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Finally, Sessions takes on ‘the culture of leaks’

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2 years ago

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Attorney General Jeff “beleaguered” Sessions, now secure in his job, has moved to the real problem festering like an infected wart on Donald Trump’s ugly presidency. “This nation must end the culture of leaks,” Sessions said.

Amen.

The AG announced that the FBI had created a new counterintelligence unit to deal with a “staggering number of leaks.” The DOJ is pursuing three times as many leak investigations as the Obama administration, the announcement said, according to the New York Times.

“I strongly agree with the president and condemn in the strongest terms the staggering number of leaks,” he said. The announcement by Mr. Sessions comes 10 days after President Trump publicly accused him of being “very” weak on pursuing these investigations in a post on Twitter.

A lightheaded sense of irony swept over me as I read about how Trump “has been bedeviled by leaks” from one of the chief newspapers specializing in obtaining and printing those leaks. It’s really astounding that the NYT can, with a straight face, report this.

Before the investigation gets too far, the NYT and its consigliere in leaking, the Washington Post, will surely empty their grab bag of (not necessarily illicit, as NYT was careful to note) carefully curated dirt and mud on every embarrassing, compromising, and damaging word spoken at the Dump White House.

The NYT is worried they might end up on the other side of the leaky pipe, warning employees of possible infiltrators.

In the end, the press will take the very low road, claiming that leaks are ethical for me, but not for thee. Watch them lawyer up about First Amendment protections, the sacrosanct immunity for safeguarding source identities, and all that “we’re the press!” stuff. Yes, it’s important to have a free press.

But it’s also important to rid the government of a true Fifth Column that is working to dismantle and damage the executive branch, and its head, the President of the United States. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate Donald Trump the man. The office is not to be made into a sieve of leaks and rumors.

Leaking–especially classified–information damages more than just Trump. It damages America.

It’s good to hear Sessions finally crack down on the leakers.

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4 Comments

4 Comments

  1. Catalina Hererra

    August 5, 2017 at 8:02 am

    I’m kind of flabbergasted. That “first amendment stuff”? Really? Guess how Hitler started? He censored the Press. If a respected newspaper wants to turn itself into a tabloid, it’s their business. No newspaper or any other media outlet is obligated to make the president look good. The reason Trump gets bad press is because Trump is a filthy individual who spews garbage, lies and assorted incoherent ramblings and guess what…it WILL make it into the news. When people act as if the press has an obligation to protect the president from ridicule, we have lost as a nation and are headed toward tyranny. This has left a REALLY bad taste in my mouth for the Federalist Party. Other than leaking classified secrets, reporters are free to report on anything they choose without government interference. If Trump wants bad press to stop, he should stop acting like an idiot. Then they’d have nothing to report, would they?

    Reply

    • Steve Berman

      August 5, 2017 at 8:28 am

      First, you misquoted me. Second, you misquoted me out of context. Third, you attributed a pretext to my words that I never meant. Here’s what I actually wrote:

      In the end, the press will take the very low road, claiming that leaks are ethical for me, but not for thee. Watch them lawyer up about First Amendment protections, the sacrosanct immunity for safeguarding source identities, and all that “we’re the press!” stuff. Yes, it’s important to have a free press.

      But it’s also important to rid the government of a true Fifth Column that is working to dismantle and damage the executive branch, and its head, the President of the United States. It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate Donald Trump the man. The office is not to be made into a sieve of leaks and rumors.

      I take the First Amendment and press protections very seriously. But they should not be used to protect people who committed actual felonies with a political purpose. These leakers are not hero patriots, they are political assassins. The press has plenty of stuff to publish about Trump (for whom I could never be accused of cheerleading), without resorting to these kinds of tactics.

      As for the Federalist Party, I do not speak for it. Although I feel fairly confident many in the party would agree with my sentiments, there is room for differing opinion. I can’t even call it “dissent” because the ethos of the Federalist Party is that everyone (including the press) is entitled to an unrestricted voice. But the rule of law and the proper functions of the executive branch should not be impeded or permanently damaged by an organized effort to use the press as a political weapon.

      Reply

  2. Catalina Hererra

    August 5, 2017 at 12:22 pm

    Ok. I was not trying to “attribute” anything. The way it was written it was just hard to understand what you meant. Shoot me.

    Reply

    • Steve Berman

      August 5, 2017 at 5:15 pm

      No worries. I simply want to be careful not to attribute anything to the Federalist Party that may not fly well. We are small and news travels like laser dots chased by catnip-enhanced felines.

      Reply

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Foreign Affairs

Capt. Chuck Nash: Iranian regime trying to hold out in hopes Trump is not reelected

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59 mins ago

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May 19, 2019

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Capt Chuck Nash Things in Iran are getting worse by the day

Iran’s saber rattling continues as the U.S. military buildup reaches a point in which they can no longer expect to be able to defend themselves if they start a way. Meanwhile, the President lobbed a clear threat to them about their rhetoric and aggression.

Speaking on Fox News, retired U.S. Navy Captain Charles T. Nash said, “Regimes, whether it’s the Soviet Union or the current theocracy in Iran, they won’t stop loosening up until it’s too late, and when they do they know it’s all going to fly apart. The wheels are going to come off.”

Opinion

Iran has a serious problem, and it’s not the United States. Their leadership has been so obtuse during times of economic prosperity that they didn’t use it to help their people become self-sustaining. Now, they’re reliant on a government that doesn’t have the resources to help them, making this an issue that goes beyond oppression. They’re on the verge of financial collapse and the only solution is the one solution they will never consider.

As Nash noted in the video above, they won’t change. They can’t. It goes against their nature to do what’s right by their people if doing so means doing anything the United States, Saudi Arabia, or Israel want. Their pride will be the undoing of their people.

President Trump is the biggest reason they’re failing. At this point, all they can do is hope he loses reelection. If he does, they have a chance of recovering if they’re even able to survive that long. If he wins, they’re toast and they know it. Expect to see them attempt to interfere with our elections any way they can, including expansion of Endless Mayfly.

The defection of Ali Nasisi is most likely a huge blessing for America. As their ambitions appear to be coming to light, the information gleaned from the former Iranian Brigadier General has been invaluable.

Quote

“What they’re trying to do is hold out hope against hope, and if President Trump is reelected, then they’re going to have to figure out what they’re going to do.” – Captain Charles Nash

Final Thoughts

Iran is desperate. Now that their military aggression is on call by the President, they may have to resort to terrorism to achieve their goals of ousting Trump and spreading fear across the world.

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Media

Trump hits Fox News, Chris Wallace for Pete Buttigieg town hall

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2 hours ago

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May 19, 2019

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Trump hits Fox News in general and Chris Wallace in particular for having Democrats on

President Trump has always been a supporter of Fox News. Some have noted how many of his talking points came from the news network; during the day he quotes Fox & Friends, while in the evening he quotes Sean Hannity and others. But there’s one show host he doesn’t care for and one activity he’s lashed out against at the network.

He doesn’t like Chris Wallace and he isn’t happy when they have Democratic presidential candidates on.

He spoke out last month when the network had Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on for a a town hall with Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Though the hosts were critical of Sanders and asked him tough questions, the event was considered a win by many for Sanders as he deflected some issues and turned others in his favor. This peeved the President, but not as much as Wallace did this morning.

The son of famed newsman Mike Wallace had South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on for a town hall Sunday and proceeded to not only throw him softballs for questions, but at times praise the Democratic candidate. This didn’t sit well with the President.

Opinion

I understand the premise of the news is that it’s supposed to be unbiased. But I also recognize the reality that all news is biased. The President has very few allies in the media and Fox News is the biggest, so when they seem to be helping the opposition, it’s bound to tweak the President.

In a perfect world, the major news networks would be truly fair and balanced. This isn’t a perfect world and the cards are stacked against conservatives. Just as the education system leans left, so too do most mainstream media news outlets.

Chris Wallace sticks out at Fox News as one of the few outspoken detractors of President Trump. It puts them in a pickle because they don’t want to get rid of the popular show host over his political views, but their core audience is comprised almost entirely of Trump supporters. It doesn’t behoove them to have someone so outspoken, especially when the opposition is using his shows a platform to take down the President.

Quote

“Gee, he never speaks well of me – I like Mike Wallace better…and Alfred E. Newman will never be President!” – President Trump

Final Thoughts

In a media atmosphere in which news outlets are picking sides, the President only has one major outlet on his. The days of news outlets simply reporting the news may be behind us. This is a side effect of the polarization in America.

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Culture and Religion

17 years later, Paul Washer’s shocking message still holds true

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11 hours ago

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May 19, 2019

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17 years later Paul Washers shocking message still holds true

In 2002, Pastor Paul Washer delivered a message to around 5,000 young people. It has become one of the fiery Southern Baptist’s mostly widely-heard sermons because in it, we hear a very disturbing reality to most who proclaim to be Christians. Some simply aren’t doing it right.

He’s been criticized for the sermon. Some say he’s making it too complicated. Others say he’s scaring people away from the faith by making it seem too difficult. But this teaching is based on one of the most important teachings of Jesus Christ in all the Bible:

Matthew 7:13-27

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

I’ve heard many teach on these verses and I’ve taught myself on the strait and narrow. It’s frightening to some because it was intended to be, and Washer’s declarations to these impressionable young people is clear. But it wasn’t nice. It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t inclusive. It didn’t fit in with today’s version of common pastoral messages.

The need for constant repentance and ongoing belief must never be understated.

Sometimes, the need to be “nice” from the pulpit must be replaced by the true need to be honest. That’s what Washer does in this famous teaching. I strongly encourage everyone to spend an hour hearing it.

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