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Biden Had Firm at Center of Trump Hacking Scandal on Campaign Payroll — Washington Free Beacon

Biden Administration

Neustar Information Services executive allegedly wanted Clinton administration post
President Joe Biden (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Chuck Ross • February 15, 2022 5:00 am

The Biden campaign paid nearly $20,000 to a cybersecurity firm at the center of Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.
The campaign paid Neustar Information Services in 2020 for accounting and compliance work, according to Federal Election Commission records. According to Durham, Neustar’s chief technology officer, Rodney Joffe, accessed sensitive web traffic data that the company maintained on behalf of the White House executive office in order to collect “derogatory” information about Donald Trump. Joffe allegedly provided the information to Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who in turn gave it to the CIA during a meeting in February 2017. Durham charged Sussmann in September with lying to the FBI about his investigation of Trump.
The Biden campaign’s payments raise questions about whether Joffe continued snooping on Trump in the most recent election. The Biden and Clinton campaigns are the only two presidential committees to have ever paid Neustar, according to Federal Election Commission records. Biden’s campaign paid Neustar $18,819 on Sept. 29, 2020, the records show. The Clinton campaign paid the firm $3,000 in May 2015 for mobile phone services. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee paid $3,000 to Neustar in 2017. Neustar executives and staffers contributed $17,906 to Biden’s campaign, FEC records show.
It is unclear what Neustar executives knew of Joffe’s activities on behalf of the Clinton campaign.
Durham alleges that Joffe and his associates “mined” the White House traffic data “for the purpose of gathering derogatory information about Donald Trump.” Joffe, who retired from Neustar in September, allegedly told associates that he was investigating Trump in order to please “VIPs” on the Clinton campaign. He also allegedly wanted a job in the Hillary Clinton administration.
Joffe and Neustar have not been named in court …

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Email trail shows how Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins distorted public views on COVID

In January 2020, the scientific world was startled with the breaking news of a novel coronavirus. Thanks to a brave Chinese scientist, the DNA sequence of this virus was released to the world.
Upon reviewing this genome, several of the world’s top virology experts sent emails to Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health. These emails suggest that scientific leaders believed the virus possessed features that looked engineered — several even believing there was a more than a 50% chance it had originated in a laboratory.

…

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Russia: Pulling back some troops

Some Russian troops near Ukraine’s border are returning to their bases after completing missions, but other large-scale drills remain ongoing, Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday.Why it matters: It’s a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be willing to de-escalate the crisis, but the threat of war isn’t over yet, per the New York Times.Details: “The units of the Southern and Western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and will begin moving to their military garrisons today,” spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.“A number of combat training exercises, including drills, have been conducted as planned,” Konashenkov added.“The Russian Armed Forces are continuing a range of large-scale exercises for operational training of troops and forces. Practically all military districts, fleets and the Airborne Troops are taking part.”— Russian defense ministry spokesperson Igor KonashenkovWhat they’re saying: “The path for diplomacy remains available if Russia chooses to engage constructively,” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Monday.“However, we are clear-eyed about the prospects of that, given the steps Russia is taking on the ground in plain sight.“Worth noting: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a news conference on Monday that while he wanted his country to join NATO “for our security,” he conceded this could remain “a dream,” according to the NYT.What to watch: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was traveling to Moscow from Kyiv on Tuesday to meet with Putin in an attempt to avert war.Go deeper: How the Afghan fallout is shaping Biden’s response to Ukraine …

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Manchin No On Biden Nominee

Senator Joe Manchin (D‑WV) said in no uncertain terms that he would not support President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Robert Califf.Manchin noted that he had opposed Califf’s nomination when former President Barack Obama first put him forward as the nominee in 2016, and he said that West Virginians had suffered during his brief tenure (February of 2016-January 20, 2017) in the role.“Manchin to oppose nomination of Robert Califf to run FDA: My opposition is nothing new. In fact, it was exactly five years ago next week that I came to the Senate floor to urge my colleagues to oppose Dr. Califf’s nomination to serve under then President Obama in the same role,” Fox News Congressional reporter Chad Pergram tweeted.“Manchin: …

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Michele Tafoya runs GOP campaign after Super Bowl farewell

Michele Tafoya is leaving sports stadiums for the political arena.

The NBC Sports sideline reporter completed her final assignment at Super Bowl 2022 on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif., and is revealing her plans for what’s next.

Tafoya told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch that she will co-chair the campaign of Kendall Qualls, an Army veteran and businessman who is running for governor of Minnesota as a Republican candidate.

“I got to a point in my life where I wanted to try other things, and there are some things that are really important to me,” Tafoya told The Athletic. “This is not to say that sports isn’t an important field, that my job isn’t an important job. But in my position, I was not as free to be as vocal about world events that I’m concerned about.

Michele Tafoya is trading sports stadiums for the political arena.Getty Images“It’s not because I was told to shut up. I want to be very clear about that. But look, if …

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‘SHE SHOULD BE BANISHED FROM POLITE SOCIETY’

The walls are closing in on Hillary Clinton. Recent filings by special counsel John Durham reveal the lengths to which Hillary and Co. went to investigate Trump’s “ties” to Russia, including hiring a tech company to infiltrate Trump Tower servers and monitor his White House activity.

Jesse Watters spoke with his co-hosts of The Five about the bombshell report —and he absolutely torched Clinton.“I think Hillary should be banished from polite society. I’m not comparing her to O.J., because, you know, we have no proof that she ever murdered anybody, but I would like to see Hillary treated the way O.J. is. He’s not really welcome places, he’s kind of a pariah,” Watters replied.

“Right now she is a certified political criminal,” Watters continued. “Her husband has been #metooed and has been fingered to be on Epstein’s island and you know the Foundation, that’s just like a washed up money laundering operation.”

Watters offered up a little speculation based on Durham’s recent filings… KEEP READING»>

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US offers Ukraine $1B loan guarantee

Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenUS offers Ukraine billion loan guarantee State Department urges US citizens to leave Belarus amid Russian military buildup along border Overnight Defense & National Security — Ukraine’s warning sets off invasion rumors MORE announced late Monday that the U.S. is offering Ukraine a loan guarantee of $1 billion to help strengthen its economy in the midst of “Russia’s destabilizing behavior.“The loan will help support Ukraine’s “economic reform agenda and continued engagement with the International Monetary Fund” and promote “economic stability, growth, and prosperity,” according to a statement by the department.The U.S. previously issued three separate $1 billion sovereign loan guarantees to Ukraine between 2014 and 2016. The State Department added that it would be seeking “additional ways to support Ukraine and its people.“ADVERTISEMENT“The Export-Import Bank of the United States intends to make available up to $3 billion to facilitate procurement of U.S. goods and services for projects in Ukraine, while the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation has a current investment portfolio in Ukraine of approximately $800 million across more than a dozen projects,” the department said in its announcement.Blinken also tweeted Monday that the U.S. was “working closely with allies to mobilize robust international support for Ukraine, including a U.S.-backed sovereign loan guarantee of up to $1 billion to support key reforms. This support will bolster Ukraine’s ability to deliver prosperity for its people.“White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-PierreKarine Jean-PierreUS offers Ukraine billion loan guarantee Biden administration conside …

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‘Destructive’ Rams fans take over LA

The LAPD declared an unlawful assembly Sunday night after “violent and destructive” Los Angeles Rams fans wreaked havoc on downtown streets following the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

The celebration turned chaotic near 11th and Hope streets when fans lit fireworks inside a city bus and festooned the outside with graffiti, according to Los Angeles Times reporter Kevin Rector.

Law enforcement officers prepare to disperse a crowd during the celebration of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.REUTERS/Aude GuerrucciThe LAPD declared an unlawful assembly Sunday night.APU GOMES/AFP via Getty ImagesFans vandalize a bus while fireworks are seen in in the sky in downtown Los Angeles.APU GOMES/AFP via Getty ImagesRevelers light a flare to celebrate the Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl.EPA/DAVID SWANSONIn another wild scene captured on camera, dozens of fans celebrate in standstill traffic as some hop onto the roof of a yellow cab.

One of the men even whacked the cab’s roof with an orange construction cone before hopping off, according to the footage posted by Fox LA anchor Marla Tellez.

“We are seeing violent and destructive behavior by large crowds in the heart of the Downtown LA area,” the LAPD wrote on Twitter.

A firework is set off on the street as fans celebrate the Los Angeles Rams’ victory.Arcangel Reyes/via REUTERSA man jumps on top of a vehicle as football fans celebrate and block an intersection.AP Photo/Ringo H.W. ChiuRiot police try to control a crowd on the street as football fans celebrate aft …

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Pete Townshend: ‘Inflation Is a Killer’

Pete Townshend isn’t here to dish out some medium-hot takes.
The Who’s songwriter and guitarist gives long-ranging interviews that dig deep into whatever subject crosses his mind.
Aging
Touring
Fellow Who rocker Roger Daltrey
Townshend wasn’t in the mood to inflame the Culture Wars during a recent Rolling Stone chat, shared via Yahoo! News. He sounds somewhat eager to hit the road again and bring people together with his music. He even artfully ducks the major kerfuffle between Joe Rogan, Spotify and Neil Young.
What he will expand upon, though, is the economic fallout from inflation.

President Joe Biden’s America is seeing a crushing wave of it, hearkening back to the Carter presidency. It’s an odd topic for a classic rocker to pounce on, but pounce he did during this recent exchange.
The rock legend explained all the nuances of the band’s upcoming tour, including some inconvenient rules regarding COVID-19, during the smart back and forth. The latter topic led led to this revelation:
Inflation is a killer. I remember back in the la …

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Gov. Hochul’s Cuomo-esque dark money

For all her vows of a “new era of transparency,” Gov. Kathy Hochul’s dark-money shenanigans are positively Cuomo-esque. 

A refresher: Running for gov in 2010, Andrew Cuomo promised to end a New York legal loophole that lets dark money — unregulated, anonymous donations — pour into campaigns via limited-liability corporations (or LLCs) by setting a sky-high cap on giving such donations, letting their owners stay anonymous and not counting those donations toward the limit on personal contributions from the owners.

He didn’t end it, instead becoming one of the loophole’s biggest beneficiaries and taking in at least $6.2 million via LLCs from 2010 to 2014. 

And now Hochul’s campaign has hoovered up a record $22 million (another Cuomo-esque figure) so far, with some 170 donations in 2021 coming from LLCs, according to reporting from New York Focus. 

One new wrinkle: a 2019 law saying any LLC cash must now be attributed to its owners. So, if John Smith owns half of Amalgamated Realty LLC, and Amalgamated gives $1,000 to Hochul’s campaign, it counts as a $500 contribution from Smith. 

Hochul’s campaign has reached nearly $22 million in donations.Hans PenninkYet Hochul is by and …

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