In 2008 the American taxpayer was a “client without a voice” when Citi-Group demanded a financial bailout. TARP followed as the largest bailout in history, and Citibank got the biggest bailout of all:

The final report from the Congressional Oversight Panel found that between TARP, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve, Citigroup received the most federal funding during the financial crisis for a total of $476.2 billion in cash and guarantees. (link)

Fast forward ten years and now Citibank announces their intent to restrict business enterprise engaged in the Second Amendment, firearm sales. The motive is transparent; leadership within Citi-group are opponents to gun ownership and they have now made a decision to use their financial business as a weapon to enforce their political beliefs:

[…]  Today, our CEO announced Citi is instituting a new U.S. Commercial Firearms Policy.  […]  Under this new policy, we will require new retail sector clients or partners to adhere to these best practices: (1) they don’t sell firearms to someone who hasn’t passed a background check, (2) they restrict the sale of firearms for individuals under 21 years of age, and (3) they don’t sell bump stocks or high-capacity magazines. This policy will apply across the firm, including to small business, commercial and institutional clients, as well as credit card partners, whether co-brand or private label. (more)

It is important to keep in mind that all three issues outlined by Citibank are not unlawful; these are social policies around firearm sales that Citibank is initiating on their own. If you follow the underlying policy to a reasonable outcome, the same approach could be taken toward barring auto dealers (who use Citi-financial products) from selling gasoline powered automobiles, because the people running Citibank are environmentalists.

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Today chairman Bob Goodlatte sends a formal subpoena to the DOJ (Inspector General Michael Horowitz) for documents regarding the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, potential abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility recommendation to fire former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

However, it’s not the subpoena that should make the news.  Pay close attention to the DOJ response.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) is one of the top three people throughout the entirety of congress with a comprehensive knowledge of the events surrounding the investigations of the FBI and DOJ. Chairman Goodlatte is one of only four people outside the DOJ who have read the full DOJ FISA application used for a Title-1 Surveillance warrant of Carter Page.

The House Judiciary Committee holds the primary statutory oversight over the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, Chairman Goodlatte is the congressional office working closest with DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. In short, Goodlatte is the center of all ‘oversight’ information circling the investigations into the DOJ and FBI.

However, all of that said, even Chairman Bob Goodlatte doesn’t, and shouldn’t, know what criminal investigations are underway.  We’ve explained this dynamic of disconnect numerous times.  We really began emphasizing this when AG Jeff Sessions admitted he brought in a prosecutor from outside Washington DC to work with Inspector General Horowitz.

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Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appears with Bloomberg Inc. to discuss the ongoing U.S. trade initiatives and the need for immediate and urgent trade reciprocity.

Within the discussion Secretary Ross talks about the current targeted tariff proposal, and why intellectual property theft by Chinese state-run companies poses a clear threat to U.S. economic growth and national security interests.

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From the Office of the U.S.T.R. – Washington, DC – Today President Trump announced his decisions on the actions the Administration will take in response to China’s unfair trade practices covered in the USTR Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer initiated the investigation in August 2017 at the direction of President Trump.

The President has instructed that the appropriate response to China’s harmful acts, policies and practices should include three separate actions.

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President Trump has just announced the removal of HR McMaster as National Security Adviser.  He will be replaced with former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton.

The National Security Council is a massive intelligence apparatus consisting of dozens of principals and hundreds of staff.  There has been a series of leaks from within the NSC over the past year. We suspected, there was a concerted effort to track down the leaker(s).

There is a similarity to White House staff leaks, under Bannon – prior to Kelly, and recent NSC leaks under McMaster.

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This video highlights the insane naivete’ of ideological democrats who are willing to give away U.S. trade and manufacturing jobs because they refuse to understand economics and history.

Senator Maria Cantwell is from Washington State, home of Boeing Corp.  The leading aerospace company already acquiesced to Chinese demands within a manufacturing/trade agreement for production in China requiring Boeing to give-up their technology. In this video, Cantwell is playing the role of Jeb Bush. First, WATCH:

Apparently Senator Cantwell doesn’t even know that Boeing, her state’s largest employer, is already bound to the agreement with China.

Many people may remember the specific example of Boeing, China and aerospace came up in a presidential primary debate between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush. It was one of the most eye-opening debate contrasts during the 2016 GOP primary.

During the January 2016 South Carolina debate, and in response to Trump pointing out a necessary shift in trade position (a shift to put American interests first – a shift to stop the dependency on cheap import goods – a shift to use China’s dependency on access to our market to OUR advantage), Jeb Bush came back with an example of Boeing manufacturing.

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There’s a lot of news this week reflecting a great deal of oppositional alignment against the presidency of Donald Trump.  CTH can get down in the weeds of each specific issue to discuss the motives and intents (we will, and do), but the big picture MUST remain at the forefront of understanding. If we lose track of the big picture, the weeds are overwhelming.

…“It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones.”

~ Niccolò Machiavelli

♦POTUS Trump is disrupting the global order of things in order to protect and preserve the shrinking interests of the U.S.  He is fighting, almost single-handed, at the threshold of the abyss.  Our interests, our position, is zero-sum. Our opposition seeks to repel and retain the status-quo. They were on the cusp of full economic victory over the U.S.

In these economic endeavors President Trump is disrupting decades of financial interests who use the U.S. as a host for their ideological endeavors.  President Trump is confronting multinational corporations and the global constructs of economic systems that were put in place to the detriment of the host (USA) ie. YOU.  There are trillions at stake; it is all about the economics; everything else is chaff and countermeasures.

Familiar faces, perhaps faces you previously thought were decent, are now revealing their alignment with larger entities that are our abusers.  In an effort to awaken the victim to the cycle of self-destructive codependent behavior, allow me to cue an audio visual example from U.S. Senator John Thune.  WATCH:

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President Trump signs a memorandum targeting trade action against China’s aggressive trade practices and intellectual property violations.

UPDATE: Video Added

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In 2010 the GOP said give us the House and we’ll put budgets and spending back into regular order. We did, they didn’t.  In 2014 the GOP said give us the Senate and then we’ll put budgets and spending back into regular order.  We did, they didn’t.  In 2016 the GOP said give us the White House and we’ll put budgets and spending back into regular order.  We did, and again, they did not.

The White House is scheduled to brief media on the latest insufferable congressional Omnibus spending bill.  Anticipated start time 12:15pm EST

UPDATE: Video Added

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Sneaky.  CTH anticipated POTUS Trump would withdraw from NAFTA due to the FATAL FLAW that still remains unaddressed in all discussions.  So it came as a surprise to see reports (opaquely cited) that U.S.T.R. Lighthizer was willing to drop the U.S. firm stance on content origination rules within the auto-sector.

Why would the Trump team agree to low thresholds of U.S. auto-parts used in American cars?  It just doesn’t make sense.  Still doesn’t… but no-one’s talking right now; and clarity is impossible to find.  The bigger question remains:  Why haven’t we pulled out yet?

Perhaps the answer to that question lies in the heart of a plan concocted by a small group of conniving GOPe multinational business interests. The tricksters are creating an enticement plan to insert domestic rules on U.S. regulations into a renegotiated NAFTA draft.  The GOPe loves them some NAFTA. The GOPe will scheme to keep NAFTA.

Their current enticement plan is to work around congress, by structuring a NAFTA chapter on “rules of competitiveness”.  If the scheme works as they have outlined, many domestic regulations currently tripping up expanded U.S. business development, specifically shipping/transportation infrastructure (ports/railroads), could be reduced or eliminated by putting rules to override U.S. regulations in a final NAFTA deal.

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A timely book by Peter Schweizer, “Secret Empires”, explains how Chinese companies purchased U.S. politicians to gain trade advantages.   When you understand this process, you better understand why those same politicians today are against the Trump trade policy that is antithetical to their purchased interests.

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Reminder: U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue is warning President Trump not to take any trade action against China or he will unleash his purchased control agents within congress and financial media to destroy his presidency.

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