EFTA00148165.pdf

From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Monday, January 25, 2021 Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2021 11:33:12 +0000 Importan c Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ; ATBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 6:30 AM EST TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • Additional Arrests, Charges In Capitol Violence. • Alleged Capitol Rioter Who Threatened To "Assassinate" Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Charged. • Federal Law Enforcement Officials "Privately Debating" Whether To Charge Some Involved In Capitol Riots. • Videos Provide Insights Into Capitol Violence, Shooting. • Military, Police Investigate Members Facing Charges For Capitol Riot. • Prosecutors Describe Weapons Used Against Police During Capitol Riot. • National Guard Troops Will Remain At Capitol Through Trump Impeachment Trial, Sources Say. • Lawmakers Pursue "Independent 9/11-Style Commission" To Investigate Capitol Attack. • Rep. Biggs: Left's, Media's Lies About Capitol Riot Assaulting His Reputation. • NYTimes Analysis: Far Right In Other Countries Emboldened By Capitol Riot. • WPost: Officials Should Not Use Insurrection To "Justify Further, Permanent Fortifications" In DC. PROTESTS • Two Men Plead Guilty To Charges In Fire At Minneapolis Police Precinct During George Floyd Protests. COUNTER-TERRORISM • White House Orders ODNI, FBI, DHS To Conduct Assessment Of Domestic Extremism. • FBI Investigating IED Bombing Of Anti-LGBTQ Church In California. • Fauci Admits Receipt Of Mysterious Powder. • Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Defendant To Plead Guilty. • Minnesota Man Charged With Threatening "To Cause Pain" To Member Of Congress. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • DO) Mulling Amnesty Program For US Academics To Divulge Foreign Funding. • Ex-CIA Engineer Tells Judge He's Incarcerated Like An "Animal." • Sen. Grassley Asks DOJ For Answers On Closing Flynn Investigation. • Declassified Notes: Christopher Steel Told FBI He Thought Fiona Hill Knew Dossier Source. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • FBI: Multiagency Investigation Found 33 Missing Children In Southern California. EFTA00148165 • FBI Investigating Mass Shooting In Indiana. • Judge Bars Rittenhouse From Associating With Known White Supremacists Under New Bail Conditions. • Grand Jurors From Breonna Taylor Investigation Call For Impeachment Of Kentucky AG. • More States Passing Anti-Coercive Control Legislation in Domestic Abuse. • Federal Defenders Argue Charge Was Adopted In 1968 To Quash Civil Rights Advocacy. • FBI Agent: Judge's Son, Husband Drove Off Gunman. • Despite Losing Illinois State House Speaker's Gabel, Madigan Remains Center Of Federal Corruption Probe. • Puerto Rico Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Violence Against Women. • New Suspect Charged In Connection To Murder Of Retired Illinois Firefighter. • Texas Man Arrested Over Child Pornography Possession. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Investigating Natural Gas Sabotage In Colorado. • Former Mississippi Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Obstruction. • Minnesota Man Indicted For Threatening Lawmaker. • Federal Prosecutors Considering Death Penalty Against Rhode Island Man. • Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish's Investigation Profiled. • Continuing Coverage: Hawai'ians Indicted For Federal Hate Crime. • Former California City Councilman Pleads Guilty To Obstruction. • New York Police Rescue Two Abducted Children. • New Mexico Man Charged In Connection To Oil Tanker Hijacking. • Georgia Gang Leader Sentenced To Life In Prison. • Texas Dentist On Trial Over Child Pornography. • Michigan Man Sentenced Over Bank Robberies. • Opinion: FBI Should Investigate Claims Of Voter Fraud In 2020 Election. • Defendant Pleads Guilty To Selling Drugs, Taking Part In Shootings. • North Carolina Man Found Guilty Of Drug, Firearm Charges. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • NYC Ticket Brokers To Pay $3.7M In Federal Scalping Settlements. • Philadelphia Man Charged With Personal Protective Equipment Scam. CYBER DIVISION • Online Forums Backing Trump, QAnon Fragmented Since Capitol Attack. • Democrat Senators Seek Answers On Impact Of SolarWinds Data Breach. • German CyberBunker Investigation Said To Lead To Shuttering Of Darkweb Marketplace. • For Years Former ADT Employee Used Home Video Feeds To Watch Customers Have Sex. • Overall Bitcoin-Related Crime Down In 2020, But Ransomeware Up. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • FBI Used Ghislaine Maxwell's Phone To Locate Her. • Florida Man To Be Arraigned On Kidnapping Charges After Extradition From Spain. LAWFUL ACCESS • Facebook Exec: Fewer Child Abuse Cases Would Be Brought After Implementing End-to-end Encryption. OTHER FBI NEWS • Biden Praised For Not Replacing Christopher Wray As FBI Director. • Treasury To Prose Rules On Extending Anti-Money Laundering Requirements To Antiquities Market. EFTA00148166 • Chicago Sun-Times: Documents On Black Panthers Killing Shows Need For Police, Criminal Justice Reform. • California State Senator Introduces Bill To Update Forensic Science Standards. • NBC Contributor Condemns Efforts To Attack FBI In New Book. • New Jersey FBI Agent Profiled. • Cleveland Plain Dealer To Lawmaker: Now Is Not Time To Replace US Attorney DeVillers. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Biden To Reinstate And Broaden Travel Restrictions To Confront COVID Spread. • Fauci Reflects On "Difficulties, And The Toll," Of Working With Trump. • Birx Says Trump Was Being Provided With "Parallel Set Of Data And Graphics." • Hundreds Of ICUs Straining For Resources Due To High Number Of Patients With COVID. • Advocates Say Those With Disabilities Should Be Given Vaccination Priority. • Study: Essential Workers In California At Highest Risk Of Death From COVID. • California Officials Examine Death Of Person Hours After Vaccination. • Jackson Lee Urges Abbott To Permit Local Jurisdictions To Respond To COVID. • West Virginia Playing Leading Role In Vaccine Rollout. • New Orleans Turning To "Carnival Dance Culture" To Promote Vaccinations. • Chicago Teachers Refuse To Return To In-Person Learning. • Georgia School Board Members Refused To Wear Mask To Honor Teacher Who Died Of COVID. • Klain Praises Republican Cooperation On Cabinet Nominees, Urges Mayorkas Confirmation. • USAGM Announces New Leadership For RFE/RL, RFA, MBN. • Senators Express Concern About Biden Relief Plan's Stimulus Payments. • Biden To Repeal Trump's Transgender Military Ban, Sources Say. • Civil Rights Leaders Pledge To Maintain Pressure On Administration. • Schumer Pushes Back On McConnell's Effort To Preserve Filibuster. • GOP Senators Divided On Trump Trial As House Prepares To Deliver Article Of Impeachment. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Dutch Police Clash With Protesters Demonstrating Against COVID Lockdowns. • UK Vaccinates Most Of Over-80 Population Amid Concerns About New Variant. • Mexican President Tests Positive For COVID. • Fewer Indians Getting Vaccinated Than Expected. • Israel Adds Additional COVID Restrictions. • Egypt Launches COVID Vaccination Program With Sinopharm's Shot. • Turkey Passes 25,000 Deaths From COVID. • Biden Officials Vow A Different Approach To Trade. • Other Countries Watching As Biden Prepares To Outline "Buy American" Plan. • China Surpasses US As Leading Destination For Direct Foreign Investment. • Chinese Fighter Jets Fly Near Taiwan. • Biden Speaks With Macron. • Kremlin Spokesman Says US Interfering In Russian Affairs. • Scottish Leader Promises Referendum On Independence From UK. • Estonia To Have Its First Female Prime Minister. • Portuguese President Easily Reelected. • Israel Opens Embassy In UAE. • Michaeli Chosen To Lead Israel's Labor Party. • Despite Pressure From Lebanon, Syrians Say It Is Unsafe To Leave. • Filipinas Say They Were Trafficked To Syria. EFTA00148167 THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS Additional Arrests, Charges In Capitol Violence. The CBS Evening NewsVI (1/22, story 10, 0:14, O'Donnell, 4.08M) reported that five-time Olympic swimming medalist Klete Keller on Friday "appeared in court...on charges of taking part in the deadly assault on the US Capitol. Keller was seen wearing his team USA jacket. He's charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing officers." The AP (1/22) reports Donovan Crowl, who is accused of helping plot the attack on the US Capitol, was denied bail. Magistrate Sharon Ovington "didn't see a way to ensure public safety if she allowed" him free. Reuters (1/22, Lynch) reported Crowl is a member of the Oath Keepers, and he "and his associates Thomas Caldwell and Jessica Watkins are the first suspects to be charged with plotting to take over the U.S. Capitol." The AP (1/23) reported Andrew Craig Ericson, of Muskogee, Oklahoma was arrested. He allegedly "livestreamed video of himself entering the building with other rioters and taking beer out of a Capitol refrigerator," as well as posting "photos online of himself posing in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office." An affidavit indicates that "the FBI began investigating Ericson after a witness sent screengrabs or photos of Ericson's Snapchat account that showed him inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 invasion." The AP (1/22) reported Karl Dresch of Calumet, Michigan "will remain in custody after FBI agents found guns and ammunition at his" home, as "he's a convicted felon who can't possess firearms or ammunition under state or federal law, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Maarten Vermaat." The AP (1/22, Pitt) reported US Magistrate Judge Celeste Bremer said that right-wing conspiracy theorist Douglas Jensen, who "is seen prominently in videos taunting a U.S. Capitol police officer and pursuing him up stairs during the Jan. 6 riot," may be put in home confinement while awaiting trial. The judge ordered Jensen "remain in jail until Jan. 27 to give federal prosecutors time to appeal her decision." USA Today (1/23, Moran, 12.7M) reported Dustin Byron Thompson and Robert Anthony Lyon, both of Ohio, "charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted federal building or grounds without lawful authority, violent entry, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." Additionally, Thompson also was charged with stealing a coat rack during the US Capitol riots. The AP (1/22) reported Kash Lee Kelly of Hammond, Indiana, "appeared Thursday before a federal magistrate to face charges of illegal entry into a restricted federal building and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." The New York Times (1/22, Fuchs, 20.6M) reports John Lolos, who was escorted off a flight from DC after making "a ruckus aboard a plane on the tarmac," was arrested after a police officer at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport "spied a video that appeared to show Mr. Lolos exiting the Capitol on the day of the attack, according to an affidavit from a Capitol Police special agent." Meanwhile, the Washington Post (1/22, Kornfield, 10.52M) reports Texas real estate agent Jenna Ryan, "the woman who documented herself flying via private plane to Washington and entering the Capitol with a mob of Donald Trump supporters," has begun "soliciting donations for her legal defense." The Post says Ryan had publicly sought but did not get "a presidential pardon from Donald Trump before he left office." The Post adds Ryan "claimed that she has EFTA00148168 raised $1,000 through PayPal," but her account "was closed on the grounds that it was soliciting funds for purposes other than legal defense." The Washington Post (1/22, Peiser, 10.52M) also reports former Houston police officer Tam Dinh Pham, who "was arrested on Wednesday on charges of unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds," claimed he only entered the Capitol because he "wanted the rare opportunity to view 'historical art,' investigators said." According to the Post, Pham is "one of more than a dozen off-duty police officers under investigation for allegedly participating in the violent and chaotic insurrection earlier this month." The Hill (1/23, Axelrod, 5.69M) reports in its "Briefing Room" blog that prosecutors filed charges against another two men for "assaulting a police officer during the violent Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, and another was charged with obstructing justice." According to The Hill, "Emanuel Jackson, 20, and Scott Fairlamb, 43, allegedly assaulted officers, while Jeffrey Sabol, 51, is accused with obstruction." The New York Post (1/22, Feuerherd, 7.45M) reports Sabol "allegedly dragged a police officer down a set of stairs during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot - and then bought a plane ticket to Switzerland and attempted suicide in Westchester County in the days after the siege." Prosecutors Charge FAA Employee For Storming Capitol. The Washington Times (1/23, Blake, 626K) reports the Department of Justice on Friday announced that Kevin Strong, a Federal Aviation Administration employee from California, "was arrested and charged after confessing to breaching the U.S. Capitol." The Times adds the FBI "notably...said it opened an investigation into Mr. Strong on Dec. 30, 2020, precisely one week before the Capitol building was breached while both the House of Representatives and Senate convened." The AP (1/22) reports, "A member of the FAA's internal investigations department notified the FBI a day after the siege that Strong had been at the Capitol," an affidavit said. FBI agents went seized two guns at to Strong's home. "Strong told agents that he was inside the Capitol and provided them with photographs and videos he took while inside." Bloomberg (1/22, Yaffe-Bellany, 3.57M) also covers this story. Federal Judge Blocks Release Of Man In Capitol Riot With Plastic Handcuffs. The AP (1/24) reports, "U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell for the District of Columbia set aside an order by a judge in Tennessee" that would release Eric Munchel, "a Tennessee man who authorities say carried flexible plastic handcuffs during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month." The AP adds, "an FBI search of Munchers home turned up the tactical gear he wore in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, five pairs of plastic handcuffs, multiple weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a drum-style magazine." Son Tipped Off FBI About Father Who Participated In Capitol Violence. The New York Times (1/24, Pietsch, 20.6M) reports that according to an FBI affidavit, Guy W. Reffitt, who was arrested for being part of the Capitol violence, told his son, Jackson Reffitt, that he had stormed the Capitol and that if Jackson "reported him to the police, he would have no choice but to do his 'duty' for his country and 'do what he had to do." He added, "If you turn me in, you're a traitor. And you know what happens to traitors. Traitors get shot." However, Jackson "had already reported his father to the F.B.I. weeks before the riot." Additional coverage includes CNN (1/23, 89.21M). Alleged Capitol Rioter Who Threatened To "Assassinate" Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Charged. Reuters (1/23, Bing) reports the Justice Department on Friday "revealed charges...against a Texas man who allegedly stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and threatened on social media to kill" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Reuters adds prosecutors "asked a judge on Friday to keep the man, Garret Miller, in jail ahead of a court appearance, according to court records." The AP (1/23) reports authorities "say he called for violence in online posts, including a tweet that simply read 'Assassinate AOC,' a reference to the liberal Ocasio-Cortez." Miller also posted: "They are right next time we bring the guns," an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit. EFTA00148169  The New York Times (1/23, Levenson, 20.6M) reports, "Surveillance video from inside the Capitol, a selfie and a video posted by Mr. Miller and comments he made on social media showed that he had been part of a crowd that had pushed past the police to enter the Capitol." Additional coverage includes NBC News (1/23, 4.91M), the Dallas Morning News (1/23, Thompson, 772K), and BuzzFeed News (1/23, Lytvynenko). Law Enforcement Investigating Threats Against Lawmakers. The AP (1/24, Balsamo) reports, "Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress" as the trial nears, according to "a U.S. official. ... The threats, and concerns that armed protesters could return to sack the Capitol anew, have prompted the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist thousands of National Guard troops remain in Washington as the Senate moves forward with plans for Trump's trial, the official said." Federal Law Enforcement Officials "Privately Debating" Whether To Charge Some Involved In Capitol Riots. The Washington Post (1/23, Barrett, Hsu, 10.52M) reports federal law enforcement officials "are privately debating whether they should decline to charge some of the individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol this month - a politically loaded proposition but one alert to the practical concern that hundreds of such cases could swamp the local courthouse." The Post adds that the internal talks "are in their early stages, and no decisions have been reached," even as "officials are keenly sensitive that the credibility of the Justice Department and the FBI are at stake in such decisions," according to people familiar with the discussions. While some federal officials argued internally that those who only committed unlawful entry "and were not engaged in violent, threatening or destructive behavior" should not be charged, "other agents and prosecutors have pushed back against that suggestion, arguing that it is important to send a forceful message that the kind of political violence and mayhem on display Jan. 6 needs to be punished to the full extent of the law, so as to discourage similar conduct in the future." The New York Times (1/22, Feuer, Hong, 20.6M) reports that FBI "agents and prosecutors have put together cases" against those so far charged in the Capitol violence "largely by scouring the news and social media for incriminating photographs and videos, with some of the evidence almost comically easy to obtain." However, "The F.B.I.'s most challenging work, legal scholars say, may have only just begun," as conspiracy charges are harder to prove. Videos Provide Insights Into Capitol Violence, Shooting. In a nearly 2,000-word article, the New York Times (1/23, Al, Goldman, Dewan, 20.6M) reports that during "the four-and-a-half-hour attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, one of the moments when the mob came closest to the lawmakers they were pursuing took place just after 2:30 p.m." when Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by an unidentified Capitol Police lieutenant "in a confrontation that was captured on video and widely viewed around the world." The Times adds that while officials "have not provided the full details of Ms. Babbitt's death," videos, legal documents "and witness accounts point to a dire set of circumstances and an officer left to confront a mob." The Washington Times (1/24, Scarborough, 626K) reports, "In more than 100 U.S. District Court affidavits, FBI agents, federal marshals and police officers justify arrest warrants on charges of conspiracy, violent entry, assaulting officers and disorderly conduct" with the help of "videos rioters took and posted of their own law-breaking." The images offer "a picture of the Capitol invasion by a number of Trump supporters after hearing his speech on how the election was stolen for President Joseph R. Biden." Military, Police Investigate Members Facing Charges For Capitol Riot. The Wall Street Journal (1/23, Seetharaman, Elinson, Kesling, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that according to its tally, "at least 18 current and former police officers, firefighters and EFTA00148170 military members" have been charged for their involvement in the Capitol riot, which is prompting investigations within the military and law enforcement agencies nationwide. In a more than 2,000-word article, the Washington Post (1/24, Kindy, Berman, Bellware, 10.52M) says that the "revelation that the Capitol mob - covered in emblems of extremist groups — included off-duty law enforcement officers possibly assisted by working police is escalating pressure on sheriffs and police chiefs nationwide to root out staff with ties to white supremacist and far-right armed groups." A Post analysis found "more than a dozen off-duty law enforcement officers were allegedly part of the Jan. 6 mob and are under investigation," while "at least a dozen Capitol Police officers are also under investigation for possibly playing a role in the rioting by assisting or encouraging the mob." An AP (1/24, Bellisle, Bleiberg) survey of US law enforcement agencies has "found that at least 31 officers in 12 states are being scrutinized by their supervisors for their behavior in the District of Columbia or face criminal charges for participating in the riot." NJ News (1/23, Warren, 1.47M) reported, "In court records posted online on Saturday, a special agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave more details about the actions of Marissa Suarez and Patricia Todisco," who were at the Capitol riot. Suarez, then a probationary corrections officer at the Monmouth County Corrections Facility, used an "emergency holiday" to get off work for that day. Security footage, videos, and photos from the riot put both women inside the Capitol. CNN (1/24, Sidner, Rappard, 89.21M) reports FBI agents arrested Army veteran Jessica Watkins, who they say is "a militant leader who traveled to Washington, DC, and stormed the US Capitol, encouraging others to do the same." She posted on her Parler account: "Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even." Meanwhile, Max Brantley, in a blog on the Arkansas Times (1/23, 61K), writes that two Arkansas State Police "troopers, Cpl. Karen Clark and Trooper Alan Aiken, who attended the Trump rally/march" also went to the Capitol. A "carefully worded statement" said that after the state police interviewed the troopers "the FBI did not believe it was necessary to conduct any further interviews with the troopers." Prosecutors Describe Weapons Used Against Police During Capitol Riot. The Washington Post (1/22, Hsu, Weiner, 10.52M) reports federal law enforcement agents nationwide "detailed on Friday the weapons they say rioters wielded against police during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, arguing for some men to be jailed until trial while arresting others for the first time." On the CBS Evening NewsVI (1/22, story 11, 0:16, O'Donnell, 4.08M), Norah O'Donnell reported new court documents "show federal agents recovered a sniper rifle and numerous high-powered weapons in the home of Eric Munchel of Nashville. Investigators believe he and his 56-year-old mother may have stashed weapons outside the Capitol before entering the building." National Guard Troops Will Remain At Capitol Through Trump Impeachment Trial, Sources Say. Politico (1/24, Desiderio, Seligman, Bertrand, 6.73M) reports that the upcoming Senate impeachment trial of former President Trump "poses a security concern that federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers last week requires as many as 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in Washington through mid-March, according to four people familiar with the matter." Politico adds that the "contingency force will help protect the Capitol from what was described as 'impeachment security concerns,' including the possibility of mass demonstrations coinciding with the Senate's trial, which is slated to begin the week of Feb. 8." However, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures (1/24), said he does not think that keeping National Guard troops in the Capitol is "necessary. I'm on the Senate intelligence committee, I consulted with Senate leadership. I'm not aware of threat EFTA00148171 reporting that suggests we need the troops with razor wire around the capitol. What happened January 6th was in part a failure of senior security leaders on Capitol Hill to anticipate the kind of violence we saw from the mob that broke into the capitol. ... The inauguration is behind us. These troops did a great job. I respect their service. They deployed on short notice. It's time to send home the troops. If there are threats, if the threat reporting warrants it we can always bring troops back but we don't need to turn the people's house, the center of our republic, into an armed camp." Lawmakers Pursue "Independent 9/11-Style Commission" To Investigate Capitol Attack. The Hill (1/23, Wong, 5.69M) reports "momentum is growing" among "rank-and-file House Democrats" for "an independent 9/11-style commission to investigate why law enforcement agencies were not better prepared on Jan. 6 when a proTrump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, breached the building and threatened to assassinate the nation's top leaders." The Hill adds Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), John Katko (R-NY), and James Comer (R-KY), the ranking members of the House Administration, Homeland Security, and Oversight committees, "rolled out legislation creating a Jan. 6 commission that would be comprised of five Democrats and five Republicans." The Hill says that while the push "got a big boost" from House Speaker Pelosi "said it was all but inevitable that Congress would create a commission," though she "made clear her immediate focus is on evaluating and shoring up the current security at the Capitol complex, which includes the Capitol itself and a handful of surrounding buildings that house lawmaker offices and committees." McCarthy Blames FBI For Not Stopping Attack On Capitol. House Minority Leader McCarthy said on Full Court PressVi (1/24, 393K) regarding the January 6 Capitol attack, "The FBI knew that this was planned. The FBI knew so many days in advance, told the Capitol Police, and I am the Republican leader, no one told us. What did the Sergeant at Arms know? Why didn't he allow the National Guard in there? These are the people that have a great deal of responsibility for protecting that Capitol and letting that Capitol get broken into. If they knew ahead of time, the FBI, did they tell the Speaker and a Sergeant at Arms and didn't tell the Republicans? Did they deny the National Guard to come forward because they didn't like the look of that?" He added, "I think this is what we have to get to the bottom of and when you start talking about who has responsibilities." However, House Majority Whip Clyburn was asked on Full Court PressVi (1/24, 804) about claims that members of Congress "may have aided and abetted rioters." Clyburn said, "When I first heard that, I kind of cringed thinking that kind of accusation should not be made. But since that time, I have seen and heard enough to tell me that there was some coordination taking place between people inside those buildings and people who were outside of them." Rep. Biggs: Left's, Media's Lies About Capitol Riot Assaulting His Reputation. USA Today (1/23, Hansen, 12.7M) reported Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), "who voted to set aside election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania and has been linked to one of the prominent organizers of the pro-Trump protests in Washington," in an extended statement said that in the wake of the Capitol riot he and other conservatives have received death threats, which he blamed on "the Left's lies." Biggs also "cast recent coverage of him as political, defamatory," and false. Ali Alexander, who helped organize the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, "singled out Biggs, along with Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and Mo Brooks, R-Ala., as having been integral to an event intended to put `maximum pressure' on Congress." NYTimes Analysis: Far Right In Other Countries Emboldened By Capitol Riot. In a more than 2,000-word article, the New York Times (1/24, Bennhold, Schwirtz, 20.6M) reports that when "insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in Washington this month, far-right extremists across the Atlantic cheered," yet "the events of Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol have laid EFTA00148172 bare their violent potential." The Times says that while "no concrete plans for attacks have been detected in Germany" so far, according to officials, "some worry that the fallout from the events of Jan. 6 have the potential to further radicalize far-right extremists in Europe." The Times adds that despite uncertainty about "exactly how deep and durable the links are between the American far right and its European counterparts," officials "are increasingly concerned about a web of diffuse international links and worry that the networks, already emboldened in the Trump era, have become more determined since Jan. 6." WPost: Officials Should Not Use Insurrection To "Justify Further, Permanent Fortifications" In DC. The Washington Post (1/22, 10.52M) editorializes, "Just hours after the inaugural festivities for President Biden concluded Wednesday night, work crews started to remove the temporary barriers and fencing that closed off key areas of the nation's capital." While DC residents, "who saw their daily routines disrupted but understood the need for the unprecedented security after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, should welcome the news," the Post argues "they also should be wary, because if the past is any guide, the events of Jan. 6 will be used to try to justify further, permanent fortifications that will close off even more precious public spaces in the capital city." PROTESTS Two Men Plead Guilty To Charges In Fire At Minneapolis Police Precinct During George Floyd Protests. The Hill (1/23, Polus, 5.69M) reports, "Two St. Paul, Minn., men have pleaded guilty to charges in a fire at a Minnesota police precinct during the George Floyd protests last May, according to the Department of Justice." COUNTER-TERRORISM White House Orders ODNI, FBI, DHS To Conduct Assessment Of Domestic Extremism. The New York Times (1/22, Fandos, 20.6M) reports that the White House has ordered ODNI, along with the FBI and DHS, "to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the threat from domestic violent extremism." According to the Times, "The new task for the intelligence community comes only days after Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, pledged to members of Congress during her confirmation hearing that she would do just such an assessment." The Times says White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki "announced the assessment at her regular briefing" on Friday. Psaki is quoted as saying, "This assessment will draw on the analysis from across the government and, as appropriate, nongovernmental organizations." The Washington Post (1/23, Al, Zapotosky, Harris, 10.52M) reports that Psaki "said the review would be overseen by Joshua Geltzer, a former senior director for counterterrorism, along with current officials." Reuters (1/22) reports that in addition to the assessment, Psaki "said that...the White House would build out capability within its National Security Council to counter domestic violent extremism, including a policy review on how the federal government can share information about the threat better." USA Today (1/22, Garrison, 12.7M) reports that Psaki "did not elaborate on what potential policy changes could be ahead." The AP (1/22, Tucker) reports that the disclosure by Psaki "is a stark acknowledgment of the national security threat that officials see as posed by American extremists motivated to violence by extremist ideology. The involvement of the director of national intelligence, an office created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to prevent international terrorism, suggests that EFTA00148173 American authorities are examining how to pivot to a more concerted focus on violence from radical extremists at home." The Wall Street Journal (1/22, Leary, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that Psaki told them, "This review will be entirely apolitical and will cover the full range of domestic violent extremist threats." The Hill (1/22, Easley, 5.69M) reports that there are "concerns in some quarters that the riots will be used as justification to limit Constitutionally-protected political speech. ... Psaki said the administration's efforts would be done with 'respect for Constitutionally protected free speech and political activities." Bloomberg (1/22, Sink, Parker, 3.57M), the Washington Times (1/22, Sherfinski, 626K), Business Insider (1/24, Al-Arshani, 2.74M), Fox News (1/22, Singman, 23.99M), NBC News (1/22, Dilanian, 4.91M), and NPR (1/22, Lucas, 3.69M) also report on the announcement. Expert: Right-Wing Extremism Could Become Broader National Movement In Wake Of Capitol Attack. The AP (1/23, Selsky) reported, "Right-wing extremism has previously played out for the most part in isolated pockets of America and in its smaller cities," but the attack on the Capitol "brought together, in large numbers, members of disparate groups, creating an opportunity for extremists to establish links with each other." Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert and senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation think tank, warned, "The events themselves, and participation in them, has a radicalizing effect. And they also have an inspirational effect." He warned that "the extremist groups and people who saw Trump as a savior could transform into a broader national movement in which factions coordinate and combine their assets." Professor: Remember That Extremists Of Both Genders Attacked The Capitol. Michigan State University Associate Professor Jakana Thomas, in an op-ed in The Conversation (1/23, 162K), writes that "to distill the violent insurrection" at the US Capitol on January 6 "into a tale of angry male rage is to overlook the threat that women in the mob posed to congressional officials, law enforcement and U.S. democracy that day." Thomas cites "a long history of women's participation in extremist violence" and warns, "my research shows that gender bias can become deadly when it stops effective counterterrorism policies, such as surveillance, searches and interrogations, from being implemented." Gottheimer Proposes Bill To Double Penalty For Insurrection. The Hill (1/22, Beitsch, 5.69M) reports Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) on Friday introduced the Stopping Domestic Terrorists Act, which "would double the prison time faced by rioters like those who stormed the Capitol, upping the maximum penalty for insurrection from 10 to 20 years." FBI Investigating IED Bombing Of Anti-LGBTQ Church In California. The Washington Post (1/23, Kornfield, 10.52M) reported that First Works Baptist Church in California, which "espouses anti-LGBTQ beliefs and has been the recent target of protests, was bombed with an improvised explosive device early Saturday morning, authorities said." The New York Times (1/23, Waller, Levenson, 20.6M) reported, "Officials said no one was injured in the attack." The FBA and other "local authorities are investigating" the Saturday morning bombing. "Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman with the F.B.I.'s Los Angeles field office, said that no one had been taken into custody and that it was too early to determine a motive behind the bombing." She said, "We have not ruled anything out." The Los Angeles County church "had recently been the target of protests for its extremist views against L.G.B.T.Q. people, women and the Black Lives Matter movement." The AP (1/23) reports Eimiller "said it was premature to call the incident a hate crime, but 'that's always going to be considered as a theory when a house of worship is attacked." Additional coverage includes the Los Angeles Times (1/23, 3.37M), The Hill (1/23, Castronuovo, 5.69M), CNN (1/23, Moshtaghian, Elassar, 89.21M), NBC News (1/23, 4.91M), ABC News (1/23, 2.44M), Fox News (1/24, Wallace, 23.99M), and KABC-TV Los Angeles (1/23, 402K). EFTA00148174 Fauci Admits Receipt Of Mysterious Powder. The Hill (1/24, Budryk, 5.69M) reports Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted in a recent New York Times interview that he "had received an envelope of powder from an unknown source at one point during the coronavirus pandemic." He said, "[O]ne day I got a letter in the mail, I opened it up and a puff of powder came all over my face and my chest. That was very, very disturbing to me and my wife because it was in my office." He "said the substance was tested and determined to be a 'benign nothing,' but that it was a frightening experience regardless." The FBI investigated the incident. Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Defendant To Plead Guilty. The Detroit Free Press (1/22, Baldas, 2.16M) reports Ty Garbin is scheduled to plead guilty next week to his alleged role in the foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). Garban's lawyer, Mark Satawa, "and other defense lawyers have argued that there was no real plan to kidnap the governor, and that the suspects were merely engaged in tough talk and puffery, and their ownership of guns was legal." The Free Press adds, "According to court documents, the FBI reviewed encrypted group chats that indicated Garbin with Fox and others planned to meet an associate on Oct. 7 Ito make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear," but the FBI arrested them instead. Additional coverage includes WXYZ-TV Detroit (1/22, 201K). Federal Prosecutors Seek To Share Grand Jury Information On Plot With State Prosecutors. The Detroit Free Press (1/22, Baldas, 2.16M) reported, "Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to unseal secret grand jury testimony in the alleged plot to kidnap" Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). The Free Press adds, "the latest filing suggests that more militia members may have helped the FBI" than the one already known. The documents filed in US District Court indicated that "federal prosecutors want to give confidential information in their case to state investigators to help them build their terrorism case against eight suspects who allegedly supported the kidnap plan, and, were plotting a violent attack on the state Capitol." The Detroit News (1/22, Snell, 1.16M) reported that the court filing disclosed that "unidentified militia members have provided ongoing cooperation to a secret, federal grand jury investigation." Minnesota Man Charged With Threatening "To Cause Pain" To Member Of Congress. The Washington Times (1/22, Mordock, 626K) reports that Jason Robert Karimi of St. Paul, Minnesota "was charged Friday with threatening to 'cause pain in every way possible' to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives." The man "left a vulgar and threatening message voicemail on the office phone of the lawmaker, according to court documents." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE DO) Mulling Amnesty Program For US Academics To Divulge Foreign Funding. Citing individuals familiar with the situation, the Wall Street Journal (1/22, Korn, Viswanatha, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports in an exclusive that the Justice Department is mulling an amnesty program that would enable US academics to divulge foreign funding and not have to worry about being punished over their disclosures. Ex-CIA Engineer Tells Judge He's Incarcerated Like An "Animal." The AP (1/24, Neumeister) reports a former CIA software engineer "charged with leaking government secrets to WikiLeaks says it's cruel and unusual punishment that he's awaiting trial in solitary confinement, housed in a vermin-infested cell of a jail unit where inmates are treated like 'caged animals." Joshua Schulte "has asked a Manhattan federal judge to force the federal Bureau of Prisons to improve conditions at the Metropolitan Correction Center, where he has been held for over two years under highly restrictive conditions usually reserved for terrorism EFTA00148175 defendants." In court papers Tuesday, Schulte "maintained he is held in conditions 'below that of impoverished persons living in third world countries." Sen. Grassley Asks DO) For Answers On Closing Flynn Investigation. The Washington Examiner (1/22, Dunleavy, 888K) reports that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is calling on DO) "to provide answers about the reported ending of an investigation into the leak of potentially classified information from Michael Flynn's calls with a Russian ambassador to the media." Last week, Grassley said "after I had requested that the Flynn-Kislyak calls be declassified in the interest of public disclosure," the DNI did so. He added, "accordingly, it is clear that the information leaked to and published by the Washington Post on January 12, 2017, was sensitive information at that time and the leak was most likely designed to undermine the Trump administration in its first days." The Daily Caller (1/23, Ross, 375K) reports, "The investigation focused on leaks to Post columnist David Ignatius, who reported on Jan. 12, 2017, that Flynn had spoken with Kislyak, possibly about U.S. sanctions against Russia." The column "set in motion a series of events that led the FBI to interview Flynn at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017." WS.lournal: Power Should Answer Questions About Flynn's Unmasking During Confirmation Hearing. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (1/24, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says that during her upcoming confirmation hearing, President Biden's nominee to lead the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, "owes the American people a full explanation" about her role in the unmasking of, Michael Flynn, former President Trump's first national security adviser. Declassified Notes: Christopher Steel Told FBI He Thought Fiona Hill Knew Dossier Source. The Washington Examiner (1/22, Dunleavy, 888K) reports, "Christopher Steele told the FBI he believed Fiona Hill...knew about the involvement of Steele's main source with his discredited dossier of salacious and unproven Trump-Russia collusion claims, newly declassified records show." Hill was "the top Russia expert on former President Donald Trump's National Security Council." DO) "previously released an almost entirely blacked-out version of Steele's FBI interview in late 2020, but Just The News reported this week that a less-redacted version had been made public, focusing on the former MI6 agent speaking with the FBI in London" in 2017. Daily Caller (1/22, Ross, 375K) says the notes show "Steele disclosed details about a Clinton operative's dossier on Donald Trump." He "told the FBI that Cody Shearer sought to purchase a purported sex tape of Trump with Russian prostitutes from an ethnic Russian businessman who claimed to have ties to Russia's intelligence service," and that "he was doubtful of the Shearer dossier because of the reputation of the source, who he identified as Ruslan Mansimov." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS FBI: Multiagency Investigation Found 33 Missing Children In Southern California. USA Today (1/23, Hauck, 12.7M) reports that the FBI announced Friday its success in finding 33 missing children in Southern California as a result of a multi-agency operation. CNS News (1/24, 181K) reports that the FBI "worked with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and more than two-dozen law enforcement and non- governmental partners to identify, locate and recover 33 missing children." KOCO-TV Oklahoma City (1/24, Staff, 116K) reports that FBI officials "said two were recovered multiple times during the operation - it's not uncommon for victims who are rescued to return to commercial sex trafficking either voluntarily or by force, fraud or coercion." The Hill (1/23, Polus, 5.69M) reports that the FBI "notes that eight of the 33 recovered children were EFTA00148176 being sexually exploited when found, and that many were considered vulnerable, missing children prior to their recovery." KGET (1/22) reports that the multi-agency partners "descended on the Desert Star Motel in Bakersfield at about 7 a.m. this morning to break up a crime ring targeting some of the most vulnerable members of the community." Fox News (1/23, Aitken, 23.99M) reports that "Operation Lost Angels" was launched Jan. 11 "as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month," and it "resulted in the arrest on state charges of one suspected human trafficker and the opening of multiple investigations." KCAL-TV Los Angeles (1/22) reports that the FBI "says its caseload for both sex and labor trafficking related crimes have increased in recent years, and the agency was conducting more than 1,800 pending investigations - including those involving minors - as of November 2020." Also reporting are CNN (1/23, McCleary, 89.21M), Newsweek (1/22, 2.67M), and Cherokee (GA) Tribune & Ledger-News (1/22, Mayer, Californian). FBI Investigating Mass Shooting In Indiana. The AP (1/24) reports that the FBI has launched an investigation into the mass shooting of five individuals, including a pregnant woman, in Indianapolis on Sunday. The victims "were discovered by police who had been called about 4 a.m. to investigate reports of a person shot on the city's near northeast side but first discovered a juvenile male with gunshot wounds." The Daily Beast (1/24, 933K) reports that Indiana police "provided little information about the victims or the motive but said the FBI and federal prosecutors had been alerted." Judge Bars Rittenhouse From Associating With Known White Supremacists Under New Bail Conditions. The AP (1/23) reports a judge has barred Kyle Rittenhouse, the "Illinois teen charged with fatally shooting two people during a protest in southeastern Wisconsin last year," from "associating with known white supremacists" as part of his bail conditions. Grand Jurors From Breonna Taylor Investigation Call For Impeachment Of Kentucky AG. The Hill (1/22, Castronuovo, 5.69M) reports, "Three grand jurors from the investigation into the police raid that killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor are now calling for Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) to be impeached over allegations that he mishandled the case." The jurors argue "that Cameron breached the public's trust and also misrepresented key grand jury findings, according to the Louisville Courier Journal, which first reported the complaint." More States Passing Anti-Coercive Control Legislation in Domestic Abuse. The New York Times (1/22, Ryzik, Benner, 20.6M) reports that a string of recent efforts by states passing laws that allow "coercive control behaviors, such as isolating partners, to be introduced as evidence of domestic violence in family court," are addressing "what experts say is a common, long-held misperception that an abusive situation is only a partner throwing a punch, rather than an incremental constricting of someone's life, to dominate them." Federal Defenders Argue Charge Was Adopted In 1968 To Quash Civil Rights Advocacy. The Oregonian (1/22, Bernstein, 1.02M) reports Chief Deputy Federal Public Defender Stephen Sady and Assistant Federal Public Defender Robert Hamilton "are urging dismissal of the rare felony civil disorder charge filed against more than a dozen people arrested in last year's social justice protests in Portland," Oregon. They argue "the offense was created in 1968 to quash civil rights advocacy," with then-Louisiana Sen. Russell B. Long intending it to "neutralize" civil rights leaders in general and "specifically target Martin Luther King Jr." Additionally, the defense attorneys "argue that the federal law is too broad and vague, shouldn't be used in prosecutions EFTA00148177 that are more fitting for state court and violates freedom of expression under the First Amendment." They also say the alleged offense "lacks any reasonable connection to interstate commerce interference." FBI Agent: Judge's Son, Husband Drove Off Gunman. NJ News (1/22, Atmonavage, 1.47M) reported FBI special agent Joe Denahan said in an interview on NBC's "Dateline" that when gunman Roy Den Hollander attacked the home of US District Judge Esther Salas, her son Daniel, who was killed, and her husband Mark, who was critically injured, put up a "strong enough defense of their home that it preclud