The Daily Brief:
Monday, June 12, 2017
One of the federal government's top criminal law specialists is joining the investigation by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III centered on possible coordination between President Trump's associates and Russian officials.
Justice Department deputy solicitor general Michael Dreeben, who has argued more than 100 cases before the Supreme Court, is the department's go-to lawyer on criminal justice cases and is highly respected by Democrats and Republicans because of his encyclopedic knowledge of criminal law. Dreeben will work part time for Mueller, according to Justice officials, while he continues to oversee the department's criminal appellate cases.
Former and current Justice Department officials say that Mueller's recruitment of Dreeben shows how serious he is about the investigation and signals complexities in the probe. "Michael is the most brilliant and most knowledgeable federal criminal lawyer in America - period," said Walter Dellinger, a law professor at Duke University School of Law and acting solicitor general for the 1996-1997 term of the Supreme Court.
"I learned early on in my time as acting [solicitor general] that there was no point of ever thinking of second-guessing Michael on a matter of federal criminal law, because he just knew more than I did or could ever know," Dellinger said. "He's a straight shooter, and is held in the greatest esteem by the FBI and lawyers in U.S. attorneys offices all over the country."
Mueller, working out of the Patrick Henry Building on D Street NW, was appointed special counsel by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein on May 17 and has been building a team of top criminal-law experts for his high-profile investigation. Dreeben's move to the team was first reported by the National Law Journal. (Read more)
- Lord, the appointment of Michael Dreeben to the counsel on the Russian probe may be the first thing that both sides of Congress have agreed on during the current administration. This could be Your answering the many prayers that have gone up to You regarding unity in our government. Give this counsel Your direction through the Holy Spirit for an honest and truthful conclusion of the investigation. We pray that Michael Dreeben's work as Special Prosecutor in these investigations would not be tainted by his own, close friendship with James Comey in past years. We ask this in Your name, amen.
- "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves." (Romans 13: 1-2)
2. House, Senate committees want Trump tapes, Comey memos - Fox News
House and Senate lawmakers leading the Russia investigation have asked the White House to produce tapes President Trump hinted might exist of a conversation between him and ousted FBI Director James Comey. They also made a formal request to the Comey camp for copies of the memos he testified he made to document the meetings.
The requests come on the heels of explosive allegations by Comey and a string of strong denials by Trump over the abrupt dismissal of the FBI director and the circumstances surrounding it.
Comey testified Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he'd given a memo that detailed a conversation with Trump to his friend, Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University. On Friday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reached out to Comey's confidant and the committee confirmed Saturday that they had been in touch with Richman about the memo. "Mr. Richman has had direct contact with the Committee about the request for the memos.," the committee told Fox News. "Staff for Special Counsel Mueller and the Committee are also in discussions about that request and others, in preparation for a meeting between Mueller and Committee leadership."
Separately, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announced they had made two requests for evidence themselves - one to Comey and another to White House counsel Don McGahn.Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Michael Conaway, R-Texas, said they wrote to Comey asking for any notes or memos he took.They also asked McGahn to tell the committee whether the White House has or has ever had recordings of Comey's conversation with Trump - and put a June 23 deadline on the information. (Read more)
- Father, we now see an explosion of activity on both sides of the Hill, all related to one key issue: the testimony rendered by former FBI Director James Comey before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week. We call forth truth -- and only truth -- to flow through the halls of Congress now, and we cast out confusion and chaos in Your name. amen.
- "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." (Isaiah 59:19)
3. Trump's pick for FBI director tied to Shariah-compliant deals - WND
Shariah law is like a mysterious "other" for most Westerners, who may know of its intolerance of other religions and its criminal codes that call for stoning adulterers and the cutting off of limbs for petty thieves.
But few know there is a portion of Shariah that includes a thriving area of finance - deals for real estate and business transactions taking place all over the world with Arab money. President Donald Trump's pick to head the FBI, Christopher Wray, surely knows something about this segment of Shariah.
Wray is a litigation partner at King & Spalding, which is one of the leading conduits for Shariah-compliant Islamic deal-making around the world. The firm prides itself in its connections to wealthy Middle Eastern investment groups. According to its website, King & Spalding is a global leader in Islamic finance and investment. It was one of the first American law firms to aid Islamic investors in accumulating assets in the West. (Read more)
- Father God, we ask great wisdom for the Senate Judiciary Committee when they weigh the qualifications of Christopher Wray to serve as the new Director of the FBI. We ask that a director be named that has absolutely no ties to Muslim nations or businesses that are Shariah compliant. We ask that a director be appointed to head the FBI who will only honor our United States Constitution in all he says and does. In Your Name, amen.
- "See, my enemies are fertile with evil. They conceive trouble and give birth to deception." (Psalm 7:14)
4. Sessions says he will discuss Comey with Senate panel - Reuters
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a letter on Saturday that he will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday to address matters former FBI Director James Comey brought up this week in testimony to the same panel.
In a letter seen by Reuters, Sessions told Senator Richard Shelby, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, that the intelligence committee is the "most appropriate" place to address matters that came up during Comey's hearing on Thursday.
The letter did not say whether Sessions planned to give public testimony or to appear before the panel behind closed doors.
"In light of reports regarding Mr. Comey's recent testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, it is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum," Sessions said in the letter.
The committee "is the most appropriate forum for such matters, as it has been conducting an investigation and has access to relevant, classified information," he added. The Senate panel is investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. (Read more)
- Lord God, we create a wall of prayer around our Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, and we thank You that You are guiding him in each decision he is making. In Your name, amen.
- "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." (Psalm 32:8)
5. Dem congressmen's guide explains how to leak secrets - WND
More than three months before the Justice Department announced a 25-year-old National Security Agency contractor had been arrested for leaking top-secret information to a news outlet, two Democratic members of Congress launched a taxpayer-funded, official government website to show federal employees how to leak government information to the media.
In an article headlined "Federal Employees Guide To Sharing Key Information With The Public," Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Don Beyer, D-Va., are encouraging whistleblowers, specifically within President Trump's administration, to continue leaking to the media.
"Now more than ever we need whistleblowers to come forward. I created an official website on how to leak to the press," Lieu tweeted with a link to his official congressional website. (Read more)
- Father, we trust You Almighty God to halt these unmaskings and bring an end to any further unmaskings by any former Obama employee. Lord, we pray that You will close down and phase out all positions that are now held by employees of the past administration because they are no longer needed. Establish new positions that will be filled by employees who will bring unity and stability to President Trump's administration. In the Name of Jesus we pray and believe it done for God's glory.
- "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
(I Corinthians 3:13)
6. Alleged NSA Leaker Once Said 'Being White Is Terrorism' - Breitbart
Reality Winner, who is white, tweeted to rapper Kanye West in February that he should make a shirt saying whiteness is a form of terrorism.
"@kanyewest you should make a shirt that says, 'being white is terrorism,'" Winner wrote on Twitter.
A search of Winner's Twitter account shows multiple left-wing messages disparaging President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, ranging from calling the president an "orange fascist" to calling Sessions a "Confederate general" who encourages racism: Winner's Facebook page also shows posts "resisting" Trump with the hashtags #NeverMyPresident and #resist, but one such post is no longer available.
Winner worked as a government contractor with Pluribus International Corporation in Georgia and was charged Monday with allegedly leaking NSA documents on Russian election hacking to The Intercept. (Read more)
- Lord God: We pray that You will dispatch holy angels from heaven to close the mouths of the lions who are spreading false statements against President Trump and that their voice will not be heard. We bind the demons under the Blood of Jesus who use the media to send out poisonous arrows against our President and his administration. May the fire of God burn up these arrows and they will not find a target to spread evil. We declare that the Name of Jesus is against all this evil. Amen
- "The Lord thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered His voice. And He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning and, discomfited them"
(II Samuel 22:14-15)
7. Devin Nunes on Unmasking: 'Oh, This Is Only the Beginning' - The Daily Beast
Colleague Mary Kissel of The Wall Street Journal editorial board and I discussed recently with Chairman Devin Nunes of the House Select Intelligence Committee the thinking behind the committee's issuing subpoenas seeking details about unmaskings of American citizens that were requested by three senior Obama administration officials, former CIA director John Brennan, former national security adviser Susan Rice, and former UN ambassador Samantha Power.
"The subpoenas," Nunes explained, "actually went to the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI, requesting specifically, of those three individuals that were named, the unmaskings they have done, that they did, from the time period of 2016, the entire year, leading up to Jan. 20 of this year."
Quickly Nunes focused on the politics of the unmaskings.
"I can't get into why we chose those individuals, but clearly this is just further escalation in the concern we have of the unmaskings of Americans by the senior leaders of the Obama administration. Americans that didn't know about it, and, of course, potentially Trump transition officials." (Read more)
- Father, we trust You Almighty God to halt these unmaskings and bring an end to any further unmaskings by any former Obama employee. Lord, we pray that You will close down and phase out all positions that are now held by employees of the past administration because they are no longer needed. Establish new positions that will be filled by employees who will bring unity and stability to President Trump's administration. In the Name of Jesus we pray and believe it done for God's glory.
- "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."
(I Corinthians 3:13)
8. After sowing doubts, Trump backs NATO mutual defense under charter - Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he backs the NATO charter's demand that all members be prepared to defend each other, weeks after jarring allies by not restating U.S. support for the agreement.
At a joint news conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Trump said he supports the NATO charter's Article 5, the requirement that each member of the alliance defend each other if they come under attack.
During a visit to NATO headquarters last month in Brussels, Trump had pointedly not mentioned U.S. support for the critical portion of the NATO charter. He used his speech there to demand that members pay more for the alliance's defense. (Read more)
- We thank You, Lord, that You are, indeed, guiding this president in every decision he is making now for the good of our nation, both foreign and domestic, in Your name, amen.
- "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)
9. Hawaii ignores Trump, is first state to pass law committing to Paris Climate Accord - Fox News
The governor of Hawaii on Tuesday signed a bill that aligns the state's carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord. Gov. David Ige signed the bill that calls on documenting sea level rise and set strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"Many of the greatest challenges of our day hit us first, and that means that we also need to be first when it comes to creating solutions," Mr. Ige, a Democrat, said, according to The New York Times. "We are the testing grounds - as an island state, we are especially aware of the limits of our natural environment. Climate change is real, regardless of what others may say," he said. President Trump withdrew the U.S. from that agreement last week.
Ige says Hawaii is the first state to enact legislation implementing parts of the Paris climate agreement. Ige says the islands are seeing the impacts of climate change first-hand. He says tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching and coastlines are eroding.
At least a dozen states including Hawaii have signed pledges to continue reducing fossil-fuel emissions despite Trump's decision. (Read more)
- Father God, the President of the United States is working hard to make spirit-led decisions for our country. Please keep Your hand on his mind, his body and his soul as he faces battles brought on by negative and evil people. His position as President deserves the respect of all citizens. His decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord should be the last word. For eight years NOTHING was done for the good of our nation. Some seem to have forgotten those years. Praise You for leading President Trump in keeping our tax dollars from going to this accord and his many plans for the good of our nation. To God be the glory.
- "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation." (Revelation 13:7)
10. Bernie Sanders attacks Trump nominee for following teachings of Christ - Fox News
On Wednesday, Russell Vought, President Trump's nominee to be deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, was viciously attacked by Sen. Bernie Sanders over his Christian faith. The controversy stems from an article Vought wrote in 2016 defending his alma mater, Wheaton College. In that article, he described Islam as a "deficient theology." Sen. Sanders deemed Vought unsuitable for office because he believes that salvation is found alone through Jesus Christ. He said someone with that kind of a religious belief system is "really not someone who this country is supposed to be about." Sen. James Lankford warned that Sander's comments were "dangerously close to crossing a clear constitutional line for how we evaluate qualifications for public service." (Read more)
- Lord God Almighty, there can be no excuse for this behavior by a sitting member of the United States Senate. We thank You that the Family Research Council is taking action to publish a petition of protest that will be sent to the senator this week. Thank You, Lord, for our own freedom of speech, and religion, in Your name, amen.
- "By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." (Daniel 11:32)
11. U.S. downs pro-Syrian drone that fired at coalition forces: spokesman - Reuters
The United States shot down a pro-Syrian government drone that fired toward U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria on Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman said, in a major escalation of tensions between Washington and troops supporting Damascus.
The armed drone "hit dirt" and there were no injuries or damage done to the coalition patrol in southern Syria. But U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told reporters the drone meant to attack them and dismissed the possibility it had fired a warning shot. "This clearly showed a threat even if it were a warning shot; it was something that showed a hostile intent, a hostile action and posed a threat to our forces because this drone still had munitions that were still on it," Dillon said. He added that it was the first known time that pro-Syrian government forces had fired at coalition forces in the area.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the munition landed a few hundred yards from coalition forces and failed to explode. The official added that a U.S. F-15 fighter jet was used to strike the drone, which was likely Iranian-made but that further analysis was being carried out. (Read more)
- Father God, bless the military personnel who took authority over this pro-Syrian drone and allowed the U.S. F-15 fighter jet to strike it down without any injuries. Thank You for the brave men and women in uniform who are fighting to protect us and our freedom. Place Your protection over each one of them. Lead the leaders to follow Your plan for our country, Lord. In Your Name, amen.
- "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3)
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