.S.-Taiwan defense treaty was jettisoned as part of the deal that gave Beijing full U.S. diplomatic recognition.
However, the act states that the United States will “maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.”
On the subject of the China’s mishandling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Mr. O’Brien said the president has said China should be held accountable for the disease and the economic consequences.
“And it should not just be the United States holding China accountable,” he said. “China has caused almost a million deaths worldwide. China’s caused trillions in economic damage around the world.”
Mr. O’Brien said China has been the origin of several viruses and needs to better control such outbreaks.
“China needs to get its house in order,” he said. “They can’t keep being the hotbed of viruses. Whether they come from labs or wet markets, it doesn’t matter, they can’t keep being the hotbed of viruses that affect the entire world which they have been.”
Second, China has to “do something to make things right for the rest of the world,” Mr. O’Brien said.
“Whether that is debt relief for every country they’ve infected or caused damage to, or some other program, China ought to be the country itself taking responsibility for what it did to the world. It shouldn’t be up to others to hold them accountable. It should up to China itself coming forward to do the right thing.”
On a potential international incident that could impact the U.S. presidential election, Mr. O’Brien said “We’re alert every day for any type of event.”
An unpredictable event such as an attack, terrorist attack or some type of military provocation, could be carried out to try and influence the Nov. 3 election.
Numerous “bad actors” are operating around the world including China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela along with Islamic terrorist groups.
“So we’re on alert 24/7,” Mr. O’Brien said. “There are a lot of bad actors that don’t want to see the president reelected. They don’t like peace through strength, they don’t like America holding them to account.”
“So if there were some country that thought they could create an incident or spark an event that would reflect negatively on the president, it wouldn’t surprise me. Our eyes are open and we’re going to monitor things carefully.”
There are no specific indications of potential terrorist attack planning related to the election but Mr. O’Brien said there are “many, many terrorist organizations” operating today.
“We’ve done a pretty good job curbing them and taking leaders off the battlefield. We’ll continue to do that,” he said.
“But I’m sure there are terrorist plotting every day to kill Americans,” he noted. “The problem they’ve got is that we’ve got folks in JSOC and the CIA and other organizations that are working every day harder than they are to disrupt their plots.”
JSOC is the acronym for the Joint Special Operations Command, the North Carolina-based military unit that has been leading overt and covert counterterrorism operations.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Police end Mexico toll booth takeovers after 8 months

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Of all the forms of protest in Mexico , taking over highway toll booths is one of the odder and more lucrative .
Protesters often take over the booths for a few hours and charge motorists a fixed rate , lower than the original toll , to pass .
They keep the money for their “ cause.
” But few such takeovers lasted as long as one in Nayarit , where protesters had held nine sets of toll booths for the last eight months .
The National Guard finally moved in Sunday to clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues over nearly 250 days .
The Guard said nobody was injured in the action .
Some of the protesters in Nayarit were farmers demanding more compensation for highways built across their lands , but other appeared to have little connection to any social movement .
Local media quoted the toll highways operators association as saying lost revenues in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit amounted to as much as $ 100 million .
Even if the protesters charged slightly less than official tolls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into somebody ’ s pockets .
Protests in Mexico often take strange forms ; students at rural teachers ’ colleges routinely highjack passenger buses in southern Mexico , kick the passengers off and keep the buses and their drivers at their service for months .
They have sometime kidnapped fuel delivery trucks to fuel the buses , and food delivery trucks for food .
Protesters in Mexico seize a wide array of facilities , taking over dams , bridges , police stations , town halls and have sometimes even taking army patrols captive @ @ @ @ @ @

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Of all the forms of protest in Mexico, taking over highway toll booths is one of the odder and more lucrative.
Protesters often take over the booths for a few hours and charge motorists a fixed rate, lower than the original toll, to pass. They keep the money for their “cause.”
But few such takeovers lasted as long as one in Nayarit, where protesters had held nine sets of toll booths for the last eight months.
The National Guard finally moved in Sunday to clear the protesters out of the toll booths, after tens of millions of dollars in lost revenues over nearly 250 days.
The Guard said nobody was injured in the action.
Some of the protesters in Nayarit were farmers demanding more compensation for highways built across their lands, but other appeared to have little connection to any social movement.
Local media quoted the toll highways operators association as saying lost revenues in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit amounted to as much as $100 million. Even if the protesters charged slightly less than official tolls, quite a bit of money went into somebody’s pockets.
Protests in Mexico often take strange forms; students at rural teachers’ colleges routinely highjack passenger buses in southern Mexico, kick the passengers off and keep the buses and their drivers at their service for months. They have sometime kidnapped fuel delivery trucks to fuel the buses, and food delivery trucks for food.
Protesters in Mexico seize a wide array of facilities, taking over dams, bridges, police stations, town halls and have sometimes even taking army patrols captive until their demands are met.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--11 killed in bar shooting in Mexico's most violent state

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Gunmen killed 11 people , including four women , early Sunday in a bar in the central Mexico state of Guanajuato .
State prosecutors said the bullet-ridden bodies were found at a bar near the town of Jaral del Progreso .
The area is near the border with Michoacán state , which has been a point of incursion for the Jalisco cartel , which wants to move into Guanajuato .
Local media reported the four dead women may have been employed as dancers at the bar , located on the side of a highway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a possible motive in the attack , but it bore the signs of a drug gang killing .
Guanajuato has been the most violent state in Mexico in recent years , but authorities had hoped the detention of a leader of a local gang on Aug. 2 would help stem the violence .
The detained leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima gang , José Antonio Yépez Ortíz , was better known by his nickname “ El Marro , ” which means “ The Sledgehammer.
” He had long fought a bloody turf @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities blamed him for much of the violence in the industrial and farming state .
While murders across the state dropped slightly to 339 in August from 403 in July , they may be rebounding in September as gang members fight to fill the vacuum left by Yépez Ortiz ’ s detention .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Gunmen killed 11 people, including four women, early Sunday in a bar in the central Mexico state of Guanajuato.
State prosecutors said the bullet-ridden bodies were found at a bar near the town of Jaral del Progreso. The area is near the border with Michoacán state, which has been a point of incursion for the Jalisco cartel, which wants to move into Guanajuato.
Local media reported the four dead women may have been employed as dancers at the bar, located on the side of a highway. There was no immediate information on a possible motive in the attack, but it bore the signs of a drug gang killing.
Guanajuato has been the most violent state in Mexico in recent years, but authorities had hoped the detention of a leader of a local gang on Aug. 2 would help stem the violence.
The detained leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima gang, José Antonio Yépez Ortíz, was better known by his nickname “El Marro,” which means “The Sledgehammer.” He had long fought a bloody turf battle with the Jalisco cartel, and authorities blamed him for much of the violence in the industrial and farming state.
While murders across the state dropped slightly to 339 in August from 403 in July, they may be rebounding in September as gang members fight to fill the vacuum left by Yépez Ortiz’s detention.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Trump rips $750 income tax payment report in New York Times

President Trump dismissed a published report on Sunday asserting that he paid only $ 750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 , calling it “ a total fake.
” “ It will all be revealed , it ’ s going to come out , ” Mr. Trump said of his tax records at a White House press conference .
“ I paid a lot [ of federal taxes ] , and I paid a lot of state income taxes , too.
” He didn ’ t say how much he has paid in federal income tax in those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under audit by the IRS .
“ The story is a total fake , ” the president said .
“ It will be revealed .
When you are under audit , you just don ’ t release them.
” The New York Times , saying it has obtained 20 years ’ worth of “ tax return data ” for Mr. Trump and his companies , said he hasn ’ t paid any income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years .
The report said he hasn ’ t paid income taxes mainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than he made .
The president said his tax filings for his businesses are “ very complete , they ’ re very big , they ’ re very powerful , they ’ re very accurate.
” But they remain private , he said .
The report said Mr. Trump ’ s decade-long audit battle with the IRS centers on the legitimacy of a $ 72.9 million tax refund that he claimed , and received , after declaring huge losses .
“ They ’ re doing their assessment , ” Mr. Trump said of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been negotiating for a long time.
” He said of the Times ’ report , “ that ’ s why the media have such a low approval rating .
”

President Trump dismissed a published report on Sunday asserting that he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, calling it “a total fake.”
“It will all be revealed, it’s going to come out,” Mr. Trump said of his tax records at a White House press conference. “I paid a lot [of federal taxes], and I paid a lot of state income taxes, too.”
He didn’t say how much he has paid in federal income tax in those years, saying that he is still under audit by the IRS.
“The story is a total fake,” the president said. “It will be revealed. When you are under audit, you just don’t release them.”
The New York Times, saying it has obtained 20 years’ worth of “tax return data” for Mr. Trump and his companies, said he hasn’t paid any income taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years. The report said he hasn’t paid income taxes mainly because he reported losing much more money than he made.
The president said his tax filings for his businesses are “very complete, they’re very big, they’re very powerful, they’re very accurate.” But they remain private, he said.
The report said Mr. Trump’s decade-long audit battle with the IRS centers on the legitimacy of a $72.9 million tax refund that he claimed, and received, after declaring huge losses.
“They’re doing their assessment,” Mr. Trump said of the IRS. “We’ve been negotiating for a long time.”
He said of The Times’ report, “that’s why the media have such a low approval rating.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Angels fire GM Billy Eppler after 5 straight losing seasons

ANAHEIM , Calif. ( AP ) - The Los Angeles Angels fired general manager Billy Eppler on Sunday after the long-struggling franchise finished its fifth consecutive losing season under his watch .
Eppler was under contract for one more year with the Angels in an extension he signed in July with no public announcement , but team president John Carpino said the franchise will seek new baseball leadership after missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year .
The Angels have endured a historically bad half-decade during Eppler ’ s tenure despite many positive moves made by the former New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the spending whims of owner Arte Moreno .
But Eppler was dismissed when the Angels couldn ’ t even make the eight-team AL playoff field this month .
Los Angeles finished 26-34 in the pandemic-shortened season with a star-studded roster including three-time AL MVP Mike Trout , Anthony Rendon , three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani playing for manager Joe Maddon .
“ Billy and I really , I thought , were great together , ” Maddon said after the Angels ended their season with a 5-0 loss to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met him , I thought to myself , ‘ This is a straight-up guy .
Absolutely straight-up.
’ One of the most honest people I ’ ve met in this industry .
Great talent evaluator.
” “ I ’ m certain he ’ s going to land firmly on his feet , but our friendship will endure , he and I. I really enjoyed our time together , and I told him so , ” he said .
Eppler ’ s Angels went 332-376 ( .469 ) under three managers with a rotating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pujols .
They ’ ve endured five straight losing seasons for the first time since 1977 , and their winning percentage over the past two seasons is the Halos ’ worst two-year run since 1992-93 .
The 45-year-old Eppler took the fall for a decade of mostly miserable baseball under Moreno , whose penchant for handing out big-money contracts to older veteran players has repeatedly hurt his club since its last playoff victory in 2009 .
Eppler began each of his seasons working around the 10-year , $ 240 million deal given by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t come close to justifying the huge chunk of payroll taken up by the 40-year-old superstar for many years .
Moreno also interfered in other areas , such as firing Eppler ’ s hand-picked manager , Brad Ausmus , after one season and installing Maddon last fall , although Eppler and Maddon got along splendidly .
Eppler rebuilt a farm system that was left barren by former GM Jerry Dipoto , and he both signed Trout to a massive contract extension and persuaded Ohtani to bring his two-way talents from Japan to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system is finally bearing fruit recently , with blue-chip prospect Jo Adell , slugger Jared Walsh and infielder David Fletcher making impacts on the Angels this season with other prospects on the way .
Yet Eppler never managed to sign enough quality pitchers to prevent Trout ’ s Angels from being a perennial also-ran .
Eppler repeatedly guessed wrong in his budget-minded acquisitions from Tim Lincecum and Trevor Cahill to Matt Harvey and Julio Teheran , leaving the Angels with one of the majors ’ worst starting rotations for much of his tenure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won a playoff game with Trout , who will turn 30 years old next summer .
After a miserable August and a strong September surge , the Halos finished this season by losing three straight to the crosstown Dodgers , who have won eight straight NL West titles .
Moreno doesn ’ t plan to discuss his latest franchise reboot publicly until Wednesday .

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - The Los Angeles Angels fired general manager Billy Eppler on Sunday after the long-struggling franchise finished its fifth consecutive losing season under his watch.
Eppler was under contract for one more year with the Angels in an extension he signed in July with no public announcement, but team president John Carpino said the franchise will seek new baseball leadership after missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year.
The Angels have endured a historically bad half-decade during Eppler’s tenure despite many positive moves made by the former New York Yankees executive, all while dealing with the spending whims of owner Arte Moreno.
But Eppler was dismissed when the Angels couldn’t even make the eight-team AL playoff field this month. Los Angeles finished 26-34 in the pandemic-shortened season with a star-studded roster including three-time AL MVP Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani playing for manager Joe Maddon.
“Billy and I really, I thought, were great together,” Maddon said after the Angels ended their season with a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers. “From the moment I met him, I thought to myself, ‘This is a straight-up guy. Absolutely straight-up.’ One of the most honest people I’ve met in this industry. Great talent evaluator.”
“I’m certain he’s going to land firmly on his feet, but our friendship will endure, he and I. I really enjoyed our time together, and I told him so,” he said.
Eppler’s Angels went 332-376 (.469) under three managers with a rotating cast of supporting players around Trout and Pujols. They’ve endured five straight losing seasons for the first time since 1977, and their winning percentage over the past two seasons is the Halos’ worst two-year run since 1992-93.
Eppler didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
The 45-year-old Eppler took the fall for a decade of mostly miserable baseball under Moreno, whose penchant for handing out big-money contracts to older veteran players has repeatedly hurt his club since its last playoff victory in 2009.
Eppler began each of his seasons working around the 10-year, $240 million deal given by Moreno to Pujols, whose performance hasn’t come close to justifying the huge chunk of payroll taken up by the 40-year-old superstar for many years. Moreno also interfered in other areas, such as firing Eppler’s hand-picked manager, Brad Ausmus, after one season and installing Maddon last fall, although Eppler and Maddon got along splendidly.
Eppler rebuilt a farm system that was left barren by former GM Jerry Dipoto, and he both signed Trout to a massive contract extension and persuaded Ohtani to bring his two-way talents from Japan to the Angels. Eppler’s farm system is finally bearing fruit recently, with blue-chip prospect Jo Adell, slugger Jared Walsh and infielder David Fletcher making impacts on the Angels this season with other prospects on the way.
Yet Eppler never managed to sign enough quality pitchers to prevent Trout’s Angels from being a perennial also-ran. Eppler repeatedly guessed wrong in his budget-minded acquisitions from Tim Lincecum and Trevor Cahill to Matt Harvey and Julio Teheran, leaving the Angels with one of the majors’ worst starting rotations for much of his tenure.
The Angels still haven’t won a playoff game with Trout, who will turn 30 years old next summer.
After a miserable August and a strong September surge, the Halos finished this season by losing three straight to the crosstown Dodgers, who have won eight straight NL West titles.
Moreno doesn’t plan to discuss his latest franchise reboot publicly until Wednesday.
___
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washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Trump says Obamacare 'essentially gone' after ending mandate

President Trump said Sunday he feels like he ’ s gotten rid of Obamacare because the individual mandate penalty for shirking insurance was zeroed out by the GOP-controlled Congress three years ago .
“ We ’ ve already essentially gotten rid of Obamacare , because we got rid of the individual mandate , ” he said , referring to the 2017 tax law .
“ That ’ s no longer Obamacare because that was the central point.
” The mandate was the biggest flashpoint of the 2010 Affordable Care Act after it passed , serving as a catalyst for tea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2012 .
But much of Obamacare remains intact after Mr. Trump and Republicans failed to repeal and replace the law after taking control of the White House and Congress in 2016 .
People can still get income-based subsidies on web-based exchanges to buy private coverage , and millions of people are on Medicaid due to an Obamacare-driven expansion of the rolls in dozens of states that opted in .
The law still requires insurers to cover people with preexisting conditions — a reform that Mr. Trump embraced last week with an executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy .
But the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a new challenge to the health care law — shortly after Election Day — that says the entire program must be canceled because the mandate is no longer collecting revenue .
Mr. Trump is cheering the state-driven lawsuit , saying a ruling against Obamacare would clear the decks for a better , more affordable program .
“ Which is what we ’ ll do , ” Mr. Trump said .
It ’ s unclear how Mr. Trump would replace the law unless he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate is controlled by the GOP but faces a series of tough races that could tilt the balance of power , while the Democrats may retain control of the House .
If the court strikes down Obamacare , Democratic leaders are likely to insist on fixes , leading to a thorny standoff and finger-pointing in Washington .

President Trump said Sunday he feels like he’s gotten rid of Obamacare because the individual mandate penalty for shirking insurance was zeroed out by the GOP-controlled Congress three years ago.
“We’ve already essentially gotten rid of Obamacare, because we got rid of the individual mandate,” he said, referring to the 2017 tax law. “That’s no longer Obamacare because that was the central point.”
The mandate was the biggest flashpoint of the 2010 Affordable Care Act after it passed, serving as a catalyst for tea party protests and the landmark legal challenge in 2012.
But much of Obamacare remains intact after Mr. Trump and Republicans failed to repeal and replace the law after taking control of the White House and Congress in 2016.
People can still get income-based subsidies on web-based exchanges to buy private coverage, and millions of people are on Medicaid due to an Obamacare-driven expansion of the rolls in dozens of states that opted in.
The law still requires insurers to cover people with preexisting conditions — a reform that Mr. Trump embraced last week with an executive order saying those protections are standing U.S. policy.
But the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a new challenge to the health care law — shortly after Election Day — that says the entire program must be canceled because the mandate is no longer collecting revenue.
Mr. Trump is cheering the state-driven lawsuit, saying a ruling against Obamacare would clear the decks for a better, more affordable program.
“Which is what we’ll do,” Mr. Trump said.
It’s unclear how Mr. Trump would replace the law unless he gains full control of Congress. The Senate is controlled by the GOP but faces a series of tough races that could tilt the balance of power, while the Democrats may retain control of the House.
If the court strikes down Obamacare, Democratic leaders are likely to insist on fixes, leading to a thorny standoff and finger-pointing in Washington.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Colorado's 3rd largest recorded wildfire continues to spread

DENVER ( AP ) - Winds fueled a northern Colorado wildfire that emergency officials said has damaged structures and moved @ @ @ @ @ to slow the fire ’ s spread .
The Larimer County Sheriff ’ s Office @ @ @ @ @ Sunday in the state ’ s third largest recorded wildfire .
The fire designated as @ @ @ @ @ Larimer County had burned 194 square miles ( 502 square kilometers ) as of early @ @ @ @ @ structures had been damaged , including 25 residential properties .
The fire began Aug. 13 @ @ @ @ @ National Forests and was burning 25 miles ( 40 kilometers ) east of Walden Sunday @ @ @ @ @ being investigated as nearly 850 firefighters fought the blaze .
Officials said the fire spread @ @ @ @ @ 482 square kilometers ) Saturday when winds reaching 60 mph ( 97 kph ) caused @ @ @ @ @ fire lines , the gaps in combustible material made by firefighters meant to starve wildfires @ @ @ @ @ was 25 % contained Sunday morning , officials said .

DENVER (AP) - Winds fueled a northern Colorado wildfire that emergency officials said has damaged structures and moved beyond barriers established by firefighters to slow the fire’s spread.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said structure damage was reported Sunday in the state’s third largest recorded wildfire.
The fire designated as the Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County had burned 194 square miles (502 square kilometers) as of early Sunday.
Officials said 54 structures had been damaged, including 25 residential properties.
The fire began Aug. 13 in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and was burning 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Walden Sunday.
The cause was still being investigated as nearly 850 firefighters fought the blaze.
Officials said the fire spread over 186 square miles (482 square kilometers) Saturday when winds reaching 60 mph (97 kph) caused the blaze to jump over fire lines, the gaps in combustible material made by firefighters meant to starve wildfires of fuel.
The fire was 25% contained Sunday morning, officials said.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Trump doubles down on Biden drug test demand before debate

President Trump doubled down on his demand for Joseph R. Biden to take a drug test this week before the @ @ @ @ @ Trump has repeatedly pushed an unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic nominee has been taking performance-enhancing @ @ @ @ @ confirmed Sunday he isn ’ t joking .
“ If you look at some of @ @ @ @ @ there ’ s no way he can continue…then all of a sudden he debated Crazy @ @ @ @ @ the truth is , he was okay , ” “ How did he go from @ @ @ @ @ performances — to where he was okay ?
I always joke , but you know @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s no Winston Churchill in debating…People say he was on performance-enhancing drugs.
” @ @ @ @ @ had heard this allegation or what proof he had , the president encouraged the press @ @ @ @ @ internet.
” Mr. Trump said he would also take a drug test .
The first @ @ @ @ @ Mr. Biden will take place on Tuesday in Cleveland , Ohio .

President Trump doubled down on his demand for Joseph R. Biden to take a drug test this week before the first presidential debate.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly pushed an unsubstantiated claim that the Democratic nominee has been taking performance-enhancing drugs before debates, and confirmed Sunday he isn’t joking.
“If you look at some of those debates, I said there’s no way he can continue…then all of a sudden he debated Crazy Bernie Sanders and you know the truth is, he was okay,” “How did he go from there — with those horrible performances — to where he was okay? I always joke, but you know it’s true, he’s no Winston Churchill in debating…People say he was on performance-enhancing drugs.”
When pressed on where he had heard this allegation or what proof he had, the president encouraged the press to “check out the internet.”
Mr. Trump said he would also take a drug test.
The first debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden will take place on Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--New Mexico reports 159 new coronavirus cases and no deaths

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) - Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 159 new confirmed coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ .
The latest numbers increased the statewide totals to 28,844 cases and 870 known deaths @ @ @ @ @ Of the 159 new cases , New Mexico Department of Health officials say 32 were @ @ @ @ @ in Eddy County and 20 in Dona Ana County .
The spread rate has increased @ @ @ @ @ Officials said the increase was expected after some restrictions were lifted and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ the Labor Day holiday had a role .
For most people , the new coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness @ @ @ @ @ .

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Health officials in New Mexico on Sunday reported 159 new confirmed coronavirus cases with no additional deaths.
The latest numbers increased the statewide totals to 28,844 cases and 870 known deaths since the pandemic began.
Of the 159 new cases, New Mexico Department of Health officials say 32 were in Bernalillo County, 29 in Eddy County and 20 in Dona Ana County.
The spread rate has increased slightly since early September. Officials said the increase was expected after some restrictions were lifted and it’s likely that increased travel around the Labor Day holiday had a role.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
But for some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.


washingtontimes--2020-09-27--Trump rips attacks of Amy Coney Barrett faith

President Trump criticized the media and Democrats on Sunday for their treatment of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett , accusing them of making an issue of her Catholicism .
“ I thought we settled this 60 years ago with the election of John F. Kennedy , ” Mr. Trump said of the nation ’ s first Catholic president .
“ They ’ re going after her Catholicism .
I will stand with her and fight with her , and we will make sure that these attacks stop , because … it ’ s unprecedented.
” At a press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ singled out The New York Times and referred to “ nasty ” comedians .
“ The New York Times said her religion is not consistent with American values .
She ’ s Catholic , ” Mr. Trump said .
He was apparently referring to a column by opinion writer Elizabeth Bruenig , who wrote in a column , “ Judge Barrett ’ s nomination has merely renewed attention to a fundamental conflict , centuries underway , between Catholicism and the American ethos.
” The president also said Democrats “ are really brazenly attacking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mostly is what I ’ m hearing.
” “ I would think they would treat religion with much more respect , ” he said .
Sen. Josh Hawley , Missouri Republican , noted that during Judge Barrett ’ s confirmation hearing in 2017 for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals , various Democratic senators asked her if she would be a “ Catholic judge , ” or if she was an “ orthodox Catholic .
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said she opposed Judge Barrett because “ the dogma lives loudly within you.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriate for lawmakers to judge the nominee on her faith , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , a Catholic herself , said the questions need to focus on her commitment to precedent and the constitution .
“ I think it ’ s appropriate for them to ask her about how faithful she would be to the Constitution of the United States , whatever her faith , ” she said on CNN .
“ It doesn ’ t matter what her faith is .
Does she believe in the precedent on the Supreme Court that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Mr. Trump said of Judge Barrett ’ s opponents , “ They ’ re playing the religious card.
” Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani , who is a lawyer for the president and is Catholic , said Ms. Bruenig ’ s column “ reveals a very strong anti-Catholic bias.
” “ What I see is the beginning of a very strong anti-Catholic attack , ” Mr. Giuliani said .
Former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie , also a Catholic , said , “ It ’ s obvious what @ @ @ @ @ @

President Trump criticized the media and Democrats on Sunday for their treatment of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, accusing them of making an issue of her Catholicism.
“I thought we settled this 60 years ago with the election of John F. Kennedy,” Mr. Trump said of the nation’s first Catholic president. “They’re going after her Catholicism. I will stand with her and fight with her, and we will make sure that these attacks stop, because … it’s unprecedented.”
At a press conference at the White House, Mr. Trump singled out The New York Times and referred to “nasty” comedians.
“The New York Times said her religion is not consistent with American values. She’s Catholic,” Mr. Trump said.
He was apparently referring to a column by opinion writer Elizabeth Bruenig, who wrote in a column, “Judge Barrett’s nomination has merely renewed attention to a fundamental conflict, centuries underway, between Catholicism and the American ethos.”
The president also said Democrats “are really brazenly attacking Judge Barrett for again her faith, mostly is what I’m hearing.”
“I would think they would treat religion with much more respect,” he said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, noted that during Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearing in 2017 for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, various Democratic senators asked her if she would be a “Catholic judge,” or if she was an “orthodox Catholic. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said she opposed Judge Barrett because “the dogma lives loudly within you.”
Entertainer Bill Maher has called her “a f—ing nut.”
When asked Sunday if it was appropriate for lawmakers to judge the nominee on her faith, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic herself, said the questions need to focus on her commitment to precedent and the constitution.
“I think it’s appropriate for them to ask her about how faithful she would be to the Constitution of the United States, whatever her faith,” she said on CNN. “It doesn’t matter what her faith is. Does she believe in the precedent on the Supreme Court that has upheld the Affordable Care Act?”
Mr. Trump said of Judge Barrett’s opponents, “They’re playing the religious card.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who is a lawyer for the president and is Catholic, said Ms. Bruenig’s column “reveals a very strong anti-Catholic bias.”
“What I see is the beginning of a very strong anti-Catholic attack,” Mr. Giuliani said.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, also a Catholic, said, “It’s obvious what they’re doing.”
• Gabriella Muñoz contributed to this report.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-28--Pompeo meets with Greek foreign minister

THESSALONIKI , Greece ( AP ) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the United States will use its diplomatic and military influence in the region to try to ease a volatile dispute between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean .
Pompeo began a five-day regional tour Monday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki , days after Greece and Turkey committed to restarting a diplomatic dialogue on the dispute that triggered a dangerous military build-up - and fears of military conflict - in the disputed maritime area over the summer .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ views on the eastern Mediterranean and reaffirmed their belief that maritime delimitation issues should be resolved peacefully , ” the two countries said in a joint statement after Pompeo met with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias .
The two countries , it said , “ reiterated their dedication to enhancing their close cooperation as NATO allies , using all appropriate means at their disposal , in order to safeguard stability and security in the wider region.
” Relations between Greece and neighboring Turkey deteriorated sharply this year over disputed maritime boundaries and exploration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent a research vessel , accompanied by warships , to prospect for energy resources in an area Greece claims is on its own continental shelf and where it claims exclusive economic rights .
Athens sent warships of its own to the area .
European Union members later this week are to discuss imposing sanctions on Turkey for its actions .
Pompeo had discussed the situation in the eastern Mediterranean late Sunday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as he headed to Greece .
Pompeo ’ s regional tour will also include Italy , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he will depart to the Greek island of Crete where he is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visit a U.S. naval base at Souda Bay .
Last October , Pompeo visited Athens and signed a revised defense cooperation agreement with Greece that provided for increasing joint U.S.-Greece and NATO activity at three locations in Greece as well as infrastructure and other improvements at Souda Bay .
Amid the tension with Turkey , Greece has announced major arms purchases , including fighter jets from France , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems .
Pompeo is the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Greece ’ s second-largest city of Thessaloniki .
Security was tight in the port city , with the venue of Pompeo ’ s meeting with Dendias changing from the originally planned location , a local ministry , to a hotel for security reasons , authorities said .
A protest against his visit was planned for Monday evening .
During his visit to Thessaloniki , Pompeo is to sign a bilateral science and technology agreement , as well as host energy sector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy diversification and infrastructure projects in Greece .
He will also join members of the city ’ s Jewish community to commemorate Yom Kippur .
No date has yet been set for the start of the Greek-Turkish exploratory talks .
___ Elena Becatoros and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed .
___ Follow Kantouris at https : //twitter.com/CostasKantouris

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday the United States will use its diplomatic and military influence in the region to try to ease a volatile dispute between NATO allies Greece and Turkey over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Pompeo began a five-day regional tour Monday in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, days after Greece and Turkey committed to restarting a diplomatic dialogue on the dispute that triggered a dangerous military build-up - and fears of military conflict - in the disputed maritime area over the summer. “The United States and Greece shared views on the eastern Mediterranean and reaffirmed their belief that maritime delimitation issues should be resolved peacefully,” the two countries said in a joint statement after Pompeo met with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. The two countries, it said, “reiterated their dedication to enhancing their close cooperation as NATO allies, using all appropriate means at their disposal, in order to safeguard stability and security in the wider region.” Relations between Greece and neighboring Turkey deteriorated sharply this year over disputed maritime boundaries and exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey sent a research vessel, accompanied by warships, to prospect for energy resources in an area Greece claims is on its own continental shelf and where it claims exclusive economic rights. Athens sent warships of its own to the area.
European Union members later this week are to discuss imposing sanctions on Turkey for its actions.
Pompeo had discussed the situation in the eastern Mediterranean late Sunday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as he headed to Greece.
Pompeo’s regional tour will also include Italy, the Vatican, and Croatia.
Later Monday, he will depart to the Greek island of Crete where he is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visit a U.S. naval base at Souda Bay.
Last October, Pompeo visited Athens and signed a revised defense cooperation agreement with Greece that provided for increasing joint U.S.-Greece and NATO activity at three locations in Greece as well as infrastructure and other improvements at Souda Bay.
Amid the tension with Turkey, Greece has announced major arms purchases, including fighter jets from France, as well as warships, helicopters, and weapons systems.
Pompeo is the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Greece’s second-largest city of Thessaloniki. Security was tight in the port city, with the venue of Pompeo’s meeting with Dendias changing from the originally planned location, a local ministry, to a hotel for security reasons, authorities said. A protest against his visit was planned for Monday evening.
During his visit to Thessaloniki, Pompeo is to sign a bilateral science and technology agreement, as well as host energy sector business leaders for a discussion to highlight energy diversification and infrastructure projects in Greece. He will also join members of the city’s Jewish community to commemorate Yom Kippur. No date has yet been set for the start of the Greek-Turkish exploratory talks. ___ Elena Becatoros and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed. ___ Follow Kantouris at https://twitter.com/CostasKantouris