EFTA00150058.pdf

From• To. Subject: FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Wednesday, July 15, 2020 Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2020 10:25:55 +0000 Importanc Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. idr-iFBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Trump Says More Whites Than Blacks Being Shot By Police. PROTESTS • Lawmakers Seek Information From FBI, CIA On Antifa Rumors. • Trump Threatens Federal Action If Cities Don't Rein In Violence. • Trump: "Children Won't Be Safe In Biden's America." • Parson: Trump "Taking Action" To Help St. Louis Couple Facing Gun Charges. • Bernhardt Warns Those Caught Dismantling Monuments Will Be Punished. • Emmer Wants Probe Into Decisions That Allowed Looters Free Rein. • California Bars Police From Using LAPD Records In Gang Database. • Catholic Churches, Statues Targeted By Vandals In String Of Attacks. • Daughter Of Slain Police Officer Criticized For Tweeting #BlueLivesMatter. • Democratic Strategist Labels Blackburn "Inbred Racist Trash." • WPost Investigation: 12 Protestors Partially Blinded By Police. • LATimes Columnist Recommends Replacing National Anthem With "Lean On Me." • Central Park Birdwatcher Cooper: It's A Mistake To Focus On One Individual. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Pennsylvania Man Charged After Threatening To Attack Federal Buildings. • US Jewish Groups Urge Government To Push Jordan To Extradite Terrorist. • Attorneys Argues For Widening Inquest Into Salisbury Nerve Agent Attack. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Further Legal Action Against Stone Urged. • Professor: Commutation Of Stone's Sentence Confirms Trump's Guilt. • Graham Says He Will Grill Mueller About Russia Investigation. • Former Trump Attorney: Durham Should "Taker A Hard Look" At Weissmann. • Judge Extends Deadline For DO) To Answer Questions About Mueller Report. • Former FBI Official Criticizes Mueller Investigation. • DDoSecrets Releases Wikileaks "Chats, Strategy Sessions" Related To Assange Case. • US Space Force To Launch Four NRO Payloads Wednesday. EFTA00150058 • Sources: Russia Used Information Shared By The US To Target Chechen Dissidents. • Protests After Belarus Bars Election Challengers. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads Not Guilty As Judge Denies Bail Request. • Woman Charged With Helping Dispose Of Fort Hood Soldier's Remains Appears In Court. • Former VA Hospital Assistant Pleads Guilty To Murdering Patients. • Former White Supremacist Group Leader Pleads Guilty To Swatting Ring. • White Man Filmed In Alleged Indian Racial Assault Claims Black Accuser Is Lying. • FBI Arrests Fugitive In Miami After Five Years On The Run. • South Carolina Man Sentenced In Fentanyl Overdose Death. • New York's Wave Of Gun Violence Continues With Three Drive-By Shootings. • FBI Raids Indiana Home Over Animal Cruelty. • No Criminal Charges To Be Filed In Black Man's 2018 Custody Death In Louisiana. • FBI Searching For Missing Iowa Child. • Two Brothers Charged With Trafficking Fentanyl. • FBI Supporting Investigation Into Suicide In Idaho. • California Man Charged With Sales Of Fake COVID-19 Treatment. • Tennessee State Trooper Fired Following FBI Investigation. • North Carolina Man Sentenced For Bank Robbery. • FBI Supporting Investigation Into Tennessee Bank Robbery. • Idaho Man Charged In Stabbing. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • FBI Concerned Over Money Laundering Risks In Private Equity, Hedge Funds. • FBI Probing Possible Coronavirus Unemployment Benefit Fraud By Pennsylvania Inmates. • Rabbi Injured In California Synagogue Shooting Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud. • FBI Warns Of Identify Theft Used To File Fraudulent Unemployment Claims. • FBI Reportedly Probing Threats Made After Ambulance Purchases By Missouri County. • Former Georgia Tax Official Pleads Guilty To Bribery, Blackmail. • Last Defendant Pleads Guilty In Florida Corruption Probe. • Ohio Businessman Charged In Corruption Probe Granted Trial Continuance. • California Psychiatrist Sentenced For Healthcare Fraud. • Massachusetts Man To Plead Guilty To Wire Fraud. • Nigerian Man Charged With Money Laundering Is Denied Bail. • San Francisco City Attorney Seeks To Block Contractor In Corruption Scandal From Doing Business With City. • New York Man Facing Charges Over Alleged Ponzi Scheme. • New York Man Charged In Connection To Police Union Fraud. • FBI Corruption Probe Results In Charges Against New Jersey Policeman. CYBER DIVISION • FBI Warns Of Rising Cyber Crimes Targeting School Districts. • UK Sides With US Over China, Will Purge Huawei Equipment From 5G Network. • Analysis: US Efforts Against Huawei Part Of Overdue Change In US Handling Of China. • House Democrat Presses Google, Apple On Foreign-Owned Apps. • Rep. Langevin To Propose Cyber Director Amendment To NDAA. • Report: Tax Program Required By Chinese Banks For Clients Deploys Backdoors. • TikTok's US Users Prepare For Possible Ban. LABORATORY EFTA00150059 • Forbes Examines FBI's Multimedia Exploitation Unit. • Questions Raised About Thousands More Massachusetts Drug Lab Cases. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • Barr Says "Justice Was Done" After First Federal Execution In 17 Years. • Anti-Crime Operation Draws Mixed Response From Community Leaders In Kansas City. OTHER FBI NEWS • Little Rock, Arkansas FBI Offers Civil Rights Training To Civilians. • Convicted Michigan Contractor Gets Reduction Of Federal Prison Sentence. • Arkansas Judge Forced To Step Down After Allegations Of Misconduct. • Kansas City Pharmacist Who Diluted Cancer Meds To Get Early Release From Prison. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Says COVID Testing May Be "Working Too Well." • Trump Says Keeping Schools Closed Would Be "A Terrible Decision." • Pence Sounds Optimistic Note On Pandemic, Backs Reopening Schools In Louisiana Trip. • Giroir Says Public Health Officials Do Not "Lie." • Fauci Urges Trust In "Respected Medical Authorities" Like Himself. • Redfield Warns Of "Difficult Times," Says Mask-Wearing Could Halt Virus' Advance. • Hahn "Encouraged" About Vaccine Development. • Former CDC Directors Decry Politicization Of Health Policy. • Warren, Pressley Press Azar On Coronavirus' Impact On Minorities. • Virginia Congressman Tests Positive For COVID-19. • Administration Orders Hospitals To Bypass CDC On COVID Patient Information. • Hospitals Stock Up On COVID-19 Drugs To Prepare For Second Wave In Fall. • Biden: "It's Gotten Bad Enough" That Trump Is Wearing A Mask In Public. • Cruz Photographed On Flight Without Mask On. • Jacksonville GOP Convention Now Expected To Be Held Outdoors. • Florida Reports Single-Day Record Of 132 COVID Deaths. • Garcetti Says Los Angeles May Need To Shut Down Again. • Experts Blast New York Report Absolving Cuomo Of Blame For Nursing Home Deaths. • Nearly Three-Quarters Of New COVID Cases In Maryland County Are Among Latinos. • White House Now Open To Extension Of Enhanced Jobless Benefits. • Ivanka Trump, Cook Say Laid-Off Workers Should "Find Something New." • WPost Analysis: PPP Loan Data "Contains Numerous Errors." • Dunford Withdraws From Coronavirus Relief Oversight Consideration. • Big Banks Signal Worst Of Recession Is Yet To Come. • Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Record High In April. • Study: 5.5M Workers Lost Heath Insurance Between February And May. • Miller Says Democrats Oppose Anything But Completely Open Borders. • Miller: Border Wall "Completely Transforms" Communities Where It Is Built. • Administration Drops Plan To Implement Rules On Student Visas For Online Learning. • Trump To Appoint Gorka To National Security Education Board. • Foreign Policy: Mosley Hiring At USAID Part Of Effort To "Seed" Agencies With Trump "Loyalists." • Trump Urged To Bring Greater Accountability To CFPB. • Mary Trump Says Her Uncle Is "Utterly Incapable" Of Leading Country. • Rep. Watkins Faces Three Felony Charges Related To Illegal Voting Investigation. • Justice Ginsburg Hospitalized. INTERNATIONAL NEWS EFTA00150060 • Trump Signs Law Authorizing China Sanctions Over Hong Kong Crackdown. • Members Of Congress, Travel Industry Want US-Canada Travel Ban Eased. • WPost Analysis: US, Poorer Nations Bear Growing Share Of Cases. • Asian Countries Pause Reopening As Number Of Cases Increase. • Britain To Mandate Mask-Wearing In Shops. • Erdogan, Trump Agree To Work More Closely On Libya. • Iran Executes Retired Defense Ministry Employee Charged With Working For CIA. • China And Iran Forge Closer Ties With Trade, Security Agreements. • NYTimes Report: "No Conclusive Evidence" Tying Russia To Marines' Deaths. • Deadly Taliban Attack Raises Concerns Over Faltering Afghan Peace Process. • Danon Says Israel Is "Grateful" To Trump Administration For Pulling Out Of Iran Deal. • Azerbaijan-Armenia Border Clashes Continue For Third Day. • WPost: Trump Administration Lacks Coherent Regime Change Strategy For Venezuela. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Trump Says More Whites Than Blacks Being Shot By Police. The New York Times (7/14, 18.61M) reports that on Tuesday, President Trump "rebuffed a question about Black people dying at the hands of police officers, saying, 'so are white people." The President "rejected the notion that Black Americans suffer disproportionately from police brutality, saying in an interview...that white people are killed in greater numbers." Trump "reacted angrily when asked about the issue" by CBS' Catherine Herridge. In the interview aired on the CBS Evening NewsVi (7/14, story 5, 0:20, O'Donnell, 4.31M), Herridge asked Trump, "Why are African Americans still dying at the hands of law enforcement in this country?" Trump replied: "And so are white people. So are white people. What a terrible question to ask. So are white people. More white people, by the way. More white people." Also reporting on the President's comments, the Washington Times (7/14, Boyer, 492K) says a study by Harvard University researchers last month found that "Blacks were three times more likely to be killed by law enforcement officers than Whites." The Washington Post (7/14, Bump, 14.2M) likewise notes the inaccuracy of the President's claim. NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/14, story 4, 1:00, Holt, 5.96M) said the President "plunged back into the issue of police killings of Black Americans, calling the killing of George Floyd by police 'terrible.' ... The President also defending the display of the Confederate flag." Asked in an interview with the CBS Evening NewsVI (7/14, story 4, 0:50, O'Donnell, 4.31M) if he still believes "the Confederate battle flag belongs in a museum," as he said in 2015, Trump replied, "All I say is freedom of speech. It's very simple. My attitude is freedom of speech, very strong views on the Confederate flag. With me, it's freedom of speech, very simple. Like it, don't like it, it's freedom of speech." ABC World News TonightVi (7/14, story 5, 0:55, Muir, 7.36M) said "the President is clearly playing to his base here, and dismissing the fact that Black Americans suffer disproportionately from police brutality. The truth, David, is that Black Americans are more than twice as likely to be shot and killed by police than white Americans." PROTESTS EFTA00150061 Lawmakers Seek Information From FBI, CIA On Antifa Rumors. NBC News (7/14, 6.14M) reports, "Two members of the House Intelligence Committee are asking the CIA and the FBI for any information their agencies have about the spread of false information campaigns meant to magnify and invoke fear about activities of left-wing protest groups like antifa." NBC News adds, "In a letter sent Tuesday, Democratic Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and Peter Welch of Vermont, ask the heads of the two agencies specifically about foreign actors, members of the military or local police spreading false information about antifa gatherings and events. The letter comes amid reports that far-right groups, like white nationalist group Identity Evropa, NBC reported, have spread rumors such as those about looting and riots being planned in suburban and rural towns to stoke fear among Americans." Additional coverage includes the Washington Times (7/14, Blake, 492K). Trump Threatens Federal Action If Cities Don't Rein In Violence. In an interview with Townhall (7/14, Pavlich, 177K) on Tuesday, "President Trump warned his administration will take action if Democratic mayors and governors can't get crime under control." Said the President, "They are cities run by liberal Democrats. We're now looking at having to do something. You know, we have to be asked to go into a city like Chicago, which is so ridiculous where they had like, 68 shootings and 18 deaths over the weekend. It's not even comprehensible. Worse than Afghanistan, worse than any war zone." He continued, "We are going to have to do something very comprehensive. It means sending people in. It means sending people in to clean it up... there's a point at which we're allowed to go in and that point is rapidly being reached... there's a point at which we will have to do it because we just have to do it for the good of the country." Millen If Unchecked, Defund Efforts Will "Come To Every City In America." White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said on the John Fredericks ShowY (7/14) that "left unchecked, not fought," efforts to defund police "will come to every city in America and it's because the left sets its sights on an institution and it doesn't stop until it takes it over. ... So, what happens when they start taking over the prosecutors' offices and they start taking over the police departments? ... Then, it is just like the radical leftists on the Supreme Court. Justice is an instrument of politics and your safety and your family are at the mercy of radical liberals." Miller added that defunding police is "a years long project on the part of the left that is now accelerating because they're very emboldened by a the fact that he leadership of the Democratic party and now given them a green light" and "the only thing standing in the way is President Trump." White House Official Invites Lightfoot To Work On Police Reform. The New York Post (7/14, Jacobs, 4.57M) reports that a "senior White House official extended a public invitation to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to work with the federal government on the issue of police reform," accusing Democrats of "playing politics" on the matter. Speaking Tuesday during a Fox News appearance, Deputy Assistant to the President Ja'Ron Smith touted the Administration's work with other Democratic mayors while sending a public message to the Chicago mayor. Smith told Fox News (7/14, 896K), "We're willing to go back and do the work. ... But I would invite the mayor to work with us. We've worked with many other Democratic mayors, if you look at the city of Birmingham, we've done some work with them and we're really moving the needle in those communities." Smith was also interviewed on the Steve Gruber Show. Hawley: Police Should Be Getting More Funding. Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends (7/14, 831K), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was asked about the violent rioting happening across the country. Hawley said, "We have seen this before. We have seen this war on cops before. We have seen where it gets us. What it does, when you announce an open season on cops, then it is normal, ordinary, every day working people who get hurt. That is exactly what we are seeing now. This defund the police thing is an absolute crisis. It is a travesty. It is the EFTA00150062 worst possible thing. We should be putting more police on the streets. We should be increasing officer pay. We should be giving more resources to cops to help them do this incredibly difficult job we ask them to do." Poll: Americans Agree On Police Reforms That Have Divided Washington. Politico (7/14, McCaskill, 4.29M) reports that "new polling from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy shows a majority of voters support 10 key policies proposed by competing House and Senate bills that Congress failed to advance last month." The "in-depth national survey of more than 3,000 registered voters" found that "nearly 90 percent of respondents supported body cameras, including 85 percent of Republicans, 86 percent of independents and 94 percent of Democrats," while "82 percent of respondents supported the duty to intervene (71 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of independents and 94 percent of Democrats), and 81 percent favored a national registry of police misconduct (70 percent of Republicans, 77 percent of independents and 92 percent of Democrats)." Trump: "Children Won't Be Safe In Biden's America." President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to write, "Joe Biden claims to be prioritizing 'safety of kids' by keeping schools closed this Fall. Yet he remains silent about children being slaughtered by violence on the streets of Democrat run cities. You & your children won't be SAFE in Biden's America, and neither will anyone else!" Parson: Trump "Taking Action" To Help St. Louis Couple Facing Gun Charges. The Washington Times (7/14, Salter) reports Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said President Trump "is focused on and concerned about the possibility that a white St. Louis couple could face criminal charges for displaying guns as they defended their home during a racial injustice protest." Parson told reporters Tuesday "that he had just been on the phone" with Trump and Attorney General Barr amid reports that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner may file charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who wielded guns on June 28 as protesters marched by their home. In an interview Tuesday with Townhall (7/14, Pavlich, 177K), Trump said, "When you look at St. Louis, where two people, they came out. They were going to be beat up badly if they were lucky. If they were lucky. They were going be beat up badly and the house was going to be totally ransacked and probably burned down like they tried to burn down churches. And these people were standing there, never used it and they were legal, the weapons, and now I understand somebody local, they want to prosecute these people. It's a disgrace." Bernhardt Warns Those Caught Dismantling Monuments Will Be Punished. Interior Secretary Bernhardt said on Washington Watch (7/14) that President Trump "recognizes that America owes its present greatness to its past sacrifices and I think he was deeply troubled by the actions that are taking place. So, first, to the criminals that want to destroy these monuments and memorials, he has been very clear and he has basically issued a direction to us and to the Department of Justice that says, 'Look, investigate these crimes, prosecute these people to the fullest extent of the law, bring the entire force of the federal government to pay great heed to these.' What people need to know, the criminals that commit these crimes need to know there are very severe penalties up to 10 years in prison in certain cases and also tremendous financial consequences." Black Conservatives Launch Campaign To Save Freedmen's Memorial. The Washington Times (7/14, Richardson, 492K) reports that "Black conservative leaders kicked off Tuesday a campaign to save the Freedmen's Memorial, the statue of Abraham Lincoln and freed slave Archer Alexander now under attack by Democrats and Black Lives Matter protesters." Star Parker, founder of UrbanCURE, held an "emancipation celebration" Tuesday at Lincoln Park, "home of the now fenced-off bronze statue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood," to promote a signature drive urging Congress to "keep this statue alive, right here." EFTA00150063  The Washington Post (7/14, Lang, 14.2M) reports that critics, however, say the memorial "is demeaning and suggests African Americans were not active contributors to the cause of their own freedom, remaining subservient even after they were released from their bonds." Emmer Wants Probe Into Decisions That Allowed Looters Free Rein. Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends (7/14, 831K), Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) was asked why he supports President Trump's decision to deny funds to Minnesota to rebuild following the recent violent protests and widespread looting in Minneapolis last month. Emmer said, "Actually, what I asked the President to do...is to do a full and thorough investigation. Let's find out what happened, why it happened. Why did these elected officials who were elected to protect the citizens and their property, why did they let the cities burn for almost four nights before actually taking decisive action? ... Before any money would be delivered, I think the President and his administration should do an investigation as to what happened and why. Let's make sure it never happens again." California Bars Police From Using LAPD Records In Gang Database. The Los Angeles Times (7/14, 4.64M) reports that "as a scandal over false and inaccurate gang identifications by Los Angeles police officers widens," California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Tuesday "stopped law enforcement agencies around the state from using department records included in a controversial statewide database." Becerra, instead, "suggested the state Legislature should consider more reforms to the troubled system." Catholic Churches, Statues Targeted By Vandals In String Of Attacks. The Federalist (7/14, Davidson, 126K) reports Catholic churches and religious statues "across the country were the target of vandalism, terrorism, and potential arson this last week as tensions concerning the removal of historical statues continue to rise." A statement by the Catholic Action League "condemned the recent attacks." Daughter Of Slain Police Officer Criticized For Tweeting #BlueLivesMatter. Townhall (7/14, Burrow, 177K) reports 18-year-old Savannah Benavides/Chavez, whose father was one of two McAllen, Texas, police officers killed over the weekend while responding to a domestic disturbance report, tweeted, "Words cannot describe the pain I'm in, but I'm glad my dad is at peace. you were an amazing man and anyone who ever came across you knew that. I'm going to miss you so much. you died doing what you loved most, you died a hero. I love you daddy, see you soon. #bluelivesmatter" While some responded with condolences to the tweet, "others harangued her for using the #bluelivesmatter hashtag," and "many used the hashtag #ACAB (all cops are bastards)." Democratic Strategist Labels Blackburn "Inbred Racist Trash." The Daily Caller (7/14, Olohan, 716K) reports Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko called Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) "inbred racist trash" for criticizing the founders of Black Lives Matter. Blackburn on Monday tweeted that BLM is run by "trained Marxists." In response, Parkhomenko tweeted at Blackburn, "You are inbred racist trash." WPost Investigation: 12 Protestors Partially Blinded By Police. The Washington Post (7/14, Lee, 14.2M) reports it "found that eight people lost vision in one eye after being struck by police projectiles, including lead pellets packed in cloth pouches that were fired from shotguns." They were "among 12 people who were partially blinded by police during a week of national unrest" following the death of George Floyd. LATimes Columnist Recommends Replacing National Anthem With "Lean On Me." EFTA00150064 The Washington Examiner (7/14, Dibble, 448K) reports Los Angeles Times columnist Judy Rosen wrote in a piece published Tuesday "that he believes the current national anthem for the United States is 'racist' and should be replaced by a unifying tune" like "Lean on Me." Central Park Birdwatcher Cooper: It's A Mistake To Focus On One Individual. Christian Cooper writes in the Washington Post (7/14, 14.2M), "On May 25, when I was birding in the Ramble section of New York's Central Park, I asked a woman whose dog was off his leash to please put him back on, as the area's rules require. She refused - and, as shown in a video that went viral, she was soon calling the police and telling them an 'African American man' was 'threatening' her." Now Amy Cooper, he writes, "has been charged by the Manhattan district attorney with filing a false police report." Cooper argues that "it's a mistake to focus on this one individual. The important thing the incident highlights is the long-standing, deep-seated racial bias against us black and brown folk that permeates the United States - bias that can bring horrific consequences." COUNTER-TERRORISM Pennsylvania Man Charged After Threatening To Attack Federal Buildings. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (7/14, 616K) reports, "A Whitehall man pulled over last week in Mt. Lebanon after police said he threatened government entities on social media had dozens of improvised explosive devices in his car and a homemade land mine and pipe bomb at his house, according to criminal complaints." Kurt J. Cofano, 32, "is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on charges of weapons of mass destruction, arson and several misdemeanors. Authorities said he threatened to 'blow up the Treasury Department' in Harrisburg and 'take out' people at CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. 'before I get gunned down." The Post- Gazette adds, "Police Thursday were seeking Mr. Cofano on a mental health warrant. He was said to possibly have weapons. Late that afternoon, a license plate reader operated by the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office alerted police that Mr. Cofano's vehicle was in Dormont." US Jewish Groups Urge Government To Push Jordan To Extradite Terrorist. The Times Of Israel (7/14, 83K) reports, "Eighteen major US Jewish organizations in the United States called on the US on Tuesday to exert pressure on Jordan's King Abdullah to extradite Ahlam Tamimi, the Jordanian terrorist who orchestrated the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing in Jerusalem that killed 15 people, including two American nationals." According to the Times, "Expressing 'our collective outrage over the Kingdom of Jordan's refusal to extradite the murderer of American citizens,' the organizations urged the US to hold 'Jordan accountable to its commitments under its extradition treaty with the United States and bring all pressure to bear, including but not limited to recent government legislation significantly impacting US financial aid to Jordan." The Times adds, "The US groups' public declaration comes shortly before the August 9 anniversary of the attack, in which a further 130 people were injured." Attorneys Argues For Widening Inquest Into Salisbury Nerve Agent Attack. The Guardian (UK) (7/14, 4.19M) reports, "Lawyers for Dawn Sturgess's family" argued before the high court that public concern over the Salisbury nerve agent attack "is so profound that her inquest should be widened to examine who ordered the attack and the network that backed the two agents accused of actually carrying it out." They argued that the decision by the senior coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, David Ridley, in December "that he would not consider whether any Russian state agents were involved other than the two main suspects, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov," would mean that the "key questions of how, and by whom, the operation was directed and arranged" would not be considered. EFTA00150065 COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Further Legal Action Against Stone Urged. Andrew Weissmann, a senior prosecutor in Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation, writes in an op-ed in the New York Times (7/14, 18.61M) that despite "the latest act by this administration to undermine the rule of law" - President Trump's commutation of Roger Stone's prison sentence - future federal prosecutors or a state prosecutor can still serve him with a grand jury subpoena "requiring him to answer the question: Why did you lie to Congress? And many others." If Stone lies, he faces prosecution for perjury and obstruction. If he refuses to comply, he faces civil and criminal contempt. Weissmann concludes, "The tools to get at the truth are there and should be used," and if Attorney General Barr "does not support their use, we should all ask ourselves why not." Former Acting Solicitor General Neal K. Katyal and Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection Executive Director Joshua A. Geltzer, in an op-ed in The Atlantic (7/14, 3.47M), write, "Donald Trump's commutation of his friend Roger Stone's criminal sentence is one of the most severe affronts to the rule of law during the Trump administration," but "a future Justice Department would be well within its rights to open a new investigation into Stone's activities." Stone's "behavior likely runs afoul of other federal laws," and double jeopardy doesn't apply because the "crimes above have different elements from the ones Stone was convicted of, so they are not the same." Additionally, "the commutation itself may be null and void if Trump carried it out to protect himself." Furthermore, "Stone's conviction and commutation may supercharge another avenue: state prosecutions." Professor: Commutation Of Stone's Sentence Confirms Trump's Guilt. University of Alabama School of Law Professor Joyce White Vance writes in an op-ed in USA Today (7/14, 10.31M) that President Trump's commutation of Roger Stone's sentence is "the ultimate act of lawlessness" and "a terrible loss for the rule of law and American justice." The move was a "quid pro quo" that "rewarded the man who lied to protect him from criminal investigation and congressional oversight, a shameless abuse of the presidential pardon power." Trump's statement accompanying his move, according to Vance, "is a transparent effort to convince his supporters that his access to power should not be constrained by his oath to uphold the Constitution." Vance concludes that Trump's move confirms his guilt in the Russia probe. Graham Says He Will Grill Mueller About Russia Investigation. Politico (7/14, Desiderio, Cheney, 4.29M) reports that in a Fox News podcast Tuesday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham "said...he intends to grill former special counsel Robert Mueller about alleged flaws in the FBI's investigation of links between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016." Graham "said he intends to press Mueller about a raft of developments since the former FBI chief testified to the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees nearly a year ago - from a watchdog's finding that crucial surveillance warrants were riddled with errors to the discovery that the FBI briefly intended to drop its case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn." Graham said over the weekend he would grant a request from Democrats for Mueller testify. His statement "came after Mueller wrote a Washington Post op-ed in which he defended his nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his office's prosecution of Trump confidant Roger Stone." Graham said, "Bottom line is, I had no intention of calling Mr. Mueller. He testified before the House. It was not pretty to watch. But at the end of the day...he decided to interject himself into the Roger Stone case." CNN (7/14, Herb, 83.16M) reports Mueller testimony could create "a high-stakes congressional hearing in the heat of the 2020 presidential election." EFTA00150066  Graham Says He Is Working To Declassify Memo About FBIInterview With Steele Source. The Daily Caller (7/14, Ross, 716K) reports that Graham said "he is working to declassify a memo regarding an FBI interview conducted with the primary source for Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the infamous anti-Trump dossier." Graham "said that the document is 40 pages in length and covers information that Steele's source provided the FBI over the course of three days in January 2017." Graham "also said that he believes that Russian operatives fed disinformation to Steele." Graham said, "I believe that the dossier, which was the key component of getting the warrant against Carter Page, was in fact Russian disinformation. ... I believe that the FBI was on notice that it was unreliable, continued to use it anyway. I believe that they misled the FISA court." Additional coverage includes National Review (7/14, Evans, 731K). Former Trump Attorney: Durham Should "Taker A Hard Look" At Weissmann. The Washington Examiner (7/14, Chaitin, 448K) reports that John Dowd, one of President Trump's attorneys during the Russia investigation, says Andrew Weissman, one of special counsel Robert Mueller's top prosecutors, should be investigated as part of US Attorney John Durham's criminal inquiry into the Russia probe. After President Trump commuted Roger Stone's prison sentence, Weissmann tweeted that Stone should be put "in the grand jury to find out what he knows about Trump but would not tell." Dowd "dismissed the suggestion." He told the Washington Times, "Weissmann and his dream team failed in their first attempt to manufacture a crime and want to further abuse the process when their sorry effort has been exposed. ... The Stone indictment did not allege a crime by President Trump. So why further abuse the process except more sour grapes. Mr. Durham ought to take a hard look at Mr. Weissmann's conduct on the dream team." Judge Extends Deadline For DO) To Answer Questions About Mueller Report. The Washington Examiner (7/14, Chaitin, 448K) reports US District Judge Reggie Walton, "who questioned Attorney General William Barr's 'credibility' granted the Justice Department's request for a delay to answer questions about former special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election." Walton "gave the Trump administration until next Tuesday to respond, a week later than what was previously scheduled." The Electronic Privacy Information Center and BuzzFeed "have sued for the report in its entirety under the Freedom of Information Act." Walton gave DO) "a spreadsheet with questions about the redactions," but the agency said it needed additional time to conduct "consultations with numerous Department components, including the Office of Information Privacy, the National Security Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Attorney's Offices." Former FBI Official Criticizes Mueller Investigation. Former FBI Assistant Director of Intelligence Kevin R. Brock, in an op-ed in The Hill (7/14, 2.98M), argues that former FBI director and Russia collusion special counsel Robert Mueller cannot defend the legitimacy of the special counsel's Russia collusion investigation because "there was no legal basis for the FBI to investigate Trump campaign members." Brock also criticizes Mueller for not examining "Russian intelligence influence on the Steele dossier as a means to interfere in the elections" and for his report including "a curious listicle...of all the ways the president might have obstructed his investigation." DDoSecrets Releases Wikileaks "Chats, Strategy Sessions" Related To Assange Case. The Washington Times (7/14, Blake, 492K) reports a website described as a "successor to WikiLeaks published documents on Tuesday it called secret evidence in the U.S. government's case against the other's founder, Julian Assange." Distributed Denial of Secrets released a collection of "more than two dozen documents involving WikiLeaks and its inner workings, including transcripts of online chats and emails" that are among the documents "referenced in EFTA00150067 the superseding indictment the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed last month." Among the documents leaked by DDoSecrets are copies of "online conversations involving people associated with the Anonymous hacktivist movement." CyberScoop (7/14, Stone) reports DDoSecrets says the collection of files is meant to "illustrate how WikiLeaks operates behind closed doors." Many of the files are "reproduced chat records between pseudonyms belonging to Assange, the convicted hacker Jeremy Hammond and Sigurdur Thordarson, an early WikiLeaks supporter who provided information about the group to the FBI." The disclosure comes "three weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a superseding indictment against Assange, accusing the WikiLeaks founder of conspiring with LulzSec hackers to breach a U.S. intelligence contractor." US Space Force To Launch Four NRO Payloads Wednesday. i360 Gov (7/14) reports four National Reconnaissance Office payloads "will be launched into orbit July 15, continuing the agency's efforts to leverage the small commercial launch market for its missions." ExecutiveGov (7/14, Rivers) reports the US Space Force has completed "flight readiness review activities" for the mission sending the "four satellite payloads to orbit for intelligence missions." The Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) "said that NRO Launch-129 will lift off from NASA's launch complex on Wallops Island in Virginia as part of the Orbital/Suborbital Program 3 (OSP-3) initiative." According to a report "by C4ISRnet, Northrop Grumman's Minotaur IV rocket will launch NROL-129 within the 9 a.m. ET window on Wednesday." Details on the NRO payloads remain classified. SMC Small Launch and Targets Division chief Lt. Col. Ryan Rose "said that NROL-129 will serve as the division's first Space Force mission as well as the 'first dedicated NRO mission' from Wallops' Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport." Sources: Russia Used Information Shared By The US To Target Chechen Dissidents. Business Insider (7/14, Prothero, 3.67M) reports that three law-enforcement and intelligence officials in Europe said that "after the Trump administration backed a policy of sharing more secret information with Russia," the country used the policy to target Chechen dissidents who fled the rule of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. "The US appears to have received little in return." Russia pursues and kills Chechen dissidents, and a NATO military intelligence official "said NATO had limited some parts of its relationship with the US because of its closeness to Russia. Specifically some worried that US officials would send them its intelligence." Protests After Belarus Bars Election Challengers. BBC World News (UK) (7/14, 3.28M) reports, "Protests have erupted in Belarus" after President Alexander Lukashenko's main rivals, Valery Tsepkalo and Viktor Babaryko, were barred from next month's presidential election. The BBC calls the protests "the latest show of discontent against the government following the arrests of opposition figures ahead of the election on 9 August." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads Not Guilty As Judge Denies Bail Request. The CBS Evening NewsVI (7/14, story 12, 1:30, O'Donnell, 4.31M) reported, "Today, a federal judge in New York ruled that Ghislaine Maxwell has both the money and the motive to flee the country, and denied her request to be freed on bail. It means the alleged accomplice of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein will likely spend the next year in jail as she awaits trial." CBS (Duncan) added, "Ghislaine Maxwell appeared at today's 140-minute bail hearing by video. She's been behind bars since her July 2nd arrest. US District Judge Alison Nathan determined the 58-year-old British socialite should not be released on bail, saying Maxwell is a substantial EFTA00150068 actual risk of flight. Prosecutors say Maxwell has links to more than a dozen bank accounts around the world worth more than $20 million in total and three passports in her name." NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/14, story 7, 2:05, Holt, 5.96M) reported, "The ex-girlfriend and long-time partner of Jeffrey Epstein pleaded not guilty, and asked the court for a $5 million bail and home arrest in a luxury Manhattan hotel. The elusive 58-year-old appeared via videoconference in a brown prison uniform." NBC (Gosk) added, "Though her defense team argued that the COVID pandemic made preparing for trial behind bars not realistic, the judge rejected the proposal, saying Maxwell poses a substantial risk of flight. According to prosecutors, Maxwell was less than candid about her wealth. In court documents, investigators say she holds a Swiss bank account worth more than $4 million. And a British account worth more than $2 million. Prosecutors say she took deliberate steps to avoid law enforcement, including wrapping her cell phone in tinfoil, what they called a seemingly misguided effort to evade detection." ABC World News TonightVi (7/14, story 7, 2:30, Muir, 7.36M) reported, "The government's case, Maxwell conspired and participated in an `ongoing scheme to abuse multiple victims for years,' enticing girls `who were as young as 14 for abuse by' convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the 1990s. The prosecutor read one of the alleged victim's statement in court. `Without Ghislaine, Jeffrey could have not done what he did. She was a predator and a monster.' A second victim, Annie Farmer, chose to speak, publicly identifying herself as a victim in this case for the first time. Reading this statement to the judge." Annie Farmer, Epstein Accuser: "She has never shown any remorse for her heinous crimes, or for the devastating, lasting impacts her actions have caused." The AP (7/13, Neumeister, Hayes) reports that Judge Nathan "said even the most restrictive form of release would be insufficient to ensure Maxwell would not flee, particularly now that she has seen the strength of the evidence and realizes that she could face up to 35 years in prison if she is convicted." Maxwell, 58, "has been held without bail since her July 2 arrest at her million-dollar New Hampshire estate, where prosecutors say she refused to open the door for FBI agents, who busted through to find that she had retreated to an interior room. Her lawyer, Mark S. Cohen, told the judge that Maxwell was in her pajamas and had been told that security protocol called for her to retreat to her room if there was any disturbance outside her doors. The judge rejected Cohen's claim that Maxwell was hiding from the public and the media rather than investigators when she purchased a $1 million mansion late last year." The New York Times (7/14, Hong, Weiser, 18.61M) reports, "The hearing was unusual in that it was virtual: Ms. Maxwell, who is being held in a federal detention center in Brooklyn; her lawyer; the prosecutor; and the judge each appeared remotely from their locations on separate video screens set up in a room at the courthouse, all part of special precautions being taken by the court because of the coronavirus pandemic." Maxwell "pleaded not guilty to the six-count indictment against her; the charges include transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, conspiracy and perjury." USA Today (7/14, Johnson, 10.31M) reports, "Maxwell's attorneys were set to argue for her release on a $5 million bond, secured by properties in the U.S. and Great Britain. But prosecutors said the package `amounts to little more than an unsecured bond' because some of the property Maxwell was pledging as collateral is outside American jurisdiction and `therefore is of no value.' The Washington Post (7/14, Jacobs, Barrett, 14.2M) reports that Judge Nathan "said it would be `practically impossible' to craft a set of conditions that would assure that someone with Maxwell's wealth and foreign ties would show up in court to face the charges against her. `The risks are simply too great' to release her on bail, the judge said, adding that Maxwell's ability to stay out of the spotlight in such a sensational high profile case showed she has an `extraordinary capacity to evade detection.' Prosecutors "allege that Maxwell was intimately involved in Epstein's crimes - that she `normalized' his sexual abuse by presenting herself to his EFTA00150069 victims as a trustworthy figure." Maxwell "has denied the allegations, and her attorneys recently said she was estranged from Epstein for a decade before his jailhouse suicide last year." Reuters (7/14, Stempel, Freifeld, Pierson) reports, "Alison Moe, a federal prosecutor, said the government's investigation is ongoing, but did not currently anticipate seeking an amended indictment expanding the charges against Maxwell." Among other news outlets reporting on the hearing are Bloomberg (7/14, 4.73M), NPR (7/14, Slotkin, 3.12M), NBC News (7/14, Winter, Schapiro, 6.14M), CBS News (7/14, 3.68M), Fox News (7/14, Chakraborty, 27.59M), the New York Post (7/14, Eustachewich, 4.57M), and the Daily Beast (7/14, Briquelet, 1.39M). Woman Charged With Helping Dispose Of Fort Hood Soldier's Remains Appears In Court. The Houston Chronicle (7/14, Banks, 730K) reports, "Cecily Aguilar, charged with helping dispose of the body of murder victim Vanessa Guinan, was held without bond in a federal detention hearing Tuesday afternoon in Waco." Aguilar, 22, "is charged with helping her boyfriend Aaron Robinson - a Fort Hood soldier authorities say killed fellow soldier Guinan - dismember Guillk's body and bury her along the Leon River. The FBI said in court documents that Robinson bludgeoned Army Specialist Guillk to death with a hammer on April 22." The Chronicle adds, "There were extensive searches for the 20-year-old Houston native after she went missing that day. Robinson shot and killed himself as law enforcement officers confronted him along a Killeen road after the discovery of the remains later determined to be those of Guillk, a member of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment." The Austin (TX) American Statesman (7/14, Osbourne, Subscription Publication, 343K) reports, "Military investigators searching for the body of U.S. Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen overlooked evidence that could have led to the discovery of her remains a week sooner - and brought resolution to her heartbroken family, the leader of a team of civilian searchers said Friday." Guillen, 20, "disappeared from Fort Hood in Texas on April 22, sparking international attention. Tim Miller, founder of the civilian group EquuSearch, said his crew discovered a pile of burned debris June 21 at a rural highway intersection about 20 miles away from Fort Hood and steps from the Leon River." Miller "said he pleaded with Army officials to search the site more thoroughly that day. Military investigators, he said, instead focused their search on the nearby river. More than a week later, construction workers came upon Guillen's remains in the very spot Miller said military investigators overlooked." Former VA Hospital Assistant Pleads Guilty To Murdering Patients. ABC World News TonightVi (7/14, story 12, 0:15, Muir, 7.36M) reported, "And a former VA hospital nursing assistant has now pleaded guilty to murder in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Prosecutors say Reta Mays gave fatal doses of insulin to eight veterans, seven of them dying. The patients were elderly veterans. Mays faces life sentences for each murder." The AP (7/14, Izaguirre) reports, "Mays, a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, was charged with seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with the intent to commit murder of an eighth person. She faces life sentences for each murder. At a plea hearing, Mays, 46, admitted to purposely killing the veterans, injecting them with unprescribed insulin while she worked overnight shifts at the hospital in northern West Virginia between 2017 and 2018." US Attorney Bill Powell "told reporters that Mays' motive is still unclear, saying that authorities did not receive a `satisfactory response' to questions about the reasoning behind her actions." The Washington Post (7/14, Rein, Born, 14.2M) reports, "In her three years as a nursing assistant on the overnight shift at the local Veterans Affairs hospitals here, Reta Mays tended to elderly veterans with the ailments of old age. She took their vital signs and glucose levels on the graveyard shift, sitting vigil at their bedside while medical staffing was thin. Few saw her go in and out of patients' rooms," and "no one watched while she injected them with lethal doses of insulin during an 11-month killing spree in 2017 and 2018, which she admitted to Tuesday in EFTA00150070 federal court, pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the deaths of seven veterans and an intent to murder an eighth who died two weeks later." The Post adds, "In the middle of the night, with a small staff on the medical surgical ward known as 3A, Mays injected the patients with insulin she was not a