Schiff: "For my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, or in the White House, to say they’ve seen no evidence of collusion -- you really have to be trying to look away”

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/960658647583023105

Global Shipping Business Tied to Mitch McConnell, Secretary Elaine Chao Shrouded in Offshore Tax Haven

n June 6, 2016, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell joined his wife, Elaine Chao, now the U.S. secretary of transportation, at a ceremony on the Harvard Business School campus to dedicate a new building emblazoned with the Chao family name. Funded by a $40 million gift from the Chao family and its foundation, the building would serve as a new hub for Harvard’s Executive Education program. But the family’s generosity appears to have come at the expense of taxpayers — the money, it turns out, would already have been in the public treasury had it not been sheltered from the government in complex offshore tax havens.

Over a period of five years, millions of dollars were quietly funneled to a Chao family foundation via two offshore firms that list a New York address but are not incorporated anywhere in the United States. Two entities with the same names, however, are incorporated in the Marshall Islands, known as one of the world’s most secretive offshore havens for firms seeking to avoid taxes and a preferred foreign locale for the Foremost Group, the Chao family’s New York-based shipping business. The Foremost Group and a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation declined to comment on where the two donating firms are incorporated.

Chao, notably, has been a key voice in promoting the Trump administration economic policies, including the historic rewrite of the tax code — a legislative accomplishment that is likely the pinnacle of McConnell’s congressional career. The reform shifted the corporate tax code to a territorial system, a move highly expected to reward firms that funnel earnings through offshore tax havens, such as the Cayman Islands or the Marshall Islands. Speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in January, Chao called Trump’s “America first” policies “the affirmation of American exceptionalism.” Critics, she noted, “who don’t want to listen to him can leave.”

The connection between the offshore accounts and the donation to the Chao family foundation were found through a search of the Paradise Papers — a trove of more than 13 million leaked documents from tax havens around the world obtained by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists with reporting partners around the world.

More: https://theintercept.com/2018/02/05/mitch-mcconnell-elaine-chao-offshore-paradise-papers/?utm_content=buffered375&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

. @DevinNunes this “official complaint” filed with OCE on 1/25/2018 Turns out you Patel, Wolf & @RepRooney LEAKED: 🔹name of Fusion’s Bank 🔹depositions of Messrs. Fritsch & Cata 🔹portions of transcripts of confidential interview 🔹facts of Mr. Ohr’s demotion to @FoxNews @WSJ
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960308039298572288




🔹Mr. Ohr’s demotion 🔹Ms. Ohr’s subcontracting arrangement with Fusion GPS 🔹violated House Rule 23, clause 2. Everything detailed in @Accountable_Org Complaint: WAS. NOT. KNOW. TO. THE. PUBLIC. Mr @SpeakerRyan GET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER. 6 pg complaint
https://campaignforaccountability.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CfA-Ethics-Complaint-Devin-Nunes-1-25-18.pdf
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960310172404125696




Which means @DevinNunes Kash Patel, William Wolf, @RepRooney ALL. LEAKED. THE. INFO. which resulted in this insane subpoena. Lord have mercy, Devin you need to hire a decent attorney
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960310776295821313
Let me repeat NONE of this info used in this @FoxNews was PUBLIC. And only @DevinNunes & his staff had the info 12/07/2017 Fox story👇🏻 🚨”HPSCI staff confirmed to Fox News” 🚨
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960311721515773954
@DevinNunes it ALSO means you or your staff leaked this info to @thehill again I’m violation of “House & HPSCI” rules. Dude, you’re D O N E...you will die in jail.
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960312213784449029
And that also means you @DevinNunes or your staff leaked this info because you were the ONLY ones who had it. Gawd, your stupidity knows no bounds
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960312539191103493
you were NEVER cleared in the March Midnight White House Run OCE Complaint. The OCE couldn’t Investigate because of the classified documents @DevinNunes you are DONE @SpeakerRyan REMOVE NUNES NOW you incompetent & complicit tool-bag 👇🏻Nune March OCE👇🏻
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960313426215161856
@DevinNunes @SpeakerRyan @RepRooney know: Leaking is prohibited 🔹House Rules 🔹Privacy Act prohibits government employees from disclosing agency records. 🔹Espionage Act punishes officials who disclose sensitive national defense infor to those not authorized to receive it
https://twitter.com/Alt_Spicerlies/status/960314924462428161

Fun fact: Robert Mueller has personally destroyed:

•The Enron corporation
•The Gambino crime family
•The Gotti crime family
Soon to come: • The Trump family
https://twitter.com/realMatMolina/status/959957940307419136

https://twitter.com/dennis0805a/status/959966057141362688
https://twitter.com/Ez4u2say_Janis/status/960193396101951489
https://twitter.com/AmyOddo/status/959975027855765504

NEW: In a 2013 letter, Carter Page told a reviewer of a manuscript he was an "informal Kremlin adviser"

https://twitter.com/aabramson/status/959942369234903040

Carter Page Touted Kremlin Contacts in 2013 Letter

Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page bragged that he was an adviser to the Kremlin in a letter obtained by TIME that raises new questions about the extent of Page’s contacts with the Russian government over the years.

The letter, dated Aug. 25, 2013, was sent by Page to an academic press during a dispute over edits to an unpublished manuscript he had submitted for publication, according to an editor who worked with Page.

“Over the past half year, I have had the privilege to serve as an informal advisor to the staff of the Kremlin in preparation for their Presidency of the G-20 Summit next month, where energy issues will be a prominent point on the agenda,” the letter reads.

Page is at the center of a controversial memo from Republican Congressman Devin Nunes, released this week. The Nunes memo claims that in Oct. 2016 the FBI improperly received court permission to spy on Page, whom Trump had named as an adviser to his campaign in March 2016. The Nunes memo says the FBI based its request for eavesdropping permission on information provided by former British spy Christopher Steele while Steele was working for Democrats.

More: http://time.com/5132126/carter-page-russia-2013-letter/

Former CIA counterterrorism official Phil Mudd: The FBI people "are ticked" and they'll be saying of Trump, “You’ve been around for 13 months. We've been around since 1908. I know how this game is going to be played. We're going to win" http://cnn.it/2GEPZD3

https://twitter.com/CNN/status/959565646999707657

This is legitimately nuts. Carter Page, Russian agent, predicts Ryan will put out details on his FISA warrant and the Steele dossier?
https://twitter.com/KenGude/status/959547659395715074
What I want to know is how Carter Page knew back in October that Paul Ryan would use his power to expose the dossier’s inclusion in the Page FISA affidavit. Skip to 7:00
https://twitter.com/brianbeutler/status/959543653000675335

House Republicans Release Secret Memo Accusing Russia Investigators of Bias

... snip

But the people familiar with the Democratic memo said that Republicans had distorted what Mr. McCabe told the intelligence committee about the importance of the information from Mr. Steele. Mr. McCabe presented the material as part of a constellation of compelling evidence that raised serious suspicions about Mr. Page, the two people said. The evidence included contacts Mr. Page had in 2013 with a Russian intelligence operative.

Mr. Page’s contacts with the Russian operative led to an investigation of Mr. Page that year, including a wiretap on him, another person familiar with the matter said.

Mr. McCabe told the committee that the decision to seek a FISA warrant was also prompted by Russian attempts to target Mr. Papadopoulos, a trip Mr. Page took to Moscow in July 2016 and the Russian hacking of Democratic emails that appeared to be aimed at harming the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, the two people familiar with the Democratic memo said

More: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/us/politics/trump-fbi-memo.html?referer=https://t.co/EmYyFcHQ0T?amp=1#click=https://t.co/EmYyFcHQ0T

Suggests FBI had a wiretap *on Page* during 2013. That's important because although it was previously public Page had been approached by SVR in 2013, and cited in an affidavit against the SVR folks, it shows he wasn't just peripheral

Matters a bit whether the NYT are being careful with their choice of "wiretap" here, but if so, this means FBI managed to obtain a (non-FISA) Title III wiretap order against Page for interactions with SVR years before Trump.
https://twitter.com/pwnallthethings/status/959536018100838400

Democrats Seek Votes on 13 Subpoena Motions at Tuesday’s Oversight Committee Markup
Feb 2, 2018
Press Release

Democrats Seek Votes on 13 Subpoena Motions

at Tuesday’s Oversight Committee Markup


Washington, D.C. (Feb. 2, 2018)—Today, Rep. Elijah. E. Cummings and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, the Ranking Member and Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter requesting that Chairman Trey Gowdy place 13 motions for subpoenas on the agenda for the Committee’s upcoming business meeting on February 6, 2018.

For each request, Cummings, Connolly, and other Committee Members previously sent Gowdy detailed letters setting forth the specific bases for the motions, but Gowdy declined to join these requests or issue subpoenas on his own. They include a wide range of oversight requests within the core jurisdiction of the Committee—many of which had been bipartisan. House rules allow Committees to debate and vote on motions to issue subpoenas if a majority of Committee Members approve, but Gowdy has declined or ignored all requests to obtain these documents.

Today’s letter follows a previous request that Cummings sent to Gowdy on October 31, 2017, asking for six motions for subpoenas to be added to the agenda for the business meeting the Committee held on November 2, 2017—all of which were denied.

“We understand that you personally may disagree with our requests, but our Committee Members deserve the opportunity to debate and vote on these motions, rather than you blocking their consideration,” Cummings and Connolly wrote. “House rules provide for subpoenas to be issued by a vote of the full Committee, and we have repeatedly asked for the opportunity to do so. Many Members believe that we must use the full force of the Committee to uphold our Constitutional obligation to conduct rigorous oversight of the executive branch. We ask that you allow us to offer these motions, debate them, and hold votes.”

The motions listed in today’s letter relate to the following investigations in which documents that are currently being withheld:

Trump Organization Withholding Documents on Foreign Payments
DHS Withholding Documents on Russian Attacks Against States Before Election
DHS Withholding Information from IG Report on Trump Muslim Ban
White House and HHS Withholding Documents on Biased Refugee Report
HHS Withholding Documents on Gag Order Against Whistleblowers
Kushner Withholding Emails That Violate Presidential Records Act
White House Withholding Documents on Security Clearance Suspensions
Transition Team and DOJ Withholding Flynn, Jr.’s Security Clearance Documents
White House Withholding Documents on Interim Security Clearances
Flynn and Business Partners Withholding Documents on Middle East Nuclear Deal
Data Firms Withholding Documents on Foreign Contacts During Election
OMB Withholding Agency Downsizing Plans
FDIC Withholding Documents on EPA Senior Advisor Banned from Banking

The six previous subpoena motions that were denied at the Committee’s November 2, 2017, business meeting were:

White House Withholding Documents on Flynn’s Foreign Contacts
White House Withholding Documents on Personal Email Use by Top Aides
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump Withholding Documents on Emails
White House Withholding Documents on Hurricane Response
Governor Snyder Withholding Documents on Flint Water Investigation
Kushner Companies Withholding Documents on Alleged Housing Abuses

For clickable links, go here: https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/news/press-releases/democrats-seek-votes-on-13-subpoena-motions-at-tuesday-s-oversight-committee