Latest news with #StrikeForce
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Carville, O'Reilly spar over Trump administration's 2016, Obama claims
Political pundits James Carville and Bill O'Reilly sparred on Wednesday evening over the Trump administration's claims alleging former President Obama influenced findings related to Russian interference in the 2016 election. 'This is idiotic. Let's just call it what it is. And please, fact check me, please do that, okay? And then let's put this aside. This is all nonsense. Complete, utter nonsense that's been spelled 100 times,' Carville said during an appearance on NewsNation's 'Cuomo.' 'Of course Russia tried to interfere. Of course it tried to intervene on the behalf of [President]Trump. We know that. What are we arguing about?' he added. The Justice Department announced that a ' Strike Force ' would investigate next steps late Wednesday evening after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released new documents about the 2016 election. On Tuesday, Obama's spokesperson denied the president's accusations and said they were ' bizarre ' and a 'weak attempt at distraction' from controversy inside the White House. Carville on Wednesday, like Obama, cited the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee's findings, which confirmed Russia's attempts to interfere as evidence of an ethical investigation. The two reminded President Trump that the current Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, led the group's probe. But O'Reilly was quick to push back on Carville Wednesday. 'I want to give James Carville anything that he wants, and he asked to be fact-checked, so here I am…,' he said, pointedly. 'The Senate report said that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin tried to meddle in the election, which is true. The House report upped it to discombobulating the Russian collusion whereby Putin's minions met with Donald Trump Jr., had people inside the Trump campaign, had a coordinated effort,' he continued. NewsNation host Chris Cuomo then interjected stating, the administration is a 'headline in search of a story.' 'The earth is round, people! Putin tried to intervene on Trump's behalf,' Carville said. 'Period. End of story. I'm just not going to argue it.'
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
DOJ launches ‘strike force' to investigate Obama officials over 2016 election
The Justice Department late Wednesday said it had formed a 'Strike Force' to 'investigate potential next legal steps' after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released new documents about the 2016 election. The documents do little to suggest wrongdoing by the intelligence community in seeking to investigate Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 contest. But Trump administration officials have nonetheless said Obama officials should be held accountable, while President Trump accused his predecessor of being guilty of treason in connection with the incident. 'The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people. We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice,' Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. Gabbard recently released two sets of previously classified documents she said show 'what was essentially a years-long coup' and a 'treasonous conspiracy' against Trump. However, an 11-page memo on Friday detailed internal discussions showing Russia was unable to affect any vote totals. That doesn't contradict the assessment at the time. Obama officials said shortly after the election that Russia was unable to hack voting systems. Much of the intelligence investigation was instead focused on Russia's massive social media campaign to influence voters and sway them towards Trump. On Monday, Gabbard released a previously classified report compiled by House Intelligence Republicans who disputed that Russian President Vladimir Putin favored Trump. While the bulk of intelligence assessments determined Putin played a role and wanted to aid Trump, the House report led by then-Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif., a Trump ally, found that the CIA 'did not adhere to the tenets' of analytical standards when reaching the conclusion. The formation of the task force comes as Trump has made clear his desire for his administration to investigate Obama. Obama's office issued a rare public statement calling the move a 'distraction' as Trump faces increasing calls to release information about the prosecution of deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'Our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' an Obama spokesperson said. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' James Clapper, director of national intelligence under Obama, in an appearance on CNN Wednesday noted that multiple assessments backed the conclusion the intelligence community made about the 2016 election. 'The Senate Intelligence Committee did an exhaustive examination of the totality of Russian engagement in this country, focusing specifically on the intelligence community assessment that we did and released in January of '17, and they endorsed the findings, the tradecraft used to derive those findings and the confidence levels,' he said. 'And no less than then-Senator Rubio, now-Secretary of State Rubio, who was then, I believe, acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made that observation himself in — when that report — redacted version of that report was released.'
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
White House pushes Obama 'coup' story to distract from Epstein
WASHINGTON: The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told a White House press briefing there had been a "years-long coup" by Obama. The extraordinary narrative essentially rehashed Trump's longstanding argument that investigations into Russia's multi-layered attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, where he beat Hillary Clinton, were a "hoax" against him. Gabbard touted newly declassified intelligence that she said provided "irrefutable evidence" that Obama had ordered intelligence assessments to be manipulated to accuse Russia of election interference to help Trump. The Justice Department announced the formation of a "Strike Force" to examine the allegations with "utmost seriousness." But Gabbard's findings run up against four separate criminal, counterintelligence and watchdog probes between 2019 and 2023 – each of them concluding that Russia did interfere and did, in various ways, help Trump. As a way to distract from the intensifying speculation over Trump's handling of the case against the late sex offender and reputed pedophile pimp to the powerful Epstein, the Obama accusations had some effect. White House journalists at the briefing barely asked about Epstein, focusing instead on Gabbard's claims, and Fox News heavily promoted the Obama story to its right-wing audience. However, the Epstein scandal quickly roared back, showing just how hard it is for 79-year-old Trump to maintain his usual mastery of driving news agendas – even within his fervently loyal "MAGA" base. Epstein was a financier and friend to numerous high-profile people – for years, including Trump – who was convicted of sex crimes and then imprisoned pending trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls. His 2019 prison cell death – ruled a suicide – supercharged a conspiracy theory long promoted by many of Trump's supporters that Epstein had run an international pedophile ring and that elites wanted to make sure he never revealed their secrets. After Trump came to power for a second term this January, his administration promised to release Epstein case files. But when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on July 7 that she had nothing to release, Republicans were furious – and Trump has been attempting to control the scandal ever since. Things got even more complicated for him after The Wall Street Journal last week reported that Trump had written a lewd birthday letter to Epstein in 2003. Trump denies this and has sued the Journal. On Wednesday, the Journal dropped a new story, saying Bondi had informed Trump in May that his name appeared several times in the Epstein files, even if there was no indication of wrongdoing. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called this "fake news" and said Trump had long ago broken with Epstein and "kicked him out of his club for being a creep." However, the drip-drip of reminders of Trump's close former relationship with Epstein is proving hard to stop. Several of Trump's most effective promoters over the years – including new FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino – made careers of fanning the concerns about Epstein, including the rumour that his death was actually a murder. Democrats are piling on the pressure. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break Wednesday to avoid being forced by Democrats into holding politically awkward votes on the affair. But some lawmakers on the "MAGA" right have indicated they are in no mood to let Epstein drop. Several bids for transparency are in the works, including efforts to circumvent Republican leadership and force a vote on releasing files after they return from recess. In another bid to satisfy his base, Trump had told Bondi to release "credible" Epstein information and to seek release of grand jury transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 investigations of Epstein. But on Wednesday a judge rejected this, citing legal secrecy protocols.
Al Etihad
11-05-2025
- Al Etihad
Five charged after $623m worth of cocaine allegedly found on boat off Australia coast
11 May 2025 09:31 SYDNEY (AGENCIES)Five people have been charged after police seized more than a tonne of cocaine allegedly found on a boat off the New South Wales (NSW) said they were tipped off before the drug bust following the "suspicious" purchase of a 13-metre motor cruiser, paid in cash, in Sydney's Sutherland investigation under Strike Force Blaine was then launched, which targeted drug supply and money South Wales (NSW) Police, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Strike Force investigators monitored the boat as it travelled up the NSW coast. As the boat travelled back to shore towards South West Rocks, the vessel was intercepted by the NSWPF Marine Area Command, around nine nautical miles from the coast of Nambucca Heads, at about 9.30am on men, aged 24 and 26, were arrested and taken back to shore. Police allege around 1,110 blocks of cocaine, weighing 1.039 tonnes in total, were discovered on the boat. The street value of the cocaine amounts to around $623 million, police other men, aged 28, 29 and 36, were arrested on shore after police stopped two cars attempting to leave the South West Rocks area. An investigation into the origin of the drugs and the group's alleged associates remains ongoing.
Sky News AU
11-05-2025
- Sky News AU
Five charged after cocaine worth over $623m seized on motorboat off NSW coast
Dramatic vision has captured the moment police intercepted a fishing boat off the NSW Mid North Coast at Nambucca Heads, seizing 1.1 tonnes of cocaine and arresting five men. Investigators patiently surveyed the 13 metre long Sea Ray cruiser for six days before launching a coordinated operation on its crew as it headed towards port at South West Rocks at 9:40am on Friday. Officers will allege they uncovered 1.1 tonnes of cocaine that was distributed into 1036 blocks in what is being described as one of the states largest drug hauls. Police estimate the drugs have a street value of $623 million and would total over a million individual doses. Two men, Cooper Hollingworth, 24 from Cardiff and Jacob Malcolm, 26 from Merewether were arrested on board and have both been charged with large commercial drug supply and participating in a criminal group. According to a police fact sheet, 'Malcolm was located in a wetsuit and Hollingworth was soaking wet as if having been in water.' At the same time three other men, Chaiwat Thipsing, 28, Luke Hazell, 29 and Rodney James Hill, 35 were arrested onshore after officers stopped two vehicles attempting to flee the South West Rocks region. The three men were taken to Taree police station and charged with taking part in the large commercial supply of cocaine and participating in a criminal group. Police will allege the two men arrested on board were the 'catching crew' responsible for the transportation of the drugs while the other members were allegedly the 'onshore co-orinators'. Searches of Newcastle properties by Strike Force investigators and the AFP also led to the seizure of electronic devices, documents, cash, clothing and communication devices. All five men appeared at Parramatta bail court on Saturday and were refused bail after their lawyers told the court their clients would not be making a release application. Police confirmed all five men involved were Australian citizens and reside in the Greater Newcastle Area. The men are due to reappear at Coffs Harbour local court on July 15. Detectives said they were alerted to the plot after receiving an anonymous tip regarding a $500,000 purchase of a 13-metre-long motor cruiser boat in Sydney's Sutherland Shire on April 28. Police said they tracked the vessel as it travelled north along the NSW coast to Nelson Bay, Port Macquarie and South West Rocks and surveilled the movements and communications of those involved with the suspicious purchase. The major drug sting was a joint operation between NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police, with AFP Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto describing the incident as a 'sophisticated criminal plot'. "Allegedly collecting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine at sea shows the length organised crime will go to for their own greed and profit," he said. "Australia's vast coastline is attractive to organised crime groups, who attempt to exploit this by trying to import drugs using boats. NSW Police State Crime Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Jason Weinstein lauded the co-ordinated response and said the arrests displayed how rapidly authorities could act to prevent large quantities of illegal drugs from reaching New South Wales. 'Whether on land or sea, NSW Police have the investigative capability to disrupt and undermine criminal enterprise,' Commissioner Weinstein said. 'Make no mistake, these drugs, if allowed to enter our communities, would have had devastating impacts on people's lives and social cohesion, particularly in regional townships,' he said.
