News

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]s "Fake News--Real?" Find the surprising origin of the term "Fake News," as a propaganda campaign rolled out in September 2016. Hint: Donald Trump didn't invent it; it was a hostile takeover.

Watch my TEDx Talk here.

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[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e asked the lead Republican and Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee for interviews to talk about their findings in their Russia related investigations. Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) agreed to chat. Sunday on Full Measure, he'll give details on  their investigation into Trump-Russia collusion, which is almost over. We still have to hear from Special Counsel Robert Mueller on the same topic. Meantime, the Intel committee also unearthed allegedly improper, politically-motivated "unmaskings." Obama officials requested the "unmasking" of the names of hundreds of US citizens who were supposedly "accidentally" captured in government  surveillance. The names are supposed to be strictly protected for privacy reasons but some of them, including political enemies of the Obama administration and Clinton campaign, were leaked to the press in a derogatory way. The committee is also looking into alleged conflicts of interest and unethical behavior by some at the FBI and Justice Department.

Also coming up Sunday, believe it or not we buy a lot of our security cameras from China and those cameras are weaving their way into our classified systems. Lisa Fletcher talks to an expert who's been warning about this security risk for years.

And Scott Thuman heads to George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, Virginia, where he visits the contentious relationship between the press and our forefathers.

Be sure to catch my TEDx talk on "Is 'Fake News' Real?" for the surprising origins of the fake news campaign. You will be surprised.

More news you won't see anywhere else! Like Us Follow Us Watch Us![hr]

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n his final weeks in office, did President Obama suggest withholding national security information from the lawfully elected incoming president of the United States and his team?

Excerpts of a newly unearthed email that Obama national security adviser Susan Rice wrote to herself on her last day at the White House raise that important question. (Read the rest of the story in The Hill)

http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/373738-rices-odd-memo-did-obama-withhold-intel-from-trump

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Catch my Tedx talk: Is Fake New Real? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQcCIzjz9_s[hr]

For more on this topic, read "The Smear." Buy it today or check it out from you local library. 

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]nfighting among those who consider themselves supporters and allies of President Trump is reaching a new crescendo focusing on White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly.

Longtime Trump ally, political operative Roger Stone is among those firing off a notice toward his old friend: Kelly should be fired.

There are reports that Kelly has expressed willingness to step down amid criticism of his handling of White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned Wednesday. Porter is accused of domestic abuse, which he denies.

It’s not just Stone and company putting the President on notice. Liberal New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd also went on the attack against Kelly today writing, “We don’t want the White House chief of staff to be the sort of person who shields and defends abusers — and then dissembles about it — simply because the abuser is a rare competent staffer.”

Meantime, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway defended Kelly on ABC News saying, “I spoke with the president last night about this very issue and he wanted me to reemphasize to everyone, including this morning, that he has full confidence in his current chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly, and that he is not actively searching for replacements.”

Some have described Kelly as a reluctant adviser to a wildcard President. He has been widely credited in the media for bringing a sense of discipline to a chaotic White House.

But some critics consider Kelly a powerful arm of the “Deep State,” the notion that government insiders operate an insular system to protect their power and policies regardless of who may be President at a particular moment in time. For them, the outcry over the Rob Porter case is as good an excuse as any to try to push Kelly out. Or—they would say—additional proof that Kelly isn’t serving President Trump well.

Stone is known for his political dirty tricks, so much so that Trump has, at times, distanced himself from the eccentric political operative even as the two remain in occasional contact, according to Stone.

Reached today by phone, Stone told me he finds there is “general unhappiness” among Trump supporters “over the entire incident with Porter.”

“I definitely think Kelly should step down,” he added. “I don’t see how he can be effective.”

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick “The Knife” Mulvaney has been mentioned as a possible successor to Kelly. On Fox News Sunday, former head of the House Oversight Committee, Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), said Mulvaney would be a good pick.

Stone associate Christian Josi, also a political operative, has his own ideas. He thinks Kelly should be fired "today" and says other good candidates for White House chief of staff include editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, Steve Forbes; U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty; and economic analyst Larry Kudlow.

“Think about it: people like Forbes willing to populate this guy’s universe and help him succeed,” says Josi. “Versus dudes who slap around women whom bring nothing to the table. This is a scandal of epic proportion.”

Of course, each person staking out a position has his own reasons for doing so. Kelly’s supporters would likely suggest he’s being targeted in a smear campaign precisely because of his competence. Some of them suggest Kelly might be relieved to step away from a prestigious but exceedingly tumultuous job.

Then again, the media's reporting and predictions aren't always on target. It was widely reported at the end of 2017 that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would be stepping down in January.

He didn't.

Whatever the case; the sharks are circling.[hr]

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here's been a flurry of high level personnel changes within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI starting at the beginning of Campaign 2016 and amid multiple probes into Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump-Russia, and intelligence officials' alleged misbehavior in those investigations.

In the year leading up to the election year, then-FBI Director James Comey twice replaced the heads of Counterintelligence at both the Washington D.C. and New York Field Offices, and named a new head of FBI Counterintelligence.

Today, there are overlapping investigations underway including:

• Congressional investigations into alleged Russian interference.
• Congressional investigations into allegedly improper FBI and DOJ surveillance activities.
• Congressional investigations into anti-Trump "dossier."
• Inspector General investigation into FBI and DOJ anti-Trump leaks.
• Special Counsel investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion.

Here's a rundown of some key personnel shifts and changes.[hr]

 
The above chart was updated 2/11/18 to correct the date of O'Callaghan assignment, add additional personnel.

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This week, based on new forensics, we added the FBI and Verizon as Defendants to my federal lawsuit over the government's intrusions into my computers. The Dept. of Justice and intel agencies are not cooperating with our subpoena and other discovery requests.

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