Tag: Homeland Security

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Trump Distorts Former Homeland Security Secretary’s Testimony

President Trump lied yet again in this early  morning tweet claiming “Former Homeland Security Advisor Jeh Johnson is latest top intelligence official to state there was no grand scheme between Trump & Russia.”

First of all, Johnson was Homeland Security Secretary, not “Advisor.”

Second, that’s not at all what Johnson said in testimony yesterday. What Johnson told the House Intelligence Committee yesterday was:

“In 2016, the Russian government, at the direction of (President) Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyberattacks on our nation for the purpose of influencing our election. That is a fact, plain and simple.”

At no time in his testimony did Johnson ever state that there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

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Former Homeland Security Secretary: A “Plain And Simple Fact” That Putin Ordered Cyber Attack On 2016 Election

Speaking before Congress today, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson left no doubts regarding Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee and interference that was meant to disrupt the 2016 presidential election.

“The Russian government, at the direction of Vladimir Putin himself, orchestrated cyber attacks on our nation for the purpose of influence our election,” he said. “That is a fact, plain and simple.”

From Raw Story:

President Donald Trump has regularly hedged in public when asked if he believes Russia interfered in the 2016 election. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Tuesday claimed that he had not spoke with the president about his views on Russia’s role in disrupting the election, and would not confirm if Trump actually believed Russia was behind the hacks of the DNC and former Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

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New York Times Op-Ed Questions Homeland Security Raid Of Rentboy

I’ve been wondering all week why, after almost two decades of operation, the Department of Homeland Security decided to focus on, and ultimately raid, the offices of gay escort website Rentboy.

Especially when you consider that dozens of straight escort sites continue to operate in New York City. Why just target the gay escort site?

Apparently, I’m not the only one as the New York Times editorial board pens an op-ed questioning the motivation and ultimate goals of the office raid.

Here’s just an excerpt from the op-ed:

Prosecutors can credibly argue that the site’s operators were breaking the law. But they have provided no reasonable justification for devoting significant resources, particularly from an agency charged with protecting America from terrorists, to shut down a company that provided sex workers with a safer alternative to street walking or relying on pimps. The defendants have not been accused of exploiting sex workers, featuring minors on the website, financial crimes or other serious offenses that would warrant a federal prosecution.

Amnesty International announced this month that it would be pushing for the decriminalization of consensual sex work worldwide. After a lengthy and at times fraught debate, the organization’s experts concluded that sex workers were less likely to be harmed and exploited in places where the trade is lawful. Several gay and transgender rights organizations, including Lambda Legal and the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, issued a joint statement supporting Amnesty International’s position.

[snip]

The Rentboy.com bust may spook clients and sex workers for a while, but it would be naïve to think it will do much more. Federal authorities should consider whether continuing to spend time and money turning the website’s operators into felons is worthwhile, while far more serious crimes, including human trafficking and sexual exploitation, go unpunished.

I’ll add that I personally support the decriminalization of consensual sex work. I think as long as no one is physically harmed and it’s between two consenting adults, the government shouldn’t be involved.

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House Speaker John Boehner Relents – Allows Clean Vote On Homeland Security Funding

And it would seem the game playing with the security of the United States is over.

According to NBC News, the House of Representative has passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security by a vote of 257-167.

In a 257 to 167 vote, the House passed a “clean” Homeland Security funding bill on Tuesday without provisions that would curtail the president’s executive orders on immigration. The Senate passed the legislation last week and the president’s signature is certain.

Funding for Homeland Security, which was set to run out midnight on Friday, will now go through Sept. 30 of this year.

The vote is a blow to conservatives in the House who fought to use the spending measure as a way to force the president to roll back his orders aimed at allowing millions of undocumented immigrants the chance to stay in the U.S. legally. Conservatives contend that the orders are unconstitutional and all 1of the 67 no votes came from Republicans.

But Senate Democrats blocked legislation that included language on immigration, and some Republicans publicly acknowledged they would be the party that would get blamed if the agency shut down.

Boehner announced in a closed-door meeting of Republican members on Tuesday morning that the House would vote on the year-long funding bill.

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BREAKING: House Fails To Pass Homeland Security Funding

By a vote of 203-224, the House failed to pass a bill that would continue to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill today would have funded Homeland Security for three more weeks. A version was passed in the Senate that would have funded the department for the rest of the fiscal year.

Mere hours left for the Republicans to make sure the country stays safe…

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Post by msnbc.

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Hey GOP – Funding For Homeland Security Ends In One Day

Ironically, Republicans would tell you THEY care about defending our borders more than the Democrats, even as they try to allow the Department of Homeland Security to run out of funding…

Get it together GOP. Are the party of defending the country or not?  Americans don’t want games played with their security.