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Bill Barr: ‘It’s becoming increasingly more likely’ Trump is indicted

New York Post—

Former Attorney General Bill Barr says he thinks the federal government has enough evidence to indict former President Donald Trump.

In an interview with PBS that aired on Friday, Barr told “Firing Line” host Margaret Hoover that the Justice Department “probably have the evidence” to “legitimately” charge the 76-year-old former president with a crime related to sensitive presidential documents that he allegedly stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving the White House.

“If the Department of Justice can show that these were indeed very sensitive documents, which I think they probably were, and also show that the president consciously was involved in misleading the department, deceiving the government, and playing games after he had received the subpoena for the documents, those are serious charges,” Barr said.

“I personally think that they probably have the basis for legitimately indicting the president. I don’t know, I’m speculating. But given what’s gone on I think they probably have the evidence that would check the box,” Trump’s former attorney general added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Fridayannounced the appointment of Jack Smith as special counselin charge of the federal investigations into Trump. (Continue reading)...

Arizona AG opens inquiry into Maricopa County election irregularities, possible legal violations

Election integrity unit demands evidence, full report before midterm results certified.

ByJohn Solomon

The Arizona attorney general’s office has opened an inquiry into Maricopa County’s handling of the mid-term elections, demanding a full report of wellpublicized irregularities and warning there is evidence of “statutory violations.”

The letter from Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s election integrity unit marks a major escalation in the dispute over how voters were treated on Election Day in the state’s largest county, where scores of ballot tabulators had problems because of printing problems.

The problems have delayed the declaration of a winner in the razor-thin state attorney general’s race and led GOP gubernatorial candidate KariLake to question as premature the media’s declaration that her opponent, Democrat Katie Hobbs, won that race.

The letter sent late Saturday from Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright to the county’s chief civil division attorney, Thomas Liddy, demanded a full report on how the tabulator and printer issues were handled as well a copy of each voting location's Official Ballot Report, including any discrepancies and explanations.

Wright demanded the evidence be turned over prior to the county sending its final canvas fir certification of the vote, which is due by Nov. 28. “These complaints go beyond pure speculation, but include first-hand witness accounts that raise concerns regarding Maricopa’s lawful compliance with Arizona election law,” she wrote. “Furthermore, statements made by both Chairman Gates and Recorder Richer, along with information Maricopa County released through official modes of communication appear to confirm potential statutory violations of title 16.” You can read the full letter here: File 221119 Letter to Maricopa County re 2022 General Election Administration.pdf The letter specifically cites possible legal violations related to improper instructions that poll workers gave voters whose ballot tabulations were delayed by the problems. “Maricopa County appears to have failed to adhere to the statutory guidelines in segregating, counting, tabulating, tallying, and transporting the ‘Door 3’ ballots,” Wright wrote. “In fact, Maricopa County has admitted that in some voting locations, ‘Door 3’ non-tabulated ballots were commingled with tabulated ballots at the voting location. “Further, we have received a sworn complaint from an election observer indicating that more than 1700 “Door 3” nontabulated ballots from one voting location were placed in black duffle bags that were intended to be used for tabulated ballots,” she added.

As DOJ appoints special counsel for Trump probes, legal experts ask: What about Hunter?

The attorney general's decision to name an independent prosecutor for multiple investigations focused on Trump has exacerbated concerns about a politicized Justice Department.

ByAaron Kliegman

Legal experts are raising concerns about the merits and motivations of Attorney General Merrick Garland's announcement Friday that he's appointing a special counsel to oversee multiple Justice Department investigations involving former President Donald Trump, with some prominent voices asking why the department hasn't taken a similar step with the ongoing probe into President Biden's son, Hunter Biden.

"The appointment of yet another special prosecutor assigned with the specific target of Donald Trump shows the lengths to which the corrupt O'Biden administration will go to try and stop Trump," said Sidney Powell, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor, combining the last names of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

"No one," she continued, "has been persecuted at taxpayer expense more relentlessly than has Trump, and the double standard is blatant. They protect Hunter and Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and others from investigation for flagrant criminal conduct and manufacture (Continued on page 14)

Incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman formally accuses FBI of meddling in last four elections

"It'd be nice if the FBI and the Justice Department just stayed out of" elections, Rep. Jim Jordan says.

ByJohn Solomon

The incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday formally accused the FBI of meddling in the last four elections to the detriment of Republicans, citing the Russia collusion probe, the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story and the raid on Donald Trump's home .

"When is the FBI gonna quit interfering with elections?" Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked a news conference laying out the GOP's investigative priorities next year. "2016, they spied on President Trump's campaign. 2018, it was the Mueller investigation. 2020, they suppressed information about the Hunter Biden story. 2022, they raided the President's home 91 days before an election.

"Maybe it'd be nice if the FBI and the Justice Department just stayed out of it and let we the people decide who we think should represent us, who we think should lead us," he added. "That’s supposed to be how America works. "So this is the focus on the Judiciary Committee, the political nature of the Justice Department and the linkage now to what was happening with the Hunter Biden story, again just 15 days before we had a presidential election."

The FBI has repeatedly denied that politics has played a role in any of the Trump investigations but acknowledged significant failures in many of them, including the inappropriate expression of political bias by supervisors, the over-collection of evidence and the inclusion of false or unverified information in search warrants.

Jordan appeared with Rep. James Comer, RKy., the next chairman of the House Oversight Committee, as the two laid out the top priorities for investigation and oversight in the House when Republicans take over in January. Both made clear an early focus would be on the Biden family's international business dealings and how much the president participated in and benefitted from them."

Judge Orders Unsealing Of Names Of 8 Anonymous Individuals Relating To Jeffrey Epstein

Zero Hedge—

Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times (emphasis Zero Hedge).

A federal judge on Friday ordered the unsealing of documents featuring the real names ofsome of the “John Does” relating to deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, according to multiple media outlets.

Judge Loretta Preska ruled on Friday to disclose the identities of a number of previously anonymous individuals in documents filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against the convicted pedophile’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell in a defamation case, according to Insider.

Epstein died in jail awaiting trial while Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against Maxwell has generated a trove of documents relating to Epstein, which contain a number of redacted names, some of which Preska ordered unsealed on the premise …(Continue reading).

(Continued from page 13)

any excuse to go after Trump."

Powell's words follow Garland's appointment of Jack Smith, a former career Justice Department prosecutor and former chief prosecutor at The Hague, to serve as special counsel to oversee two ongoing criminal investigations.

The first is the investigation into whether any individual, Trump included, attempted to interfere unlawfully in the transfer of presidential power or the electoral certification process in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The second is the investigation into the documents the FBI seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August and any obstruction of justice charges that could stem from it. rick Garland continues to politicize and weaponize the Biden Justice Department —all while Garland ignores smokinggun evidence of Biden's foreign corruption," tweeted Mike Davis, former chief counsel for nominations for the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Other legal experts thought Garland's appointment itself was fine but took issue with not doing the same for Biden.

"Appointment of a special counsel is a significant step, but Garland is well within his rights to do so," said Geoff Shepard, a lawyer and author who served in the Nixon administration. "The disturbing thing is that he has not already done so with regard to the Hunter Biden investigation. It reeks of a double standard and gives critics plenty of reason to object."

Garland's announcement came three days after Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign.

"The Department of Justice has long recognized that in certain extraordinary cases it is in the public interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution," said Garland. "Based on recent developments, including the former president's announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election and the sitting president's stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel."

Trump blasted the appointment as the "politicization of justice" and said he "won't partake in it" in comments to Fox News Digital.

Observers were quick to similarly criticize Garland's decision, noting a potential double standard as the Justice Department hasn't named a special counsel to oversee its ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden. The Justice Department has been investigating the president's son for potential violation of tax laws as well as foreign lobbying violations related to his business dealings overseas. David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware, is the federal prosecutor heading the probe, which to date hasn't yielded any charges —although federal agents have reportedly gathered enough information to feel confident charging Biden with multiple crimes related to taxes and a gun purchase.

Weiss was appointed by Trump, potentially assuaging some concerns that the Biden Justice Department won't honestly conduct its probe. However, as a federal prosecutor, Weiss can still be hired and fired by President Biden, noted Alan Dershowitz, a renowned civil liberties lawyer and professor emeritus at Harvard Law School.

Republicans in Congress have previously requested that Garland grant special counsel protections and authorities to Weiss as he investigates the president's son, so far to no avail. On Thursday, House Republican leaders detailed their plans to investigate the Biden family's business dealings and alleged criminal activity when Republicans officially take control of the House in January when a new Congress is sworn in.

Such an effort could be necessary, according to some observers who argue Weiss isn't getting the job done.

Weiss is an "embarrassment," according to Joe diGenova, a former federal prosecutor who argued the Hunter Biden probe should be wrapped up by now. "It shows the political nature of Garland, not using a special counsel where he should in one case and in the other choosing someone not up to the caliber that's necessary when you're dealing with Trump."

DiGenova argued that while Smith "obviously has all kinds of experience" and is likely a "fine lawyer," someone of "greater stature" like a former judge or attorney general would be better suited for this assignment investigating a former president under "questionable" circumstances.

"I've always thought it's important to pick people of prominence to bring credibility to it," he said. "Picking someone that no one knows is not, in my opinion, a good idea. It's important to find someone with a more known track record and more of a public figure."

Some legal experts disagreed, countering that Smith is the right man for the job.

"Jack is a prosecutor's prosecutor," said Andrew Weissmann, a former top Justice Department official and senior prosecutor in the Trump-Russia investigation. "He has been a career prosecutor for decades, across numerous administrations, and does not have a political bone in his body. To boot: He is as fast as [lightning], cutting to the chase in his investigations, and does not get waylaid by irrelevant side issues.

"Jack surely knows the complete drubbing he is going to take in certain quarters of the media, and he has the thick skin and fortitude that is required to brush that off for what it is." Dershowitz agreed that Smith "seems very qualified," adding that the appointment of a special counsel helps show the investigation isn't being done by someone who can be fired or promoted by the target's political opponent.

"The appearance of an attorney general investigating a potential political opponent of his boss is reduced with the special prosecutor appointment," he said.

However, he added, special prosecutors have particular targets, focusing on specific individuals, "raising questions about the fairness of the law. Prosecutors normally prioritize who to go after with several investigations to tackle, whereas special prosecutors have only one target."

The late D.C. Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman expressed a similar sentiment in an oft-cited passage from a 1988 ruling concerning special counsels, arguing there's inherent pressure on them given their independence and narrow yet public mandate to obtain an indictment and conviction rather than just administer the law. (Silberman's ruling was later overturned by the Supreme Court in Morrison v. Olson.)

A point of concern to watch with Smith's appointment, noted Shepard, is whether he fills his staff with objective career prosecutors or more openly political individuals, potentially reflecting a political bias in the special counsel investigation.

One key problem, some critics argued, isn't necessarily the special counsel announcement itself but rather the person who made the announcement.

"Garland has so weaponized the Justice Department against conservatives and Republicans that anything he does is questionable," said diGenova. "Regardless of the process of picking Smith, it's tainted because Garland is doing it."

Just the News has previously reported on growing outcry among legal experts and civil libertarians over what they described as the Justice Department's strong-arm tactics targeting Trump allies and critics of the Biden administration

According to Dershowitz, however, right now the best course of action is to hold off on judgment.

"Let's wait and see," he said. "We should judge [Smith] on his merits. Of course, there are risks this could be political. It's so important for justice to be done and to be seen by the public to be done. But I don't envy the special prosecutor in this case. He will be pilloried."

FTX on Steroids: Is “Tether” the Biden World’s Crypto BCCI?

Revolver.News—

Just days ago, Bloomberg estimated 30-yearold Sam BankmanFried’s (SBF) personal wealth at an astonishing $16 billion. Now, the disgraced FTX founder is essentially bankrupt, and if there is a shred of justice in the world, soon headed for prison.

The collapse of FTX and its founder is one of the most spectacular implosions in history. There is no shortage of narratives to mine for interesting article fodder. Celebrities like Tom Brady and his now ex-wife Giselelost millionsto the scam. Silicon Valley “smart money” that washopelessly entrancedby a wunderkind founder. SBF also used his filthy stolen lucre to become one of thelargest donors in leftwing politicsof the past four years. There’s also the FTX pet philosophy of“effective altruism,”the cult-like fad ideology of contemporary Silicon Valley that SBF exploited to conduct his fraud and justify taking enormous risks. There’s also the 28-yearold girlboss CEO of Alameda Research Caroline Ellison, whobraggedthat her vast financial empire only requires “elementary school math” to turn profits, and whose public list of turnons includes“controlling major world governments.”

All of these storylines are being regurgitated ad nauseum by countless other media outlets. The story that Revolver is about to tell you is even bigger and more spectacular than all the other fascinating storylines listed above. In fact, dear reader, FTX may not even be the biggest scam in crypto. Another, even more spectacular scam may still be live, ready to collapse at any moment… if anyone decides to take a real look at it.

The story you’re about to hear concerns the thirdlargest crypto-currency on the planet, which you’ve probably never heard of. It is a story of how a former Disney child-actor —a Jeffrey Epstein associate who was embroiled in an under-age sex scandal — bizarrely emerged as one of the world’s strangest crypto-currency moguls. It is the story that raises serious questions as to whether an entire cryptocurrency is a scam — effectively a private money-printer. And to top it all off, there is reason to believe that if this cryptocurrency is the scam that it appears to be, it will nonetheless be allowed to continue because of this particular cryptocurrency’s usefulness to intelligence agencies in funneling money to foreign rebel groups and jihadis with plausible deniability.

Sound crazy? Sound interesting? Strap in, it’s about to get wild.

USDT, or Tether, is what is known as a “stablecoin.” A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that, instead of fluctuating in value, is intended to hold to a consistent price. Tether is a USD stablecoin —each Tether is supposed to be equal in value to one U.S. dollar. While most cryptocurrencies are wildly speculative and backed by essentially nothing, each Tether is supposed to be backed directly by a U.S. dollar, or an extremely… (Continue reading)