Month: April 2024

Joel Pollak, the Senior Editor-at-Large and In-House Counsel at Breitbart News joined his former boss Steve Bannon on the War Room on Monday morning.

Joel has traveled to Israel numerous times since the October 7 massacre of Jews by Hamas when 1,300 innocent Jews were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists in their homes, on the streets of southern Israel, and at an all-night rave dance party. It was the most barbaric attack Jews since the horrors of World War II.

Joel Pollak described how the malevolent Biden regime has launched its own assault against Israel during their current war against Hamas.

Steve Bannon: Joel Pollack, who was Andrew Breitbart’s Executive Editor, later became the Senior Editor at Large at all things at Breitbart, has written a couple of brilliant pieces, I think, over the last week. So, Joel, help me out here. There are four combat brigades of Hamas. Everybody agrees with this. This is not even a question. There are four combat brigades of Hamas in Southern Gaza. There’s two combat brigades, essentially, in Judea, Samaria. So that’s six. I think there were originally 21. The IDF retreated or pulled back, attacked to a retreat over the weekend after a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu and Biden, and also this massive protest on Saturday night. You said this was coming. You wrote that the Color Revolution is coming to Israel to remove Netanyahu and basically to surrender to the radical Muslim Brotherhood franchisee Hamas.

Now, our audience is very familiar with Color Revolution, given the great work of Darren Beatty and Rahim Kassam and Michael Benz about Victoria Nuland in Ukraine and the Color Revolution against Trump in the summer of 2020. Tell me, what do you mean? Has Bibi blinked? Are they actually going to withdraw these troops and not take care of, not finish the job against these six remaining combat divisions, sir?

Joel Pollak: …President Biden told Netanyahu in that phone call last week that he wanted an immediate ceasefire. And that was extraordinary because the Biden administration essentially took the side of Hamas that says they won’t exchange hostages in any deal until there’s a ceasefire first. For many months, both Israel and the United States were on the same page saying, You only get a ceasefire if you give hostages. Hamas has said, No, we want to ceasefire first. Then, of course, there’s no guarantee they give up the hostages. They have a much stronger bargaining position. They’re not under military pressure. Biden essentially took the side of Hamas in that negotiation. That is now the official position of the Biden administration. And what becomes clear, before we get to the bit about the Color Revolution, what becomes clear is that Biden has been using Hamas in the last two months as leverage against Israel. That is to say, when Israel came close to destroying Hamas, first in the city of Khan Younes and now in Raqqa. Biden tried to stop Israel from destroying Hamas because he wants to use this war to leverage a broader deal in the Middle East…

…Biden is publicly trashing our ally, and it is making the mullets in Iran very happy. It’s making Hamas very happy. This has always been their strategy. Put as many civilians in harm’s way as possible, create global international outrage, and hope that the United States forces Israel to withdraw. It looks like that is happening…

…Now, in Israel, the other problem, aside from the Palestinian question, is the political instability that’s being fomented there in this color revolution that we discussed earlier. The Biden administration is pushing the internal instability of Israel.

They’re trying to topple Netanyahu because he is the last obstacle to the Biden administration’s grand utopian plans for the Middle East that include capitulating heading to Iran, allowing the Palestinians to have a state, and allowing these other forces to run amok, not just in the Middle East, but all over the world. They don’t have a plan for dealing with that. Their plan simply is to give in. And Netanyahu has stood up to Obama and Biden for a decade saying, You can’t do this. This doesn’t make sense. This is not the reality of the Middle East.

And because he’s the one person who will tell it straight to them, they want him out of the way. Biden and Schumer have said openly, They want new elections in Israel to get of Netanyahu. There was a very interesting intelligence assessment. It was prepared in February, but it came out in March from the US intelligence agencies predicting that there would be protests to topple Netanyahu. At the time, there were no protests. And all of a sudden, after this assessment comes out, there are protests, and the timing is very suspicious. In addition, the White House hosted Netanyahu’s main political rival, Benny Gantz, who’s a former IDF chief of staff, former general, but he’s Netanyahu’s main rival. He shows up at the White House without telling Netanyahu right after this intelligence assessment comes out or around the same time.

And it’s absolutely clear to everybody what’s going on here that the White House of the Biden administration is trying to push Netanyahu out of office by using the same color revolution tactics they’ve used to topple other democratically elected governments.

They create the illusion of public outrage and public unrest. And what you don’t see are the 75 % of Israelis who agree with Netanyahu’s policies, who want to go into Raqqa and finish off Hamas, who are sending their sons and daughters into the army, into the military reserves, leaving work, leaving home, going in there. At the beginning of the war, when I went in October, right after October seventh, I said that if Netanyahu did not invade Gaza, the army that was camped out on the border with Gaza would turn around, go back to Jerusalem, kick him out of office, and then go back and fight the war, because the people of Israel want to be rid of Hamas. They support the war. They support the policies that Netanyahu has adopted. But Biden is backing the left-wing opposition, which can’t win elections anymore in Israel.

Joel is heading back to Israel this week.

Here is Joel Pollak with Steve Bannon on The War Room.

The post Joel Pollak on The War Room: “Biden Essentially Took the Side of Hamas – That is Now the Official Position of the Biden Administration” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Musk, Lula and de Moraes.

Brazil’s conservatives and freedom lovers are in a state of bliss watching billionaire Elon Musk stare down their very own Supreme Court Justice-turned tyrant Alexandre de Moraes, using the unvarnished truth to demolish his reputation, and subjecting the justice to a barrage of ridicule that he so deserves.

The story is very simple: not only is Moraes demanding that X suspend the accounts of prominent conservatives, against Brazilian law, and under the penalty of heavy daily fines, but he also ‘forbids’ the company from even mentioning the reason for their suspension – X would have to pretend they were struck because they broke the platform terms of use – which they have not.

Musk: “We kept getting these demands from Judge Alexandre to suspend accounts of sitting members of the parliament and major journalists. We could not tell them that this was at the behest of Alexandre, we had to pretend that it was due to our rules. And that was the last straw, and we said no.”

So, now it seems as if Musk is the iceberg into which the Titanic ship of Brazil’s unbridled censorship will crash and sink.

Moraes included Musk on the ridiculous inquiry against the – nonexistent – ‘digital militias’ and so X’s head started to tell the world the real deal about the reality of Brazil’s politics:

How did @Alexandre de Moraes become the dictator of Brazil? He has Lula on a leash

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2024

He even ‘went there’ and said what every free-thinking Brazilian knows: Lula is only out of prison and into power because of Moraes’ actions:

But since Alexandre pulled Lula out of prison and put his thumb on the scale to get Lula elected, Lula will obviously not take action against him.

The next election will be key.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 9, 2024

So, now, Musk will disclose all the petty tyrant’s demands for the world to see:

Coming shortly, will publish everything demanded by @Alexandre and how those requests violate Brazilian law.

This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached.

Shame @Alexandre, shame.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 7, 2024

Just read this from Glenn Greenwald: “The only time in my entire career as a journalist that I have ever wondered if I should really be questioning, challenging, or critiquing a political official is this person, who has gone so far as to order people to be imprisoned without a trial for criticizing him. […] If you criticize Alexandre De Moraes, you get banned or perhaps imprisoned, which is why I spent every second up until this show started on the phone with my lawyers.”

Criticism of Moraes actions came even from where you’d least expect it, with the founder of Eurasian Movement of Russia, Alexander Dugin declaring support for the African-American billionaire in his Free Speech stance against liberal-aligned Brazilian Supreme Court:

I think the decision of Brasil to censor https://t.co/JPsGKa01ru is wrong and disastrous. It is obvious that it is for now the only global network without any censorship. We can hate something that is going on on https://t.co/JPsGKa01ru or adore. But the real freedom is like…

— Alexander Dugin (@Agdchan) April 8, 2024

“I think the decision of Brasil to censor http://x.com/ is wrong and disastrous. It is obvious that it is for now the only global network without any censorship.
We can hate something that is going on on http://x.com/ or adore. But the real freedom is like this.

Only http://x.com/ can provide the correct picture how the things really are on the global scale.

And it is wothless in the era of total falsehood. Obviuosly, http://x.com/ is not ultimate truth and it doesn’t pretend to be it. Just good old freedom of speech we have lost anywhere else…”

Brazil is watching this unfold with a big smile on its face. But, while the country’s shortcomings are being shown to the world in an spectacular fashion, it’s also good to know that this is also made by the US State Department and Joe Biden, who were behind the sudden emergence of Moraes as an über censor.

Here’s Musk finding out that he is being investigated by Brazilian Federal police:

Read more:

The Crackdown: Brazilian Communist Supreme Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Opposition Leaders Including a Comedian and a Journalist

 

The post Elon Musk TORCHES Brazil’s Lula and Justice Moraes, and Tells the Unvarnished Truth About the Country’s Rigged Election appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Guest post by Illinois patriots Terry Newsome and Paul Drabik

Illinois GOP Chairman Don Tracy (on left) and Senate Minority Leader John Curran (on right)

RINO (Republican in Name Only) is a description of a Republican who claims the moniker for party affiliation but works against the principles and values of Republicanism in terms of  policy prescription. Terry Newsome and Paul Drabik of Behind Enemy Lines podcast have been fighting for conservative values in Illinois since Covid hit. The Gateway Pundit has previously reported on their efforts to expose the illegal immigration crisis in Illinois as they partnered with Ben Bergquam of Real America’s Voice. Newsome was also named in a petition to keep Joe Biden off the Illinois ballot. In early March Newsome and Drabik held a sold out, standing room only fundraiser for MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell on the Southside of Chicago. Underlying their unwavering stand against the left has been an insidious foe on the so-called right. In Illinois the Republicans tend to be more Democrat than Republican.

As many Americans are aware, there is a long running Communist insurrection – a real insurrection – in effect across the country. Nowhere is this truth  more apparent than in the Prairie State. Ironically, the home of Abraham Lincoln has become a testing laboratory for the introduction of Communist style legislation. Lawmakers such as Anne Stava-Murray, a state representative of the 81st district, openly praise communists like Caesar Chavez on social media.

Representatives like Stava-Murray sponsor legislation at the state level that is openly violative of the Constitution. It may seem like hyperbole to assert that states like Illinois, California, or New York are Communist states but if you want to test that assertion just look to the legislation being proposed and enacted into law. In Illinois for example, Democrats have either proposed or made laws such as (links embedded):

Licensing the State to propagandize (calling it “Book Ban Bill”)
Allowing the State to take custody of children if parents intervene regarding gender affirming care
Allowing non-citizens to become police officers 
Requiring landlords to rent or sell to illegals

Criminalizing parents interfering with gender affirming services, lowering the bar for consent of a minor, and protecting service providers who operated in “Good Faith” – (Not Ratified)
Mandatory mental health screenings in schools
Mandating all gender restrooms in businesses
Mandating all businesses pay workers 40 hours of leave

The First and Second Amendments are currently under assault with a second amendment violation headed to the Supreme Court. Illinois enacted over 30 pages of new legislation in 2024! This is what happens when a corrupted Democrat party gains super-majority control.

Where are the Republicans in all of this you may ask? For starters, the party is led by an heir to the Dot Foods, food redistribution empire. Don Tracy, Chairman of the Illinois GOP and born with a silver spoon, has apparently had a change of heart over the years. Tracy ran, unsuccessfully, for Illinois State Senate as a DEMOCRAT. Tracy was forced to step down as the Illinois Gaming Board Chairman in 2019 for making improper campaign contributions. More to come on Tracy later.

Jussie Smollett upper left; Former Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx, on right

In Illinois, the RINO problem leaks all the way down to the local level. DuPage County is directly west of Cook County and has long been a stronghold for Republicans. In fact, 2022 saw the first ever Democrat – Deb Conroy – voted in as DuPage County Chairman. Conroy had some help in achieving that feat. Former Republican members of the DuPage County board Don Puchalski and Sam Tornatore both donated to Deb Conroy’s campaign. They did not stop there however. Both RINOs also donated to the radical Soros funded prosecutor of Cook County, Kim Foxx. Foxx, famous for letting Jussie Smollett off the hook, has also reigned during an unprecedented spike of crime in Chicago during her tenure. She is directly responsible for the recidivism of violent criminals who have gone on to commit murders including child victims. Unsurprisingly, Conroy appointed Puchalski to a paid position at the DuPage County airport.

The list goes on for Illinois Republicans. There’s Pete DiCianni who is now running as a Democrat for DuPage County recorder stating that, “…the ideology of the Republican Party of DuPage is one I can no longer support.” This after his marketing firm accepted over $1,300 from the Democrat chairman’s campaign. Then there’s  representatives Amy Grant and Jennifer Sanilitro who voted for non-citizens to become police officers. Let’s not forget former State GOP Chairman Pat Brady endorsed radical leftist Sean Casten for U.S. Congress over a candidate he saw as being too close to Trump. Casten has since advocated for pornography in schools. 

Saving the best for last we come to the State Senate Minority leader John Curran. As a Republican, Curran ran unopposed in 2022. It’s no wonder that he was unchallenged when he voted and advocated for a union friendly bill that will assuredly drain Illinois taxpayers in perpetuity. Curran voted for Amendment 1 to the Illinois Constitution. Positioned as a Union friendly bill, Amendment 1 is the assured path to Communism in Illinois. Authorizing plenary power for public unions in the Illinois Constitution, the Amendment gives unions the Constitutional protection to collectively bargain to “…protect their economic welfare and safety at work.” This broad terminology has emboldened the Chicago Teachers Union in an attempt to abuse this power by proposing a 100% increase in the state budget to, among other things, pay for housing for its members. 

Communism in Illinois is here.

The Democrats are only following the natural progression of a political system that has become solely based on the will to power. In that system, the lack of will from an opposition becomes most dangerous. RINOs are the biggest problem Illinois faces.

For even more detail of the corruption and deceit look for the second installment of RINOs in Illinois. 

The post Illinois RINOS Part 1: With Republicans Like These, Who Needs Democrats? appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

In a development that has sent shockwaves through the community of Orange County, Deputy District Attorney Ann Fawaz’s candidacy for a judicial seat has come under intense scrutiny. The controversy centers around her role in prosecuting Kim Sorgente, an activist accused of assaulting gang members with a megaphone during a pro-freedom rally in 2020. This case has raised significant concerns about the intersection of legal proceedings, political bias, and individual identity within the U.S. justice system.

Fawaz, who is currently vying for a position as a judge in Orange County, has been criticized for her handling of the case against Sorgente. The activist was allegedly defending himself and others from gang members who initiated violence at the rally. Despite this, the gang members were designated as victims by the prosecution, a decision that has not only stirred controversy but also highlighted potential political motivations behind legal actions.

Deputy DA Ann Fawaz, a Corrupt Candidate for Judge in Orange County, Defends Gang Violence Against Trump Supporters – Court Date Tomorrow…

A senior deputy district attorney in DA Todd Spitzer’s self-proclaimed, supposed anti-crime Orange County, California office, is… pic.twitter.com/ChnMM330B4

— AɯƙɯαɾԃMαɱα® (@Aspiemama_107) April 9, 2024

The criticism of Fawaz is further compounded by her background as a Korean American, a demographic traditionally known for its anti-communist stance. This aspect of her identity has led to speculation regarding her political affiliations and whether they may influence her judicial decisions, should she be elected.

Moreover, the involvement of DA Todd Spitzer in the prosecution has been questioned. Critics argue that Spitzer’s actions may reflect a broader trend of compromising law enforcement principles and American values, particularly given his slogan ‘Don’t LA my OC!’ which seems ironic in light of the current situation.

Deputy DA Ann Fawaz, a Corrupt Candidate for Judge in Orange County, Defends Gang Violence Against Trump Supporters – Court Date Tomorrow via @gatewaypundit https://t.co/1aJLW5Krz5

— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) April 9, 2024

Judges Michael F. Murray and Robert A. Knox, who have presided over most of the pretrial hearings, have issued rulings unfavorable to Sorgente’s defense. These decisions have only added to the growing frustration and disbelief among courtroom observers and the wider public, who view the video footage of the conflict and see Sorgente and the pro-freedom crowd as the victims.

Sorgente now faces a potential three-year prison sentence, a prospect that has mobilized support from various quarters. His next court date, scheduled for April 9, 2024, at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, CA, is anticipated with bated breath by those following the case closely.

This case underscores the contentious overlap of political bias, legal proceedings, and individual identity within the U.S. justice system. It raises critical questions about the impartiality of legal professionals and their ability to separate personal beliefs from their duties. As the judicial race in Orange County heats up, the outcome of this case and its implications for Fawaz’s candidacy will undoubtedly continue to be a focal point of discussion.

As the community awaits the next developments, the broader implications of this case for the integrity of the legal system and the principles of justice remain a matter of intense debate and concern.

What do you think should happen to District Attorney Ann Fawaz?

We want to hear from you! Please share your perspective by commenting below.

The post Orange County Judicial Race Embroiled in Controversy Amid Allegations of Political Bias appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

Nineteen retired generals, admirals, and former top civilian defense officials have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, opposing former President Donald Trump’s plea for immunity from prosecution, claiming that granting such a request would pose a significant threat to national security.

The Supreme Court is set to deliberate on Trump’s presidential immunity argument on April 25, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

The Supreme Court will deliberate on whether a president can be shielded from legal consequences for actions taken while in office. The decision, which may not arrive until late June, according to analysts, has significant repercussions for the timeline of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump, potentially delaying the trial’s start until after the 2024 election.

President Trump’s legal team requested the Supreme Court to put a hold on the immunity decision related to Jack Smith’s January 6 case in Washington, D.C. This came after a federal appeals court, influenced by appointees of Joe Biden, had denied Trump immunity.

The three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of Judges Florence Pan, Michelle Childs (both Biden appointees), and Karen Henderson (a George W. Bush appointee), emphasized the importance of allowing the prosecution to move forward, citing the public’s interest and the structure of the government.

Trump’s lawyers have fervently argued that a former president is immune from federal prosecution for alleged offenses committed while holding office.

“In 234 years of American history, no president ever faced criminal prosecution for his official acts. Until 19 days ago, no court had ever addressed whether immunity from such prosecution exists,” Trump’s lawyers wrote, according to CBS News. “To this day, no appellate court has addressed it. The question stands among the most complex, intricate, and momentous issues that this Court will be called on to decide.”

On Monday, a group of retired military officers, including former four-star generals and admirals as well as past secretaries of the U.S. military branches, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court.

The group warns of the alleged threats to national security and democratic principles if former President Donald J. Trump’s claims of presidential immunity for official acts were to be accepted.

The 38-page brief, which includes signatures from officials who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations dating back to the era of former President John F. Kennedy, cautions that Trump’s legal theory could set a dangerous precedent.

Among the signatories include:

Ray Mabus, former secretary of the Navy;
retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, who also served as CIA director;
retired Army Gens. George Casey and Peter Chiarelli;
retired Air Force Gens. John Jumper, Craig McKinley, and Charles Wald;
retired Marine Corps Gens. Carlton Fulford, Charles Krulak, and Robert Magnus;
retired Navy Adms. Steve Abbot, Samuel Jones Locklear, John Nathman, Bill Owens, and Scott Swift;
and retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen.
They are joined by former civilian defense officials, including Louis Caldera, Deborah Lee James, and Sean O’Keefe.

Should the theory of absolute immunity prevail, the group argues, it will “risk jeopardizing America’s standing as a guardian of democracy in the world and further feeding the spread of authoritarianism, thereby threatening the national security of the United States and democracies around the world.”

The retired military officials also expressed concerns about the potential chaos and security risks that could arise if a President faced no accountability for criminal actions aimed at obstructing a peaceful transition of power.

They highlight scenarios where conflicting directives from the Joint Chiefs of Staff could endanger service members and jeopardize America’s national security and leadership role in the world.

In conclusion, the retired four-star admirals and generals, alongside former military secretaries, urge the rejection of the claimed immunity, emphasizing the critical need to uphold the rule of law, accountability, and the peaceful transition of power to safeguard national security and democratic principles.

It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has addressed presidential immunity in several landmark cases, including the Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982)

This case directly addressed presidential immunity. The Supreme Court ruled that the President is entitled to absolute immunity from civil liability for actions taken within the official duties of the presidency. This means that while in office, the President cannot be sued for damages related to official actions.

Read the amicus brief below:

The post 19 Retired Generals, Admirals, and Former Top Defense Officials File Supreme Court Brief Against President Trump’s Immunity Bid, Claiming Trump’s Act “Threatens National Security” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Former DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile appeared on ABC News This Week on Sunday and complained that when Joe Biden speaks nobody listens.

That’s not completely true, of course. Lots of people listen when he lies about his personal history, or when he says completely stupid things about domestic and foreign policy.

What many people do not do, is take him seriously or pay attention to his opinions. Maybe that’s what Brazile really meant.

FOX News reports:

Ex-DNC chair Donna Brazile frets ‘nobody listens’ when Biden talks

Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile expressed frustration with the media coverage of President Biden on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, complaining that no one “listens” to the president when he speaks.

Brazile’s blunt remarks came during a discussion on the U.S. policy toward Israel, in which she was asked if Biden needed to be more upfront with Americans about the war in Gaza.

“Absolutely. Not just in Israel, Ukraine. We are a superpower. He is the Commander In Chief. Absolutely, he should speak out more,” she urged, before seeming to take a swipe at the media.

“Also we should cover what he’s saying because often when he speaks, nobody listens.”

Brazile’s comments follow several reports detailing the White House’s frustrations with media reports on Biden’s age and cognitive abilities.

Here’s the video:

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile decries that “When (Joe Biden) speaks, nobody listens”, due to insufficient coverage of his remarks. pic.twitter.com/kova9A3ani

— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 7, 2024

It’s pretty simple to understand, Donna.

No one listens because the POTUS has dementia ! He makes up stories and outright lies. He reads off of notes prepared for him. He’s not in charge is what he portrays in every speech or interview. It’s all a script. That’s why no one listens. https://t.co/yLUNC8jX0f

— The Conservative M. D. ️ (@WarriorsForAll) April 8, 2024

One of the most interesting things about that clip is Brazile’s body language and tone. She seems genuinely frustrated. What does that tell you?

The post Former DNC Chair Donna Brazile Complains That When Joe Biden Speaks ‘Nobody Listens’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

In the history of U.S. foreign and defense strategy, no presidential administration ever cultivated the rise of new, powerful groupings of nation states that oppose the United States in every sphere of meaningful human endeavor on the scale of the Biden administration. In a world of competing blocs, much of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and several European states are now united by events in Ukraine and the Middle East to overturn America’s global dominance. 

Seventy-four years ago, General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower expressed the hope that access to more accurate information would prevent future generations of Americans from stumbling into war “at the whim of the man who happens to be president.” Eisenhower was referring to the provocative policies of President Franklin Roosevelt that pushed a recalcitrant American public into a two-front war in Asia and Europe when the U.S. Armed Forces were not capable of decisive operations in just one theater of war. 

Thanks to America’s insular position between two great oceans and the enormous sacrifices of British and Soviet forces, the U.S. Armed Forces were given the time to build up to fight in the Second World War. Unfortunately, no such strategic advantages accrue to contemporary Washington. It’s 2024, not 1941.

Still, President Biden appears to be following the FDR pattern. The influence of FDR’s high-stakes strategic gamble in the dangerous runup to the Second World War has been repeated and is now on display in Ukraine and the Middle East. Washington’s determination to back Israel’s ruthless war to kill or expel the Arab population from Gaza.  

Washington’s strategic failure in Ukraine has already tilted Europe’s strategic equilibrium sharply in Russia’s favor. The persistent tendency in the White House and Congress to grossly underestimate Russian technology (particularly hypersonic missiles), manufacturing power, and operational art was fatal error. Washington’s refusal to negotiate with Moscow is consigning the Ukrainian Nation to extinction. This mentality means more Ukrainian soldiers will die pointlessly when a powerful Russian summer offensive will finally end the war on Moscow’s terms.

Tragically, Washington’s European military dependencies followed Washington down its path to ruin. It is not only Great Britain that failed to maintain capable fighting forces. Neither the Europeans nor the United States possess the ground force to fight Russian military power. The combination of Washington’s hallucinations about NATO ground forces with foolish demands for Moscow’s capitulation to Washington’s demands, its overreliance on weak, incapable NATO Forces and Europe’s suicidal economic policies reduced Washington’s NATO Allies to the role of bystanders at their own diplomatic, economic, and political funerals. 

Washington knows that Israel’s war in Gaza is not about Israeli national security or even the elimination of Hamas. It is what Muslims think it is: a war for Jewish regional supremacy with the expansion of Israeli power from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s public warmongering is simply the verbal expression of that vision.

Despite Israel’s ongoing attempt to widen the war to Iran by striking Iran’s consulate in Syria, the ruling elites in the Arab world still want a ceasefire and normalization because they are invested in the regional status quo. Nevertheless, Islam’s non-state resistance mounted by Houthis, Hezbollah, and other regional militias are demonstrating that the U.S. and Israel are not nearly so strong as many ruling elites previously thought. This development dramatically increases the pressure on Arab political elites in Cairo, Amman, and other Arab capitals to undertake substantive military action against Israel. 

In sum, there is likely little doubt in Netanyahu’s mind that if American air, missile, and naval power intervene to support Israel’s current war, the Israelis will prevail. With each passing day, the U.S. Presidential election moves closer and Netanyahu knows there is a closing window of time within which he must widen the war to entangle American Military Power or risk the redirection of American attention to pressing internal matters. 

In contrast to Eisenhower, Biden, like FDR, is inviting war, only without the strategic advantages that made FDR’s gamble possible. Moreover, Biden’s rationale for provocative action against Russia in Ukraine and is characterized by a “we must not fail” urgency that is utterly unnecessary. 

Like the Arab elites, Moscow together with its strategic partner in Beijing want the Strait of Hormuz to remain open and the oil and gas to flow. The urgency is unnecessary because Russia does not want a war with the United States and NATO. Russia also will not abandon Iran to American air, missile, and naval assault, but unless Washington foolishly strikes Iran, Russia will not engage. 

How did Washington’s ruling political class convince itself that America’s national power could be employed anywhere at will to induce compliance with Washington’s interests? In the decades after the Second World War, Washington embraced Raymond Aron’s doctrine that “Great powers do what they want, and weak powers do what they must.” The fact that Americans have never demanded a national debate to determine the potential cost in American lives, economic burdens, or the long-term effects on America’s international position by such operations enables this behavior. 

The end of Ramadan will put an end to the delusive pause in fighting that settled over the Middle East in late March. Iran’s response to Israel’s air strikes will be hugely important to whether the war expands or not. 

Just how Tehran will respond to Israel’s recent air strikes on the Iranian Consulate is unclear, but the method and destructiveness of the counterattack are important. To be taken seriously, Iranian action must unambiguously harm Israel on a strategic level. Iran’s counterattack must be a demonstration of Iranian power, but not severe enough to justify U.S. Military Intervention on Israel’s side. Threading this needle may be impossible.

Of course, Iran is not the only regional power. Turkey sits on the periphery of the war but is disinclined to intervene unless Israeli and American military power threatens Turkish security interests in Syria and Iraq. Yet, it would be a mistake to view Turkish inaction to this point as a permanent condition. 

Meanwhile, invasion from Mexico, rising criminal violence, drug, and human trafficking, are imposing enormous costs on American society. The resources and funds committed to law enforcement, public education, health care and housing are stretched to the breaking point. The chaos on America’s borders alone threatens to extinguish the freedoms and national identity that generations of Americans took for granted. 

George Washington warned that a system of political parties would encourage the “unjust dominion of unprincipled men in the U.S. government. It has happened. Will Americans finally impose accountability this fall?

The post Will Israel’s War Expand? appeared first on The American Conservative.

Last week in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced what has been described as a “landmark plan to help pull Armenia out of Russia’s orbit.” 

The plan calls for the EU to allocate €270 million to support the Armenian economy as part of what von der Leyen calls “a new and ambitious partnership agenda.”

This news comes amidst renewed tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A major firefight broke out after Azerbaijan forces opened fire on Armenian defensive positions on the night of April 6.

But not all experts are impressed by the newly announced deal. According to Pietro Shakarian, a postdoctoral Fellow at the National Research University–Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg who recently taught at the American University of Armenia, “The popular view on the Armenian street is that those 270 million euros look a lot like Judas Iscariot’s thirty pieces of silver. This was the price Pashinyan paid for betraying Armenia, abandoning Artsakh, and exposing the country to severe security threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey. On the part of the U.S. and the EU, it’s a very obvious attempt to push Russia out of the Caucasus once and for all.” 

Pashinyan should be forewarned that this is a path that is well-trodden and extremely dangerous for those who have set out upon it. The University of Chicago’s John Mearsheimer has famously described what the Victoria Nuland–led State Department did, by condoning the Maidan coup and supporting Kiev’s NATO ambitions, as “leading Ukraine down the primrose path.” Armenia might usefully learn from the experiences of Ukraine and, closer home to Yerevan, Georgia. Both nations believed the fulsome promises of Western integration, including NATO accession, from their Western patrons in Brussels and Washington. 

What reaction can we expect from Moscow? Artin DerSimonian, a junior research fellow in the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, tells The American Conservative that, “at a time of serious West-Russia conflict this is naturally perceived in Moscow as an affront. At the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the situation remains very tense and the potential for further or significant escalation persists. How Russia would respond to this—given the above context—doesn’t inspire confidence. Yerevan appears more determined for a strong foreign and security policy ‘pivot’ rather than merely seeking to ‘diversify’ its security relations.” 

As is by now clear, the U.S. national security bureaucracy only knows how to play a zero-sum game, and they and their political patrons seem both unable and unwilling to envision a world in which Iran and Russia are not the apex-villains.  

As we can see with the recent Moscow terror attack and the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, that vision of the world stands at stark odds with reality. And the fact is, stark and unpleasant as it might be to the Washington establishment, that the best guarantors of Armenian security are Russia and Iran. 

As Shakarian reminds us, “A weakened Armenia has negative security implications not only for Russia, but also Iran. It is not without reason that Tehran has drawn a bright red line against any Azerbaijani or Turkish attack on Armenia’s southern Syunik province, as well as any effort to cut off Syunik from the rest of Armenia. Such actions would sever Iran’s only overland link to the Moscow-led Eurasian Union.” 

“Pashinyan’s giveaway of Artsakh and the subsequent ethnic cleansing there,” says Shakarian, “not only shocked Russian society, but also confirmed the view of Russian intelligence that Pashinyan is indeed acting on behalf of external interests, and not the interests of the Armenian state or people. His willingness to give away strategic territories in his own native province, Tavush, are viewed in both Russia and Armenia as further evidence of this.”

Washington may not like it, but if Armenia has any chance at a happy future—and a magnificent, ancient Christian civilization like Armenia certainly deserves one—we need to stop meddling in the Caucasus and limit the damage we have already done in the post-Soviet space. 

The post Leading Armenia Down the Primrose Path appeared first on The American Conservative.

Under a rapidly approaching April 19 deadline, the Republican controlled-House is taking another crack at a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization bill.

Section 702 of FISA, which was originally intended to permit the foreign surveillance of foreign persons overseas, is the specific provision of FISA set to expire in just over a week’s time. House Speaker Mike Johnson, under immense pressure from the right of his conference given Georgia’s Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene already has a motion to vacate waiting in the hopper, will need to thread the needle between yet another divide between the House GOP to get this piece of legislation across the finish line. 

FISA has come under increasing scrutiny from the right wing of the GOP conference as it was an integral player in the Russiagate hoax and the Biden administration’s investigations into Americans at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Nevertheless, Section 702 still has its defenders among the House GOP ranks.

The dynamic at play across the conference is well encapsulated by the two House committees warring over what a FISA reauthorization bill might entail. The House Intelligence Committee, led by Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio wants few reforms if any and has the backing of the intelligence and national security agencies. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee, headed by a different Ohioan, Rep. Jim Jordan, wants to seize the rare opportunity to reform FISA in its renewal.

The House Rules Committee is scheduled to mark up a version of Rep. Laurel Lee’s FISA reauthorization bill on Tuesday, where Rules Committee members hope to bridge the gap between Intelligence and Judiciary.

The Lee legislation would reauthorize FISA for several years in exchange for several reforms. Currently, Lee’s FISA reauthorization bill would require the Attorney General to elevate accuracy standards in new FISA applications. And those who go beyond the authorities granted in FISA to gather more intelligence information will meet new heightened penalties. The bill would also increase reporting and transparency requirements of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to Congress as part of Congress’s oversight authority.

“FISA is an indispensable tool that protects us from national security threats within the United States and abroad,” Lee said in a press release touting her legislation. “[The bill] will bring meaningful change to surveillance operations that protects us against adversarial threats in addition to safeguarding our civil liberties. This bill also increases transparency in surveillance applications and will hold government employees accountable who violate the authorities in FISA.”

On Johnson’s part, moving forward to consider Lee’s bill is a smart play. Lee is a member of the Judiciary, which placates the committee somewhat—it’s their bill with the best chance of passing. To get Turner and the Intelligence Committee, a provision, sought mainly by Rep. Warren Davidson, that would prohibit federal agencies from purchasing American’s information from private data companies has been scrapped from the legislation. In February, though the Speaker hinted he supported the Davidson provision, Lee’s bill failed to go anywhere because the House Intelligence Committee drew a red line on the issue. 

“FISA is about surveillance of foreigners abroad—the issues of Americans’ privacy and data are unrelated to our spying on foreigners,” Turner said of the Davidson provision. “The parliamentarian has ruled that it was not germane to this issue. And individuals who try to make it related to FISA are just being disingenuous and untruthful,” the Intelligence Committee chair told POLITICO.

Davidson is predictably unhappy with this development, especially the Speaker. “It’s disappointing to watch Speaker Johnson, who was a strong defender of essentially the same bills.… When he was a member of the Judiciary Committee, now as speaker essentially has crossed all the way over to the intel point of view,” Davidson told POLITICO.

The Rules Committee, however, is expected to make some tweaks to the legislation. At the beginning of the 118th Congress, conservatives negotiated substantial representation on the Rules Committee with former Rep. Kevin McCarthy in exchange for the speakership. The conservatives appointed to the Rules Committee include Reps. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie, and Ralph Norman, with Roy and Massie repeatedly vocalizing their support for strong FISA reforms.

Therefore, Rules is set to consider an amendment proposed by Judiciary to require national security agencies to obtain a warrant for obtaining information on U.S. persons involved in activities the government is surveilling. The push has mainly come from the Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support—Jordan and Ranking Member Jerry Nadler have worked together for the inclusion of warrant requirements. Both the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees are reportedly in favor of this amendment and will vote for its inclusion. Other curious bipartisan efforts have cropped up around the issue of FISA warrants—Davidson has been pushing for warrant requirements with progressive Rep. Zoe Lofgren on Capitol Hill.

“There is a strong bipartisan coalition advocating for privacy protections,” Davidson told The American Conservative in an email. “These privacy provisions for American citizens should be included if FISA is allowed to continue.”

Turner has used the aforementioned bipartisan efforts in an attempt to undermine the addition of warrants. “This is not a ‘conservative’ issue,” Turner told POLITICO. Referring to the Davidson-Lofgren partnership specifically, Turner called it a “left-wing bill.”

How this dynamic might impact the final vote tally remains to be seen. Obviously, if Turner has his way, he’d like to see the amendment, and if need be the bill, fail. 

“They will lose because the only way that you would vote for a warrant to spy on foreigners abroad is if you are confused and believe false rhetoric,” Turner told POLITICO, though that’s not what the amendment would do. Turner also told Politico that any suggestion of FISA has been used to target Americans is “false,” which is demonstrably untrue as FISA has been abused to spy on thousands of Americans.

“Representative Turner is well aware of the fact that FISA section 702 is used to spy on American citizens,” Davidson told TAC. “According to their own reporting, the FBI searched for 119,383 unique query terms associated with U.S. persons. In fact, Darin LaHood, a member of HPSCI, was subject to an illegal search in 2020.”

Hardly anyone, even supporters of clean FISA reauthorization on Capitol Hill, believe this to be true beyond Turner. Nevertheless, he persisted: such proposals “significantly destroys our ability to keep America safe,” Turner claimed.

Though Turner’s position is fringe on Capitol Hill, he has a number of allies on the right and left trying to sink some of Judiciary’s proposals. Intel-community friendly representatives on the right are appealing to former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to apply pressure, along with former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.  Meanwhile, security hawks in the Democratic ranks are working closely with the Biden administration to prevent the warrant provision. Administration officials from the CIA, FBI, and other agencies are scheduled to brief House members on FISA Wednesday.

Some conservatives are suggesting Turner’s effort has already been successful, though there hasn’t been a vote yet. “Turner fully sabotaged everything, so he must feel pretty happy,” Davidson claimed.

If Turner’s effort to kill the proposed FISA reforms succeeds, the options left on the table for Johnson might lead to the end of his tenure as Speaker of the House. Johnson could either let FISA expire, which is highly unlikely, or bring a clean FISA reauthorization to the floor under suspension of the rules. Bringing a clean FISA reauthorization would likely pass, but conservatives like Davidson who are upset with the Speaker’s handling of FISA renewal might tell Greene it’s time to take the motion to vacate out of the hopper.

The post The FISA Fight and What it Means for Johnson’s Speakership appeared first on The American Conservative.

Guest post by Joe Hoft at JoeHoft.com – republished with permission.

Orange County Deputy DA Ann Fawaz

A senior deputy district attorney in DA Todd Spitzer’s self proclaimed, supposed anti-crime Orange County, California office, is prosecuting American patriot, pro-freedom activist Kim Sorgente for defending himself against known Santa Ana gangbangers, who attacked him and others with knives and brass knuckles when they raided a ‘Stop the Steal – America First’ rally in December, 2020. The attackers are believed to be supported by George Soros funded organizations.

Thugs beat pro-Trump protesters at a rally following 2020 election.

Three thugs wearing black masks and hoodies, one with devil horns tattooed on his forehead, attacked the freedom rally attendees, even shoving and punching elderly women with brass knuckles. Sorgente stepped in to try and defend the women and others, when confronted by all three gangsters who verbally threatened him and then lunged at him. He defended himself with his megaphone.

When the dust settled, Spitzer’s office decided to prosecute Sorgente, a husband and father of two young children, and defend the Santa Ana ‘Lowell Street Sinners’ gang members, naming them as victims. The crime they charged Kim with? ‘Assault with a Deadly Megaphone.’ He now faces approximately three years in prison.

Innocent Jan 6er to Stand Trial for Defending Himself with Bull Horn from Gang Banger with Brass Knuckles

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ann Fawaz is leading Todd Spitzer’s effort to put Kim away. During ongoing pretrial hearings, you could hear courtroom observers groaning and moaning, expressing disbelief when hearing how she refers to the gangbangers as victims and Kim as the perpetrator. The frustration was even more obvious when observers viewed the video footage of the conflict when shown in court, which clearly depicts Sorgente and the pro-freedom crowd as the victims.

What is more alarming, is that Ann Fawaz, the prosecutor in this case is now running for Orange County Judge (fawazforjudge.com). Another anti-American, ‘Enemy Within’ political candidate trying to snake her way into office, where she can continue helping advance the pro George Soros upside down world agenda, of dismantling law and order, and the American way of life we all once knew and cherished.

Ann who’s birth name is Young Cho, is a Korean American. And by looking at her website, she tries hard to pander to Korean Americans for support of her candidacy. We though can only wonder what the historically anti-communist, conservative Korean American community would think of her if they knew what side of the fight she was really on.

Judge Michael F. Murray and Robert A. Knox who have presided over most of the pretrial hearings have also appeared to pile on Sorgente, issuing ruling after ruling against his legal defense.

As for Todd Spitzer and his recent slogan ‘Don’t LA my OC!’, he should change it to ‘Let’s LA OUR OC!’. Because as the man in charge of this treasonous prosecution of hero Kim Sorgente, he has clearly revealed himself as a George Gascon fanboy admirer. It is traitor Spitzer who has authorized, directed and funded Kim Sorgente’s prosecution, with ‘tiny tyrant in’ training Fawaz willingly and gladly doing his dirty work. And with both of them along with his left wing, mini-gestapo zombies, their obvious aim is to nail Sorgente’s pelt to their trophy wall.

If they can do this to Kim Sorgente, imagine what they will try to do to all of us next. So it is up to each of you to come to Kim’s defense, and if you call yourself an American Patriot, you will! Because if he is put away, the America we are all fighting for, will be significantly weakened because of it.

Kim’s next court date:

Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 9am.

Central Justice Center
Orange County Superior Court
700 West Civic Center Drive
Santa Ana, CA
Courtroom # C-5, Second Floor

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The post Deputy DA Ann Fawaz, a Corrupt Candidate for Judge in Orange County, Defends Gang Violence Against Trump Supporters – Court Date Tomorrow appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.