“C’mon, Man! They Aren’t ‘Newcomers.’ They’re Illegal Alien Criminals!”

WHEN THE G.O.P. finally mustered the temerity to scold the brain-dead Biden regime over the mass invasion of completely unvetted aliens at the southern border, the regime pretended to be responsive by suggesting it might release classified materials about U.F.O.s, and one supposes, the aliens that piloted them. As usual, it was all a big hoax. As usual, the G.O.P. didn’t get it. But those few Republicans who really do care are alarmed by the regime’s propensity to let the free-range illegals get away with additional crimes. In fact, the regime wants to reward their illegal acts with citizenship by executive order, according to a recent report. It could affect one million or more criminal aliens. It’s galling. And appalling.

On April 16th, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim report entitled, “How the Biden Administration’s Lax Immigration Enforcement Allows Dangerous Criminal Aliens to Run Free in American Communities” (here), which describes how the Biden massive catch-and-release policy and failure to deport, including criminal aliens, is adversely affecting Americans. It’s an illuminating report, but unfortunately, there is no accompanying legislation to be passed. All the House could muster was a resolution, H. Res. 1112, denouncing the regime’s policy, here. 

One drawback is the regime’s enforcement priorities, which can make it needlessly difficult for ICE agents to arrest criminal illegal aliens. ICE is given a list of ‘mitigating factors’ that must be considered before the aliens can be arrested and/or deported. These include: “An illegal alien’s age and length of presence in the United States; [A] mental condition that may have contributed to the criminal conduct, or a physical or mental condition requiring care or treatment;[I]mpact of removal on family in the United States, such as loss of provider or caregiver; [W]hether the [alien] may be eligible for humanitarian protection or other immigration relief; and”[T]ime since an offense and evidence of rehabilitation.” Training materials produced in the ‘Mayorkas Memo’  does nothing to elucidate the criteria, but instead, stresses a presumptive sympathy for them.

There are other problems, too, including, for example, the application of the unconstitutional ‘parole programs,’especially those aimed at Venezuelans, who are granted an unlimited period of time in the country even if they have a known criminal history. Regardless of the problems, the open borders, incentives from the regime, and a general disregard for national security and public safety have only exacerbated them.

Even the regime can grok that all these multiple millions of new aliens cannot receive welfare forever, so work permits will necessarily be issued to them. This has long-term illegals incensed. They are working openly but illegally, some supporting their ‘anchor babies,’ and believe, with some basis, they should be prioritized, not the so-called ‘newcomers.’ Dems have urged this. It seems the Biden regime thought that would play well with the massive existing immigrant community, but it seems there is some sense of propriety among criminals regardless of nationality. This sh!t isn’t playing too well with blacks or poor Americans, either…

’Volt Typhoon’ Is Not the Latest ‘Climate Change’ Scam.

THE GOVERNMENT cannot be trusted. We must realize this by now. Still, even a broken analog clock is right twice a day, and a digital one, once. What its big warning to us last week was about the C.C.P.. Not Russia, as you might expect, but China, which you wouldn’t under the Biden regime.  F.B.I. Director Christopher Wray said last week that China was developing the “ability to physically wreak havoc” on America’s critical infrastructure, calling it “the defining threat of our generation.” (He clearly hasn’t heard of the massive border invasion and subsequent crimes being waged against us.) Wray insists Beijing is awaiting just the right moment to sic its hackers on us. 

Apparently, there is a government-sponsored hacking campaign known as Volt Typhoon (or elsewhere as Vanguard Panda, Bronze Silhouette, or Insidious Taurus) which had been disclosed by the U.S. and key allies a year ago (who knew?) Microsoft reportedly discovered it and found it targeted a lot—from our telecommunication networks to transportation hubs (who knew²?) Supposedly, Wray asserted, Volt Typhoon succeeded in gaining access to American telecommunications, energy, water, and other vital infrastructure. And allegedly, it has been suspected for five years (who knew³?).

Last year, Microsoft was moderately confident that China was prepared to sabotage U.S. networks in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, meaning it was plausible as well as sourced intel, but uncorroborated. Now it appears China took control of vulnerable routers, modems, virtual private networks, internet-connected security cameras, and other vulnerable digital devices using stolen login credentials in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific to hide its future downstream attacks. To maintain stealth, the threat actor relies largely on “living-off-the-land techniques and hands-on-keyboard activity,” according to ars technica. The group of remotely-controlled systems is called a botnet, and can make attribution difficult. 

Beijing denies the accusations, but has a known history of operating cyber-espionage campaigns against the U.S.. American ally the Philippines, has recently ID’d similar hacking, as has the Netherlands, home of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court at the Hague, and Guam. As for Biden regime, it is gearing up to blame the Chinese for election interference in November (but presumably only if Biden loses to Trump.) 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, CISA, has seemingly located and destroyed Chinese intrusions in multiple critical infrastructure sectors. Meanwhile, advisories from the National Security Agency, CISA, F.B.I., and their Five Eyes’ analogues have been issued, along with best practices to detect such hacks. With southern and northern border breaches in the U.S. by totally unvetted military age men from all over the world, including China, there is reason for alarm. Could the CCP be attempting to wage a war against us from within?

When Sympathy-Fatigue Becomes Narcoleptic

HAITI HAS BEEN A DISASTER for many years. Throughout most of those years, American pols have been interfering with, and heightening the conflict there, much to our shame. Joe Biden is only the latest to muck up the works in this poor, corrupt, and failed nation, by facilitating the migration of its middle class to our weary shores (along with the rest of the world) after the recent collapse of the Haitian government. (Background here & here.)

With Haiti’s best and brightest lured away by Biden, there are few remaining to fill in the governance gap in this nation. In 2021 alone, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas welcomed at least 46,000 illegal alien Haitians to the U.S. and in 2022, gave ‘Temporary Protected Status’ to 110,000 more. The total amounts to 250,000 illegal aliens from Haiti.

Nominally, Haiti has been being run by an unelected prime minister (with U.S. help), Ariel Henry, who has neither the internal support or resources to control the escalating violence. (Haiti has, in fact, been run by gangs since the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, back in 2021.) Henry left the country early this month for Kenya where he asked for help from President William Ruto in providing police officers for a United Nations-approved Multinational Security Support mission. 

Things only got worse. When Henry was away, armed militias, headed by a notoriously violent thug and G9 gang boss named Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, freed 4,000 criminals from prison, who surrounded Port-au-Prince’s airport, thereby preventing Henry’s return. Henry is presently stranded in Puerto Rico, where he announced last week he would resign after the establishment of a ‘Transitional Presidential Council,’ which Barbecue naturally opposes. Civil war is imminent. Reports of cannibalism have been headlined.

Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, and the U.N. apparently thought it could just set up an ‘airbridge’ to ferry in aid by plane from there to Haiti, but it didn’t bother running the scheme by the D.R. In fact, the Dominicans were rather pissed, as the U.N. had, in no uncertain terms, discouraged them from deporting Haitians, for whom the Dominicans had no real means to help, especially in light of the national security issues it would surely face. 

Typical of the U.N., it thought it could just demand compliance from this peaceful nation, making money from tourism, to voluntarily take on the burdens of another of the world’s failed states. The U.N. was ignorantly oblivious to the fact that Dominican President Luis Abinader had, in fact, made it a campaign pledge in 2022 to combat illegal immigration there and build a 250-mile border wall between the two diametrically different nations sharing one island. 

Naturally, this crisis is only exacerbating the American illegal migrant crisis, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for one, is very concerned. His office issued a statement on Wednesday (here), falling short on declaring an invasion—yet. On Friday, he said Florida had intercepted a vessel transporting 25 military-age Haitian males carrying guns, drugs, and night vision equipment.

In other words, they weren’t just rag-tag huddled masses in danger in international waters on unseaworthy vessels who were simply yearning to be free and rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard—and getting a so-called ‘shark visa.’ DeSantis turned these men over to the Coast Guard for deportation, but who knows if, under the Biden regime, this happened. The Sunshine State’s governor made clear he was not going to let Haitians, or any illegal aliens, enter Florida, however. He deployed additional assets to ensure it in ‘Operation Vigilant Sentry,’ by adding 39 officers from the Department of Law Enforcement, 23 from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 48 more Florida National Guardsmen, and 30 Highway Patrol officers. 

These 25 men were traveling recklessly, DeSantis said, and were only 40 miles south of Port Canaveral, home of one of the busiest international cruise terminals in the world, close to famous vacation city of Orlando, and the center of the Space Coast, from where rockets, both government and civilian, are routinely launched, often carrying payloads of sensitive satellites. Of note, Port Canaveral is halfway up the eastern coast of the long state, not just off the peninsular tip where one might more reasonably expect migrants to attempt to set foot. In other words, the port is an attractive target for terrorism. It has every reason in the world to worry.

DeSantis is also signed a new law on Friday, Senate Bill 1036, which increases the penalties for crimes committed by repeat offenders who crossed the border illegally. Effective Oct. 1st, the new law will treat these crimes as second- rather than third degree felonies, and will carry up to 15 years in prison. Other new laws are also designed to make life harder for illegal aliens in the state. (Summary here.) In his press conference, he said, “The federal government has failed in its responsibility to secure our southern border, leaving states to fend for themselves. In Florida, we do not tolerate illegal immigration, let alone lawlessness committed by illegal aliens who shouldn’t be here in the first place.” 

Usually liberal Palm Beach County has taken a stand, too. County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw severely criticized the Biden regime for its exceedingly dangerous immigration policies after three Guatemalan illegal aliens were arrested for kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman—twice— west of Lake Worth Beach on Tuesday. He fears his office will be deluged with alien criminals, and he is surely correct in his concerns.

Florida’s officials are mere fingers in a dyke, however. Biden not only implemented a ‘fast-track’ visa program for Haitians, he has simply opened the borders to criminals from other countries, including Haiti. The U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review (who knew it even existed?) reports a 19.5% increase in arrests of Haitian migrants from FY23 compared to FY22. This isn’t particularly surprising, given 15,000 Haitians illegally entered the U.S. in a 5-day period in 2021. Antony Blinken dispatched a $4 billion aid package at that time, which, like money sent to Ukraine, has not benefitted anyone except corrupt foreign regimes. Americans are now the tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and no one in Washington hears their weary cries.

Both ‘Moscow Mitch’ and Trump Endure Dem’s McCarthyism Mischief Yet Hate Each Other Anyway.

Image: credit.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) age 82, is in the news this week despite having appeared to be a walking corpse for some time. The neocon has at long last said he’d be leaving his leadership seat, but not until November. He is already the longest-serving Senate leader in history, not to mention, a case study in the prudence of term limits. He will continue his senator role until his term ends in—wait for it!—Jan. of 2027, three years away!

Some believe McConnell’s timing has to do with the fact he will not be welcomed in the new Trump administration in November and his life could become quite miserable given his longstanding dearth of enthusiasm for the 45th, rightful 46th, and putative 47th President of the United States. (He is expected to finally endorse Trump, after ‘negotiations’.) This is the best he can do to cling to power for as long as possible and hand the torch to his heir apparent, John Thune. It may be a correct assessment, though I’d note it may be based on other factors, as well.

One of those factors may or may not be the mysterious death of his sister-in-law, Angela Chao, 50, on Feb. 11th. She had been found dead inside her sinking vehicle in a pond near a ranch in Johnson City, Texas. She had been the C.E.O. of the Foremost Group, a New York based dry bulk shipping company that her parents founded in 1964, before the family left Taiwan in 1961. The ranch is owned by a corporation linked somehow to Chao’s husband, Jim Breyer. 

Angela’s death is now under criminal investigation by police despite the fact it was reported foul play was not suspected. No official cause of death has been revealed. McConnell made a point to express difficulty his wife, Elaine Chao, has had coping with the loss of a seemingly accomplished woman. McConnell married Elaine, his second wife, in 1993. Elaine had been Transportation Secretary for Trump, but resigned abruptly after Jan. 6th, 2021, citing ‘avoidable violence.’ Clearly she is no more a fan of Trump’s than Mitch, even though she owed a posh gig to him. Her resignation probably had nothing to do with allegations of abuse of office to benefit her husband’s constituency and his, nothing to do with being disliked equally across party lines.

Let Letitia Eat Dem Bugs!

OVER THE YEARS, I’VE CHANGED MY MIND on a number of things, but one I haven’t is on the question of electing prosecutors or judges—especially prosecutors AND judges. The simplest explanation for my position is that the administration of justice should not be politicized. 

I’ve lived in two states, New York and Florida, that do this. I tolerate it better in Florida than New York because I’m more aligned to the political sensibilities of Tallahassee than to Albany, or Palm Beach County than to New York or Kings Counties. Case in point is New York Attorney General Letitia James and a cohort of crazy judges in the news.Her latest nutty caper is a lawsuit she filed in Manhattan against a mega meatpacking company, JBS USA Foods Co. Nuttier still is she tweeted about it:

“I’m suing @JBSFoodsUSA, the world’s largest beef producer, for misleading the public about its environmental impact. The beef industry is one of the largest contributors to climate change, and JBS has falsely advertised its commitment to sustainability and endangered our planet. JBS greenwashed its environmental harms to drive sales and exploited hardworking families. Companies cannot deceive people about their impacts on our planet.”

In a statement, she added:

“Families [are] willing to spend more of their hard-earned money on products from brands that are better for the environment. JBS USA’s greenwashing exploits the pocketbooks of everyday Americans and the promise of a healthy planet for future generations.”

What families? I’m not willing to fork over more for highly-inflated food under the Biden regime. In fact, I don’t even know if meat I buy in NYC is from JBS or not. I don’t think I’m alone, either. And what’s with the beef-shit about a ‘healthy’ planet? Planets are not biological entities that can even have a state of healthfulness or unhealthfulness. And never mind the anthropogenic climate change nonsense. She can eat bugs! I sure ain’t! The Complaint is here.

James is apparently angry that JBS wanted to boost its sales and that the company has “no viable plan” to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, making its commitment to the goal false and misleading and in violation of the law. That would be impossible, especially since JBS plans to increase production—and therefore, its ‘carbon footprint.’ James may be right that JBS ads were misleading, but climate change and ‘net-zero’ benefits are inherently controversial.

James should focus on NYC’s and Mayor Eric Adams’ misrepresentations to the same proverbial ‘hard-working families’ about the dangers of the unvetted ‘paroled’ influx of illegal aliens in the City. (See e.g., here, here, and here for but only a few recent examples of the problem.)

Компромат on Biden Will Eventually Make Him Persona Non Grata.

YOU CAN LAUGH OR CRY, but it’s neither funny nor sad. It’s appalling. It’s appalling when news proclaims something as mis- or disinformation simply because it doesn’t comport to its desired narrative. This has been the case with Dems since, at least, 2015: probably longer, if I cared to examine the facts more closely. Such is definitely the case when on Tuesday, MSM described allegations made by an F.B.I. informant about Joe and Hunter Biden as ‘discredited’ because the informant allegedly has high-level ties to Russian intelligence, and those alleged ties are, ipso facto, all it takes to put a definitive kabosh on his veracity. MSM simply parrots the government’s propaganda without meaningful scrutiny or thoughtful analysis.

Alexander Smirnov, 43, is the individual whose credibility is at stake. He is a former confidential human source for the F.B.I. who told his handler he had had meetings with several Russian officials linked to the country’s intelligence services, according to special counsel David Weiss and his team of prosecutors. Smirnov apparently told his handler that the Russian Intelligence Service had intercepted several cellphone calls initiated from a hotel “by prominent U.S. persons the Russian government may use a ‘kompromat’ in the 2024 election.” Smirnov had reported contacts with “Russian Officials 1 and 2.” 

Essentially, Smirnov said these Russians passed a story about Hunter Biden, according to a detention report filed by Weiss after Smirnov’s his arrest and indictment for allegedly providing false information about Joe and Hunter Biden as well as obstruction, both felonies. (His indictment is here. That report can be viewed here.) The allegedly false statement was to the F.B.I. in June 2020 when Smirnov said that officials with the Ukrainian energy company Hunter was involved in, Burisma Holdings, paid the Bidens $5 million each in 2015 or 2016.

“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1,” prosecutors said, adding, “Businessperson 1 was described as “the son of a a political figure who ran for president in 2020,” and since it is one whose name cannot be uttered, I guess it would be fair to simply point at Hunter Biden and whistle, so long as we don’t blow that whistle.

Prosecutors further stated that on that same day, Feb. 14th, Smirnov was arrested in the District of Nevada when he was returning to the U.S. on an international flight. Two days later, he was supposedly scheduled to fly out of the U.S. for a lengthy multi-country trip involving more such meetings with foreign intelligence agencies and officials, prompting a need for his continued detention. However, the court disagreed, releasing Smirnov contingent on his being subject to GPS monitoring and his surrendering of his American and Israeli passports. And prosecutors’ latest complaints concern Smirnov’s “actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November.” The old Russia meddling and collusion narratives meet 2024…

‘Sudden Death Syndrome’ Chills Putin Critic in Siberian Penal Colony.

Image: credit.

YOU CAN BE SURE A NATIONAL ELECTION is underway in the United States when Vladimir Putin is demonized by the West and some opponent of his, real or imagined, is found dead somewhere. Putin is, after all, Washington’s favorite bogeyman, and Deep Staters know very well the election outcome can be skewed by invoking Putin’s name and associating him with one’s own political enemies. It’s an old ploy…

The latest opponent to apparently become a victim was a lawyer named Alexei Navalny. In December, he moved from a prison in central Russia to Polar Wolf prison camp in Siberia, quite far north in the region of Yamal-Nenets in the Arctic Circle. He undoubtedly would have preferred the warmer climate, but he pissed Putin off by, among other things, making allegations of, and reporting about fraud in state-run organizations, such as Gazprom and Rosneft, through his Foundation for Fighting Corruption, and staged huge anti-Kremlin protests. 

In 2013, Navalny ran for mayor of Moscow, but lost. Late the following year, he and his brother, Oleg, were found guilty of fraud in a highly publicized case. They appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, which found Russia violated the right to a fair trial. He announced his run for president of Russia in 2018, but was barred from running, causing there to be “serious doubt” on the outcome by the E.U. He accused then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption. He successfully began the ‘Smart Voting’ strategy, which encouraged voting for anyone not in the Kremlin’s United Russia party. 

In 2020, Navalny fell ill on a flight and was hospitalized in Berlin for what turned out to be a poisoning from a Soviet-era nerve agent. He blamed the Kremlin, which denied responsibility. He was arrested for a parole violation when he returned to Russia, triggering major protests where thousands were arrested. He was sentenced to 2.5 years for parole violation, and staged a hunger strike. His Foundation was outlawed in 2021. 

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, which Navalny condemned from prison. Less than a month later, he was sentenced to nine years for embezzlement and contempt of court in what was likely a fabricated case. That summer, his supporters relaunched his Foundation on an international scale and he continued to file his lawsuits from prison. By 2023, after experienced stomach problems, over 400 Russian physicians signed an open letter to Putin expressing concern about Navalny’s health. He suspected he was being poisoned. That year, a film about his life won an Oscar just as he faced new ‘extremism’ and terrorism charges. Navalny’s trial was closed to the public. He was sentenced to 19 years. Three of his attorneys were detained, and their homes searched. 

In late 2023, new charges were brought against Navalny for vandalism. QR codes were put on billboards across Russia leading smartphones to a hidden website which urged Russians to campaign against Putin in his 2024 reelection bid. It was a proxy for the war in Ukraine. 

Navalny missed his court appearance via video link which was explained away citing electricity problems. His location was unknown until Christmas when he was located in the Arctic Circle prison. One day last week, he reportedly began to feel unwell after a walk. Authorities stated Navalny died in prison at age 47. 

For over a week, MSM has speculated as to what really happened. We’ll probably never know. It appears the CCTV cameras at the prison were disconnected days before Navalny’s death. 

Navalny was described by the Associated Press as being Putin’s “fiercest foe” and “top opposition leader.” He was also considered Russia’s “most prominent political prisoner.” It’s a safe bet his accusations of corruption were largely true. 

If the Kremlin and Putin were behind his demise, it would be modus operandi. His wife hasn’t received his body, which is being held by authorities, likely to prevent an independent autopsy until the nerve agent disappears in his body. His wife blames Putin of killing him. 

In the U.S., the idea of the wall-to-wall coverage is either a psyop to keep wondering minds distracted from questioning its own corrupt state, or, alternatively, an object lesson for American citizens about what can happen to those who disobey the regime and vote for the guy whose name rhymes with ‘dump’ or ‘bump.’ Pick your poison.

A Cold Shoulder to ICE’s Plan to Release MORE Detained Illegal Aliens

THE BIDEN REGIME is angry, vengeful, and destructive. The latest example of this is that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to release thousands upon thousands of illegal aliens it has detained and further slash its capacity to hold them in the future. Why? Money, of course! 

The G.O.P. refused to pass their giveaway bill to fund foreign wars in Ukraine, Israel, and possibly Taiwan, so they said, in effect, ‘No money for Ukraine? Well, no money to detain illegal aliens here.’ They claim that ridiculous, insulting, and dangerous ‘border bill’ the Senate passed and the House wisely refused to take up would have somehow, according to a truly misleading Washington Postarticle, “erase[d] a $700 million budget shortfall,” which was required to house these people. Hey, pal, hows about you keep ‘em out in the first effing place, huh? It’s imperative MAGA Republicans hand onto principle—the regime certainly isn’t. Ask those crooks why, all of a sudden, they actually CARE about the budget.

Additional money is most affirmatively NOT needed. All that is needed is to enforce EXISTING U.S. immigration laws, and keeping illegals out. If we can control the numbers of qualified immigrants coming into the country, they could be a net-plus, not an existential burden. 

Of all people, ICE agents should know full well how releasing even more illegal aliens can destroy this country and its citizens. Earlier this month, a video cam recorded eight illegal aliens from Venezuela beating two New York City cops to a pulp. The cops were Lt. Ben Kurian and Officer Tian Zunxu. They were patrolling Times Square. The NYPD quickly arrested four of them for second-degree assault and obstruction: Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, and Yorman Reveron, 24. Unfortunately, a judge released them without bail because the D.A.’s office, led by George Soros-backed Alvin Bragg didn’t bother to request it. 

Adding insult to injury, these guys have a criminal history. You see, they’ve been in the country illegally for over a year. A fifth suspect, Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested later and released without bail. Two others were arraigned last week: Jandry Barros, 21, and Yohenry Brito, 24. Only Brito was held on bail. A couple of them fled to California and ended up being nabbed—by ICE—in Phoenix, or so we were led to believe. Turns out, they’re still at large. Adding insult to injury, these guys all have criminal histories: they’ve been in the country illegally for over a year.

Meanwhile, Americans can look forward to even more homeless aliens living on their streets or demanding deluxe hotel rooms, a restaurant allowance, ‘free’ pre-paid credit cards and cellphones, laundry services, and of course, free medical and education. What a country! What an effing stupid country!

No Servers Crashed, but News Broke.

THURSDAY, February 8, 2024 may be one of the most consequential and intense news days of my life, with stories breaking, developing, and resolving in rapid succession. 

In Trump news, with little time to have even fully digested the appeals court ruling on Trump’s presidential immunity claim from earlier in the week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the 14th Amendment argument by Colorado to keep the 45th president off that state’s ballot in November. It should be an easy case, but one of first impression, so who knows how it will go. The justices, even the liberal ones, seemed highly dubious of ruling for Colorado, however. Then Trump gave a presser at Mar-A-Lago afterward. Usual Trump silliness, but no one’s perfect.

Later, the Virgin Islands finished its caucus which Trump won with 74% of the votes and 99% counted. Neither G.O.P. presidential candidate went to the V.I. to campaign, though Haley worked the territory hard and did virtual appearances. She came in second with 26% of the vote. 

The day before, Wednesday, Haley had lost the primary in Nevada, which is holding both a primary and caucus for reasons previously articulated. She lost there, too. Not only did she lose, she lost to “none of these candidates.” Trump wasn’t in the primary: he chose to participate in the caucus, instead, which is where the delegates were assigned. 

Nevada began its caucus later on Thursday, and again, Trump won. The lines to caucus were reportedly literally a mile long with two hour waits in some precincts. Turnout broke records. People waited their turn even though it was cold. These were voters who were told in no uncertain terms, and who instinctively understood, Trump would need to win by a landslide to prevent cheating in the general election. The final tally was 98.8% for Trump, giving him 26 delegates, though no one else of consequence was on the ballot. It seems some voters voted twice, and it wasn’t all that clear they couldn’t legally, which is as weird as holding both a primary and a caucus is.

Then at 6 p.m. EDT, Tucker Carlson’s highly anticipated two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin was cast on his website and on X, formerly known as Twitter. It was a smashing success—no servers crashed that I know of—and fascinating. Despite American predictions to the contrary, Putin is still alive and looked well.

Putin talked extensively about Russian history, what went wrong in Ukraine (nazification of the Donbas, Ukraine being supported by NATO); why the ‘limited military engagement’ hasn’t been quelled (no security insurances for Russia); and who derailed the proposed Turkish settlement (Boris Johnson, per Biden). Also of note were his comments on the Nordstream pipelines, and who was responsible. (Who has an interest and who has the capability? Fill in the interstitial blanks…). Carlson asked about the Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershovich, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty editor currently imprisoned in Russia. Putin claimed Gershovich was engaging in espionage, but could foresee sending him back home, but the negotiating teams on both sides needed to iron things out. 

After, Carlson said he also met Ed Snowden while in Russia. One would presume Snowden was interviewed, as well, and we can hope to see it, hopefully sooner rather than later. He also met with Tara Reade, who had accused Biden of sexual assault, though why she was there was admittedly not known to me. Turns out, she had defected to Russia last year because the U.S., she claims, isn’t safe for her because of Biden. Who knew?

Then there was the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s mishandling of classified materials. (Read it here.) It was found he “willfully retained and disclosed” classified information, but will not be charged with wrongdoing because it was concluded he was a “well-meaning elderly man with poor memory” so a jury would not convict him. Cited as examples of his poor memory in the report were that he did not remember when he was vice president, or when his son died. Never mind he wasn’t an elderly man when he purloined the classified dox, and he disclosed the materials for money—he shared them with the ghostwriter of his biography.

Biden held a press conference after the release, too, if you could call it that. It was more an embarrassing and inarticulate temper tantrum with many misspeaks. He was clearly senile and substantiating that fact in his responses. He blamed the records being in his home on his “staff.” He became angry at Hur, yelling “How the hell dare he!” Before the presser was over, he made another embarrassing gaffe he is notorious for: he confused Egypt with Mexico. The press suddenly had questions, even though he’s had major gaffes for many months. These aren’t small errors. He has a tendency to name the wrong foreign leaders or get undisputed historical facts wrong. This is a not just an American embarrassment, it’s also a potential national security peril. 

Next, Just the News reported Biden used a private email address and fake names (RobinWare456@gmail[dot]com) since at least 2010 as he was conducting White House business asVice President, and shared the communications with sons Hunter, Beau (of late), and younger brother James. None had authorization to receive such communications which are said to be some 82,000 pages, only about 60 which have been received by JTN thus far. 

This has been a problem since the Clinton days, making archiving or retrieval for legitimate government purposes exceedingly difficult. These documents could be vital to provide historians and negotiators with accurate records of national importance. Nonetheless, just because the Clintons got away with it doesn’t mean ignoring the rules can go on in perpetuity. Either one can do this or not, and, regardless of party, should apply to all similarly situated. 

Last, the U.S. Senate advanced a ‘clean’ foreign-aid-only bill for Ukraine ($61b), Israel ($14b), and Taiwan ($5b), costing over $95 billion. Seventeen Republicans joined the Dems. Final passage is possible, but not assured over the weekend. Yet, Volodymyr Zelensky has fired Valerii Zaluzhnyi, his top military commander. The U.S. border crisis, however, remains out of control.

Look Who Is Obstructing Justice Now!

THE JAN. 6th COMMITTEE is now under investigation for allegedly deleting over 100 encrypted files prior to the G.O.P. gaining control over the House of Representatives, according to the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee Chairman, Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.). He told Fox News that he has begun an investigation into the matter. He said:

“It’s obvious that Pelosi’s Select Committee went to great lengths to prevent Americans from seeing certain documents produced in their investigation. It also appears that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney intended to obstruct our Subcommittee by failing to preserve critical information and videos as required by House rules. The American people deserve to know the full truth, and Speaker Johnson has empowered me to use all tools necessary to recover these documents to get the truth, and I will.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has committed additional resources for this investigation. Pursuant to House rules, the prior select committee was required to relinquish the documents from its investigation to the new one led by the new G.O.P. majority after the 2022 midterms. That prior select subcommittee had been chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) who assured Loudermilk he would hand over “four terabytes of archived footage.” He got only two.

Apparently, a digital forensics team found that “117 files were both deleted and encrypted” on Jan. 1, 2023, immediately prior to new committee receiving the data it was promised. Apparently, the digital forensics team also recovered the 117 files. Loudermilk is now demanding answers—and passwords. Loudermilk further explained:

“One recovered file disclosed the identity of an individual whose testimony was not archived by the Select Committee,” Loudermilk wrote. “Further, we found that most of the recovered files are password-protected, preventing us from determining what they contain.”

This has become a bit of a pissing contest. Loudermilk had been accused by the original subcommittee of participating in the orchestration of events on Jan. 6, 2021 with a tour he gave the day before. Tours are routinely given by House members to constituents or other guests, though.  Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger doesn’t think Loudermilk was in any way involved.

Pissing contest aside, the crucial point is that it appears Thompson and others obstructed justice, and perhaps conspired to do so, in an attempt to hide evidence that may be exculpatory, not just to Loudermilk, but any of a number of others in the orbit of Jan. 6th. Thompson et al. may have also amplified inculpatory evidence against certain other partisans inappropriately. I guess we may find out—someday.