U.S. Capitol

By Editorial Board
Los Angeles Times

Following President Trump’s questionable lead, some congressional Republicans are trying to sow doubt about the integrity and impartiality of the FBI and the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. That investigation already has resulted in an indictment of Trump’s former campaign chairman and a guilty plea by his first national security advisor, and it shows no sign of concluding.

On Thursday, four days after Trump tweeted that the FBI’s reputation was “in tatters,” Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told FBI Director Christopher A. Wray: “We cannot afford for the FBI — which has traditionally been dubbed the premier law enforcement agency in the world — to become tainted by politicization or the perception of a lack of even-handedness.”

True enough, but the question is whether such a perception is fair or the result of politically motivated exaggeration by the president and his supporters. So far the evidence points strongly in the latter direction. That comes as no surprise — the attacks on the FBI fit a clear pattern of misdirection and deflection by the Trump administration and its GOP allies on the issue of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

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George Papadopoulos’ fiance Simona Mangiante in an interview with ABC News.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

When news surfaced that Donald Trump’s former campaign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, is cooperating with the special counsel’s investigation, the president tweeted that his former aide was nothing more than a “young, low level volunteer.”

But according to Papadopoulos’ fiancee in an interview with ABC News, he played an integral role in Trump’s presidential campaign and “was constantly in touch with high-level officials int he campaign.”

If that’s true, Papadopoulos, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about meetings with Russian officials, the inner circle of Trump’s campaign could be implicated in the expanding special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller.

The fiancee, Simona Mangiante, said Papadopoulos took orders from senior campaign officials to ”set up meetings with leaders all over the world.”

Mangiante said her fiancee is “the first domino in the Russia investigation.”

But, she added, Papadopoulos will be “on the right side of history.”

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday announced the creation of an office to combat large-scale terrorist attacks.

The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) is tasked with protecting the U.S. from terrorists who intend to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, the Washington Post reports. 

Newly confirmed DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the idea is to “elevate and streamline DHS efforts to prevent terrorists and other national security threat actors from using harmful agents, such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear material and devices to harm Americans and U.S. interests.”

The leader of the new office is James F. McDonnell, whom President Trump appointed last year to head Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.

“The United States faces rising danger from terrorist groups and rogue nation states,” Nielsen said. 

“That’s why DHS is moving towards a more integrated approach,” she added. “As terrorism evolves, we must stay ahead of the enemy and the establishment of this office is an important part of our efforts to do so.”

Alex Jones, via Wikipedia

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Alex Jones, the poster-boy for right-wing conspiracies and paranoia, said he’s helping the Secret Service track down people whom he alleges are plotting to assassinate President Trump.

“I had the Secret Service call me yesterday, and it wasn’t a secret meeting, but they want to come here and — it’s total twilight zone — and want me to brief them on all the data we’ve collated on whose setting up a plan to kill the president,” he claimed during a broadcast of “The Alex Jones Show” on Wednesday.

The Secret Service told the Washington Times that it’s “aware of Mr. Jones’ statements, but as a matter of practice we do not comment on protective intelligence matters.”

The ardent Trump supporter and conspiracy theorist added on his show: “I’m going to develop that plan; and video clips, articles, all of it. And I’m also going to present the plan here. Secret Service didn’t care if I kept it secret. They said that’s fine.”

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