thestream--2020-05-19--Is Obama Off the Hook? Or Is Barr Just Baiting It?

Mike Huckabee spoke for a lot of people when he expressed disappointment at Attorney General William Barr .
The AG said Monday he doesn ’ t foresee a criminal investigation into Barack Obama and Joe Biden .
This after their role in the “ Russia-Collusion ” operation against Donald Trump became public .
Testimony being released puts Barack Obama right in the thick of operation , including the targeting of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn .
Obama knew about Flynn ’ s call with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak .
( That amazed then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates . )
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , nobody had unmasked that call .
Huckabee said Barr is worried about the appearance of political retribution if the DOJ targeted Obama and Biden .
Barr seems to want to safeguard the upcoming November elections from any consideration of this scandal , saying it ’ s “ critical ” that in 2020 the American people have a chance to vote based on “ robust ” policy debate — not criminal debate .
And he said he wouldn ’ t use his office for a political “ tit for tat.
” Hey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ robust policy debate , ” how about debating the policy that apparently lets an outgoing President spy on the incoming one ?
And note that one of the people Barr is talking about , the former Vice President , happens to be running against the very incumbent they were trying to sabotage .
The former Arkansas governor worries we really might have the two-tiered justice system Barr complained about .
Certainly it will appear that way if Obama is exempt from criminal investigation .
“ The attorney general did say that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held to account.
’ But today , I wonder.
” I wonder if Gov .
Huckabee need worry .
William Barr is a cagey fellow .
If there ’ s a whiff that Obama or Biden in the crosshairs ?
Then the entire Durham investigation will be loudly and immediately condemned as “ partisan politics ” and “ payback.
” This is especially in an election year , with Biden running .
So to protect the Durham investigation , it makes sense to leave Obama and Biden out of the discussion .
Especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months away from the election .
We ’ ve yet to see the first indictments fall .
However , here ’ s where I suspect Barr is being especially clever .
Barr wasn ’ t talking to just the media Monday .
Nor to just to us law-abiding Americans .
His audience was also the likes of James Comey , John Brennan , James Clapper and the whole corrupt crew .
Now , if you ’ re Brennan sitting on the set of MSNBC or Comey sitting on his high horse , what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not looking at Obama ?
What is your first thought ?
“ They ’ re pinning this whole mess on me .
I ’ m the fall guy .
And the guy who I was doing this for , who was central to this , is going to walk ?
!
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Barr describes what happened with Crossfire Hurricane as “ a grave injustice , unprecedented in American history.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation has seen , that is a damning statement .
Ominous .
Someone is going to pay for that injustice .
Justice will be served .
If you are one of the people involved , you are hearing the winds pick up and the dogs begin to howl .
The sheriff ’ s at your porch and his gun is drawn .
How much pressure are you now under to cut a deal ?
To point the finger at Obama ?
Sure , some will take a legal bullet for Obama .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Obama , as is his habit , tries throwing them under the bus .
“ I told everyone to go ‘ by the book.
’ If they didn ’ t , that ’ s on them.
” Barr and Durham need someone to confess .
Someone to spill the plot .
Come out with their hands raised .
Otherwise , the media will play its games and the American people won ’ t take Obama ’ s involvement seriously .
( Obama already has a long history of people delinking him from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m reminded of an HBO remake of the classic movie Seven Days in May , called The Enemy Within .
In it , Col. Mac Casey gets wind of a pending military coup .
Its leader ?
General Lloyd , the nation ’ s most respected general .
Col. Casey ends up exposing and thwarting the coup — but not by being a whistleblower .
He knew nobody would believe the famous , popular hero would try to overthrow the president .
Instead , Col. Casey came forward declaring he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
“ Americans are funny , ” I recall him saying , “ They won ’ t believe somebody ’ s sworn testimony , but they ’ ll believe the confession of anybody.
” The testimony released in recent weeks is damning .
The documentation of Obama ’ s involvement in the effort to sabotage first candidate , then President Trump grows by the day .
( See Tuesday ’ s release of the fully declassified Susan Rice email to herself . )
But most Americans will not believe the evidence against their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confession ?
A guilty plea with details of the operation from one of the principal players ?
Yes .
Barr is shrewd .
He knows he can ’ t be the one pointing the finger at Obama .
It ’ s got to be Obama people pointing the finger at Obama before the American people will see as legit .
Yeah , Barr is putting the squeeze on the Obama officials before they are interviewed by US Attorney John Durham .
“ Right now , it ’ s all on you , boys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on that porch , spitting into the dirt .
“ Unless you ’ ve got something else you want to tell me.
” Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author , with @ JZmirak , of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration .
You can follow him at @ StreamingAl .
And if you aren ’ t already , please follow The Stream at @ Streamdotorg .

Mike Huckabee spoke for a lot of people when he expressed disappointment at Attorney General William Barr. The AG said Monday he doesn’t foresee a criminal investigation into Barack Obama and Joe Biden. This after their role in the “Russia-Collusion” operation against Donald Trump became public.
Testimony being released puts Barack Obama right in the thick of operation, including the targeting of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Obama knew about Flynn’s call with the Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. (That amazed then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates.) Yet, according to documents released last week, nobody had unmasked that call.
Spy vs. Citizen
Huckabee explained why that matters.
It means either that the CIA had been spying on Flynn, Obama’s most serious political nemesis, when he was in the Dominican Republic and somebody had briefed Obama on the call with Kislyak, or that Obama himself, as President, had ordered Flynn surveilled. IG Horowitz has testified that there was no FISA warrant on Flynn, so, really, what else is left?
Huckabee said Barr is worried about the appearance of political retribution if the DOJ targeted Obama and Biden.
Barr seems to want to safeguard the upcoming November elections from any consideration of this scandal, saying it’s “critical” that in 2020 the American people have a chance to vote based on “robust” policy debate — not criminal debate. And he said he wouldn’t use his office for a political “tit for tat.” Hey, if we’re going to have a “robust policy debate,” how about debating the policy that apparently lets an outgoing President spy on the incoming one? And note that one of the people Barr is talking about, the former Vice President, happens to be running against the very incumbent they were trying to sabotage.
The former Arkansas governor worries we really might have the two-tiered justice system Barr complained about. Certainly it will appear that way if Obama is exempt from criminal investigation. “The attorney general did say that ‘those who broke the law…will be held to account.’ But today, I wonder.”
Barr is a Cagey Fellow
I wonder if Gov. Huckabee need worry. William Barr is a cagey fellow. If there’s a whiff that Obama or Biden in the crosshairs? Then the entire Durham investigation will be loudly and immediately condemned as “partisan politics” and “payback.” This is especially in an election year, with Biden running. So to protect the Durham investigation, it makes sense to leave Obama and Biden out of the discussion. Especially since we’re less than six months away from the election. We’ve yet to see the first indictments fall.
However, here’s where I suspect Barr is being especially clever. Barr wasn’t talking to just the media Monday. Nor to just to us law-abiding Americans. His audience was also the likes of James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper and the whole corrupt crew. Now, if you’re Brennan sitting on the set of MSNBC or Comey sitting on his high horse, what did you hear when Barr says he’s not looking at Obama? What is your first thought?
“They’re pinning this whole mess on me. I’m the fall guy. And the guy who I was doing this for, who was central to this, is going to walk?!”
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An “Unprecedented” Injustice
Barr describes what happened with Crossfire Hurricane as “a grave injustice, unprecedented in American history.” Given some of the injustices this nation has seen, that is a damning statement. Ominous. Someone is going to pay for that injustice. Justice will be served. If you are one of the people involved, you are hearing the winds pick up and the dogs begin to howl. The sheriff’s at your porch and his gun is drawn.
Barr and Durham need someone to confess.
How much pressure are you now under to cut a deal? To point the finger at Obama? Sure, some will take a legal bullet for Obama. But others won’t.
Especially, when Obama, as is his habit, tries throwing them under the bus. “I told everyone to go ‘by the book.’ If they didn’t, that’s on them.”
Let the Rats Squeal
Barr and Durham need someone to confess. Someone to spill the plot. Come out with their hands raised. Otherwise, the media will play its games and the American people won’t take Obama’s involvement seriously. (Obama already has a long history of people delinking him from scandals done in his name.)
I’m reminded of an HBO remake of the classic movie Seven Days in May, called The Enemy Within. In it, Col. Mac Casey gets wind of a pending military coup. Its leader? General Lloyd, the nation’s most respected general. Col. Casey ends up exposing and thwarting the coup — but not by being a whistleblower. He knew nobody would believe the famous, popular hero would try to overthrow the president. Instead, Col. Casey came forward declaring he was part of the plot. His reasoning? “Americans are funny,” I recall him saying, “They won’t believe somebody’s sworn testimony, but they’ll believe the confession of anybody.”
A Crack in Obama’s Teflon?
The testimony released in recent weeks is damning. The documentation of Obama’s involvement in the effort to sabotage first candidate, then President Trump grows by the day. (See Tuesday’s release of the fully declassified Susan Rice email to herself.) But most Americans will not believe the evidence against their famous, popular hero. But a confession? A guilty plea with details of the operation from one of the principal players? Yes.
Barr is shrewd. He knows he can’t be the one pointing the finger at Obama. It’s got to be Obama people pointing the finger at Obama before the American people will see it as legit.
Yeah, Barr is putting the squeeze on the Obama officials before they are interviewed by US Attorney John Durham. “Right now, it’s all on you, boys,” Barr is saying, standing on that porch, spitting into the dirt. “Unless you’ve got something else you want to tell me.”
Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream and co-author, with @JZmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl. And if you aren’t already, please follow The Stream at @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-05-19--How the FBI Used ‘News Hooks’ to Advance the Trump-Russia Probe

A common theme that has emerged from the FBI ’ s Crossfire Hurricane investigation is bureau officials ’ use of media reports and leaks to advance aspects of the bureau ’ s probe of the Trump campaign ’ s possible ties to Russia .
In at least five instances , FBI officials capitalized on the so-called news hooks — also called news pegs , in journalistic jargon — as justification to open up new areas of the investigation .
James Comey , Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok all took advantage of media reports to push the investigation forward .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leak of his own to spur the appointment of a special counsel .
Prominent media outlets played a key role in advancing the now-debunked theory that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government .
Much of that media manipulation centered around the infamous Steele dossier , which the Clinton campaign and DNC funded .
Christopher Steele , a former British spy , briefed numerous reporters , the FBI , Department of Justice ( DOJ ) , State Department and think tank officials on his dossier .
The FBI ’ s possession of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a news hook that allowed Steele ’ s unverified allegations to make their way into public view .
Comey ’ s briefing on Jan. 6 , 2017 , to then-President-elect Donald Trump regarding allegations in the Steele dossier touched off a series of events that shifted the collusion investigation into high gear .
The FBI received information from Steele months earlier , and numerous media outlets had a copy of the full dossier , which accused the Trump campaign of conspiring with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election .
Steele , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin was blackmailing Trump with a sex videotape .
Comey has justified briefing Trump on the blackmail portion of the dossier claiming that he did so because the media had the dossier and was poised to publish it .
“ I said I wasn ’ t saying this was true , only that I wanted him to know both that it had been reported and that the reports were in many hands , ” Comey wrote in a memo following his briefing .
“ I said media like CNN had them and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said it was important that we not give them the excuse to write the FBI has the material or [ redacted ] and that we were keeping it very close hold.
” Despite Comey ’ s stated concerns , CNN found its excuse to write about the dossier .
Four days after the briefing , the network reported that the meeting with Trump occurred and that he was briefed on the existence of a salacious document that alleged that the Russian government had compromising information on the president-elect .
BuzzFeed News used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its own .
The website cited CNN ’ s report as justification to publish the entire dossier , sparking a controversy that drags on to this day .
While Comey has publicly claimed that his purpose for the Trump briefing was to warn the incoming president of rumors floating around about him , he also appears to have used the meeting to advance the Crossfire Hurricane probe .
FBI officials told the DOJ ’ s office of the inspector general ( OIG ) that they and Comey discussed using the briefing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Witnesses interviewed by the OIG also said that they discussed Trump ’ s potential responses to being told about the ‘ salacious ’ information , including that Trump might make statements about , or provide information of value to , the pending Russian interference investigation , ” reads an August 2019 report regarding Comey ’ s memos .
Comey told the OIG that he treated the memo he wrote following the Jan. 6 , 2017 , briefing as if it were obtained through surveillance , suggesting that he viewed it as material derived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defensive briefing .
According to the OIG report , Comey said his post-briefing memo “ ought to be treated … [ like ] FISA derived information or information in a [ counterintelligence ] investigation , ” a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act .
The FBI ’ s Crossfire Hurricane investigators were far from upset over the publication of the dossier .
Strzok , the FBI deputy chief of counterintelligence at the time , immediately seized on the publication in order to advance the probe .
“ Sitting with Bill watching CNN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Strzok texted FBI lawyer Lisa Page on Jan. 10 , 2017 , just after publication of the dossier .
Strzok was seemingly referring to Bill Priestap , his boss at the FBI .
“ Hey let me know when you can talk .
We ’ re discussing whether , now that this is out , we use it as a pretext to go interview some people , ” Strzok added .
According to an inspector general ’ s report on the Crossfire Hurricane probe , Strzok said that he recalled that the text @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Steele accused both of taking part in the Trump-Kremlin conspiracy .
Strzok told the OIG investigators that the Steele dossier could be used as cover to conduct the interviews without compromising the Crossfire Hurricane probe .
“ Strzok said the media release of the reports would be a logical reason for the FBI to interview Cohen and Manafort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation , ” the OIG report stated .
Weeks after the dossier was published , two FBI agents would investigate former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos for the first time .
Court documents show that the investigators initially told Papadopoulos that they wanted to speak to him about an associate , Sergei Millian , who had been identified in the media as a possible unwitting source for the dossier .
FBI agents also interviewed Steele ’ s primary dossier source in the days before Trump ’ s inauguration .
That source told investigators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dossier .
The FBI also seized on a seemingly illegal leak of classified information to the media in order to advance its investigation of Michael Flynn .
McCabe , who served as deputy director of the FBI , testified on Dec. 19 , 2017 , that FBI leaders wanted to use a column published in The Washington Post as a pretext to interview Flynn .
On Jan. 12 , 2017 , Post columnist David Ignatius cited a senior U.S. government official who said that Flynn had spoken by phone weeks earlier with Sergey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
Ignatius raised the possibility that Flynn had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia and that the retired general might have violated an obscure law called the Logan Act .
The leak appeared to be based on information from classified transcripts of Flynn ’ s calls in late December 2016 with Kislyak .
At the time , the FBI was investigating whether Flynn and three other Trump associates were working as agents of Russia .
On Jan. 24 , 2017 , days after Flynn took over as national security adviser , McCabe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House .
“ Why did the Bureau interview General Flynn when they did ?
What was the reasoning for the interview ?
” then-Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina asked McCabe in a December 2017 House Intelligence Committee deposition .
“ To the best of my recollection , we interviewed General Flynn at that time because of the existence … of his conversation , the record of his conversation with Ambassador Kislyak had become widely known through press reporting , ” McCabe answered .
“ [ T ] here was no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a covert investigative posture and so we wanted to sit down with General Flynn and understand , kind of , what his thoughts on that conversation were.
” Flynn pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 , 2017 , to making false statements during that interview .
But the DOJ has since filed to drop the case after Flynn retracted his claim to have lied to the FBI .
Flynn ’ s lawyers and supporters have theorized that Flynn was somehow set up in a perjury trap through the use of the leak to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to interview Flynn .
Ignatius ’ s source has not been publicly identified .
After his firing on May 9 , 2017 , Comey created a news hook to justify the appointment of a special counsel to take over Crossfire Hurricane .
Comey testified that he provided his memos to his friend , Daniel Richman , after his firing in order to prompt the appointment of a special counsel .
Comey said he authorized Richman to provide New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt with memos that laid out Comey ’ s interaction with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigate Flynn .
“ I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter .
Didn ’ t do it myself for a variety of reasons , ” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 7 , 2017 .
“ I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.
” The Times published an article based on Comey ’ s memo on May 16 , 2017 .
The next day , then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s investigation ultimately found no evidence to support the initial theory of Crossfire Hurricane : that members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russia .
Mueller also found no evidence that any Trump associates acted as agents of the Russian government .
FBI Used News Articles to Justify Steps in Carter Page Investigation The FBI used several media reports to justify steps in their investigation into whether Carter Page was a Russian agent .
Applications for FISA orders that the FBI submitted on Page in 2016 and 2017 show at least three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide were used to open up new lines of inquiry or to make the case that he was working for Russia .
The FISAs stated that an FBI confidential human source , or CHS , met with Page on Oct. 17 , 2016 , and “ made general inquiries about the media reporting regarding Page ’ s contacts with Russian officials.
” The FBI source , Stefan Halper , had met with Page for the first time months earlier .
“ Although Page did not provide any specific details to refute , dispel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he made vague statements that minimized his activities , ” read the FISA applications , which have recently been declassified .
The FBI also cited reports that appeared in summer 2016 to justify its logic that Page was working with Russia .
One of Steele ’ s unverified claims was that Page secretly met two Kremlin insiders in Moscow in July 2016 to discuss relaxing U.S. sanctions against Russia , and to drive a wedge between the United States and Ukraine .
News reports in the Post and other outlets in July and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ altered the language in the GOP platform regarding providing lethal aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia .
Citing those reports and Steele ’ s allegations , the FISA applications said that the “ FBI assesses that , following Page ’ s meetings in Russia , Page helped influence [ the Republican party ] and [ Trump ’ s ] campaign to alter their platforms to be more sympathetic to Russia.
” That theory was ultimately debunked .
The OIG report on Crossfire Hurricane said that the FBI omitted information showing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the platform change .
The FBI also cited a Yahoo !
News article published Sept. 23 , 2016 , as part of the applications to obtain surveillance orders against Page , the FISA application shows .
There is some debate over whether the bureau cited the article as further evidence that Page was a Russian agent , or if the article was included in the FISA request in order to show that Page had denied working with the Kremlin .
The FISA application shows that the FBI discussed the article in a section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Yahoo !
News story .
The FBI dismissed Page ’ s denials , writing in the surveillance application that the “ FBI believes that Page ’ s comments were self-serving and , based on the source reporting described above , untrue.
” Steele was the source for the article , but the FBI failed to disclose that link in the FISA applications .
The IG report stated that while some FBI investigators believed that Steele was Yahoo ’ s source , other FBI agents believed that someone else was the source .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Oct. 3 , 2016 , meeting with FBI agents .
He expressed frustration at what he called leaks regarding his dossier , the IG report stated .
He said that the leaks were causing his source network to dry up .
One FBI agent told the IG that he was shocked that Steele would complain about leaks when he was the source for multiple journalists who wrote about the dossier .
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our original content , please contact licensing @ dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

A common theme that has emerged from the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation is bureau officials’ use of media reports and leaks to advance aspects of the bureau’s probe of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.
In at least five instances, FBI officials capitalized on the so-called news hooks — also called news pegs, in journalistic jargon — as justification to open up new areas of the investigation.
James Comey, Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok all took advantage of media reports to push the investigation forward. And in one case, Comey orchestrated a leak of his own to spur the appointment of a special counsel.
Prominent media outlets played a key role in advancing the now-debunked theory that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Much of that media manipulation centered around the infamous Steele dossier, which the Clinton campaign and DNC funded.
Christopher Steele, a former British spy, briefed numerous reporters, the FBI, Department of Justice (DOJ), State Department and think tank officials on his dossier. The FBI’s possession of the dossier itself would eventually serve as a news hook that allowed Steele’s unverified allegations to make their way into public view.
Comey’s Dossier Briefing to Donald Trump
Comey’s briefing on Jan. 6, 2017, to then-President-elect Donald Trump regarding allegations in the Steele dossier touched off a series of events that shifted the collusion investigation into high gear.
The FBI received information from Steele months earlier, and numerous media outlets had a copy of the full dossier, which accused the Trump campaign of conspiring with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election. Steele, a former MI6 officer, also alleged that the Kremlin was blackmailing Trump with a sex videotape.
Comey has justified briefing Trump on the blackmail portion of the dossier claiming that he did so because the media had the dossier and was poised to publish it.
“I said I wasn’t saying this was true, only that I wanted him to know both that it had been reported and that the reports were in many hands,” Comey wrote in a memo following his briefing.
“I said media like CNN had them and were looking for a news hook. I said it was important that we not give them the excuse to write the FBI has the material or [redacted] and that we were keeping it very close hold.”
Despite Comey’s stated concerns, CNN found its excuse to write about the dossier. Four days after the briefing, the network reported that the meeting with Trump occurred and that he was briefed on the existence of a salacious document that alleged that the Russian government had compromising information on the president-elect.
BuzzFeed News used the CNN report as a news hook of its own. The website cited CNN’s report as justification to publish the entire dossier, sparking a controversy that drags on to this day.
While Comey has publicly claimed that his purpose for the Trump briefing was to warn the incoming president of rumors floating around about him, he also appears to have used the meeting to advance the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
FBI officials told the DOJ’s office of the inspector general (OIG) that they and Comey discussed using the briefing to collect information for Crossfire Hurricane.
“Witnesses interviewed by the OIG also said that they discussed Trump’s potential responses to being told about the ‘salacious’ information, including that Trump might make statements about, or provide information of value to, the pending Russian interference investigation,” reads an August 2019 report regarding Comey’s memos.
Comey told the OIG that he treated the memo he wrote following the Jan. 6, 2017, briefing as if it were obtained through surveillance, suggesting that he viewed it as material derived through an investigation rather than a simple defensive briefing.
According to the OIG report, Comey said his post-briefing memo “ought to be treated … [like] FISA derived information or information in a [counterintelligence] investigation,” a reference to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Peter Strzok Capitalizes on Dossier’s Release
The FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigators were far from upset over the publication of the dossier.
Strzok, the FBI deputy chief of counterintelligence at the time, immediately seized on the publication in order to advance the probe.
“Sitting with Bill watching CNN. A TON more out,” Strzok texted FBI lawyer Lisa Page on Jan. 10, 2017, just after publication of the dossier.
Strzok was seemingly referring to Bill Priestap, his boss at the FBI.
“Hey let me know when you can talk. We’re discussing whether, now that this is out, we use it as a pretext to go interview some people,” Strzok added.
According to an inspector general’s report on the Crossfire Hurricane probe, Strzok said that he recalled that the text messages referred to the possibility of interviewing former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
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Steele accused both of taking part in the Trump-Kremlin conspiracy.
Strzok told the OIG investigators that the Steele dossier could be used as cover to conduct the interviews without compromising the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
“Strzok said the media release of the reports would be a logical reason for the FBI to interview Cohen and Manafort without alerting them to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” the OIG report stated.
Weeks after the dossier was published, two FBI agents would investigate former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos for the first time. Court documents show that the investigators initially told Papadopoulos that they wanted to speak to him about an associate, Sergei Millian, who had been identified in the media as a possible unwitting source for the dossier.
FBI agents also interviewed Steele’s primary dossier source in the days before Trump’s inauguration. That source told investigators that Steele embellished key parts of the dossier.
McCabe Says Leaks About Michael Flynn Prompted White House Interview
The FBI also seized on a seemingly illegal leak of classified information to the media in order to advance its investigation of Michael Flynn.
McCabe, who served as deputy director of the FBI, testified on Dec. 19, 2017, that FBI leaders wanted to use a column published in The Washington Post as a pretext to interview Flynn.
On Jan. 12, 2017, Post columnist David Ignatius cited a senior U.S. government official who said that Flynn had spoken by phone weeks earlier with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States. Ignatius raised the possibility that Flynn had discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia and that the retired general might have violated an obscure law called the Logan Act.
The leak appeared to be based on information from classified transcripts of Flynn’s calls in late December 2016 with Kislyak.
At the time, the FBI was investigating whether Flynn and three other Trump associates were working as agents of Russia.
On Jan. 24, 2017, days after Flynn took over as national security adviser, McCabe phoned him to arrange an interview at the White House.
“Why did the Bureau interview General Flynn when they did? What was the reasoning for the interview?” then-Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina asked McCabe in a December 2017 House Intelligence Committee deposition.
“To the best of my recollection, we interviewed General Flynn at that time because of the existence … of his conversation, the record of his conversation with Ambassador Kislyak had become widely known through press reporting,” McCabe answered.
“[T]here was no reason to continue, kind of, in a covert investigative posture and so we wanted to sit down with General Flynn and understand, kind of, what his thoughts on that conversation were.”
Flynn pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2017, to making false statements during that interview. But the DOJ has since filed to drop the case after Flynn retracted his claim to have lied to the FBI.
Flynn’s lawyers and supporters have theorized that Flynn was somehow set up in a perjury trap through the use of the leak to the Post and McCabe’s request to interview Flynn. Ignatius’s source has not been publicly identified.
Comey Orchestrated Leaks to Prompt Special Counsel
After his firing on May 9, 2017, Comey created a news hook to justify the appointment of a special counsel to take over Crossfire Hurricane.
Comey testified that he provided his memos to his friend, Daniel Richman, after his firing in order to prompt the appointment of a special counsel.
Comey said he authorized Richman to provide New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt with memos that laid out Comey’s interaction with Trump regarding the alleged request to not investigate Flynn.
“I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 7, 2017.
“I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.”
The Times published an article based on Comey’s memo on May 16, 2017. The next day, then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel.
Mueller’s investigation ultimately found no evidence to support the initial theory of Crossfire Hurricane: that members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russia. Mueller also found no evidence that any Trump associates acted as agents of the Russian government.
FBI Used News Articles to Justify Steps in Carter Page Investigation
The FBI used several media reports to justify steps in their investigation into whether Carter Page was a Russian agent.
Applications for FISA orders that the FBI submitted on Page in 2016 and 2017 show at least three areas where news reports about the Trump aide were used to open up new lines of inquiry or to make the case that he was working for Russia.
The FISAs stated that an FBI confidential human source, or CHS, met with Page on Oct. 17, 2016, and “made general inquiries about the media reporting regarding Page’s contacts with Russian officials.”
The FBI source, Stefan Halper, had met with Page for the first time months earlier.
“Although Page did not provide any specific details to refute, dispel, or clarify the media reporting, he made vague statements that minimized his activities,” read the FISA applications, which have recently been declassified.
The FBI also cited reports that appeared in summer 2016 to justify its logic that Page was working with Russia.
One of Steele’s unverified claims was that Page secretly met two Kremlin insiders in Moscow in July 2016 to discuss relaxing U.S. sanctions against Russia, and to drive a wedge between the United States and Ukraine.
News reports in the Post and other outlets in July and August 2016 said the Trump campaign mysteriously altered the language in the GOP platform regarding providing lethal aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Citing those reports and Steele’s allegations, the FISA applications said that the “FBI assesses that, following Page’s meetings in Russia, Page helped influence [the Republican party] and [Trump’s] campaign to alter their platforms to be more sympathetic to Russia.”
That theory was ultimately debunked. The OIG report on Crossfire Hurricane said that the FBI omitted information showing that Page “played no role” in the platform change.
The FBI also cited a Yahoo! News article published Sept. 23, 2016, as part of the applications to obtain surveillance orders against Page, the FISA application shows.
There is some debate over whether the bureau cited the article as further evidence that Page was a Russian agent, or if the article was included in the FISA request in order to show that Page had denied working with the Kremlin.
The FISA application shows that the FBI discussed the article in a section which showed that Page denied allegations in the Yahoo! News story. The FBI dismissed Page’s denials, writing in the surveillance application that the “FBI believes that Page’s comments were self-serving and, based on the source reporting described above, untrue.”
Steele was the source for the article, but the FBI failed to disclose that link in the FISA applications. The IG report stated that while some FBI investigators believed that Steele was Yahoo’s source, other FBI agents believed that someone else was the source.
Steele himself denied being the source during an Oct. 3, 2016, meeting with FBI agents. He expressed frustration at what he called leaks regarding his dossier, the IG report stated.
He said that the leaks were causing his source network to dry up. One FBI agent told the IG that he was shocked that Steele would complain about leaks when he was the source for multiple journalists who wrote about the dossier.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-05-20--How to Fight the New National Socialists, Part 2: Know What They Want

Two recent studies explored “ everyday discrimination experienced by conservative Christians in a secular university setting.
” The following results emerged : In Study 1 , 42 conservative Christian students documented 87 [ a ] nti‐Christian incidents in one week of diaries .
Incident frequency and type … paralleled past research of more traditionally studied target groups .
In Study 2 , a general sample of university students rated their sympathy for Anti‐Christian , Sexist , and Anti‐Black Racist incidents .
Students had less sympathy for Anti‐Christian incidents than for Anti‐Black Racism and Sexism , though Christian students were more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prejudice .
In other words , Christians are being discriminated against frequently on university campuses .
Furthermore , nobody cares .
But Christians care deeply about injustice toward others .
We Few , We Holy Few The message from the American Left is clear .
Minorities are good .
And the majority — which happens to be white and Christian — is evil .
Leftists seem to feel just as strongly about this as the Nazis felt about its mirror image .
But we mustn ’ t ascribe consciously wicked motives — to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the laymen .
That ’ s another trait they share .
Both show a sincere belief that their actions are and were both selfless and in the best interests of the communities they favor .
In other words , they really believe they are and were doing the Right Thing .
In his in-depth exploration of the National Socialist psyche , The Law of Blood , Johann Chapoutot encapsulates the Nazi mentality : “ We must act for … the German people … and we must act for the community , not for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Holocaust Encyclopedia states : As for the Social Justice Warriors of the American left , Philip Carl Salzman writes : And what is was the object of all these good intentions ?
Curiously enough , the goals of both groups are identical , as well .
Essentially , the average followers of both philosophies intend to seize power from those they hate , whom they perceive to possess it in great supply .
They then intended to redistribute it to those they heroize , who they perceive to be the underdogs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Jews , in part , because they believed Jews to be very powerful .
They thought Jews controlled world events , foreign governments , and international commerce , among other things .
By eliminating Jews , Nazis believed they were removing a genuine threat .
They worked to remove perceived Jewish power by removing their rights and wealth .
Then they redistributed the latter among more “ worthy ” Aryans .
They believed they could thereby shift Jewish power to their racial comrades .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Moral Issues of Our Day .
Sound familiar ?
How often does the American Left talk about white people ?
Christians ?
What do they mean by complaints about “ income inequality ?
” What about “ wealth redistribution ?
” Do you really think they ’ re talking about redistributing the wealth of rich blacks ?
Rich Asians ?
What about rich Muslims ?
And do you really think it ’ s about money in and of itself ?
When it comes to economics , many , if not most Leftists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
They believe the words of Marx : “ The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power.
” Their true goal is a redistribution of power .
The redistribution of wealth is merely a means to an end .
But those were and are the goals of the masses .
The goals of the leadership prove far more insidious .
We ’ ll explore them in Part 3 .

Two recent studies explored “everyday discrimination experienced by conservative Christians in a secular university setting.” The following results emerged:
In Study 1, 42 conservative Christian students documented 87 [a]nti‐Christian incidents in one week of diaries. Incident frequency and type … paralleled past research of more traditionally studied target groups. … In Study 2, a general sample of university students rated their sympathy for Anti‐Christian, Sexist, and Anti‐Black Racist incidents. Students had less sympathy for Anti‐Christian incidents than for Anti‐Black Racism and Sexism, though Christian students were more sympathetic [regarding] all types of prejudice.
In other words, Christians are being discriminated against frequently on university campuses. Furthermore, nobody cares. But Christians care deeply about injustice toward others.
We Few, We Holy Few
The message from the American Left is clear. Minorities are good. And the majority — which happens to be white and Christian — is evil. Leftists seem to feel just as strongly about this as the Nazis felt about its mirror image.
But we mustn’t ascribe consciously wicked motives — to either group. At least not to the laymen. That’s another trait they share. Both show a sincere belief that their actions are and were both selfless and in the best interests of the communities they favor. In other words, they really believe they are and were doing the Right Thing.
Nazi Altruism
In his in-depth exploration of the National Socialist psyche, The Law of Blood, Johann Chapoutot encapsulates the Nazi mentality: “We must act for … the German people … and we must act for the community, not for our own personal interest.” Similarly, the Holocaust Encyclopedia states:
A cornerstone of Nazi ideology … was the creation of a “national community” … that would transcend class, religious, and regional differences. … All “racially pure” Germans … were obliged to aid those who were less well off and sacrifice time, wages, and even their lives for the commonweal.
As for the Social Justice Warriors of the American left, Philip Carl Salzman writes:
The point of “social justice” ideology is … to relieve the powerful of their sinful oppression, and the oppressed of their terrible wounds. This is seen as an ethical fight: virtue is with “social justice” activists working for the welfare of the belabored, and against the power of the oppressors.
Redistribution of Goods
And what is was the object of all these good intentions? Curiously enough, the goals of both groups are identical, as well. Essentially, the average followers of both philosophies intend to seize power from those they hate, whom they perceive to possess it in great supply. They then intended to redistribute it to those they heroize, who they perceive to be the underdogs.
“We must act for … the German people … and we must act for the community, not for our own personal interest.”
Average Nazis, for example, hated the Jews, in part, because they believed Jews to be very powerful. They thought Jews controlled world events, foreign governments, and international commerce, among other things.
By eliminating Jews, Nazis believed they were removing a genuine threat. They worked to remove perceived Jewish power by removing their rights and wealth. Then they redistributed the latter among more “worthy” Aryans. They believed they could thereby shift Jewish power to their racial comrades.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
Scapegoating the ‘Privileged’
Sound familiar? How often does the American Left talk about white people? Christians? What do they mean by complaints about “income inequality?” What about “wealth redistribution?” Do you really think they’re talking about redistributing the wealth of rich blacks? Rich Asians? What about rich Muslims? And do you really think it’s about money in and of itself?
When it comes to economics, many, if not most Leftists are outright socialists (as was Hitler). They believe the words of Marx: “The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power.” Their true goal is a redistribution of power. The redistribution of wealth is merely a means to an end.
But those were and are the goals of the masses. The goals of the leadership prove far more insidious. We’ll explore them in Part 3.
See Part One of this series here.
Bettina di Fiore is a San Francisco Bay Area based writer, teacher, and liturgical seamstress. Her blog can be found at www.watchingthewhirlwind.net.


thestream--2020-05-20--California’s Reopening Plan Discriminates Against Churches, DOJ Says

California ’ s plan for reopening the economy discriminates against religious believers , the Department of Justice warned Democratic California Gov .
Gavin Newsom Tuesday .
The DOJ told Newsom in a Tuesday letter provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation that though the DOJ understands California ’ s responsibility to protect the health and safety of Californians , the state also has a duty to preserve religious liberty during the pandemic .
Eric S. Dreiband , the head of the Justice Department ’ s Civil Rights Division , reminded Newsom that Attorney General William Barr recently issued a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in times of emergency , when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights , the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers.
” “ Simply put , there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights , ” Dreiband said .
California ’ s phase two reopening plan does not allow churches to reopen but does allow other types of secular businesses to reopen with social distancing measures , which Dreiband called in his letter “ differential treatment.
” Please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
“ While it is true that social distancing requirements applied to places of worship may inevitably result in much smaller congregations than some faith groups would like , in our experience with other controversies around the country , many places of worship are quite content to operate at 15-25 % of capacity in a way that allows for social distancing between family groups , ” Dreiband writes .
He also emphasized that the DOJ does not intend to dictate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their citizens .
Dreiband also told Newsom that “ we are charged with upholding the Constitution and federal statutory protections for civil right ” and that “ these civil rights protections mandate equal treatment of persons and activities of a secular and religious nature.
” “ Religious communities have rallied to protect their communities from the spread of this disease by making services available online , in parking lots , or outdoors , by indoor services with a majority of pews empty , and in numerous other creative ways that otherwise comply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Dreiband said .
“ We believe , for the reasons outlined above , that the Constitution calls for California to do more to accommodate religious worship , including in Stage 2 of the Reopening Plan.
” Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF .
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of our original content , please contact licensing @ @ @

California’s plan for reopening the economy discriminates against religious believers, the Department of Justice warned Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday.
The DOJ told Newsom in a Tuesday letter provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation that though the DOJ understands California’s responsibility to protect the health and safety of Californians, the state also has a duty to preserve religious liberty during the pandemic.
Eric S. Dreiband, the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, reminded Newsom that Attorney General William Barr recently issued a statement in which Barr emphasized that “even in times of emergency, when reasonable and temporary restrictions are placed on rights, the First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers.”
“Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights,” Dreiband said.
California’s phase two reopening plan does not allow churches to reopen but does allow other types of secular businesses to reopen with social distancing measures, which Dreiband called in his letter “differential treatment.”
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
“While it is true that social distancing requirements applied to places of worship may inevitably result in much smaller congregations than some faith groups would like, in our experience with other controversies around the country, many places of worship are quite content to operate at 15-25% of capacity in a way that allows for social distancing between family groups,” Dreiband writes.
He also emphasized that the DOJ does not intend to dictate how California decides to protect the safety of their citizens. Dreiband also told Newsom that “we are charged with upholding the Constitution and federal statutory protections for civil right” and that “these civil rights protections mandate equal treatment of persons and activities of a secular and religious nature.”
“Religious communities have rallied to protect their communities from the spread of this disease by making services available online, in parking lots, or outdoors, by indoor services with a majority of pews empty, and in numerous other creative ways that otherwise comply with social distancing and sanitation guidelines,” Dreiband said.
“We believe, for the reasons outlined above, that the Constitution calls for California to do more to accommodate religious worship, including in Stage 2 of the Reopening Plan.”
Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
Copyright 2020 The Daily Caller News Foundation
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].


thestream--2020-05-20--Longtime Minister and Attorney to Norma McCorvey Respond to ‘Agenda-Driven’ Film

Early in February 2017 , Norma McCorvey — the famed plaintiff “ Jane Roe ” in monumental U.S. Supreme Court abortion rights case Roe v. Wade — was near death .
“ She knew that she was dying , ” said Allan Parker , a public interest attorney who served as her legal counsel for 12 years .
“ I was no longer representing her , but we spoke as a brother and sister in Christ .
She thanked me for doing so much to help her overturn Roe v. Wade .
She said , ‘ I know it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weeks later , Parker recounted that conversation at her funeral when invited by McCorvey ’ s family to deliver a portion of the eulogy .
He emphasized her decades-long struggle to overturn the ruling that bore her name .
Catholic priest Fr .
Frank Pavone led the memorial service .
Premiering this weekend on Hulu , a documentary entitled AKA Jane Roe presents a different portrait of McCorvey .
Director Nick Sweeney , known for his past TV series Born in the Wrong Body and Transgender Kids Camp , interviewed her starting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas .
The film includes clips from those interviews , along with commentary from pro-choice figures .
High-profile liberal lawyer Gloria Allred plays a prominent role , as does Rob Schenck — an evangelical minister who has renounced his past pro-life advocacy in recent years .
Flip Benham , a minister and pro-life activist who baptized McCorvey in 1995 , is briefly seen in the film .
“ They caught her at a time when she was obviously not well , at her weakest moment , ” said Benham in a phone interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to disagree that the words come right out Norma ’ s mouth .
She was very playful .
She ’ d say things to entertain the guys on the cameras.
” “ She was a saved person , and she was still deeply flawed.
” Pro-Life Voices Left Out of New Doc Starting with an L.A. Times story , national media has been abuzz about the film this week .
Sensational headlines say it proves McCorvey was “ bribed by the Christian right ” and implied that her religious conversion was fake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ before her death were not interviewed for the ostensibly impartial documentary .
“ Activities she did with our Dallas pro-life community were unpaid , ” stated Lauren Muzyka , director of Sidewalk Advocates for Life .
“ There was no doubt in our minds she was pro-life.
” Former abortion clinic director Abby Johnson spoke only once with McCorvey , who called Johnson on her deathbed .
Johnson admitted in a post online there were “ mistakes made ” when McCorvey joined the pro-life movement .
“ The hours she spent praying in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lie , ” wrote Johnson .
“ Her life with Christ was not a lie .
[ The pro-choice lobby ] lied about and manipulated her so many years ago .
They did it right before her death , and they are even doing it after her death.
” Starting in 2000 , Parker represented McCorvey pro-bono through public interest legal firm The Justice Foundation .
The group provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in free legal services .
“ She would travel around the world telling anybody her story , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for free because she was passionately committed .
If she was speaking at a pro-life fundraising banquet , then they might give her an honorarium .
But she wasn ’ t ‘ paid to change.
’ ” He recalls her speaking often of working in abortion facilities as a counselor .
“ That ’ s what changed her mind , ” he said .
“ She went from supporting abortion to knowing the callous disregard for women that occurred in the abortion industry.
” When An Activist Repented to Norma Benham first encountered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when she worked at abortion centers in the Dallas area .
Volunteers like Benham with Operation Rescue would show up outside abortion facilities , seeking to counsel women to choose life .
( Some tactics of the pro-life group , such as entering clinics under false pretenses , have since been widely denounced . )
She came to work at A Choice for Women in the early 90s , and Operation Rescue moved their ministry next door .
Yet only through a private confession did Benham connect with her .
Please Support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
In summer 1994 , McCorvey released her first book I Am Roe .
Police roped off a massive crowd who showed up for her book signing in downtown Dallas .
When McCorvey walked in to the bookstore , Benham shouted at her from the sidewalk .
“ Norma McCorvey !
” he yelled .
“ As a result of what you have done and the law that you have given us , you ’ re responsible for the deaths of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recalls the scene .
“ When I spoke those words , I saw them just fall right into her , ” he said .
“ I thought : Oh my gosh , what have I done ?
I knew I had grieved the Lord ’ s spirit and grieved her.
” The following Saturday morning , the two encountered each other alone in the parking lot at the abortion facility .
He asked if they could speak .
She agreed , and they sat down on a bench .
“ When I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signing , I saw that that hurt you , ” Benham recounted .
“ And I am just so sorry .
Please forgive me for that.
” McCorvey rushed inside , mentioning her clinic duties at the time .
Years later , she told him what had transpired .
“ I didn ’ t get things ready , ” she said .
“ I went into the back room and I wept.
” Two elementary-age girls often stood and prayed with the Operation Rescue team , daughters of their team administrator .
Benham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she would go into the clinic — and imploring her to visit their church .
“ One day she did , and that began the relationship , ” said Benham .
“ About five months later , she gave her heart to Christ .
I wasn ’ t supposed to be the guy baptizing her , but she called me up about three days before the baptism and asked me if I would do it.
” Her conversion became a major story worldwide , with the headline Roe Wades ( referring to her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ splashed in several magazines .
“ When she came up out of that water , there was her effervescent smile , ” recalls Benham .
“ This beautiful sunshine not only filled her heart .
When I saw the smile , it filled mine too.
” Some months later , Benham also baptized another figure featured in AKA Jane Roe — Connie Gonzalez .
The woman had been a lesbian partner to McCorvey , though their friendship was “ platonic ” later in life per multiple sources .
“ Was she a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Benham .
“ Did she stop the homosexual relationship between Connie and her ?
The answer is yes , because Miss Connie also gave her heart to Christ.
” He ended up baptizing her in a backyard pool .
Yet McCorvey abruptly ended their friendship not long afterward .
“ That hurt Connie when Miss Norma left her , ” he said .
“ She just took off — but that was Miss Norma .
She was your friend until she wasn ’ t .
She did love Jesus , and she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Those who see this film are going to hear some of that from her , in her weaker moments.
” Significant moments from McCorvey ’ s story never made it into the new documentary .
Her best-selling 1998 autobiography Won By Love recounted her change of heart .
Later that year , McCorvey announced her conversion to Catholicism .
In 2001 , her former clinic A Choice for Women closed its doors — one of hundreds nationwide shuttered since then .
The losses and grief also grew , as current estimates report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since 1973 .
Parker believes the legal record allows her to speak for herself .
They first worked together to submit a brief in the case Marie v. Whitman .
“ My case was wrongfully decided , ” she stated .
“ It has caused great harm to the women and children of our nation.
” Three years later , McCorvey filed a 13-page legal motion at the U.S. District Court in Dallas .
It was the same court where Roe v. Wade had been filed on her behalf in 1970 .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to overturn it .
“ My personal experience with this three-decade abortion experiment has compelled me to come forward , ” stated McCorvey .
“ It is with great hope that I now seek to end the tragedy I began.
” The Supreme Court rejected her motion in 2005 and upheld a lower-court decision not to rehear the case .
Yet Parker believes her words still echo .
“ Pro-choice activists are really worried the Supreme Court will overturn Roe , ” he said .
“ It ’ s why they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda-driven film .
“ One day I believe the high court will say : The plaintiffs in Roe and Doe asked us to reverse their cases .
Now we are listening to those women.
” ( Doe was a decision the Supreme Court announced the same day as Roe , overturning the abortion ban in Georgia ) A graduate of the University of Colorado , Josh M. Shepherd covers culture , faith , and public policy issues for media outlets including The Stream and The Federalist .
Find him on Twitter and follow @ @ @ @ @

Early in February 2017, Norma McCorvey — the famed plaintiff “Jane Roe” in monumental U.S. Supreme Court abortion rights case Roe v. Wade — was near death.
“She knew that she was dying,” said Allan Parker, a public interest attorney who served as her legal counsel for 12 years. “I was no longer representing her, but we spoke as a brother and sister in Christ. She thanked me for doing so much to help her overturn Roe v. Wade. She said, ‘I know it’s going to happen someday.’”
Weeks later, Parker recounted that conversation at her funeral when invited by McCorvey’s family to deliver a portion of the eulogy. He emphasized her decades-long struggle to overturn the ruling that bore her name. Catholic priest Fr. Frank Pavone led the memorial service.
Premiering this weekend on Hulu, a documentary entitled AKA Jane Roe presents a different portrait of McCorvey. Director Nick Sweeney, known for his past TV series Born in the Wrong Body and Transgender Kids Camp, interviewed her starting in 2016 in her hometown of Katy, Texas.
“Pro-choice activists are really worried the Supreme Court will overturn Roe. It’s why they’re trying to attack her story in this agenda-driven film.” – Allan Parker
The film includes clips from those interviews, along with commentary from pro-choice figures. High-profile liberal lawyer Gloria Allred plays a prominent role, as does Rob Schenck — an evangelical minister who has renounced his past pro-life advocacy in recent years. Schenck did not respond to an interview request for this story.
Flip Benham, a minister and pro-life activist who baptized McCorvey in 1995, is briefly seen in the film.
“They caught her at a time when she was obviously not well, at her weakest moment,” said Benham in a phone interview. “I’m not going to disagree that the words come right out Norma’s mouth. She was very playful. She’d say things to entertain the guys on the cameras.”
“She was a saved person, and she was still deeply flawed.”
Pro-Life Voices Left Out of New Doc
Starting with an L.A. Times story, national media has been abuzz about the film this week. Sensational headlines say it proves McCorvey was “bribed by the Christian right” and implied that her religious conversion was fake.
Two women who interacted with McCorvey shortly before her death were not interviewed for the ostensibly impartial documentary.
“Activities she did with our Dallas pro-life community were unpaid,” stated Lauren Muzyka, director of Sidewalk Advocates for Life. “There was no doubt in our minds she was pro-life.”
I prayed with Norma McCorvey in front of an abortion facility for the 40 Days for Life-Dallas campaign just before she died. That and so many other activities she did with our Dallas #prolife community were unpaid. There was no doubt in our minds she was pro-life.#NormaMcCorvey — Lauren Muzyka (@LaurenMuzyka) May 20, 2020
Former abortion clinic director Abby Johnson spoke only once with McCorvey, who called Johnson on her deathbed. Johnson admitted in a post online there were “mistakes made” when McCorvey joined the pro-life movement.
“The hours she spent praying in front of abortion facilities were not a lie,” wrote Johnson. “Her life with Christ was not a lie. [The pro-choice lobby] lied about and manipulated her so many years ago. They did it right before her death, and they are even doing it after her death.”
Starting in 2000, Parker represented McCorvey pro-bono through public interest legal firm The Justice Foundation. The group provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in free legal services.
“She would travel around the world telling anybody her story,” said Parker. “Often she did it for free because she was passionately committed. If she was speaking at a pro-life fundraising banquet, then they might give her an honorarium. But she wasn’t ‘paid to change.’”
He recalls her speaking often of working in abortion facilities as a counselor. “That’s what changed her mind,” he said. “She went from supporting abortion to knowing the callous disregard for women that occurred in the abortion industry.”
When An Activist Repented to Norma
Benham first encountered McCorvey at a distance in the mid-1980s, when she worked at abortion centers in the Dallas area.
Volunteers like Benham with Operation Rescue would show up outside abortion facilities, seeking to counsel women to choose life. (Some tactics of the pro-life group, such as entering clinics under false pretenses, have since been widely denounced.)
She came to work at A Choice for Women in the early 90s, and Operation Rescue moved their ministry next door. Yet only through a private confession did Benham connect with her.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
In summer 1994, McCorvey released her first book I Am Roe. Police roped off a massive crowd who showed up for her book signing in downtown Dallas. When McCorvey walked in to the bookstore, Benham shouted at her from the sidewalk.
“Norma McCorvey!” he yelled. “As a result of what you have done and the law that you have given us, you’re responsible for the deaths of over 33 million children!”
Benham recalls the scene. “When I spoke those words, I saw them just fall right into her,” he said. “I thought: Oh my gosh, what have I done? I knew I had grieved the Lord’s spirit and grieved her.”
The following Saturday morning, the two encountered each other alone in the parking lot at the abortion facility. He asked if they could speak. She agreed, and they sat down on a bench.
“When I said those words to you at the book signing, I saw that that hurt you,” Benham recounted. “And I am just so sorry. Please forgive me for that.”
McCorvey rushed inside, mentioning her clinic duties at the time. Years later, she told him what had transpired. “I didn’t get things ready,” she said. “I went into the back room and I wept.”
Roe Wades
Two elementary-age girls often stood and prayed with the Operation Rescue team, daughters of their team administrator. Benham recalls them offering cookies to McCorvey as she would go into the clinic — and imploring her to visit their church.
“One day she did, and that began the relationship,” said Benham. “About five months later, she gave her heart to Christ. I wasn’t supposed to be the guy baptizing her, but she called me up about three days before the baptism and asked me if I would do it.”
Her conversion became a major story worldwide, with the headline Roe Wades (referring to her being submerged in water for baptism) splashed in several magazines.
“When she came up out of that water, there was her effervescent smile,” recalls Benham. “This beautiful sunshine not only filled her heart. When I saw the smile, it filled mine too.”
Some months later, Benham also baptized another figure featured in AKA Jane Roe — Connie Gonzalez. The woman had been a lesbian partner to McCorvey, though their friendship was “platonic” later in life per multiple sources.
“Was she a good friend to Connie? Yes,” said Benham. “Did she stop the homosexual relationship between Connie and her? The answer is yes, because Miss Connie also gave her heart to Christ.” He ended up baptizing her in a backyard pool.
Yet McCorvey abruptly ended their friendship not long afterward. “That hurt Connie when Miss Norma left her,” he said. “She just took off — but that was Miss Norma. She was your friend until she wasn’t. She did love Jesus, and she had very fleshly pulls on her.”
“Those who see this film are going to hear some of that from her, in her weaker moments.”
Victories, Losses, And Hope
Significant moments from McCorvey’s story never made it into the new documentary.
Her best-selling 1998 autobiography Won By Love recounted her change of heart. Later that year, McCorvey announced her conversion to Catholicism. In 2001, her former clinic A Choice for Women closed its doors — one of hundreds nationwide shuttered since then.
The losses and grief also grew, as current estimates report over 61 million abortions in the U.S. since 1973.
“It is with great hope that I now seek to end the tragedy I began.” – Norma McCorvey
Parker believes the legal record allows her to speak for herself. They first worked together to submit a brief in the case Marie v. Whitman. “My case was wrongfully decided,” she stated. “It has caused great harm to the women and children of our nation.”
Three years later, McCorvey filed a 13-page legal motion at the U.S. District Court in Dallas. It was the same court where Roe v. Wade had been filed on her behalf in 1970.
Now her sworn affidavit called for the court to overturn it. “My personal experience with this three-decade abortion experiment has compelled me to come forward,” stated McCorvey. “It is with great hope that I now seek to end the tragedy I began.”
The Supreme Court rejected her motion in 2005 and upheld a lower-court decision not to rehear the case. Yet Parker believes her words still echo. “Pro-choice activists are really worried the Supreme Court will overturn Roe,” he said. “It’s why they’re trying to attack her story in this agenda-driven film.
“One day I believe the high court will say: The plaintiffs in Roe and Doe asked us to reverse their cases. Now we are listening to those women.” (Doe was a decision the Supreme Court announced the same day as Roe, overturning the abortion ban in Georgia.)
A graduate of the University of Colorado, Josh M. Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy issues for media outlets including The Stream and The Federalist. Find him on Twitter and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.


thestream--2020-05-20--The Veil of Deception — Truth is Not a Conspiracy Theory

In 1787 , a woman asked Ben Franklin what sort of government the Founders had given the people .
He said , “ A Republic , ” then added , “ if you can keep it.
” America , with all its spots and blemishes , is still a true gift from God … if we can keep it .
As of now , we have the ability to self-govern and enjoy God-given freedoms .
But the Founders also realized that religion must be the foundation for the Republic to last .
John Adams made this clear when he stated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a moral and religious people .
It is wholly inadequate for any other.
” The reason Christian values are so important is because they promote self-control .
Without self-control , there is more government intervention , oversight and authority .
As U.S .
Congressman Robert Charles Winthrop said in 1849 , “ Men , in a word , must necessarily be controlled , either by a power within them , or by a power without them ; either by the word of God , or by the strong arm of man ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bayonet.
” We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom and truth .
We are being flooded by misinformation primarily because of deception , and deception must be veiled , at least initially , to accomplish its purpose .
Isaiah 33:6 offers one way to unveil deception .
God reminds us that His wisdom and knowledge must be the stability of our times .
God commands us to expose the unfruitful works of darkness with the truth ( Ephesians 5:11 ) .
Truth is the only thing that stabilizes .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clearly forces are working to undermine God , our nation and our families .
When do we sit up , take notice , and expose the unfruitful works of darkness ?
I believe that we need to expose and rip away the veil of deception and recognize what we see around us when : • It ’ s an attack on God ’ s character and His Word .
• When it harms or oppresses the innocent .
• When sin is legally sanctioned .
Legal is not always lawful .
When is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One form of deception is the weaponization of the phrase “ conspiracy theory.
” Its use is often intended to shut down inquiry , to mock and dismiss that which the user does not want examined .
We shouldn ’ t be naive and gullible , but we also can not disregard everything as “ conspiracy theories.
” If something is proven true , it ’ s not a theory .
This begs the question : When do we ignore so-called conspiracy theories , and when do we pay attention ?
For example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to use the COVID-19 crisis as a way to control families gets you labeled a “ conspiracy theorist.
” But is it a legitimate concern ?
For instance , HR-6666 ( if passed ) would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services “ to award grants to eligible entities to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID–19 , and related activities such as contact tracing , through mobile health units and , as necessary , at individuals ’ residences , and for other purposes.
” I can ’ t even begin to tell you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ susceptible to abuse .
To call this an overreach is an understatement — it ’ s a travesty .
It could lead to forcibly removing sick or healthy family members from homes and tracing those with COVID-19 .
Conspiracy nonsense ?
Ventura County said if a family only has one bathroom , they could physically remove the infected family member from their home if the others test negative .
Fortunately , once this information hit the national media , the county quickly backpedaled .
In Oregon , Lindsey Graham reopened her salon business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says two days later Child Protective Services showed up at her home to interrogate her child and determine if she was a fit mother .
Granted , many elected officials and medical personnel are trying to do what ’ s best from their vantage point .
But others are trying to push what they can to see what will be allowed .
( How many politicians , for example , started pushing gun control at the start of the pandemic ? )
It may sound reasonable , even wise to those who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures .
But what prevents the same contact tracing and home invasions being used for whatever other reasons the government deems “ essential ” ?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
And why are we shutting down the economy for this but not other pandemics ?
As a matter of fact , since the 1600s America has experienced health-related epidemics such as typhoid , scarlet , and yellow fevers every 15 years or so , but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jim Garlow and David Barton gave an incredible breakdown on this during a recent podcast titled A History of Pandemics .
It ’ s a must-hear .
An Agenda That ’ s Not Hard to Miss By now , many feel that there is a clear agenda at work .
I don ’ t have time to go into all the inconsistencies such as one day they tell us to wear masks but in other videos they tell us not to .
Or why criminals are being released and law-abiding citizens are being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few relevant examples : The World Health Organization , at China ’ s bidding , downplayed the threat from the virus .
They put us in danger .
And yet , Facebook and YouTube are censoring videos that challenge what WHO is saying or recommending .
WHO , population-control advocate Bill Gates , and Dr. Anthony Fauci are deeply intertwined .
They all have vested interests in the current pandemic .
Should these connections be ignored ?
Journalist Sharyl Attkisson on her show Full Measure exposed the political and financial fight over hydroxychloriquine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which a lot of people involved in our nation ’ s health care decisions have a financial stake in .
YouTube briefly removed the video .
( Thankfully , it ’ s now back up . )
Thirdly , we see skewed numbers , fake visuals , and elevated stats to instill fear .
Consider the recent story of a man dying of alcoholism caught national attention because the cause of death was recorded as COVID-19 .
The San Diego Tribune just ran a story quoting Supervisor Jim Desmond as saying , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pure , solely coronavirus deaths — six out of 3.3 million people.
” I ’ m not minimizing even one death , but there is a greater chance of dying just walking down the street than from COVID-19 in most parts of the USA .
It appears that this is no longer about a virus .
It ’ s also about an election .
Why is the governor in California talking about mail-in voting in November but opened a voting center in Lancaster in May ?
Because the Republican Mike Garcia was poised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I respect my governing official and pray diligently for him and his wife and their kids .
But we are reaching a point where we must lovingly ask hard questions .
Irrational reactions , inconsistent policies , and a severe overreach of authority are devastating our nation .
We must remove the veil of deception .
Sadly , the new deception is that if you are for freedom then you are selfish .
What ’ s the answer ?
It ’ s simple , but it ’ s not easy .
We must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of humility and not approach others with a renegade spirit of rebellion .
But we need watchmen at this pivotal point in America ’ s history .
God asked in Psalm 94:16 , “ Who will rise up for me against the evildoers ?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity ?
” We must be loving yet vocal .
Peaceful , yet bold .
“ On your walls , O Jerusalem , I have set watchmen ; all the day and all the night they shall never be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So it begs the question , are you a watchman , or have you cowarded back from this enormous responsibility ?
It ’ s not that we will never fear , but it ’ s what we do with the fear that matters .
We have a refuge during the storm if we will run to Him .
I don ’ t want to downplay what ’ s going on , but I also don ’ t want to amplify fear .
The Bible tells us not to worry .
Instead , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the consequences of sin and pending judgment , but it also offers a solution : Turn to God with all your heart .
This is a consistent theme in Scripture .
How people respond to a crisis clearly reveals who or what they trust in .
God is always the answer .
Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the creator of the WCF Radio Network .
His program , Regaining Lost Ground , points us back to God and reminds us that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His books , blogs , and sermons can all be found at ShaneIdleman.com .

In 1787, a woman asked Ben Franklin what sort of government the Founders had given the people. He said, “A Republic,” then added, “if you can keep it.” America, with all its spots and blemishes, is still a true gift from God … if we can keep it.
As of now, we have the ability to self-govern and enjoy God-given freedoms. But the Founders also realized that religion must be the foundation for the Republic to last. John Adams made this clear when he stated, “Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”
The reason Christian values are so important is because they promote self-control. Without self-control, there is more government intervention, oversight and authority. As U.S. Congressman Robert Charles Winthrop said in 1849, “Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled, either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible, or by the bayonet.”
Drowning in Information, Starving for Truth
We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom and truth. We are being flooded by misinformation primarily because of deception, and deception must be veiled, at least initially, to accomplish its purpose. Isaiah 33:6 offers one way to unveil deception. God reminds us that His wisdom and knowledge must be the stability of our times. God commands us to expose the unfruitful works of darkness with the truth (Ephesians 5:11). Truth is the only thing that stabilizes.
When do we ignore so-called conspiracy theories, and when do we pay attention?
And certainly we are in unstable times. Clearly forces are working to undermine God, our nation and our families. When do we sit up, take notice, and expose the unfruitful works of darkness? I believe that we need to expose and rip away the veil of deception and recognize what we see around us when:
It’s an attack on God’s character and His Word.
It’s an attack on God-given freedoms.
When it harms or oppresses the innocent.
When sin is legally sanctioned. Legal is not always lawful.
When is a Conspiracy Theory Not a Conspiracy Theory
One form of deception is the weaponization of the phrase “conspiracy theory.” Its use is often intended to shut down inquiry, to mock and dismiss that which the user does not want examined. We shouldn’t be naive and gullible, but we also cannot disregard everything as “conspiracy theories.” If something is proven true, it’s not a theory.
This begs the question: When do we ignore so-called conspiracy theories, and when do we pay attention?
For example, to say certain government officials want to use the COVID-19 crisis as a way to control families gets you labeled a “conspiracy theorist.” But is it a legitimate concern?
For instance, HR-6666 (if passed) would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services “to award grants to eligible entities to conduct diagnostic testing for COVID–19, and related activities such as contact tracing, through mobile health units and, as necessary, at individuals’ residences, and for other purposes.” I can’t even begin to tell you how harmful this can become. How susceptible to abuse. To call this an overreach is an understatement — it’s a travesty. It could lead to forcibly removing sick or healthy family members from homes and tracing those with COVID-19.
Conspiracy nonsense? Ventura County said if a family only has one bathroom, they could physically remove the infected family member from their home if the others test negative. Fortunately, once this information hit the national media, the county quickly backpedaled.
In Oregon, Lindsey Graham reopened her salon business in defiance of the state. She says two days later Child Protective Services showed up at her home to interrogate her child and determine if she was a fit mother.
Granted, many elected officials and medical personnel are trying to do what’s best from their vantage point. But others are trying to push what they can to see what will be allowed. (How many politicians, for example, started pushing gun control at the start of the pandemic?)
It may sound reasonable, even wise to those who are panicked about COVID-19, to take extreme measures. But what prevents the same contact tracing and home invasions being used for whatever other reasons the government deems “essential”?
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
And why are we shutting down the economy for this but not other pandemics? As a matter of fact, since the 1600s America has experienced health-related epidemics such as typhoid, scarlet, and yellow fevers every 15 years or so, but we have never taken such extreme measures. Jim Garlow and David Barton gave an incredible breakdown on this during a recent podcast titled A History of Pandemics. It’s a must-hear.
An Agenda That’s Not Hard to Miss
By now, many feel that there is a clear agenda at work. I don’t have time to go into all the inconsistencies such as one day they tell us to wear masks but in other videos they tell us not to. Or why criminals are being released and law-abiding citizens are being arrested. But let me offer a few relevant examples:
The World Health Organization, at China’s bidding, downplayed the threat from the virus. They put us in danger. And yet, Facebook and YouTube are censoring videos that challenge what WHO is saying or recommending. WHO, population-control advocate Bill Gates, and Dr. Anthony Fauci are deeply intertwined. They all have vested interests in the current pandemic. Should these connections be ignored?
Journalist Sharyl Attkisson on her show Full Measure exposed the political and financial fight over hydroxychloriquine, a very cheap drug vs. remdesivir, which a lot of people involved in our nation’s health care decisions have a financial stake in. YouTube briefly removed the video. (Thankfully, it’s now back up.)
Thirdly, we see skewed numbers, fake visuals, and elevated stats to instill fear. Consider the recent story of a man dying of alcoholism caught national attention because the cause of death was recorded as COVID-19.
The San Diego Tribune just ran a story quoting Supervisor Jim Desmond as saying, “We’ve unfortunately had six pure, solely coronavirus deaths — six out of 3.3 million people.” I’m not minimizing even one death, but there is a greater chance of dying just walking down the street than from COVID-19 in most parts of the USA.
It’s About an Election
It appears that this is no longer about a virus. It’s also about an election. Why is the governor in California talking about mail-in voting in November but opened a voting center in Lancaster in May? Because the Republican Mike Garcia was poised to win (and did).
I respect my governing official and pray diligently for him and his wife and their kids. But we are reaching a point where we must lovingly ask hard questions. Irrational reactions, inconsistent policies, and a severe overreach of authority are devastating our nation. We must remove the veil of deception.
Sadly, the new deception is that if you are for freedom then you are selfish.
What’s the Real Answer?
What’s the answer? It’s simple, but it’s not easy. We must turn back to God with a spirit of humility and not approach others with a renegade spirit of rebellion. But we need watchmen at this pivotal point in America’s history. God asked in Psalm 94:16, “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?” We must be loving yet vocal. Peaceful, yet bold. “On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent” (Isaiah 62:6). So it begs the question, are you a watchman, or have you cowarded back from this enormous responsibility?
It’s not that we will never fear, but it’s what we do with the fear that matters. We have a refuge during the storm if we will run to Him. I don’t want to downplay what’s going on, but I also don’t want to amplify fear. The Bible tells us not to worry. Instead, it provides hope. It’s honest about the consequences of sin and pending judgment, but it also offers a solution: Turn to God with all your heart. This is a consistent theme in Scripture. How people respond to a crisis clearly reveals who or what they trust in. God is always the answer.
(For those interested, you can hear the sermon where this article came from here.)
Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California and the creator of the WCF Radio Network. His program, Regaining Lost Ground, points us back to God and reminds us that although times change, truth does not. His books, blogs, and sermons can all be found at ShaneIdleman.com.


thestream--2020-05-20--God is Judging Us. Someday We’ll Get Hit With Something Worse Than the Virus

Today , May 20th , begins Phase One in the reopening of the State of Connecticut , after more than two months of a coronavirus lockdown .
Coincidentally , the Old Testament reading in the Bible in a Year for May 20th is 2 Samuel 23-24 , which includes a plague as a punishment from God .
“ So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time ; and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
” Then , at the instruction of a prophet , King David builds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ So the LORD heeded supplications for the land , and the plague was averted from Israel.
” God does similar things all through the Bible .
I wrote about this a couple weeks ago .
This is why I was so struck by the reticence to discuss — nay , outright denial — that God may be doing it right now .
He acts this way never or rarely , it was said .
One must distinguish between God ’ s active and passive will .
Others have suffered worse and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when it ’ s our land .
We only ascribe Divine wrath to the sins of which we are not guilty and not our own sins .
Some of these arguments were better than others .
What they all had in common was a desire that it not be so .
And a shutting of our eyes to the fact that God does do this sometimes , perhaps more often than systematic theology will admit .
( Someone once joked that God does things in the Bible that a systematic theologian would never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think , as we are nearing the end of what may be the worst of the coronavirus plague , our lack of interest in , or dismissal of , the possibility of Divine Wrath , was a missed opportunity with potentially grave consequences .
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political , Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day .
At the start of it all , I poohed-poohed liberals for putting their trust in The Great Whatever .
But we conservatives have our own Great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us from focusing on God ’ s will .
My Catholic newsfeed was far less interested in discerning God ’ s will than in complaining about the bishops temporarily suspending Mass .
My conservative newsfeed was obsessed with a “ plandemic , ” with how the whole thing , or large parts of it , was a hoax perpetrated for evil ends .
It ’ s not that I disagreed with their points .
I , too , wish the bishops had been more creative in feeding their flocks .
I , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elites .
It was not that I disagreed .
It was that some people ’ s focus on these things was disproportionate .
They missed the biggest Coronavirus story of all .
There is a plague on our land because we have sinned .
We need to repent .
But there is little public effort in that regard , certainly not in comparison to our complaints about the bishops or plandemics .
No altar like David ’ s .
No Psalm 51 .
When 9/11 hit , I immediately saw that as God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crude sense that Jerry Falwell did .
Mindful of Jesus ’ admonition about the men who died when the tower fell on them , I ’ m not pointing fingers at any one person .
But we know , from the Old Testament to Our Lady of Fatima , that war is a punishment for our sins .
And that good and bad alike may be among the casualties , as when the Spanish Influenza took the lives of two of the three Fatima visionaries .
Our response in the years since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heels against God even more , as I said at the time of the Boston Marathon Bombing .
Consequently , I ’ ve suspected for nearly twenty years now that someday we would be hit by something bigger than 9/11 , something that would make 9/11 look like a walk in the park .
In terms of mass casualties and economic destruction , coronavirus is it .
And still no repentance .
Just the usual distractions , some tailor-made for the Left , others for the Right .
We Will Return , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course the current pandemic takes , coronavirus will be behind us at some point .
We will , as much as possible , return to the way things were before it hit us .
Which is a shame .
Because someday we are going to get hit with something that will make the coronavirus look like a walk in the park .
God help us now .
God help us repent .
Peter Wolfgang is president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action .
He lives in Waterbury , Connecticut , with his wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressed on The Stream are solely his own .

Today, May 20th, begins Phase One in the reopening of the State of Connecticut, after more than two months of a coronavirus lockdown. Coincidentally, the Old Testament reading in the Bible in a Year for May 20th is 2 Samuel 23-24, which includes a plague as a punishment from God.
“So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men.” Then, at the instruction of a prophet, King David builds an altar and makes offerings to God. “So the LORD heeded supplications for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.”
God does similar things all through the Bible. I wrote about this a couple weeks ago. This is why I was so struck by the reticence to discuss — nay, outright denial — that God may be doing it right now.
A Missed Opportunity
He acts this way never or rarely, it was said. One must distinguish between God’s active and passive will. Others have suffered worse and we only think it’s apocalyptic when it’s our land. We only ascribe Divine wrath to the sins of which we are not guilty and not our own sins.
Some of these arguments were better than others. What they all had in common was a desire that it not be so. And a shutting of our eyes to the fact that God does do this sometimes, perhaps more often than systematic theology will admit. (Someone once joked that God does things in the Bible that a systematic theologian would never allow him to do.)
But I think, as we are nearing the end of what may be the worst of the coronavirus plague, our lack of interest in, or dismissal of, the possibility of Divine Wrath, was a missed opportunity with potentially grave consequences.
Please Support The Stream : Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic, and Moral Issues of Our Day.
At the start of it all, I poohed-poohed liberals for putting their trust in The Great Whatever. But we conservatives have our own Great Whatevers, our own idols that distract us from focusing on God’s will.
My Catholic newsfeed was far less interested in discerning God’s will than in complaining about the bishops temporarily suspending Mass. My conservative newsfeed was obsessed with a “plandemic,” with how the whole thing, or large parts of it, was a hoax perpetrated for evil ends.
It’s not that I disagreed with their points. I, too, wish the bishops had been more creative in feeding their flocks. I, too, have a deep distrust of our elites.
It was not that I disagreed. It was that some people’s focus on these things was disproportionate. They missed the biggest Coronavirus story of all.
There is a plague on our land because we have sinned. We need to repent.
God’s Wrath
But there is little public effort in that regard, certainly not in comparison to our complaints about the bishops or plandemics. No altar like David’s. No Psalm 51.
When 9/11 hit, I immediately saw that as God’s wrath too. Not in the crude sense that Jerry Falwell did. Mindful of Jesus’ admonition about the men who died when the tower fell on them, I’m not pointing fingers at any one person. But we know, from the Old Testament to Our Lady of Fatima, that war is a punishment for our sins. And that good and bad alike may be among the casualties, as when the Spanish Influenza took the lives of two of the three Fatima visionaries.
Our response in the years since 9/11 has been to dig in our heels against God even more, as I said at the time of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Consequently, I’ve suspected for nearly twenty years now that someday we would be hit by something bigger than 9/11, something that would make 9/11 look like a walk in the park.
In terms of mass casualties and economic destruction, coronavirus is it. And still no repentance. Just the usual distractions, some tailor-made for the Left, others for the Right.
We Will Return, and We Shouldn’t
Regardless of whatever course the current pandemic takes, coronavirus will be behind us at some point. We will, as much as possible, return to the way things were before it hit us.
Which is a shame. Because someday we are going to get hit with something that will make the coronavirus look like a walk in the park.
God help us now. God help us repent.
Peter Wolfgang is president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action. He lives in Waterbury, Connecticut, with his wife and their seven children. The views expressed on The Stream are solely his own.