Published on May 8, 2019
Congressman Jim Jordan explodes on Democrats during the Barr Contempt Hearing,
Jordan Goes Off In Committee Hearing
COHEN MET WITH SCHIFF STAFF FOR OVER 10 HOURS BEFORE HEARING – REPORT
Schiff team traveled to NY at least 4 times for Cohen meetings
By Gregg Re, Catherine Herridge
President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen told House investigators this week that staff for Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., traveled to New York at least four times to meet with him for over 10 hours immediately before last month’s high-profile public testimony, according to two sources familiar with the matter — as Republicans question whether the meetings amounted to coaching a witness.
The sources said the sessions covered a slew of topics addressed during the public hearing before the oversight committee — including the National Enquirer’s “Catch and Kill” policy, American Media CEO David Pecker and the alleged undervaluing of President Trump’s assets.
COHEN DOCS UNDERCUT CLAIMS TRUMP LAWYERS MADE EDITS TO ALTER CRUCIAL TIMELINE
But, Republicans have raised concerns with the sessions, with Ohio Rep. Mike Turner sending a letter to Cohen’s team on Wednesday demanding answers.
Nunes reacts to reports of Cohen’s private meetings with Schiff before his House testimony
‘No matter how much witness tampering you do, you’re not going to find collusion,’ the Republican tells ‘Fox & Friends’ after sources say President Trump’s former personal attorney met with the Intelligence Committee chairman for hours before testifying.
Turner specifically asked for confirmation of Cohen’s contacts, if any, “with Democratic Members or Democratic staff of SSCI [Senate Select Committee on Intelligence], COR [House Committee on Oversight and Reform], or HPSCI [House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence] prior to his appearances before House and Senate committees last week” — as well as the lengths of such contacts, their locations and who exactly was involved.
“These questions are important for the public to understand whether or not they were watching witness testimony, a public hearing, or well-rehearsed theater,” he wrote.
During last month’s seven-hour public hearing before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen hesitantly acknowledged, under questioning from Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan, that he had spoken with Schiff “about topics that were going to be raised at the upcoming hearing.”
But, he did not elaborate on the discussions, which Fox News is told extended significantly longer than the seven hours that the public hearing itself lasted.
One by one, during the dramatic hearing, Cohen fielded questions on precisely the same topics that the sources told Fox News he discussed with Schiff’s staff during the sit-downs in New York.
For example, in response to questioning from Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., Cohen discussed the purported practice of paying for the rights to news stories harmful to Trump, only to bury them.
“I was involved in several of these catch-and-kill episodes,” Cohen told Maloney, “but these catch-and-kill scenarios existed between David Pecker and Mr. Trump long before I started working in 2007.”
Cohen docs undercut claims Trump lawyers altered timeline of Moscow tower talks
Records provided by President Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen on his false 2017 congressional testimony undercut allegations that Trump attorneys made critical edits to alter the timeline of the Trump Tower negotiations in Moscow; Catherine Herridge reports.
Cohen went on to testify that Pecker, whose company publishes the National Enquirer, had paid $30,000 to a former Trump World Tower doorman who alleged he had information about a supposed love child fathered by Trump. The former Trump fixer asserted that Trump was concerned also about the “treasure trove of documents” Pecker had that could implicate him.
Further, Cohen was asked by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., “To your knowledge, did the president ever provide inflated assets to an insurance company?”
Cohen replied: “Yes.”
COHEN SUES TRUMP ORGANIZATION FOR MILLIONS IN LEGAL FEES
“Who else knows that the president did this?” Ocasio-Cortez pressed.
“Allen Weisselberg, Ron Lieberman and Matthew Calamari,” Cohen said, referring to the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer and other key Trump associates. “You deflate the value of the asset and then you put in a request to the tax department for a deduction.”
Cohen also brought documents that he claimed proved Trump “inflated” his assets in order to obtain loans from Deutsche Bank.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified last month before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Asked about the revelations by email, a House Intelligence Committee spokesman defended the Schiff staff’s pre-hearing discussions with Cohen.
“We are running a professional investigation in search of the facts, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with potential witnesses in advance of any testimony to determine relevant topics to cover in order to make productive use of their time before the Committee,” spokesman Patrick Boland told Fox News.
“Despite this professed outrage by Republicans, it’s completely appropriate to conduct proffer sessions and allow witnesses to review their prior testimony before the Committee interviews them — such sessions are a routine part of every serious investigation around the country, including congressional investigations.”
Schiff was asked about the frequency of his contacts with Cohen on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” this weekend, and gave the number “seven” — but Schiff did not distinguish between the number of his own contacts with Cohen and the committee staff’s interactions with him.
Schiff asserted, “The extent of my contact was just inviting him to testify and also trying to allay his concerns about the president’s threats against him and his family … but our staff certainly sat down to interview him, and that’s what you do in any credible investigation.”
A source close to Schiff claimed some details about the staff meetings were “not accurate” but did not point to specifics.
On Cohen, a source familiar with his closed-door testimony before the House Intelligence Committee would not comment directly on the number and substance of the meetings between Cohen and the Schiff staff, but said more broadly that Schiff “pledged to release the full transcript of Mr. Cohen’s eight hour testimony, at which point Mr. Cohen will be vindicated and others will be implicated.”
Rep. Jim Jordan Goes Off on Democrat Who Introduced Articles of Impeachment on First Day of New Congress
B January 3, 2019
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan slammed Democrat California Rep. Brad Sherman for introducing articles of impeachmentagainst President Donald Trump for the second time on the first day of the 116th Congress.
Jordan has been a strong supporter of the president and the America First agenda. In a tweet on Thursday he called out Sherman and stated that the Democrats are more interested in stopping Trump than helping the nation.
“We knew they couldn’t help themselves. Rep. Sherman files articles of impeachment on the President. Dems are more focused on stopping Trump than building the Wall and helping the country,” Jordan tweeted on Thursday.
Jordan is the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and sits on the House Judiciary Committee, which holds jurisdiction over impeachment proceedings, The Hill noted.
Sherman previously introduced articles of impeachment in 2017.
Sherman alleges obstruction of justice for Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Shutdown Averted? Schumer, Corker Strike 11th Hour Deal
by Tyler Durden
Fri, 12/21/2018
Update2: The Senate has voted to proceed with debate on the House-passed spending bill after Vice President Mike Pence broke a 47-47 tie.
Outgoing Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) – who contributed to the Kavanaugh confirmation spectacle – said “there is no path forward for the House bill.”
Update: The House has voted to meet tomorrow at Noon, 12 hours into the potential government shutdown.
McConnell, meanwhile, said that the Senate voted to proceed “in order to maintain maximum flexibility” to cut a later funding deal. That said, there is no agreement on funding, which CNN’s Manu Raju suggests means there is no chance Trump gets his $5 billion in wall funding.
Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) said Friday that Senate leaders have an “agreement” in place for a House-passed stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown which includes funding for President Trump’s border wall.
Emerging from a meeting in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) office, Corker said that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and McConnell are expected to enter into an agreement on the Senate floor, according to The Hill.
“This is will be an agreement between McConnell and Schumer about what next happens on the Senate floor. You’ll see them to enter into a little discussion,” said Corker. “It charts the course forward that gives us the best chance of actually coming to a solution.”
Corker suggested that a government shutdown may be averted – citing meetings with White House officials.
“Some of the folks at the White House seem to be optimistic,” he said, adding that President Trump “is very aware of what’s happening.”
The potential breakthrough comes after Schumer met with Vice President Pence, incoming White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and White House advisor Jared Kushner on Friday afternoon.
The negotiations later moved over to the House, with Pence, Mulvaney and Kushner huddling in Speaker Paul Ryan’s ceremonial office with Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Freedom Caucus leaders Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.).
Corker warned that the danger of a partial government shutdown is not completely gone. –The Hill
“It’s just how we’re going to proceed in a manner that we think is best,” said Corker. “The first discussion is not substance, it’s process.”
Meanwhile, looks like Trump may go medieval on illegal border crossers…
Freedom Caucus Seizes House Floor To Fight For The Wall
By
The Freedom Caucus took the House floor Wednesday night to demand $5 billion in congressional funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall.
“The time to fight is now” declared Jim Jordan of Ohio, who joined with North Carolina’s Mark Meadows in the late-night effort.
The Freedom Caucus sent a clear signal to the commander in chief President Donald Trump: if you veto the “stopgap” bill that kicks the can down the road a few pointless months, then we will have a Christmas season government shutdown. And isn’t time we start saying Merry Christmas again in this Country?
“Mr. President, we’re going to back you up if you veto this — back you up. If you veto this bill, we’ll be there, more importantly, the American people will be there. They’ll be there to support you. Let’s build the wall and make sure we do our job in Congress,” said Freedom Caucus heavyweight Meadows.
Latest: President Trump: ‘Walls Work…They Work Better Than Anything’
“The president, many, many months ago said he would not sign another funding bill unless we gave him wall funding. What did this House do? It passed the bill to fund the Department of Defense and passed a short-term C.R. And said we are going to have that fight after the mid-terms,” said Meadows, who called out loser outgoing speaker Paul Ryan directly.
Here’s what Jim Jordan had to say: “Everyone knows the old line. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. But we’re going to have to change that line — we’re to need a new one. The new line should be Fool the American people four times, shame on Congress.”
DEM WHO CALLED CONSERVATIVE BIAS A ‘FANTASY’ GETS MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS FROM GOOGLE
Congressman Jerry Nadler labeled Big Tech bias against conservatives a ‘right wing conspiracy’
Democrat House members rejected claims of Google’s conservative bias during a Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, but a close look at the financial backing of those politicians reveals they could lose a lot by coming out against the tech giant.
Pichai was grilled on whether Google was in violation of the public trust by tracking users’ habits via mobile devices, and also answered questions about the censorship of conservatives.
In Congressman Jim Nadler’s (D-NY) opening statement, he called Google’s bias a “fantasy dreamed up by some conservatives” and a “right-wing conspiracy,” however OpenSecrets.orgrecords reveal he’s bought and paid for by Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., his top contributor.
“Google is among the dominant firms in this field. As such, given the public’s widespread use and reliance on its products and services, there are legitimate questions regarding the company’s policies and practices, including with respect to content moderation and the protection of user data privacy.
“But before we delve into these questions, I must first dispense with a completely illegitimate issue, which is the fantasy, dreamed up by some conservatives, that Google and other online platforms have an anti-conservative bias.
“As I have said repeatedly, no credible evidence supports this right-wing conspiracy theory. I have little doubt that my Republican colleagues will spend much of their time presenting a laundry list of anecdotes and out-of-context statements made by Google employees as supposed evidence of anti-conservative bias. But none of that will actually make it true. And even if Google were deliberately discriminating against conservative viewpoints—just as Fox News and Sinclair Broadcasting discriminate against progressive ones—that would be its right, as a private company, to do so.
“But we should not let the delusions of the far right distract us from the real issues that should be the focus of today’s hearing. For example, we should examine what Google is doing to stop hostile foreign powers from using its platform to spread false information, in order to harm our political discourse.”
Open Secrets also shows Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., is a major Democrat contributor, including donations of up to $227,199 to the failed campaign of Texas senatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke.
Alex Jones heckles CEO of ‘evil’ Google in Senate halls on way to hearing
Roger Stone and Alex Jones at Tuesday’s House hearing © Reuters / Jim Young
Banned conspiracy theorist and pundit Alex Jones was stalking the corridors of the Capitol again, heckling Google CEO Sundar Pichai ahead of a House hearing focused on the tech giant’s data collection and alleged political bias.
As Pichai made his way into the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday morning, Jones followed the CEO down the hall, repeatedly chanting “Google is evil!”
Accompanied by conservative strategist and fellow Infowars personality Roger Stone, Jones ranted at Pichai for Google’s alleged censorship of conservative voices, until Pichai’s police escort warned the bellicose conspiracy theorist to be quiet or be arrested.
“They’re going to talk about me in this committee, I will be talked about – so what am I supposed to do?” Jones asked reporters. “His people come lie to Congress over and over and over again and we don’t get to respond to them,” he added.
Jones’ interest in free speech on the internet is a personal one. Google was one of more than a dozen tech companies that banned Jones from using some of its services this August, for allegedly promoting violence and for hate speech. The move was cheered by social-justice types but was decried by conservatives and free-speech advocates.
While Jones may have favored a more confrontational approach, lawmakers inside the hearing took Pichai to task on a litany of accusations. Democrats slammed Pichai for not cracking down harder on Russians purchasing political ads (a paltry $4,700 worth, according to Pichai himself). Both parties questioned him on his company’s opaque data collection policies, while Republicans grilled him on persistent allegations of liberal bias.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren asked Pichai why a picture of President Donald Trump was for a long time the first result for a search for the word “idiot,” on Google. Pichai explained this away as the work of impartial algorithms, but that explanation didn’t satisfy some lawmakers.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R) from Texas asked Pichai whether Google’s algorithms themselves are biased, and whether pro-Trump and anti-immigration content had been deliberately tagged as “hate speech.”Pichai again denied the allegations of bias.
His online presence greatly diminished by the bans, Jones is unlikely to be sated by the results of Tuesday’s hearing. In an Infowars stream of proceedings titled ‘Live at the Google Treason Hearings’, Jones called Google “absolutely the most horrible corporation on earth.”
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