By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team is scrutinizing the Republican National Committee’s joint data operation with Donald Trump’s campaign to determine whether it shared connections with the Russian effort to undermine Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.

Two sources told Yahoo News that Mueller’s team began questioning RNC staffers about the joint operation to target voters in critical swing states. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mueller-probe-outgrows-witch-hunt-phase-100045988.html

Mueller’s team is investigating whether the operation, which was managed by the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, “was related to the activities of Russian trolls and bots aimed at influencing the American electorate.”

The widening investigation is exploring whether the Trump campaign received voter information stolen by Russian hackers from election databases in several states. Investigators also are trying to determine whether the Trump campaign assisted Russia’s propaganda campaign targeting specific demographics and voting precincts.

Donald Trump speaking at the RNC.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

A consistent theme of Donald Trump’s campaign speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night was rising crime.

But his message doesn’t align with crime data, which shows a gradual decline for more than two decades.

So how does his campaign explain the “law and order” message?

Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, claims the FBI’s annual data on crime isn’t reliable.

“The FBI certainly is suspect these days for what they just did with Hillary Clinton,” Manafort told CNN.

Manafort provided no evidence that the numbers were wrong.

Fruit, via Wikipedia

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

It appears the Secret Service is worried about a fruit war at the Republican National Convention.

Along with weapons, fireworks and explosives, fruit is a banned item in the convention area.

Fruit, said one Secret Service officer, “can be thrown,” The New York Post reports.

Here is a list of other banned items: strollers, selfie sticks, screwdrivers, baseballs and fog horns.

By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com

The Republican National Committee has filed two lawsuits against the federal government in hopes of accessing Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and text messages when she was secretary of state.

The GOP requested access to the records in Freedom of Information Act requests filed last year but so far has received no documents, Fox News reports. 

There are no at least 34 civil suits that have been filed for access to the records.

“For too long the State Department has undermined the public and the media’s legitimate right to records under the Freedom of Information Act, and it’s time it complies with the law,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.

The FBI is investigating whether Clinton used her private e-mail server to pass on sensitive information.

Clinton continues to say that she never sent or received information that was considered classified.

On Wednesday, Republican senators also asked for more information involving the investigation.

Steve Neavling

 The FBI and Homeland Security are warning of concerns that anarchist groups may try to use improvised explosive devices at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC, the Charlotte Business Journal reports.

It’s unclear how real the threat is because the FBI routinely issues similar advisories ahead of major events and plans to heighten security.

The FBI also issued warnings about potential violence at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. next week., Charlotte Business Journal reported

What prompted the advisory isn’t known, but police said they are concerned about an extremist anarchist group called “Anonymous.”

Rowley in center

The war on dissent, rather than terrorism, continued full steam with FBI SWAT teams breaking down doors at 7 am Friday (Sept 24) morning and raiding the homes of several anti-war leaders and activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and possibly a couple other Midwest cities.

Members of the FBI’s “Joint Terrorism Task Force” spent a few hours at each Minneapolis residence, seizing personal photographs and papers, computers and cell phones as well as serving Federal Grand Jury subpoenas on the various activists.

Obviously the scathing review of post 9-11 FBI “terrorism investigations” targeting various peace and social justice groups completed by the Department of Justice Inspector General (IG) and just issued four days ago gave no pause to the FBI to reflect before continuing to do more of the same.

To read more click here.

Nothing like starting out your new job with a good Washington scandal.

Michael Steele/ rnc photo