Tag Archives : Build House

Bolton on criticism of FBI after Mar-a-Lago search: 'I think overwhelmingly they are professional'

Former national security adviser John Bolton on Thursday said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “overwhelmingly” professional, pushing back against claims the agency conducted a politically motivated raid on former President Trump’s Florida estate this week.

On CNN’s “New Day,” Bolton told hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar he’s had “long experience” with the DOJ and believes in the integrity of the department.

“Overwhelmingly, they are professional in carrying out of their duties,” he said. “I don’t recognize a lot of the criticisms that are being made of these institutions.”

Bolton, who was a target of an Iranian plot to assassinate him, according to charges unsealed this week, served under the Trump administration from 2018 to 2019.

The FBI’s Monday morning raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., ignited a firestorm of controversy from the right, with a number of GOP lawmakers and Trump allies accusing the Biden administration of going after the former president for political reasons ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has called to “defund the FBI” while House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pledged to implement “immediate oversight” of the DOJ if the GOP overtakes the House in the midterm elections.

While the DOJ has remained mum on the incident, FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday called threats circulating online against federal agents and the Justice Department “deplorable and dangerous.”

The DOJ earlier this year opened an investigation into the alleged seizure of classified documents Trump was supposed to turn over before leaving the White House, after the National Archives reported they reclaimed 15 boxes of documents from the former president.

Bolton on Thursday argued both the right and the left are demeaning the nation’s institutions, arguing that liberals have gone too far in their criticism of the Secret Service, which is now the center of a probe into the agency allegedly wiping text messages related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“You’ve got the left attacking the Secret Service, the right attacking the FBI,” Bolton said, adding he’s worked with both institutions and is an advocate of “law and order” above all else.

Source: TEST FEED1

The ‘other’ issue in the midterms — the one that could hurt the GOP

I’m starting to wonder if that big, red wave we keep hearing about is going to be as big and as red when all the votes are counted in November. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has stopped predicting the predictable red wave, at least as far as the Senate is concerned. And no, it’s not because of the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago — which, who knows, may actually help Republicans before this is over.

For quite some time now, we’ve heard that there’s one overriding issue in the midterm elections: inflation. When prices of food and a lot of other things we need are going up, and when rising prices outpace pay increases, then, sure, inflation matters — a lot.

But I keep thinking abortion may be a bigger issue than a lot of my Republican friends think it is.  Bigger even than the polls indicate. When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democrats finally had a lifeline; they finally had something to run on. Without abortion as an issue, a lot of Democrats, I suspect, would have stayed home on Election Day. Now, they’re energized.

It’s not only Democrats. Moderate Republicans, especially college-educated women who live in the suburbs, just might be thinking about abortion, too. Same with independent, swing voters. Abortion also may energize younger voters who don’t usually show up at the polls on Election Day. They finally may have something they care enough about to drop what they’re doing and go out to vote.

Americans are moderates on the issue of abortion. They’re okay with abortion in the first trimester, less so in the second, and only the fringe supports abortion after that. But many pro-life Republican politicians are out of touch with mainstream America. Pro-life Republicans in more than a few states have banned all abortions in their states — in some cases with no exemptions, even for rape or incest.

If the Republican Party is seen as the “Ban Abortion Party with No Exemptions” that can’t help the GOP in general, or its candidates in swing districts in particular.

The New York Times is keeping track of state abortion laws in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and reports that, “Abortion is now banned in at least 10 states as laws restricting the procedure take effect following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Another four states now ban abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. More bans are expected in the coming weeks. …”

Total bans on abortion may please people who believes that human life is sacred and begins at inception — and it’s not easy to compromise on abortion if you see it mainly as a moral issue.  But the world of politics is a lot different from the world of morality. In the world of politics, compromise isn’t a sin; it’s a necessity to get things done. So, if you want to win elections you have to make concessions; you have to appeal to the vast middle. Talking about outlawing abortion with no ifs, ands or buts and prosecuting women who cross state lines to get an abortion is not a political winner.

Even if the states with the most restrictions on abortion are Republican strongholds, voters in swing districts in every state in the union will wonder how far Republicans might go if they gain control of Congress and the White House. Will they try to impose a total ban on abortion in all 50 states? What a politician says about abortion in Alabama or Mississippi may hurt a Republican running in a suburb of Philadelphia.

We might learn something from the recent vote in Kansas, a reliably red state. Voters there were asked if they wanted to remove the right to abortion from their state constitution and let politicians in the legislature decide what to do about abortion. Nearly 60 percent of voters said, no thanks — we don’t want to give pols that kind of power.

And, yes, there’s extremism on the other side, too. A lot of Democrats want abortion rights with virtually no restrictions. That’s not in the American mainstream, either. But that kind of extremism is not something that’s widely known in America, thanks to how liberals in the media tell the abortion story.

I’m not saying the red wave isn’t coming — inflation and (let’s not forget) history are powerful tailwinds that should benefit Republicans this November. And who knows how the raid at Donald Trump’s home in Florida will affect voters. But I am saying that abortion matters. Before this is over, we may find out that it matters more than a lot of Republicans think.

Bernard Goldberg is an Emmy and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award-winning writer and journalist. He was a correspondent with HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” for 22 years and previously worked as a reporter for CBS News and as an analyst for Fox News. He is the author of five books and publishes exclusive weekly columns, audio commentaries and Q&As on his Substack page. Follow him on Twitter @BernardGoldberg.

Source: TEST FEED1

Even small temperature changes will significantly affect North American forests

An analysis of more than 4,500 seedlings of nine North American tree species revealed just a slight temperature increase of 1.6 degrees celsius (about 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) alone, or combined with reduced rainfall, would increase mortality among the trees and significantly restrict growth. 

The research, carried out by a team at The University of Michigan, was published in the journal Nature and underscores the precarious situation of North American boreal forests seen throughout Alaska, Canada and parts of Michigan and Minnesota.

These areas are one of Earth’s largest nearly intact forested ecosystems and play a significant role in decreasing human-made carbon emissions; they are located below tundra regions but above more temperate forests. 

Over five years, researchers used infrared lamps and soil heating cables to study near-term impacts of warming on the seedlings.

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Several common northern conifer species including balsam fir, white spruce, and white pine exhibited severely reduced growth under experimental conditions, while modest warming did enhance growth for some species more commonly found in southern temperate forests.

However, the enhanced growth of these species is not enough to offset the effects of the vanishing conifers, researchers warned.

In addition to testing the effects of a 1.6 degree celsius warming, researchers also tested outcomes of a 3.1 degrees celsius (about 5.6 degrees Fahrenheit) increase above ambient temperatures. Rainwater tarps were used to test drier conditions and outcomes were compared with control trees grown at ambient temperatures and under normal moisture conditions. 

Data showed reduced rainfall exacerbated the effects of slight temperature increases. 

“Our results spell problems for the health and diversity of future regional forests,” said study co-author  Peter Reich of the University of Michigan in a statement. 

“Present-day southern boreal forest may reach a tipping point with even modest climate warming, resulting in a major compositional shift with potential adverse impacts on the health and diversity of regional forests,” he added. 

The resulting consequences could have sweeping impacts on forests’ ability to produce timber, host other plant and animal biodiversity and reduce flooding and carbon in the air. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Wildfire and electric grid: Crisis requires long-term planning rather than rapid response

Wildfires are a top priority for land management agencies and utilities, as the number, size and intensity have increased along with the cost to battle these mega-blazes. While not all wildfires are caused by the power grid, the two are closely linked. New tactics need to be adopted to protect infrastructure, principally by investing in prevention strategies and secondarily by coordinating interagency approaches and community participation.

Several congressional hearings have focused on the intersection between the grid and wildfire — stressing the burgeoning risk to energy infrastructure from climate change. High winds, storm surges and lightning can cause physical damage to energy infrastructure, threatening the health and safety of communities. Climate change has been impacting the frequency of wildfires as temperatures have been rising, forests and soils are staying dryer longer, meanwhile moisture is more variable.

There are a number of methods to address the risk to the grid from wildfire. Federal, state and local governments as well as utilities are currently maximizing local budgets to identify high-risk areas and to manage vegetation. Unfortunately, the cost to fight fires has been cutting into budgets, nearly tripling for the Forest Service since the 1990s and inducing reactive, rather than proactive strategies. A more systematic approach is needed, to focus increased funding on planning and prevention for both natural resource management agencies and for infrastructural improvements. Fuel concentration, especially at the wildland-urban interface, poses a risk to communities and may fall under the jurisdiction of several agencies — thus coordinated planning and funding to manage vegetation over the long term is a key strategy.  

Recent passage of the 2021  Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorizes planning and spending to enhance resilience of the electric grid, which could result in installing line sensors and other early detection technology on a broad scale. This new law authorized the Department of Energy to jump-start accelerated projects focused on protecting the grid and communities from wildfires. These projects team utilities, industry and national laboratories to advance existing technologies and employ artificial intelligence to identify vulnerable or damaged energy infrastructure. To enhance the modernized grid, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act promotes construction of remote grids to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events. Recent wildfire and hurricane events have accentuated the need for utility systems to isolate when conditions become unstable, and provide critical power during emergencies through islanding or microgrid capabilities. When a power line is damaged by high winds or downed trees, power outages can last hours or days while crews repair the system. Scaling real-world solutions in at-risk areas will benefit communities, protect economies and likely save lives.            

There are several jurisdictional issues likely to continue stalling infrastructure siting decisions unless process changes are made. Funding larger-scale, regional projects typically requires the agreement of multiple states. Most regions have developed regional transmission organizations (RTOs), which ensure regional electrical reliability, create wholesale power markets and bring together a variety of stakeholders that report to federal regulators. These RTOs could be the foundation to move forward regional infrastructure planning, as they already include important utility stakeholders and connect local, state and federal entities.

Current procedures will need to dramatically shift in order to update infrastructure — requiring faster and more inclusive processes with streamlined environmental evaluations. First, diverse teams of specialists will need to prioritize risks with the input of local and technical experts. The process will need to integrate stakeholder input throughout the process and following the comment period, but bypass unnecessary, time-consuming and financially burdensome litigation that can encumber federal projects. This may necessitate a new process input (feedback loop), following traditional comments, where a neutral facilitator allows each side to present and discuss how comments may be incorporated into the plan.

Decision-makers and stakeholders will need to work together in this process to set stringent timelines and milestones for the creation of necessary infrastructure and upgrades. Collaborative discussions must articulate that disruptions to the timeline could result in the loss of system reliability, brown-outs and blackouts. Cooperation in developing and implementing infrastructure plans and garnering private investor funding is required to move projects forward. The final approach must also include a quick and fair mechanism to adjudicate financial valuations for projects that cross state lines, so as to not unduly burden one state while providing financial benefits to another. Public and private partnerships with the aim of protecting the grid from further climate disruptions are integral to improving infrastructure at a rapid and sustainable rate.   

There is a critical need to systematically and financially reduce the risk of wildfire to energy infrastructure, as scientists predict climate-driven fire vulnerabilities to increase in coming decades.      

Cassie Koerner is assistant director of research, communications and development at the Energy Policy Institute at Boise State University. Koerner’s current research focuses on policy change at the wildfire-electric grid interface and resilience as a key factor to effective energy transitions. As a social scientist with experience in the public electric utility sector, her previous research experience in policy and public administration has covered a range of topics including: renewable energy in the West, nuclear perceptions, energy efficiency, carbon sequestration, international carbon markets, as well as general energy and environmental issues. 

Source: TEST FEED1

White House to paint Republicans as 'extreme' allies of special interests

By Morgan Chalfant 

The White House will paint Republicans as stewards of special interests who are pursuing an “extreme MAGA agenda that costs families” in the coming weeks, seeking to tie the GOP to former President Trump and his “Make American Great Again” slogan.  

 A new White House memo says that Biden, Vice President Harris and other Biden administration officials will fan out across the country in the coming weeks to tout job creation and elements of the Inflation Reduction Act, which is expected to pass the House at the end of this week along party lines.   

While pressing upon voters that Republicans are tied to Trump, the effort is also intended to blunt GOP attacks on Biden tied to inflation and concerns about the economy.  

“The President and Congressional Democrats beat the special interests and delivered what was best for the American people,” the memo from White House communications director Kate Bedingfield and senior adviser Anita Dunn laying out the August recess message states.   

“Every step of the way, Congressional Republicans sided with the special interests – pushing an extreme MAGA agenda that costs families,” it states.   

Democrats have had mixed success seeking to make elections in which Trump isn’t on the ballot about the former president.  

A similar effort did not, for example, blunt Republican Glenn Youngkin’s election as Virginia’s governor.  

But polls do show a number of Democratic candidates for the Senate doing well in polls in which they are matched up against pro-Trump GOP nominees, including Herschel Walker in Georgia and Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.  

Democrats are widely seen as underdogs to retain the House majority, but the fight for the Senate could be won by either party.  

Helping Democratic optimism is the fact that Biden has notched some major wins in recent weeks.  

He signed bipartisan semiconductor legislation into law and finally witnessing a pared-down version of his climate and healthcare proposal pass the Senate with only Democratic support. The House is set to vote on the package on Friday.  

 The new laws will offer Democrats concrete accomplishments to point to on the campaign trail. The White House has also made the case that Biden’s policies are responsible for the steady decline in gas prices.  

New data released Wednesday showed that inflation dipped in July from a 40-year high of 9.1 percent, though it still remains elevated at 8.5 percent.   

Biden has grappled with low approval ratings for months as voters have vented frustration with inflation and the high cost of gasoline and other goods.   

Democratic strategists say that it’s critical for the party to make the upcoming election a choice – rather than a referendum on Biden’s first nearly two years in office.  

The memo says that Biden and his top officials will highlight elements of the Inflation Reduction Act that will lower the cost of prescription drugs and healthcare and combat climate change.   

Biden administration officials will draw a contrast with Republicans who voted against the massive bill – the result of more than a year of negotiations on Capitol Hill – highlighting, for instance, that they blocked a $35 cap on the price of insulin that Senate Democrats sought to include in the final bill, the memo states. The pharmaceutical industry opposed elements of the bill to lower prescription drug costs.  

The messaging memo also suggests that Biden will continue to hit on a plan proposed by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) that included a proposal to sunset all legislation every five years, which would create uncertainty for Social Security and Medicare.   

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) also recently called for Congress to review and approve annual budgets of Medicare and Social Security instead of allowing them to rise automatically, comments that have landed him in hot water and provided more fodder for Biden and other Democrats.   

Earlier this year, Biden coined the term “ultra MAGA agenda” to attack the GOP, invoking Trump’s slogan.

The memo suggests that Biden will further amplify that attack line in the coming weeks by attacking Republicans for embracing abortion restrictions following the death of Roe v. Wade and opposing more stringent gun safety measures like a ban on assault-style weapons.   

Source: TEST FEED1

Jobless claims rise again to highest level since November

New applications for unemployment benefits rose slightly in the first month of August to the highest level since November, according to Labor Department data released Thursday. 

Jobless claims totaled 262,000 in the week ending Aug. 6, up 14,000 from the previous week’s revised total. Claims continue to hover around pre-pandemic levels, but they’ve risen in five out of the last six weeks.

The four-week average of claims rose 4,500 to 252,000, according to the report.

Economists are closely monitoring jobless claims to gauge whether interest rate hikes are causing businesses to cut back on jobs, an indicator of an economic slowdown. The Federal Reserve has raised rates by 2.25 percent to fight 40-year high inflation. 

While jobless claims are ticking up, the U.S. added 528,000 jobs in July, more than double the figure economists expected, and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent, tying a 50-year low. 

Meanwhile, annual consumer prices were up 8.5 percent last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a slowdown from June’s 9.1 percent figure. Wholesale prices dropped 0.5 percent, another sign that inflation may be easing. 

The Federal Reserve will consider the strong job numbers and the surprisingly good inflation report as it weighs additional rate hikes to bring prices down. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Man pleads guilty to stalking, trying to 'kill and kidnap' Oklahoma Republican

An Oklahoma man on Wednesday pleaded guilty to threatening to kidnap and assault Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and his wife as well as charges of cyberstalking.

Keith Eisenberger, 39, entered a plea agreement after prosecutors said he called for Hern’s execution, threatened to kidnap him and his wife and angrily yelled at the congressman’s staff over the phone and in person at Hern’s Washington, D.C., and Tulsa offices, according to court documents.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate online threats of violence meant to intimidate elected officials or members of our community,”  U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson said in a statement. “Keith Eisenberger now understands there are legal repercussions to committing these criminal acts.”

The plea agreement suggests a three-year sentence.

Oklahoma’s governor appointed Hern to the House seat in November 2018 after he won an election to succeed former Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), who resigned to become NASA administrator, for a term beginning the following January. 

A criminal complaint states Eisenberger, who was previously known to show up uninvited to Oklahoma political events to gain close proximity to politicians, believed Hern stole the seat, so Eisenberg began threatening the congressman’s staff over the phone before showing up at Hern’s D.C. and Tulsa offices.

“Kevin Hern and the State of Oklahoma deserve a final consequence of U.S. justice served that leads them to an end by federal execution,” Eisenberger wrote in a Nov. 2020 Facebook post, according to the complaint.

“If that satisfaction is not feasible, resignation, death or expulsion of Rep. Kevin Hern is acceptable.”

The Hill has reached out to Hern’s office for comment.

The complaint says investigators found dozens of concerning posts. Eisenberger in Oct. 2021 stated in a now-deleted Facebook video that he was going to assault Hern, and in May 2022 Eisenberger made a post detailing hopes to kidnap the congressman and his wife.

At times, the congressman was provided extra security in response to Eisenberger’s threats.

“While the First Amendment gives us the right to express our own opinions, it does not protect those who cross the line of making violent criminal threats,” said Edward Gray, FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge. “The FBI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure elected officials can perform the duties of their office safely.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Austin Tice's mother: Biden comments show he is 'ready to engage with Syria'

The mother of American journalist and former Marine Austin Tice said that President Biden’s recent remarks on her son’s detainment abroad show that the president is “ready to engage with Syria” on bringing her son back home. 

During an appearance on CNN’s “New Day,” host John Berman asked Tice’s mother, Debra Tice, about her reaction to Biden’s latest call, urging Syrian officials to release her son from captivity in their country. 

Wednesday marked ten years since Tice, 41, was kidnapped while covering the Syrian war as a freelance journalist. 

“Well, I mean, first of all, I’m just so glad that President Biden has said Austin’s name publicly, I think I think that was the first time in that statement,” Tice told Berman. “And I think that it’s an admission from the President that the United States government is ready to engage with Syria to bring Austin home.”

Tice also told Berman that it’s “great news” to see the Biden administration taking action to bring detained Americans back home, mentioning the prisoner exchange of former marine Trevor Reed earlier this year and the ongoing effort to bring WNBA star Brittney Griner and former marine Paul Whalen home. 

“Well, I think it’s great … good news. I think it indicates that this administration understands that in order to bring people home, there’s going to have to be engagement, negotiation, and concession,” Tice added. 

“I think they’ve demonstrated the President is will to make a hard decision and get that done. And so I think it’s really uplifting. You know Trevor is also a marine and I told him he did his brother a good one by paving a highway for for Austin to come home.”

In a statement, Biden urged Syria to release Tice, saying that he’s repeatedly contacted the Syrian government to work out a deal to bring the freelance journalist home. 

Biden met with Tice’s parents earlier in May where he told them that his administration is working on bringing their son, and other detained Americans back home to U.S. soil. 

Tice’s family also penned a letter to Biden last year asking him to prioritize their son’s safe release from the country. 

“On the tenth anniversary of his abduction, I am calling on Syria to end this and help us bring him home. There is no higher priority in my Administration than the recovery and return of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” Biden said in his statement. 

“We stand with Austin’s many loved ones, and we will not rest until we bring Austin home. Ten years is far, far too long. So is every additional day,” Biden added.

Source: TEST FEED1

Gavin Newsom’s uncanny resemblance to Michael Dukakis

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently visited Washington, saying he wanted to showcase “California’s vital national and global role.” He also bought TV time in Texas and Florida to attack those states’ Republican governors. These are things that a would-be presidential candidate would do. Newsom has denied any interest in the White House, which is also what a would-be candidate would do. 

Getting the 2024 nomination would be tough, but a general election would be tougher. Consider the fall of a rising star from yesteryear. 

Pundits remember Michael Dukakis as a hapless loser, but he looked different before the autumn of 1988. Two years earlier, he had won a landslide reelection as governor of Massachusetts. The media portrayed him as a tech-friendly problem solver who pursued progressive goals while balancing state budgets. 

Newsom is in a comparable situation. He beat a recall attempt last year and is almost certain to bury his little-known GOP challenger this fall. Revenues are pouring into state coffers because the wealthiest Californians are prospering — and they carry about half the income tax load. The resulting budget surplus has enabled Newsom to increase spending for the social safety net.   

So far, so good for Newsom. 

But he has to ask himself: Why did Dukakis lose to George H.W. Bush?

Economic growth and the waning of the Cold War boosted Bush. More relevant to Newsom is that Dukakis suffered from “Blue Bubble Syndrome.” He had spent his entire political career in an overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic state, the only one to favor McGovern over Nixon in 1972. He was not particularly sensitive to the interests and concerns of voters outside of his comfort zone.

Like Dukakis, Newsom has never faced a real threat from a conservative Republican opponent. He won his first elections in GOP-free San Francisco and then attained statewide office after the Republican Party had shriveled to irrelevance in California state politics. In the 2021 recall campaign, a far-right candidate on the replacement ballot actually helped Newsom by motivating Democratic turnout.

In 1988, the GOP caught Dukakis off guard with attacks on his state’s prison furlough program. His response would have gained high marks at Harvard Law School but fell flat with crime-weary voters in swing states; 34 years later crime and disorder have returned as top issues. Californians are all too familiar with needle-strewn streets and “smash and grab” robberies. The issue would be potent in a presidential race: Concern about crime and violence is at the highest level in years.

Bush also surprised Dukakis by latching onto an issue where Democrats assumed they had the advantage: the environment. Dukakis had failed to clean up Boston Harbor, enabling the Bush campaign to run a spot featuring its disgusting pollution.

Republicans could do something similar to Newsom. Democrats regard poverty and homelessness as “their” issues. But after taking account of living costs, the Census Bureau has found that California has the highest poverty rate of the 50 states. The most visible sign of this tragedy is rampant homelessness. The GOP attack ad practically writes itself: grainy, slow-motion footage of wretched encampments, with a voiceover reciting poverty statistics and ending with: “Now, Gavin Newsom says he wants to do for America what he’s done for California.”

Scholar Garry Wills called Dukakis “the first truly secular candidate we have ever had for the presidency.” The Constitution forbids religious tests for office, but he learned that American politicians disregard faith at their peril. Dukakis called himself a “card-carrying member of the American Civil Liberties Union,” perhaps not stopping to think that the organization was anathema to many religious voters.

Newsom, like Dukakis, has a secular public persona, which is fine in the not-especially-pious state of California, but that persona might not connect with voters in places such as Georgia and North Carolina, which are potentially in play for Democrats. He should expect Republicans to flay him for his losing legal battle to impose pandemic restrictions on indoor church services.

The last four Democrats to win the presidency — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden — all found ways of reaching outside the Blue Bubble, and each invoked his religious faith in a way that was not exclusionary.

If Newsom runs for president, he should ask these former presidents what they did right. He should also ask Michael Dukakis about what went wrong. 

John J. Pitney, Jr. is a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and author of “After Reagan: Bush, Dukakis, and the 1988 Election.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Perry stresses he is not target of investigation after phone seizure

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) emphasized late Wednesday that he is not a target of an FBI investigation after agents confiscated his cell phone in the wake of a search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

“While that story blew up, I heard from my attorneys, who talked directly to the Department of Justice, who said that I, their client, am not a target of this investigation,” Perry told Brian Kilmeade on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Perry, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said on Tuesday he was handed a warrant as agents requested his personal cell phone. 

The day prior, Trump announced a large group of FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and broke into a safe. Multiple people in Trump’s orbit have publicly said the investigation was related to documents sought by the National Archives.

Perry told Kilmeade the FBI did not take his official cell phone used for work purposes, and agents showed up while the congressman was traveling with his family. 

“If they would have just contacted my attorney, certainly, we would have provided the information necessary, as required by law,” Perry said.

“And that would have been the end of it,” he continued. “But they want this spectacle. They want this show. They want the intimidation.” 

Perry and other Republicans have sharply criticized the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the raid of Trump’s Florida estate, arguing the agencies have been weaponized for political purposes.

The FBI and DOJ have declined to comment on the Mar-a-Lago raid and the seizure of Perry’s phone.

“I think that they’re scared to death that President Donald Trump is going to come back in 2024 and win reelection,” Perry said. “And they’re going to do every single thing that they can to make sure that doesn’t happen, including make up some kind of charges from the National Archives.”

Perry has refused to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, which has said the congressman was one of several House Republicans who sought a pardon from Trump.

Perry has denied that allegation.

–Updated at 7:39 a.m.

Source: TEST FEED1