(13.11.2019)
Archiv: checks and balances
‘The Report’ and the Untold Story of a Senate-C.I.A. Conflict
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic committee chairwoman, was wavering about making the report public, mulling an Obama administration suggestion that the release be postponed indefinitely. It seemed possible that the report, the product of more than six years of painstaking research, might never reach the American public.
GOP senators warn against Trump firing intelligence community official
The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Trump has discussed firing Atkinson because the intelligence official found a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky credible and took action to advance it.
Tulsi 2020: Join me in demanding the truth
What was Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the 9/11 attack? Americans deserve an answer to this question. Join me in calling on the Trump Administration to declassify and release all information regarding the 9/11 attack. Add your name to our petition.
Tulsi Gabbard: Release documents related to Saudis and 9/11
(29.10.2019)
“Our government should not be invoking secrecy to keep its own mistakes hidden from the American people and should certainly not be used to protect the Saudis from embarrassment or, worse yet, accountability,” said Terry Strada, a Sept. 11 widow and the chairwoman of 9/11 Families and Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism. “Until there is an accounting, we will never go away.”
‚Squad‘ members recruit Raskin to run for Oversight gavel
Three members of „The Squad“ — Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) — serve on the Oversight panel. The fourth, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), does not but she called Raskin one of her „favorite“ colleagues and said she could back him for chairman.
Raskin “would be a true leader when it comes to holding this Trump administration accountable and especially a leader on this impeachment inquiry,” Tlaib told The Hill in a brief interview before stepping into a closed-door impeachment hearing.
Pentagon DELETES files about Osama bin Laden raid after transferring them to CIA where they can’t be made public
(08.07.2013)
– Military files about the Navy SEAL raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout have been purged from Pentagon computers
– Associated Press requested information on the raid some 20 times in 2011 but requests were rejected
– A line in an inspector general’s draft report states the files were purged from the defense department to another government department to prevent certain information about the raid being made public
– The sentence was removed from the final report released weeks ago
I am deeply concerned that the White House has canceled an all-Member classified briefing on the dangerous situation the President has caused in Syria, denying the Congress its right to be informed as it makes decisions about our national security.
White House Subpoenaed in House Impeachment Inquiry
Washington, D.C. (Oct. 4, 2019)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, Rep. Adam Schiff, the Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Rep. Eliot L. Engel, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, sent a letter conveying a subpoena to White House Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for key documents as part of the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
We had no choice but to move forward with an impeachment inquiry, And our focus will be on the president’s fundamental breach of his oath office. Coercing a foreign nation to interfere in our election is never ok, No matter what the president and his defenders say.
Trump circulates quote invoking ‚civil war-like fracture‘ if he’s removed from office
President Donald Trump spent the weekend on Twitter defending himself against Democrats‘ upcoming impeachment inquiry by quoting his supporters on cable news, including a pastor’s inflammatory prediction that the country could be destroyed and a civil war would ensue if the President was removed from office.
Evangelical pastor and Fox News contributor Robert Jeffress claimed on the network, „Democrats don’t care if they burn down and destroy the nation in the process“ of impeachment.
Trump Raises Idea of Arresting House Chairman for Treason
President Trump on Monday questioned whether the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Adam B. Schiff, should be arrested for treason for his description of a phone call Mr. Trump had with the president of Ukraine during a recent congressional hearing.
A day earlier, Mr. Trump called for Mr. Schiff — the California Democrat who is the de facto head of an impeachment inquiry into the call — to be “questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason.”
Americans Split on Trump Impeachment Inquiry but 73% Say Whistleblower Should Testify Before Congress: Polls
A NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, released on Thursday, shows that 49 percent of Americans approve of the impeachment proceedings, while 46 percent disapprove and five percent said they were unsure.
Despite the divide, an overwhelming portion of respondents—three quarters—including a majority of Republicans, want the whistleblower to testify before Congress so the public can receive more information on the allegations against Trump.
Spies and the White House have a history of running wild without congressional oversight
For decades now, the evolving role of congressional oversight of US intelligence has involved major clashes and scandals, from the Iran-Contra affair of the 1980s to the intelligence abuses that led to the 2003 war in Iraq.
Central to all of these clashes are attempts by intelligence agencies, the president and the executive branch to withhold damning information from Congress. Another common element is the use of civilians to carry out presidential or intelligence agency agendas.
Netanyahu lawyers submit defense arguments ahead of pre-indictment hearing
Quoting sources in the State Prosecutor’s Office, Channel 12 news reported Netanyahu’s hearing was not likely to be delayed due to the election results, which left no party with a clear path to forming a government.
It is widely believed that had Netanyahu won the election with a clear majority, he would have sought immunity from prosecution via a Knesset vote and then sought legislation to prevent the Supreme Court from overturning any such Knesset decision. I
Mendelblit, Don’t Delay
(14.02.2018)
The police announcement Tuesday – that the investigations into two cases involving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been completed – came 13 months after Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit decided that a “preliminary examination” of the allegations, which itself took six months, should become full-fledged criminal investigations.
For Netanyahu, winning reelection could be the only way to avoid corruption charges
The prime minister has branded all three cases a baseless “witch hunt.” and his attorneys accused Mandelblit of interfering with elections by announcing his intention to indict during a campaign season.
60 Words And A War Without End: The Untold Story Of The Most Dangerous Sentence In U.S. History
(17.1.2014)
Written in the frenzied, emotional days after 9/11, the Authorization for the Use of Military Force was intended to give President Bush the ability to retaliate against whoever orchestrated the attacks. But more than 12 years later, this sentence remains the primary legal justification for nearly every covert operation around the world. Here’s how it came to be, and what it’s since come to mean.
Casting Doubt on Election’s Integrity, Netanyahu Commits the Worst ‚Terror Attack on Democracy‘
Netanyahu has been in favor, since his earliest days as a politician over three decades ago, of a presidential system of governance – without insisting on a constitution to check and balance the president’s power, however. He sees the Israeli parliament as an unnecessary nuisance. In recent years, he has described every perfectly legal and legitimate attempt to replace him as a “coup.” As far as he’s concerned, the only purpose of an election is to confirm his personal mandate to rule.
Poodles of the Autocracy
Over the past few days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intentions and modus operandi have been exposed. It once again turns out that he seeks to get rid of all the checks and balances that he views as impediments to his continued rule, and also to annex the settlements to Israel, including even the most isolated and extreme ones, under a new system of government he has invented – “Jewish sovereignty.”
Trump takes aim at media after ‚hereby‘ ordering US businesses out of China
Trump took aim at the press for questioning his authority to order businesses out of China, tweeting, „For all of the Fake News Reporters that don’t have a clue as to what the law is relative to Presidential powers, China, etc., try looking at the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Case closed!“
Trump ‘hereby’ orders U.S. business out of China. Can he do that?
President Trump’s extraordinary edict demanding U.S. companies move out of China — delivered in a series of angry tweets Friday — left industries of every stripe scrambling to understand how seriously to take the order, and how the White House might enforce it.
The strangling of European democracy: The EU is the high point of an anti-democratic project that has been brewing for a hundred years.
So, while the EU might well be the apogee of constrained democracy, constrained democracy has many facets. Moreover, the model of constrained democracy existed on a national level before the EU was created. Indeed, the EU can be seen as the grotesque extension of a flawed system that was first developed within nation states after the First World War. For instance, the model of independent central banking was pioneered in Germany before being transposed to the EU much later on.
President Trump does not have the legal authority to drag the U.S. into war with Iran. A great quote from our very own @dohlbaum in this piece on Congress and war powers in the #NDAA. #EndForeverWars #AUMF
(23.07.2019)
@SpeakerPelosi Congratulations on passing legislation to stop fueling war in Yemen by unconditionally suspending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This must remain in the final bill sent to the President for signature.
(31.07.2019)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the FY 2020 NDAA
(13.07.2019)
Recognizing the Flaws & Failures of the 2001 AUMF ( )
Lee, who was the sole NO vote on the 2001 AUMF passed in response to the 9/11 attacks, offered another amendment to express the sense of Congress that the 2001 AUMF has been utilized well beyond the scope that Congress intended, that it has served as a blank check for any President to wage war at any time and any place, and that any new authorization for the use of military force to replace the 2001 AUMF should include a sunset clause, a clear and specific expression of objectives, targets, and geographic scope, and reporting requirements. Eighteen years ago, she feared that the AUMF would be a blank check, and that is exactly what it has been.
The amendment passed 237 to 183. 215 Democrats, 21 Republicans, and Amash voted for it. 167 Republicans and 16 Democrats voted against it.
Here are the 16 warmongering Democrats:
Trump drops spy boss choice after criticism
Mr Trump said he would soon announce another nominee to oversee America’s 17 civilian and military intelligence agencies.
List of positions filled by presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
Under the Appointments Clause of the United States Constitution and law of the United States, certain federal positions appointed by the president of the United States require confirmation (advice and consent) of the United States Senate.
Trump Drops Plans to Nominate John Ratcliffe as Director of National Intelligence
President Trump on Friday abruptly dropped his plan to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe, Republican of Texas, as the nation’s top intelligence official after questions by Republicans and Democrats about his qualifications and concern over whether he had exaggerated his résumé.
I’m begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on. Because if you want to have a democracy intact for your children, and your children’s children, and generations yet unborn we’ve got to guard this moment…this is our watch.
(24.07.2019)
This evening’s Supreme Court ruling allowing @realDonaldTrump to steal military funds to spend on a wasteful, ineffective border wall rejected by Congress is deeply flawed. Our Founders designed a democracy governed by the people — not a monarchy.
Supreme Court rules Trump can use military funds for border wall construction
The ruling allows the administration to use $2.5 billion in military funds to begin construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border while litigation plays out. A lower court had issued an injunction blocking officials from using those funds.
Supreme Court Lets Trump Proceed on Border Wall
In a 5-to-4 ruling, the court overturned an appellate decision and said that the administration could tap the money while litigation over the matter proceeds. But that will most likely take many months or longer, allowing Mr. Trump to move ahead before the case returns to the Supreme Court after further proceedings in the appeals court.
House votes to curb Trump’s war powers, challenging Senate to act
In the Senate in recent months, Republicans have joined Democrats to pass similar measures, but not enough to override a presidential veto.
I voted today in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill repeals the 2002 AUMF and allows Congress to reassert their war making powers after 17 years of war in the Middle East. Read my full statement below:
I cosponsored an amendment, which passed today, to prevent the Trump administration and warhawk John Bolton from starting a war with Iran unless authorized by Congress. Congress must exercise its constitutional duty and prevent yet another endless war in the Middle East.
Congress just took a major step towards preventing Iran from becoming another Forever War
Both Concerned Veterans for America and VoteVets have long argued that Congress needs to take back its power to declare war from the executive branch and put an end to the „Forever Wars“ by revoking the 2001 authorization for use of military force against Al Qaeda, which presidents have used to justify military operations all over the world.
Since its passage, the 2001 AUMF has been used far beyond the scope Congress intended. Today, the House passed my amendment reclaiming Congress’ constitutional authority & recognizing that it is past time to revisit the 2001 AUMF blank check for endless war.
BREAKING: The House just passed my amendment to repeal the outdated 2002 AUMF & restore Congressional authority in matters of war and peace. This AUMF has been on the books for 17 years, long after the end of the Iraq war. It’s past time for it to go! #StopEndlessWars
House Passes Amendments to End War Authorizations, Preemptively Defund Iran War
The flurry of amendments to the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) moving through the House of Representatives is finally wrapping up Friday, where a series of Thursday night debates gave way to key votes early Friday on some contentious issues.
Major subjects of those debates included amendments that aim to end both the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The 2001 repeal passed 237-183, while the 2002 repeal passed even easier at 242-180.
Debates on the AUMF centered on concern that the authorizations could be used by President Trump or future presidents to authorize wars they were never intended for. The aim is to replace the 2001 version with something more current on the global war on terror, and to do away with the 2002 version entirely, since its main goal was to unseat the long-dead Saddam Hussein and conquer Iraq, now a US ally.
House Votes to Check Trump’s Authority to Strike Iran
The House voted Friday to curb President Trump’s ability to strike Iran militarily on Friday, adopting a bipartisan provision that would require the president to get Congress’s approval before authorizing military force against Tehran.
When you pair: – 9,500 current + former CBP officers are part of a violently racist & sexually violent secret Facebook group – Corroborating accounts of abuse – CBP couldn’t control their own officers for a Congressional tour What else do you call that but a rogue agency?
(02.07.2019)
It is clear that ICE isn’t being held accountable; the agency must be abolished. We cannot be complicit in the militarization of our southern border. People who come to our country in search of a better life should be treated with humanity and respect.
ICE Just Quietly Opened Three New Detention Centers, Flouting Congress’ Limits
The facilities are all run by private prison companies, and one experienced a violent riot.
Immigrant detention centers are ‘betrayal of our values,’ says Kennedy
In a visit to Border Patrol Station No. 1 in El Paso, Kennedy said he saw detainees kept in jail-like conditions. He was among the lawmakers who spoke to a group of 13 women from Cuba who had tried to enter the United States to seek asylum, but were detained by federal officials.
Those women began crying when they spoke, he said.
As we watch @AOC, @AyannaPressley and @RashidaTlaib expose the horrors of our border camps, don’t forget that private prison companies are getting filthy rich off these atrocities. Of every 100 immigration detainees, 74 are held in private facilities.
(02.07.2019)
Imagine all your hateful trolls online, but with guns. Imagine walking into a fenced area full of them. No exit. You don’t get to take any cameras or phones with you. And those trolls with guns? They’re the ones in charge of protecting you. That’s what @AOC faced today.
Do not miss the racist, sexist slurs @RashidaTlaib @RepEscobar @AOC @AyannaPressley and others face for doing their jobs. Nor the fact that they continue to fight like hell anyways.
Spent the morning in TX at Clint and El Paso detention facilities. Big takeaways — 1) @CBP was very resistant to Congressional oversight. They tried to restrict what we saw, take our phones, block photos and video. Atmosphere was contentious and uncooperative.
(01.07.2019)
What Is the AUMF? The Repeal of This Policy Could Prevent War with Iran
The Authorization for Use of Military Force, passed just a week after the September 11 terrorist attacks, states that the president may “use all necessary and appropriate force” against any nation, organization, or person he determines aided the 9/11 attacks, or “harbored such organizations or persons.”
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, but under the AUMF the president can essentially bypass any required congressional approval.