Month: August 2019

He quit his job a lot nicer than I have in the past…. Via Market Watch: That’s 24-year-old Dean Weymes, in an interview, explaining how he quit his Amazon AMZN, +1.77% job the day after he found out he won 10,000 pounds ($12,150) a month for the next 30 years in the U.K. lottery. He […]

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Kelly Knight Craft was a business executive and philanthropist when President Donald Trump appointed her as ambassador to Canada in June 2017. 

Now Craft is the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, replacing the popular Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina. She has yet to be sworn in.

Trump nominated Craft, 57, of Lexington, Kentucky, after former State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert withdrew from consideration in February, “citing family concerns,” as The Wall Street Journal reported. 

On July 31, the Senate voted 56-34 to confirm Craft as U.N. ambassador, with five centrist Democrats supporting her. She had been ambassador to Canada since October 2017.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Craft “an outstanding advocate for America’s national security and economic interests in Canada,” and said she is “extremely well-qualified to do the same at the United Nations.” 

Here are five things to know about the nation’s new U.N. ambassador:

 1. She managed her own business advisory firm. 

Craft headed Kelly G. Knight LLC, a marketing and business consulting firm based in Lexington.

The private company was incorporated in 2005. The Kentucky Registry reports that the company’s registration is still active. 

2. President George W. Bush named her in 2007 as an alternate delegate to the U.N. General Assembly. 

Craft told the Glasgow (Kentucky) Daily Times in September 2007 that she hoped to focus on “children’s issues” at the U.N., and had a special interest in “health issues relating to children in poverty and in Appalachia.”

She grew up in Glasgow, the daughter of veterinarian and Democratic activist Bobby Guilfoil and Sherry Dale Guilfoi, and she graduated from Glasgow High School. 

“It will be a special honor to be part of the U.S. delegation, especially given the enormous global issues at stake for our country,” she said at the time. “I’m grateful for the chance to represent the American people and Kentucky and contribute to our nation through public service.” 

Twice divorced, she has been married for more than three years to coal-mining magnate Joe Craft. The Crafts are major donors to Republican candidates, Politico reported, including Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah.

3. She co-founded Morehead State University’s Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics. 

Craft Academy is a dual-credit residential high school for “academically exceptional Kentucky students,” its website states.

 Since August 2015, the academy has provided a college-level curriculum that allows students to complete up to two years of university coursework while finishing high school. 

Craft herself graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Kentucky in 1984. She also served on the university’s board of trustees until she became ambassador to Canada. 

4. She was a leader with the Salvation Army of Lexington and the Center for Rural Development. 

Craft’s official bio describes her as “demonstrating a deep commitment to her home state by serving in several leadership roles with the Salvation Army of Lexington and the Center for Rural Development, a nonprofit dedicated to economic development in rural Kentucky.” 

Craft also served on the boards of the Kentucky Arts Council, the Lexington Philharmonic, YMCA of Central Kentucky, and the United Way of the Bluegrass, an organization that “fights for the basic needs, financial stability and education of every person in every community across Central Kentucky.”

5. She is friends with Canadian rapper Drake. 

The friendship blossomed when Drake visited Craft’s home state for a basketball game. 

Delighted that my friend and fellow @UKAthletics fan @Drake was nominated for #AMA Artist of the Year and @BET #HipHopAwards Lyricist of the Year! #BBN pic.twitter.com/N2alAS5mab

— Ambassador Kelly Craft (@USAmbCanada) September 13, 2018

Congratulations @Drake on your seven #GRAMMYs nominations! https://t.co/4m7b2MEWk8 pic.twitter.com/B3A38bNwvA

— Ambassador Kelly Craft (@USAmbCanada) December 13, 2018

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has investigated at least 14 employees since 2016 for unauthorized disclosures of bureau information and fired at least four, documents show.

Several of the FBI employees were recommended for termination, but received lighter punishments, such as suspension without pay.

The documents, six pages of summaries of 14 internal investigations released Tuesday, do not reveal the specifics of each unauthorized disclosure. The summaries are heavily redacted, and include only details of the ultimate decisions of the investigations and when they were closed.

Judicial Watch obtained the records as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the documents reveal “lenient treatment for evident criminal activity.”

Fitton also suggested that one of the investigations involved Andrew McCabe, the former deputy FBI director who was fired for lying to FBI investigators about authorizing leaks to the press about the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“And even though Andrew McCabe was fired and referred for a criminal investigation for his leak, no prosecution has taken place,” Fitton said. 

The documents do not identify McCabe. But the first investigation referenced in the reports matches up closely with what is known of the McCabe probe.

McCabe was fired March 16, 2018, after the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the Justice Department’s inspector general found that he lacked candor during multiple interviews about his authorization of disclosures to the press.

McCabe authorized a top aide, Lisa Page, to speak to a Wall Street Journal reporter in October 2016 for an article about the FBI’s investigations of Hillary Clinton. The article revealed previously unreported details about the FBI’s investigation of the Clinton Foundation.

The summary says the official had a “remarkable performance record” and “was facing unprecedented challenges and pressures” at the bureau. But the report said that the official’s lack of candor was “incompatible with the FBI’s Core Values.”

Another investigation, which was closed June 6, 2017, found that a senior executive at the FBI misused a bureau database and provided sensitive information to a former FBI employee. 

The Office of Professional Responsibility recommended that the employee be suspended without pay for 15 days, but he or she ultimately received a letter of censure.

An employee investigated in 2017 was recommended for termination but received a 45-day suspension without pay. In an investigation that ended on Jan. 16, 2019, an employee received a 60-day suspension, though he or she was recommended for dismissal.

Another employee investigated in 2016 misused the FBI database and made unauthorized disclosures of classified, law enforcement-sensitive, or grand jury materials. The employee received a 12-day suspension without pay. 

The Office of Professional Responsibility recommended a 30-day suspension on Feb. 20, 2018, for one employee for improper handling of FBI materials, and an unauthorized disclosure. The employee received only a 10-day suspension.

Republican lawmakers have focused on FBI and Justice Department leaks, especially regarding the Trump-Russia investigation. It is unclear from the new documents whether any of the 14 investigations involved information related to that probe.

Attorney General William Barr testified May 1 that the Justice Department has “multiple” criminal investigations ongoing into leaks. Barr did not say whether the investigations centered on FBI or Justice Department employees or other government officials.

On May 29, the Justice Department’s inspector general said that a former FBI official was investigated for having “dozens” of unauthorized media contacts, and accepting gifts from a reporter. The official, who was not identified, was allowed to retire from the bureau.

The inspector general revealed on Oct. 16, 2018, that a senior FBI official received sports tickets from a national TV journalist, “in violation of federal regulations.”

The Justice Department declined prosecution of the official, who also retired.

James Comey, the former FBI director, was also investigated for potential mishandling of classified information. The probe centered on memos that Comey gave to a friend shortly after President Donald Trump fired him on May 9, 2017, as FBI chief.

Comey testified on June 7, 2017, that he shared the memos, which were summaries of conversations he had with Trump, in order to force the appointment of a special counsel.

Horowitz determined that two of the memos that Comey gave his friend contained information that the FBI deemed to be classified.

But the Justice Department decided not to prosecute Comey for mishandling classified information, reportedly because there was not enough evidence he willfully broke the law.

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Lawmakers are asking for the reports on AmeriCorps’ potential misuse of taxpayer money related to abortion services and referrals, as well as building renovations, a letter from ranking members on the House Oversight Committee reveals.

Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Mark Meadows of North Carolina are requesting the release of documents from the Corporation for National Community Service Office of the Inspector General concerning the potential misuse of taxpayer money by AmeriCorps.

The lawmakers are also requesting the release of documents on potential misuse of taxpayer money to renovate a Baltimore campus building. The deadline they issued is Aug. 20 at 5 p.m.

“We always appreciate Congressional interest in our work and look forward to responding about our findings to date,” Deborah Jeffrey, inspector general for CNCS, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

A Tuesday letter from Jordan and Meadows asks the inspector general for CNCS—the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps—to release reports that investigate two separate instances of AmeriCorps allegedly misusing federal funds.

“We have become aware that the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has not issued final reports for two OIG investigations into the misuse of federal resources,” the letter reads. “We respectfully ask that you produce draft reports and case files for these two investigations.”

The letter then makes two inquiries into whether AmeriCorps participated in abortion services as well as details about the relocation—and subsequent renovation—of its National Civilian Community Corps Atlantic Region Campus from Parry Point, Maryland, to Baltimore.

“First, we understand that the CNCS OIG has prepared a draft report evaluating whether AmeriCorps members participated in abortion services or referrals, which is prohibited by federal law. Then-Senator [Orrin] Hatch and Senator [Mike] Enzi asked the CNCS OIG to perform this evaluation in June 2011. However, to date, CNCS OIG has not issued this report,” the first inquiry reads.

“Republicans have strong reason to believe that AmeriCorps members participated in abortion services or referrals. They just need official confirmation that is actually took place. Republicans contend the IG report details these illegal acts,” a source familiar with the investigations who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Investigators found in 2016 that AmeriCorps disregarded a CNCS abortion prohibition that barred volunteers from certain activities related to abortion services or referrals. 

“Although the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) investigation concluded the misconduct occurred on an extremely limited scope, the grantee broke the law and violated the spirit of national service,” CNCS spokeswoman Samantha Jo Warfield told The Hill in 2016.

AmeriCorps instead allegedly allowed members of its youth job-training program, Community HealthCorps, to provide “doula care” for women who were seeking abortions at three clinics between 2013 and 2015, according to U.S. News & World Report, citing a government watchdog report.

Those providing doula care give emotional support to women seeking abortions or provide transportation to and from abortion clinics, The Hill reported.

Investigators determined the group had violated federal law, and Community HealthCorps lost funding and was shut down. 

“Second, we understand that the CNCS OIG prepared a draft Report of Investigation (ROI) in 2015 relating to the OIG’s investigation into the CNCS’s relocation of the National Civilian Community Corps’ Atlantic Region Campus from Parry Point, Maryland, to the Sacred Heart of Mary School in Baltimore, Maryland,” the second inquiry in Jordan’s and Meadows’ letter reads.

“The OIG apparently found that CNCS broke federal contracting rules in leasing the Sacred Heart of Mary School and the CNCS wasted taxpayer dollars in renovating the facility. To date, although we understand that a draft report exists, the CNCS OIG has not issued this ROI,” it continues.

The purpose of AmeriCorps’ regional campus buildings is to provide a place for its 18- to 24-year-old volunteers to complete training before beginning their 10-month community service programs, according to its website.

“Republicans contend these relocation efforts violated federal contracting rules and wasted taxpayer dollars,” the same source familiar with the inspector general report told The Daily Caller News Foundation of the second inquiry.

“Their argument comes after recent reporting showed American taxpayers already foot the bill for nearly $2 billion in federal aid to fund 30,000 public employees in Baltimore at local and federal levels,” the source added, referencing an investigation by OpenTheBooks.com published Aug. 1.

Jordan and Meadows conclude the letter by asking the CNCS Office of the Inspector General to provide information to better understand the results of the AmeriCorps and CNCS Atlantic Region Campus investigations.

A response from AmeriCorps will be added should The Daily Caller News Foundation receive one.

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Opponents of election
integrity lost the latest in a long string of cases recently when a three-judge
panel of the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals reinstated North Dakota’s
voter ID requirement and tossed out an injunction that had been issued by a
lower court.

In Brakebill v. Jaeger, Judge Steven Colloton, writing for the
two-to-one majority, concluded that the supposed burden of obtaining an ID by
the less than 0.5% of all eligible voters who do not already have one did not
justify a statewide injunction that prevented the state from implementing the
ID requirement.  

North Dakota is the only
state in the Union that does not require citizens to register to vote.

You can show up on
Election Day and vote in North Dakota–as long you show identification.

The state legislature
passed a series of laws delineating the forms of identification that could be
used to vote.

Effective Aug. 1, 2017,
North Dakota required either a driver’s license, a nondriver’s identification
card issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, or an “official form of
identification issued by a tribal government to a tribal member residing in the
state.”

The law requires the ID
to provide the voter’s legal name, current residential address, and date of
birth.

However, if a voter’s ID
is missing any of those three items, the voter will still be able to cast a
ballot if he provides the missing information with a current utility bill, bank
statement, paycheck, or a check or other document issued by a federal, state,
or local government agency.

Voters have up to six
days after the election to present an
acceptable ID or supplemental documents. Despite the fact that the lower court
thought this provision would not be understood by the average voter, the
appeals court noted that there was “no evidence of voter confusion over this
provision.”

Six members of the
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians sued, claiming that the ID requirement
restricted the ability of tribal members to register and exercise their right
to vote, in violation of the U.S. Constitution, state law, and Section 2 of the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

The tribal members argued that
“Native Americans often live on reservations or in other rural areas where
people do not have street addresses; even if they do … those addresses are frequently
not included on tribal IDs. Moreover … Native Americans in North Dakota are
‘disproportionately homeless.’”

Although it should be pointed out
that all six of these plaintiffs actually have residential addresses.  

The majority rejected the plaintiffs’
contention that requiring voters to have a residential street address is
discriminatory, citing former Associate Justice John Paul Stevens’ opinion in Crawford
v. Marion Cty. Election Bd. (2008), in which the Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s
voter ID requirement.

A “residential street address
furthers North Dakota’s legitimate interest in preventing voter fraud and
safeguarding voter confidence, so unlike a poll tax, it is not invidiously ‘unrelated
to voter qualifications.’”

The number of North Dakotans, just
like the residents of other states, who already possess a photo ID is
overwhelming. The court found that less than 0.5 % of eligible voters in the
state do not already have an ID or the supplemental documents that can be used
to meet the ID requirement.

More importantly, the plaintiffs in
the case presented no evidence whatsoever to detail how many of these “voters
attempted to obtain a supplemental document and were unsuccessful.”

It was clear to the court that the
state ID law did not place “a substantial burden on most North Dakota voters.” Thus,
a “statewide injunction” was “unwarranted.”

The clamor around mythical claims of
“voter suppression” over legislation like North Dakota’s ID requirement is
misguided.

Such laws are designed and intended
to shore up current deficiencies in the electoral system.

As pointed out in a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, voter ID laws have no discernible effect on reducing the turnout of voters. Over the period 2008 to 2016, the researchers concluded that voter ID “laws have no negative effect on registration or turnout, overall or for any group defined by race, gender, age, or party affiliation.”

The purpose of North Dakota’s
election laws is rooted in a desire to promote election
integrity. Far from being a trivial concern,
election fraud has been and continues to be an unfortunate part of American
elections, as can be seen in the Heritage Foundation’s election fraud database.

Although election integrity measures
such as voter ID requirements are often presented as a partisan issue, they should
not be. Everyone has an interest in fair and secure elections.

As noted in
a 2005 study by the Commission of Federal
Election Reform, headed by former President Jimmy Carter and Secretary of State
James Baker: “The electoral system cannot inspire public confidence if no
safeguards exist to deter or detect fraud or to confirm the identity of voters.
Photo IDs currently are needed to board a plane, enter federal buildings, and
cash a check. Voting is equally important.”

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Joe Biden (D). (Getty Images)
Ilona Schumicky and Liam Sigler contributed to this story. 

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It shouldn’t have come as any surprise that the media would criticize President Donald Trump for visiting victims of last weekend’s mass shootings in Texas and Dayton. Really, the headlines said it all. “Trump Comes to Console. El Paso Says No Thanks,” The New York Times said. “After shootings, Trump again shows he prefers political…

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Who puts out stuff like this? Via PJ Media: Kathy Griffin claims she can’t get work following her photoshoot with a decapitated and bloody Trump head, but don’t let that fool you. Hollywood clearly still likes the idea of promoting violence against people who aren’t good and obedient leftists, because Universal Pictures is set to […]

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